I remember when we picked this date for our dinner for the VOH workers. It seemed a long way off. Now it's here and almost gone. Time is clicking away.
Our day started out pretty quiet. I went through the tubs of toys and gifts again, so that I could stretch the kids stuff just a little bit further for tomorrow's distribution. I was also looking for a sack of ink pens that Mary and I have misplaced. We have never been able to find them. I'm sure they are in a really crazy place. Anyway...
I had a quick breakfast of skillet toast with peanut butter on it. The cook was here to start fixing the food for tonight's dinner and I didn't want to get in her way.
Mary and I spent many hours studying our Spanish lessons today. We just snacked for lunch since we were saving our appetites for the yummy dinner tonight. We kept chugging away at our lessons. We finally got cleaned up and ready to meet any early arriving guests. Everyone ended up coming about 4:30. So no one was early. But that's okay.
The guests arrived in waves, as they took the hourly buses from León. It was so wonderful to see the families. For those of you who are reading this that have been here to work with VOH, I'm going to list the guests, because you will recognize some of the people you worked with.
Chico, wife and son
Juan Pacheco (solo because his wife is due very soon with his 2nd child, a son)
Rydder, wife and son
Jassiel & son
Hixel, husband & son
Jeremy & wife
Oscar & son
German & kids
Araceliz (cleaning lady), husband & 2 sons
Pastor Miguel, wife, daughter, son (Sapito) & daughter-in-law
Saturnino (guard), wife & 3 daughters
Yasmina (cook), Me & Mary
What a great bunch!
The only ones who could not make it are Chrisopher & family, because Chris is working in Managua all week, and Joe & Marcela, because Marcel cannot travel by bus yet so soon after her surgery. We met with Christopher's family on Sunday, and plan to meet with Joe and Marcela in town soon.
Our dinner was grilled chicken, rice (of course), beans (of course), tortillas (of course), cabbage slaw & Tang (of course). We had a funny challenge with the chicken. The gas grill was not working well and it just wasn't getting hot enough to cook the chicken. So, Yasmina & Saturnino decided to take the gas tank off and use the grill with (Nica) charcoal. It worked out great once we got it burning. We were putting pieces of papers in there and plastic sacks (they do that alot here) and Mary even brought a trash can and we rummaged through it for burnable material. Once the fire got going, it was great. The cook does a wonderful job on the chicken. (I'm thankful that there was some left over for the next few days!!!)
Mary and I ran around and took family pictures on both of our cameras. I loved meeting the kids, and of course, I loved seeing my 2 grandsons, Chico's son Benjamin and Hixel's son Alexander. We got out a couple of soccer balls for the kids to play with. They were adorable.
After dinner, Pastor Miguel wanted to have a special prayer for the group and the ministry. It was so sweet. Mary spoke of behalf of VOH and I said a few words and German spoke, too. We really appreciate the VOH extended family. The wives said that it was nice for us to include them in this family dinner. They are left a home for long days when we have the translators working with us. We want them to know how much we appreciate their patience and sacrifice during those busy weeks.
Since German came in his van, he was able to take a lot of the people back to León with him. That was nice that they didn't have to scramble to catch the 6:30 bus. We said goodbye to everyone and then Mary and I started cleaning up the joint. We put leftovers in the fridge and washed up the pans. We had used disposable plates, cups and cutlery to eat on, so that cut down on the dish washing. After Saturnino took his family home, he came back and took care of the grill and some other clean up. We had the place looking pretty spiffy before 8pm. Araceliz is probably thinking that she will have to clean up after the dinner when she gets here tomorrow to clean. She will be pleasantly surprised!!
This afternoon we found a very colorful crab who had come in from the beach. It was reddish and black in color. I took a pic on my phone and Mary grabbed her camera. Saturnino took it out for us. It probably ended up being lunch for one of the stray dogs that run around. Speaking of dogs, there are two male dogs that look just alike. One has a broken front leg and I call him Hoppy and the other one Happy, since they are always playing so well together. After observing Happy on the beach yesterday, Mary has decided that Happy is gay. She cracks me up.
She was watching her ants carry cracker crumbs to their home today. She was also spraying ants in the house with bug spray. Those poor ants are so confused by her!
Tomorrow, German is picking Mary and me up at 8:30am to meet some of the translators at the stoplight at 9. We will then go to the Sewer Ponds and Concrete Pit to pass out toys/gifts. It will be fun to be with our friends tomorrow. We haven't had a team in almost a month, so we haven't worked with the translators during that time. We love spending time with them.
On Thursday, we will be having a class for the translators and also giving them their Christmas gifts from me and Mary. That will be fun, too.
Then it will be Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, a day of rest on Monday, and then our next team comes in on Tuesday. From then on it will be very busy until we leave with the team on Jan 4. Time will surely fly then!
Time to sign off with my tummy full and my heart overflowing. God has blessed me with some wonderful friends and I'm so thankful.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Whew, these days are flying by. We'll be leaving 2 weeks from tomorrow. I can't believe it! We have one more week with just me and Mary and then a team arrives on Dec 28. We will work with them for the week and then leave when they do on Jan 4. I'll be back home in AR and freezing my petunias off wondering what happened!!
We stayed at the house today and worked many hours on our Spanish lessons. Mary did some laundry and I washed my sheets. We each felt a little under the weather, so we had naps. Then we walked on the beach for a while at sunset. We took our showers and then sat down for more studying. We've just been snacking on whatever we are hungry for. We haven't really cooked a meal here for days. When we are in town, we usually eat a meal at a restaurant. So it all evens out nicely.
We are having dinner here tomorrow with some friends, so Mary is cooking 2 big pots of beans to have them ready for the cook to finish up tomorrow. We'll have rice, slaw, grilled chicken and tortillas. Yum! The beans smelled so good tonight, I could have dived in for a bowl, but it was too late to be eating much. It will smell good tomorrow, though! I've missed the cook. She is so patient with me when I'm speaking Spanish with her. The last time she was here was when the Thanksgiving team was here. My ears were so bad that I couldn't hear much of anything. The cook was sweet to write down her part of our conversations for me. My ears are much better now, so hopefully, I'll be able to understand her better.
Mary was watching her pet ants again today. They had found a dead beetle type bug in the house and she watched 2 ants try to carry the bug. They were having a really hard time. Then we saw them by the door. They had called in reinforcements. They were going pretty fast. I think it had something to do with the fact that Araceliz, the cleaning lady, had a broom in use. Anyway, Mary was wondering how they were going to get the bug down the step that is about 3" or so. It turns out that they just fell over the edge. They regrouped and took off with the bug towards their home under the plant near the clothesline. They were still moving at a very good pace. I went to hang up my sheets on the clothesline and Mary yelled that I was stepping on some of the ants. oops. She talks sweet to them as long as they stay outside. She's warned them that if they step into the kitchen, they are gonners!
Today as we walked along the beach, there was a man and woman sitting on a rock and he was playing a guitar. I took a pic with my phone. He actually sang very well. They were friendly. It was such a sweet moment. We hadn't been on the beach for a few days and there was a lot of sand moved around and swept away by waves. It's still amazing to me every time we go out there. There were hardly any shells on the beach until we got to the south end, and still then, not too many. Mary has gotten quite a few nice ones to take home.
I can't remember if I mentioned that yesterday we rode the bus with a live chicken. It reminded me of this summer when we visited the ICU (sort of) wing for children at the hospital here in León. It's a very nasty place and not sanitary at all. It breaks Mary's heart and she can't go inside much anymore. Anyway, as we were visiting baby Milagro (from El Sapote) in the ICU, there were cockroaches crawling across her little, nasty bed. Under the bed to the right of us was a live chicken in a straw bag that the mother had set there while she was holding her baby. So sad to think of the conditions here.
Also, yesterday, as we were walking down the street from the bus to catch a taxi, someone came along side of me and tapped my shoulder. I knew Mary was on the right of me, so I wondered who it could be. Turned out that it was a man from the Sewer Pond village that recognized me. His daughter's name is Dariela, and I had gotten to hold her twice this summer when we were doing ministry there. I hadn't seen him on our last jaunts there. Perhaps he has a job now. Anyway, he seemed pleased that I remembered him and his baby daughter. He was on a bike and asked where we were going. I told him the grocery store. He said goodbye and rode off. Not much of a conversation, but I was very happy to see him. And it is so nice to be recognized by people. It makes me know that our presence here is making a difference for them, even in little ways.
It's hard to believe that Christmas is just a few days away. We'll probably be in town a little bit this week as we give out toys on Wednesday to the kids at the Sewer Pond and Concrete Pit areas. We'll probably try to go into town on the bus on Thursday. We'll probably stay here at the house on Friday and Saturday, since the 24th is the big celebration with families here and Christmas day is a holiday. (Our last excursion into town, just the 2 of us, will be next Monday.) We'll probably have Saturnino go to a restaurant in the next little beach town on his bike and bring us back dinner to eat here at the house either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. We have to find out when they are open for sure. Christmas is bittersweet for Mary this year, since her mother and one of her brothers went to be with the Lord earlier this year. I listen to Christmas music in my room at night because it bothers her to hear it. So far, the decorations in town haven't bothered her too much. I think it's because the hot weather here is so different that Christmas back home in AR. It will be a quiet Christmas and that suits me fine. I always like to spend the day by myself with Jesus, so being here just the 2 of us will be sweet.
I guess I should go to bed now. There's much to do tomorrow. My sweet, clean sheets are calling my name. ahhhh
We stayed at the house today and worked many hours on our Spanish lessons. Mary did some laundry and I washed my sheets. We each felt a little under the weather, so we had naps. Then we walked on the beach for a while at sunset. We took our showers and then sat down for more studying. We've just been snacking on whatever we are hungry for. We haven't really cooked a meal here for days. When we are in town, we usually eat a meal at a restaurant. So it all evens out nicely.
We are having dinner here tomorrow with some friends, so Mary is cooking 2 big pots of beans to have them ready for the cook to finish up tomorrow. We'll have rice, slaw, grilled chicken and tortillas. Yum! The beans smelled so good tonight, I could have dived in for a bowl, but it was too late to be eating much. It will smell good tomorrow, though! I've missed the cook. She is so patient with me when I'm speaking Spanish with her. The last time she was here was when the Thanksgiving team was here. My ears were so bad that I couldn't hear much of anything. The cook was sweet to write down her part of our conversations for me. My ears are much better now, so hopefully, I'll be able to understand her better.
Mary was watching her pet ants again today. They had found a dead beetle type bug in the house and she watched 2 ants try to carry the bug. They were having a really hard time. Then we saw them by the door. They had called in reinforcements. They were going pretty fast. I think it had something to do with the fact that Araceliz, the cleaning lady, had a broom in use. Anyway, Mary was wondering how they were going to get the bug down the step that is about 3" or so. It turns out that they just fell over the edge. They regrouped and took off with the bug towards their home under the plant near the clothesline. They were still moving at a very good pace. I went to hang up my sheets on the clothesline and Mary yelled that I was stepping on some of the ants. oops. She talks sweet to them as long as they stay outside. She's warned them that if they step into the kitchen, they are gonners!
Today as we walked along the beach, there was a man and woman sitting on a rock and he was playing a guitar. I took a pic with my phone. He actually sang very well. They were friendly. It was such a sweet moment. We hadn't been on the beach for a few days and there was a lot of sand moved around and swept away by waves. It's still amazing to me every time we go out there. There were hardly any shells on the beach until we got to the south end, and still then, not too many. Mary has gotten quite a few nice ones to take home.
I can't remember if I mentioned that yesterday we rode the bus with a live chicken. It reminded me of this summer when we visited the ICU (sort of) wing for children at the hospital here in León. It's a very nasty place and not sanitary at all. It breaks Mary's heart and she can't go inside much anymore. Anyway, as we were visiting baby Milagro (from El Sapote) in the ICU, there were cockroaches crawling across her little, nasty bed. Under the bed to the right of us was a live chicken in a straw bag that the mother had set there while she was holding her baby. So sad to think of the conditions here.
Also, yesterday, as we were walking down the street from the bus to catch a taxi, someone came along side of me and tapped my shoulder. I knew Mary was on the right of me, so I wondered who it could be. Turned out that it was a man from the Sewer Pond village that recognized me. His daughter's name is Dariela, and I had gotten to hold her twice this summer when we were doing ministry there. I hadn't seen him on our last jaunts there. Perhaps he has a job now. Anyway, he seemed pleased that I remembered him and his baby daughter. He was on a bike and asked where we were going. I told him the grocery store. He said goodbye and rode off. Not much of a conversation, but I was very happy to see him. And it is so nice to be recognized by people. It makes me know that our presence here is making a difference for them, even in little ways.
It's hard to believe that Christmas is just a few days away. We'll probably be in town a little bit this week as we give out toys on Wednesday to the kids at the Sewer Pond and Concrete Pit areas. We'll probably try to go into town on the bus on Thursday. We'll probably stay here at the house on Friday and Saturday, since the 24th is the big celebration with families here and Christmas day is a holiday. (Our last excursion into town, just the 2 of us, will be next Monday.) We'll probably have Saturnino go to a restaurant in the next little beach town on his bike and bring us back dinner to eat here at the house either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. We have to find out when they are open for sure. Christmas is bittersweet for Mary this year, since her mother and one of her brothers went to be with the Lord earlier this year. I listen to Christmas music in my room at night because it bothers her to hear it. So far, the decorations in town haven't bothered her too much. I think it's because the hot weather here is so different that Christmas back home in AR. It will be a quiet Christmas and that suits me fine. I always like to spend the day by myself with Jesus, so being here just the 2 of us will be sweet.
I guess I should go to bed now. There's much to do tomorrow. My sweet, clean sheets are calling my name. ahhhh
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
A very quiet day.
Woke up and had quiet time with my sweet Lord.
Snacked on left-over pancakes (plain and cold, yum) from yesterday.
Got ready for our trip into town to meet Christopher (one of our translators) and his wife, Evelyn and her son Isaac for lunch.
Mary and I caught the 12pm bus, which was actually very early today. It was packed and we stood in the aisle until we got to the end of our street. Then we had to get off to let most of the riders off for their day at the beach. We got back on and found a seat. It wasn't too awfully packed on the way into town. Although, a lady with a live chicken got on and we found that interesting. We grabbed a (legal) taxi to Tip Top Chicken restaurant and waited for Chris' family. There were a ton of people there. A huge group of about 25-30 from a church in Texas was taking up a fourth of the outside tables. Mary and I grabbed a table and held it. There is an armed guard/doorman who has gotten to know us since we eat there a lot. He made sure we got a table. The weather was nice to sit outside.
We had a great lunch and had lots of fun conversation in English and Spanish. Evelyn understands some English, but not a whole lot. Mary is doing well with her studies, but still needs most things translated. I'm about half and half. So we were translating everything into both languages for everyone. Christopher was asking me to translate what Mary said in English to Spanish to see how I was progressing. We laughed a lot and had a really nice time. It was good to spend time with just them, so we could get to know Evelyn better. Isaac is very shy and I finally got a hold of him and found his tickle spots.
Chris told us a lot about his job as a customer service agent for Bank One in the US. The office is in Managua (about 2 hours away). He has such funny stories. He is doing really well at his job. He is finishing up his training period. He is a very good person for customer service. If all goes well, and his job is secure, they will probably move there after Evelyn goes back to her work after the baby is born in a few weeks. She will be off for a month or so for maternity leave and then she can request a transfer to Managua. She works in a law office here in León. We'll see what the future holds for them. I know it's hard right now for Chris to be gone all week and only home on the weekends. But it would be costly and hard on him to travel back and forth every day right now. They make a cute little family. I'm proud of Chris for trying to be a godly man of the house. I enjoy speaking with Evelyn, too. She is very sweet.
We all said goodbye and then Mary and I ran into La Unión grocery store, next door, for a plastic bag for her leaking leftovers and for me to try to find some ground cloves for my aching tooth. She got her bag and I could only find cloves that were like the stems you put into a ham. I didn't think it would be good to stick the cloves between my teeth, so I skipped them.
We then grabbed a taxi to the bus stop. That bus was full and we split up to get seats. Then that bus left early today also. I'm glad we got there when we did. It was like they were just waiting for us to leave. ha! The bus was full, but no standing in the aisle, so we had great airflow with the windows down. I just love that.
There were some really cute kids on the buses and again, today. They enjoyed looking out as we traveled down the road. We've really enjoyed riding the buses these last two weeks. We just don't ride them after dark. It would probably be okay, but we don't want to push our luck.
We got home about 4pm and I opted to lay down on my bed with a book. We didn't go for our sunset walk on the beach. My tooth and ear seem to hurt in tandem and I felt like I was getting a headcold and scratchy throat today. How weird to think of that in 80 degree weather. Anyway, I lounged and read and Mary sat in her rocker and read. I had some soup, cheetos and snack pack pudding for dinner. Mary finished off her leftovers from Tip Top. We talked for awhile and then I came back up to my room to get on the computer.
It feels a lot later than it is. It always does here since the house is open and the light and dark are so noticeable. The house to our south, which is attached to ours and separated by a concrete wall, has some weekend (or weekly) renters. That house has a swimming pool, which is so treasured by the occupants, since the waves on the beach aren't good for swimming. I can hear them all in the pool having fun. It sounds like they will be good and tired tonight.
Christmas is just a week away. I try to imagine everyone back home being cold and rushing around to finish up shopping and preparing their homes for family and friends to visit. The big celebration here is on Christmas Eve. I think there may even be fireworks again. (they have fireworks for everything) Everyone pretty much rests on Christmas Day. Mary and I will have a quiet day, I'm sure. I love quiet Christmas Days with my Lord.
Today was the last Sunday for my friends, John, Leslie, Jonathan & Jered Caubble to attend FBC Rogers. They are heading off to spend the week with family and friends in Wynne AR, then leaving on the 27th to move to Dubai as missionaries. I'm so excited for them. I know this is a bittersweet time for them. I can't wait to visit and work with them in Dubai sometime next year.
Giving up everything to follow God's call seems crazy by worldly standards, but when you are in the midst of it, nothing else seems clear at all. Looking through God's perspective on your life makes His will seem in focus and everything else appears to be on the fringe. I'm thankful for the peace and discernment He allows during those times when my life seems upside down compared to everyone else. I'm thankful to be available when He calls. I'm humbled that He would call me at all. I am blessed to be His child.
Woke up and had quiet time with my sweet Lord.
Snacked on left-over pancakes (plain and cold, yum) from yesterday.
Got ready for our trip into town to meet Christopher (one of our translators) and his wife, Evelyn and her son Isaac for lunch.
Mary and I caught the 12pm bus, which was actually very early today. It was packed and we stood in the aisle until we got to the end of our street. Then we had to get off to let most of the riders off for their day at the beach. We got back on and found a seat. It wasn't too awfully packed on the way into town. Although, a lady with a live chicken got on and we found that interesting. We grabbed a (legal) taxi to Tip Top Chicken restaurant and waited for Chris' family. There were a ton of people there. A huge group of about 25-30 from a church in Texas was taking up a fourth of the outside tables. Mary and I grabbed a table and held it. There is an armed guard/doorman who has gotten to know us since we eat there a lot. He made sure we got a table. The weather was nice to sit outside.
We had a great lunch and had lots of fun conversation in English and Spanish. Evelyn understands some English, but not a whole lot. Mary is doing well with her studies, but still needs most things translated. I'm about half and half. So we were translating everything into both languages for everyone. Christopher was asking me to translate what Mary said in English to Spanish to see how I was progressing. We laughed a lot and had a really nice time. It was good to spend time with just them, so we could get to know Evelyn better. Isaac is very shy and I finally got a hold of him and found his tickle spots.
Chris told us a lot about his job as a customer service agent for Bank One in the US. The office is in Managua (about 2 hours away). He has such funny stories. He is doing really well at his job. He is finishing up his training period. He is a very good person for customer service. If all goes well, and his job is secure, they will probably move there after Evelyn goes back to her work after the baby is born in a few weeks. She will be off for a month or so for maternity leave and then she can request a transfer to Managua. She works in a law office here in León. We'll see what the future holds for them. I know it's hard right now for Chris to be gone all week and only home on the weekends. But it would be costly and hard on him to travel back and forth every day right now. They make a cute little family. I'm proud of Chris for trying to be a godly man of the house. I enjoy speaking with Evelyn, too. She is very sweet.
We all said goodbye and then Mary and I ran into La Unión grocery store, next door, for a plastic bag for her leaking leftovers and for me to try to find some ground cloves for my aching tooth. She got her bag and I could only find cloves that were like the stems you put into a ham. I didn't think it would be good to stick the cloves between my teeth, so I skipped them.
We then grabbed a taxi to the bus stop. That bus was full and we split up to get seats. Then that bus left early today also. I'm glad we got there when we did. It was like they were just waiting for us to leave. ha! The bus was full, but no standing in the aisle, so we had great airflow with the windows down. I just love that.
There were some really cute kids on the buses and again, today. They enjoyed looking out as we traveled down the road. We've really enjoyed riding the buses these last two weeks. We just don't ride them after dark. It would probably be okay, but we don't want to push our luck.
We got home about 4pm and I opted to lay down on my bed with a book. We didn't go for our sunset walk on the beach. My tooth and ear seem to hurt in tandem and I felt like I was getting a headcold and scratchy throat today. How weird to think of that in 80 degree weather. Anyway, I lounged and read and Mary sat in her rocker and read. I had some soup, cheetos and snack pack pudding for dinner. Mary finished off her leftovers from Tip Top. We talked for awhile and then I came back up to my room to get on the computer.
It feels a lot later than it is. It always does here since the house is open and the light and dark are so noticeable. The house to our south, which is attached to ours and separated by a concrete wall, has some weekend (or weekly) renters. That house has a swimming pool, which is so treasured by the occupants, since the waves on the beach aren't good for swimming. I can hear them all in the pool having fun. It sounds like they will be good and tired tonight.
Christmas is just a week away. I try to imagine everyone back home being cold and rushing around to finish up shopping and preparing their homes for family and friends to visit. The big celebration here is on Christmas Eve. I think there may even be fireworks again. (they have fireworks for everything) Everyone pretty much rests on Christmas Day. Mary and I will have a quiet day, I'm sure. I love quiet Christmas Days with my Lord.
Today was the last Sunday for my friends, John, Leslie, Jonathan & Jered Caubble to attend FBC Rogers. They are heading off to spend the week with family and friends in Wynne AR, then leaving on the 27th to move to Dubai as missionaries. I'm so excited for them. I know this is a bittersweet time for them. I can't wait to visit and work with them in Dubai sometime next year.
Giving up everything to follow God's call seems crazy by worldly standards, but when you are in the midst of it, nothing else seems clear at all. Looking through God's perspective on your life makes His will seem in focus and everything else appears to be on the fringe. I'm thankful for the peace and discernment He allows during those times when my life seems upside down compared to everyone else. I'm thankful to be available when He calls. I'm humbled that He would call me at all. I am blessed to be His child.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
It's been an interesting day.
The days of the week don't mean much here unless we have an event/appointment planned. Even Sunday is different this week, since we went to church tonight instead of Sunday morning. And last Sunday, we went to evening church. While it's just Mary and I here, we have been doing our ministry on various days and going into town on various days and staying home to work on other days...
We went to town yesterday and had a wonderful time exploring and wandering around. It felt like a Saturday to me.
Today we got up and neither of us felt 100%. Mary's stomach was a little messed up and I felt like I was coming down with the flu or something. I washed a load of clothes and hung them to dry on the line. Then I fixed some pancakes for breakfast (plain-no butter or syrup) and then I went back to bed at 11am and slept until 1pm. I just felt so washed out and no energy.
We both got cleaned up about 3pm and hung out until German picked us up at 4:30. We both felt like it had been a long day. It's the first time what we have felt that way here. I think it was because we didn't feel well. We snacked a little (neither of us was very hungry, and that's not normal for me!) and then headed into town.
First stop was La Unión for some groceries for dinner with friends on Tuesday night. Then we went to the Eskimo ice cream shop for a treat. I didn't even get ice cream... not normal!! Then we walked over a block to a small pick up truck on the side of the road. The guy sells video DVDs from the back of his truck. German says he's the best in town. Many people were coming to buy some. They only cost 50 córdovas, which is about $2.50, so German bought a couple and I bought a couple. They are in Spanish with English subtitles, so I consider them reference/practice material for my Spanish studies. :)
Then we went to church a little early so that we could talk to the Pastor about a few things. We took 13 Spanish Bibles to him for their church plant in Posoltega. We also asked if we could bring the team to their church on Sunday Jan 2 and then to Posoltega on Monday Jan 3 to do a feeding. The Pastor was very thankful. His son Jeremy translates for us sometimes and this is the church that German attends.
We then enjoyed a great service. I like the music. I always do here in Nic. Mary gave her testimony and did a great job. I enjoyed the Pastor's message very much. German said it was what he was really needing to hear right now, too. I enjoy trying to understand what is being said. I still don't catch it all, but I can tell that I'm getting better at recognizing more words and following the context of the sentences.
Church here in Nic usually lasts 2+ hours. The first hour is usually music and the congregation stands up the whole time. I always think about the folks back home and how they would riot if they had to stand for an hour of music. And then sit for another hour of message. Here, people are thankful to get to do that. Humble and grateful. What a combination!
After church, we went past German's in-laws house to see if his wife and kids wanted to ride with us out to the team house to drop off Mary and me. But she was in the middle of visiting with her mother and wanted to stay there. I got a nice kiss and hug from Mariangel, German's daughter who is turning 8 on Monday. Ishmael, his 18 month son still holds back and stays in Mamás arms, but he got a huge smile on his face when he saw his daddy. He's such a cutie. I wish we could have had time to chat with Johana. Maybe one of these days we will have some more time.
We laughed and joked all the way home from town. I love hearing German laugh. And Mary and I can be pretty funny most of the time. Even the Pastor said tonight that Mary looked a funny person. Then he explained that he meant that she looked like she had good character. Things can get mixed up in translation, but I think he had her pegged.
We got home about 9:30 and unloaded the groceries from the van. German said to call him tomorrow if we needed anything. We're planning on riding the bus into town to meet with Christopher and Evelyn and Isaac for lunch at Tip Top. It will be a nice day. We'll catch the bus home, so we will be gone most of the afternoon, including travel time.
I'm feeling better this evening and Mary said that she started feeling better about mid-day, so maybe whatever we felt like we were coming down with was a fast mover.
We laughed that getting home at 9:30 was past our bedtime, since we retire to our rooms by around 8pm most nights. I know we will sleep well tonight. We have had a great afternoon and evening. We have praised the Lord and been taught a good message. We have laughed and talked and just enjoyed being around other Christians. I'm so thankful for this time. And thankful for the Creator of Time. :)
The days of the week don't mean much here unless we have an event/appointment planned. Even Sunday is different this week, since we went to church tonight instead of Sunday morning. And last Sunday, we went to evening church. While it's just Mary and I here, we have been doing our ministry on various days and going into town on various days and staying home to work on other days...
We went to town yesterday and had a wonderful time exploring and wandering around. It felt like a Saturday to me.
Today we got up and neither of us felt 100%. Mary's stomach was a little messed up and I felt like I was coming down with the flu or something. I washed a load of clothes and hung them to dry on the line. Then I fixed some pancakes for breakfast (plain-no butter or syrup) and then I went back to bed at 11am and slept until 1pm. I just felt so washed out and no energy.
We both got cleaned up about 3pm and hung out until German picked us up at 4:30. We both felt like it had been a long day. It's the first time what we have felt that way here. I think it was because we didn't feel well. We snacked a little (neither of us was very hungry, and that's not normal for me!) and then headed into town.
First stop was La Unión for some groceries for dinner with friends on Tuesday night. Then we went to the Eskimo ice cream shop for a treat. I didn't even get ice cream... not normal!! Then we walked over a block to a small pick up truck on the side of the road. The guy sells video DVDs from the back of his truck. German says he's the best in town. Many people were coming to buy some. They only cost 50 córdovas, which is about $2.50, so German bought a couple and I bought a couple. They are in Spanish with English subtitles, so I consider them reference/practice material for my Spanish studies. :)
Then we went to church a little early so that we could talk to the Pastor about a few things. We took 13 Spanish Bibles to him for their church plant in Posoltega. We also asked if we could bring the team to their church on Sunday Jan 2 and then to Posoltega on Monday Jan 3 to do a feeding. The Pastor was very thankful. His son Jeremy translates for us sometimes and this is the church that German attends.
We then enjoyed a great service. I like the music. I always do here in Nic. Mary gave her testimony and did a great job. I enjoyed the Pastor's message very much. German said it was what he was really needing to hear right now, too. I enjoy trying to understand what is being said. I still don't catch it all, but I can tell that I'm getting better at recognizing more words and following the context of the sentences.
Church here in Nic usually lasts 2+ hours. The first hour is usually music and the congregation stands up the whole time. I always think about the folks back home and how they would riot if they had to stand for an hour of music. And then sit for another hour of message. Here, people are thankful to get to do that. Humble and grateful. What a combination!
After church, we went past German's in-laws house to see if his wife and kids wanted to ride with us out to the team house to drop off Mary and me. But she was in the middle of visiting with her mother and wanted to stay there. I got a nice kiss and hug from Mariangel, German's daughter who is turning 8 on Monday. Ishmael, his 18 month son still holds back and stays in Mamás arms, but he got a huge smile on his face when he saw his daddy. He's such a cutie. I wish we could have had time to chat with Johana. Maybe one of these days we will have some more time.
We laughed and joked all the way home from town. I love hearing German laugh. And Mary and I can be pretty funny most of the time. Even the Pastor said tonight that Mary looked a funny person. Then he explained that he meant that she looked like she had good character. Things can get mixed up in translation, but I think he had her pegged.
We got home about 9:30 and unloaded the groceries from the van. German said to call him tomorrow if we needed anything. We're planning on riding the bus into town to meet with Christopher and Evelyn and Isaac for lunch at Tip Top. It will be a nice day. We'll catch the bus home, so we will be gone most of the afternoon, including travel time.
I'm feeling better this evening and Mary said that she started feeling better about mid-day, so maybe whatever we felt like we were coming down with was a fast mover.
We laughed that getting home at 9:30 was past our bedtime, since we retire to our rooms by around 8pm most nights. I know we will sleep well tonight. We have had a great afternoon and evening. We have praised the Lord and been taught a good message. We have laughed and talked and just enjoyed being around other Christians. I'm so thankful for this time. And thankful for the Creator of Time. :)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday night already. This week has flown by.
Mary and I seem to retire to our rooms earlier and earlier each night. She reads and I get on the computer and then read. It feels good to stretch out on the bed.
We had a good day today. We caught the 9am bus into León. It was a not-so-old retired school bus. The seats were pretty much in tact and comfy. It always feels so good to feel the wind coming in the windows as we travel down the road. We make a lot of stops to pick people up and there is usually a ton of people standing in the aisle, so the wind doesn't come in constantly, but it's nice when it does.
People carry all kinds of stuff on the bus. Big plastic tubs of food to sell, bags and what looks like 5 gallon buckets of food items, produce, fish, etc. It's always fun to people watch. Mary especially enjoys watching the kids. We've seen some really cute babies!
We rode the bus in to town, grabbed a taxi to take us to our favorite block of retail; La Unión grocery store (although we didn't buy any groceries this time), Tip Top Chicken restaurant, central park with lots of vendors, and the blocks in between that have more vendors everyday as we get close to Christmas. We walked around a lot. German called to meet us so he could give us come money that was wired down from the US. He asked if we wanted him to drive us around. We said no, we are ready for the adventure of shopping. It was nice to take our time and just walk the streets and see everything. We ran into Pastor Miguel on his motorcycle at one corner. It was good to see him. He was wearing a t-shirt from Mary's church. We chatted very quickly and then we were on our way to the park.
The stores were interesting. Many small stores (just one room) and a few big ones. One store had tons of toys and clothes and household items. The strange thing was that everything was priced in US Dollars. Mary and I bought ourselves some Christmas hats to wear on Christmas. They are like elf hats, except they are blue sequined with battery operated light up stars. They were only $1. We'll take our picture and post it on fb as our Christmas card photo! We saw lots of little Christmas trees, plastic decorations for the walls and doors, lights, etc. It was sooo much fun to look around. I was quite pleased to buy a measuring cup to use when I make my instant food that I brought from the states. I got home and realized it's all metric. ha I'll have to convert it and mark the side with measurements for cups, etc.
We ate lunch at Tip Top and took advantage of the restrooms before grabbing a taxi back to the bus stop on the edge of town. We were so proud of ourselves. ha It reminded me of NYC, except I can actually understand the drivers here since they speak Spanish and who knew what language your NYC taxi driver would be speaking! All in all, we were gone about 6 hours.
We snacked for supper and Mary got on the computer to catch up on facebook. I sorted through my precious purchases for the day, while Mary studied a little more on Spanish. Then she came up to her room to read and I'm back on the computer. I'm listening to Christmas music on my iPod with my little portable speaker. It's rather nice.
I've done some correspondence and now I'm going to study a little bit and then read and probably go to sleep early. My tooth was hurting really badly last night and it has been hit and miss today. At the moment, it's okay, so I hope I can have a pain-free night.
Mike sent a couple of emails tonight. We got confirmation on how many are coming on the next team Dec 28. There will only be 6 people, so we'll only need 1 van and just a couple of translators. Beth won't be coming down afterall, since she has a student visiting her until mid-January. She's changing her ticket to fly down in March when the Spring Break team from FBC Rogers (my home church) comes down. Tomorrow, Mary and I will discuss with German the plans for the team. Mary and I have things pretty much ready for them already. It will be an easy week. Then we all leave on the same day, Jan 4. It will be here before we know it.
My friends, the Caubbles, will be leaving for Dubai in about a week and a half. I said my goodbyes to John before I left for Nic. They will be gone when I get back to Rogers, but the plan is for me to get to go to Dubai and serve with them in 2011. I'm looking forward to that. I'm so excited for them. I'm praying for these last days in the US as they spend Christmas with family and friends.
Going to bed now, even though it's before 9pm. Going to relax and read. And count my many blessings...
Mary and I seem to retire to our rooms earlier and earlier each night. She reads and I get on the computer and then read. It feels good to stretch out on the bed.
We had a good day today. We caught the 9am bus into León. It was a not-so-old retired school bus. The seats were pretty much in tact and comfy. It always feels so good to feel the wind coming in the windows as we travel down the road. We make a lot of stops to pick people up and there is usually a ton of people standing in the aisle, so the wind doesn't come in constantly, but it's nice when it does.
People carry all kinds of stuff on the bus. Big plastic tubs of food to sell, bags and what looks like 5 gallon buckets of food items, produce, fish, etc. It's always fun to people watch. Mary especially enjoys watching the kids. We've seen some really cute babies!
We rode the bus in to town, grabbed a taxi to take us to our favorite block of retail; La Unión grocery store (although we didn't buy any groceries this time), Tip Top Chicken restaurant, central park with lots of vendors, and the blocks in between that have more vendors everyday as we get close to Christmas. We walked around a lot. German called to meet us so he could give us come money that was wired down from the US. He asked if we wanted him to drive us around. We said no, we are ready for the adventure of shopping. It was nice to take our time and just walk the streets and see everything. We ran into Pastor Miguel on his motorcycle at one corner. It was good to see him. He was wearing a t-shirt from Mary's church. We chatted very quickly and then we were on our way to the park.
The stores were interesting. Many small stores (just one room) and a few big ones. One store had tons of toys and clothes and household items. The strange thing was that everything was priced in US Dollars. Mary and I bought ourselves some Christmas hats to wear on Christmas. They are like elf hats, except they are blue sequined with battery operated light up stars. They were only $1. We'll take our picture and post it on fb as our Christmas card photo! We saw lots of little Christmas trees, plastic decorations for the walls and doors, lights, etc. It was sooo much fun to look around. I was quite pleased to buy a measuring cup to use when I make my instant food that I brought from the states. I got home and realized it's all metric. ha I'll have to convert it and mark the side with measurements for cups, etc.
We ate lunch at Tip Top and took advantage of the restrooms before grabbing a taxi back to the bus stop on the edge of town. We were so proud of ourselves. ha It reminded me of NYC, except I can actually understand the drivers here since they speak Spanish and who knew what language your NYC taxi driver would be speaking! All in all, we were gone about 6 hours.
We snacked for supper and Mary got on the computer to catch up on facebook. I sorted through my precious purchases for the day, while Mary studied a little more on Spanish. Then she came up to her room to read and I'm back on the computer. I'm listening to Christmas music on my iPod with my little portable speaker. It's rather nice.
I've done some correspondence and now I'm going to study a little bit and then read and probably go to sleep early. My tooth was hurting really badly last night and it has been hit and miss today. At the moment, it's okay, so I hope I can have a pain-free night.
Mike sent a couple of emails tonight. We got confirmation on how many are coming on the next team Dec 28. There will only be 6 people, so we'll only need 1 van and just a couple of translators. Beth won't be coming down afterall, since she has a student visiting her until mid-January. She's changing her ticket to fly down in March when the Spring Break team from FBC Rogers (my home church) comes down. Tomorrow, Mary and I will discuss with German the plans for the team. Mary and I have things pretty much ready for them already. It will be an easy week. Then we all leave on the same day, Jan 4. It will be here before we know it.
My friends, the Caubbles, will be leaving for Dubai in about a week and a half. I said my goodbyes to John before I left for Nic. They will be gone when I get back to Rogers, but the plan is for me to get to go to Dubai and serve with them in 2011. I'm looking forward to that. I'm so excited for them. I'm praying for these last days in the US as they spend Christmas with family and friends.
Going to bed now, even though it's before 9pm. Going to relax and read. And count my many blessings...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Another good day in Nic.
Mary and I stayed at the house today and worked.
This morning we had breakfast (oatmeal and peanutbutter toast for me; coffee and crunchy cheetos for Mary) and then Mary did some laundry. Then we both hit the books for Spanish studies. Mid-morning, we got together in front of the computer for some online classes for Mary. She's enjoying the website. She is doing really well. We reviewed some grammar and then jumped into verbs. We worked on it together until lunchtime. I had some pasta and chocolate chip cookies. Mary had ramen noodles and a sandwich made from the rest of her restaurant chicken from yesterday. We are such gourmets!
After lunch, I worked on packing up the rest of the gift bags for the ladies at the Concrete Pit. Then we got some gift bags ready for some special friends here in Nic. We are all ready to play Santa next week. And we have stuff ready for the team to use when they arrive in a week and a half.
We grazed a little more for dinner and then hit the Spanish books again. We knew it was getting time to rest our brains when Mary was looking up a Spanish word and couldn't find it in her Spanish-English dictionary. Then we realized that she was looking in the English portion. As Oliver used to ask me when I had thought too long about Spanish "is it beating your brains out?", I asked Mary the same thing. We have had some good laughs while studying.
I have a terrible toothache (which has been bothering me off and on for a few months) and had to come upstairs to doctor it and stretch out on the bed. Luckily, this is my favorite position for working on the computer! :0
I've been trying to follow news on the CNN website and others, but I get bored with it sometimes. It sounds like there are some pretty bad winter storms in the US. I won't worry too much about it until we fly back on Jan 4. Hopefully, it will just be cold then.
Everyone I'm tracking with health problems seem to be holding their own. I know I've mentioned this many times, but I'm so glad to be able to follow their progress on the computer.
We didn't walk on the beach today, but I remembered that we ran into Wilbur yesterday. He's the resident salesman of all things souvenir and overpriced. He is quite the businessman when we have teams here. The only people on the beach these past weeks has been locals who have come on holidays, and a few tourists. Wilbur saw Mary and I walking down on the south end of the beach and rode his bicycle over to say hello. He shook my hand and I asked him in English "how's business?". He slowly shook his head and responded in Spanish "mal", meaning bad. I guess he has hit a recession in his shell necklace retail business. We'll see him around when the next team comes, I'm sure.
Sometimes, Mary puts crumbs from bread or chips on the courtyard downstairs. There is a colony of ants who live under a plant by the wall near the clothesline. We have watched them carry pieces of food anywhere from the size of a small pencil eraser to as big as a (almost whole) pringle chip. She was taking clothes off the line and yelled for me to look. I looked over the balcony from upstairs and I could actually see about 8 pieces of chips of various sizes (dime size, 3/4 of a chip, quarter size, etc) all marching across the courtyard to their little hole near the plant. It sometimes looks like a tiny parade.
The teeny ants are the hardest workers. The bigger ants try to take the crumbs away from them. We are rooting for the teeny ants. Once a team got the large chip to the plant, they seemed to have trouble getting it up the little ant hill. Mary pushed on the chip with her finger to break it into more manageable pieces. Before long, they had all the pieces down the whole. I suggested that she share her Pespi with them so they could have a party, but Mary doesn't share those Pepsis with anyone. :) She did help the teeny ants by flicking away some of the big ants.
Now, ants who dare to cross the threshold of our kitchen are another story. I often hear Mary in the kitchen spraying ant killer and calling out "die you dirty bugger".
This whole scenario reminds me of how we as a society sometimes treat each other. We'll help you along only if you stay within the boundaries that we have set for you. But what gives us the right to set those boundaries? And how are we to know the difference if the 'rules' are arbitrary? Who gets to make the rules? God said to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul. And to love each other as ourselves. Good standards, for sure.
But, I don't want ants in my food either, so I'll let Mary keep attacking them if they don't follow our boundaries. :)
Deanna made it home from her 2 weeks with Jake and Elaine in Las Vegas and San Francisco. I can't wait to hear all about it. I'm glad she is home and can relax and enjoy the animals. I think Kennon (the grandson who house-sat) spoiled the pets just enough. I know Deanna will enjoy getting back into her routine and catching up with her friends and family. I miss her.
We are getting up early to take the bus into town again tomorrow. German offers to drive us in the van, but we enjoy the adventure of the bus. I told him not to worry, if we need him, even if it's just to tell somewhere where we want to go, we'll call. Who knows what kind of trouble we might get into!
Time to doctor my tooth a little more and go to sleep early. I am blessed.
Mary and I stayed at the house today and worked.
This morning we had breakfast (oatmeal and peanutbutter toast for me; coffee and crunchy cheetos for Mary) and then Mary did some laundry. Then we both hit the books for Spanish studies. Mid-morning, we got together in front of the computer for some online classes for Mary. She's enjoying the website. She is doing really well. We reviewed some grammar and then jumped into verbs. We worked on it together until lunchtime. I had some pasta and chocolate chip cookies. Mary had ramen noodles and a sandwich made from the rest of her restaurant chicken from yesterday. We are such gourmets!
After lunch, I worked on packing up the rest of the gift bags for the ladies at the Concrete Pit. Then we got some gift bags ready for some special friends here in Nic. We are all ready to play Santa next week. And we have stuff ready for the team to use when they arrive in a week and a half.
We grazed a little more for dinner and then hit the Spanish books again. We knew it was getting time to rest our brains when Mary was looking up a Spanish word and couldn't find it in her Spanish-English dictionary. Then we realized that she was looking in the English portion. As Oliver used to ask me when I had thought too long about Spanish "is it beating your brains out?", I asked Mary the same thing. We have had some good laughs while studying.
I have a terrible toothache (which has been bothering me off and on for a few months) and had to come upstairs to doctor it and stretch out on the bed. Luckily, this is my favorite position for working on the computer! :0
I've been trying to follow news on the CNN website and others, but I get bored with it sometimes. It sounds like there are some pretty bad winter storms in the US. I won't worry too much about it until we fly back on Jan 4. Hopefully, it will just be cold then.
Everyone I'm tracking with health problems seem to be holding their own. I know I've mentioned this many times, but I'm so glad to be able to follow their progress on the computer.
We didn't walk on the beach today, but I remembered that we ran into Wilbur yesterday. He's the resident salesman of all things souvenir and overpriced. He is quite the businessman when we have teams here. The only people on the beach these past weeks has been locals who have come on holidays, and a few tourists. Wilbur saw Mary and I walking down on the south end of the beach and rode his bicycle over to say hello. He shook my hand and I asked him in English "how's business?". He slowly shook his head and responded in Spanish "mal", meaning bad. I guess he has hit a recession in his shell necklace retail business. We'll see him around when the next team comes, I'm sure.
Sometimes, Mary puts crumbs from bread or chips on the courtyard downstairs. There is a colony of ants who live under a plant by the wall near the clothesline. We have watched them carry pieces of food anywhere from the size of a small pencil eraser to as big as a (almost whole) pringle chip. She was taking clothes off the line and yelled for me to look. I looked over the balcony from upstairs and I could actually see about 8 pieces of chips of various sizes (dime size, 3/4 of a chip, quarter size, etc) all marching across the courtyard to their little hole near the plant. It sometimes looks like a tiny parade.
The teeny ants are the hardest workers. The bigger ants try to take the crumbs away from them. We are rooting for the teeny ants. Once a team got the large chip to the plant, they seemed to have trouble getting it up the little ant hill. Mary pushed on the chip with her finger to break it into more manageable pieces. Before long, they had all the pieces down the whole. I suggested that she share her Pespi with them so they could have a party, but Mary doesn't share those Pepsis with anyone. :) She did help the teeny ants by flicking away some of the big ants.
Now, ants who dare to cross the threshold of our kitchen are another story. I often hear Mary in the kitchen spraying ant killer and calling out "die you dirty bugger".
This whole scenario reminds me of how we as a society sometimes treat each other. We'll help you along only if you stay within the boundaries that we have set for you. But what gives us the right to set those boundaries? And how are we to know the difference if the 'rules' are arbitrary? Who gets to make the rules? God said to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul. And to love each other as ourselves. Good standards, for sure.
But, I don't want ants in my food either, so I'll let Mary keep attacking them if they don't follow our boundaries. :)
Deanna made it home from her 2 weeks with Jake and Elaine in Las Vegas and San Francisco. I can't wait to hear all about it. I'm glad she is home and can relax and enjoy the animals. I think Kennon (the grandson who house-sat) spoiled the pets just enough. I know Deanna will enjoy getting back into her routine and catching up with her friends and family. I miss her.
We are getting up early to take the bus into town again tomorrow. German offers to drive us in the van, but we enjoy the adventure of the bus. I told him not to worry, if we need him, even if it's just to tell somewhere where we want to go, we'll call. Who knows what kind of trouble we might get into!
Time to doctor my tooth a little more and go to sleep early. I am blessed.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wow, it's the middle of December! Time is going fast.
Today was nice. We woke up and got ready to go into town. We caught the 9:00 (ish) bus. It takes about 50 minutes to get to town after we get on it, but only about 35 minutes to get home. On the way there, we go through another little beach town called Las Peñitas. It stretches along the beach to the south of us and has some little inns and restaurants. Then we come back out to the highway and head east. We stop along the way to pick up people waiting along the road.
The bus was really packed in tight today. Mary and I could wait until the bus comes back down our road to get on, but we might not get a seat, so we grab it when it comes into the little town and sit patiently at the end of the road at the official stop. There was someone with loud music today. It always feel a little festive on the bus. Friends talking, sometimes music, stopping every 5-10 minutes or so, stopping and starting. You just get on and go with the flow.
When we got to the stop in León, we were the last ones off the bus, even though we were in the front seat. There were soooo many people on the bus today. It was like a clown car unloading. At one point, I thought people must be entering through the back door and walking down the aisle to get off in front. Always an interesting experience. We like riding the bus.
After German picked us up, we went to La Unión for some groceries. Then we went to eat lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant. It was very nice in Nic standards. We were the only ones there at 11:10am. Mary thought that might mean that it wasn't very good, since no one was eating. German said it is a nice restaurant for dates and special occasions, and that small children are not encouraged to attend. It was very pleasant for lunch. Cloth tablecloths and napkins, waterglasses, etc. It was expensive for Nic, but was only about $7 per person. I was happy to treat everyone. I love being able to go different places and try different things. I loved going there.
After lunch, we stopped by the used book vendor who sets up on the sidewalk (literally) on the corner. He sells books for $2, and even though that pains Mary to spend that much, it's cheaper than we have found anywhere else so far. We also walked around some outdoor shops quickly. The closer it gets to Christmas, the more that vendors are setting up on the streets. German took us to a place where there were some vendors from Masaya (where the Gringo market is). I bought a couple of leather items and also a Spanish Monopoly game. How fun!!!
We went through part of the open market, looking for candy to give out to the kids at the Sewer Pond for Christmas. German said we could do better getting big bags at La Unión, so we'll pick the candy up when we go to town again on Friday.
We returned to the van and since we were driving past Eskimo, Mary said we had to stop for an icecream cone. Well, inflation has hit and the cono jumbo (giant waffle cone with 2 dips) has went from 20 córdabas to 30, which in USD is about $1.50. We were stunned at the huge jump in a matter of a few days. But we still think it's a lot cheaper than Braums! Needless to say, we were stuffed by the time we made it back to the house. It was a nice shopping day.
I laid on my bed and read for a little while, until I dozed off. I was trying to download an update for my computer, but because the internet is slow, after 1.5 hours, it still hadn't loaded. I'll try again some other time.
We went for our 4:30 walk on the beach. We get back about 5:45 or so. We've noticed that they sun is setting a little bit later each day. Again today, we saw how different the beach was from Monday. The waves were staying way out today. And at the north end of the beach, there was a lot of sand missing. The hill was leveled off and we could see the houses from the water's edge. Usually, we just see the tree tops. We also saw a hole in the sand about 3" wide. Probably a large crab hole. There was a small fish tail sticking out of the top. I didn't have my camera, so I didn't get a pic. It was funny to look at.
After getting back home, I jumped in the shower and settled in with the computer to catch up on some people who are battling (and winning) some health challenges. I'm so thankful to be able to get on line to follow their progress. I also called my sister Pam to see how she is doing. She sounded pretty good. Still sore and still tired of only laying on her back, but she's getting there. She's still a little worried about the results of the test on her lymph nodes. Hopefully, those results will be back next week. She has appointments with all her doctors (4) in the next 2 weeks. I appreciate everyone's prayers for her.
When we were at La Unión today, we found Cheetos! They have them every once in a while, and had been out for weeks. We stocked up today! We were very excited! Mary has a special friend that works as a sacker at the store. His name is Ricardo. He always takes good care of us! He's her favorite. She always tips him more than the others. He's quite the cutie, too!
I miss watching the news on tv. I try to follow CNN on line, but it's not the same. It takes a while for the stories to download and I get impatient. I guess if anything earth-shattering happens, I'll hear about it one way or another.
Tomorrow is another work day here at the house. And we'll spend some quality time on Spanish lessons, for both of us. Mary wants to start putting sentences together, so we will be delving into the world of Spanish verbs soon. Pray for us people! It's not going to be pretty! :) But it is a big hurdle and big stepping stone to move on. With God's grace, we'll make it through a few sessions. I'm going to put Mary on a couple of websites that have good interactive lessons. I hope it will be easier for her than just a book. She's trying very hard and I'm proud of her.
I also need to get lessons ready for the class that we will do with the Translators next week. I'll work on that tomorrow, too.
I got word today that I'll continue to receive support from FBC Rogers for 2011. I get $8,000 per year from the church and I depend on God to encourage individuals to support me to make up the difference for living expenses. God has provided a wonderful place for me to live for free with my friend Deanna. I'm so thankful for that! I borrowed a vehicle from the Eatons for the last 18 months, and that helped tremendously. I won't have a vehicle when I get back in January, but it works out fine since I will work from home most of the time. When I meet with people, I'll ask for a ride. It will work out fine. I'm thankful that my personal bills are covered by the support (life insurance, health insurance, tax payments, medicines, groceries, etc). God always makes it balance out just fine. And He provides house/pet/kid/granny-sitting jobs when I need to make extra money. I'm very thankful for the way He takes care of me, especially when He gets others involved. He's a good provider.
It's only 9pm, but I'm ready to call it a night. I think I need my beauty sleep!
Thank You Lord for all Your blessings today. Thank You for allowing me to be here in Nic right now and for the relationships You are building for me. Thank You for the ministry that VOH has here and for the people who work hard to reach the Nica people for You. Show us all what You have planned for us each day. Help us to be ready and willing to serve in the way that YOU have planned.
Today was nice. We woke up and got ready to go into town. We caught the 9:00 (ish) bus. It takes about 50 minutes to get to town after we get on it, but only about 35 minutes to get home. On the way there, we go through another little beach town called Las Peñitas. It stretches along the beach to the south of us and has some little inns and restaurants. Then we come back out to the highway and head east. We stop along the way to pick up people waiting along the road.
The bus was really packed in tight today. Mary and I could wait until the bus comes back down our road to get on, but we might not get a seat, so we grab it when it comes into the little town and sit patiently at the end of the road at the official stop. There was someone with loud music today. It always feel a little festive on the bus. Friends talking, sometimes music, stopping every 5-10 minutes or so, stopping and starting. You just get on and go with the flow.
When we got to the stop in León, we were the last ones off the bus, even though we were in the front seat. There were soooo many people on the bus today. It was like a clown car unloading. At one point, I thought people must be entering through the back door and walking down the aisle to get off in front. Always an interesting experience. We like riding the bus.
After German picked us up, we went to La Unión for some groceries. Then we went to eat lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant. It was very nice in Nic standards. We were the only ones there at 11:10am. Mary thought that might mean that it wasn't very good, since no one was eating. German said it is a nice restaurant for dates and special occasions, and that small children are not encouraged to attend. It was very pleasant for lunch. Cloth tablecloths and napkins, waterglasses, etc. It was expensive for Nic, but was only about $7 per person. I was happy to treat everyone. I love being able to go different places and try different things. I loved going there.
After lunch, we stopped by the used book vendor who sets up on the sidewalk (literally) on the corner. He sells books for $2, and even though that pains Mary to spend that much, it's cheaper than we have found anywhere else so far. We also walked around some outdoor shops quickly. The closer it gets to Christmas, the more that vendors are setting up on the streets. German took us to a place where there were some vendors from Masaya (where the Gringo market is). I bought a couple of leather items and also a Spanish Monopoly game. How fun!!!
We went through part of the open market, looking for candy to give out to the kids at the Sewer Pond for Christmas. German said we could do better getting big bags at La Unión, so we'll pick the candy up when we go to town again on Friday.
We returned to the van and since we were driving past Eskimo, Mary said we had to stop for an icecream cone. Well, inflation has hit and the cono jumbo (giant waffle cone with 2 dips) has went from 20 córdabas to 30, which in USD is about $1.50. We were stunned at the huge jump in a matter of a few days. But we still think it's a lot cheaper than Braums! Needless to say, we were stuffed by the time we made it back to the house. It was a nice shopping day.
I laid on my bed and read for a little while, until I dozed off. I was trying to download an update for my computer, but because the internet is slow, after 1.5 hours, it still hadn't loaded. I'll try again some other time.
We went for our 4:30 walk on the beach. We get back about 5:45 or so. We've noticed that they sun is setting a little bit later each day. Again today, we saw how different the beach was from Monday. The waves were staying way out today. And at the north end of the beach, there was a lot of sand missing. The hill was leveled off and we could see the houses from the water's edge. Usually, we just see the tree tops. We also saw a hole in the sand about 3" wide. Probably a large crab hole. There was a small fish tail sticking out of the top. I didn't have my camera, so I didn't get a pic. It was funny to look at.
After getting back home, I jumped in the shower and settled in with the computer to catch up on some people who are battling (and winning) some health challenges. I'm so thankful to be able to get on line to follow their progress. I also called my sister Pam to see how she is doing. She sounded pretty good. Still sore and still tired of only laying on her back, but she's getting there. She's still a little worried about the results of the test on her lymph nodes. Hopefully, those results will be back next week. She has appointments with all her doctors (4) in the next 2 weeks. I appreciate everyone's prayers for her.
When we were at La Unión today, we found Cheetos! They have them every once in a while, and had been out for weeks. We stocked up today! We were very excited! Mary has a special friend that works as a sacker at the store. His name is Ricardo. He always takes good care of us! He's her favorite. She always tips him more than the others. He's quite the cutie, too!
I miss watching the news on tv. I try to follow CNN on line, but it's not the same. It takes a while for the stories to download and I get impatient. I guess if anything earth-shattering happens, I'll hear about it one way or another.
Tomorrow is another work day here at the house. And we'll spend some quality time on Spanish lessons, for both of us. Mary wants to start putting sentences together, so we will be delving into the world of Spanish verbs soon. Pray for us people! It's not going to be pretty! :) But it is a big hurdle and big stepping stone to move on. With God's grace, we'll make it through a few sessions. I'm going to put Mary on a couple of websites that have good interactive lessons. I hope it will be easier for her than just a book. She's trying very hard and I'm proud of her.
I also need to get lessons ready for the class that we will do with the Translators next week. I'll work on that tomorrow, too.
I got word today that I'll continue to receive support from FBC Rogers for 2011. I get $8,000 per year from the church and I depend on God to encourage individuals to support me to make up the difference for living expenses. God has provided a wonderful place for me to live for free with my friend Deanna. I'm so thankful for that! I borrowed a vehicle from the Eatons for the last 18 months, and that helped tremendously. I won't have a vehicle when I get back in January, but it works out fine since I will work from home most of the time. When I meet with people, I'll ask for a ride. It will work out fine. I'm thankful that my personal bills are covered by the support (life insurance, health insurance, tax payments, medicines, groceries, etc). God always makes it balance out just fine. And He provides house/pet/kid/granny-sitting jobs when I need to make extra money. I'm very thankful for the way He takes care of me, especially when He gets others involved. He's a good provider.
It's only 9pm, but I'm ready to call it a night. I think I need my beauty sleep!
Thank You Lord for all Your blessings today. Thank You for allowing me to be here in Nic right now and for the relationships You are building for me. Thank You for the ministry that VOH has here and for the people who work hard to reach the Nica people for You. Show us all what You have planned for us each day. Help us to be ready and willing to serve in the way that YOU have planned.
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