February 2015

February went by in a blur! 

Baby Victoria is growing and changing by the day.  Sofi is a great little mom.  Since I can’t hear her at night, Sofi texts me when she needs help.  She takes care of Victoria, and has only needed help with one feeding (before breastmilk came in), one trip to the bathroom and once to move the fan.  All of this was because of Sofi’s physical condition, which healed quickly over the first few weeks.

Aura, our temporary nanny, has been a blessing.  There are so many customs here and I just don’t have the time to try to change things to the ‘better way of the states’, so we follow many of the rituals for here.  This includes having to boil chamomile tea every morning to bathe the baby in.  Also, there are certain foods and drinks for Sofi to consume so that she will have sufficient milk and heal.  There is a list as long as my arm of weird stuff, and we have gotten past most of it.  I finally did put my foot down about Sofi’s diet.  It seems that she was only allowed to eat goat cheese and the middle of a tortilla and drink things made from seeds and weeds.  She was getting weak and I insisted on her eating veggies and fruits and some meat.  I was not popular with the older ladies, but they decided that the crazy gringa was in charge, so they followed through.  There is a belief that a new mother shouldn’t leave the house for 30-40 days after giving birth because she is so weak.  Also, she can’t read, write, cook, use a knife, pen, look at a computer screen (even though most people don’t have those), use her hands, etc., during that time.  Well, the reason that the mommas are so weak, is because they are not eating anything healthy!!!!  Sofi was strong and healthy within a few days of getting the balanced diet.  (the common belief around the house is that it wasn’t due to the changes insisted upon by the gringa, but because of all of the extra prayers of protection over Sofi and the baby because of me.  Lol)  Anyway, everyone is thriving!

The baby’s clothes are to be washed in the tea, also.  And NOTHING that touches the baby is to be dried in the sun!  Everything is hung out to dry here, but baby stuff cannot go in the sun.  It’s harmful for the baby.  Hum.  Also, if someone comes in from outside when the sun is strong, they are not to look at the baby, or the baby will become sick from the sun.  I have been made fun of for not believing this. 

There are many other things along these lines, but I won’t get into all of them.  I DO want to be respectful of customs, and I try to pick my battles (like NOT putting raw honey into the baby’s mouth), so we are learning to respect each other.  Sofi is getting good at looking things up on the internet for backup.  And she is learning that she can trust me and other North Americans.  I love learning more about taking care of this precious chicklet. 

Let’s see, what all has happened in Feburary…

We had some more fun guests drop by, both Nica and North American.  Jill and Robin brought me some stuff I had ordered on the internet and shipped to their house.  They loved getting to meet Victoria. 

Jeremy and Kelly dropped by to talk about us getting involved with a new English worship service at their church.  I’m praying about that.

We have been asked to teach some classes for some new mammas at a project for Compassion.  We held an introductory event for that and had a blast.  We’ll be going to that church and teaching for a few weeks.  I’m excited to see some new leaders come from that group.  And, of course, this is a sweet demographic for us, new mammas!

Sofi had the opportunity to cater 4 dinners for a group from the states.  She really enjoyed doing it.  Victoria was not quite 4 weeks old and I got to baby sit.  We timed the feedings (we don’t like to supplement with formula unless necessary) and we did fine.  The first night, Victoria didn’t wake up at all while momma was gone!  But we got to play the other nights. 

Our friends Maritza and Eddy (parents of our neighbor Jason) slept here one night and it was good to see them.  Maritza is here with her mother for a couple of months.  She had slept here for 2 months after we first moved in last year.  Sofi loves to have her around and she gave even more motherly advice to be assimilated.  Lol

Veronica and I went to Troilo for sewing classes for a couple of weeks, then the ladies decided to come into León (an all day endeavor) for the last few classes.  That saves me $30 transportation costs for each class.  Yay!  And it is so fun to have the women here in the house!

I had accidentally let my visa expire and went a week later to get an extension for another 3 months.  My lawyer friend Bernie and I took the microbus (15 passenger vans) to Managua because they are so cheap ($2.00 each way vs renting a vehicle for $60-100 per day).  However, I get very carsick and Bernie does too, a little, so we suffered a bit on the trip.  The immigration office in Managua (capital city) refused my extension request and gave me 5 days to leave the country.  I could come back of course, but it made it very inconvenient and costly!  I decided to go to Indiana to visit my family, since I had not seen them in over a year.  I had not met my latest great-niece, who had just turned 6 months old.  It was a very cold, but fun trip.

While in Indiana, I got to be snowed in, catch a stomach bug, spend one whole day prom dress shopping (which was so fun!), shop for ministry items and baby stuff, play with my great nephews and niece, and to remember what it is like to live in the snow.  I was cold the whole time I was there.  I am definitely acclimated to the warm weather now! 

Even though the trip was costly (thank you for friends who stepped up to cover the flight) and unexpected, it was just what I needed.  Our women’s Bible study is on Sabbath and margin.  God allowed me to live in His margin for my life.  If I would have known about the trip beforehand, I would have planned the heck out of it and not enjoyed it at all.  I felt like God was giving me the chance to just ‘breathe’ and enjoy the time of not ‘producing’.  He is in control and I praise His name!

Coming back, my flight was cancelled when Atlanta airport cancelled 450 flights due to a storm that wasn’t even there yet.  I got an extra day of relaxing with family and then flew home without too much craziness.  I did enjoy my time with family, though!

It was so great to get home.  I had missed my girls so much.  I couldn’t believe how much Victoria had changed in just a week.  She is even more beautiful!

There are lots of challenges and opportunities for the coming months and things just keep changing, but God is in control of all and I’m in it for the long haul.  I can’t wait to see what is next.  I pray that I live my life in surrender to Him in all things.  Little by little, I am learning how to do that. 

There is a lot of work to be done.  Continuing current classes, starting new classes, merchandising the ladies wares, preparing for visitors from the states to work with us, finding whom God has chosen for new partners, going through the 501©(3) process in the states, income taxes for me (all donations are taxable to me as income right now, thus, the reason to hurry up with the non-profit status), residency process (so I don’t have to fly out every three months), finish the website, get organized on communication (newsletters, thank yous, etc) and lots more.  BUT the most important thing is letting God lead me each and every moment in His way.  He’s got this.  I just need to let go and let Him show me what to do each day. 

He is so faithful.  I have enjoyed this journey of Living Grace Ministry, even during the really hard times.  I have grown so much and I am so thankful for each degree of getting closer to the Father and Provider.  He is amazing. 

Now… to get ready for March…

Presenting Princess Victoria Antonela

Presenting Princess Victoria Antonela Roque Altimirano

January 2015 also brought a very huge change to our lives.  An indescribable blessing!  We have a new ‘boss’ and she came to us weighing in at 6 pounds 3 ounces and making a huge presence in our lives!

God brought Sofia to us in February of 2014.  I had met her the year before, but didn’t really have much interaction with her.  She came to work for the ministry as a part-time housekeeper.  After just a day, God made it possible for her to move in to Living Grace House, too.  She lost her mother when she was young, and her father has not been a big presence in her life.  She has many half siblings, but no family that could provide her with a place to live once she became an older teenager.  God brought her to me and the ministry, and step by step, He has made us into a family.  There have been many ups and downs and challenges and blessings, but like all families, that grew us closer.  We didn’t know at the time what He was up to, but we have prayed a lot over the past year and watched Him work in our lives to prepare us for this time in our lives.

Sofi helps to take care of the house and is an excellent cook.  She is finishing highschool and wants to take some college classes in the future.  She is talented in handcrafts, and has been making items to sell to support herself and baby Victoria.  She also has studied pedicures/manicures and is planning on studying to become a beautician.  She was surprised by an unexpected pregnancy, which taught her a lot about choices and relying on God.  Through the experience, she came to put her faith in Christ as her Savior and Redeemer, and she wants to minister to other young girls, using her relationship with God as a resource. 

It took a lot of prayer and seeking for God’s will, but I know in my heart that He wants us as a family.  He gave me the opportunity to come before Him with choices of my past and let Him redeem me from those secrets.  All of this prepared me open my heart and my home to Sofi and baby Victoria with pure love, and know that the emotions of regret, fear, unforgiveness and shame had nothing to do with our new family.  What a healing time for me.  What a blessing to be able to minister to Sofia in God’s timing.  What an example of His unconditional love.  So… we are a family.

Baby Victoria was due the end of January or first part of February.  (the docs here gave her a large window of due dates)  However, on January 16, Sofi went for a dr appointment.  They were concerned about her blood pressure.  It wasn’t very high, but they could get a better reading at the hospital, so they sent her there for a check up.  Everything was fine, just a little elevated blood pressure.  They are VERY QUICK to do Cesarean Sections here, and wanted to do one then.  But Sofi said no, she wanted to wait.  We all agreed.  They kept her in the hospital all weekend trying to induce labor (she wasn’t ready) and trying to talk her into a C-section.  Finally, on Monday morning, she started into labor.  They were still trying to get her to do a C-section through the whole time.  Since she wasn’t dilating much, they cut her a lot to deliver the baby.  Victoria was born at 11:57am on Monday, January 19^th.  I was so excited!  The ladies in the hospital thought it was funny that this Gringa was crying.  Then they were told I am like the grandmother and they started congratulating me.  No one could be in with Sofi when she delivered, especially a gringa, so I prayed over her so much not to be afraid.  Momma and baby were both fine.

Now, let me explain about the (government) hospital in León.  It is NOT a place I want to go to, even when well.  I had visited it before many times for ministry and when Sofi was hospitalized at 7months pregnant with chikungunya.  It is filthy, I mean fitlthy!  There are roaches crawling all over the floors, walls, everything.  It is not sterile, the windows are open to the outside (if there are window panes at all).  Birds are even inside walking around.  It is hot and dirty and miserable.  The rooms are crowded, usually 5 or more beds to a room.  When Sofi was in labor, one night there were 12 pregnant women sharing 6 beds.  Crazy!  You bring your own sheets, pillows, gowns, etc.  Your family takes care of you, including bathroom trips, bringing food, going to buy medicine, etc.  Someone from your family usually stays overnight to swat the roaches and take care of your needs.  It broke my heart that Sofi had to be there for 4 days.  I could only visit at certain hours, but our friends Yamilet, Veronica and Estefanie helped with taking care of Sofi.  (they especially don’t want North Americans in the hospital seeing all of this, but they learned that I was just concerned about Sofi like a daughter.)

The first night of Victoria’s life, I spent the night at the hospital with Estefanie and we took care of Sofi and Victoria.  Since family is there helping the new mammas and babies, there are lots of people in the rooms, including daddies, who sometimes slept on the floor on top of cardboard.  The lights stay on all night.  It’s hot and nasty and buggy.  What a miserable night!  I thought about the horrible conditions of Jesus’ birth.  His life was a miracle of the most High God, and the conditions of His coming was even worse than here.  My, how our God loves us to go through that!

Anyway, the next day, Sofi and baby Victoria got to come home.  I left the hospital before them (our friend Veronica was with Sofi) to run to the store and get things ready at the house.  We sent our special taxi driver friend, Edwin, to pick them up.  When they arrived at the house I was soooo excited!  Victoria was wearing the special dress that Veronica had made for her homecoming.  (it was pink and white crochet with a matching hat and crocheted sandals!)  I hugged Edwin and he was happy to be a part of the event. 

We brought Victoria into her room and unwrapped her.  Sofi, Veronica, Aura, and Yamilet all surrounded her for prayer.  Even though I had been looking at this precious babe and taking her picture for the last 24 hours, it was like I saw her for the very first time.  I broke out in uncontrolled tears and couldn’t even talk.  I couldn’t believe that God had brought this precious person into my life and our home.  Veronica worded the prayer and we were all in tears, with me still sobbing.  It was so good to have Victoria home!

We took many pictures of her firsts… first diaper change at home, first time in her crib, first bath, etc.  I’m known for always taking a picture of everything that happens.  How fun to have her here.  Sofi was very sore from the extensive cutting and stitching, but was doing pretty well.  Having Aura (the temporary nanny) here helped a lot.  We began our journey of our new lives by all taking a very much needed nap!

Baby Victoria is such a blessing.  Sofi is learning how to be a mom.  I’m learning about newborns (even though I have helped care for many).  (It is a common belief that all North Americans have servants for everything… cooking, cleaning, childcare, everything… because we come here and hire people to help.  The main reason for hiring people is to give them JOBS, but it does make it hard for some people to believe that we are capable of taking care of ourselves or others.)  Not only have I not given birth, but I am a North American, so I was supervised with my first diaper change (they couldn’t believe that I knew how to change a diaper!), feeding, burping, etc.  And with the multitude of myths and wife’s tales here, my advice fell on deaf ears.  It has been very interesting being respectful of their customs and traditions while trying to be sensible and healthy with childcare.  But we are all doing well.

I know that God is going to do awesome things in Victoria’s life.  Sofi and I take very seriously our roles as caregivers.  Sofi has had to grow up into a maturing woman and it has been interesting to see how the difference in culture affects common experiences. 

God has been prompting me to prepare for a new part of the ministry, that of young ladies and especially young mammas.  Now I know why He was moving me in this direction.  May He be glorified through each and every experience that He brings our way.  He is the ultimate Father of us all.

January 2015

Catching up on blog posts, and so far behind I need to do a month at a time.  Wow.  The more I promise to be better at communicating, the farther behind I get.  I assure you it’s not due to laziness.  But there is so much going on in the ministry and the blessings are many and often.  I just have time to do it and report it at the same time!  Lol   God is so Faithful!

With Christmas behind us, we are looking forward to a new year of many changes.  God is brining us many new opportunities to share Jesus and to teach classes.  We pray hard over each request and feel bad that we cannot do it all.  But God has planned what we are supposed to be doing and we rely on His leadership for each decision.  One of our main goals is to equip future teachers.  It’s hard to keep up with the demand sometimes.  But we are very excited to see the women learning and seeing whom God will reveal as the next generation of teachers.

I had a big to-do list for the couple of weeks of class vacation.  I got most of it done.  One big project that didn’t make the deadline was to sew floor to ceiling curtains for the back hall entrance.  These will provide Sofia and baby Victoria with some much needed privacy when we have classes.  I felt very happy when they were finally finished and my carpenter friend, Eyner, made a beautiful wooden valance to hang them from. 

Also on my list, was to finish decorating the baby’s mosquito net with organza ribbon flowers that Sofi and I had made.  It sure looks beautiful.  I also made a few baby blankets, finished some quilling earrings, sewed a couple of totebags and created a mosquito net cover for the stroller. 

Sofi got the chance to visit the beach one more time before the baby. 

Another change for us was when our new friend Luis (the machine whisperer – who could fix anything) left town abruptly.  We sure miss having someone who can fix our sewing machines and fans.  Another example of how people come and go in our lives and the ministry.  Nothing is for sure.

Eyner not only made the curtain valance, but also redid the rockers on 4 of our rocking chairs for the living room.  He put legs on a former hanging shelf and made Sofi some beautiful hanging units for her room.  I commissioned him to make Sofi a custom rocking chair, just right for her body and the duties of a mamma.  We call it the throne.  It is tall, just the right height from the floor, with high arms that are wider than usual.  Just perfect for propping up a baby in your arms for feeding.  It’s very pretty and it will be passed from Sofi to Victoria in the future. 

English Bible Study has been hit and miss for a while, since the students are ambitious and their schedules fill up with college and sometimes work.  Pastor Yader was very busy with all going on at his church.  I was excited to share with him and with Cristhian a copies of the leader books for the Bible Study we have been doing.  They will both be able to use these resources to multiply these classes with others.  We will continue to have English Bible Study on Friday mornings for those who can fit it into their schedules.  For the evening people, I think we will have a special monthly gathering for praise, fellowship, learning and celebrating.  I’m excited to start the next course, which will be ‘The Call to Follow Christ’. 

I love it when we get drop in visitors here at the house.  It happens all week long and is so nice.  Alberto and I became friends when I was living at another ministry where he was guard.  He was ‘retired’ from his position and is now staying with family and traveling to see his kids in different countries when he can.  It was so good to see him.  He’s visited a few times and it’s nice to keep the connection of when we spent much time together.

I met with a new friend who is advising me on the ‘resident’ status process for here in Nica.  I’m very blessed to have this sweet new friend.  The residency process will have to wait until the ministry is registered as a non-profit, but I hope that we get to spend lots of time visiting in the mean time.

My friend Tamara leads a Bible Study for missionary women.  We meet when the majority can, usually between busy mission team seasons.  It’s been a blessing to meet here at Living Grace House and we have been enjoying a few of the Priscilla Shirer studies.  There are 6 of us in the core group, with more wanting to come in the future.  I love getting to do these studies with these women.  After preparing and leading various Bible Studies throughout the week, it’s nice to be a participant and soak up all God is offering as I seek Him personally.

We also began some Saturday morning classes for a few women who want to learn to make school uniforms.  Even though school is not mandatory, and only those who can afford the supplies can go, uniforms are required.  The people who make the uniforms do so from home-made patterns and measurements.  Button down white shirts and blouses, navy trouser pants and navy pleated skirts.  Very structured.  (not my favorite kind of sewing)  But this is a great opportunity for the women committed to doing this type of sewing and making a living at it.  I’m blessed to be able to offer a place for the classes to happen.

A church in Illinois is blessing us with some sewing machines, supplies and fabric for our sewing classes in other communities.  We were visited by Jeff and his wife Heather and had a nice visit.  We are excited to have their participation and to be their hands and feet here. 

We were commissioned to make some custom backpacks for another ministry.  We are excited about that venture and it will give some of the ladies a good income when the backpacks are ordered at various times.

We were contacted by a friend of mine in AR, who works for a company that makes mosquito nets, tarps and hammocks.  They are going to send us some to share here and we can take pics and send testimonials about how we like them.  I can’t wait to receive them.  Since shipping here is very expensive and not secure at all, we will have a group carry them down in June.  I can’t wait to get them and share them!

The city was changing the water meters in front of our houses and January was the time for our neighborhood.  When they changed mine, they broke the pipe from the meter to my house.  They ‘offered’ to fix it for a fee.  I told them no, I would hire a friend.  Then Sofi (8 months pregnant) and our friend James went to the water office and told them that they should fix it, since there was not problem before the meter switch out.  They agreed (I think because Sofi was so pregnant!) and came a week or so later to fix it. 

Then a few weeks later someone stepped in the hole where the meter is and broke the pipes on both sides of the meter.  That meant we had no water in the house and thousands of gallons of water was gushing down the street.  We called the emergency number on the bill, but of course, no one answered.  So, we were in for the (Sat) night waterless.  The next day, our friend Aura brought someone she knew who works with plumbing stuff (very different down here).  He couldn’t plug the gusher, either, but had a different number to call for the water company. 

Later that morning, 3 guys showed up to fix the problem.  First, they check to make sure that you have paid your bill.  (it seems that if you don’t pay your bill, they shut off your water and put a lock on your meter.  Some people try to remove the lock and break the pipes.  So, usually when people see water gushing from your meter, they assume you didn’t pay your bill.  Sofi was worried about what the neighbors would think, but I didn’t care.  I had paid my bill.  The neighbors need some excitement anyway.  J) 

Anyway, one guy actually worked on the leak.  He had a bucket full of ‘tools’.  Some of which were drumsticks of various sizes, broken in half, to use as different plugs.  He found one that fit and began fixing the problem.  Another guy just went back and forth between the work site and the truck.  And one guy, obviously the supervisor (because he wore sunglasses and stood with his arms crossed) watched the work being done.  They finished up, checked to make sure the water was running in the house and left.  I was thankful that it didn’t take longer for them to show up.  (less than 24 hours on a weekend!)  Of course, if the break had been on MY side and the water was running endlessly on MY DIME, I’m sure they would have taken their time.  It was a shame, though, that so much water was wasted, when there are thousands of people here without water in their homes.

That pretty much sums up January, with the exception of the birth of Victoria, which will be covered in a post of her own.

January was the one year anniversary of when God brought me back to Nica to start a brand new ministry.  I arrived in mid-January 2014, prepared to rent a sleeping room for 3 months, while looking for an appropriate small house for the ministry.  God surprised me with a large house within a month.  He put many people in my path for helping with specific tasks.  It was amazing to see Him work.  I can’t believe that a whole year has past so quickly.  At the same time, I am amazed that everything that He has accomplished all fit into just that first year. 

God is Amazing!

The Rest of December 2014

The two main events for December were, of course, the Baby Shower and Christmas.  Those deserved their own posts.  But there was a lot more going on during the month, even though many things in life slow to a trickle during this time of holiday and school being out.  Here are just some of the highlights…

We did take a week off from classes, so that the teachers could enjoy time home with their families and preparing for the holiday festivities. 

Veronica and I visited the community of Troilo, about 45 minutes into the country.  This is a place where some of our students come from and there are more women who would like to learn to sew, but it’s inconvenient to come into to town often.  Besides the bus fare costing a couple of dollars each way, there is only one bus into León and one bus back out to Troilo each day, therefore, a whole day is spent for a 2 hour class.  Many women cannot be gone from home that long.  We are excited that there are 6 women who want to learn to sew and then teach others in the community.  The ladies are so much fun, too!  We also made a new friend with a taxi driver that God ‘just happened to bring to us’.  We were able to bless his family with some extra money when we hired him to transport us and the machines and supplies to the community for weekly lessons.

Our neighbors, Jason and Issa, were visiting the states for a few months and were scheduled to return to León in mid-December.  Just a few days before departure, Jason realized that he had lost his passport.  After much scrambling, they arrived on Christmas Eve.  But, while they were gone, a fire had broke out in the electric box of their house.  No damage, except for needing to rewire much of the house.  Unfortunately, there are no building codes here, so anyone can wire and plumb a house.  It results in problems sometimes.  But we are very glad that the only consequence to this fire was that the guests who rent rooms were without electricity for a day. 

Speaking of Jason’s Guesthouse/Hostel, while I was renting a room from him last year while looking for my house, I had met a guy from Holland named Daniel.  He came back to León for another visit and I was pleasantly surprised when he showed up on my doorstep to say hello.  He loved what we have done with the house and it’s fun to share with him all that God has done here with the ministry.  (as I was typing this, Daniel actually stopped by to return a book.  How funny!)  He’ll be leaving for home in Holland again next week, with a stopover in New York to visit friends.  How fun!

Jasmina spent a few nights with us during the month.  One evening, she and Sofia went to a music event at our church.  I know the music was great, but I just can’t handle the loud volume in an enclosed space with my hearing problem.  I was glad that Sofi got to go, though.

Sofi’s stepmom from Managua visited one night.  She has come a couple of times.

Sofi and I visited Lesly in her home, which was fun.  I don’t usually get to go to people’s home much, with all that goes on here at Living Grace House. 

Jeremy, Kelly and their baby Joy came for a visit one night.  How fun.  She is walking now and is going ninety miles an hour.  No wonder her mamma is so skinny!  She is very sweet and fun.  I’m glad that they are in my life.

Another fun thing that I get to do is pass along money blessings from a friend in the states to her former housekeeper here.  It allows me to get to see Angela.  She said she might be interested in taking some sewing classes in the future, too.

While on my morning walks, I get the chance to run into people that I normally do not see.  One morning I was walking near Central Park and heard my name called.  There were three ladies from the Monte Horeb community that used to be in my Bible Study a few years ago.  How wonderful to see them.  Even though I couldn’t remember their names, it was heartwarming that they remembered me and spoke lovingly of my time in Bible Study with them.  I love those little surprises from God.

December ended with the usual fireworks (for hours and hours) in the street for New Year’s Eve.  Fireworks are very popular here and are going off at random times for no real reason.  You get used to them for the most part.  However, I don’t like it when the end up in my house (through the garden openings).  But God protects us from danger.  Now, if I could just get used to that loud noises!

God has been so faithful and gracious with all the blessings that He has brought to me and us and the ministry throughout 2014.  How awesome to remember it all.  I love Him more and more each day.  He is Sovereign.

Christmas 2014

This was the third Christmas that I was blessed to spend in Nicaragua.  I knew what to expect about the customs and rituals of the city.  And after the busyness of the baby shower on the 14^th, I was ready to focus on Jesus’ birthday and all that comes with it.

For many years, I have coveted my special ‘alone time with God’ on Christmas.  This year was special because I would be spending it with Sofia and thinking about the coming birth of baby Victoria in January.  We were looking forward to mostly quiet days and evenings in our home, just enjoying being together.

I debated about buying a Christmas tree.  The front of the house, which is the public area for classes, is very simple and streamlined for class use.  I prayed a lot about it and decided that if I could find a tree that I liked within my strict budget, I would go for it.  Well, God blessed me with a tree for less than $20 and I was thrilled!  I got a couple of sets of lights and then we decorated with items that represented our classes.  I put some colorful bracelets with the icons depicting the salvation message on the tree to represent the Bible studies.  Instead of garland, we used giant ric-rac.  We used ribbon and wire and beads to make large replicas of the earrings we had sold.  Organza ribbon flowers with old buttons were very colorful and whimsical.  We made ornaments that looked a lot like our macramé bracelets and put some wire inside some to make them into shapes of stars, bells and crosses.  We hung leather keychains on the tree, too.  My friend Tamara had made some wisemen from craft sticks and fabric.  She made me a set for my tree.  Veronica taught a few of us how to make giant bows and they were special on the tree.  We had no gifts to put under the tree, but that wasn’t the point. 

We celebrated Jesus’ ‘Birthday Tree’ and enjoyed looking at it all the time.  Many people enjoyed it during the weeks as they came for classes or just to visit.  It was one of the best $20 purchases that I had made in a long time.  It is custom here to leave a tree up (if you can afford such a luxury) until Kings Day on January 8^th.  But I took the tree down on Jan 2, because I knew that the following week would be so busy with classes resuming and all.  This gave me another opportunity to discuss the difference between meaningful celebration and just tradition.

Another custom for December is Purisma, or the Day of Mary, on Dec 7-8.  It is a combination of Christmas, trick or treat, and July 4^th from the North American perspective.  Being a Catholic culture, the Virgin Mary is worshiped.  Unfortunately, she is worshiped more than her Son Jesus.  On Dec 7, stores, parks, homes, churches, etc., all decorate with special things to honor Mary and her Virgin birth.  People all meet at the main Cathedral in Central Park for a special mass.  Then, in front of the church in the park, a drama is played out with characters made from frames and firecrackers and such.  It is very chaotic, and dangerous for those near the fireworks.  Then the people go by foot all over the city like trick or treating and ask at each house or store “Who could cause so much joy?”  The answer is “the anointing of Mary”.  Then the people receive little gifts from the homes and stores.  Usually, the gifts are candy, small plastic items, little bags of salt or sugar or soap or other items for the home.  Thousands of people are in the streets and you can hardly drive at all.  It’s very crazy.  There are fireworks going off all over the town until well past midnight.  Special meals are served in each home.  Then on the 8^th, everything is closed for the holiday and to recuperate!  Mary is very much worshiped and celebrated.  And the town loves a good party!

We spent the December holidays at home, enjoying time with each other before our lives change with the coming of baby Victoria.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we enjoyed some favorite dishes and did crafts and watched movies.  Our friend Jalisa came over for lunch and we had a great visit.  It was a very special and lovely time to celebrate our Jesus and our family coming together.

Victoria's Baby Shower

Victoria’s Baby Shower – December 14, 2014

What a celebration we were blessed to have for the coming arrival of our sweet baby Victoria (in January).

Sofia and I decided that the baby shower would be a big blowout and take the place of our Christmas and birthday celebrations for years to come!   Haha.  Really, we were both so excited to celebrate this little life.  And it was neat to do it when all the world was focusing on the coming of baby Jesus.  It made me even more excited for Jesus’ birthday celebration.

We handmade the invitations.  Little pink dresses with tulle tu-tus and some quilling adornments and ribbon.  So pretty.  (and time consuming!)  We cut, pinned, sewed, typed, glued and wrote on each one.  It took a couple of days to get them made, but it was worth it.  Everyone loved getting their invitations!  Sofi hand-delivered them all over town, which took her a few days.

We had some tulle, ribbon, and some donated baby girl shower decorations from my friend in the states.  We just put everything we had together and it all came out beautiful.  We hung some white Christmas icicle lights around the ceiling of the dining room.  (had to use my new staple gun for this project!)  Sofi wanted lots of balloons, so, as much as I HATE balloons, we blew up 100 (because that was how many we had in the bag) and they all started popping due to the heat.  I really HATE balloons, but this was for a good cause, my sweet baby Victoria.

We hired our friend Erika to cook the food.  She came and helped Sofi buy the items in the markets and stores.  Then she came early on Sunday to start cooking on the open fire on the back patio.  We prepared enough for 50 people and had lots of leftovers, that we were able to share.  The food was good and everyone had a great time.

Sofi looked so beautiful in her new dress.  This was probably the biggest celebration in her life, so I wanted her to feel special.  We found a really pretty dress and (after many trips to the stores) found some shoes that she could also wear after her pregnant-feet returned to normal.  We found some pretty earrings and even a couple of hair barrettes to complete the ensemble.  I found a tiny heart necklace in a piece of furniture and gave that to her and it was a special surprise gift from God for the shower.  Sofi had her hair straightened and wore a little bit of makeup.  She felt really beautiful. 

Many friends and some family came to the shower.  We had games that were funny.  She got to open her gifts and she was so thankful for each and every one of them.  We put Victoria’s crib in the center and hung the mosquito net (that we decorated with handmade organza flowers) over it.  The gifts all went into the crib.  It was very pretty.  I asked Sofi why they don’t record who gave which gift here.  She said this way no one knows what each person brought, so no one is embarrassed that they could only buy a bar of baby soap or just a washcloth or barrette, etc.  I thought that was very thoughtful.  No one expected any thank you notes.  Everyone just enjoyed seeing all the gifts.

Another sweet custom is that at the end of the shower, each person comes to the honoree and gives her a blessing.  Then Sofi gave each person a handwrapped party favor to remember Victoria by.  That was neat.

I had baked 6 dozen cupcakes in the toaster oven, 6 at a time.  We used the party cake mix and vanilla icing with sprinkles.  Each cupcake had a plastic baby favor on it.  We had to keep all the cupcakes in the fridge, because they would melt in about 10 minutes.  Timing was everything that day!  I had to wait until the food for the meal was out of the fridge before I could put the cupcakes in.  We were working everywhere in the house at once, but it was fun.

Yamilet was great helping out!  She steps in sometimes and goes way beyond what is asked of her.  She and I filled in for some friends who bailed on the responsibilities of the shower.  We got it done and loved doing it for Sofi.

Since our bi-lingual friend didn’t make it to the shower, I asked our friend James to help translate for me.  However, he doesn’t know many words for baby things, so he wasn’t much help.  I winged most of it with my mediocre Spanish and lots of body language.    It was very entertaining.  (I love the graciousness of these friends who encourage me to keep talking, even when I’m messing up.  The focus was on Sofi and celebrating Victoria, so I didn’t mind looking silly at times.  It adds to the festivities!)

We were very tired at the end of the night.  (baby showers last for hours!!!!)  We went to bed with the promise of cleaning house the next day.  I had told Yamilet to come to work in the afternoon on Monday, instead of first thing in the morning.  She was pleasantly surprised to see how much cleaning we had already done.  By the end of the day, we had everything back to normal.  (we had moved all the living room rocking chairs to the bedrooms and had set up 30 plastic chairs around the living room and dining room.  And had set up serving tables for the food and drinks in the sewing classroom.  Now we know that we can host a lot of people for an event!)

Of course, we kept the white icicle Christmas lights up to enjoy for Christmas.  They really did make everything look magical.  Our theme was pink and white and silver, just perfect for a beautiful princess.

I was so thankful to be a part of this celebration in Sofia’s life.  I’m so glad that God has brought us together as a family.  And I pray every night for baby Victoria to be healthy and happy.  What a wonderful blessing from God!!