Life back at home in León has been great. I came back from my trip to the states
feeling refreshed and excited for the future. There are a lot of changes for 2015. Some are blessings and some are
challenges (which are also blessings in their own way). Through all things, I know that God is
in charge and I trust Him completely.
Veronica and Enia and I unpacked all the supplies that I
brought back from the wonderful people in the states. My luggage was overweight and I paid dearly for that, but it
was worth it to get this first batch of stuff down here. The girls had so much fun unpacking,
sorting and organizing everything with the stuff already here. They are very good organizers.
I continued my morning walks and ran errands in the early
mornings, including a much needed haircut! It’s good to get out for my walks in the mornings. Sometimes, that is the only time I
leave the house during the day, since the classes are all held here. I love to walk and I enjoy going down
different streets and exploring, too.
Sofia had not been feeling well, and went to the doctor on
Friday. She ended up in the
hospital with what the doctors thought was Dengue fever and turned out to be
Chikunguya. Both are viruses
spread through mosquito bites.
Since she was 7 months pregnant, they wanted her in the hospital. There is no cure and you can just treat
the symptoms. One of the ladies in
her room (4 other pregnant patients) delivered her baby 2 months early. I was given permission to visit Sofi
for a couple of days. Most of her
visits and care was from Yamilet, my part-time housekeeper and our friend. When you are in the hospital
here, you bring your own bedding, clothes, food, everything… So Yamilet took her food 3 times a day
and brought clothes back and forth.
It was a long week! But I
was thankful that I got to spend a few afternoons with Sofi and also to get to
meet the ladies in her room. The
doctors said that baby Victoria is okay and still cooking away inside mamá’s
belly. They did, however, give
Sofi medication for the baby’s lungs in case she comes early.
Because Sofia was in the hospital with Chikunguya, some
government/health officials (I call them the mosquito police) came to inspect
the house. I refuse the fumigation
process that comes around occasionally to blow the smoke from a combination of
chemicals and diesel fuel throughout your house. It is so nasty.
Most expats don’t have it done in their houses either, but the Nicas
do. Anyway, the officials said
that our house is very clean and not a mosquito hazard at all. I was glad to get the all clear,
especially since many Nicas think I’m crazy for not doing the fumigating. We still have mosquitoes at times,
since the house is open to the outside in many places. But I use a can of Raid mosquito repellent
once or twice a week throughout the house and we have good protection from
that. It’s a lot better than
having the residue of the diesel smoke all over the house.
Glenda, the mother who delivered 2 months early due to the
virus, was in the room with Sofi and her mother was there with her 24/7. Baby Kendri José, weighing 3.5 pounds,
was in the NICU area of the hospital.
(keep in mind that this is a Nica hospital – very dirty/nasty, with
limited medical care). When Glenda
was well enough to return home (to Chinandega, about 40 kilometers north), she
and baby and grandma went home.
Just a few weeks ago, they all came to visit us here at the house. I was thrilled to get to hold this
precious bundle! We said a prayer
over Kendri and his family. He had
suffered some seizures in the hospital and the doctors won’t know until later
what his condition is. But he is
so very cute and special and I know that God has a plan for him! They will come and visit us again when
they return to León for more doctor visits. What a blessing to know them.
Sofia and baby Victoria continue to grow daily. We worked hard on baby shower
plans. Since Sofia didn’t get to
have a quinceñera (big 15th birthday party), this shower was a very
big deal for her. We took 2 days
to cut, sew, print, quill, glue and finish the invitations. It was fun. The baby shower will be really exciting and fun. It’s been interesting for me to see the
different customs here for celebrations like this. Some of the games are the same and we had a hard time to
choose what all we wanted to plan!
Veronica (co-teacher for crafts) and I were blessed to spend
2 afternoons at a friends ministry, facilitating a craft station for breakout
sessions at a women’s conference.
We helped the ladies make ribbon flowers and decorate small coin purses. We met some really nice ladies and even
gained a couple of new students for our classes!
Sofia and I stay around home a lot, but when we get to go
out it is usually something we are very interested in seeing or doing. It doesn’t take much to entertain
us! One day, we very excitedly
went to a new grocery store! We
loved it! It’s a lot like stores
in the US. And it is expensive. We won’t shop there much, but I can
find some items that I can’t get anywhere else. And it’s fun to be in the nice, clean, new, AIRCONDITIONED
store! So we will go there to
mosey around sometimes! We also
visited the new Sinsa store. It’s
a hardware store owned by Ace Hardware from the states. I bought a staple gun and have been
very excited about it. Sofi
thought I was kind of funny, but she appreciated it when I used it to hang our
white Christmas lights for the baby shower. I can’t wait to do some more projects with it.
Another early Christmas gift to myself was a large electric
griddle. I was explaining it to
Sofi and she just shook her head and said okay. I price checked them at a couple of stores. When I finally got one and carried it
to the checkout, she saw the picture on the front showing cooking pancakes on
it. She got very excited about
buying it then!!!
We take advantage of joy wherever we can find it. God gives us little blessings all the
time. And we enjoy celebrating
each and every one! He is
Faithful!
