Saturday, December 18, 2010

It's been an interesting day.
The days of the week don't mean much here unless we have an event/appointment planned. Even Sunday is different this week, since we went to church tonight instead of Sunday morning. And last Sunday, we went to evening church. While it's just Mary and I here, we have been doing our ministry on various days and going into town on various days and staying home to work on other days...

We went to town yesterday and had a wonderful time exploring and wandering around. It felt like a Saturday to me.

Today we got up and neither of us felt 100%. Mary's stomach was a little messed up and I felt like I was coming down with the flu or something. I washed a load of clothes and hung them to dry on the line. Then I fixed some pancakes for breakfast (plain-no butter or syrup) and then I went back to bed at 11am and slept until 1pm. I just felt so washed out and no energy.

We both got cleaned up about 3pm and hung out until German picked us up at 4:30. We both felt like it had been a long day. It's the first time what we have felt that way here. I think it was because we didn't feel well. We snacked a little (neither of us was very hungry, and that's not normal for me!) and then headed into town.

First stop was La Unión for some groceries for dinner with friends on Tuesday night. Then we went to the Eskimo ice cream shop for a treat. I didn't even get ice cream... not normal!! Then we walked over a block to a small pick up truck on the side of the road. The guy sells video DVDs from the back of his truck. German says he's the best in town. Many people were coming to buy some. They only cost 50 córdovas, which is about $2.50, so German bought a couple and I bought a couple. They are in Spanish with English subtitles, so I consider them reference/practice material for my Spanish studies. :)

Then we went to church a little early so that we could talk to the Pastor about a few things. We took 13 Spanish Bibles to him for their church plant in Posoltega. We also asked if we could bring the team to their church on Sunday Jan 2 and then to Posoltega on Monday Jan 3 to do a feeding. The Pastor was very thankful. His son Jeremy translates for us sometimes and this is the church that German attends.

We then enjoyed a great service. I like the music. I always do here in Nic. Mary gave her testimony and did a great job. I enjoyed the Pastor's message very much. German said it was what he was really needing to hear right now, too. I enjoy trying to understand what is being said. I still don't catch it all, but I can tell that I'm getting better at recognizing more words and following the context of the sentences.

Church here in Nic usually lasts 2+ hours. The first hour is usually music and the congregation stands up the whole time. I always think about the folks back home and how they would riot if they had to stand for an hour of music. And then sit for another hour of message. Here, people are thankful to get to do that. Humble and grateful. What a combination!

After church, we went past German's in-laws house to see if his wife and kids wanted to ride with us out to the team house to drop off Mary and me. But she was in the middle of visiting with her mother and wanted to stay there. I got a nice kiss and hug from Mariangel, German's daughter who is turning 8 on Monday. Ishmael, his 18 month son still holds back and stays in Mamás arms, but he got a huge smile on his face when he saw his daddy. He's such a cutie. I wish we could have had time to chat with Johana. Maybe one of these days we will have some more time.

We laughed and joked all the way home from town. I love hearing German laugh. And Mary and I can be pretty funny most of the time. Even the Pastor said tonight that Mary looked a funny person. Then he explained that he meant that she looked like she had good character. Things can get mixed up in translation, but I think he had her pegged.

We got home about 9:30 and unloaded the groceries from the van. German said to call him tomorrow if we needed anything. We're planning on riding the bus into town to meet with Christopher and Evelyn and Isaac for lunch at Tip Top. It will be a nice day. We'll catch the bus home, so we will be gone most of the afternoon, including travel time.

I'm feeling better this evening and Mary said that she started feeling better about mid-day, so maybe whatever we felt like we were coming down with was a fast mover.

We laughed that getting home at 9:30 was past our bedtime, since we retire to our rooms by around 8pm most nights. I know we will sleep well tonight. We have had a great afternoon and evening. We have praised the Lord and been taught a good message. We have laughed and talked and just enjoyed being around other Christians. I'm so thankful for this time. And thankful for the Creator of Time. :)