Tuesday, December 7, 2010

It's 11pm and I'm tired, but I want to post today's events before I sleep and forget anything. It's been a good day.

I didn't sleep really well last night and was a little tired and a little nauseous this morning. Too much eating things I shouldn't. Anyway, I took things slow and got ready to leave for the day. We were supposed to be ready about 10:15am for German to pick us up. His van was having problems, so he called Mary to say that we were going to be picked up by Pastor Miguel in his new (very used) car about 10:30. Well, he made it here about 11:30 and what a surprise it was to see him pull into the courtyard.

Pastor Miguel's car is a little blue Chevy hatchback. He was proud that it is a 'Chevrolet - American'. It is pretty much on it's last leg. It squeaks and bumps and grinds and squeals all the way down the road. The passenger door doesn't have a handle on the outside anymore. The inside handle of the left passenger door is just a wire. Part of the housing around the steering column is missing and the horn doesn't work, so he has rigged a button to push for the horn. The button hangs by wires and swings around while driving. Parts of almost everywhere you look inside the car are missing. The air conditioner doesn't work, but the radio plays a fuzzy tune. He is so proud of his car. We rejoiced for him and secretly prayed for mercy as we climbed in. He had to put water in the radiator from the 15 mile drive from town to pick us up. He was very proud to have gotten us into town in very quick time. He says when the car is running better, he will make the time even quicker. Oh boy...

We got to the Sewer Pond area and it took people a few minutes to realize that we were there since they didn't see the van. When we pulled up and started to get out of the car, we noticed that the emergency brake was not set and the car was rolling. Pastor Miguel quickly sat back down and took care of setting the brake. He speaks about 1% English, but he managed to say 'sorry' with a big grin.

Pastor Calderon and his faithful crew of cooks pulled up in his beat up red Toyota pick up with the food for the feeding. They got set up with the plastic take apart tables that they bring and big pots of food. They dished up the food while German, Pastor Miguel and Pastor Calderon spoke to the people. A lady from the area spoke, too, and led the people in songs. Some of the kids took turns singing to the Lord, also. It was nice. When the food was ready to serve, they let Mary and I help hand it out. It smelled so good. Kind of a chicken stew with veggies, rice, beans all in a bowl with a tortilla on top and a piece of candy. They also get a chicha (baggie with a koolaid kind of drink). We had almost enough food for everyone. We feel bad when there is not enough, but we noticed that some families had gotten more than their share. That happens sometimes. But pretty much everyone got something.

I had been playing with the kids while the adults talked. We threw frisbees and they kicked a soccer ball. They did the same during the 2 days of adult classes and the kids were great about putting the equipment back in the tub for us to bring back next time. People were asking when we were coming back. It's so nice to have them want us to spend time there, even when we don't hand things out. I think there will be good participation when we get to start some weekly studies with them.

I got some good pics and short videos on my little camera. I'm still learning how to use it. It takes awesome pics. German took mine and Mary's cameras and took pics while we helped serve the food. This was a good job for him.

We left the Sewer Pond area and Pastor Miguel, Mary and I went to On the Run to rest in the air conditioning (and near a bathroom and food) while Pastor Calderon's team went back to their church to get the food for the next feeding an hour later. The three of us had fun visiting while we waited.

Today is the special holiday to celebrate the Virgin Mary. There is a celebration and special food and everything. Pastor Miguel must have teased Mary about it being her special day about a thousand times today (and I'm not exaggerating by much). He would just giggle.

We headed over to the Concrete Pond area to do that feeding. Pastor Calderon and his team got lost and we jumped back in Pastor Miguel's car to find them. They were only about the equivalent of a city block away. Pastor Miguel and Pastor Calderon let the people in songs and prayers and shared the Gospel while the serving ladies got the food ready. Then they allowed Mary and I to help again. There was plenty of food for everyone. I loved taking pictures of everyone, especially the kids. They are so cute. The people that live in this area are not as needy as those at the Sewer Pond. Some of the families have jobs in the big businesses down the road. They have houses made out of cement blocks and wood. They were appreciative for the food, though.

After the feeding, Pastor Miguel dropped Mary and I off at German's house. We watched some English tv (CNN from England) while the family got ready to go see the celebration of the Virgin Mary. We all piled into Joanna's car and went downtown. We walked around a bit and stopped in at La Unión grocery store for a few items, since Mary and I will be at the house for a few days while waiting for German's van to get fixed. Mary needed Pepsis and I had a hankering for some more snack pack pudding.

We enjoyed the celebration (which I will explain in tomorrow's post) and then went back to German's house for a special dinner served on this day. It was a yummy dish of rice, chicken, veggies, green olives, raisins, prunes and cooking wine. I really liked it. German downloaded pics from mine and Mary's camera cards to a flash drive so that we could download them to my computer. (neither of us have the cords for our cameras with us and Radio Shack never got a multi-card reader in) Once the download was done, Pastor Miguel and his daughter brought us home in his even more musical car.

We were glad to get home. Pastor Miguel drove much more slowly on the way home, not getting over about 35 miles per hour. The fan belt was really singing. We had to stop at a police checkpoint that is only used right before and during holidays to charge people fees for going to the beach areas. They seemed a little disgruntled with the singing car. Oh well, they didn't charge us anything. :)

Once we got home, Pastor Miguel was going to put water in the radiator again and had taken the cap off. Then he started the car and I was standing pretty close by. Hot water went everywhere. Mary and I scattered like a couple of cockroaches. He felt so bad. I got some hot water on me, but it wasn't too bad.

It's now midnight and I'm very tired. It's been a good day and I loved being here for the culture of Nicaragua. I'll post more about today's celebration on tomorrow's blog. There is a lot to share about the things that happened today. I really enjoyed looking at the pics from my camera. I can't wait to download them to facebook. I hope that everyone enjoys reading about what God is allowing us to do here in Nic. I know I LOVE being able to live it!!

Monday, December 6, 2010

It's kind of cool here tonight. It's below 70. Mary and I are both talking about not using our fans tonight. Funny how we have gotten so acclimated to the hotter weather here. Back in NWA it's in the 20s & 30s. In Indiana it's in the teens. I'm sure we will have a rude awakening to our bodies when we step off the plane in AR in January!

We worked at the house today. Spent a few hours going through clothes left from the last team. They were very generous. We also had 1 tub and 3 suitcases of clothes to sort. We'll be giving these out the week of Christmas to the people at the Sewer Ponds.

This morning I made a big pan of 'super' oatmeal again. It should last me all week for breakfast. I used the last of the craisins that I brought from home. But the next batch will still have nuts, sunflower seeds and flaxseeds in it, so it will still be yummy. For lunch today, we each made our own tuna salads. Mary put apples, onions and eggs in here. I put onions, eggs, cucumbers and carrots in mine. Pretty yummy! We're having fun just kind of grazing when we are here. Mary is hooked on grilled cheese sandwiches. I've had instant soup and instant potatoes for dinner. Tomorrow we will eat lunch in town and then eat dinner with German's family. yum

We took our afternoon walk along the beach about 4:30pm. We only walked about an hour today. The waves were really close and strong. They weren't leaving many shells for us to look at, so we just kept walking. It's amazing to see how different the tide is from day to day, even at the same time. There were no cows at the north end of the beach today. They were calling them together when we walked through there the other day. We said that we had walked until the 'cows came home'. We crack ourselves up sometimes. ha It was a little overcast this afternoon (after being really sunny and beautiful all day) and the sunset was really orange. It made the underneath side of the clouds all orange. Pretty cool.

Mary really put some hours in on her Spanish studies today. I'm so proud of her. I need to be putting more time in on my verb study. yikes

I've started reading a book titled 'Wide Awake' by Erin McManus. I like his books. It's talking about living the life that God created you for. I think I will enjoy it.

I took a nap today and have been battling a little bit of ear and toothache trouble and a little bit of tummy trouble. I'm going to go to sleep early tonight so that I can be fit as a fiddle for our big day tomorrow. We'll be doing 2 feedings and then spending the day in town and having dinner with German's family. I can't wait! It will be so fun to see the celebrations going on in town.

Tomorrow's feedings will be fun. I love going to the Sewer Ponds. Those people have taken over a piece of my heart. It will be interesting to see who shows up at the Concrete Pit area. We're just getting to know them a little. It will be wonderful to see Pastor Calderon and his wife and church family who prepare the food for the feedings. They pull up in their little red truck with tables for the food, tubs of rice and beans with some kind of meat (hopefully), tortillas, drinks in plastic baggies and a piece of candy for each person. They have the process down pretty good. We are blessed to be able to come along side them and help. They do all the work. Bless their hearts!

I heard from a friend in Louisiana who would like to bring a team down next summer. It will be wonderful to see him again and to have his team here. He's a great youth minister and a fun person. I can't wait to work with him again. We're just starting to get the details worked out. It is going to be a BUSY summer. Just the way we like it!!!

My sister Pam is doing pretty well after her surgery. I'm thankful for that.
I got an email from my friend Shirley McGimpsey today. Her stepson died last weekend. I'm lifting the whole family up in prayer. It's hard to lose a family member, especially at Christmas time. God, please give them Your peace and comfort.

I can't think of too much more to talk about for today. I just enjoy so much being here. I love the simplicity (and some times hard work) of living here. I'm getting a little tired of the mosquitoes, but that's okay, too. I like seeing the geckos running around on the walls. I know they are hungry for those mosquitoes. yay As I was laying on my bed today, hearing the sounds of outside through the open windows and the hum of the fans, it reminded me of growing up (in the days before airconditioning). I loved sleeping with open windows and fans.

Speaking of sleeping, I'll think I'll try it now. Sweet dreams everyone. Dios te bendiga!

Sunday, December 6, 2010

It has been a very nice Sunday here in Nic. Mary and I enjoyed our time chatting this morning. I did a load of laundry and hung it out to dry on the clothesline. It doesn't take long at all to dry. We finned for ourselves for meals today. We have lots of fruits and veggies to choose from. I finished off the (cold) pasta. yum.

I talked to my sister Pam today and she sounded better than I have heard her for months! She is tired and sore, but feeling so much better without that old gallbladder! I know exactly how she feels about that! She is looking forward to recovering from the breast cancer surgery and getting the radiation treatments over with.

I fixed a bowl of instant mashed potatoes for a late lunch and Mary had a peanutbutter sandwich. We then left with German about 3pm to head off to church this evening. We stopped in León to pick up Christopher (one of the translators, and one of my 'sons') and his wife Evelyn and her son Isaac and Arron. We then went out to Pastor Miguel's church for a nice little service. I got to share a few words and German translated. Mary didn't want to talk in front of the group. At the end of the service, one young lady prayed to accept Christ and Pastor Miguel had her come up front. He asked if I would pray for her. I was honored to. Of course, I say long prayers, and with each line being translated (thanks Christopher) it takes even longer. It was wonderful to meet a new sister in Christ.

Pastor Miguel's church has a tin roof, metal poles and a dirt floor, which they sprinkle water on and then sweep with a broom to prepare it for church. As we were sitting there during the service, dogs came and went. Behind the pulpit, through some woods, we could see a shack/house with some chickens and a turkey running around the yard. For a while Mary and I watched a little boy come running from one end of the house with the turkey hot on his heels. He would turn and run back behind the house and then show up running back with the turkey still in hot pursuit. It was funny. All in all, I kind of like not having walls on the church since you can get a good breeze. But the plan is for concrete walls to go up and that's okay, too. :)

We stopped at On The Run on our way back into town. We got drinks and snacks for everyone. Then we dropped Christopher and Evelyn off at their house. After that, we stopped by and picked up German's family and they rode with us out to the house. Their kids are growing. They are so precious!!

It was about 6:45 when Mary and I were left alone and ready for some dinner. I fixed an egg sandwich and she had grilled cheese. (we are such gourmets!) We sat downstairs and talked for quite a while. It was nice. Then about 8pm, we ended up in our rooms upstairs ready for turning in for the night. It gets really dark here when the sunsets since there aren't many street lights. At 7pm we felt like it was 10 and were ready for bed!

I was up last night until 1am reading the end of that dumb murder mystery. It was good. But I'm glad to be back to more boring bedtime reading.

This morning I listened to part of the book of Acts in Spanish on my iPod while reading along in my bi-lingual Bible. I enjoy this very much. I dream that someday I will be fluent in Spanish and can just pick up the Bible and read it like crazy, and be able to listen to the Bible on my iPod and understand everything in real time. :)

As we drove through town today, we could see how much the people are celebrating December, Christmas and the Thirteenth Month. There are the usual shops inside, outside and on the square. Plus there are many shops set up on side streets and even a carnival with rides and food booths and games. I asked German if the food was okay to eat there and his eyes got big and he said NO. Not that I was wanting anything from there, but it's always interesting to me to see the differences in what is safe to eat and what is not. There were men handing Christmas lights up on more of the street lights today. It will be pretty to see on some of the evenings that German is going to take us to town to see the celebrations. I'll have to figure out my camera so that I can take some nighttime shots.

Well, I'm pretty tired now, so I'll call it a night. I made it to almost 10pm. I know I will sleep well tonight. Although the mosquitoes don't seem to be too frightened of the bug spray on my legs. They have started feasting on my feet. It's the first time I've had to worry with mosquito bites in December! But even for that, I'm thankful. So thankful to be here in Nic serving our wonderful Lord.

Saturday, December 5, 2010

It's been a good Saturday. Felt good when I got up. I was up and down reading that crazy murder mystery, but I did get some good sleep. My ears are much better. I only have trouble with them on occasion and can hear better in my left ear. I'll still have them checked out when I get back to the states, but I'm thankful for the healing that has come.

We stayed at the house today. Mary did a little laundry and I'll do some tomorrow. We hang the clothes out on a line, which I enjoy. We have a dryer inside, but using it makes the house even hotter, so we try to just use the clothesline. The old washer, which is outside in the courtyard, is still hanging in there. yay

Mary and I each worked on our Spanish lessons most of the day. We fixed lunch (pasta shells with canned sauce, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, toasted bread in the skillet). It was tasty. We spent more time studying after lunch.

About 4pm, we took our walk along the beach. We were out for an hour and a half. It was nice not to have to rush before sunset. It is so interesting to see how different the tide is each evening. It comes in closer in different places each day. We met a few cows along the beach on the north end. As we were walking back to the house, we saw a seagull that had crash landed on the beach. It's legs were in weird positions. It let us get a little close to it and Mary took a picture. But it only moved it's head around to watch us and didn't try to move it's wings or legs. The tide was getting closer and I think it probably drowned once the water got deep enough. We didn't know what to do for it.

After we got back to the house, I jumped in the shower to get all the sweat and sand off from our walk. The shower water definitely feels better when I'm hot during the day, than when I'm cooler in the evening. But it was definitely refreshing!

Mary and I talked a lot about the people at the Sewer Ponds that we have been ministering to. It's nice to see their faces in our minds. We talked about the translators and how much we care about them. It will be so fun to have them over the Tuesday before Christmas for a dinner and fellowship. I can't wait to meet their families.

I read some more of that crazy mystery book while Mary got on my computer this evening. She's getting better at navigating facebook. Hopefully, we'll be able to post some pictures next week after we pick up a card reader from Radio Shack. We decided to invest in it and keep it here in Nic, so we can download anyones pics to the computer.

I've been getting eat up with mosquitoes at night, so I sprayed my bed and body down with bug spray tonight. Hopefully, those little buggers will leave me alone. I can't imagine that I'm all that tasty to begin with, but maybe so.

My sister Pam came home from the hospital today. She was feeling tired and pretty sore, but so thankful to have the surgery over. I'm keeping her in my prayers as she heals and gets stronger. I'm praying for Rob, too, as he takes care of her. I know he is relieved to have this behind them and just have the radiation treatments to do in the future. Everything is looking pretty good for her. Thank You Lord.

Mary and I were talking about some books I read as a kid, The Boxcar Children series. I loved the way they took whatever they had available and lived with it. I've always wanted to have that kind of simple life. I realize that God is allowing me to do so as I live with few possessions and am free to come and go to Nic and the states and anywhere else He leads. I'm thankful to all who make my life comfortable. I love being here in Nic and living very simply with minimal stuff, some of it old but still very useful, and just taking each day as it comes. People live here (and other places around the world) with very little conveniences or even necessities. We take so much for granted. I can appreciate what other people go through each day when I'm living a little closer to their circumstances. God bless all those who barely get by each day. Help me see how I can be of assistance to them. Help me see their needs, both physical and spiritual. Help me find ways to make a bond and to be able to share You.

I have to say that I'm very blessed to be able to have a computer and internet here. What a great thing! I love being able to keep in touch with people and know their prayer needs on Facebook. I love being able to share my thoughts on this blog. Last time I was here I hand wrote my thoughts in my journal (for 6 weeks) and then typed them all on the blog when I got home. It's nice to be able to post them right away. I know that many people are following along so that they can know how best to pray for me and the ministry and the people here. I also hope that many people are encouraged to seek the Father's will in their lives and see that we are all just ordinary people and can allow God to do extraordinary things through us.

I'm going to sleep now (at least when I finish that stupid book) and rest easy in this place that God has allowed me to be. Dirt, sweat, bugs and all. It's perfect. Because it's where God wants me to be.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Friday night in Nic. Mary and I, 2 wild and crazy gals, are spending it quietly at the team house, reading and on the computer. We are rather tired today and are enjoying the relaxing atmosphere. I love listening to the waves on the beach in the background, the whir of the fans, Spanish praise music on my iPod and little portable speaker, kids in the street and an occasional horn honking. Oh yes, and the bugs, toads and geckos making themselves known.

I woke up really early this morning and tried to read myself back to sleep, but the book that Mary loaned me is a murder mystery and it kept me wide awake. She seems to think that it's funny. I may have to switch that book to daytime reading and find something boring to read at night. We got things ready for today's class and discussed more of our plans for the month. We also studied a little bit of Spanish. Mary is really digging in and I'm proud of her. We had peanutbutter sandwiches for lunch and then headed out to the Sewer Ponds for class.

When we arrived at the Sewer Ponds, there were 2 large road construction machines there rolling up and down the little roads and making quite a racket. There is a large tree stump at the corner where we were holding the classes and the machines tried digging it up for a while. We had to stop class for short periods of time because we couldn't be heard, but we pressed on. God's WORD is louder and stronger than any manmade machine!

Mary taught the class today and I spent some time playing frisbee with a couple of kids and also taking pics on my camera, Mary's camera and my phone. We were very encouraged by the number of people who came to the classes yesterday and today, and that they paid attention. We gave out Spanish New Testaments today.

There will be a ceremony commemorating the newly packed roads tomorrow and the people invited us to come, but we won't be able to attend. We thanked them very much for inviting us. I love getting to build some relationships, even slowly. It's all in God's time...

We'll be going back on Tuesday to do a feeding and to recap our class. We'll also return a few weeks later to give out some Christmas gifts. It warms my heart to hear them call our names and to wave at the van. Mary and I are both easily recognizable, so each time we stop by we are getting closer to some of the women and kids. I love it.

On the way home this evening, we stopped by the house that German is building. There is more construction finished and he will soon have completed all he has materials for for now. We met one of the workmen and when we showed him the New Testaments that we were giving out, he pulled out his Bible. He's a young man (maybe teens) and it was great to see that he was carrying his Bible. He's some relation to Saturnino, our guard. He seems very nice. His name is Gabriel. He lives on the way back to the team house, so we gave him a ride.

This morning, I was blessed to be able to speak to my sister Pam before they took her back for her surgery. I called Rob's niece every few hours during the day to see how things were going. This afternoon I actually got to speak to Pam after she woke up. She was nauseous, so they were going to keep her overnight. With her weird insulin problems, it's dangerous for her to vomit, so they are watching her closely. They watched her bloodpressure really closely during the surgery, too. She did very well. They had to dig a little deeper than they first thought for the tumor, but they said it was small and they feel that they have gotten it all. The lymph nodes are not effected, so they felt very good about the surgery. As for her gallbladder, it was bad but didn't register any problems on any of the tests (as with mine). I'm so glad that they went ahead and took hers out. Now, hopefully, she can start healing from both problems and maybe all her other health issues will heal, too. She just needs to complete 33 days of radiation and see how things go from there. I thank God for good news today. I'm so thankful.

My family is so dysfunctional... I won't even go into the drama that has unfolded the last few days. But I'm heartsick that my family cares so little for each other. I think the unconditional love of Christ is what drew me so near to our Savior when I was presented with the truth of God's love. As much as I'm used to the craziness of my family over the last 53 years, I still had an emotionally tiring day. All I can do is lay it all at the Father's feet and let Him bear this burden in my heart. He is Faithful.

Tonight Mary and I had hamburgers and fried potatoes and cucumbers for dinner. I don't eat hamburgers in the states, but here the meat is really lean. (I mean, have you seen how skinny these cows are down here???) But I really splurged on the fried potatoes. I rarely eat anything fried. I may pay for it in my tummy, but it was really good!!! I topped off the evening with a chocolate snack pack pudding. Hopefully, the lettuce and cucumbers I ate will balance out the bad stuff! :)

It's only 7:45 and Mary and I are both retired to our beds for the night. Up with the sun and to bed with the sun. I think I might try to take an early morning beach walk tomorrow. who knows...

I keep thinking of the faces of the kids at the Sewer Ponds today. I recognize some of them from last summer. It's nice to know them enough to at least notice how much they have grown. They think it's funny when I speak Spanish to them. Some of them know a few English words and make sure that I notice when they say them. They are so proud.

Well, I guess I should sign off and get ready to go to sleep. I'm sure I'll be wide awake in the middle of the night, but we are working here at the house tomorrow on our own schedule, so if I need a nap or two it won't be a problem.

God is blessing my life so much. I love serving Him full time and I thank Him for making me useful to His kingdom. I am nothing without Him. He is my ALL.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

It's Thursday and another week is flying by.

It's been another good day in Nic. We woke up this morning and started our daily routines. Mary wakes up before me and has her coffee (and cheetos) for breakfast. I got up and had cold 'super' oatmeal. I love it! We had our respective quiet times.

We looked over our class stuff for this afternoon. We discussed a little on the Spanish lessons. Then we got ready for the afternoon in León. German picked us up at 1:30 and we headed in to the Sewer Ponds. I like the 3 of us serving together, but it feels funny not having the energy of the teams. It's good to be able to serve both ways.

Pastor Miguel met us at the Sewer Ponds and some of the people were gathered to see what we were up to. We explained that the classes are for the adults this time and we took a soccer ball and some frisbees for the kids to play with while we had the adults in class. I taught the class today and Mary will teach the one tomorrow. German translates for us. Most everyone paid attention and some responded when asked questions. I think they like the class and I look forward to the possibility of having weekly Bible studies there in the future.

Pastor Miguel asked each family about their children. The week before Christmas, we will be bringing toys to the children and we are trying to get a count of how many of different ages there are in the community.

After the class, we headed over to the Concrete Pit area to talk with the people there. Since we haven't had a presence there for a very long time, and it was only very short term, we need to establish relationships with the people in the area. We spoke to them about our desire to have a feeding there next week and to have classes there for the adults. They were receptive. We also found out the actual name of the area. It's called Mariana Samson. We also found out that the concrete pit is a collection spot for the waste water of the area. Not the sewage, but just the used water. We ran into the 3 brothers that Mary and I met on Tuesday. They are just as cute as they were then. I look forward to getting to know some of these families better.

It is so wonderful to get to spend these weeks between teams here in Nic. Mary and I are getting to have a presence in the areas and get familiar with the people. I like the opportunity of getting to build relationships over time in addition to the blitz ministry we do with teams one week at a time.

It was another beautiful, hot day here. We don't take it for granted. Since we got back close to sunset, Mary and I missed our beach walk. We may have to switch to early morning walks on the days that we are out in the afternoon/evenings.

After spending time at the 2 ministry areas, we stopped in town at Radio Shack (yes, they have one) to look at a memory card reader that hooks up to a computer. They didn't have one in stock, so we might go back another day. I haven't decided if I want to get one yet. We also walked through a store that sells appliances and furniture. You can buy it for one price for cash, or spend a ton more money by making payments. We also stopped at a hardware store to get a new faucet handle for the outside water pipe that goes to the washing machine, which leaks. It's interesting to see how the different stores conduct business here.

A quick stop at Eskimo for double dip cones (cono jumbo) for just 20 córdovas (about $1) and we were on our way home.

German came in the house to go over 'numbers' (bookkeeping) and other information. Then he went home and Mary and I enjoyed leftover chicken breast sandwiches, cucumbers and carrots for dinner.

We worked on stuff for the class tomorrow and got on facebook a little bit. I pulled up some of the pics from when I lived in NYC, but the internet here is very slow sometimes and we got aggravated waiting on the pics to come up. We decided to call it a night and came to our rooms before 8pm.

I called my sister, Pam, who is having breast cancer surgery tomorrow. They are also going to take out her gallbladder while she is under. She has uncontrollable bloodpressure and spiking insulin, so the surgery is a little dicey. She allowed me to pray for her over the phone. I was blessed to pray with my brother-in-law, Rob, too. I pray that her surgery goes well, recovery is quick and easy and most of all, that she finds Jesus through all of this.

It's not even 10pm yet, but I am so ready for sleep. God has blessed me with another day of being in this lovely country and serving Him. I am so thankful.

December 1, 2010

Well, hello December! You snuck up on me. I knew you were coming, but I was distracted by life. It's interesting that you find your way to a hot climate. I've been many places around the country when winter and December have come, but it has always been cold wherever I was. This will be fun to walk along the beach, picking my feet up in the sand the same way I would in a deep snow.

Back home in the states, everyone is hustling and bustling around getting ready for Christmas and all that is involved with family, food, gifts, giving to those in need, and of course, preparing to share Jesus and His story in the most beautiful way.

Here in Nic, we're enjoying the lovely weather, eating lots of fruit, sweating and getting bug-bit, but we are still going to spend time with loved ones, prepare food, give gifts, especially to those in need, and of course, share Jesus and His story in the most beautiful way.

Here in León, they have been decorated for Christmas since before we got here on Nov 17. As I've mentioned before, the streets have colored lights, the stores are bursting with wares to be sold as gifts, the cashiers at the grocery store have been wearing Santa hats, Christmas trees and Nativities have been put out everywhere. It is very festive here since it's time for the Thirteenth Month (extra month's pay at year's end). There will be all kinds of festivals and parades and celebrations. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the traditional festivities and also to share Christmas worship services with the Believers here. German is going to take Mary and I to a few special celebrations during the month. And since they celebrate Christmas on Dec 24, we will get to go to some special services, too.

Beth will fly in on Christmas Day, and she and Mary and I will get to spend Christmas night together relaxing. This holiday season has been hard for Mary since she will be away from home and kids and grandkids, and also because she lost her mother and brother this past year. She thinks being here will help her get through the time of missing them. I know she will miss her kids and grandkids and she has fun checking in with them on Facebook. We will have some special quiet moments the week of Christmas, I'm sure.

Today I made a big pot of oatmeal just like at home. I put it in small plastic containers in the fridge. I love to eat it cold, too. Oliver used to make such a face over my oatmeal that I would bring to our early Bible Study class. I thought of him today as I was making it. I put oats, walnuts, craisins, sunflower seeds, flax seeds (and at home I add soy and cinnamon). I forgot the cinnamon for this pot. I'll have to get some at the store. Anyway, it's like eating a mushy granola bar, but it's so much better. Mary didn't want any. She says if she starts eating that healthy stuff now her body will go into shock. :)

For lunch we ate our roasted chicken and veggies leftovers. It was just as good as the first time. Dinner was peanutbutter sandwich and cucumbers for Mary and I had watermelon, cucumbers, cooked apples and chocolate snack pack pudding. Now, doesn't that sound like a balanced meal???

We worked on Spanish lessons today and had so much fun laughing. Mary is really wanting to put all the words that she knows into sentences. We're going to study a little bit every day. Now, I need to be studying my Spanish grammar, too. ugh. But I need to be dedicated to setting aside the time to do this. It will help us both in the ministry, too.

We took a pre-sunset walk along the beach again today. The tide was way out. It's amazing to walk along and see how high up the waves come in at night. Way over our heads where we are walking at sunset. There is so much going on in this world that God keeps up with. Every wave, every fist, every shell, every piece of sand... and that's on for one square inch of beach!

Saturnino was back before six tonight. I think he is trying to make sure that Mary and I get back in the gate and the house. He takes good care of us.

We're relaxing here in the 'living room' (downstairs breezeway) and fighting off the mosquitoes. They are fierce tonight. I'm enjoying catching up with friends on facebook, following blogs for people with some serious medical challenges, checking on the news in the world. I don't miss having a tv at all. Of course, I'm spoiled by having the internet...

We will be going out to the Sewer Ponds and the area that for lack of knowing the real location we'll call the Concrete Pond tomorrow for our first classes with the adults. We'll see how the set up goes. We'll take Bibles to them, even though many cannot read or write. I'm really praying that many will want to listen and learn about God, the Bible, Jesus, Salvation, etc. We usually just speak about Salvation when we are doing Fiestas or street witnessing. This will give us a chance to give them more information about Christianity. And someday, maybe we can have weekly Bible studies...

I think I'll sign off for now and get some reading done before bedtime. I took a cold pill to try to dry up my head earlier and it made me really sleepy. I had a good nap before our walk, but I still feel like I could fall asleep. I'll go spray down good with bug spray and relax with my book. Sweet dreams.