Top 10: #10

     To start off my blog journey, I want to start with telling everyone about my experience in Nicaragua. This will give me the chance to share what I experienced and all of the moments in Nicaragua that were amazing!

10)  My number ten on my top ten list was playing cards with the kids. We played uno and war the most because those were the two games that were most controversial. We mostly played uno with the girls at the orphanage, I played a lot with a girl I met last year, Lucely. When we played uno, they cheated so bad! It was hilarious. While playing, they would have one of their friends at the end of the table not playing uno and would pass cards under the table to her to put back into the deck. In those moments, we laughed that they cheated and I realized how if that were my brother, the kids I babysit, or anyone else I would get mad. But, why did I not get mad at them? There was such a sense of joy and happiness in Nicaragua that it made no sense to get mad at them. This was a key lesson that I learned through Nicaragua. I think we should all realize that the little things do not matter as much as we may think. The little kids cheating in Nicaragua did not bother me because of the sense of joy that reigned through out that country and I hope to find that here.

   Another game we played was war, and I played this with one of the boys I met last year, Franklin. We played for what seemed like endless hours of war. This endless game got boring for us both after awhile but we kept playing because, again, there was a joy there that made us want to spend more time with one another. I loved playing this endless game with him because we would laugh, get mad, and hang out as best friends. I loved being with Franklin because it was like someone pressed pause for two years and hit play again, our relationship just kept growing.

    I loved playing simple games with these kids and miss those things more than I can express. To play these games, to see them laugh, and to watch their faces when they win was priceless. Just remember, find joy through the simple things and never let those little annoyances get in the way. Have a good and blessed day :)