The Long-awaited Field Trip

"In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Being a Child of Light was the theme of the 2 day retreat we took our 4th-6th grade students on this past week. When we originally presented this idea to the parents 2 months ago their immediate reaction was fear. Who would take care of their child? What about snakes and scorpions? Who would watch the students in the pool? The list was endless. But indeed we did encounter 3 scorpians and 1 mouse in their dorm rooms which were taken care of quickly. In the Nicaraguan culture, children don't normally stay overnight at a friends house or go anywhere too far from their parents; camps are unheard of. Trying to convince them that this trip would be okay took some work but we finally got the parents approval and support.

Throughout the two day trip we offered a variety of activities that we don't have opportunity to do in the classroom. They included science activities, games, team building activities, and chapels. Our science activities consisted of learning how to build your own compass and solar clock and how to use a compass to find a treasure. Some of these activities were challenging due to our close location to the equator and hence the sun. One advantage though was that the sun was so intense students were able to produce smoke using a magnifying glass within a minute when trying to start of fire.

Another fun experience was learning how to use a potato gun, which has been renamed the lemon launcher here in Nicaragua. The potatoes here are a little soft but the right sized lemon can be shot off perfectly. Students also had fun with a giant water ballon sling shot which took 3 people to handle. Probably some of the favorite hours of the retreat were spent in the afternoon when a variety of activities were offered: horseback riding, radio programming, baking, Frisbee golf, water games, big ball activity, taekwondo, origami, chess, friendship bracelets, and insect identification and mounting. Students had the opportunity to participate in 3 of the activities listed above. For many of the students it was the first time trying many of them. The early evening hours were spent playing baseball, volleyball, and swimming. This was our last attempt of totally wearing our students out before the evening hit. Unfortunately it didn't really work. In the evening we had chapel time, camp songs around the fire, and SMORES. For many of the kids they had never experienced roasting marshmallows before and they loved it. We lined them up to get one marshmallow each. After everyone had one they could come for more and some even came for about 10 more. The marshmallows were specially delivered from the states and work far better than the Nicaraguan ones.
The parents had warned us that getting their child up in the morning would be impossible. We had the opposite effect at camp. We couldn't get them to stay in bed past 5:00 in the morning! Grrr... Another big part of the trip was to give the students the responsibility of helping clean up, serve and prepare the meals. In the morning students helped to make pancakes which they loved doing. We even had a student who could flip the pancakes in the air. As we were eating breakfast the 6th grade teacher made the comment that the Nicaraguan parents and kids were getting the shakes from gallo pinto withdrawal. Gallo pinto is the traditional dish of rice and beans. We made sure to serve it at breakfast. The parents eagerly held out their plates for several helpings of gallo pinto. I wish I had a video of this because they were literally gitty over the sight of gallo pinto.
Team building games were another favorite on the trip. We had 6 high school students come along to be counselors. They were a blessing to us teachers because their energy far outlasted ours. They led the kids in songs and games throughout the day. At one such event the students participated in pyramid races. In the end the teachers also tried their hand at it, but we were not nearly as fast then the fastest student group.

We are thanking God that the trip went well, that all the students had the time of their lives and returned safely to their parents. This camp experience is unique to them as there isn't any opportunities like this in Nicaragua. Their faces often displayed a look of pure delight and contentment. Somehow after this experience we head back to the classroom Monday for 2 more weeks of classes.