One random thing that we got to experience with the Texas BSM team was that Loren and Karen surprised us with a beach trip when we returned back home. So, as tired as we were, we were super excited to go to the beach! We packed our bags and headed out to experience the complete opposite of hiking and sweating: lounging and swimming. However, we drove for a while and ended up seeing something really REALLLYYYY cool -- one of the Nicaraguan volcanoes. It was a perfectly clear day, and we stopped to take pictures in front of it.

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So anyway, finally we ended up at the beach: El Coco Beach...it was randomly there, at the edge of the mountain we drove through, and it was cool because we could see the beautiful sunset in the west and Costa Rica in the south.The sunset views that night were so pretty. The next day, we had our early morning devotion and without hesitation, we raced to the beach to enjoy the entire day of fun in the sun! Some of us played in the water, others of us who felt like they were getting swept away by the current stayed and played in the sand (me).
We had fun in the sun, for sure, but it was hot, and I did get sunburned even though I lathered on that SPF. But here in Nicaragua we are closer to the Equator, so the sun is more harmful and powerful. It did hurt, and I am peeling, which is a bummer cause I went through the pain...all I ask for is to keep the tan. By the end of it, we had gone from one extreme to the other in seeing God's creations -- all equally beautiful and all breathtaking.