Baseball and resilience.  This was my day.  I met a man today who proved to me that there are angels on earth.  He came to our site in an electric wheelchair...through the deep crevices in the road, the over the rocks that are scattered everywhere. He sat with a smile on his face that encouraged me to say hello. Much to my delight I did not have to use my butchered Spanish because his English was incredible. But is was not his English that made me stay for a long conversation as my team was sweating in the trenches, it was his smile and his warmth.  As we spoke I found my spirit uplifted and my faith in humanity restored.  His smile made me pause, made me calm, made me so at peace.  He invited me to visit his home if I had time.  I made the time. On a break some of my team took a walk through the community.  We took our kids and found his home.  He was so delighted to see us and introduced us to his little brother, his niece and his Padre.  All of them had the same beauty that he possessed.  He told me of his friendship with a woman in California that helped him learn English, his love of literature and writing and is pride in his family. He thanked me for visiting and for helping him with his English.  Once again, it was hard to leave.  Tomorrow I will visit again, and I know tomorrow I will feel my soul rejuvenated by the angel on earth...Gabriel.
At the end of the day the kids returned from school.  Their uniforms less tidy from the morning commute, but still a sight to behold.  Apparently our kid Carlos (6 years old) had spread the word I had chicklets (gum).  They came to our site and I gave them gum...one each...and they were thrilled.  I found a baseball and decided to round up the boys for a game of catch.  Imagine this Gringa actually KNOWING how to throw a ball.  We played, we laughed, we connected.  Paulie called me the pied piper of children.  The best compliment I could ever imagine.
It was a magical day.  My heart is full.  Thank you Nicaragua.

Today was a day I will never forget.  Yesterday Chris came to the site and saw the broken sink, the outdoor stove that did not work well and the complete poverty that 10 family members live in.  With $1000 that was donated from the Ottawa Police Association Chris and Paul (another police officer) decided to take action.  They ordered  a new sink and and stove.  Just like that.  They built a bridge at site 1, just like that.  They hired locals, they made decisions and they got things done.  I only wish I could show you the pictures but they will come.
The family was overwhelmed.  These are people who have a hole in the ground for a toilet...surrounded by black garbage for ¨¨privacy¨¨.  
I watched strong Canadian men remove the old and add the new.  I too was overwhelmed.
So now I write. Weak in my vacabulary, but my heart is full
Peace from Esteli.  See you tomorrow.

It is the morning of the third day of the build and there is so much to write, so much to describe and so much to share.  It is quite overwhelming, really.  There are 3 build sites all with their own distinct issues.  Ours is poverty.  Poverty that none of us have ever been exposed to.  Poverty that is so extreme that we as a team of human beings are having trouble reconciling it.