Sunday, December 19, 2010

A very quiet day.
Woke up and had quiet time with my sweet Lord.
Snacked on left-over pancakes (plain and cold, yum) from yesterday.
Got ready for our trip into town to meet Christopher (one of our translators) and his wife, Evelyn and her son Isaac for lunch.

Mary and I caught the 12pm bus, which was actually very early today. It was packed and we stood in the aisle until we got to the end of our street. Then we had to get off to let most of the riders off for their day at the beach. We got back on and found a seat. It wasn't too awfully packed on the way into town. Although, a lady with a live chicken got on and we found that interesting. We grabbed a (legal) taxi to Tip Top Chicken restaurant and waited for Chris' family. There were a ton of people there. A huge group of about 25-30 from a church in Texas was taking up a fourth of the outside tables. Mary and I grabbed a table and held it. There is an armed guard/doorman who has gotten to know us since we eat there a lot. He made sure we got a table. The weather was nice to sit outside.

We had a great lunch and had lots of fun conversation in English and Spanish. Evelyn understands some English, but not a whole lot. Mary is doing well with her studies, but still needs most things translated. I'm about half and half. So we were translating everything into both languages for everyone. Christopher was asking me to translate what Mary said in English to Spanish to see how I was progressing. We laughed a lot and had a really nice time. It was good to spend time with just them, so we could get to know Evelyn better. Isaac is very shy and I finally got a hold of him and found his tickle spots.

Chris told us a lot about his job as a customer service agent for Bank One in the US. The office is in Managua (about 2 hours away). He has such funny stories. He is doing really well at his job. He is finishing up his training period. He is a very good person for customer service. If all goes well, and his job is secure, they will probably move there after Evelyn goes back to her work after the baby is born in a few weeks. She will be off for a month or so for maternity leave and then she can request a transfer to Managua. She works in a law office here in León. We'll see what the future holds for them. I know it's hard right now for Chris to be gone all week and only home on the weekends. But it would be costly and hard on him to travel back and forth every day right now. They make a cute little family. I'm proud of Chris for trying to be a godly man of the house. I enjoy speaking with Evelyn, too. She is very sweet.

We all said goodbye and then Mary and I ran into La Unión grocery store, next door, for a plastic bag for her leaking leftovers and for me to try to find some ground cloves for my aching tooth. She got her bag and I could only find cloves that were like the stems you put into a ham. I didn't think it would be good to stick the cloves between my teeth, so I skipped them.

We then grabbed a taxi to the bus stop. That bus was full and we split up to get seats. Then that bus left early today also. I'm glad we got there when we did. It was like they were just waiting for us to leave. ha! The bus was full, but no standing in the aisle, so we had great airflow with the windows down. I just love that.

There were some really cute kids on the buses and again, today. They enjoyed looking out as we traveled down the road. We've really enjoyed riding the buses these last two weeks. We just don't ride them after dark. It would probably be okay, but we don't want to push our luck.

We got home about 4pm and I opted to lay down on my bed with a book. We didn't go for our sunset walk on the beach. My tooth and ear seem to hurt in tandem and I felt like I was getting a headcold and scratchy throat today. How weird to think of that in 80 degree weather. Anyway, I lounged and read and Mary sat in her rocker and read. I had some soup, cheetos and snack pack pudding for dinner. Mary finished off her leftovers from Tip Top. We talked for awhile and then I came back up to my room to get on the computer.

It feels a lot later than it is. It always does here since the house is open and the light and dark are so noticeable. The house to our south, which is attached to ours and separated by a concrete wall, has some weekend (or weekly) renters. That house has a swimming pool, which is so treasured by the occupants, since the waves on the beach aren't good for swimming. I can hear them all in the pool having fun. It sounds like they will be good and tired tonight.

Christmas is just a week away. I try to imagine everyone back home being cold and rushing around to finish up shopping and preparing their homes for family and friends to visit. The big celebration here is on Christmas Eve. I think there may even be fireworks again. (they have fireworks for everything) Everyone pretty much rests on Christmas Day. Mary and I will have a quiet day, I'm sure. I love quiet Christmas Days with my Lord.

Today was the last Sunday for my friends, John, Leslie, Jonathan & Jered Caubble to attend FBC Rogers. They are heading off to spend the week with family and friends in Wynne AR, then leaving on the 27th to move to Dubai as missionaries. I'm so excited for them. I know this is a bittersweet time for them. I can't wait to visit and work with them in Dubai sometime next year.

Giving up everything to follow God's call seems crazy by worldly standards, but when you are in the midst of it, nothing else seems clear at all. Looking through God's perspective on your life makes His will seem in focus and everything else appears to be on the fringe. I'm thankful for the peace and discernment He allows during those times when my life seems upside down compared to everyone else. I'm thankful to be available when He calls. I'm humbled that He would call me at all. I am blessed to be His child.