Nicaragua Update #6
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Dave was up at 6:30am again. This morning, he stopped by Verbo School for coffee with friends before going to VEA at 8am. Blanca had breakfast ready for Dave when he arrived. Lucero was the first student to arrive at class and her dad was with her. They both rode their bicycles about two kilometers to class. Her father sat through class with her.
During the class break today, they went to see Pastora to ask if she could provide 30 chairs for the CBS conference on Saturday and confirm again that she had a plan and budget for the breakfast they are preparing for conference participants. They also discussed a potential outreach project for her church. Edgar was hard at work on the repairs to her bathroom at the time. They spent $50 on materials and he is charging $20 in labor to replace most of her plumbing so everything works correctly with no leaks. What a bargain compared to U.S. prices!
In class today, Dave worked with several of the more advanced students individually. He said that it was a lot of fun to see how they have grown and improved their English skills. VEA classes again wrapped up a little after 5pm.
After class they went back to check the status of Pastoras bathroom and Edgar had done a great job. Next, the guys stopped by Danilo and Ericka’s house and visited with their family. If you’ve been following Mission Nica for a while, you may remember that Danilo is one of three brothers who grew up at Casa Bernabe Orphanage, married, and started his own business there in Veracruz. The team helped celebrate the birthday of their daughter, Amy, during Dave's trip last October. Her younger sister, Camila is 8 years old and is now old enough to study at VEA. She will begin class tomorrow and Dave said she was very excited. They caught up and ate fresh-out-of-the-oven donuts from their bakery. The staff bake until 11pm and Danilo leaves each day to deliver the pastries at 4am.
Dave took Regan home from there and they sat outside his house talking about everything for about an hour. Then Dave headed to his home so Amelia could call her daughter. Elena wanted to thank Dave for fixing her front door lock and putting a new shower head on in the bath. She told Dave he didn’t need to pay her anything for his stay and he was welcome to stay any time he comes back to Nicaragua. She said she doesn't want to rent her home and doesn’t want people staying there. But she expressed her gratitude for what we do when we are there and said it was an honor for her to have him stay in her home. She and her family left for the U.S. three years ago. They live in Miami where she and her husband are painters. They have a twelve year old daughter who has learned English in school over the last three years who interpreted for them during the conversation. Dave told Elena he was thankful for the opportunity to stay in their home. After a long shower, Dave was in bed, early, by 9:30pm.