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!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
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!
November 7, 2012
Engish Class again and the walk was fun! We finished up the Creation to Christ story and the class took up a collection to go and get the papers copied for each of them. They want to use it to share with others!
The team started their ministry day at La Quimera doing dentistry. They had a short night of sleep, but were raring to go!
I went with the van taking lunch to the team. So I got to visit the church, which was made into a dentist’s office by hanging rope and sheets. They had a folding dentist chair. Dr. Driggers had brought one of his daughters and 2 of his employees from his office. There were 2 other young ladies helping and Pastor Jamie and wife Sandra rounded out the team. I took a few pictures, but I didn’t linger long where the tooth stuff was going on. I get chills thinking about dentists!!! I rode back to the team house with the empty lunch containers and cooler.
I got the chance to study some Spanish with Jaasiel, who will tutor me once a week. Mostly, we reviewed what I’ve learned so far. We laughed a lot. She gave me an assignment for next time. It will be fun to work with her.
The VOH Praise Band practiced for awhile and I like listening to them. Manuel was allowed to help sing and he enjoyed it!
I downloaded some pics & videos to Facebook and did some other computer work until sunset.
I practiced my guitar for a while and then went to bed to read. It was pretty early, but I was tired. Another good day!
The team started their ministry day at La Quimera doing dentistry. They had a short night of sleep, but were raring to go!
I went with the van taking lunch to the team. So I got to visit the church, which was made into a dentist’s office by hanging rope and sheets. They had a folding dentist chair. Dr. Driggers had brought one of his daughters and 2 of his employees from his office. There were 2 other young ladies helping and Pastor Jamie and wife Sandra rounded out the team. I took a few pictures, but I didn’t linger long where the tooth stuff was going on. I get chills thinking about dentists!!! I rode back to the team house with the empty lunch containers and cooler.
I got the chance to study some Spanish with Jaasiel, who will tutor me once a week. Mostly, we reviewed what I’ve learned so far. We laughed a lot. She gave me an assignment for next time. It will be fun to work with her.
The VOH Praise Band practiced for awhile and I like listening to them. Manuel was allowed to help sing and he enjoyed it!
I downloaded some pics & videos to Facebook and did some other computer work until sunset.
I practiced my guitar for a while and then went to bed to read. It was pretty early, but I was tired. Another good day!
November 6, 2012
Tuesday morning, and the team comes in late, late tonight. It’s going to be a busy day in many ways around here.
I walked to English Class again and the walk was a little easier than yesterday. I’m so out of shape and haven’t walked consistently for a long time. I need to get serious about it!
There were 6 people in class today. Dora, Maykellyn, Aarón from yesterday and then Bixmark, Arielka, and Meylin were new today. I think the new ones are from another class and they joined us to practice talking with me. It was good to get to know them and have them participate in class. What we are working on translating is the Bible Storying materials called “Creation to Christ”, which covers a few Bible stories to explain how God created the earth, mankind, the fall, the law of the Old Testament (10 Commandments), Jesus purpose for coming, Jesus’ sacrifice and how we can be forgiven and become followers of Jesus. The class is really enjoying this material, even though it is written in a way to relate to Oral Learners (no written language) in Africa. We changed phrasing to be relevant to the Nica culture. They enjoyed that part of it, too.
I was just filling in for Juan for 2 days while he had other commitments and couldn’t teach the class. The students want me to come back, so I’ll find out from Juan if he would mind if I continue. I’m sure he will say okay. I’m excited to spend more time with the class.
On my way walking home from English Class, I stopped by my favorite second hand clothing store and picked up some jean capris. The lady was missing me. She keeps up with when I’m in the country. It was nice to see her.
I then stopped at my favorite Librería where I get notebooks, pens, etc. I picked up some glue and some glitter paint to finish up the banners. Then I stopped at my favorite bazaar for some thread and more glue. It was fun to see those people again.
As I was walking and was almost home, I noticed a van pulled up next to me and stop. It was José, one of our drivers. He picked me up and drove me the rest of the way home.
After lunch, Estefanie came to work with me on notes for the Women’s Bible Study that will get started after the first of the year. We are going to hold the study once a week for women leaders from our church plants. Then those women will go and teach that lesson to the ladies in their churches. I’m excited about it multiplying like this and I’m anxious to get all of the materials and resources ready. I always love working with Estefanie!
I worked more on the Feeding Center files the rest of the afternoon. Mary went with Lesly to run errands for preparation for the team. She picked a few items from the grocery store for me. The most important was the chocolate bars!
I moved the banners to the Sewing Room so that I could lay them out to finish drying. They are turning out nicely. I hope that they hold up in the weather over time.
I practiced the guitar for awhile and then read more of “Not a Fan” and went to bed.
At 1:30am, the team arrived and I heard the light tapping on my door from Alberto, who was asking which rooms everyone was assigned to. They got settled in and we all went back to bed. It’s been a good day!
I walked to English Class again and the walk was a little easier than yesterday. I’m so out of shape and haven’t walked consistently for a long time. I need to get serious about it!
There were 6 people in class today. Dora, Maykellyn, Aarón from yesterday and then Bixmark, Arielka, and Meylin were new today. I think the new ones are from another class and they joined us to practice talking with me. It was good to get to know them and have them participate in class. What we are working on translating is the Bible Storying materials called “Creation to Christ”, which covers a few Bible stories to explain how God created the earth, mankind, the fall, the law of the Old Testament (10 Commandments), Jesus purpose for coming, Jesus’ sacrifice and how we can be forgiven and become followers of Jesus. The class is really enjoying this material, even though it is written in a way to relate to Oral Learners (no written language) in Africa. We changed phrasing to be relevant to the Nica culture. They enjoyed that part of it, too.
I was just filling in for Juan for 2 days while he had other commitments and couldn’t teach the class. The students want me to come back, so I’ll find out from Juan if he would mind if I continue. I’m sure he will say okay. I’m excited to spend more time with the class.
On my way walking home from English Class, I stopped by my favorite second hand clothing store and picked up some jean capris. The lady was missing me. She keeps up with when I’m in the country. It was nice to see her.
I then stopped at my favorite Librería where I get notebooks, pens, etc. I picked up some glue and some glitter paint to finish up the banners. Then I stopped at my favorite bazaar for some thread and more glue. It was fun to see those people again.
As I was walking and was almost home, I noticed a van pulled up next to me and stop. It was José, one of our drivers. He picked me up and drove me the rest of the way home.
After lunch, Estefanie came to work with me on notes for the Women’s Bible Study that will get started after the first of the year. We are going to hold the study once a week for women leaders from our church plants. Then those women will go and teach that lesson to the ladies in their churches. I’m excited about it multiplying like this and I’m anxious to get all of the materials and resources ready. I always love working with Estefanie!
I worked more on the Feeding Center files the rest of the afternoon. Mary went with Lesly to run errands for preparation for the team. She picked a few items from the grocery store for me. The most important was the chocolate bars!
I moved the banners to the Sewing Room so that I could lay them out to finish drying. They are turning out nicely. I hope that they hold up in the weather over time.
I practiced the guitar for awhile and then read more of “Not a Fan” and went to bed.
At 1:30am, the team arrived and I heard the light tapping on my door from Alberto, who was asking which rooms everyone was assigned to. They got settled in and we all went back to bed. It’s been a good day!
November 5, 2012
I got up early and headed to Pacheco’s English school. I’m so excited to get to help with the class for advanced students. This will be my 5th class to help with. Some I’ve only attended once and some a few times and one class I was blessed to help with for about 3 months. I love it every time!
I walked to the school, which is about 1 mile away from the team house. I’ve missed walking and desperately need the exercise! It’s hot, but worth it!
There were 4 people in class today. New acquaintances for me. All sweet! Dora is very advanced and ready to be a translator. She was very nervous and said that she wants to do an excellent job and worries that she will not be able to think when in front of people. I had her come up front with me and translate what I was sharing with the class. She didn’t miss a beat! She was surprised to see how easy it was and her confidence was boosted a lot. Christian is pretty knowledgeable in English, but I have a hard time understanding him when he speaks. My hearing loss doesn’t go well with way of speaking. We’ll work it out, though. Maykellyn is a rambunctious young lady that I met earlier in the year. She is so friendly and out going. She is not as advanced as the others, but she is not afraid to jump in there and try. I love working with her. Aarón is the Youth Leader at his church and I first met him when they came to the team house last summer to perform some music and drama for a team. He is very talented and is working hard on his English skills. I loved being with the class.
I walked home did some computer work until lunchtime. It’s a fairly quiet day getting ready for the team coming in on Tuesday night. It’s a good week for me to be working on the huge files for the Feeding Center sponsorships. A large task, but I enjoy it. I just have to pace myself so that I won’t feel burnt out.
I watched a movie on my computer while working on one of the banners in my room. I then read some in a new book on my Kindle. The book is called “Not a Fan” and I think I’m going to get a lot out of it.
It’s been a good day. I get hot, tired, refreshed, encouraged, excited, hot, tired (did I already say that???) and I enjoy every minute that God lets me be here. I’m very blessed.
I walked to the school, which is about 1 mile away from the team house. I’ve missed walking and desperately need the exercise! It’s hot, but worth it!
There were 4 people in class today. New acquaintances for me. All sweet! Dora is very advanced and ready to be a translator. She was very nervous and said that she wants to do an excellent job and worries that she will not be able to think when in front of people. I had her come up front with me and translate what I was sharing with the class. She didn’t miss a beat! She was surprised to see how easy it was and her confidence was boosted a lot. Christian is pretty knowledgeable in English, but I have a hard time understanding him when he speaks. My hearing loss doesn’t go well with way of speaking. We’ll work it out, though. Maykellyn is a rambunctious young lady that I met earlier in the year. She is so friendly and out going. She is not as advanced as the others, but she is not afraid to jump in there and try. I love working with her. Aarón is the Youth Leader at his church and I first met him when they came to the team house last summer to perform some music and drama for a team. He is very talented and is working hard on his English skills. I loved being with the class.
I walked home did some computer work until lunchtime. It’s a fairly quiet day getting ready for the team coming in on Tuesday night. It’s a good week for me to be working on the huge files for the Feeding Center sponsorships. A large task, but I enjoy it. I just have to pace myself so that I won’t feel burnt out.
I watched a movie on my computer while working on one of the banners in my room. I then read some in a new book on my Kindle. The book is called “Not a Fan” and I think I’m going to get a lot out of it.
It’s been a good day. I get hot, tired, refreshed, encouraged, excited, hot, tired (did I already say that???) and I enjoy every minute that God lets me be here. I’m very blessed.
Monday, November 5, 2012
November 4, 2012
It’s Sunday, but because of elections, there are no church services today. We are staying in all day long. Mary is planning on staying in her room most of the day with the door closed and just enjoying peace and quiet.
I started laundry early, including stripping my bed to wash the sheets. I also worked on the banners for a long time. They are almost done!!!
I finished keying in the large stack of Feeding Center info and celebrated when that batch was done! (now on to the next step, but that can wait till Monday!)
I read more in the Soul Detox book, which I am enjoying very much. I also read/listened to Matt 7-11.
I got my bed made back with clean sheets, put laundry away and cleaned up my room a little bit. It gets so cluttered with everything I own down here in a small space.
I enjoyed a lunch of canned asparagus, black olives and baked lentil chips. Then I had a spoon of peanut butter and some cereal for dinner.
While watching a video on my computer, I worked on the last banner.
I had gotten so much done for the day and I was very thankful that God ordered my steps. I’m also thankful that He helps me not to stress over the things that don’t get done when “I” want them to, but that He shows me His timing and plans. I’m thankful that He is patient with me when I try to run things myself the way I want them. I gotta remember that HE’s the boss!
It was a nice day and I was ready for bed early. I’ll be going to help teach English class early on Monday, so I want to have a good night’s sleep.
I started laundry early, including stripping my bed to wash the sheets. I also worked on the banners for a long time. They are almost done!!!
I finished keying in the large stack of Feeding Center info and celebrated when that batch was done! (now on to the next step, but that can wait till Monday!)
I read more in the Soul Detox book, which I am enjoying very much. I also read/listened to Matt 7-11.
I got my bed made back with clean sheets, put laundry away and cleaned up my room a little bit. It gets so cluttered with everything I own down here in a small space.
I enjoyed a lunch of canned asparagus, black olives and baked lentil chips. Then I had a spoon of peanut butter and some cereal for dinner.
While watching a video on my computer, I worked on the last banner.
I had gotten so much done for the day and I was very thankful that God ordered my steps. I’m also thankful that He helps me not to stress over the things that don’t get done when “I” want them to, but that He shows me His timing and plans. I’m thankful that He is patient with me when I try to run things myself the way I want them. I gotta remember that HE’s the boss!
It was a nice day and I was ready for bed early. I’ll be going to help teach English class early on Monday, so I want to have a good night’s sleep.
November 3, 2012
3am on Saturday morning and I was awake when the van came to take Sue to the airport. She was surprised to see me outside her door. I got to say goodbye and give her some big hugs. It has been so great to have her here.
I went back to bed and read for a while and then slept a little while. Mike and Sherry and Manuel were leaving for the weekend, so they brought the little vehicle over for Mary and I to use.
I worked on some lessons for the Women’s Bible study so that Estefanie could start translating them. She loves doing that and I appreciate her diligence!
Mary and I left to meet Estefanie downtown and we went to Tip Top Chicken for lunch. We ran into Lesly, Jorge and Bruno. What a treat! Then we stopped at the ‘shoe alley’ next to La Unión grocery store and Mary and I bought some new sandals. I love that they are so cheap here! We stopped in at La Unión for a few personal groceries, but being Saturday, it was crazy! We decided to wait on our purchases.
We went to the Museum of Traditions and Legends. Estefanie had taken me there before and Mary wanted to see it. It was fun and while Mary and Estefanie climbed the stairs to walk along the upper wall (it used to be a fort/prison), I chose to stay on the ground and wait for them. I had climbed up there before, so I wasn’t missing anything. While waiting, the man running the museum struck up a conversation with me. We talked for about 10 minutes. He told me many things. 5 marriages, 2 kids, 20 years in NYC running a deli, 22 years in Miami running a restaurant… His current wife owns the museum and is from Nicaragua. He is originally from Argentina. We spoke about the weather (in all three countries) and family. He was quite the conversationalist! When we were leaving, he asked for a ride to downtown with us. I never did ask his name. ☺
We went to the little park with a mural so that Estefanie could tell us the history of the pictures. Mary wants Estefanie to write it all down for her. Estefanie likes that kind of thing. We then went down to the Eskimo shop and had ice cream. Poor Estefanie still has a bad cough from her illness last week. She decided to have a Fresca instead of ice cream. Lots of Nicaraguans think that cold food and cold drinks cause sore throats.
We got back to the team house so that Mary could skype her family at 3pm. I worked on banners some more. We noticed that they were already closing down some of the streets in preparation for the elections on Sunday. We decided to stay in all day Sunday, especially since there were no church services anywhere.
Mary and I were planning to go to church at Monte Horeb, but a big storm came up with lots of rain, thunder and lightning. We knew it would be washed out at the church site, so we stayed home.
I practiced guitar and looked up easy Christmas songs on the internet. The girls were having a great time at their retreat. It was so fun to have them here and hear their voices in the background.
It’s been a good day. We enjoyed having some time to run around town a little bit.
I started listening to the Bible on cd in Spanish while reading it in Spanish. I got through Matthew 1-6 tonight. I will love the day when I can understand hearing it without having to translate it in my mind. ☺
I went back to bed and read for a while and then slept a little while. Mike and Sherry and Manuel were leaving for the weekend, so they brought the little vehicle over for Mary and I to use.
I worked on some lessons for the Women’s Bible study so that Estefanie could start translating them. She loves doing that and I appreciate her diligence!
Mary and I left to meet Estefanie downtown and we went to Tip Top Chicken for lunch. We ran into Lesly, Jorge and Bruno. What a treat! Then we stopped at the ‘shoe alley’ next to La Unión grocery store and Mary and I bought some new sandals. I love that they are so cheap here! We stopped in at La Unión for a few personal groceries, but being Saturday, it was crazy! We decided to wait on our purchases.
We went to the Museum of Traditions and Legends. Estefanie had taken me there before and Mary wanted to see it. It was fun and while Mary and Estefanie climbed the stairs to walk along the upper wall (it used to be a fort/prison), I chose to stay on the ground and wait for them. I had climbed up there before, so I wasn’t missing anything. While waiting, the man running the museum struck up a conversation with me. We talked for about 10 minutes. He told me many things. 5 marriages, 2 kids, 20 years in NYC running a deli, 22 years in Miami running a restaurant… His current wife owns the museum and is from Nicaragua. He is originally from Argentina. We spoke about the weather (in all three countries) and family. He was quite the conversationalist! When we were leaving, he asked for a ride to downtown with us. I never did ask his name. ☺
We went to the little park with a mural so that Estefanie could tell us the history of the pictures. Mary wants Estefanie to write it all down for her. Estefanie likes that kind of thing. We then went down to the Eskimo shop and had ice cream. Poor Estefanie still has a bad cough from her illness last week. She decided to have a Fresca instead of ice cream. Lots of Nicaraguans think that cold food and cold drinks cause sore throats.
We got back to the team house so that Mary could skype her family at 3pm. I worked on banners some more. We noticed that they were already closing down some of the streets in preparation for the elections on Sunday. We decided to stay in all day Sunday, especially since there were no church services anywhere.
Mary and I were planning to go to church at Monte Horeb, but a big storm came up with lots of rain, thunder and lightning. We knew it would be washed out at the church site, so we stayed home.
I practiced guitar and looked up easy Christmas songs on the internet. The girls were having a great time at their retreat. It was so fun to have them here and hear their voices in the background.
It’s been a good day. We enjoyed having some time to run around town a little bit.
I started listening to the Bible on cd in Spanish while reading it in Spanish. I got through Matthew 1-6 tonight. I will love the day when I can understand hearing it without having to translate it in my mind. ☺
November 2, 2012
It’s Friday morning and Sue’s last day here. She’s been posting a lot on facebook and chatting with her hubby on her iPad. It’s great to have internet here!
I spent a lot of time on the computer working on the Feeding Center docs. I also took some videos of Manuel diving into the pool. I downloaded them to facebook.
I went to Amazon.com and downloaded some more books to my Kindle. I love that convenience!
I called Deanna in AR and Carol in NYC to see how everyone was doing. See, I’m trying to communicate more often! Haha
I set up a time to meet Estefanie in town tomorrow to run around with Mary and I.
I grabbed a quick nap and then we were off for an early dinner at Suyapa restaurant on the beach. Mike, Sherry, Manuel, Mary, Sue and I had a very lovely dinner. I gave Mary my potatoes because they were roasted (aka fried) and Sue gave me her veggies because she doesn’t like them. We were passing food all over our corner of the table. It was very good and we enjoyed the evening very much.
A group of girls were going to be spending the weekend at the team house for a retreat. When they got here, I realized that I had met the leaders about 2 years before at a church service at Todopoderoso church. At that time, they were visiting different churches to get a flavor of the city. They were starting out their journey to raise money to come to Nica to serve. I remember taking their picture and giving them $5 (not much, but it would prime the pump!). How awesome to ‘run into them’ 2 years later!
I said goodbye to Sue in case I didn’t wake up the next morning when she was going to leave at 3am. I then went to my room and practiced my guitar some more. It was a very good day.
I spent a lot of time on the computer working on the Feeding Center docs. I also took some videos of Manuel diving into the pool. I downloaded them to facebook.
I went to Amazon.com and downloaded some more books to my Kindle. I love that convenience!
I called Deanna in AR and Carol in NYC to see how everyone was doing. See, I’m trying to communicate more often! Haha
I set up a time to meet Estefanie in town tomorrow to run around with Mary and I.
I grabbed a quick nap and then we were off for an early dinner at Suyapa restaurant on the beach. Mike, Sherry, Manuel, Mary, Sue and I had a very lovely dinner. I gave Mary my potatoes because they were roasted (aka fried) and Sue gave me her veggies because she doesn’t like them. We were passing food all over our corner of the table. It was very good and we enjoyed the evening very much.
A group of girls were going to be spending the weekend at the team house for a retreat. When they got here, I realized that I had met the leaders about 2 years before at a church service at Todopoderoso church. At that time, they were visiting different churches to get a flavor of the city. They were starting out their journey to raise money to come to Nica to serve. I remember taking their picture and giving them $5 (not much, but it would prime the pump!). How awesome to ‘run into them’ 2 years later!
I said goodbye to Sue in case I didn’t wake up the next morning when she was going to leave at 3am. I then went to my room and practiced my guitar some more. It was a very good day.
November 1, 2012
November 1, 2012
Wow! It’s November! It’s hard to realize the time of the year here when the weather is pretty much the same. It’s always hot. Half of the year it’s rainy and half of the year it’s desert dry. I do miss fall weather, since it’s my favorite, but when I was in the states in Sept and part of Oct, it was getting fall-like. It will be cold when I got back for the month of December. I think I’ll get my fill of cold.
It’s Sherry’s birthday, so Mary, Sue and I met her at a favorite breakfast restaurant. It was yummy.
We went to the Old Dump neighborhood and had a little event for the expectant mama’s and new mama’s. Sue led games and we gave out prizes. It was a lot of fun. We gave out some baby clothing that Mary had brought down. It was a nice time in that special neighborhood.
We had lunch together at the team house. I wasn’t hungry because of having a big breakfast and also my stomach was not real happy.
I worked on the computer with Feeding Center records for most of the afternoon.
I called Nana Ruth in AR and had a good chat. I let too much time pass between phone calls and need to contact people more often.
I took a little nap and swam for a short time to try to feel better. I was not feeling great after eating the omelet for breakfast (I knew better than to do that). I decided to take it easy for the evening.
Manuel came over to hang out with us for a few hours so Mike and Sherry could have some alone time for her birthday. We all listened to him preach and sing and then I went to my room early. Sue and Mary were having a big time playing with Manuel. He has loved having Sue here to be a new audience. I think we were all ready for bedtime early!!!
Wow! It’s November! It’s hard to realize the time of the year here when the weather is pretty much the same. It’s always hot. Half of the year it’s rainy and half of the year it’s desert dry. I do miss fall weather, since it’s my favorite, but when I was in the states in Sept and part of Oct, it was getting fall-like. It will be cold when I got back for the month of December. I think I’ll get my fill of cold.
It’s Sherry’s birthday, so Mary, Sue and I met her at a favorite breakfast restaurant. It was yummy.
We went to the Old Dump neighborhood and had a little event for the expectant mama’s and new mama’s. Sue led games and we gave out prizes. It was a lot of fun. We gave out some baby clothing that Mary had brought down. It was a nice time in that special neighborhood.
We had lunch together at the team house. I wasn’t hungry because of having a big breakfast and also my stomach was not real happy.
I worked on the computer with Feeding Center records for most of the afternoon.
I called Nana Ruth in AR and had a good chat. I let too much time pass between phone calls and need to contact people more often.
I took a little nap and swam for a short time to try to feel better. I was not feeling great after eating the omelet for breakfast (I knew better than to do that). I decided to take it easy for the evening.
Manuel came over to hang out with us for a few hours so Mike and Sherry could have some alone time for her birthday. We all listened to him preach and sing and then I went to my room early. Sue and Mary were having a big time playing with Manuel. He has loved having Sue here to be a new audience. I think we were all ready for bedtime early!!!
October 30-31, 2012
October 30, 2012
I spent most of the day on the computer working on the Feeding Center documents.
Mary, Sue, and Sherry worked on putting baby clothes into bags to be given away later in the week. Sue had a few games for the Mama’s to play and I pulled out some prizes for them all. Mary sewed up an extra baby blanket to give away.
Mary and Sue also helped Mayela with putting pics of Feeding Center kids into photo books for the upcoming teams to take back to the states with them.
I pulled off of the computer in the late afternoon and worked on some church banners that I have had in the works for quite a while. It seems I never get the time to work on them and it was a great change of pace from the computer. Sue and Mary helped cut out some shapes for me. I’m anxious to see how my banners turn out. I’m also concerned about how they will hold up here with the weather. We’ll see…
I practiced more on the guitar. I’m trying to learn new chords and also looking up songs on the computer. I’m getting excited!
October 31, 2012
It’s Halloween in the states. Everyone is putting pics of their kids in their costumes on Facebook. Many churches are doing Trunk or Treat on their premises. It’s fun to see all the festivities that are positive and an alternative to the spookiness of the traditional holiday.
Mary, Mayela, Sue and I went to town to shop for photo albums for the Feeding Center pics. We stopped to pick up some fabric paint for my banners and went to La Unión for some personal groceries.
I got back on the computer for most of the afternoon. Then I worked on the banners more in the early evening. It gets dark here fast, so it’s a wonder the banners turned out descent since I couldn’t see!
We were invited to church at Monte Horeb, but decided to stay at the team house because the weather was a little wet.
I hemmed more pants for Manuel while watching another video. I then practiced the guitar and went to bed.
It’s been so nice to have Sue here this week. It feels very natural for her to be here. I think she is enjoying her time here, too.
I spent most of the day on the computer working on the Feeding Center documents.
Mary, Sue, and Sherry worked on putting baby clothes into bags to be given away later in the week. Sue had a few games for the Mama’s to play and I pulled out some prizes for them all. Mary sewed up an extra baby blanket to give away.
Mary and Sue also helped Mayela with putting pics of Feeding Center kids into photo books for the upcoming teams to take back to the states with them.
I pulled off of the computer in the late afternoon and worked on some church banners that I have had in the works for quite a while. It seems I never get the time to work on them and it was a great change of pace from the computer. Sue and Mary helped cut out some shapes for me. I’m anxious to see how my banners turn out. I’m also concerned about how they will hold up here with the weather. We’ll see…
I practiced more on the guitar. I’m trying to learn new chords and also looking up songs on the computer. I’m getting excited!
October 31, 2012
It’s Halloween in the states. Everyone is putting pics of their kids in their costumes on Facebook. Many churches are doing Trunk or Treat on their premises. It’s fun to see all the festivities that are positive and an alternative to the spookiness of the traditional holiday.
Mary, Mayela, Sue and I went to town to shop for photo albums for the Feeding Center pics. We stopped to pick up some fabric paint for my banners and went to La Unión for some personal groceries.
I got back on the computer for most of the afternoon. Then I worked on the banners more in the early evening. It gets dark here fast, so it’s a wonder the banners turned out descent since I couldn’t see!
We were invited to church at Monte Horeb, but decided to stay at the team house because the weather was a little wet.
I hemmed more pants for Manuel while watching another video. I then practiced the guitar and went to bed.
It’s been so nice to have Sue here this week. It feels very natural for her to be here. I think she is enjoying her time here, too.
October 29, 2012
Monday morning started early with a fresh energy to get back to work. Sue Berner is here this week to work with us. It must seem like a slow time to her, but we have simple things that we keep up with weekly and there is stuff to do to get ready for the next team. It’s also a good time to rest before the 3 back-to-back weeks of teams start in a week.
When Pastor Bryan came, I gave him the items from the Women’s Conference that needed to be distributed to some of his ladies. I also gave him a pair of suspenders that were my Dad’s. Bryan likes to dress up and he often wears suspenders. I couldn’t think of a better person to pass that particular pair to. He was very appreciative and I took his picture and put it on my facebook page. I got a lot of comments on facebook about having a piece of my Dad walking around Nica.
I purchased my return ticket to AR for Dec 4. I had originally planned on going back the end of January, but my schedule changed and I got a one way ticket for December. I plan to drive to Indiana to have Christmas with my family (the first time in 22 years) and then drive back via Branson to attend the VOH board meeting on the 29th.
Most of the day was spent keying info into my computer for all the changes and additions to the Feeding Centers. That will be a long job covering many days.
I hemmed some pants for Manuel’s school uniform while I watched a video on my computer. I then read a few more chapters in a book I’m enjoying “Soul Detox”. I practiced guitar for a little while. I’ll be so glad when my fingers are ‘seasoned’ and don’t hurt so bad! I know it will take lots of practice. I’m anxious so see how much I have progressed by that time. Until then, I gotta keep practicing!
When Pastor Bryan came, I gave him the items from the Women’s Conference that needed to be distributed to some of his ladies. I also gave him a pair of suspenders that were my Dad’s. Bryan likes to dress up and he often wears suspenders. I couldn’t think of a better person to pass that particular pair to. He was very appreciative and I took his picture and put it on my facebook page. I got a lot of comments on facebook about having a piece of my Dad walking around Nica.
I purchased my return ticket to AR for Dec 4. I had originally planned on going back the end of January, but my schedule changed and I got a one way ticket for December. I plan to drive to Indiana to have Christmas with my family (the first time in 22 years) and then drive back via Branson to attend the VOH board meeting on the 29th.
Most of the day was spent keying info into my computer for all the changes and additions to the Feeding Centers. That will be a long job covering many days.
I hemmed some pants for Manuel’s school uniform while I watched a video on my computer. I then read a few more chapters in a book I’m enjoying “Soul Detox”. I practiced guitar for a little while. I’ll be so glad when my fingers are ‘seasoned’ and don’t hurt so bad! I know it will take lots of practice. I’m anxious so see how much I have progressed by that time. Until then, I gotta keep practicing!
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