December 25, 2010

Christmas Day!
Woke up early and had to think about it being Christmas Day before it actually sunk in.
The sun was shining beautifully, the waves were crashing, birds were singing, the fans were whirring, it was so pleasant to just lay in my bed and talk with Jesus.

Things are so much simpler here in Nic. The processes to get through each day are more difficult than the US, but there are fewer distractions and expectations here than in the US, too. Less pressure to have the 'perfect' Christmas with just the right decorations, a large variety and an over abundance of food, impressive gifts, fancy clothes... It has been so refreshing to just spend time with people. Giving them attention and caring. Celebrating our Lord and Savior together. I love it.

We had asked Araceliz (our cleaning lady) to come by today for a quick visit. We gave her a few gifts for the family and some groceries for Christmas. She is very quiet and shy and very sweet. We also gave Saturnino his Christmas goodies today. His family is sweet. We were blessed to have them join us for the dinner last Tuesday. I would love to get to know everyone's family better. It feels so natural to have them be part of our work down here. Part of the VOH extended family.

Mary and I had a very quiet day today. We made calls to our families in the states. We read, studied and rested. For dinner, we sent Saturnino (our guard) on his bike to a restaurant (Suyapa) in the next little town down the beach (Las Peñitas) to bring back some Christmas dinner takeout. We bought him a dinner, too. I think he enjoyed getting to chat with the workers at the restaurant while waiting on our dinners. He takes really good care of us here at the house. We enjoyed the food very much, grilled chicken and veggies, rice (of course) and a little pasta salad. So good! I enjoyed a little snack pack liquid fudge pudding for my dessert. I was all set!

I've been working on Spanish verbs and grammar very diligently these last few days. Some of it is sticking. Some is slipping out my ears, I think. I pray each day for God to help it make sense in my little pea brain. It's coming along. It's times like these that I wish I would have paid more attention to grammar in English classes in school. Now I have to go back and figure out verb tenses, how to diagram a sentence and everything so that I can relate it to Spanish. Even though sentence structure is different in Spanish, I still need to understand participles and all that stuff and then build on it with the extra Spanish grammar. It's slowly making sense. I'll probably still talk like a little kid for a while, but I'm really trying hard. Mary said today that she is so hungry to learn more. She's working at it very hard. I'm proud of her. Maybe by the rapture, we'll have it figured out. :)

My jaw/tooth/earache has been coming and going. When it hits it seems to be stronger. I'm so thankful when it goes away. I'm definitely getting this thing checked out when I get back home. We were noticing that 99% of my mosquito bites are on my left leg. It's the left side of my face giving me trouble. Maybe there is something going on with half my body. hmmmm....

We're going to enjoy our last few days of solitude before the team comes on Tuesday. Tomorrow morning we get to sleep in since we are going to evening church. We'll also pick up some of the groceries for the team meals next week. Monday, we plan on taking the bus into town to enjoy the park and get an ice cream. Maybe we'll eat at Tip Top again. We're figuring out downtown pretty well. It will look a lot different without all the vendors for Christmas. There are a few things I would like to get pics of downtown. We'll probably just walk around a while. Then we'll take the bus back home for the last time. That has been fun.

The house next door is rented out for the weekend and probably for the next week. They have a small pool, which is good for swimming, since the ocean waves are so rough. It sounds like teenage kids playing in the pool. There is not really the concept of personal space and quietness here. It doesn't bother me and kind of reminds me of nyc. When you live where there are a lot of people in a small area, you get used to blocking out distractions. I got to where jackhammers didn't even phase me anymore. Here, you hear the neighbors' music and conversations and laughter and you don't mind it. Back in the suburbs I'll find myself irritated that I can hear the bass beating through the windows of someone's car at a stoplight. Silly.

I'm so thankful that my precious Lord was born to make the sacrifice for my salvation. I'm so thankful that He allowed me to accept Him as my Savior and Lord. I'm so thankful that He forgives me and claims me no matter what I do. I'm so thankful that He loves me just as I am and will never let me go. I'm so thankful that I will be allowed to spend eternity with Him. I'm so thankful to have Christmas Day to honor and celebrate Him. He is Worthy.