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…