full circle.
back in managua after an amazing week, a wonderful experience. i think it{s (hee hee) safe to say that we’re all a little beat.
where did we leave off? i think we covered thursday (at least a little bit — but did we mention the two-toed sloth? sweet! we got pix!). so…friday. half-day clinic before departing matasano. the entire crew made the trip as the plan was to depart straight from matasano without returning to “the farm.”
the medical and dental clinics were open for business. this final morning, i had the chance (the honor) to watch our doc, nurse practitioner and nurses in action (while they talked, diagnosed, treated and informed, i was the one who got the prescriptions for them, ran for water when the wanted a pill taken right away, and generally struggled to keep up.) the efficiency, compassion and competence in that room was spectacular. and the professionalism of our translators shined through as well (without them…).
after our lunch, the pastor led a brief goodbye and thank you ceremony. carla spoke as well and we wrapped up with hugs and handshakes all around. it was a touching moment, but not one of sadness. i think we all left with the feeling that we had achieved not only our goals, but one of the critical goals of CEPAD — helping communities better help themselves. i’m sure carla will have more to say about this in the coming weeks.
leaving matasano, we returned to an area north of matagalpa, an old coffee plantation where we spent a long night together around the dinner table, laughed, discovered the concept of hot showers (ahhhhh) and had a restful night’s sleep (not at the dinner table). saturday morning after breakfast, part of the group went for a tour of the plantation and its sustainable agricultural projects. others stayed back to relax. and the largest group went for a long hike through the cloud forest of selva negra. the lush greenery was beautiful. the howler monkeys were loud (and kinda freaky sounding). the hike, very satisfying. lunch and then back on the road to managua.
back at CEPAD’s hq, a wonderful dinner and then one final evening of sharing, communion and reflecting on the week. (i ran around all week not only with a camera but also with an audio recorder. some of the sounds i collected are uplifting, some are sad, some beautiful and others unnerving. but i did not record our group meetings, choosing instead to leave that conversation, those reflections, the audible expression of thoughts and feelings in the circle where they were shared, allowing each of us to carry that part of the experience to you in our own way.)
so here’s one of my ways. as we leave nicaragua it is with this thought (perhaps more of a challenge…or even an imperative) shared during the final prayer in our final session this evening: “may the mission continue.”
good night from managua. and God bless.
