Nicaragua Update #8
Thursday, July 23, 2026
With no Veracruz English Academy classes today, Dave got to sleep in a bit. He was up at 7am and went to Regan and Blanca's home at 9am where he had breakfast with them to begin the day. Regan and Dave went to see Edgar to pay him for his work at Pastoras and visit with his family. Edgar didn’t have his invoice ready, but they had a great visit. They talked more about the English school with Abril. She is very excited to begin learning English!
Regan’s grandson, Elias, shares the same birthday as Regan. Elias went with the guys this morning as he was in desperate need of a haircut. He was resistant at first, but Blanca insisted. After a birthday wash and cut, Elias hugged Dave as they left the barber shop. Regan said, "uh oh, we may have set a standard he can’t maintain". They decided it will give Elias something else to look forward to upon Dave's return. May both Elias and Regan number their days that they may get hearts of wisdom; may You, O Lord, satisfy them in the morning with Your steadfast love, that they may rejoice and be glad all their days; and may the favor of the Lord our God be upon them, and establish the work of their hands (Psalm 90: 12,14, 17). Amen.
After taking Elias home, they were getting out of the vehicle when Darol and Olga rode by. They asked if they could return in a half hour and bring receipts from Olga’s school expenditures and the invoice for Darol driving his bus on the VEA outing. They were back in 18 minutes. Olga said she didn’t have access to her grades yet, but she knows she passed everything because they let her register for next semester that begins August 3rd. Dave told them he would review everything and to call him on the weekend.
They left for the Galarias at 3pm to see a movie, Moana, with Elias to celebrate his birthday. The theatres there are very nice, and air-conditioned, a welcome respite from the heat. The Downs' sons, David and Isaac, met the group at Papa John’s for dinner. After eating pizza they went to Casa de Cafe for a birthday dessert. Elias was very grateful for the opportunity for the celebration. His oldest brother Ian was with them, but his other brother, Caden was sick and his mom, Sidara, had been bitten by a neighbor's dog while she was doing laundry. She was hurting and needed to stay home with Caden. Dave dropped them all at their homes by 10pm and was back at his place and in bed by 11pm. Dave enjoyed this opportunity to celebrate another milestone with the Downs family.