I packed my stuff and took a load to the car and then went in to enjoy the free hot breakfast. I had some scrambled eggs and a waffle. I was very happy.
I finished loading up and stopped for gas on the corner. The name of the business was On the Run. That made me smile because one of our favorite convenience stores in León is On the Run. I have to say it was different at this one. For one thing, you don’t pump your own gas in Nica. Also, it was freezing cold in the wind at this one and it’s always hot in Nica.
Anyway, I was on my way by 9:00am. It was a good day for driving and I had just enough time to get to Branson for the meeting.
Our meeting was at Montana Mike’s Restaurant (I found out there are actually 2 in Branson-haha) and most everyone was there when I arrived about 11:45am. It was fun to see everyone. Manuel was looking good and happy. We enjoyed some good food and then had a blast talking about the ministry.
We voted in different people for Chairman, Vice-Chariman and Sec-Treasurer. Mike recapped the year and shared his vision for next year. Some of us shared our feelings about being a part of the ministry. There were tears and laughter and bonding. I felt very good from the time together.
It was about 3:30pm when I set off for Rogers. The roads were fine and the sun was starting to get low in the sky. After driving almost 1300 miles on the interstate, it was weird driving 2 hours on the hilly, winding roads between Branson and Rogers.
When I got back to Rogers, I was hungry and knew that I didn’t have groceries at Deanna’s. I didn’t feel like stopping at the grocery store. I was having a hard time deciding what restaurant to drive thru. I finally chose Acambarro, but couldn’t decide on what dinner to get. So I ordered 2 dinners and shared with Deanna. I was glad to get home and get my car unpacked and get a hot dinner and get in my jammies. It was good to see Deanna. Jet met me at the door. I only have a few nights here before I leave for Nica and I’m going to enjoy Deanna and Jet while here!
God blessed me with a very safe and happy trip over this Christmas season. I don’t deserve the love and joy that God gives me. I’m very thankful to be His child and His servant. I can’t imagine my life any other way.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
December 28, 2012
Time to head west, back towards AR. I planned a 2 day drive, so that I could stop in Branson MO for the Voice of Hope Ministries Annual Board meeting at noon on Saturday.
The roads were pretty clear. The temp was very cold and it was a little windy. Terry said if I could get the car down their lane that I should be fine on the roads. The snow on the lane was deep and the tire tracks were made from big 4 wheel drive vehicles, so the middle of the lane scraped the underneath of the car. But it was no problem and I was on my way by 9:15am.
I stopped at the gas station at the interstate. I filled up and about froze to death from the wind! Haha I went inside to get the receipt and heard someone call my name. How surprising! It was fun to run into someone!
I made good time on the road. It was very windy and I wasn’t stressed about time. My plan was to drive most of the way and spend the night on the road. I figured I would make it to Rolla. I wanted to get my hotel room in the late afternoon so that I could really enjoy it.
Once I got west of St Louis, it started spitting snow. I called my friend Glenda and had her check the weather channel website for weather conditioned in Rolla and Springfield. It said that the snow should stop by early evening and not accumulate. So I drove on until I got to St Robert and stopped. I had not stopped for lunch and it was 3:30, so I was ready to get a room, a hot meal and get comfy! Of course, I had to make a stop at Walmart first! Haha. I called Sandy and Deanna to let them know them know I was off of the road for the night.
I was going to call some of the many hotels in the area to get the best deal. The first one I called was the Hampton Inn. The lady was so very nice and the price was good. I decided to just stay there. I checked in and went to Cracker Barrel for a yummy dinner of pot roast, mac n cheese, green beans and baby carrots. I took a piece of pecan pie back to the room.
I watched some HGTV and practiced my guitar and then did some work on Feeding Center records to share with Mike at the VOH meeting on Saturday. I love spending time by myself and I enjoyed it very much.
I loved the room. It was spacious, and clean and I had free internet (yay!) and cable tv. It even had a mini fridge and microwave. I had a very relaxing evening. However, the heat couldn’t be regulated very well and the thermostat read 82 degrees when I got there. I finally had to turn the heat completely off. I was hot all night and only slept a few hours. When I got up the room was only down to 65 degrees and that was with the heat turned off! But it was okay. I’ll be hot at night starting Wed when I get back to Nica.
The roads were pretty clear. The temp was very cold and it was a little windy. Terry said if I could get the car down their lane that I should be fine on the roads. The snow on the lane was deep and the tire tracks were made from big 4 wheel drive vehicles, so the middle of the lane scraped the underneath of the car. But it was no problem and I was on my way by 9:15am.
I stopped at the gas station at the interstate. I filled up and about froze to death from the wind! Haha I went inside to get the receipt and heard someone call my name. How surprising! It was fun to run into someone!
I made good time on the road. It was very windy and I wasn’t stressed about time. My plan was to drive most of the way and spend the night on the road. I figured I would make it to Rolla. I wanted to get my hotel room in the late afternoon so that I could really enjoy it.
Once I got west of St Louis, it started spitting snow. I called my friend Glenda and had her check the weather channel website for weather conditioned in Rolla and Springfield. It said that the snow should stop by early evening and not accumulate. So I drove on until I got to St Robert and stopped. I had not stopped for lunch and it was 3:30, so I was ready to get a room, a hot meal and get comfy! Of course, I had to make a stop at Walmart first! Haha. I called Sandy and Deanna to let them know them know I was off of the road for the night.
I was going to call some of the many hotels in the area to get the best deal. The first one I called was the Hampton Inn. The lady was so very nice and the price was good. I decided to just stay there. I checked in and went to Cracker Barrel for a yummy dinner of pot roast, mac n cheese, green beans and baby carrots. I took a piece of pecan pie back to the room.
I watched some HGTV and practiced my guitar and then did some work on Feeding Center records to share with Mike at the VOH meeting on Saturday. I love spending time by myself and I enjoyed it very much.
I loved the room. It was spacious, and clean and I had free internet (yay!) and cable tv. It even had a mini fridge and microwave. I had a very relaxing evening. However, the heat couldn’t be regulated very well and the thermostat read 82 degrees when I got there. I finally had to turn the heat completely off. I was hot all night and only slept a few hours. When I got up the room was only down to 65 degrees and that was with the heat turned off! But it was okay. I’ll be hot at night starting Wed when I get back to Nica.
December 26-27. 2012
I was wanting to see some snow on this month in the states, and God is gave me a gift!!!
There was actually a blizzard warning for most of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio… People were told to stay inside. The accumulation where we were was about 9”, but totals not far from us were closer to 14”. The wind was blowing enough to make the visibility bad. Terry had brought up a huge stack of firewood from the stash out by the barn. We were set!
It was so pretty to see the snow falling on all of the trees around Sandy’s house. There are 5 acres of rolling hill in front of their house that goes down to the country road. The house is on the top of a hill. There are 10 acres of woods behind the house. Every view was beautiful. There are some huge trees including pine trees and the snow clung to their limbs. Just like a postcard.
Curtis has a huge 4 wheel drive, and being an off-roader, he couldn’t wait for a reason to drive out from town. He brought all 4 kids out to sled and spend the night. The snow was deep, but it was wet and heavy and the sleds kind of sunk down and didn’t slide very well. It was funny to watch the kids try to get the sleds down the hill. Of course, once down there, they didn’t want to pull them back up, so they got out a four-wheeler and towed them back up the lane. I got a good picture of one of the trips and put it on my facebook page.
The kids went out for snow fun a couple of times on Wed and a few times on Thurs. Sandy and I stayed in the house and watched them from big window in the warm dining room. So we were all happy!
Curt came out on Thurs evening and picked up the kids and it sure was quiet after they left!
Sandy was not feeling too great. She had a sinus headache and sore throat. We all went to bed pretty early and got a good night’s sleep.
I was planning on going into to town on Wed and Thurs to visit with Mom and Gary for a while and to see some friends. I also wanted to go by Stacey’s house to use the internet. But the snow kept me at Sandy’s house and that was okay. I spent some time alone in my room, practiced my guitar, napped, worked a little on the computer, read, did some laundry, etc. It was very relaxing.
It was hard to believe that I would be leaving for Nica in less than a week. Time sure flies by. But I trust God with my schedule!
There was actually a blizzard warning for most of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio… People were told to stay inside. The accumulation where we were was about 9”, but totals not far from us were closer to 14”. The wind was blowing enough to make the visibility bad. Terry had brought up a huge stack of firewood from the stash out by the barn. We were set!
It was so pretty to see the snow falling on all of the trees around Sandy’s house. There are 5 acres of rolling hill in front of their house that goes down to the country road. The house is on the top of a hill. There are 10 acres of woods behind the house. Every view was beautiful. There are some huge trees including pine trees and the snow clung to their limbs. Just like a postcard.
Curtis has a huge 4 wheel drive, and being an off-roader, he couldn’t wait for a reason to drive out from town. He brought all 4 kids out to sled and spend the night. The snow was deep, but it was wet and heavy and the sleds kind of sunk down and didn’t slide very well. It was funny to watch the kids try to get the sleds down the hill. Of course, once down there, they didn’t want to pull them back up, so they got out a four-wheeler and towed them back up the lane. I got a good picture of one of the trips and put it on my facebook page.
The kids went out for snow fun a couple of times on Wed and a few times on Thurs. Sandy and I stayed in the house and watched them from big window in the warm dining room. So we were all happy!
Curt came out on Thurs evening and picked up the kids and it sure was quiet after they left!
Sandy was not feeling too great. She had a sinus headache and sore throat. We all went to bed pretty early and got a good night’s sleep.
I was planning on going into to town on Wed and Thurs to visit with Mom and Gary for a while and to see some friends. I also wanted to go by Stacey’s house to use the internet. But the snow kept me at Sandy’s house and that was okay. I spent some time alone in my room, practiced my guitar, napped, worked a little on the computer, read, did some laundry, etc. It was very relaxing.
It was hard to believe that I would be leaving for Nica in less than a week. Time sure flies by. But I trust God with my schedule!
December 25, 2012
Christmas Day!!!
I woke up very tranquil. It’s the first time in 22 years to be in Indiana for Christmas. It was very peaceful at Sandy’s house. It was just her and Terry and me. All the kids and grandkids were at their own homes to open gifts.
I got to spend some precious quiet time with Jesus when I woke up. I have always liked spending Christmas Day by myself so that I could have that time with Him and no distractions. I was very happy to get that time this year, too.
Sandy was up and cooking when I got to the kitchen. I had some oatmeal and got my shower and then helped Sandy in the kitchen. She had most everything done yesterday, so it was a nice morning.
I called Deanna and Nana Ruth and Pam to tell them Merry Christmas.
Curt brought out his son, Conner and his half siblings, except for Isaac, who was home sick with a stomach bug. Stacey and Rob brought Colten and Bentley. Mom and Gary came out. We had lunch about noon and then opened presents. It was pretty fun.
This was the first Christmas without Dad. I know that Sandy was missing him, but it was also the first year that she didn’t have to have Christmas dinner on 2 different days. That made things calmer to have everyone there one the same day. (I had spent Christmas Eve afternoon with Pam and Rob, so I got to see them, too.)
I got some new Christmas slipper socks, a necklace, special lip balm from Burt’s Bees (my favorite), a couple packages of Coffee flavored Werthers candies (LOVE them), a gift card for Starbucks and a gift card from Walmart that had the picture of coal on it. The kids had told me that I was on the naughty list, so I guess they saw the coal gift card. Haha I loved my gifts.
I gave Mom, Sandy and Pam each a photo from my pictures for the church directory. They loved them. I guess they needed to scare away mice!
By evening, everyone was gone and Sandy, Terry and I settled in with lots of firewood for the blizzard coming our way.
It was a very nice day and I enjoyed it very much. I’m so thankful for Jesus coming to earth, knowing that He was going to give Himself for my salvation. The most precious gift of all!
I woke up very tranquil. It’s the first time in 22 years to be in Indiana for Christmas. It was very peaceful at Sandy’s house. It was just her and Terry and me. All the kids and grandkids were at their own homes to open gifts.
I got to spend some precious quiet time with Jesus when I woke up. I have always liked spending Christmas Day by myself so that I could have that time with Him and no distractions. I was very happy to get that time this year, too.
Sandy was up and cooking when I got to the kitchen. I had some oatmeal and got my shower and then helped Sandy in the kitchen. She had most everything done yesterday, so it was a nice morning.
I called Deanna and Nana Ruth and Pam to tell them Merry Christmas.
Curt brought out his son, Conner and his half siblings, except for Isaac, who was home sick with a stomach bug. Stacey and Rob brought Colten and Bentley. Mom and Gary came out. We had lunch about noon and then opened presents. It was pretty fun.
This was the first Christmas without Dad. I know that Sandy was missing him, but it was also the first year that she didn’t have to have Christmas dinner on 2 different days. That made things calmer to have everyone there one the same day. (I had spent Christmas Eve afternoon with Pam and Rob, so I got to see them, too.)
I got some new Christmas slipper socks, a necklace, special lip balm from Burt’s Bees (my favorite), a couple packages of Coffee flavored Werthers candies (LOVE them), a gift card for Starbucks and a gift card from Walmart that had the picture of coal on it. The kids had told me that I was on the naughty list, so I guess they saw the coal gift card. Haha I loved my gifts.
I gave Mom, Sandy and Pam each a photo from my pictures for the church directory. They loved them. I guess they needed to scare away mice!
By evening, everyone was gone and Sandy, Terry and I settled in with lots of firewood for the blizzard coming our way.
It was a very nice day and I enjoyed it very much. I’m so thankful for Jesus coming to earth, knowing that He was going to give Himself for my salvation. The most precious gift of all!
December 24, 2012
Christmas Eve!!
I had my usual oatmeal for breakfast and then headed into town to meet my sister Pam and brother-in-law Rob for lunch. I stopped and delivered some cookies and gifts to a few friends of the family. They were both gone, so I left the bags on their doorknobs. I didn’t think about one of the deliveries not having a note in it. I guess she will think that it’s from Santa Claus! Pam and Rob met me at Dad’s house and I left my borrowed car there.
We drove up to Greenwood and had lunch at Smokey Bones, Pam and Rob’s favorite restaurant. They have a favorite waitress who is like family to them now. We even gave her a gift that I had extra with me. She was a very good waitress and I’m glad that Pam and Rob enjoy her so much.
We exchanged gifts and everyone loved their gifts. Pam gave me some things from the Breast Cancer support store. I loved them all! We had really good food and enjoyed sitting near the fireplace. I enjoyed our time together. Rob’s back was really hurting bad. He has arthritis in his spine from their bad car accident 10 years ago that left him disabled. He’s a trooper, though. The seat in the car felt better for him, and we drove back to Columbus. We had a lot of fun together and it was very enjoyable. I’m glad that we could get together.
On the way back to Sandy’s, I stopped at Walmart to get a few things on her list. I also got some de-icer, a window scraper, some boots and other items for my drive back to AR. There is supposed to be a lot of show hit all along the way in the next few days. This way I will be prepared!
I spent some time reading and typing on the computer. Then Sandy, Terry and I went to the Christmas Eve service at the little country church down the road. They have visited there a few times and Stacey and Rob were married there. I like the Pastor and the little congregation. Sandy said that they would probably go to church there more in the future.
Sandy has most of the food prepared for Christmas dinner tomorrow. All the presents are wrapped and under the tree. We are just chilling out this evening. I can’t believe that it’s Christmas Eve night! As I was thinking about the newborn baby Jesus tonight at church, I thought about holding little Bentley, who is just a little more than a month old. How precious for Mary to hold that amazing baby! I’m so thankful that Jesus came to us as our Savior. I want to celebrate Him!!!
I had my usual oatmeal for breakfast and then headed into town to meet my sister Pam and brother-in-law Rob for lunch. I stopped and delivered some cookies and gifts to a few friends of the family. They were both gone, so I left the bags on their doorknobs. I didn’t think about one of the deliveries not having a note in it. I guess she will think that it’s from Santa Claus! Pam and Rob met me at Dad’s house and I left my borrowed car there.
We drove up to Greenwood and had lunch at Smokey Bones, Pam and Rob’s favorite restaurant. They have a favorite waitress who is like family to them now. We even gave her a gift that I had extra with me. She was a very good waitress and I’m glad that Pam and Rob enjoy her so much.
We exchanged gifts and everyone loved their gifts. Pam gave me some things from the Breast Cancer support store. I loved them all! We had really good food and enjoyed sitting near the fireplace. I enjoyed our time together. Rob’s back was really hurting bad. He has arthritis in his spine from their bad car accident 10 years ago that left him disabled. He’s a trooper, though. The seat in the car felt better for him, and we drove back to Columbus. We had a lot of fun together and it was very enjoyable. I’m glad that we could get together.
On the way back to Sandy’s, I stopped at Walmart to get a few things on her list. I also got some de-icer, a window scraper, some boots and other items for my drive back to AR. There is supposed to be a lot of show hit all along the way in the next few days. This way I will be prepared!
I spent some time reading and typing on the computer. Then Sandy, Terry and I went to the Christmas Eve service at the little country church down the road. They have visited there a few times and Stacey and Rob were married there. I like the Pastor and the little congregation. Sandy said that they would probably go to church there more in the future.
Sandy has most of the food prepared for Christmas dinner tomorrow. All the presents are wrapped and under the tree. We are just chilling out this evening. I can’t believe that it’s Christmas Eve night! As I was thinking about the newborn baby Jesus tonight at church, I thought about holding little Bentley, who is just a little more than a month old. How precious for Mary to hold that amazing baby! I’m so thankful that Jesus came to us as our Savior. I want to celebrate Him!!!
December 22-23, 2012
Saturday morning and we were up early and ready to make some fudge! Conner helped me a little bit. Isaac had went with Terry to work on Dad’s house. The boys are pretty good when you have them one at a time. Haha Sandy mixed up more batches of cookies and put the dough in the fridge for baking later.
I love Sandy’s new kitchen. It looks so much bigger and she has 2 ovens now, so cookie baking will be a lot faster!
Conner, Sandy and I got ready to head into town to pick up Stacey for some shopping. On the way, we realized that we hadn’t had lunch yet, so we stopped at Subway and got sandwiches to go.
When we got into town, we were sitting at a stoplight. Sandy was looking over at a couple of guys working on scaffolding at an apartment building about half a block away. All of a sudden she said ‘oh no!’ ‘Oh my God!’ ‘get my phone out and call 911’. I thought that maybe someone had gotten rear-ended and was looking in the side mirror. I had heard a thud sound. We pulled across the street and parked on the side of the building. Sandy grabbed her phone and ran around the corner. Conner and I stayed in the car. She came back to the car about 20 minutes later, after police and ambulances arrived. It turns out that the guys she was watching on the scaffolding (which was just 2 ladders, 1 board and a rope tied between the bottom of the ladders) had fallen when a car drove through the parking garage entrance that they were working above. The car caught on the rope and the ladders fell. The guys fell on top of the car and then onto the concrete. One guy was trying to get up and Sandy had to hold him down until the ambulance got there. The other guy wasn’t moving and was bleeding from the back of his head. One guy went to the local hospital and the one with the head injury was life-flighted to a hospital in Indianapolis. Sandy was shook up and had blood on her pants. Conner was calm but thought that those guys would probably break a bone or two. It was an interesting moment.
We finally made it to Stacey’s and went to Walmart for some Christmas shopping. We split up and went our own ways. It was pretty fun. The store was full, but not too crazy. We all came back to Sandy’s for yummy chili for dinner.
Conner and Isaac spent the night again and no one had to sleep with me, which made many of us happy. ☺
Sunday morning I got up and went to meet Mom and Gary at church. It was a nice service. Then we went to lunch and I had turkey and dressing. Afterward, we all ended up at Walmart, but I didn’t see them. I just had fun walking around and looking at stuff.
I got a nice afternoon nap, even with the boys playing in the house. I’ve been fighting a sinus issue with antibiotics and the nap did me much good.
Sandy, Terry, Stacey, Rob, Colten, Bentley, Conner and Isaac all piled into the car and headed to the Louisville Zoo (about 1.5 hours away) to drive through some Christmas lights. I chose to stay at Sandy’s house and have some ‘me’ time. I didn’t think going on a road trip (I get carsick) with all the rambunctious kids sounded like very much fun. I had a great time here finishing wrapping gifts, catching up on my blog, practicing guitar and having leftovers for dinner. They got back about 9pm. I got to hold Bentley and give him a bottle and cuddle a little bit. I loved it! Stacey and Rob took the boys home so it was very quiet around here for the night.
I can’t believe Christmas is so close! I’m enjoying my time here.
I love Sandy’s new kitchen. It looks so much bigger and she has 2 ovens now, so cookie baking will be a lot faster!
Conner, Sandy and I got ready to head into town to pick up Stacey for some shopping. On the way, we realized that we hadn’t had lunch yet, so we stopped at Subway and got sandwiches to go.
When we got into town, we were sitting at a stoplight. Sandy was looking over at a couple of guys working on scaffolding at an apartment building about half a block away. All of a sudden she said ‘oh no!’ ‘Oh my God!’ ‘get my phone out and call 911’. I thought that maybe someone had gotten rear-ended and was looking in the side mirror. I had heard a thud sound. We pulled across the street and parked on the side of the building. Sandy grabbed her phone and ran around the corner. Conner and I stayed in the car. She came back to the car about 20 minutes later, after police and ambulances arrived. It turns out that the guys she was watching on the scaffolding (which was just 2 ladders, 1 board and a rope tied between the bottom of the ladders) had fallen when a car drove through the parking garage entrance that they were working above. The car caught on the rope and the ladders fell. The guys fell on top of the car and then onto the concrete. One guy was trying to get up and Sandy had to hold him down until the ambulance got there. The other guy wasn’t moving and was bleeding from the back of his head. One guy went to the local hospital and the one with the head injury was life-flighted to a hospital in Indianapolis. Sandy was shook up and had blood on her pants. Conner was calm but thought that those guys would probably break a bone or two. It was an interesting moment.
We finally made it to Stacey’s and went to Walmart for some Christmas shopping. We split up and went our own ways. It was pretty fun. The store was full, but not too crazy. We all came back to Sandy’s for yummy chili for dinner.
Conner and Isaac spent the night again and no one had to sleep with me, which made many of us happy. ☺
Sunday morning I got up and went to meet Mom and Gary at church. It was a nice service. Then we went to lunch and I had turkey and dressing. Afterward, we all ended up at Walmart, but I didn’t see them. I just had fun walking around and looking at stuff.
I got a nice afternoon nap, even with the boys playing in the house. I’ve been fighting a sinus issue with antibiotics and the nap did me much good.
Sandy, Terry, Stacey, Rob, Colten, Bentley, Conner and Isaac all piled into the car and headed to the Louisville Zoo (about 1.5 hours away) to drive through some Christmas lights. I chose to stay at Sandy’s house and have some ‘me’ time. I didn’t think going on a road trip (I get carsick) with all the rambunctious kids sounded like very much fun. I had a great time here finishing wrapping gifts, catching up on my blog, practicing guitar and having leftovers for dinner. They got back about 9pm. I got to hold Bentley and give him a bottle and cuddle a little bit. I loved it! Stacey and Rob took the boys home so it was very quiet around here for the night.
I can’t believe Christmas is so close! I’m enjoying my time here.
December 20-21, 2012
This week has been fun here in Indiana. I’m glad that I drove straight through on Wednesday, because bad weather hit here on Thursday. High winds, rain, storms, etc. Sandy, Terry, Stacey and the kids went to a funeral in Bloomington for Terry’s aunt. I stayed here at Sandy’s and worked on computer files for about 6 hours. It was a very productive time for me.
They got back to the house about 3:30pm and we had a late lunch. Colten (who will be 3 in Jan) decided to practice his guitar while I was practicing mine. He was hilarious. His is a flat guitar that has buttons that turn on pre-recorded rock music. He strums a long with it. He stops to tap one foot for a few seconds and then taps the other foot for a few seconds and then strums again. He can’t do it all at the same time, and he concentrates on his technique. He pulled up a stool and put his guitar on his leg like me. I was flipping through a notebook of songs and playing them. He pulled over one of the recipe books on the table and was ‘playing’ those songs. He was so funny!
On Friday, we went into town and stopped at CENTRA Credit Union, where I have an account with the money from Dad’s estate. I have a little bit in savings and checking and like to keep track of everything on-line. I opened the account during the week I flew from Nica to IN to take care of business. I promptly forgot my password when I got back to Nica and had to have a friend reset it for me. While in Nica, I don’t get on the account much and I forgot the password again and got locked out of the account for trying too many times with the incorrect word. So, I had to go to the Credit Union to get them to reset my password again. I’m sure that they think I’m the most stupid person in the world! Haha At least I won’t be spending the money if I keep locking myself out of the account!
We went to Stacey’s house and I used the internet to send many, many emails to some of the sponsors of children at the Feeding Centers in Nica. While I was busy with that, Sandy and Stacey ran a couple of errands. When I was done, we all went to have lunch at Chili’s. Stacey’s husband, Rob, met us there and we had a late lunch. We then went to Target and then took Stacey and Bentley (5 weeks old) back home.
Sandy and I went by Dad’s house (which technically belongs to Sandy now, but we still call it Dad’s house) to see the progress in the remodel. It looks really good. It had to be taken down to the studs and bare floor and have the ceiling tore out. It’s looking good now. Still more work to do, but it’s getting there!
Sandy and I stopped at 2 grocery stores, a gas station and then a pharmacy to meet up with my nephew and get my great-nephew and his half brother to spend the night. It’s sure noisy with the two boys playing! We had tacos for dinner and I practiced my guitar. Isaac had to sleep with me and he was very tired, so he didn’t complain. But he doesn’t like my snoring and probably won’t sleep with me again. Oh well.
It was a good day. There is always a lot of running around when I’m at my sister’s house. The weather is cold, but not bad yet. It’s kind of fun to be here and not stressing over work or directing a large mission’s project. It’s like a real vacation! I’m blessed!
They got back to the house about 3:30pm and we had a late lunch. Colten (who will be 3 in Jan) decided to practice his guitar while I was practicing mine. He was hilarious. His is a flat guitar that has buttons that turn on pre-recorded rock music. He strums a long with it. He stops to tap one foot for a few seconds and then taps the other foot for a few seconds and then strums again. He can’t do it all at the same time, and he concentrates on his technique. He pulled up a stool and put his guitar on his leg like me. I was flipping through a notebook of songs and playing them. He pulled over one of the recipe books on the table and was ‘playing’ those songs. He was so funny!
On Friday, we went into town and stopped at CENTRA Credit Union, where I have an account with the money from Dad’s estate. I have a little bit in savings and checking and like to keep track of everything on-line. I opened the account during the week I flew from Nica to IN to take care of business. I promptly forgot my password when I got back to Nica and had to have a friend reset it for me. While in Nica, I don’t get on the account much and I forgot the password again and got locked out of the account for trying too many times with the incorrect word. So, I had to go to the Credit Union to get them to reset my password again. I’m sure that they think I’m the most stupid person in the world! Haha At least I won’t be spending the money if I keep locking myself out of the account!
We went to Stacey’s house and I used the internet to send many, many emails to some of the sponsors of children at the Feeding Centers in Nica. While I was busy with that, Sandy and Stacey ran a couple of errands. When I was done, we all went to have lunch at Chili’s. Stacey’s husband, Rob, met us there and we had a late lunch. We then went to Target and then took Stacey and Bentley (5 weeks old) back home.
Sandy and I went by Dad’s house (which technically belongs to Sandy now, but we still call it Dad’s house) to see the progress in the remodel. It looks really good. It had to be taken down to the studs and bare floor and have the ceiling tore out. It’s looking good now. Still more work to do, but it’s getting there!
Sandy and I stopped at 2 grocery stores, a gas station and then a pharmacy to meet up with my nephew and get my great-nephew and his half brother to spend the night. It’s sure noisy with the two boys playing! We had tacos for dinner and I practiced my guitar. Isaac had to sleep with me and he was very tired, so he didn’t complain. But he doesn’t like my snoring and probably won’t sleep with me again. Oh well.
It was a good day. There is always a lot of running around when I’m at my sister’s house. The weather is cold, but not bad yet. It’s kind of fun to be here and not stressing over work or directing a large mission’s project. It’s like a real vacation! I’m blessed!
December 19, 2012
I woke up many times during the night, as usual, but ended up sleeping until my alarm went off at 6:15. I got up and got ready to leave. I was out the door by about 7:15am. I waved bye to Deanna and Jet.
I stopped in Monett for breakfast. I chose Braums and had biscuits and gravy with oj. I asked the server if the best way to the interstate was still highway H. It had been a few years since I drove up this way and I didn’t want to get to the interstate and find out that the little highway was not connected anymore. I was soon on my way.
Mid-morning I stopped for a bathroom break at McDonalds and got a large mocha. Then it was back on the road again. I was listening to radio stations as much as I could and was happy that I could find Christian stations as well as some nice country stations playing Christmas music. I was singing loudly (not always on key) and enjoying being in the car by myself.
I stopped for a yummy Subway sandwich and bathroom break. The weather has been cool and a little windy, but overcast (in a pretty way), so it’s been pretty good driving weather.
When I got close to St Louis about 12:30pm, I called my friends Molly & Buddy Dyer to see if they were going home (from the hospital), staying in St Louis another night or two, or what. They were waiting on the shuttle to take them from the hotel back to the hospital for more testing during the afternoon. I was going to stop and visit them a while if they weren’t busy or gone. I would then spend the night in St Louis. But they would be tied up all afternoon, so we decided that I would drive on. I was sorry not to get to spend time with them, but with the bad weather coming along behind me, I was also glad to keep driving.
I had planned to stop for gas and a bathroom break after I got into Illinois. There are not many places to stop, however, and I got in a little bit of a pickle. I finally had to pull off of the interstate at a random exit and find a tiny little town. I was very empty, so I stopped at a little white frame Post Office and asked directions to the nearest gas station. It happened to be in the next little town about 4 miles away. I was soooo glad to see that station and their bathroom! Note to self, get gas in MO when travelling east!
As the sun was going down, it was starting to get windy again. I stopped at the exit for Santa Claus IN for a quick dinner at Wendy’s. I was wanting some hot chocolate to warm my mocha back up. I had to run across the road to McDonald’s drive-thru and get my drink. Then I was back on the road again.
I didn’t enjoy driving in the dark much with the wind, but it wasn’t too bad. I thought I would have to stop one more time before getting to my sister’s house, but I made it through and arrived about 7:30pm local time (6:30 AR time). It had taken a little more than 12 hours, so that wasn’t so bad. I tend to stop more often when I drive by myself.
It was nice to get here to Sandy’s. I was a little tired of driving, but not too tired physically. I am way more exhausted when traveling by plane. Door to door, I got here in about the same amount of time as if I would have flown. Plus, no one had to drive me to and from the airports. I’m so thankful to my friends, Michael and Vickie Brown, for loaning me their car for the trip. What a blessing!!! It’s about 650 miles and pretty easy (if you go around St Luis instead of straight through the city).
I’m thankful for the time by myself, the safe trip, the good weather, the light traffic and the chance to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in 22 years. It’s a different experience for sure!
I stopped in Monett for breakfast. I chose Braums and had biscuits and gravy with oj. I asked the server if the best way to the interstate was still highway H. It had been a few years since I drove up this way and I didn’t want to get to the interstate and find out that the little highway was not connected anymore. I was soon on my way.
Mid-morning I stopped for a bathroom break at McDonalds and got a large mocha. Then it was back on the road again. I was listening to radio stations as much as I could and was happy that I could find Christian stations as well as some nice country stations playing Christmas music. I was singing loudly (not always on key) and enjoying being in the car by myself.
I stopped for a yummy Subway sandwich and bathroom break. The weather has been cool and a little windy, but overcast (in a pretty way), so it’s been pretty good driving weather.
When I got close to St Louis about 12:30pm, I called my friends Molly & Buddy Dyer to see if they were going home (from the hospital), staying in St Louis another night or two, or what. They were waiting on the shuttle to take them from the hotel back to the hospital for more testing during the afternoon. I was going to stop and visit them a while if they weren’t busy or gone. I would then spend the night in St Louis. But they would be tied up all afternoon, so we decided that I would drive on. I was sorry not to get to spend time with them, but with the bad weather coming along behind me, I was also glad to keep driving.
I had planned to stop for gas and a bathroom break after I got into Illinois. There are not many places to stop, however, and I got in a little bit of a pickle. I finally had to pull off of the interstate at a random exit and find a tiny little town. I was very empty, so I stopped at a little white frame Post Office and asked directions to the nearest gas station. It happened to be in the next little town about 4 miles away. I was soooo glad to see that station and their bathroom! Note to self, get gas in MO when travelling east!
As the sun was going down, it was starting to get windy again. I stopped at the exit for Santa Claus IN for a quick dinner at Wendy’s. I was wanting some hot chocolate to warm my mocha back up. I had to run across the road to McDonald’s drive-thru and get my drink. Then I was back on the road again.
I didn’t enjoy driving in the dark much with the wind, but it wasn’t too bad. I thought I would have to stop one more time before getting to my sister’s house, but I made it through and arrived about 7:30pm local time (6:30 AR time). It had taken a little more than 12 hours, so that wasn’t so bad. I tend to stop more often when I drive by myself.
It was nice to get here to Sandy’s. I was a little tired of driving, but not too tired physically. I am way more exhausted when traveling by plane. Door to door, I got here in about the same amount of time as if I would have flown. Plus, no one had to drive me to and from the airports. I’m so thankful to my friends, Michael and Vickie Brown, for loaning me their car for the trip. What a blessing!!! It’s about 650 miles and pretty easy (if you go around St Luis instead of straight through the city).
I’m thankful for the time by myself, the safe trip, the good weather, the light traffic and the chance to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in 22 years. It’s a different experience for sure!
December 17-18, 2012
These are my last few days before leaving for Indiana. There are a lot of items that I need to address, especially since I won’t be back in AR for many days before leaving for Nica on Jan 2.
I ran by Debbie’s Pharmacy to give them my new prescription card and to fill my last month’s worth of meds on my current group plan. Then I ordered 6 month’s worth of scripts on my new group plan, which I will pick up on Jan 1 to take with me to Nica. I really appreciate how much Debbie’s Pharmacy works with me on my needs since I travel out of country so much.
I met Kellie at the church and had lunch with her at a Thai restaurant. It was very good. When we got back to the church, we ran into Brian Dunaway and it was very nice to hug his neck.
I ran home to Deanna’s to start some laundry and then it was back out the door for more errands and to meet Cathy Krupka for dinner. What a great time getting to sit and visit with Cathy for a couple of hours. The food was good and we split a very yummy dessert. Time together is the best!!!
I got up early on Tuesday and met Connie and her grandbabies for coffee at Meridenne in downtown Rogers. I had some decaf coffee and a chocolate croissant. Yum! Another run to Deanna’s to start another load of laundry.
Then I ran to Pea Ridge to have lunch with Zandra. Great Mexican lunch and wonderful time getting to chat.
Back to Deanna’s to pack for my trip to Indiana. I needed to run to the church to drop off some Christmas cards and I was surprised with a nice check! I ran by the bank real quick and then I met Isidro for dinner at the Pupuseria restaurant. We had a nice chat. It’s always fun to hear how God is working people’s lives. He is so faithful.
Back to Deanna’s for last minute packing. I got all the presents in the car and all the clothes and stuff in the suitcases. I tried to go to bed fairly early and decided to set the alarm for 6:15 in case I actually slept until then.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks, but it will be fun to be in Indiana for Christmas.
I ran by Debbie’s Pharmacy to give them my new prescription card and to fill my last month’s worth of meds on my current group plan. Then I ordered 6 month’s worth of scripts on my new group plan, which I will pick up on Jan 1 to take with me to Nica. I really appreciate how much Debbie’s Pharmacy works with me on my needs since I travel out of country so much.
I met Kellie at the church and had lunch with her at a Thai restaurant. It was very good. When we got back to the church, we ran into Brian Dunaway and it was very nice to hug his neck.
I ran home to Deanna’s to start some laundry and then it was back out the door for more errands and to meet Cathy Krupka for dinner. What a great time getting to sit and visit with Cathy for a couple of hours. The food was good and we split a very yummy dessert. Time together is the best!!!
I got up early on Tuesday and met Connie and her grandbabies for coffee at Meridenne in downtown Rogers. I had some decaf coffee and a chocolate croissant. Yum! Another run to Deanna’s to start another load of laundry.
Then I ran to Pea Ridge to have lunch with Zandra. Great Mexican lunch and wonderful time getting to chat.
Back to Deanna’s to pack for my trip to Indiana. I needed to run to the church to drop off some Christmas cards and I was surprised with a nice check! I ran by the bank real quick and then I met Isidro for dinner at the Pupuseria restaurant. We had a nice chat. It’s always fun to hear how God is working people’s lives. He is so faithful.
Back to Deanna’s for last minute packing. I got all the presents in the car and all the clothes and stuff in the suitcases. I tried to go to bed fairly early and decided to set the alarm for 6:15 in case I actually slept until then.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks, but it will be fun to be in Indiana for Christmas.
December 16, 2012
I watched FBC Rogers live on-line and it was really great! I then went to worship at Cuerpo Vivo, which was also great. I love getting to participate in both churches.
A surprise at Cuerpo Vivo was to see a couple who I met in Nicaragua in November. They are from Paragould and their daughter and son-in-law live in Fayetteville, so they came to worship with Jaime and Oliver (who they met in Nica, too). It was fun to see them.
After service, I went to Smokin’ Joes BBQ restaurant again (I had went last Sunday, too). I found an empty table and was looking over the menu when someone came up and spoke to me. It was Ken and he invited me to join him and his wife and daughter. It was nice to chat about what all God is doing in Nica. They had been there about 4 years ago and the ministry has grown so much! It was fun to see them.
I went to Ben Jack’s music store and found a guitar that I really love. It’s smaller (a folk guitar) so it’s easier to hold on my lap and reach my arm around. It’s a very nice guitar and I love the sound. I got a good deal on it and also a good deal on a travel case. My kind of shopping!
I stopped at Walmart for a few more things for my trip and mostly to just walk around. I know that sounds weird, but looking at stuff is entertainment for me, especially since I live in Nica most of the time.
I got home and did some laundry and updated my blog. I also practiced guitar on my new gift!
It was a nice relaxing day. I have a lot of computer work to do over the next few days, so it’s good that I can take some time to relax. It’s also strange to be ‘home’ in AR at Christmas time and not be up to my eyeballs organizing and directing Christmas missions activities. I don’t know what to do with myself! Ha
A surprise at Cuerpo Vivo was to see a couple who I met in Nicaragua in November. They are from Paragould and their daughter and son-in-law live in Fayetteville, so they came to worship with Jaime and Oliver (who they met in Nica, too). It was fun to see them.
After service, I went to Smokin’ Joes BBQ restaurant again (I had went last Sunday, too). I found an empty table and was looking over the menu when someone came up and spoke to me. It was Ken and he invited me to join him and his wife and daughter. It was nice to chat about what all God is doing in Nica. They had been there about 4 years ago and the ministry has grown so much! It was fun to see them.
I went to Ben Jack’s music store and found a guitar that I really love. It’s smaller (a folk guitar) so it’s easier to hold on my lap and reach my arm around. It’s a very nice guitar and I love the sound. I got a good deal on it and also a good deal on a travel case. My kind of shopping!
I stopped at Walmart for a few more things for my trip and mostly to just walk around. I know that sounds weird, but looking at stuff is entertainment for me, especially since I live in Nica most of the time.
I got home and did some laundry and updated my blog. I also practiced guitar on my new gift!
It was a nice relaxing day. I have a lot of computer work to do over the next few days, so it’s good that I can take some time to relax. It’s also strange to be ‘home’ in AR at Christmas time and not be up to my eyeballs organizing and directing Christmas missions activities. I don’t know what to do with myself! Ha
Sunday, December 16, 2012
December 5-15, 2012
My first week back in the states has been very busy. I’ve been running around buying things to take back to Nica. I want to have most of that done before going to Indiana for Christmas.
For the week, I’ve visited with: Nana Ruth, Jaime & Oliver, JP, Vickie Brown, Angela, Janalyn, Sharon, Kesha, Deborah, Jeremy, Rhonda, Deb, Bob, Nicole, Jeff, another Jeff, Jerry, Celia, Sonja, Mary Claire, Billy, Glenda, Jim, Kellie, Beverly, Avis, Teresa… I’ve been blessed to have meals with many of these people and have enjoyed being with them all.
I’ve shopped at numerous places, some of them more than once: Walmart (both in Rogers and 1 in Bentonville), Sally’s Beauty Supply, GNC, Payless, Hobby Lobby, SoundArt, Ben Jacks, LifeWay Christian store, Staples, Kohl’s, Target, Bath & Body Works, Dollar General, Rogers Sewing Center and Best Buy.
I’ve been blessed to eat at many places: Arbys, Texas Land and Cattle, MiMi’s, Smokin’ Joes, Red Robin, Chili’s, Olive Garden, and had lunch at 2 friend’s homes. It’s quite a treat for me to get so many different types of food.
I’ve had a list of specific items to take back to Nica for friends there and for the ministry. One of the things that I’ve been shopping for is a guitar. I’ve had fun looking at them. It’s hard to choose. I’m thankful to have some personal spending money from some wonderful friends. I’m very excited to continue learning to play. I’ve had a blast looking for the special items to make people happy.
I’ve done A LOT of computer work on the Feeding Center kids and have a ton more work to continue over the next few weeks. Then it’s back to the usual heavy workload, but not as crazy as these last weeks have been.
I’ve been able to watch the worship service from FBC Rogers live on-line. The first of a 3 part series started when I was still in Nica. It’s been wonderful.
I’ve also loved being able to worship with Cuerpo Vivo church. I just love to sing praises in Spanish. Since I have to really concentrate on the words, it makes me focus more on them. I block everything else out of my mind except those words to my Lord. I also love to listen intently to the sermon in Spanish. I understand most of it and I’m thankful for that. Seeing all my friends from Cuerpo Vivo church is such a thrill for me. They are so loving and encouraging. I truly feel accepted and loved. As much as I love being in Nica most of the year, I miss being in Cuerpo Vivo, too. I should count my blessings that I have 2 wonderful places to long to be.
I’ve been working on Christmas cards for my supporters. I truly appreciate all they do for me. I couldn’t serve in Nica without their support. I’m blessed to have many prayer partners, too.
It’s been a short visit in time, but long in accomplishment. I still have lots on my to-do list, but I’m not stressing over it. I ask God all the time to order my steps. I usually get in His way, and that’s when I feel frustrated or stressed. When I turn things back over to Him, I feel a sense of peace and confidence.
I’m so thankful that God is willing to walk along side me and constantly pick up the pieces of my silly attempts to accomplish things. He is ever patient, and forgiving and encouraging.
I want to spend my time in this next week visiting with friends, doing what God has planned for me, and celebrating Jesus’ birth. I want to treasure every minute. I want to glorify God with every breath.
For the week, I’ve visited with: Nana Ruth, Jaime & Oliver, JP, Vickie Brown, Angela, Janalyn, Sharon, Kesha, Deborah, Jeremy, Rhonda, Deb, Bob, Nicole, Jeff, another Jeff, Jerry, Celia, Sonja, Mary Claire, Billy, Glenda, Jim, Kellie, Beverly, Avis, Teresa… I’ve been blessed to have meals with many of these people and have enjoyed being with them all.
I’ve shopped at numerous places, some of them more than once: Walmart (both in Rogers and 1 in Bentonville), Sally’s Beauty Supply, GNC, Payless, Hobby Lobby, SoundArt, Ben Jacks, LifeWay Christian store, Staples, Kohl’s, Target, Bath & Body Works, Dollar General, Rogers Sewing Center and Best Buy.
I’ve been blessed to eat at many places: Arbys, Texas Land and Cattle, MiMi’s, Smokin’ Joes, Red Robin, Chili’s, Olive Garden, and had lunch at 2 friend’s homes. It’s quite a treat for me to get so many different types of food.
I’ve had a list of specific items to take back to Nica for friends there and for the ministry. One of the things that I’ve been shopping for is a guitar. I’ve had fun looking at them. It’s hard to choose. I’m thankful to have some personal spending money from some wonderful friends. I’m very excited to continue learning to play. I’ve had a blast looking for the special items to make people happy.
I’ve done A LOT of computer work on the Feeding Center kids and have a ton more work to continue over the next few weeks. Then it’s back to the usual heavy workload, but not as crazy as these last weeks have been.
I’ve been able to watch the worship service from FBC Rogers live on-line. The first of a 3 part series started when I was still in Nica. It’s been wonderful.
I’ve also loved being able to worship with Cuerpo Vivo church. I just love to sing praises in Spanish. Since I have to really concentrate on the words, it makes me focus more on them. I block everything else out of my mind except those words to my Lord. I also love to listen intently to the sermon in Spanish. I understand most of it and I’m thankful for that. Seeing all my friends from Cuerpo Vivo church is such a thrill for me. They are so loving and encouraging. I truly feel accepted and loved. As much as I love being in Nica most of the year, I miss being in Cuerpo Vivo, too. I should count my blessings that I have 2 wonderful places to long to be.
I’ve been working on Christmas cards for my supporters. I truly appreciate all they do for me. I couldn’t serve in Nica without their support. I’m blessed to have many prayer partners, too.
It’s been a short visit in time, but long in accomplishment. I still have lots on my to-do list, but I’m not stressing over it. I ask God all the time to order my steps. I usually get in His way, and that’s when I feel frustrated or stressed. When I turn things back over to Him, I feel a sense of peace and confidence.
I’m so thankful that God is willing to walk along side me and constantly pick up the pieces of my silly attempts to accomplish things. He is ever patient, and forgiving and encouraging.
I want to spend my time in this next week visiting with friends, doing what God has planned for me, and celebrating Jesus’ birth. I want to treasure every minute. I want to glorify God with every breath.
December 1-4, 2012
I’m at the team house by myself (along with the acting guards filling in for Alberto). Edmundo stays during the day and Saturnino spends the night. It is soooo peaceful. Even Buster (the dog) is chillin’. I’m really enjoying this quiet retreat time for me before I head to the states for a whirlwind month of family and friends in 2 states for the holidays.
I spent Saturday and Sunday reading, doing a lot of computer work on Feeding Centers (but even that was pleasant in the tranquil setting), napping, exercising in the pool, watching videos on my computer, praying, listening to Christmas music and just hanging out with Buster.
I watched my home church FBC Rogers AR on-line on Sunday morning. It was the 1st part of a 3 part concert/worship service covering the announcement, arrival and atonement of Christ. I was very happy to get to watch it from Nica. I worked a lot on the Feeding Center files on the computer. In the evening, I got to have a skype conversation with a couple of great ladies who work with an organization in Nica. I’ll get to meet them face to face one of these days, but until then, we had a great time sharing our visions and blessings of working for the Lord.
Monday was another long day of working on the computer. I was making a lot of headway, but there is still a lot of work left to be done. I also got some laundry done, since I needed to start packing my suitcase for my trip to the states! In the afternoon, Lesly, Jorge and I took a camioneta (little truck bus) downtown for some ice cream. I took a taxi back to the team house and started cleaning my room and packing. Pastor Eddy called to see if I was at the house. He came over to chat. I was thrilled that I could understand him, since we spoke totally in Spanish. He wanted to pray over me and my trip. I also prayed for him and his ministry to the people of Monte Horeb, and his relationship with a special lady! It was a very nice evening.
I finally got my suitcase packed. I don’t take much back to the states, so I pack my medium suitcase and put it inside my large one. I carry my Kindle and stuff in my carryon. I use my laptop backpack as my ‘personal’ item. My large (stuffed) suitcase only weighed 30 pounds. I like having the set, though, because I fill them to the brim with ministry supplies when I fly back to Nica. I got everything situated in my room and set my alarm for 3am and went to bed for a few hours.
Jose arrived early to take me to the airport. We left a little early and I got to the airport about 5:15am. There were lots of people in line before me, so it took 2 hours to check in, go through immigration and security. I grabbed a bagel and water and settled in to wait. I made a few phone calls on my Nica phone to use up some of the minutes. It had been a good morning so far.
My flights on from Managua to Atlanta and Atlanta to NW Arkansas were fine. I enjoyed a grilled sub at the Atlanta airport and snoozed a little bit on the first flight. Not a bad day of travel. It was cold when we arrived in Rogers. My friend Cathy picked me up and brought me home. It was nice to see her. I hope to get to spend time with her while in Arkansas. It was good to get home to Deanna’s. I wasn’t exhausted and it wasn’t late. It was nice.
Now I’m back in the states. The next 4 weeks are going to go by fast. I’ll get to see lots of friends and family. I have a ton of personal things to take care of, as well as a huge project for VOH to get done. I’m going to try to enjoy every minute.
I spent Saturday and Sunday reading, doing a lot of computer work on Feeding Centers (but even that was pleasant in the tranquil setting), napping, exercising in the pool, watching videos on my computer, praying, listening to Christmas music and just hanging out with Buster.
I watched my home church FBC Rogers AR on-line on Sunday morning. It was the 1st part of a 3 part concert/worship service covering the announcement, arrival and atonement of Christ. I was very happy to get to watch it from Nica. I worked a lot on the Feeding Center files on the computer. In the evening, I got to have a skype conversation with a couple of great ladies who work with an organization in Nica. I’ll get to meet them face to face one of these days, but until then, we had a great time sharing our visions and blessings of working for the Lord.
Monday was another long day of working on the computer. I was making a lot of headway, but there is still a lot of work left to be done. I also got some laundry done, since I needed to start packing my suitcase for my trip to the states! In the afternoon, Lesly, Jorge and I took a camioneta (little truck bus) downtown for some ice cream. I took a taxi back to the team house and started cleaning my room and packing. Pastor Eddy called to see if I was at the house. He came over to chat. I was thrilled that I could understand him, since we spoke totally in Spanish. He wanted to pray over me and my trip. I also prayed for him and his ministry to the people of Monte Horeb, and his relationship with a special lady! It was a very nice evening.
I finally got my suitcase packed. I don’t take much back to the states, so I pack my medium suitcase and put it inside my large one. I carry my Kindle and stuff in my carryon. I use my laptop backpack as my ‘personal’ item. My large (stuffed) suitcase only weighed 30 pounds. I like having the set, though, because I fill them to the brim with ministry supplies when I fly back to Nica. I got everything situated in my room and set my alarm for 3am and went to bed for a few hours.
Jose arrived early to take me to the airport. We left a little early and I got to the airport about 5:15am. There were lots of people in line before me, so it took 2 hours to check in, go through immigration and security. I grabbed a bagel and water and settled in to wait. I made a few phone calls on my Nica phone to use up some of the minutes. It had been a good morning so far.
My flights on from Managua to Atlanta and Atlanta to NW Arkansas were fine. I enjoyed a grilled sub at the Atlanta airport and snoozed a little bit on the first flight. Not a bad day of travel. It was cold when we arrived in Rogers. My friend Cathy picked me up and brought me home. It was nice to see her. I hope to get to spend time with her while in Arkansas. It was good to get home to Deanna’s. I wasn’t exhausted and it wasn’t late. It was nice.
Now I’m back in the states. The next 4 weeks are going to go by fast. I’ll get to see lots of friends and family. I have a ton of personal things to take care of, as well as a huge project for VOH to get done. I’m going to try to enjoy every minute.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
November 30, 2012
It’s the last day of November! I can’t believe it! This year has gone by so fast. Living here where it’s hot and sunny most of the year, it’s hard to keep track of the months since there are not really different seasons. (other than 6 months of rainy season – winter, and 6 months of hot dry sunny season – summer)
I’ll be going to the states for December, so it will be strange to be in a different climate, but it will be easier to tell that it’s Christmas time! Haha
Joe came over for a visit in the morning. It was so good to catch up with him. He and Marcela are still trying to have a baby. I can’t wait to be a grandma! Haha
While Joe was still here, a few of the English class students came to surprise me! Maykellyn, Anielka with her daughter Francis, Meylin, Dora and Josue all came over and brought me a gift of a beautiful embroidered blouse. They insisted that I try it on and it fit perfectly! We took some pictures together.
Josue had been trying to get me to sing songs in English class and I told him that I don’t sing well. He asked about playing and singing a song for me that he had written for the Lord. I got out my guitar and he sang a beautiful song. Joe played and sang some beautiful worship song, too. They insisted that I play something, so I played a couple of Christmas songs. They all sang. I’m not very good, but considering that I’ve taught myself and just for about a month, I think I did pretty well. We all had a good time. But alas, it was soon time for everyone to go on to the rest of their day. I was very blessed to have them visit and to have them in my life!
I took Lesly, Jaasiel and Mayela to lunch at the Al Carbón restaurant. Mayela just ordered a couple of side items and spent most of the time on the phone and then left early, so I don’t know if that constitutes having lunch. But Lesly and Jaasiel and I had a great time together. I love these girls!
Alberto will be leaving early Saturday morning for his holiday trip to see family. All of our conversations are in Spanish and I have a hard time understanding him – my hearing loss and his mumbling don’t mix very well. But we manage! He said he would be leaving at 5am. I said I would be sleeping at 5 am. Haha. We said goodbye until I get back in Jan. I spend a lot of time with just him around since he lives here 24/7 in his little house in the corner of our property. He’s our guard/gatekeeper. I’m thankful to have him around.
I called Deanna back in Rogers to remind her that I’m coming back to her home on Tuesday. It will be good to see her and relax at her house, even if it’s just for a few weeks. She’s glad that I’m going to spend Christmas with my family this year. I’ll just see her a few weeks before Christmas and then a few days before I leave on Jan 2. It will be nice to be in her home. She is very good for me in many ways. She’s such a blessing!
I practiced the guitar and read a little bit. Then I got on the computer and ended up finding some Christmas specials on youtube. I never get on youtube, but I was very happy to watch some Christmas music shows.
Then it was time for bed. I don’t have to get up early on Saturday, so I feel totally at peace. I love my quiet time with the Lord and all that He blesses me with!
I’ll be going to the states for December, so it will be strange to be in a different climate, but it will be easier to tell that it’s Christmas time! Haha
Joe came over for a visit in the morning. It was so good to catch up with him. He and Marcela are still trying to have a baby. I can’t wait to be a grandma! Haha
While Joe was still here, a few of the English class students came to surprise me! Maykellyn, Anielka with her daughter Francis, Meylin, Dora and Josue all came over and brought me a gift of a beautiful embroidered blouse. They insisted that I try it on and it fit perfectly! We took some pictures together.
Josue had been trying to get me to sing songs in English class and I told him that I don’t sing well. He asked about playing and singing a song for me that he had written for the Lord. I got out my guitar and he sang a beautiful song. Joe played and sang some beautiful worship song, too. They insisted that I play something, so I played a couple of Christmas songs. They all sang. I’m not very good, but considering that I’ve taught myself and just for about a month, I think I did pretty well. We all had a good time. But alas, it was soon time for everyone to go on to the rest of their day. I was very blessed to have them visit and to have them in my life!
I took Lesly, Jaasiel and Mayela to lunch at the Al Carbón restaurant. Mayela just ordered a couple of side items and spent most of the time on the phone and then left early, so I don’t know if that constitutes having lunch. But Lesly and Jaasiel and I had a great time together. I love these girls!
Alberto will be leaving early Saturday morning for his holiday trip to see family. All of our conversations are in Spanish and I have a hard time understanding him – my hearing loss and his mumbling don’t mix very well. But we manage! He said he would be leaving at 5am. I said I would be sleeping at 5 am. Haha. We said goodbye until I get back in Jan. I spend a lot of time with just him around since he lives here 24/7 in his little house in the corner of our property. He’s our guard/gatekeeper. I’m thankful to have him around.
I called Deanna back in Rogers to remind her that I’m coming back to her home on Tuesday. It will be good to see her and relax at her house, even if it’s just for a few weeks. She’s glad that I’m going to spend Christmas with my family this year. I’ll just see her a few weeks before Christmas and then a few days before I leave on Jan 2. It will be nice to be in her home. She is very good for me in many ways. She’s such a blessing!
I practiced the guitar and read a little bit. Then I got on the computer and ended up finding some Christmas specials on youtube. I never get on youtube, but I was very happy to watch some Christmas music shows.
Then it was time for bed. I don’t have to get up early on Saturday, so I feel totally at peace. I love my quiet time with the Lord and all that He blesses me with!
November 29, 2012
It’s my last day for English class for this year! I’ve enjoyed this class so much! They are great kids! We have learned a lot from each other! I took some bookmarks in English for them to have and a few simple little gifts for them. It was a fun class. I read the lyrics to a lot of English Christmas songs. We learned about old time words, phrasing to make lines rhyme, and listening to whole stanzas to see the picture being painted with words. And we talked about how silly some of those songs are! They learned some new vocabulary, too. It was a blast!
Estefanie met me at the academy after class to go to the team house to work with me. We stopped to buy minutes for my Nica phone and then grabbed a taxi. Estefanie joined us for lunch and then we worked a while. We discussed the Women’s Ministry stuff (Bible study, Sewing Co-op), Children’s Ministry stuff (getting resources ready), and English Bible study plans. We got the chance to talk to Pastor Eddy and Pastor Yader about their choices for leaders in their churches for the Women’s and Children’s programs. Estefanie is my wonderful translator and she is now like an assistant to me, too! She is going to make phone calls for me while I’m in the states. Hopefully, we will have things in pretty good shape to jump right in with our ministry stuff when I get back in January. I just love working with Estefanie.
After we got done working, we hung out with Lesly and Jaasiel for a little while. It was nice to spend some personal time together. These girls are such a joy to me!
They went home and I did some laundry and worked on the computer. German came by to get some stuff, so I got to play for just a few minutes with his son Ishmael, who is growing up! I think he’s 4 or 5 now.
I was very tired, so I skipped guitar practice and reading and I just watched a (long) movie and then went to bed.
It has been such a great day. I love this time of rest and renewal! God is so good!
Estefanie met me at the academy after class to go to the team house to work with me. We stopped to buy minutes for my Nica phone and then grabbed a taxi. Estefanie joined us for lunch and then we worked a while. We discussed the Women’s Ministry stuff (Bible study, Sewing Co-op), Children’s Ministry stuff (getting resources ready), and English Bible study plans. We got the chance to talk to Pastor Eddy and Pastor Yader about their choices for leaders in their churches for the Women’s and Children’s programs. Estefanie is my wonderful translator and she is now like an assistant to me, too! She is going to make phone calls for me while I’m in the states. Hopefully, we will have things in pretty good shape to jump right in with our ministry stuff when I get back in January. I just love working with Estefanie.
After we got done working, we hung out with Lesly and Jaasiel for a little while. It was nice to spend some personal time together. These girls are such a joy to me!
They went home and I did some laundry and worked on the computer. German came by to get some stuff, so I got to play for just a few minutes with his son Ishmael, who is growing up! I think he’s 4 or 5 now.
I was very tired, so I skipped guitar practice and reading and I just watched a (long) movie and then went to bed.
It has been such a great day. I love this time of rest and renewal! God is so good!
November 28, 2012
I got an email from Mike overnight saying that we have sold the KIA Sportage. This is the vehicle that I feel comfortable driving. It’s a good thing to sell it and I don’t mind not having a vehicle to drive. It has its pros and cons down here. I expect to walk and take taxis or camionetas to get around, so I’m good. Edmundo was washing the KIA so it would be ready for its new owner. I gave him the key that I had. I didn’t really want to walk to English class, so I asked Edmundo into driving me in one of the vans. I usually don’t ask that, but it was a treat for me!
English class was fun. We had a visitor from the states and the students got to talk to her for a while. I got the chance to talk to Juan a little bit and that was nice, too. I grabbed a taxi back to the team house after class.
We were having an appreciation dinner for the workers and I was excited to see everyone and have time to chat a little bit. We had an awesome meal: chicken cordon blue (I don’t think I spelled that correctly), rice, salad, French fries and ice cream. Yummy! Erika saved me a few pieces of chicken for my fridge. She takes good care of me. We served our guests and everyone had a good time.
While waiting for the food to be served, we had everyone play a game. It’s like musical chairs in the that the point is to eliminate players until only one is left. Music is playing, everyone is in a circle, a broom is passed to each player. When it is their turn, they have to take the broom and spin around once and then pass the broom along to the next person. When the music stops, whoever has possession of the broom is ‘out’. Everyone else starts again and you keep going until there is a winner. It was funny to watch!
Lesly spoke to the group on behalf of VOH, since the Husleys are in the states and German had a meeting in Managua. Pastor Bryan spoke and then prayed. I said just a few personal words about how much I’m blessed by knowing them. They take good care of me! I gave each person a little stocking with their name written on it. It wasn’t much of a gift, but I couldn’t afford much this year. I noticed many of them put their cell phones in their stocking. It was the perfect size! I was glad that they liked them!
A few of the gang brought some swimming clothes and enjoyed the pool after lunch. Then they got a little mischievous and threw Pastor Bryan into the pool in his suit. It was so funny! Then caught Edmundo and did the same. They had to run and hunt for Saturnino, but they got him and threw him in. When they went for Jorge, he just took off his shoes and jumped in himself. It was very funny. Pastor Eddy decided to sneek out before he could be caught. Saturnino actually jumped back in later and swam around. He can swim very well. It’s unusual for Nica people to swim around here since the ocean is so dangerous and few people have pools. I wish our workers felt more welcome to enjoy the pool, but they seem to feel that they need to ‘stay in their place’. They are very humble. I am so happy to know them and get to spend time with them, even if it’s just a little bit.
We got some new VOH shirts and the workers all love them. They are royal blue and we teased one table full of workers who were all wearing their shirts that they were the smurf family.
After everyone left, I did some computer work on the Feeding Center files and got on facebook for a while. I got the chance to chat with my ‘son’ Joe. He is one of the original 5 Nica ‘kids’ that I have here. We set up time to visit on Friday morning. It will be good to see him and get a great big hug!
I hemmed some shorts for Lelsy, read some in my ‘Not a Fan’ book, practiced guitar and just took it easy for the night. I also got the chance to chat via text with Mike. I told him how good the lunch went.
It’s been a great day! God is such a blessing!
English class was fun. We had a visitor from the states and the students got to talk to her for a while. I got the chance to talk to Juan a little bit and that was nice, too. I grabbed a taxi back to the team house after class.
We were having an appreciation dinner for the workers and I was excited to see everyone and have time to chat a little bit. We had an awesome meal: chicken cordon blue (I don’t think I spelled that correctly), rice, salad, French fries and ice cream. Yummy! Erika saved me a few pieces of chicken for my fridge. She takes good care of me. We served our guests and everyone had a good time.
While waiting for the food to be served, we had everyone play a game. It’s like musical chairs in the that the point is to eliminate players until only one is left. Music is playing, everyone is in a circle, a broom is passed to each player. When it is their turn, they have to take the broom and spin around once and then pass the broom along to the next person. When the music stops, whoever has possession of the broom is ‘out’. Everyone else starts again and you keep going until there is a winner. It was funny to watch!
Lesly spoke to the group on behalf of VOH, since the Husleys are in the states and German had a meeting in Managua. Pastor Bryan spoke and then prayed. I said just a few personal words about how much I’m blessed by knowing them. They take good care of me! I gave each person a little stocking with their name written on it. It wasn’t much of a gift, but I couldn’t afford much this year. I noticed many of them put their cell phones in their stocking. It was the perfect size! I was glad that they liked them!
A few of the gang brought some swimming clothes and enjoyed the pool after lunch. Then they got a little mischievous and threw Pastor Bryan into the pool in his suit. It was so funny! Then caught Edmundo and did the same. They had to run and hunt for Saturnino, but they got him and threw him in. When they went for Jorge, he just took off his shoes and jumped in himself. It was very funny. Pastor Eddy decided to sneek out before he could be caught. Saturnino actually jumped back in later and swam around. He can swim very well. It’s unusual for Nica people to swim around here since the ocean is so dangerous and few people have pools. I wish our workers felt more welcome to enjoy the pool, but they seem to feel that they need to ‘stay in their place’. They are very humble. I am so happy to know them and get to spend time with them, even if it’s just a little bit.
We got some new VOH shirts and the workers all love them. They are royal blue and we teased one table full of workers who were all wearing their shirts that they were the smurf family.
After everyone left, I did some computer work on the Feeding Center files and got on facebook for a while. I got the chance to chat with my ‘son’ Joe. He is one of the original 5 Nica ‘kids’ that I have here. We set up time to visit on Friday morning. It will be good to see him and get a great big hug!
I hemmed some shorts for Lelsy, read some in my ‘Not a Fan’ book, practiced guitar and just took it easy for the night. I also got the chance to chat via text with Mike. I told him how good the lunch went.
It’s been a great day! God is such a blessing!
November 27, 2012
Charlie left this morning about 4am. I wake up off and on every night, but I must have been asleep when he left. I do vaguely remember Buster scratching on my door and should have figured out that it meant that Charlie had left and Buster was looking for a new roommate. I did get to say my goodbyes to Charlie last night, just in case I didn’t wake up. So it’s all good. Except for Buster, who was lonely. Oh well.
I went to English class and we had fun. Pacheco said a couple of the guys were disappointed when I wasn’t there yesterday and he led the class. Haha. He teaches the hard stuff and I get to do the fun stuff.
When I got home from class, there was no one here but Saturnino. He said they all went to Pastor Eddy’s father’s funeral. I was sorry to miss it.
Estefanie brought me a Christmas gift and a beautiful letter. She has such a special place in my heart!
I sorted through old Feeding Center files in my bookshelves. I needed to purge the old stuff and find the most current so that I can be more organized. I also needed to sort through the different Bible study papers and personal stuff and Spanish lessons, etc. At least one bookshelf looks good now!
Jorge drove Lesly, Jaasiel and me around for some VOH errands. We stopped in at La Unión for some groceries. I was going to go next door to the librería to buy some paper for the kids ministry at the Dump, but the store was closed because it was still lunch time (12-2pm). I met the girls in La Unión and was just looking around. I saw some Stove Top Stuffing!! I know it’s not like the real stuff and I shouldn’t eat it with preservatives, and even though it cost over $3, I bought it anyway! I really enjoyed it for dinner!
We went to Eskimo for an icecream while Jorge ran the groceries back to the team house. He met us and when 2pm hit, we went to the stores we needed to do business with.
After we returned to the team house, I worked on Feeding Center records some more. I am ALWAYS working on them, but off and on through out the day so that I don’t get too burned out! Mike and I had said that I will probably never get caught up and that would be a good thing, since it means that we keep having sponsors signing up at a fast pace! We need those sponsors so that we can feed these kids!!!
I caught up on more blogposts and worked on sorting through some of the Christmas stuff I have here to give out. I finally got time to hem some of Lesly’s pants, too.
Katty, who is moving to Spain to live with her mother on Dec 9, stopped by to get a sponsor book for the Feeding Centers. She wants to get people in Spain to help out here. It will be interesting to see God at work in that!
I got out my guitar and Katty sang some songs for me. I videoed them on my phone and downloaded them onto facebook. I sure love this sweet girl! I’m glad that God has brought her into my life! I just wish she would be living here in León!!
I went to bed very tired and slept pretty well.
I went to English class and we had fun. Pacheco said a couple of the guys were disappointed when I wasn’t there yesterday and he led the class. Haha. He teaches the hard stuff and I get to do the fun stuff.
When I got home from class, there was no one here but Saturnino. He said they all went to Pastor Eddy’s father’s funeral. I was sorry to miss it.
Estefanie brought me a Christmas gift and a beautiful letter. She has such a special place in my heart!
I sorted through old Feeding Center files in my bookshelves. I needed to purge the old stuff and find the most current so that I can be more organized. I also needed to sort through the different Bible study papers and personal stuff and Spanish lessons, etc. At least one bookshelf looks good now!
Jorge drove Lesly, Jaasiel and me around for some VOH errands. We stopped in at La Unión for some groceries. I was going to go next door to the librería to buy some paper for the kids ministry at the Dump, but the store was closed because it was still lunch time (12-2pm). I met the girls in La Unión and was just looking around. I saw some Stove Top Stuffing!! I know it’s not like the real stuff and I shouldn’t eat it with preservatives, and even though it cost over $3, I bought it anyway! I really enjoyed it for dinner!
We went to Eskimo for an icecream while Jorge ran the groceries back to the team house. He met us and when 2pm hit, we went to the stores we needed to do business with.
After we returned to the team house, I worked on Feeding Center records some more. I am ALWAYS working on them, but off and on through out the day so that I don’t get too burned out! Mike and I had said that I will probably never get caught up and that would be a good thing, since it means that we keep having sponsors signing up at a fast pace! We need those sponsors so that we can feed these kids!!!
I caught up on more blogposts and worked on sorting through some of the Christmas stuff I have here to give out. I finally got time to hem some of Lesly’s pants, too.
Katty, who is moving to Spain to live with her mother on Dec 9, stopped by to get a sponsor book for the Feeding Centers. She wants to get people in Spain to help out here. It will be interesting to see God at work in that!
I got out my guitar and Katty sang some songs for me. I videoed them on my phone and downloaded them onto facebook. I sure love this sweet girl! I’m glad that God has brought her into my life! I just wish she would be living here in León!!
I went to bed very tired and slept pretty well.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
November 26, 2012
I got up early and folded the last load of towels and started the washing of the sheets. The workers got here (Saturnino, Aracelys, Juana, Erika, Lesly, Jaasiel, Jorge) and Bryan and his wife, Marcela came for Feeding Center stuff. Pastor Eddy came to say that his father (and Auxiliodoro’s brother) had passed away last night. He had been sick and in the hospital. I felt so bad for Eddy and Auxiliordoro.
German had a meeting with the workers and invited me and Charlie to sit in. Everyone got to work putting the team house back together to be ready for the next team in early January.
I worked on Feeding Center stuff and computer stuff. I had requested that Erika make arroz aguado for lunch and she did. We were all in heaven! I love Nica food and since I’m the only North American here, I’m enjoying eating with the rest of the workers!
Erika wanted to treat me to a paintjob on my toes. She made some pretty flowers on them, too. She loves doing this and gives full pedicures, so I’m going to bring back from the states some items for her to use. I will hire her to give me a pedicure once a month. It will be money well spent!
German came over to get some info from Charlie for one of the January teams and to say goodbye to Charlie. We chatted a little while. Then Charlie and I went to Al Carbón for dinner. Mike said he doesn’t like to eat there, but I’ve been there about 8 times and I have loved it each time. Everyone who has went with me has liked it very much, too, with the exception of Mary, who said it’s just okay. Charlie is looking forward to bringing his wife there when they come back here next time.
After we got home, Charlie and both were on our computers for a while. I usually would have been in my room by sundown, but I felt that I should spend some time with him since he would be leaving very early in the morning.
I did practice my guitar for a while and then hit the bed early to read.
It’s been a great day!
German had a meeting with the workers and invited me and Charlie to sit in. Everyone got to work putting the team house back together to be ready for the next team in early January.
I worked on Feeding Center stuff and computer stuff. I had requested that Erika make arroz aguado for lunch and she did. We were all in heaven! I love Nica food and since I’m the only North American here, I’m enjoying eating with the rest of the workers!
Erika wanted to treat me to a paintjob on my toes. She made some pretty flowers on them, too. She loves doing this and gives full pedicures, so I’m going to bring back from the states some items for her to use. I will hire her to give me a pedicure once a month. It will be money well spent!
German came over to get some info from Charlie for one of the January teams and to say goodbye to Charlie. We chatted a little while. Then Charlie and I went to Al Carbón for dinner. Mike said he doesn’t like to eat there, but I’ve been there about 8 times and I have loved it each time. Everyone who has went with me has liked it very much, too, with the exception of Mary, who said it’s just okay. Charlie is looking forward to bringing his wife there when they come back here next time.
After we got home, Charlie and both were on our computers for a while. I usually would have been in my room by sundown, but I felt that I should spend some time with him since he would be leaving very early in the morning.
I did practice my guitar for a while and then hit the bed early to read.
It’s been a great day!
November 25, 2012
It’s Sunday morning and I started on the laundry of donated clothing again bright and early. I had left 2 washers full and 2 dryers full over night and Alberto was afraid that the missing clothing was stolen or something. Poor guy was so worried!
I listened to a few chapters in Matthew in Spanish as I read it in my Spanish Bible. Charlie woke up and we went to Tip Top for lunch. We also made a quick trip into La Unión to buy some laundry soap! When we got back, Charlie volunteered to strip the rooms of towels and sheets so we could wash them after the donated clothes were finished. He found another mound of donated clothes in a couple of the rooms. It was after my bedtime by the time the clothes finished, but they were all washed and folded and sorted and ready for Lesly to work on in the morning.
Charlie started washing towels next. He did that until about midnight. He said not to tell his wife that he stripped sheets from beds and gathered laundry. He didn’t want her to expect it at home. Oooops! I just told it! Sorry, Charlie!
I worked more on blogposts and computer stuff in the afternoon. Then Charlie and I got a hankering for some ice cream. We jumped into the car and headed downtown. It was yummy.
I needed to get a hold of Pacheco to tell him that I couldn’t come to Monday’s English class, but the phone calls weren’t going through. Charlie said he thought he knew which house was his, so we drove over. It was a happy surprise to see Nia Elliott from Jacksonville FL there visiting. She and I got to visit a little bit. I enjoyed it!
Charlie and I got back home and worked on more towels. I ordered some things from Amazon.com to bring back with me in January. That was the extent of my cybershopping. I practiced my guitar and then went to bed early again. It feels so good to lay on that bed and read myself to sleep! God is good!
I listened to a few chapters in Matthew in Spanish as I read it in my Spanish Bible. Charlie woke up and we went to Tip Top for lunch. We also made a quick trip into La Unión to buy some laundry soap! When we got back, Charlie volunteered to strip the rooms of towels and sheets so we could wash them after the donated clothes were finished. He found another mound of donated clothes in a couple of the rooms. It was after my bedtime by the time the clothes finished, but they were all washed and folded and sorted and ready for Lesly to work on in the morning.
Charlie started washing towels next. He did that until about midnight. He said not to tell his wife that he stripped sheets from beds and gathered laundry. He didn’t want her to expect it at home. Oooops! I just told it! Sorry, Charlie!
I worked more on blogposts and computer stuff in the afternoon. Then Charlie and I got a hankering for some ice cream. We jumped into the car and headed downtown. It was yummy.
I needed to get a hold of Pacheco to tell him that I couldn’t come to Monday’s English class, but the phone calls weren’t going through. Charlie said he thought he knew which house was his, so we drove over. It was a happy surprise to see Nia Elliott from Jacksonville FL there visiting. She and I got to visit a little bit. I enjoyed it!
Charlie and I got back home and worked on more towels. I ordered some things from Amazon.com to bring back with me in January. That was the extent of my cybershopping. I practiced my guitar and then went to bed early again. It feels so good to lay on that bed and read myself to sleep! God is good!
November 24, 2012
The team left at 3am. I was asleep, but do vaguely remember hearing them. Jaime and Oliver left at 6am. I got up to say goodbye. I actually had enough time to make Oliver some oatmeal. I gave Jaime some cheese crackers and oreos. I stayed up and piddled around in my room for a while. Then I spent some time talking with Mary. She and Mike left the team house at 9am for the airport. That just left me here until Charlie made it back from escorting the 3am bunch to the airport.
I did 6 loads of my personal laundry so that I could start on washing the donated clothing. I had a lot of my own clothes because I wore a skirt each morning for conferences and then changed into ‘house’ clothes for the afternoon and then dressed for the crusade at night. I’m very thankful for the 2 washers and 2 dryers to get the loads done quickly. I always feel guilty about using a washing machine when I know that our workers do not have them at their homes. I wish they did.
While the washers and dryers were going, I caught up on some blogposts and computer stuff. When Charlie got up from his day long nap, I was in my room already. He was up late doing some stuff. We had opposite schedules for the day.
I got my shower and watched a video on my computer. I practiced the guitar and then went to bed really early. It felt good to know that I didn’t have to get up and go anywhere early the next morning. And it is very peaceful here after having 42 extra people here.
I can’t believe how many clothes and shoes the team left for us to give away. It’s awesome. It looks like a garage sale! It’s going to take most of 2 days to get it all washed, sorted and packed. What an awesome blessing!
God is so good. All the time!
I did 6 loads of my personal laundry so that I could start on washing the donated clothing. I had a lot of my own clothes because I wore a skirt each morning for conferences and then changed into ‘house’ clothes for the afternoon and then dressed for the crusade at night. I’m very thankful for the 2 washers and 2 dryers to get the loads done quickly. I always feel guilty about using a washing machine when I know that our workers do not have them at their homes. I wish they did.
While the washers and dryers were going, I caught up on some blogposts and computer stuff. When Charlie got up from his day long nap, I was in my room already. He was up late doing some stuff. We had opposite schedules for the day.
I got my shower and watched a video on my computer. I practiced the guitar and then went to bed really early. It felt good to know that I didn’t have to get up and go anywhere early the next morning. And it is very peaceful here after having 42 extra people here.
I can’t believe how many clothes and shoes the team left for us to give away. It’s awesome. It looks like a garage sale! It’s going to take most of 2 days to get it all washed, sorted and packed. What an awesome blessing!
God is so good. All the time!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
November 23, 2012
I was awakened at 3:15am by Alberto who was looking for the guys leaving for the airport. They were not up and ready yet. I didn’t know which room they were in, but it had to be one of the ‘guys’ rooms. I figured that I didn’t need to be poking my head in their rooms, so I told Alberto to go and knock and find them. I went back to sleep pretty easily, though.
The team got up and had breakfast and then left for Fun Day here around León. Jaime and Oliver and I had plans to run around town on our own. I wanted to share some of my favorite places and food with them. We didn’t leave the team house until after 11am. Mike had given me the key to the KIA, so we were on our own schedule. I had planned on using a taxi, but having our own wheels was great!
The city is resurfacing some of the streets, so we had to take a detour and that means a LOT of time sitting in traffic. We got to La Unión Supermarket and parked there. We could walk to everything from there. We walked about 6 blocks to the El Callejon restaurant and had a delicious lunch of Nica food! It was a good time of chatting, too. Then we walked back towards downtown and stopped to shop a little on the way. We stopped in at Eskimo for some ice cream, which was yummy. I introduced Jaime and Oliver to some of my favorite souvenir vendors. They got stuff for their families back home. We went to the ‘1,2,3 dollar store’ and we found some Toms shoes (knock-offs, I’m sure) for $16. They guys bought some for their women folk and I got a pair to be my official airport shoes. Now, no matter what time of year I travel back and forth, my feet will be warm or cool as needed. And they are slip-on and light weight. Best $16 I every spent! Ha
We made it back to the team house a little after 4pm. Mike has said that Danilo was coming to drive us to the church for the special service that Oliver and Jaime were invited to preach at. Danilo was supposed to arrive at 5:15. At 5:20, I called Danilo to see if he was on his way, since he is usually early. He was with Mike and the rest of the team at Suyapa restaurant at the beach. I called Mike back and said that Danilo was in fact with HIM. Haha German got on the phone and gave me driving directions to the church. No problem!
It was a great service. It was a church that the Women’s team from FBCR visited a few weeks ago. The congregation is small, but very worshipful. We had an awesome service. Then the church prayed over me and VOH and Jaime and Oliver. It was very sweet and humbling. We loved it.
We ran by Tip Top Chicken for one final meal together and talked a lot about how God was going to use them and their US church, Cuerpo Vivo, in the future. We also talked about what I would be doing this coming June and July with them while I’m in the states. I can’t wait to work with them again. I love Cuerpo Vivo.
We got back to the team house and most of the team was in their rooms trying to get a little sleep before leaving at 3am. I chatted with a few youth who were still up on facebook.
I went to bed and slept pretty well. I heard everyone up at 3am and then they were gone. I got up about 5:30 so that I could say goodbye to Jaime and Oliver as they left for their flight. I will be seeing them in just a couple of weeks back in AR, so it wasn’t hard to say goodbye for now. I am so happy that I got to have this time with them and show them my city and my friends.
I am truly blessed!!!
The team got up and had breakfast and then left for Fun Day here around León. Jaime and Oliver and I had plans to run around town on our own. I wanted to share some of my favorite places and food with them. We didn’t leave the team house until after 11am. Mike had given me the key to the KIA, so we were on our own schedule. I had planned on using a taxi, but having our own wheels was great!
The city is resurfacing some of the streets, so we had to take a detour and that means a LOT of time sitting in traffic. We got to La Unión Supermarket and parked there. We could walk to everything from there. We walked about 6 blocks to the El Callejon restaurant and had a delicious lunch of Nica food! It was a good time of chatting, too. Then we walked back towards downtown and stopped to shop a little on the way. We stopped in at Eskimo for some ice cream, which was yummy. I introduced Jaime and Oliver to some of my favorite souvenir vendors. They got stuff for their families back home. We went to the ‘1,2,3 dollar store’ and we found some Toms shoes (knock-offs, I’m sure) for $16. They guys bought some for their women folk and I got a pair to be my official airport shoes. Now, no matter what time of year I travel back and forth, my feet will be warm or cool as needed. And they are slip-on and light weight. Best $16 I every spent! Ha
We made it back to the team house a little after 4pm. Mike has said that Danilo was coming to drive us to the church for the special service that Oliver and Jaime were invited to preach at. Danilo was supposed to arrive at 5:15. At 5:20, I called Danilo to see if he was on his way, since he is usually early. He was with Mike and the rest of the team at Suyapa restaurant at the beach. I called Mike back and said that Danilo was in fact with HIM. Haha German got on the phone and gave me driving directions to the church. No problem!
It was a great service. It was a church that the Women’s team from FBCR visited a few weeks ago. The congregation is small, but very worshipful. We had an awesome service. Then the church prayed over me and VOH and Jaime and Oliver. It was very sweet and humbling. We loved it.
We ran by Tip Top Chicken for one final meal together and talked a lot about how God was going to use them and their US church, Cuerpo Vivo, in the future. We also talked about what I would be doing this coming June and July with them while I’m in the states. I can’t wait to work with them again. I love Cuerpo Vivo.
We got back to the team house and most of the team was in their rooms trying to get a little sleep before leaving at 3am. I chatted with a few youth who were still up on facebook.
I went to bed and slept pretty well. I heard everyone up at 3am and then they were gone. I got up about 5:30 so that I could say goodbye to Jaime and Oliver as they left for their flight. I will be seeing them in just a couple of weeks back in AR, so it wasn’t hard to say goodbye for now. I am so happy that I got to have this time with them and show them my city and my friends.
I am truly blessed!!!
November 22, 2012
I’m very excited! Today is the big Pastors & Leaders Conference. I can’t wait to see God at work. Jaime and Oliver had a very good presentation ready and our booklets are printed and ready. I love being a part of the conferences!
We arrived at the church via taxi. It was a nice medium sized building and fairly cool (80s again). Being in the shade makes a huge difference. We took names of the Pastors coming in and gave them booklets. They were very excited to hear what Jaime and Oliver had to say. We got the projector set up with my computer so the guys could do the powerpoint presentation. It all worked great. The microphone was cutting in and out, so Jaime just talked loudly for his part of the first session. Soon someone arrived on motorcycle with another mic and everyone could hear well again.
One of the team members wanted to experience the conference. We didn’t have translators since Jaime and Oliver were going to teach in Spanish. I don’t know enough Spanish to translate, so Brandon had to sit and try to understand. Then Santiago, a guy from a church we visited on Sunday, came in and I asked him to sit with Brandon and translate. That worked out great! Thank you Lord for figuring this out in advance!
I asked the Pastor’s wife if someone could go for refreshments if I paid for them. She went with another person from the church and they came back with sweet bread and sodas. That was a big hit. We served everyone in their seats and kept on going with the conference. It was a long morning (4 hours of speaking) but everyone loved it and were very happy with all the info that they received.
There was a little guy about 7 years old named Jose who had come with his mother. He was getting bored and I had given him a couple pieces of paper and a pen. He drew for a while and then made a paper airplane. He was throwing it in the back of the room. I started throwing it with him. Then we stepped outside on the porch and threw it some more. He made me my own airplane and we started throwing them at the same time. It was fun. Then another little guy named Rafael about 4 years old was getting bored and we played together. I made videos on my phone of them goofing off. They loved watching themselves. We got a little loud with our giggles and Rafael’s mom took him home. Oops. It was a good time anyway!
Once the conference was over, I helped the guys to pack up. Over half of the people came up to Jaime and Oliver to thank them and to get their email addresses. Some wanted to have the presentation downloaded on their flash drives. It was a big hit!
We got back to the team house for a late lunch (2pm) and then rested a bit. I got on the computer and made some phone calls.
The team came back for taco salad dinner, but I was too full from lunch to partake. Erika gave me some to put in my fridge in my room for later. She always takes very good care of me!
We went to the crusade and there were lots of people. The music was fantastic. There was a guy there as a charro, a singer dressed in the big sombrero and fancy suit. He was good. I got my picture made with him. I hung out with Lesly and Jaasiel and Lesly’s husband Jorge. The girls didn’t bring their sons and I missed them. I saw lots of pastors from the conference and many came over to say hello to me. The sought out Jaime and Oliver to talk more.
I got to see German’s family, mom & dad, mother-in-law and father-in-law (who drives for us). I also got to see a friend Michael who has been very ill. It was good to see them all. Darling, from La Quimera church and her daughter and another teenager came over to say hi. I also saw Claudia, the lady at the Monday conference that I talked to for a very long time (in Spanish, I might add) and who wants some materials to learn and teach women’s Bible study. It was so fun to see everyone.
The crusade ended well and a lot of people accepted Christ this week. Some items were raffled off. If you came to the crusade, you got a ticket. Soccer balls and other things were given out first. Then the big item of the night… a motorcycle! The person who won it is actually disabled and cannot walk. But his family members can ride it and take him places. He was thrilled! A salvation came out of that encounter, also!
It has been a great week of ministry. After the crusade, we all went to On the Run again and everyone was having fun.
We arrived at the church via taxi. It was a nice medium sized building and fairly cool (80s again). Being in the shade makes a huge difference. We took names of the Pastors coming in and gave them booklets. They were very excited to hear what Jaime and Oliver had to say. We got the projector set up with my computer so the guys could do the powerpoint presentation. It all worked great. The microphone was cutting in and out, so Jaime just talked loudly for his part of the first session. Soon someone arrived on motorcycle with another mic and everyone could hear well again.
One of the team members wanted to experience the conference. We didn’t have translators since Jaime and Oliver were going to teach in Spanish. I don’t know enough Spanish to translate, so Brandon had to sit and try to understand. Then Santiago, a guy from a church we visited on Sunday, came in and I asked him to sit with Brandon and translate. That worked out great! Thank you Lord for figuring this out in advance!
I asked the Pastor’s wife if someone could go for refreshments if I paid for them. She went with another person from the church and they came back with sweet bread and sodas. That was a big hit. We served everyone in their seats and kept on going with the conference. It was a long morning (4 hours of speaking) but everyone loved it and were very happy with all the info that they received.
There was a little guy about 7 years old named Jose who had come with his mother. He was getting bored and I had given him a couple pieces of paper and a pen. He drew for a while and then made a paper airplane. He was throwing it in the back of the room. I started throwing it with him. Then we stepped outside on the porch and threw it some more. He made me my own airplane and we started throwing them at the same time. It was fun. Then another little guy named Rafael about 4 years old was getting bored and we played together. I made videos on my phone of them goofing off. They loved watching themselves. We got a little loud with our giggles and Rafael’s mom took him home. Oops. It was a good time anyway!
Once the conference was over, I helped the guys to pack up. Over half of the people came up to Jaime and Oliver to thank them and to get their email addresses. Some wanted to have the presentation downloaded on their flash drives. It was a big hit!
We got back to the team house for a late lunch (2pm) and then rested a bit. I got on the computer and made some phone calls.
The team came back for taco salad dinner, but I was too full from lunch to partake. Erika gave me some to put in my fridge in my room for later. She always takes very good care of me!
We went to the crusade and there were lots of people. The music was fantastic. There was a guy there as a charro, a singer dressed in the big sombrero and fancy suit. He was good. I got my picture made with him. I hung out with Lesly and Jaasiel and Lesly’s husband Jorge. The girls didn’t bring their sons and I missed them. I saw lots of pastors from the conference and many came over to say hello to me. The sought out Jaime and Oliver to talk more.
I got to see German’s family, mom & dad, mother-in-law and father-in-law (who drives for us). I also got to see a friend Michael who has been very ill. It was good to see them all. Darling, from La Quimera church and her daughter and another teenager came over to say hi. I also saw Claudia, the lady at the Monday conference that I talked to for a very long time (in Spanish, I might add) and who wants some materials to learn and teach women’s Bible study. It was so fun to see everyone.
The crusade ended well and a lot of people accepted Christ this week. Some items were raffled off. If you came to the crusade, you got a ticket. Soccer balls and other things were given out first. Then the big item of the night… a motorcycle! The person who won it is actually disabled and cannot walk. But his family members can ride it and take him places. He was thrilled! A salvation came out of that encounter, also!
It has been a great week of ministry. After the crusade, we all went to On the Run again and everyone was having fun.
November 21, 2012
The team is up and ready to head out for more fiestas, feeding centers and evangelism. 5 of the women are coming with me to the Women’s Conference this morning. My pal Edwin is lining up a second taxi driver to take us all to and from the conference. We don’t know how many ladies will be attending, but we know that God has some important things for us to share with each other.
We got to the church and I really like the building. It was large and cement block and relatively cool (80’s). It is on the corner of the square where I get my haircut. I like that square.
We were greeted and treated very well by some women leaders. I think we ended up having about 37 ladies attend. We started out with prayer and some music. We played the food toss game and everyone had a hoot! I spoke a little from my Bible study lesson I taught on Eve and how God has created us all special and with a purpose. Then we had a few testimonies. Then we played the life-saver game and had more testimonies. It was really fun.
The testimonies really hit home with some of the women. Our group of speakers had very diverse stories to tell and it all came together great. There was laughter and tears and lots of AMENs. At the end, the ladies anointed each of us and prayed over us. It was very humbling and wonderful. The ladies took up a collection for us and we felt that we couldn’t turn it down (even though VOH doesn’t normally accept offerings). So we decided to put the money towards feeding a child at the feeding center. The ladies also gave us each a painted plaque of Nica as a gift. It was really sweet. All the ladies came up and gave us hugs. One girl wanted a picture of us. It was a very fun morning.
We all jumped in the taxis and headed back to the team house. We got back in time for lunch and for the ladies to get ready to go out with the teams in the afternoon.
I worked on computer files some more and then the teams came back in. We had dinner and then went to night 2 of the crusade. There were a few more people at the crusade tonight. The music is so wonderful. Different praise bands from around León are leading worship. I love all of the songs. One of these days I’m actually going to memorize the lyrics!!
It’s been a great day of ministry and everyone is tired, but pumped up with what God is doing. We are all blessed to be here!
We got to the church and I really like the building. It was large and cement block and relatively cool (80’s). It is on the corner of the square where I get my haircut. I like that square.
We were greeted and treated very well by some women leaders. I think we ended up having about 37 ladies attend. We started out with prayer and some music. We played the food toss game and everyone had a hoot! I spoke a little from my Bible study lesson I taught on Eve and how God has created us all special and with a purpose. Then we had a few testimonies. Then we played the life-saver game and had more testimonies. It was really fun.
The testimonies really hit home with some of the women. Our group of speakers had very diverse stories to tell and it all came together great. There was laughter and tears and lots of AMENs. At the end, the ladies anointed each of us and prayed over us. It was very humbling and wonderful. The ladies took up a collection for us and we felt that we couldn’t turn it down (even though VOH doesn’t normally accept offerings). So we decided to put the money towards feeding a child at the feeding center. The ladies also gave us each a painted plaque of Nica as a gift. It was really sweet. All the ladies came up and gave us hugs. One girl wanted a picture of us. It was a very fun morning.
We all jumped in the taxis and headed back to the team house. We got back in time for lunch and for the ladies to get ready to go out with the teams in the afternoon.
I worked on computer files some more and then the teams came back in. We had dinner and then went to night 2 of the crusade. There were a few more people at the crusade tonight. The music is so wonderful. Different praise bands from around León are leading worship. I love all of the songs. One of these days I’m actually going to memorize the lyrics!!
It’s been a great day of ministry and everyone is tired, but pumped up with what God is doing. We are all blessed to be here!
November 20, 2012
The team headed out for more fiestas, school visits, feeding center visits and radio spots. I took about 8 of the youth from the team to a Youth conference. The church is down at the end of our road, where it meets the highway, so we walked there and back.
We had about 15 people show up and we had a really good time. We started with a song in Spanish that the team knew in English, so they stood in front and taught hand motions. Then they did another song. It was neat to see their faces (North Americans and Nicas) as they realized that they could worship together even in different languages. It all came together through the motions (and the Holy Spirit, of course). We had a few funny games, that helped to break the ice a little. Testimonies were shared and then they all sat in a circle and told about themselves and asked questions of each other. There were some laughs and many tears. It was awesome!
I had taken some ‘door prizes’ and one special thing happened that made me very happy. I had brought 2 Bibles in Spanish, that had been donated by the last team. There was a young man at the conference who is deaf and mute, but he can read. He won one of the Bibles. I was soooo excited to share that with him! I also gave away some praise cds in English, which were a big hit with those who are learning English. It was wonderful and I am very grateful to Shannon on the previous team for obeying God’s call to bring those items and to donate them to the ministry!
We walked back to the team house and had lunch. Everyone went back out to do more fiestas. I downloaded pics from the conference and did some computer work. Then I went to the printer to get booklets made for the Pastors & Leaders Conference on Thursday. I had Lesly go with me to make sure I got them ordered correctly, since there were so many. I rode in the taxi (with Edwin) to take Lesly home and then we returned to the printer to get the booklets. We had to wait about an hour for them to finish, so I told Edwin I would pay his time for waiting with me. I sat in a chair by an open window (floor to ceiling) and had a pretty view of the street corner and the people. It had a great breeze, too! I was very happy to wait there. I also met a lady named Delmi, who works there. She speaks English and asked where I’m from. She I from here, but lived in Maryland for 17 years and has been back to Nica for 7 years. I use this printer a lot, so I’m looking forward to seeing her again.
I got back to the team house just after the team arrived. We all had dinner and then went to the first night of the Crusade.
There was some excitement at the Crusade. Our VOH praise band only played half of a set of music, since they had to share the spotlight with a band from another church. But I enjoyed them very much. I hope they will continue to practice here at the team house in the future, even when we don’t have a crusade coming up.
We had fun seeing people from some of the different churches that we had been visiting this week. I have to stay away from the front of the HUGE speakers, so I stayed over to the side of the crowd and watched with Jaasiel and Lesly and their sons. It was so much fun watching the boys (around 2 years old) dancing and playing. I took some videos and pics of them. They are precious!!
The team walked around the outskirts of the ball field, where the crusade was being held. They got the chance to witness to those standing around. There were some salvations from those encounters. Most of the people at the crusade were Christians coming to worship with us. It was a good night.
Everyone was hungry after the crusade, so all the buses went to On the Run for snacks or chicken. We finally made it home and everyone was fired up. The team had share time and I opted for retiring to my room to get some computer stuff done and get ready for the Women’s Conference for tomorrow.
It’s been a great day!
We had about 15 people show up and we had a really good time. We started with a song in Spanish that the team knew in English, so they stood in front and taught hand motions. Then they did another song. It was neat to see their faces (North Americans and Nicas) as they realized that they could worship together even in different languages. It all came together through the motions (and the Holy Spirit, of course). We had a few funny games, that helped to break the ice a little. Testimonies were shared and then they all sat in a circle and told about themselves and asked questions of each other. There were some laughs and many tears. It was awesome!
I had taken some ‘door prizes’ and one special thing happened that made me very happy. I had brought 2 Bibles in Spanish, that had been donated by the last team. There was a young man at the conference who is deaf and mute, but he can read. He won one of the Bibles. I was soooo excited to share that with him! I also gave away some praise cds in English, which were a big hit with those who are learning English. It was wonderful and I am very grateful to Shannon on the previous team for obeying God’s call to bring those items and to donate them to the ministry!
We walked back to the team house and had lunch. Everyone went back out to do more fiestas. I downloaded pics from the conference and did some computer work. Then I went to the printer to get booklets made for the Pastors & Leaders Conference on Thursday. I had Lesly go with me to make sure I got them ordered correctly, since there were so many. I rode in the taxi (with Edwin) to take Lesly home and then we returned to the printer to get the booklets. We had to wait about an hour for them to finish, so I told Edwin I would pay his time for waiting with me. I sat in a chair by an open window (floor to ceiling) and had a pretty view of the street corner and the people. It had a great breeze, too! I was very happy to wait there. I also met a lady named Delmi, who works there. She speaks English and asked where I’m from. She I from here, but lived in Maryland for 17 years and has been back to Nica for 7 years. I use this printer a lot, so I’m looking forward to seeing her again.
I got back to the team house just after the team arrived. We all had dinner and then went to the first night of the Crusade.
There was some excitement at the Crusade. Our VOH praise band only played half of a set of music, since they had to share the spotlight with a band from another church. But I enjoyed them very much. I hope they will continue to practice here at the team house in the future, even when we don’t have a crusade coming up.
We had fun seeing people from some of the different churches that we had been visiting this week. I have to stay away from the front of the HUGE speakers, so I stayed over to the side of the crowd and watched with Jaasiel and Lesly and their sons. It was so much fun watching the boys (around 2 years old) dancing and playing. I took some videos and pics of them. They are precious!!
The team walked around the outskirts of the ball field, where the crusade was being held. They got the chance to witness to those standing around. There were some salvations from those encounters. Most of the people at the crusade were Christians coming to worship with us. It was a good night.
Everyone was hungry after the crusade, so all the buses went to On the Run for snacks or chicken. We finally made it home and everyone was fired up. The team had share time and I opted for retiring to my room to get some computer stuff done and get ready for the Women’s Conference for tomorrow.
It’s been a great day!
November 19, 2012
Monday morning started early with breakfast and everyone figuring out their assignments. Oliver went to speak on the radio station early. Then he connected up with Jaime and me at the Baptist Pastors’ Conference. 2 vans went with Mike to do school visits, 2 vans went with Charlie to do Fiestas and 2 vans went with Mary to do more Fiestas. Jaime and I went to the Pastors’ conference via taxi (our friend Edwin). I was chatting with Edwin in Spanish and Jaime gave me a surprised look and said how proud he was of my improvement in speaking Spanish. I still have a ways to go to be fluent and to use good grammar, but I can communicate pretty well and I love trying! He said no more English for me when I’m in the states!
The Pastors’ conference started late (usual for Nica) and we only had a hand few of people, but it was very good and they really enjoyed Jaime and Oliver’s teaching. We got permission from Mike and German to stay longer to finish the conference. I had Edwin run me to the grocery to get some snacks and we only gave the audience a 5 minute bathroom break so we could finish up. It worked great. Jaime, Oliver and I made it back to the team house in time to eat quickly and then they went with the team on school visits and fiestas.
I worked on computer stuff and prepared items for the next few conferences. Lesly and Jorge got back with the next bunch of groceries for the team. I helped put away the food and then sewed up an apron real quick for the extra cook to use. I have some cut, pinned and ready to sew. I got tired of sewing them after 20+, so I have this stash to pull from in emergencies!
The team got back and we all went out to the beach in the late afternoon. We had intentions of eating at Suyapa (restaurant on the beach), but they were closed for a huge private party. We then had to find a restaurant that could handle 50 people! We ended up at Tip Top Chicken and everyone was happy. Actually, a few of the team members went next door and had some great pizza.
We all got back home and the team had share time and I went to my room to download some pics to my facebook. I try to keep current with pics, but it’s hard sometimes when we have a big team and a lot going on.
It was a great day and everyone is excited to see what God is doing here. It’s such a blessing to serve Him!!
The Pastors’ conference started late (usual for Nica) and we only had a hand few of people, but it was very good and they really enjoyed Jaime and Oliver’s teaching. We got permission from Mike and German to stay longer to finish the conference. I had Edwin run me to the grocery to get some snacks and we only gave the audience a 5 minute bathroom break so we could finish up. It worked great. Jaime, Oliver and I made it back to the team house in time to eat quickly and then they went with the team on school visits and fiestas.
I worked on computer stuff and prepared items for the next few conferences. Lesly and Jorge got back with the next bunch of groceries for the team. I helped put away the food and then sewed up an apron real quick for the extra cook to use. I have some cut, pinned and ready to sew. I got tired of sewing them after 20+, so I have this stash to pull from in emergencies!
The team got back and we all went out to the beach in the late afternoon. We had intentions of eating at Suyapa (restaurant on the beach), but they were closed for a huge private party. We then had to find a restaurant that could handle 50 people! We ended up at Tip Top Chicken and everyone was happy. Actually, a few of the team members went next door and had some great pizza.
We all got back home and the team had share time and I went to my room to download some pics to my facebook. I try to keep current with pics, but it’s hard sometimes when we have a big team and a lot going on.
It was a great day and everyone is excited to see what God is doing here. It’s such a blessing to serve Him!!
November 18, 2012
Sunday mornings with teams are always fun. We split into groups and visit different churches. This group is large (42 people) and when you add translators and VOH staff, we make almost 60 people. We split into 5 groups for morning church services and 5 groups for evening church services. We hit 10 churches for the day. Everyone had a great time.
My group went to a church that I haven’t been to before. Iglesia Nueva Restauración. It was a small church, but had a great praise team and they even had young girls who dance with scarves and ribbons. It was really pretty and we could feel the Holy Spirit there. I liked the Pastor, too. Everyone was very friendly. We gave a testimony and the message. There was a lot of prayer. Besides the usual, we also prayed over the members of the congregation who requested and then the church prayed over us! What a blessing!
We came home and had yummy grilled chicken for lunch. Then we had a team meeting and orientation. The Fiestas were explained and demonstrated. The translators worked on putting together the prizes for the Fiesta games for the week. There will be over 30 Fiestas this week. That’s a lot of prizes! I worked on getting stuff ready for the Conferences for the week. Then there was some rest time before dinner and church.
Everyone had a great day. A lot of the team were very tired from getting in so late on Saturday night (1:30am and 3:00am). Some took naps. By bedtime, everyone was ready for lights out.
It will be a busy and great week!!! To God be the Glory!!!
My group went to a church that I haven’t been to before. Iglesia Nueva Restauración. It was a small church, but had a great praise team and they even had young girls who dance with scarves and ribbons. It was really pretty and we could feel the Holy Spirit there. I liked the Pastor, too. Everyone was very friendly. We gave a testimony and the message. There was a lot of prayer. Besides the usual, we also prayed over the members of the congregation who requested and then the church prayed over us! What a blessing!
We came home and had yummy grilled chicken for lunch. Then we had a team meeting and orientation. The Fiestas were explained and demonstrated. The translators worked on putting together the prizes for the Fiesta games for the week. There will be over 30 Fiestas this week. That’s a lot of prizes! I worked on getting stuff ready for the Conferences for the week. Then there was some rest time before dinner and church.
Everyone had a great day. A lot of the team were very tired from getting in so late on Saturday night (1:30am and 3:00am). Some took naps. By bedtime, everyone was ready for lights out.
It will be a busy and great week!!! To God be the Glory!!!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
November 17, 2012
I got up at 3:30am to say goodbye to the team. They told me that I should have stayed in bed and thanked me for the sacrifice of getting up. I told them I would be back asleep before they got out of León, so don’t feel too sorry for me. Haha
I read for a while after waking up for the day. Then I got on the computer and checked out some facebook stuff and internet news. I don’t understand all that is going on in the Middle East, and after doing some research on the net, I still don’t know what all is going on!
Mary and I called a taxi and went to breakfast at our favorite breakfast restaurant. In fact, it’s named breakfast. She had the usual scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, hashbrowns and toast. I had waffles and 2 eggs and fresh squeezed orange juice. Yum! We then grabbed a taxi and came back to the team house. Lesly was here getting some last minute things done for the team coming in.
I worked on Feeding Center files all afternoon. The VOH Praise band came for practice and we enjoyed it. Except when Mary was skyping back home and she couldn’t hear. It sounded like she was at a club or something.
We had leftovers for dinner and went to our rooms to rest while waiting on the team to get here. They are coming on 4 different flights. Mike, Charlie, German and 5 vehicles all left in a caravan for the Managua airport. It was kind of exciting to see them going to pick up the group.
I called Nana Ruth back in Rogers and we chatted for a while. I use my iPhone Skype app and it is very cheap to call the states. But since it goes through the internet, it drops calls when the internet gets iffy. But we had a good talk.
Mary brought me 2 puppets that the team had left. I’m excited. I miss my puppets back in Rogers. Even though these are simple little ones, they will be great for what I want to use them for.
I downloaded 2 music cds that Shannon left us. I also looked up all the songs that the VOH praise band is going to play for the crusade next week. I printed off the lyrics so that I can start learning them. I know most of the songs, but don’t have the lyrics memorized. This will be a good thing for me to be working on.
I practiced guitar for a while. I can tell I’m starting to get some callouses, finally! My fingers are still sore and numb, but they are getting conditioned a little at a time.
I read some in ‘Not a Fan’ and coordinated communication between Josh (team leader coming from the states) and Mike at the Managua airport. Josh’s flight was delayed due to mechanical problems. I had to get the message to Mike. It all worked out okay. Josh’s flight left about an hour late, but the planes usually make up good time when they have to. So maybe it won’t be too late for them. Everyone should be back at the team house and in bed by 2am. Hopefully!
I’m anxious to welcome my good friends Jaime and Oliver, Pastors from the Spanish church in Rogers (Iglesia Cuerpo Vivo Internacional). I love them like brothers and I’m excited for them to meet everyone down here. They will be leading some Pastors’ conferences this week and also working along with the team. What fun!
It’s after 11 and I’m not even sleepy. I know it will hit me in the morning if I don’t go to sleep before 2am. I’ll have to pray for grace!
I read for a while after waking up for the day. Then I got on the computer and checked out some facebook stuff and internet news. I don’t understand all that is going on in the Middle East, and after doing some research on the net, I still don’t know what all is going on!
Mary and I called a taxi and went to breakfast at our favorite breakfast restaurant. In fact, it’s named breakfast. She had the usual scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, hashbrowns and toast. I had waffles and 2 eggs and fresh squeezed orange juice. Yum! We then grabbed a taxi and came back to the team house. Lesly was here getting some last minute things done for the team coming in.
I worked on Feeding Center files all afternoon. The VOH Praise band came for practice and we enjoyed it. Except when Mary was skyping back home and she couldn’t hear. It sounded like she was at a club or something.
We had leftovers for dinner and went to our rooms to rest while waiting on the team to get here. They are coming on 4 different flights. Mike, Charlie, German and 5 vehicles all left in a caravan for the Managua airport. It was kind of exciting to see them going to pick up the group.
I called Nana Ruth back in Rogers and we chatted for a while. I use my iPhone Skype app and it is very cheap to call the states. But since it goes through the internet, it drops calls when the internet gets iffy. But we had a good talk.
Mary brought me 2 puppets that the team had left. I’m excited. I miss my puppets back in Rogers. Even though these are simple little ones, they will be great for what I want to use them for.
I downloaded 2 music cds that Shannon left us. I also looked up all the songs that the VOH praise band is going to play for the crusade next week. I printed off the lyrics so that I can start learning them. I know most of the songs, but don’t have the lyrics memorized. This will be a good thing for me to be working on.
I practiced guitar for a while. I can tell I’m starting to get some callouses, finally! My fingers are still sore and numb, but they are getting conditioned a little at a time.
I read some in ‘Not a Fan’ and coordinated communication between Josh (team leader coming from the states) and Mike at the Managua airport. Josh’s flight was delayed due to mechanical problems. I had to get the message to Mike. It all worked out okay. Josh’s flight left about an hour late, but the planes usually make up good time when they have to. So maybe it won’t be too late for them. Everyone should be back at the team house and in bed by 2am. Hopefully!
I’m anxious to welcome my good friends Jaime and Oliver, Pastors from the Spanish church in Rogers (Iglesia Cuerpo Vivo Internacional). I love them like brothers and I’m excited for them to meet everyone down here. They will be leading some Pastors’ conferences this week and also working along with the team. What fun!
It’s after 11 and I’m not even sleepy. I know it will hit me in the morning if I don’t go to sleep before 2am. I’ll have to pray for grace!
November 16, 2012
It’s Friday morning and a lovely day. I woke up early as usual, but I had the luxury of laying in bed reading.
The team left at 6:30am for Fun Day in Masaya and Granada. We were buzzing around here getting ready for the big team coming on Saturday night.
I downloaded some pics and videos form yesterday and did some other computer stuff since the internet came back up.
We had a full staff meeting regarding the schedule for next week. There are 42 people on the team. We will have 5 vehicles taking people in many different directions. (plus taxis for my group). There will be 77 people at each meal (we feed our staff, workers, translators, drivers, etc). The schedule is a busy one and everyone needs to know what’s going on. It will be like a huge square dance where groups go off in different directions and then all come back together off and on. It will be a high energy week.
Mike will head up the group going to schools and doing some fiestas. Mary and Charlie will each head up a group doing fiestas and street witnessing. I will take care of those doing conferences each morning and then we will assimilate into the other groups for afternoon. Everyone will go to the crusade on Tues, Wed and Thurs nights. It’s going to be fun!
After the meeting, Mary and I went with Jaasiel and Lesly to buy groceries for the first couple of days. With a team this large, we can’t hold all of the food for the whole week in our 2 fridges and 2 freezers and pantry. Jaasiel also went to the market by the terminal to buy the cheese for the feeding centers and to get the weekly meat for the feeding centers. We keep this in another freezer. We got back and everything was put away.
We got a treat and had pizza for lunch. I love the pizza here. I get veggies and love it.
After lunch, Mayela and I worked together on confirming my records to hers for the feeding centers so that I can move ahead with my year end reports for the sponsors. I was glad to get that part out of the way before we are both busy with the team next week. Needless to say, I spent many more hours on the computer files, but it felt good to get some large chunks of worked checked off of my list.
I had the chance to call Deanna and see how things are going with her. She said the temps have been cold in the nights and cool in the daytimes. I will have a shock when I got back in December, I’m sure! It was good to talk with her. I miss her and can’t wait to sit with her in the evenings watching wheel of fortune and HGTV!
In the afternoon, Mary, Mike, Charlie and I sat around at various times to chat while we were waiting for the team to return from Fun Day. They got back by 9pm and we had ordered pizza for them and it came not long after their return. They had a good day.
Buster had found a new friend in the bushes who turned out to be a skunk. Down here they call it ‘a fox that pees too much’. It was strong! I got some flashlights out of my room and we were crouching along looking for the little bugger. All at once Mike yelled there it is! And we all took off running. Buster didn’t smell too good, so Mike said that he had to have a sleep over here at the hotel. Mike didn’t want to take him home. Haha
I chatted a little more with the team and then I went to bed. Shannon gave me and Mary some items to enjoy, cds, magazines, etc. She is so sweet. I look forward to staying in touch with her. She has a heart for helping to support us in our work with the women down here. The whole team is eager to get the church to get involved with the feeding centers. They will be getting up early to leave at 3:30am. I know that they will be tired by the time they get home. But I think they are all very happy.
I was happy to get in my bed, knowing that I don’t have to do anything too structured tomorrow. Yay!
The team left at 6:30am for Fun Day in Masaya and Granada. We were buzzing around here getting ready for the big team coming on Saturday night.
I downloaded some pics and videos form yesterday and did some other computer stuff since the internet came back up.
We had a full staff meeting regarding the schedule for next week. There are 42 people on the team. We will have 5 vehicles taking people in many different directions. (plus taxis for my group). There will be 77 people at each meal (we feed our staff, workers, translators, drivers, etc). The schedule is a busy one and everyone needs to know what’s going on. It will be like a huge square dance where groups go off in different directions and then all come back together off and on. It will be a high energy week.
Mike will head up the group going to schools and doing some fiestas. Mary and Charlie will each head up a group doing fiestas and street witnessing. I will take care of those doing conferences each morning and then we will assimilate into the other groups for afternoon. Everyone will go to the crusade on Tues, Wed and Thurs nights. It’s going to be fun!
After the meeting, Mary and I went with Jaasiel and Lesly to buy groceries for the first couple of days. With a team this large, we can’t hold all of the food for the whole week in our 2 fridges and 2 freezers and pantry. Jaasiel also went to the market by the terminal to buy the cheese for the feeding centers and to get the weekly meat for the feeding centers. We keep this in another freezer. We got back and everything was put away.
We got a treat and had pizza for lunch. I love the pizza here. I get veggies and love it.
After lunch, Mayela and I worked together on confirming my records to hers for the feeding centers so that I can move ahead with my year end reports for the sponsors. I was glad to get that part out of the way before we are both busy with the team next week. Needless to say, I spent many more hours on the computer files, but it felt good to get some large chunks of worked checked off of my list.
I had the chance to call Deanna and see how things are going with her. She said the temps have been cold in the nights and cool in the daytimes. I will have a shock when I got back in December, I’m sure! It was good to talk with her. I miss her and can’t wait to sit with her in the evenings watching wheel of fortune and HGTV!
In the afternoon, Mary, Mike, Charlie and I sat around at various times to chat while we were waiting for the team to return from Fun Day. They got back by 9pm and we had ordered pizza for them and it came not long after their return. They had a good day.
Buster had found a new friend in the bushes who turned out to be a skunk. Down here they call it ‘a fox that pees too much’. It was strong! I got some flashlights out of my room and we were crouching along looking for the little bugger. All at once Mike yelled there it is! And we all took off running. Buster didn’t smell too good, so Mike said that he had to have a sleep over here at the hotel. Mike didn’t want to take him home. Haha
I chatted a little more with the team and then I went to bed. Shannon gave me and Mary some items to enjoy, cds, magazines, etc. She is so sweet. I look forward to staying in touch with her. She has a heart for helping to support us in our work with the women down here. The whole team is eager to get the church to get involved with the feeding centers. They will be getting up early to leave at 3:30am. I know that they will be tired by the time they get home. But I think they are all very happy.
I was happy to get in my bed, knowing that I don’t have to do anything too structured tomorrow. Yay!
November 15, 2012
Up early and anxious for English Class. Today the class is presenting their stories from the Bible. I can’t wait! The walk was fun and the morning was beautiful. I tried to take pics of things, but to tell the truth, I’m so used to seeing everything here that I don’t take as many pics as I should for sharing with the folks back in the states.
The presentations were wonderful and I took a pic, as well as a partial video of each student. I was very proud of them all! I downloaded them on facebook.
After I got back to the team house, Pacheco and Maykellyn came by to get the payment for her next month’s English class. A team member has pledged to pay for her schooling and has asked Mike to handle the transactions. It was nice to see Juan and Maykellyn again in the same day!
I worked on the computer files for the Feeding Center most of the afternoon. Then it was time to go to the Old Dump neighborhood for some worship time.
It was a great service. Pastor Bryan was dressed to the nines as usual. He has a tux that he got from somewhere and he wears it with a French cuffed shirt and cuff links. It’s so fun to see what he has on each time we see him. He started the worship time with his usual energy and charisma. Everyone loves him.
One of the team played the guitar and led some songs in Spanish. Everyone liked that. Two of the ladies gave testimonies. Shayne gave a message. A little guy from the neighborhood named Manuel read scripture and prayed. He was so adorable! Damon, from the team gave a message, but first taught everyone to ‘call the hogs’ (the cheer for the Arkansas Razorbacks sports teams). It was so funny. I caught it on video and downloaded it to my facebook page. There were 12 salvations and Pastor Bryan will be following up with them this next week. At the end of the time there, a heard of cattle came walking down the main dirt road and the team thought that was quite exciting. Lol
On the way back to the team house, we all stopped at the ballfield where next week’s crusade will take place. We made a line and held hands and walked across the field praying over it. It was dusk and getting hard to see, but there were some of the neighborhood people watching to see what we were doing. I can’t wait to see who all gives their lives to the Lord at the crusade.
Mike met with the team for a few minutes and then Mary, Charlie and I shared with them about the different parts of the ministry that we work in. 378 people were saved this week from the ministry that the team did. It was a wonderful week. They will be leaving very early in the morning for Fun Day.
I came to my room and read a little bit in the “Not a Fan” book and then went to bed. It felt good!
The presentations were wonderful and I took a pic, as well as a partial video of each student. I was very proud of them all! I downloaded them on facebook.
After I got back to the team house, Pacheco and Maykellyn came by to get the payment for her next month’s English class. A team member has pledged to pay for her schooling and has asked Mike to handle the transactions. It was nice to see Juan and Maykellyn again in the same day!
I worked on the computer files for the Feeding Center most of the afternoon. Then it was time to go to the Old Dump neighborhood for some worship time.
It was a great service. Pastor Bryan was dressed to the nines as usual. He has a tux that he got from somewhere and he wears it with a French cuffed shirt and cuff links. It’s so fun to see what he has on each time we see him. He started the worship time with his usual energy and charisma. Everyone loves him.
One of the team played the guitar and led some songs in Spanish. Everyone liked that. Two of the ladies gave testimonies. Shayne gave a message. A little guy from the neighborhood named Manuel read scripture and prayed. He was so adorable! Damon, from the team gave a message, but first taught everyone to ‘call the hogs’ (the cheer for the Arkansas Razorbacks sports teams). It was so funny. I caught it on video and downloaded it to my facebook page. There were 12 salvations and Pastor Bryan will be following up with them this next week. At the end of the time there, a heard of cattle came walking down the main dirt road and the team thought that was quite exciting. Lol
On the way back to the team house, we all stopped at the ballfield where next week’s crusade will take place. We made a line and held hands and walked across the field praying over it. It was dusk and getting hard to see, but there were some of the neighborhood people watching to see what we were doing. I can’t wait to see who all gives their lives to the Lord at the crusade.
Mike met with the team for a few minutes and then Mary, Charlie and I shared with them about the different parts of the ministry that we work in. 378 people were saved this week from the ministry that the team did. It was a wonderful week. They will be leaving very early in the morning for Fun Day.
I came to my room and read a little bit in the “Not a Fan” book and then went to bed. It felt good!
November 14, 2012
Up early and walked to the last English class. I left early enough to be able to take my time walking. I love seeing things that I miss when riding past or walking too focused on things. I love seeing the people day after day.
English class was a lot of fun. We talked about a lot of things. It amazes me what comes up in conversation. There is so much to learn (in any language!).
After class I grabbed a taxi and went to get a haircut. I found out that my stylist’s name is Yaconda, even though her business is named after someone named Sarai. ☺ It’s always fun seeing her and I always feel great after getting a haircut! I grabbed a taxi back home and got here just 15 minutes before the team got back for lunch. I took a quick shower to get rid of the hair and enjoyed lunch with everyone.
I called my sister to see how my niece (the new mama) and great-nephew are doing. They are doing well and I can’t wait to see him next month and kiss on him!
I did 4 loads of laundry to catch up. I feel guilty that I get to use our washing machines, when all of our workers wash their clothes by hand. I can’t image how hard it is to wring out the water from the jeans and sheets and stuff. Bless their hearts!!
The team went out for the afternoon and I worked on finishing up the church banners. Mike gave me his wish list for more banners and other worship stuff. I will be busy when I get back in January! But I love it!
The team decided to go to Tip Top Chicken for dinner, so Mary and I stayed back (we get Tip Top enough) and had leftovers and enjoyed some quiet time.
I updated blogs for part of the week. I took pics of the banners and posted them on facebook.
Maykellyn, one of the English students called to ask how to spell a word in English for her report, which she will present tomorrow in class. She is so bubbly! I just love her!
I practiced the guitar a while and then headed to bed. A nice long, but productive and fun day. I am blessed.
English class was a lot of fun. We talked about a lot of things. It amazes me what comes up in conversation. There is so much to learn (in any language!).
After class I grabbed a taxi and went to get a haircut. I found out that my stylist’s name is Yaconda, even though her business is named after someone named Sarai. ☺ It’s always fun seeing her and I always feel great after getting a haircut! I grabbed a taxi back home and got here just 15 minutes before the team got back for lunch. I took a quick shower to get rid of the hair and enjoyed lunch with everyone.
I called my sister to see how my niece (the new mama) and great-nephew are doing. They are doing well and I can’t wait to see him next month and kiss on him!
I did 4 loads of laundry to catch up. I feel guilty that I get to use our washing machines, when all of our workers wash their clothes by hand. I can’t image how hard it is to wring out the water from the jeans and sheets and stuff. Bless their hearts!!
The team went out for the afternoon and I worked on finishing up the church banners. Mike gave me his wish list for more banners and other worship stuff. I will be busy when I get back in January! But I love it!
The team decided to go to Tip Top Chicken for dinner, so Mary and I stayed back (we get Tip Top enough) and had leftovers and enjoyed some quiet time.
I updated blogs for part of the week. I took pics of the banners and posted them on facebook.
Maykellyn, one of the English students called to ask how to spell a word in English for her report, which she will present tomorrow in class. She is so bubbly! I just love her!
I practiced the guitar a while and then headed to bed. A nice long, but productive and fun day. I am blessed.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
November 13, 2012
Well, I didn’t get off walking to class early enough, and the team was leaving, so I bummed a ride with them to class. I surprised Juan’s aunt, who opens up the school first thing in the morning.
The class had grown to 10 people. Wilber and Arraro joined the rest of us. We had a great time of reading stories from the Chicken Soup for a Woman’s Soul book. We had lots of fun and lots of laughter. It’s a great class and I’m loving being with them!
One the way home from class, I stopped by the little librería and bought some receipt books for Lesly. She keeps forgetting to buy some and has borrowed all of my stash. I don’t have to use the homemade receipts much anymore, so it’s okay, but I was running out, too. I always like stopping in at the librería. I also stopped at a tiny little store and bought some minutes for my Nica phone. Then I walked the rest of the way home. Well, almost. At the very end of our street, I was picked up by Jorge, Lesly, and Jaasiel on their way back from a shopping trip. We saw a bright orange shirt at the other end of the street near our gate. We were too far away to see who it was (either Alberto or Saturnino), but we could sure see the shirt! Lol
I worked on computer files for awhile and then the team got back from Fiestas and street witnessing and a feeding center visit. We all had lunch and then different things.
The delivery of staples for the feeding centers (rice, beans, sugar, oil, salt, spaghetti, sauces, drink mix, etc) came and the team worked on dividing up the stuff for each of the feeding centers. They had a good time and I got some good pictures.
I downloaded a bunch of pictures and then also borrowed some pictures for my facebook page of my newest great-nephew, Bentley James Weismiller. He’s my fourth great-nephew (no girls – drat). I can’t wait to hold him next month when I get to Indiana for a visit!
We all had hamburgers for dinner and then the team left for church. I stayed back and did some research of Spanish Christian dvds for the Children’s Ministry to start here in January. I’m looking for anything that will help us put together some curriculum!!
I was very tired, so I got my shower and was in bed by 8:30pm reading. It felt good to lay down. I always read for a few hours before falling asleep (and when I wake up during the night). It’s a good time for me to chillout. Of course it makes reading during the daytime hard, since my body thinks reading means I’m supposed to get sleepy!
Anyway, it’s been a great day and I’m thankful!
The class had grown to 10 people. Wilber and Arraro joined the rest of us. We had a great time of reading stories from the Chicken Soup for a Woman’s Soul book. We had lots of fun and lots of laughter. It’s a great class and I’m loving being with them!
One the way home from class, I stopped by the little librería and bought some receipt books for Lesly. She keeps forgetting to buy some and has borrowed all of my stash. I don’t have to use the homemade receipts much anymore, so it’s okay, but I was running out, too. I always like stopping in at the librería. I also stopped at a tiny little store and bought some minutes for my Nica phone. Then I walked the rest of the way home. Well, almost. At the very end of our street, I was picked up by Jorge, Lesly, and Jaasiel on their way back from a shopping trip. We saw a bright orange shirt at the other end of the street near our gate. We were too far away to see who it was (either Alberto or Saturnino), but we could sure see the shirt! Lol
I worked on computer files for awhile and then the team got back from Fiestas and street witnessing and a feeding center visit. We all had lunch and then different things.
The delivery of staples for the feeding centers (rice, beans, sugar, oil, salt, spaghetti, sauces, drink mix, etc) came and the team worked on dividing up the stuff for each of the feeding centers. They had a good time and I got some good pictures.
I downloaded a bunch of pictures and then also borrowed some pictures for my facebook page of my newest great-nephew, Bentley James Weismiller. He’s my fourth great-nephew (no girls – drat). I can’t wait to hold him next month when I get to Indiana for a visit!
We all had hamburgers for dinner and then the team left for church. I stayed back and did some research of Spanish Christian dvds for the Children’s Ministry to start here in January. I’m looking for anything that will help us put together some curriculum!!
I was very tired, so I got my shower and was in bed by 8:30pm reading. It felt good to lay down. I always read for a few hours before falling asleep (and when I wake up during the night). It’s a good time for me to chillout. Of course it makes reading during the daytime hard, since my body thinks reading means I’m supposed to get sleepy!
Anyway, it’s been a great day and I’m thankful!
November 12, 2012
Up early and off on foot for English Class. I was hot and sweaty by the time I got there. It’s always a topic of conversation that I would walk so far on purpose. Haha. Dora, Maykellyn, Aarón, Bismark, Christian and Arelin were all there. We also had a newcomer, Josue. He is very good and very outgoing. He and Maykellyn keep the class moving along!
We worked on translating stories from the book “Chicken Soup for the Women’s Soul”. They are loving it. We had a great class. I gave them an assignment for Thursday to pick out a story from the Bible and write it in English. They will present them in class. I can’t wait!
I walked home and had lunch with everyone. The team had a great morning doing fiestas and street witnessing. They also got to see one of the Feeding Centers. They are loving their ministry here.
I worked on the computer most of the afternoon. I also got the chance to talk with German about some items. It was a nice afternoon.
After lunch, the team went to town for shopping. I was going to go with Logan, who is a musician, to show him the music store. I remembered at the last minute that I had a meeting with Estefanie and Teresa about the women’s projects for the new year. Glad I didn’t leave with the team!!!
Estefanie and I had a good conversation working on our stuff together. We also discussed what I wanted to talk to Teresa about. Estefanie and I work so well together. She understands how I think and is so very helpful in meetings. She had also gotten some information for Mary about the woman prisoner that was in the prison-turned-museum that we visited. Mary was very glad to hear all the info, even though it was very sad. Estefanie loves history and was happy to help out.
When the team got back from shopping, we all headed out to the beach for pictures and dinner at Suyapa restaurant. (Mike, Mary and I have been there 3 times in the last 2 weeks!) It was very tasty. Everyone loved walking along the beach and getting really pretty sunset pictures. It was a good night.
On the way there, Mike accidentally hit a chicken crossing the road. It lost some feathers, but it kept going, so I don’t think it died. Mike asked Saturnino, our worker who we were taking home on the way to the beach, to take some money to the people who owned the chicken and buy it and for Saturnino’s family to eat it.
When we got back to the team house, Logan showed me his new guitar that he had bought at the music store. It is great! I’m so excited for him! He also showed me some tips on making chords and said that I was doing well for only just learning. I was pleased. It makes me more determined to keep practicing!
It’s been a great day. I’m thankful for every moment that God allows me to be here serving. I’m thankful for all the people He allows me to meet. I’m thankful for all of His blessings.
We worked on translating stories from the book “Chicken Soup for the Women’s Soul”. They are loving it. We had a great class. I gave them an assignment for Thursday to pick out a story from the Bible and write it in English. They will present them in class. I can’t wait!
I walked home and had lunch with everyone. The team had a great morning doing fiestas and street witnessing. They also got to see one of the Feeding Centers. They are loving their ministry here.
I worked on the computer most of the afternoon. I also got the chance to talk with German about some items. It was a nice afternoon.
After lunch, the team went to town for shopping. I was going to go with Logan, who is a musician, to show him the music store. I remembered at the last minute that I had a meeting with Estefanie and Teresa about the women’s projects for the new year. Glad I didn’t leave with the team!!!
Estefanie and I had a good conversation working on our stuff together. We also discussed what I wanted to talk to Teresa about. Estefanie and I work so well together. She understands how I think and is so very helpful in meetings. She had also gotten some information for Mary about the woman prisoner that was in the prison-turned-museum that we visited. Mary was very glad to hear all the info, even though it was very sad. Estefanie loves history and was happy to help out.
When the team got back from shopping, we all headed out to the beach for pictures and dinner at Suyapa restaurant. (Mike, Mary and I have been there 3 times in the last 2 weeks!) It was very tasty. Everyone loved walking along the beach and getting really pretty sunset pictures. It was a good night.
On the way there, Mike accidentally hit a chicken crossing the road. It lost some feathers, but it kept going, so I don’t think it died. Mike asked Saturnino, our worker who we were taking home on the way to the beach, to take some money to the people who owned the chicken and buy it and for Saturnino’s family to eat it.
When we got back to the team house, Logan showed me his new guitar that he had bought at the music store. It is great! I’m so excited for him! He also showed me some tips on making chords and said that I was doing well for only just learning. I was pleased. It makes me more determined to keep practicing!
It’s been a great day. I’m thankful for every moment that God allows me to be here serving. I’m thankful for all the people He allows me to meet. I’m thankful for all of His blessings.
November 11, 2012
Good morning to the team! I was in bed when they arrived at 1:30am. It was very nice to meet them over breakfast.
Charlie Brown is here with this team and will stay for 2 more weeks after. It was good to see him, too. He brought some Tshirts with the VOH logo on them for staff and translators to wear. They are the brightest orange that I have ever seen, next to glow-in-the-dark. You can surely see the staff when we are out in the neighborhoods!
There are 14 total in the team, so we are traveling to churches together today. We started out at the Rose of Sharon church in town. This is the big one that has such great music from their wonderful praise band. It’s always hot in there, even with the new wall and ceiling fans, but the worship is awesome and we always love going there. The team had an eye-opening experience seeing the raw, pure worship of the Nica people. It was great.
We came back to the team house for lunch and then Mike had an orientation meeting with everyone. We demonstrated the Sinbox Sally drama and Mary and I were the drunks. Mike forget to say not to get him wet, so Mary and I both made sure to dribble some water on him.
I spent the afternoon working on the computer to update last week’s blog posts. Some of the team swam and others rested. I did lay down to read for about 45 minutes and then we were off to 2 church services back to back. We stopped at the team house between services for the bathroom and I decided to stay at the house to serve dinner when the team got back. This way the cooks could leave at 7:00pm (since they had been here since 5:00am and were coming back at 5:00am tomorrow). Dinner was taco salad, so it was easy to serve and clean up.
While waiting on the team to come home from the second church service, I practiced the guitar. It was a nice evening! I also got the chance to talk with Mike some about the Feeding Centers records and the year end reporting. It’s always nice to get a little time for planning and reporting and catching up.
I went to bed a happy camper and was looking forward to going to the English class 4 mornings this coming week.
The team is having a great time here. It is way out of some of the people’s comfort zone. It’s always rejuvenating to see the ministry and the country and people through a new person’s eyes. Sometimes we take for granted the work that God is doing around us. I pray I never get blasé about it. He is worthy of praise for every little thing!
Charlie Brown is here with this team and will stay for 2 more weeks after. It was good to see him, too. He brought some Tshirts with the VOH logo on them for staff and translators to wear. They are the brightest orange that I have ever seen, next to glow-in-the-dark. You can surely see the staff when we are out in the neighborhoods!
There are 14 total in the team, so we are traveling to churches together today. We started out at the Rose of Sharon church in town. This is the big one that has such great music from their wonderful praise band. It’s always hot in there, even with the new wall and ceiling fans, but the worship is awesome and we always love going there. The team had an eye-opening experience seeing the raw, pure worship of the Nica people. It was great.
We came back to the team house for lunch and then Mike had an orientation meeting with everyone. We demonstrated the Sinbox Sally drama and Mary and I were the drunks. Mike forget to say not to get him wet, so Mary and I both made sure to dribble some water on him.
I spent the afternoon working on the computer to update last week’s blog posts. Some of the team swam and others rested. I did lay down to read for about 45 minutes and then we were off to 2 church services back to back. We stopped at the team house between services for the bathroom and I decided to stay at the house to serve dinner when the team got back. This way the cooks could leave at 7:00pm (since they had been here since 5:00am and were coming back at 5:00am tomorrow). Dinner was taco salad, so it was easy to serve and clean up.
While waiting on the team to come home from the second church service, I practiced the guitar. It was a nice evening! I also got the chance to talk with Mike some about the Feeding Centers records and the year end reporting. It’s always nice to get a little time for planning and reporting and catching up.
I went to bed a happy camper and was looking forward to going to the English class 4 mornings this coming week.
The team is having a great time here. It is way out of some of the people’s comfort zone. It’s always rejuvenating to see the ministry and the country and people through a new person’s eyes. Sometimes we take for granted the work that God is doing around us. I pray I never get blasé about it. He is worthy of praise for every little thing!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
November 10, 2012
I got up and worked a little on the computer until Lesly asked me to help her run errands. I was more than happy to pull off of the computer!
Edmundo drove Lesly and I to Palí to buy some more plastic bowls that the team was donating to the Feeding Center at the Old Dump. Then we went by to deliver them and I got some pics of the set up there. The team did so much good work to help people with tooth pain. What a blessing!!
Next we went to La Unión to buy groceries for the incoming team. It takes hours just to buy groceries sometimes and we had 3 carts of food, even though the team is only 14 people. Then we ran by the bakery and had to stop to get water and ice. German had called Lesly as we were checking out at the grocery store and asked her to be back to the team house in 30 minutes. It was going to be close!!! León has many one ways streets and it sometimes takes a while just to circle the block. Lesly had Edmundo drop her off at one end of the block from the bakery and by the time we drove around to pick her up, she was ready to come out. The back seats in the van have been taken out to haul stuff, so the groceries were all piled back there. The boys who put the stuff in the van had stacked 4 crates of 2 dozen eggs each on top of each other. They fell over when we turned the corner. But God protected those eggs and none were broken! Yay!
After lunch, some of the team ran to town to buy a few last minute souvenirs and some coffee to take back to the states. Some took naps and some took a quick dip in the pool. A few got massages from Mayela.
Then we all loaded up and headed toward the beach. On the way, we stopped at the new neighborhood by the little León airport. The leaders asked that we come and pray over their land. We are trying to bring each team there so that it can be covered in much prayer.
We headed to the beach and took pics then went to Suyapa restaurant for dinner. It takes a while to get your food, so we ordered and then most of the team walked along the beach for pics. Our food finally came and it was so delicious! As we were waiting to pay and leave, Pastor Jamie and Sandra started doing a little dancing together. I caught it on video and then Carolyn and Marilyn (who work in the Dentist’s office) did a few dance steps themselves. I downloaded the videos onto facebook. It was a nice dinner and evening.
We got back to town and it was all dark. When the lights are out in León, it’s beyond dark. Danilo, one of our drivers, said that most of the whole town was without electricity. We found some flashlights and everyone started to their rooms for some packing. Then the lights came back on and Mike held his ‘goodbye’ meeting with the team. The lights flickered a few more times, but stayed on, so everyone could get packed up. This has been a great group and even though I didn’t get to go out and work with them, I really enjoyed having them around.
Everyone found a place to rest for a little bit. The next team was arriving around 1am. This team was leaving at 4am. I plan on sleeping through most of the changing of the guard. ☺
Edmundo drove Lesly and I to Palí to buy some more plastic bowls that the team was donating to the Feeding Center at the Old Dump. Then we went by to deliver them and I got some pics of the set up there. The team did so much good work to help people with tooth pain. What a blessing!!
Next we went to La Unión to buy groceries for the incoming team. It takes hours just to buy groceries sometimes and we had 3 carts of food, even though the team is only 14 people. Then we ran by the bakery and had to stop to get water and ice. German had called Lesly as we were checking out at the grocery store and asked her to be back to the team house in 30 minutes. It was going to be close!!! León has many one ways streets and it sometimes takes a while just to circle the block. Lesly had Edmundo drop her off at one end of the block from the bakery and by the time we drove around to pick her up, she was ready to come out. The back seats in the van have been taken out to haul stuff, so the groceries were all piled back there. The boys who put the stuff in the van had stacked 4 crates of 2 dozen eggs each on top of each other. They fell over when we turned the corner. But God protected those eggs and none were broken! Yay!
After lunch, some of the team ran to town to buy a few last minute souvenirs and some coffee to take back to the states. Some took naps and some took a quick dip in the pool. A few got massages from Mayela.
Then we all loaded up and headed toward the beach. On the way, we stopped at the new neighborhood by the little León airport. The leaders asked that we come and pray over their land. We are trying to bring each team there so that it can be covered in much prayer.
We headed to the beach and took pics then went to Suyapa restaurant for dinner. It takes a while to get your food, so we ordered and then most of the team walked along the beach for pics. Our food finally came and it was so delicious! As we were waiting to pay and leave, Pastor Jamie and Sandra started doing a little dancing together. I caught it on video and then Carolyn and Marilyn (who work in the Dentist’s office) did a few dance steps themselves. I downloaded the videos onto facebook. It was a nice dinner and evening.
We got back to town and it was all dark. When the lights are out in León, it’s beyond dark. Danilo, one of our drivers, said that most of the whole town was without electricity. We found some flashlights and everyone started to their rooms for some packing. Then the lights came back on and Mike held his ‘goodbye’ meeting with the team. The lights flickered a few more times, but stayed on, so everyone could get packed up. This has been a great group and even though I didn’t get to go out and work with them, I really enjoyed having them around.
Everyone found a place to rest for a little bit. The next team was arriving around 1am. This team was leaving at 4am. I plan on sleeping through most of the changing of the guard. ☺
November 9, 2012
It’s Friday and there are no English Classes today. I stayed at the team house and washed a load of clothes for me and some clothes for Dr. Driggers so he could have clean scrubs for tomorrow.
My sister had texted me to see if I was ok. I tried calling her on both her home and cell numbers, but couldn’t reach her. When I finally got through, she said that Mom had called and told her that there was an earthquake and wanted to know if I was ok. I hadn’t heard anything, which is not unusual for here. It turns out that the earthquake was in Guatemala and hid killed about 50 people. My sister said that she wasn’t worried for long because she had asked my niece to look on Facebook to check up on me. I had just posted that morning about the team and had not said anything about earthquakes, so Sandy knew that I was okay. That goes to show you, the first thing to check is facebook!
I spent about 8 hours on Feeding Center files and was quite pleased with myself for getting so much done.
I showed Mike the banners I had been working and he really liked them. We came up with more ideas.
Sherry and Manuel left Friday morning early for the states. Manuel will start some processes for ARKids insurance, disability, and some diagnostic tests at Children’s Hospital in Little Rock AR to see what can be done to help him cope with his brain damage and other issues. He’s only been gone a couple of hours and we miss him already!
Mike and I got the chance to talk about plans for my ministry duties in 2013. I’ll be teaching the Women’s Bible studies (and training women leaders in each church plant), teaching the Sewing classes (and putting together the co-op to try to market some of the items to help the ladies support their families), putting together the curriculum and training workers for Children’s ministry in each of our church plants, and starting a very basic Bible study to be taught in English for all of the students who want to practice English. I will be so busy, but sooooo happy! I have a lot to do to get ready for the first of the year. These last 2 months of 2012 are going to fly by!
Jaasiel and I had a nice talk about the future today. We don’t always get the chance to talk uninterrupted. I enjoyed it very much.
My deposit finally cleared my AR bank account, so I could take care of some personal business. Thank God for the internet! It sure makes living out of the country so much easier! I transferred some money to VOH to pay toward my utility cost for Oct/Nov/Dec. And I got my plane tickets for Nica for Jan-May2012. I got a good price!
I worked a little more on the last banner and then practiced guitar. I’m excited about the slow progress on the guitar. One of these days…. Oh, the other night, Katty had me play a song for her on the guitar. She is going to be my tutor when she is in León. I closed the door to my room so no one else would hear. She was thrilled with my little song and said that she is proud of. That made my heart sing!!!
Tomorrow will be the last day for the Dental team. They are going to work half a day at the Dump neighborhood and then come for lunch. Then have a little fun day time. I will miss them. They have been a good team to have around. So pleasant and easy. God has blessed us!
My sister had texted me to see if I was ok. I tried calling her on both her home and cell numbers, but couldn’t reach her. When I finally got through, she said that Mom had called and told her that there was an earthquake and wanted to know if I was ok. I hadn’t heard anything, which is not unusual for here. It turns out that the earthquake was in Guatemala and hid killed about 50 people. My sister said that she wasn’t worried for long because she had asked my niece to look on Facebook to check up on me. I had just posted that morning about the team and had not said anything about earthquakes, so Sandy knew that I was okay. That goes to show you, the first thing to check is facebook!
I spent about 8 hours on Feeding Center files and was quite pleased with myself for getting so much done.
I showed Mike the banners I had been working and he really liked them. We came up with more ideas.
Sherry and Manuel left Friday morning early for the states. Manuel will start some processes for ARKids insurance, disability, and some diagnostic tests at Children’s Hospital in Little Rock AR to see what can be done to help him cope with his brain damage and other issues. He’s only been gone a couple of hours and we miss him already!
Mike and I got the chance to talk about plans for my ministry duties in 2013. I’ll be teaching the Women’s Bible studies (and training women leaders in each church plant), teaching the Sewing classes (and putting together the co-op to try to market some of the items to help the ladies support their families), putting together the curriculum and training workers for Children’s ministry in each of our church plants, and starting a very basic Bible study to be taught in English for all of the students who want to practice English. I will be so busy, but sooooo happy! I have a lot to do to get ready for the first of the year. These last 2 months of 2012 are going to fly by!
Jaasiel and I had a nice talk about the future today. We don’t always get the chance to talk uninterrupted. I enjoyed it very much.
My deposit finally cleared my AR bank account, so I could take care of some personal business. Thank God for the internet! It sure makes living out of the country so much easier! I transferred some money to VOH to pay toward my utility cost for Oct/Nov/Dec. And I got my plane tickets for Nica for Jan-May2012. I got a good price!
I worked a little more on the last banner and then practiced guitar. I’m excited about the slow progress on the guitar. One of these days…. Oh, the other night, Katty had me play a song for her on the guitar. She is going to be my tutor when she is in León. I closed the door to my room so no one else would hear. She was thrilled with my little song and said that she is proud of. That made my heart sing!!!
Tomorrow will be the last day for the Dental team. They are going to work half a day at the Dump neighborhood and then come for lunch. Then have a little fun day time. I will miss them. They have been a good team to have around. So pleasant and easy. God has blessed us!
November 8, 2012
Day 4 of English Class. We had finished the material that we used the first 3 days, so I took the book “Chicken Soup for a Woman’s Soul” to share some stories. They LOVED it! It was a tough 2 hours of study, but they took notes and were very happy with all they learned.
First I had to explain about “Chicken Soup” meaning more than just the food. I explained it as something that is: good for you, makes you happy, makes your life better, etc. They also learned a lot about how people write in different ways. The phrasing was difficult sometimes to grasp and the idiomatic phrases were challenging. The class leaned lots of new things and absolutely loved the 3 stories that we shared. They want more of it!
We also took turns adding to a collective story in English. One person would give a name for a character, then the next would say something about him/her, as so on. This would continue until we had a very interesting story going on. The only rule was that what you added to the story, you had to be able to write it in English. What fun! This make-believe person was named David, was married, had 9 children, owned a store, his favorite color was blue… When we got to the part about him going to the grocery store, we veered off of the story and decided to write up a grocery list. They could only add items that they knew in English. Another thing we did was list the names of musical instruments in English after someone said the word orchestra. Lots of good stuff!
They keep telling me that they want more of Vickie and no more Pacheco. Haha. I told them it’s because he is teaching them the important grammar stuff and I’m teaching them fun things. Anyway, we love spending time together and learning.
They are encouraging me to speak Spanish, too. At the end of each class, they have me talk in Spanish. We had discussed what a “spelling bee” is. Someone had seen it on tv. So they started giving me big words in Spanish to see if I knew what they meant. It wasn’t too hard because the words they chose, even though they were big, were closely spelled to the English words. So I could guess pretty well. One time Arrón said the Spanish word for extraterrestrial and they all cheered when I knew it. Then I handed Arrón the marker and told him to write it on the board in English. We all laughed at his face! What a fun class!
When time to leave, I walked more into town and made a few stops along the way. I was hoping to find a printing place that could print a large file for me from my USB drive. But I didn’t find anyplace that could do it. On the way, I stopped at the House of the Bible to see my friend Linda and to see what kinds of specials she had going on. I also stopped at a few Nica souvenir stores that have nice pottery and wooden items and such. I bought a hotpad for the Sewing class to try to make and also a handpainted Christmas card of the nativity.
It was very hot, so I tried to get a taxi. I saw a red one parked on the corner and asked the driver if he was working. He said that he was waiting for his customer to come back out of a store. I noticed while talking to him that he was missing a hand. If you have read my old blog posts (2010) you might remember the funny incident that Mary, Sherry and I had with getting into the wrong taxi and this was the driver. It’s a long story, and one of those that you had to be there to appreciate. Just know that it made me smile to see him and when I told Mary and Sherry about seeing him, they broke out laughing, too. Small world. The next vehicle to come by happened to be German and Mike in one of the vans, so I got a ride back to the team house with them! God sure is watching out for me and providing unexpected rides this week!
After lunch, I got on the computer for a marathon time of Feeding Center files and other communication. Lesly left me with some pants to shorten for her. I’ll have to get those done in the evenings after guitar practice!
Mayela called Teresa for me so that I could set up a time to chat with her about the new way that we will do the Sewing Classes/Co-op for January.
Estefanie’s great-aunt passed away and the funeral was today. Estefanie texted me to say that they were getting ready to pass by the team house on the way to the cemetery. (the casket is carried either by horse and cart or a vehicle and the family and friends walk behind it from the service was held at the deceased home to the cemetery). They hire musicians to play as they are walking along. When I heard the procession coming by, I opened the little gate and watched for Estefanie. When she saw me, she walked over and I got to give her a hug. It was a special moment for me to be able to reach out to her. She’s a sweetie.
We took the team to worship service at Jericho Baptist Church. They got the experience of hearing ‘Nica’ singing. The team gave 2 testimonies, Katty played a couple of worship songs and Pastor Jamie brought the message. It was a good service. At the end, after the invitation and all, Pastor Jamie asked everyone who would like to have prayer to come forward. I noticed the young lady who led their music up on stage kept looking at her young son (probably about 5 years old) and motioning for him to come forward for prayer. He did budge. She then looked at me and motioned to him and put her hand on the top of her head. I motioned to ask if she wanted me to pray for him and she nodded yes. I prayed over the little guy, who I found out is named David, and was very blessed to do so. Afterward, while the mamá was still singing, she mouthed ‘gracia’ to me. After the service she told me his name and that he has been sick. I told her that I didn’t know what she had wanted me to pray, so I asked God to protect David’s health and help him to grow up strong in body and in spirit. For God to draw David to Jesus at an early age and to watch over his family. She was pleased that I covered everything. It was a sweet moment for me. Our God is faithful!
First I had to explain about “Chicken Soup” meaning more than just the food. I explained it as something that is: good for you, makes you happy, makes your life better, etc. They also learned a lot about how people write in different ways. The phrasing was difficult sometimes to grasp and the idiomatic phrases were challenging. The class leaned lots of new things and absolutely loved the 3 stories that we shared. They want more of it!
We also took turns adding to a collective story in English. One person would give a name for a character, then the next would say something about him/her, as so on. This would continue until we had a very interesting story going on. The only rule was that what you added to the story, you had to be able to write it in English. What fun! This make-believe person was named David, was married, had 9 children, owned a store, his favorite color was blue… When we got to the part about him going to the grocery store, we veered off of the story and decided to write up a grocery list. They could only add items that they knew in English. Another thing we did was list the names of musical instruments in English after someone said the word orchestra. Lots of good stuff!
They keep telling me that they want more of Vickie and no more Pacheco. Haha. I told them it’s because he is teaching them the important grammar stuff and I’m teaching them fun things. Anyway, we love spending time together and learning.
They are encouraging me to speak Spanish, too. At the end of each class, they have me talk in Spanish. We had discussed what a “spelling bee” is. Someone had seen it on tv. So they started giving me big words in Spanish to see if I knew what they meant. It wasn’t too hard because the words they chose, even though they were big, were closely spelled to the English words. So I could guess pretty well. One time Arrón said the Spanish word for extraterrestrial and they all cheered when I knew it. Then I handed Arrón the marker and told him to write it on the board in English. We all laughed at his face! What a fun class!
When time to leave, I walked more into town and made a few stops along the way. I was hoping to find a printing place that could print a large file for me from my USB drive. But I didn’t find anyplace that could do it. On the way, I stopped at the House of the Bible to see my friend Linda and to see what kinds of specials she had going on. I also stopped at a few Nica souvenir stores that have nice pottery and wooden items and such. I bought a hotpad for the Sewing class to try to make and also a handpainted Christmas card of the nativity.
It was very hot, so I tried to get a taxi. I saw a red one parked on the corner and asked the driver if he was working. He said that he was waiting for his customer to come back out of a store. I noticed while talking to him that he was missing a hand. If you have read my old blog posts (2010) you might remember the funny incident that Mary, Sherry and I had with getting into the wrong taxi and this was the driver. It’s a long story, and one of those that you had to be there to appreciate. Just know that it made me smile to see him and when I told Mary and Sherry about seeing him, they broke out laughing, too. Small world. The next vehicle to come by happened to be German and Mike in one of the vans, so I got a ride back to the team house with them! God sure is watching out for me and providing unexpected rides this week!
After lunch, I got on the computer for a marathon time of Feeding Center files and other communication. Lesly left me with some pants to shorten for her. I’ll have to get those done in the evenings after guitar practice!
Mayela called Teresa for me so that I could set up a time to chat with her about the new way that we will do the Sewing Classes/Co-op for January.
Estefanie’s great-aunt passed away and the funeral was today. Estefanie texted me to say that they were getting ready to pass by the team house on the way to the cemetery. (the casket is carried either by horse and cart or a vehicle and the family and friends walk behind it from the service was held at the deceased home to the cemetery). They hire musicians to play as they are walking along. When I heard the procession coming by, I opened the little gate and watched for Estefanie. When she saw me, she walked over and I got to give her a hug. It was a special moment for me to be able to reach out to her. She’s a sweetie.
We took the team to worship service at Jericho Baptist Church. They got the experience of hearing ‘Nica’ singing. The team gave 2 testimonies, Katty played a couple of worship songs and Pastor Jamie brought the message. It was a good service. At the end, after the invitation and all, Pastor Jamie asked everyone who would like to have prayer to come forward. I noticed the young lady who led their music up on stage kept looking at her young son (probably about 5 years old) and motioning for him to come forward for prayer. He did budge. She then looked at me and motioned to him and put her hand on the top of her head. I motioned to ask if she wanted me to pray for him and she nodded yes. I prayed over the little guy, who I found out is named David, and was very blessed to do so. Afterward, while the mamá was still singing, she mouthed ‘gracia’ to me. After the service she told me his name and that he has been sick. I told her that I didn’t know what she had wanted me to pray, so I asked God to protect David’s health and help him to grow up strong in body and in spirit. For God to draw David to Jesus at an early age and to watch over his family. She was pleased that I covered everything. It was a sweet moment for me. Our God is faithful!
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