Sunday, July 1, 2012
The team split into 3 church groups to share messages and testimonies. I went to La Quimera church and delivered meat for the Feeding Center for Sunday’s lunch. There was a celebration for birthdays and Pastor Brian had asked me to take some pictures.
There were 2 clowns there to do the message and they did a great job. Everyone laughed and paid good attention to the story. After church, there was a trampoline and a bouncy-house thing. The kids absolutely loved it. I got to meet some nice people who don’t usually come to the church. It was a really nice time. The clowns made some balloon animals and gave me a bear. I got my picture made with them. I had to leave before the piñata and food, but I really enjoyed myself.
We had a great lunch of grilled chicken (our normal Sunday dinner) and then had orientation for the team. It was Charlie’s birthday, so we had chocolate cake. It was a nice afternoon. I got to take a nice nap.
The team split into 3 church groups again for evening service and I went with one group. I really enjoyed the service.
Monday, July 2, 2012
The team went out to do Fiestas, School visits, Street Evangelism, etc. I ran errands with Lesly most of the morning. On the way back to the team house, we stopped and picked up Manuel, Jaasiel and Jorge, who were walking around town for exercise.
After lunch, Mayela and I went back to town to look for picture albums (for the Feeding Center). I picked up some paper for my printer, markers, notebooks for Bible study and some wire for sewing class. We also went to one of the fabric stores and spent a lot of time (and money) on fabric to make the banners for the churches. Bismark, who has waited on me before and knows a little English, had a lot of patience cutting out all of the pieces of fabric that I wanted. He gave me a discount, too.
We all went to Poneloya Beach to see the ocean and then to Suyapa restaurant for dinner. It was a nice evening. Everyone loved the view and the food.
Back at the team house, I worked on the banner sketches some more, assigning colors to the pieces according to the fabric choices that I had made.
I started thinking about how bad I had been over the last year about not exercising, so I got out one of my workout videos and declared July a definite starting point to changing my lifestyle back into one of healthy choices.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The team went out on Fiestas and such again in the morning. I walked 2 miles and stopped on my way home at my favorite Libreria to buy some large pieces of paper, pens for Bible study and graph paper for sketching.
When I got back to the team house, I got my shower and ate oatmeal. I ran Auxiliodoro to the Monte Horeb Feeding Center, since she was picking up her weekly veggies and was needing a ride. Then I got a little bit of laundry done before the cleaning ladies got here. The electricity was off and on all morning, but I finally got my one load of clothes washed and dried.
I made an excel spreadsheet for Lesly for her recordkeeping and then I work on the computer most of the rest of the morning.
In the afternoon, I went with the team shopping downtown. The Cathredal is closed during the day because of construction around the grounds. We did find some souvenirs and then had ice cream at Eskimo. It was a fun time.
I typed up over due blog notes and posted them. I get very behind when there are teams here and so much going on.
The office computer had a major melt down which gave Maylea a minor melt down. Very thankfully, Jeremy’s wife Kelly is a computer tech and she got it hooked up to use Charlie’s laptop (with a smashed screen) as the processor and using the desktop screen, keyboard and mouse.
Mayela spent the night to be able to print out the picture book of Feeding Center kids for the team to take home.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
It’s Independence Day in the states, but we didn’t miss fireworks too much, since they set them off down here all the time for various reasons. The sound of them sets off Buster the dog, who barks like crazy and then attacks the plants, trees and bushes, sometimes pulling them up completely from the ground.
I talked to one of my sisters and my mom in the morning after my morning walk. I also called Kellie at FBCR to discuss dates for my flight back to Nica after the GIC (missions conference) in Oct.
I got cleaned up and ate my oatmeal. Bah. Mayela and Lesly and I went to town to look for more photo albums, which are very hard to find here. The traffic was horrendous, much worse than usual. There was some big-wig political person downtown, so they had many blocks barricaded from traffic. Since León is mostly one way streets, that made it crazy to try to get around. We finally found a place to park (a God thing) and walked to the different stores. We found a few photo albums at one store, but could not find any more.
I got back on the computer for a while and then got ready for Bible Study at La Quimera. Tina, Erin and Hannah from the team went with me and Estefanie (translator) for the class. We stopped at Maxi Palí for cookies for the class. The girls got to see the new grocery store this way. They liked it.
There was a big storm that blew in at the beginning of the Bible study class. And I mean it BLEW in! Strong winds were kind of scary. It started raining and blew in through the metal lattice work that is the top of the walls. The sound of the rain on the tin roof was very loud. We went ahead anyway and drew our chairs up really close together and Estafanie had to yell her translations. But we had a great share time. The rain ended about the time we were leaving to come back to the team house. I was glad not to have to drive through any storms. It had also rained and blew in León, but had quit by the time we got back.
The team did not have any services to go to at night, so we hung out at the team house and visited. I was so glad to get to visit with Ric for a while.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Charlie and Gannon joined me on my walk this morning. Since they are big strapping men, we walked down the highway. I’m not allowed to walk down the highway by myself anymore for safety reasons, but it is the route that I prefer, so I was happy to have them along as my personal bodyguards! We walked down to German’s house and I introduced them to his wife. As we were coming back to the team house, we met a big herd of cattle being herded down the road. I grabbed a few pics. I used to see lots of horses and cows and pigs along the streets on my walks when we lived in Poneloya. I miss that sometimes.
The team went out for Fiestas and such. I got cleaned up and worked on emails and messages for a while.
Mike needed to take the car back to his house for Sherry to drive, so he had me follow him in the Explorer to his house and bring him back to the team house. I had been looking at airfares on the computer before we left and was ready to purchase some when Mike interrupted me to pick him up. When we got back and I got back on the website, the fares had dropped. Cool! With using my skymiles, I got my ticket for just $80, so I was very happy! I confirmed my flight details with my sister. We’re all set for our Sept adventure!
Mayela and I visited the Noah’s Ark Feeding Center. Pastor Pedro was on a retreat, so we didn’t get to talk to him, but we checked out records and spoke to some of the workers. I video-ed a song by the kids to put on my FB page. It’s The Lord’s Army in Spanish. I loved that it’s the same song as the States!!
I got all set up for the Sewing Class and Estefanie came early to help me. This was her first time translating for the sewing class since the very first one. Now we have machines set up in our own little sewing room. She doesn’t know how to sew, but she is a great translator and ready to help out in everything! I’m blessed to have her working with me. We made hair scrunchies and headbands. One of the youth from the team, Gracie, came in to work with us, too. She made a headband and I put her picture on FB.
The team went to church for the last night and I stayed back at the team house to rest and see if I could help with dinner.
Friday, July 6, 2012
The team left about 6:30am for Fun Day. I walked about 4.5 miles downtown and back. I just went to exchange some US money on the street corner. There is a guy named Luis there that I used twice in one day when driving by. He saw me coming and said hi, so I walked over to him and asked his name. I got back to the team house and had oatmeal and showered and got ready for the day.
Mary rode with Lesly and me to get the Feeding Center cheese at the Terminal market. We met Mayela there (she arrives on a bus from Chinandega). We all went to Palí to pick up the week’s meat for the Feeding Centers. Mayela and I stayed in the car while Mary and Lesly went in. It’s a long wait for all that meat to be packaged up and I was glad to let Mary go in this time.
I forwarded the info for School Supply Sponsorships to Donna, who will work on wording some documents to share with people. I did more airfare research and finally bought my tickets for Oct 2012 thru Jan 2013. I got a pretty good deal.
Mary and I went to town in the afternoon by hitching a ride with Lesly’s taxi. Mayela hitched a ride to the bus terminal, too. I got my haircut and then Mary and I went to Eskimo to eat icecream. Then we walked around just a little bit looking at souvenirs because Mary wanted some Nica t-shirts, which are pretty cheap.
I made some macaroni in my little hot-pot. It was very tasty. We relaxed until the team got back from Fun Day. They weren’t hungry for dinner before leaving Managua, so they waited until they got back and ordered pizzas from Hollywood Pizza (which is very good here). I visited with the team and enjoyed a slice of pizza, too. I will sure miss Ric and his team when they leave. They are always such a blessing to us.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Highland Baptist Church team left for the airport at 8:30am. It was too hot by then to walk, so I washed my sheets and had oatmeal for breakfast.
I spent the biggest part of the day drawing out the full-size patterns for the banners. I was really excited to get that part done. Jaasiel and Mary helped to cut out some of the letters. It will be a big job to cut out the fabric pieces, but if I take everything in steps, it will be done before I know it. This first batch is the most time-consuming. After that, all the decisions will be made and it will just be a matter of reproducing them.
Beth’s team from Westside Baptist Church in VA arrived about 4pm. They got settled in and had spaghetti dinner.
Mike, Sherry and Manuel came by and I measured some pants for Manuel so I could hem them for his exercise/dance class.
I got my shower and hemmed the pants and watched part of a movie and went to bed. I’ve been really tired lately. Maybe because I’m walking in the mornings again. The heat here zaps you more than you know. I could really use a nap now and then!
It’s been a really busy summer and the teams have been great. After this coming week, we have 1 week off from teams. We will do other ministry type stuff during that time. Then we have 1 more team for the summer. It’s flown by. There have been over 9,000 Salvations this summer since June 9. Awesome.
God is so good! He is so faithful!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
June 18-24, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
The team went out to do Fiestas in the morning.
Lesly and I went to the market by the bus terminal to buy the weekly produce for the Feeding Centers. The market is crowded and noisy and so interesting! There is one particular section that we buy most of our produce from. They are very friendly and honest. They will also carry our huge bags of veggies to the vehicle. I can’t imagine putting a bag of 50-100 pounds on my head and walking blocks. I get a headache just thinking about it! It takes a while to get this shopping spree done each Monday. It is hot and dirty and smelly. It makes me feel ashamed when I have complained about shopping for groceries in the states where it’s air-conditioned, clean and pleasant.
Anyway, I worked more on the lesson notes for the Women’s Bible study and gave them to Lesly to edit (in case Estefanie and I made mistakes). I also worked more on the picture books of the kids at the Feeding Centers, ran to a store to buy some cups and bowls ($ donated by team) for the kids at the Monte Horeb Feeding Center. Mary and Austin (intern) went with me and we had fun driving crazy and getting looks from people in the store when we bought so many cups and bowls.
Mary had went to pick up her passport from the authorities. When we get an extension on our visas (past 30 days), you have to pay a fee of $1 per day past the original 30. If you do this in León, they hold your passport for a week. If you do it in Managua, you get to keep your passport, but it’s an all day trip just to get it done.
While the team went to the beach and Suyapa restaurant for dinner, I stayed at the team house and worked on Feeding Center files and pinned more aprons to sew for the volunteer cooks. It was a very pleasant night.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The team left for Fiestas and a conference. I set up the sewing room for Mary’s class later in the day. We spent most of the day working on the picture books of the kids at the Feeding Centers. The Interns helped out a lot. The team went to the crusade and I stayed back to work, do laundry, make some calls to the states, etc. It was another pleasant night.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Team went out for Fiestas and again and another conference. They are making visits to Feeding Centers on their way home for lunch.
I went with Lesly to drive her on errands. Back at the team house, I worked on Bible Study notes and emails, and of course, more pics for the Feeding Center books.
Estafanie and went to the Ladies Bible Study at La Quimera. We always have a great time with the ladies there. I took Estafanie home and felt very comfortable as I’m learning my way back home from different places in the town.
One of the ladies on the team, Connie, loves to sew and she worked very hard making many of the aprons that we had cut out and pinned. I was so thankful to her for all of her sewing help!
The team went to do the crusade and it was a good night!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
The team left for Fiesats and conference as usual. I chatted with Auxiliodor when she came to pick up the meet for the Monte Horeb Feeding Center. It’s nice to get to talk to Pastor Brian each morning, also, as he stops in to get the meat for the LQFC.
Mayela and I went downtown to take care of some business. I’ve been lucky to have access to a vehicle most of the time. It’s a hassle to drive and to park, but is very nice to have a vehicle on the long journeys.
We finally got the PayPal feature fixed on the VOH website and I could send some money down. I was excited!
Haley was sick and stayed back at the mission house while the team went to the crusade. We visited for a while. I fixed us some pasta for dinner and it was a quiet evening.
Mike needed to keep the Explorer here at the team house for the morning, so when he arrived we drove back to his house to drop him off and then I drove back to the team house. I made one wrong turn, which is not good at night, but I found familiar ground and made it home just fine.
When the team got back from the crusade, we got email addresses for anyone wanting to be on our newsletter list and also if they wanted to be considered for internships for next year.
Then everyone got packed up and ready to leave early in the morning. They would be staying in Managua after their Fun Day.
Friday, June 22, 2012
The team from the Highridge, Lifesong, and Temple Churches left at 6:30am for Fun Day and an overnight in Managua before flying back to the states on Saturday.
Everyone here at the team house was busy stripping beds, cleaning rooms, buying groceries, and getting ready for the Crosslife Church team that would arrive early evening. The changeover went pretty well!
I worked on Feeding Center files, emails, downloading pics to Facebook, etc.
Mayela and I went to visit the San Jacinto Feeding Center. It’s new and the volunteers are wonderful. I don’t know the ladies very well yet, but I’m very thankful for them! The kids are very thankful for the good lunch 5 days a week. God is really blessing!
On the way back from San Jacinto, Mayela and I stopped in at the La Quimera community. We didn’t go to the church/feeding center, because we didn’t want Pastor Brian to see us. We were dropping off some refreshments for a surprise party for him that would be held the next day. We weren’t sure where Syliva lived, so we stopped on the dirt road and yelled ‘Sylvia!!!’. One of her neighbors went to get her. It was kind of funny.
The Crosslife team arrived and got settled into their rooms.
Another funny thing that happened was that 2 of the Interns who went to escort the departing team on Fun Day, mistakenly got left with the group. The drivers had no idea that they were coming back to the team house. After a couple of phone calls, and just a short wait, they were picked up and brought back to León. That was a first!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
The Crosslife team went on their Fun Day at the beginning of their ministry week, instead of at the end. This was the first time they went on a Fun Day. They usually leave a day early. They had a good time, although there was a misunderstanding on the part of the Intern in charge of the group and they didn’t eat dinner before returning to the team house. It took a lot of phone calls and even more waiting time, but they ordered and picked up pizza for the group for dinner.
I really enjoy some of the people on the team. I got to spend some time chatting with a few of them during the day. It was great.
I worked a little more on Feeding Center stuff and pinned some more aprons. It was a good day.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
The team split into groups and went to several churches in the morning.
I went to La Quimer church as usual. It was decorated from the Father’s Day party the day before. It was a special party for Pastor Brian. The church loves having him as their spiritual Father. There had been 3 ladies doing some folk dancing for the party and Pastor Brian wanted them to do it for me (VOH) on Sunday. I took some pics and some video. It was fun.
When everyone got back to the team house for lunch, the electricity was out and stayed out until almost 9pm. In the late evening, we had to get gas for the generator to keep the fridges running. It was hot, sticky, sweaty and noisy. I did get a nap, though. I have a battery-operated fan that I use in extreme emergencies. It’s not very big and not strong at all, but it felt good moving the air across me a little bit.
I spent the rest of the day doing non-electric stuff like working on Bible Study notes and notes for my blog. Good ole pencil and paper!
The team went out to multiple churches in the evening. The cooks finished preparing the dinner by flashlight and generator. Everyone ate by flashlight. Very cozy!
We all cheered when the electricity came back on. We slept very well that night!
The team went out to do Fiestas in the morning.
Lesly and I went to the market by the bus terminal to buy the weekly produce for the Feeding Centers. The market is crowded and noisy and so interesting! There is one particular section that we buy most of our produce from. They are very friendly and honest. They will also carry our huge bags of veggies to the vehicle. I can’t imagine putting a bag of 50-100 pounds on my head and walking blocks. I get a headache just thinking about it! It takes a while to get this shopping spree done each Monday. It is hot and dirty and smelly. It makes me feel ashamed when I have complained about shopping for groceries in the states where it’s air-conditioned, clean and pleasant.
Anyway, I worked more on the lesson notes for the Women’s Bible study and gave them to Lesly to edit (in case Estefanie and I made mistakes). I also worked more on the picture books of the kids at the Feeding Centers, ran to a store to buy some cups and bowls ($ donated by team) for the kids at the Monte Horeb Feeding Center. Mary and Austin (intern) went with me and we had fun driving crazy and getting looks from people in the store when we bought so many cups and bowls.
Mary had went to pick up her passport from the authorities. When we get an extension on our visas (past 30 days), you have to pay a fee of $1 per day past the original 30. If you do this in León, they hold your passport for a week. If you do it in Managua, you get to keep your passport, but it’s an all day trip just to get it done.
While the team went to the beach and Suyapa restaurant for dinner, I stayed at the team house and worked on Feeding Center files and pinned more aprons to sew for the volunteer cooks. It was a very pleasant night.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The team left for Fiestas and a conference. I set up the sewing room for Mary’s class later in the day. We spent most of the day working on the picture books of the kids at the Feeding Centers. The Interns helped out a lot. The team went to the crusade and I stayed back to work, do laundry, make some calls to the states, etc. It was another pleasant night.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Team went out for Fiestas and again and another conference. They are making visits to Feeding Centers on their way home for lunch.
I went with Lesly to drive her on errands. Back at the team house, I worked on Bible Study notes and emails, and of course, more pics for the Feeding Center books.
Estafanie and went to the Ladies Bible Study at La Quimera. We always have a great time with the ladies there. I took Estafanie home and felt very comfortable as I’m learning my way back home from different places in the town.
One of the ladies on the team, Connie, loves to sew and she worked very hard making many of the aprons that we had cut out and pinned. I was so thankful to her for all of her sewing help!
The team went to do the crusade and it was a good night!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
The team left for Fiesats and conference as usual. I chatted with Auxiliodor when she came to pick up the meet for the Monte Horeb Feeding Center. It’s nice to get to talk to Pastor Brian each morning, also, as he stops in to get the meat for the LQFC.
Mayela and I went downtown to take care of some business. I’ve been lucky to have access to a vehicle most of the time. It’s a hassle to drive and to park, but is very nice to have a vehicle on the long journeys.
We finally got the PayPal feature fixed on the VOH website and I could send some money down. I was excited!
Haley was sick and stayed back at the mission house while the team went to the crusade. We visited for a while. I fixed us some pasta for dinner and it was a quiet evening.
Mike needed to keep the Explorer here at the team house for the morning, so when he arrived we drove back to his house to drop him off and then I drove back to the team house. I made one wrong turn, which is not good at night, but I found familiar ground and made it home just fine.
When the team got back from the crusade, we got email addresses for anyone wanting to be on our newsletter list and also if they wanted to be considered for internships for next year.
Then everyone got packed up and ready to leave early in the morning. They would be staying in Managua after their Fun Day.
Friday, June 22, 2012
The team from the Highridge, Lifesong, and Temple Churches left at 6:30am for Fun Day and an overnight in Managua before flying back to the states on Saturday.
Everyone here at the team house was busy stripping beds, cleaning rooms, buying groceries, and getting ready for the Crosslife Church team that would arrive early evening. The changeover went pretty well!
I worked on Feeding Center files, emails, downloading pics to Facebook, etc.
Mayela and I went to visit the San Jacinto Feeding Center. It’s new and the volunteers are wonderful. I don’t know the ladies very well yet, but I’m very thankful for them! The kids are very thankful for the good lunch 5 days a week. God is really blessing!
On the way back from San Jacinto, Mayela and I stopped in at the La Quimera community. We didn’t go to the church/feeding center, because we didn’t want Pastor Brian to see us. We were dropping off some refreshments for a surprise party for him that would be held the next day. We weren’t sure where Syliva lived, so we stopped on the dirt road and yelled ‘Sylvia!!!’. One of her neighbors went to get her. It was kind of funny.
The Crosslife team arrived and got settled into their rooms.
Another funny thing that happened was that 2 of the Interns who went to escort the departing team on Fun Day, mistakenly got left with the group. The drivers had no idea that they were coming back to the team house. After a couple of phone calls, and just a short wait, they were picked up and brought back to León. That was a first!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
The Crosslife team went on their Fun Day at the beginning of their ministry week, instead of at the end. This was the first time they went on a Fun Day. They usually leave a day early. They had a good time, although there was a misunderstanding on the part of the Intern in charge of the group and they didn’t eat dinner before returning to the team house. It took a lot of phone calls and even more waiting time, but they ordered and picked up pizza for the group for dinner.
I really enjoy some of the people on the team. I got to spend some time chatting with a few of them during the day. It was great.
I worked a little more on Feeding Center stuff and pinned some more aprons. It was a good day.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
The team split into groups and went to several churches in the morning.
I went to La Quimer church as usual. It was decorated from the Father’s Day party the day before. It was a special party for Pastor Brian. The church loves having him as their spiritual Father. There had been 3 ladies doing some folk dancing for the party and Pastor Brian wanted them to do it for me (VOH) on Sunday. I took some pics and some video. It was fun.
When everyone got back to the team house for lunch, the electricity was out and stayed out until almost 9pm. In the late evening, we had to get gas for the generator to keep the fridges running. It was hot, sticky, sweaty and noisy. I did get a nap, though. I have a battery-operated fan that I use in extreme emergencies. It’s not very big and not strong at all, but it felt good moving the air across me a little bit.
I spent the rest of the day doing non-electric stuff like working on Bible Study notes and notes for my blog. Good ole pencil and paper!
The team went out to multiple churches in the evening. The cooks finished preparing the dinner by flashlight and generator. Everyone ate by flashlight. Very cozy!
We all cheered when the electricity came back on. We slept very well that night!
June 25-30, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
The team went out to do multiple Fiestas in the morning and a conference.
Lesly and I went to the market at the bus terminal to buy the weekly veggies for the feeding centers. Mayela travels by bus from Chinendega, so we called her and had her find us in the market instead of taking the little bus to the mission house. We also stopped at the grocery store, 2 bookstores and got ice and water for the mission house.
My money come in from the states, so I could finally go and buy the things that were on my ever-growing list.
After working on computer, including downloading pics to facebook, Mayela and I went to town to get some things taken care of. Mayela got a new phone and then we went to 2 stores to buy plastic chairs and a plastic table for me to use as an outdoor office just outside my room. I dropped Mayela off at the bus terminal and headed back home.
The team had decided not to go to the beach and Suyapa restaurant, so we had some yummy Mexican casserole (Sherry’s recipie) for dinner and everyone enjoyed the pool and relaxed.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The team went out for Fiestas and conference.
I worked on emails and also put together a document for the Women’s Mission trip in October. I had been working on sketches for some banners for a couple of churches. I showed them to Mike and he picked 4 he likes. Now I can go forward with that project. (where will I find the time??)
We did more work on picture books (every team that comes down gets one to take back to their home church). Lesly and I did some shopping for the ministry in the afternoon, and I got some items for the sewing class.
I spent more time on the computer at the mission house, doing emails and messages. 5 people had to stay back from the crusade because they were sick, so I visited with them a little bit. When it starts getting dusk, the mosquitoes come out, so I retire to my room about 6pm. I like to have things to do in there (study, computer, Bible study, sewing, etc), so I was happy to have a dress of Sherry’s to alter. I enjoyed a video and sewed until bedtime. Good day!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The team went out as usual and got busy on the computer. I sent about 20 emails with the Women’s trip document attached. I’m excited to see who all God is planning on bringing here to Nica to minister during this special week!
I drove Lesly for shopping for groceries for Lydia and meds for me.
Then I prepared for Women’s Bible Study. The ladies love having handouts to work from. And I love their interaction.
We had a wonderful Bible study! Estefanie said it was her favorite one so far. The ladies really got into it and we have wonderful discussions. I’m always so blessed on Bible Study days!
I took Estefanie home and returned to the team house to eat my yummy dinner of Monterrey Chicken sandwich that I got at On the Run on the way home. There were 2 people who stayed back form the crusade, so I checked on them. It was a quiet night and I enjoyed working more on the sketches for the banners.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The team went out for their last day of Fiestas and conferences. They have been making visits to the feeding centers and went to a school. It’s been a good week for them.
I worked on the computer some more while the team was out. I have better internet access when everyone is gone with their smartphones and I get a lot more concentration time, too.
Mayela and I visited the San Jacinto and La Quimera feeding centers in the late morning.
I taught sewing class in the afternoon. We made hair scrunchies and headbands with little petals. They were cute, but we didn’t have our measurements down quite right. The ladies said the little ones might work for kids, but one woman said if she put it on her baby’s head, it would kill the baby. Needless to way, these women have a warped sense of humor just like me!
One person stayed back from the crusade as sick, but we had a great chat. More computer work in my room completed my day.
Friday, June 29, 2012
The Crosslife team left early morning for the airport. Their week culminated in 1682 salvations from all of the Fiestas, school visits, conferences and 3 nights of crusade services.
After working on the team house to help get it ready to turn over for the next team coming, the Interns got ready and I took them and Mary to lunch at Al Carbon. It was delicious, but it did take really long to get our food. We got good and full and started walking back to the van, which was parked a few blocks away. It started raining really hard and we got drenched. It was funny. Right when we all got back into the van, the rain went from a downpour to nothing all at once.
We returned to the team house and relaxed. I took Lesly to do some errands and took her and Jorge home. Then I went back to the mission house and worked on the computer for a while.
The Interns cooked dinner (mac n cheese with velveeta) and cookies. Charlie treated us to Tip Top Chicken delivery. I talked to the restaurant guy on the phone and we had a good time with my Spanish and his English. I love conversations like that. We ended our interchange by complimenting each other on our language skills (no matter they were rough). We all ate way too much. Who can resist cookies hot out of the oven???
The Interns had a last night of devotions and prayer together. They will be missed very much! It has been a pleasure to serve with them this month!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Interns left at 3am and 8am for Managua for their flights. It was bittersweet seeing them go.
I started getting some laundry caught up before the workers started on the towels and sheets again. It’s always good to get laundry done. We carry our clothes out to the washer and dryer, which are outside of another building. Every time I do that, I think of how spoiled we are in the US to have a laundry room so convenient to us. And I think of how spoiled we are at the team house to have a washer and dryer at all. Most people here wash by hand. I’m thankful I don’t have to do all of my laundry that way!
Manuel was here for part of the morning, but left with Mike when he was getting a little hard to handle. I miss the days when Manuel could hang out with me and Mary for hours and we would have so much fun together. Maybe some day they will get his medicines worked out and we will have our old Manuel back.
Mayela came to work for the day directing the workers to get the house ready for the team. She was walking around with a clipboard so that she wouldn’t forget anything that Sherry told her to do. Mary thought the clipboard was funny, and followed Mayela around a little bit. I told Mayela not to take it personally. She and I actually work a lot a like, making lists and checking them off. I think that’s why we work together so well. Mayela left at 3pm and Mary and I rested in our rooms until the team got here about 4pm.
We had a brief team meeting and had dinner. We chatted awhile and the team broke up into groups to practice their songs for the week. It was such a sweet spirit here at the team house. I loved it!
I got the chance to sit with Charlie and chat a while. We’ve been so busy with our different responsibilities with the ministry that we haven’t had any good talks. It was very nice.
I went to bed listening to the team singing and talking and laughing. It was great!
The team went out to do multiple Fiestas in the morning and a conference.
Lesly and I went to the market at the bus terminal to buy the weekly veggies for the feeding centers. Mayela travels by bus from Chinendega, so we called her and had her find us in the market instead of taking the little bus to the mission house. We also stopped at the grocery store, 2 bookstores and got ice and water for the mission house.
My money come in from the states, so I could finally go and buy the things that were on my ever-growing list.
After working on computer, including downloading pics to facebook, Mayela and I went to town to get some things taken care of. Mayela got a new phone and then we went to 2 stores to buy plastic chairs and a plastic table for me to use as an outdoor office just outside my room. I dropped Mayela off at the bus terminal and headed back home.
The team had decided not to go to the beach and Suyapa restaurant, so we had some yummy Mexican casserole (Sherry’s recipie) for dinner and everyone enjoyed the pool and relaxed.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The team went out for Fiestas and conference.
I worked on emails and also put together a document for the Women’s Mission trip in October. I had been working on sketches for some banners for a couple of churches. I showed them to Mike and he picked 4 he likes. Now I can go forward with that project. (where will I find the time??)
We did more work on picture books (every team that comes down gets one to take back to their home church). Lesly and I did some shopping for the ministry in the afternoon, and I got some items for the sewing class.
I spent more time on the computer at the mission house, doing emails and messages. 5 people had to stay back from the crusade because they were sick, so I visited with them a little bit. When it starts getting dusk, the mosquitoes come out, so I retire to my room about 6pm. I like to have things to do in there (study, computer, Bible study, sewing, etc), so I was happy to have a dress of Sherry’s to alter. I enjoyed a video and sewed until bedtime. Good day!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The team went out as usual and got busy on the computer. I sent about 20 emails with the Women’s trip document attached. I’m excited to see who all God is planning on bringing here to Nica to minister during this special week!
I drove Lesly for shopping for groceries for Lydia and meds for me.
Then I prepared for Women’s Bible Study. The ladies love having handouts to work from. And I love their interaction.
We had a wonderful Bible study! Estefanie said it was her favorite one so far. The ladies really got into it and we have wonderful discussions. I’m always so blessed on Bible Study days!
I took Estefanie home and returned to the team house to eat my yummy dinner of Monterrey Chicken sandwich that I got at On the Run on the way home. There were 2 people who stayed back form the crusade, so I checked on them. It was a quiet night and I enjoyed working more on the sketches for the banners.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The team went out for their last day of Fiestas and conferences. They have been making visits to the feeding centers and went to a school. It’s been a good week for them.
I worked on the computer some more while the team was out. I have better internet access when everyone is gone with their smartphones and I get a lot more concentration time, too.
Mayela and I visited the San Jacinto and La Quimera feeding centers in the late morning.
I taught sewing class in the afternoon. We made hair scrunchies and headbands with little petals. They were cute, but we didn’t have our measurements down quite right. The ladies said the little ones might work for kids, but one woman said if she put it on her baby’s head, it would kill the baby. Needless to way, these women have a warped sense of humor just like me!
One person stayed back from the crusade as sick, but we had a great chat. More computer work in my room completed my day.
Friday, June 29, 2012
The Crosslife team left early morning for the airport. Their week culminated in 1682 salvations from all of the Fiestas, school visits, conferences and 3 nights of crusade services.
After working on the team house to help get it ready to turn over for the next team coming, the Interns got ready and I took them and Mary to lunch at Al Carbon. It was delicious, but it did take really long to get our food. We got good and full and started walking back to the van, which was parked a few blocks away. It started raining really hard and we got drenched. It was funny. Right when we all got back into the van, the rain went from a downpour to nothing all at once.
We returned to the team house and relaxed. I took Lesly to do some errands and took her and Jorge home. Then I went back to the mission house and worked on the computer for a while.
The Interns cooked dinner (mac n cheese with velveeta) and cookies. Charlie treated us to Tip Top Chicken delivery. I talked to the restaurant guy on the phone and we had a good time with my Spanish and his English. I love conversations like that. We ended our interchange by complimenting each other on our language skills (no matter they were rough). We all ate way too much. Who can resist cookies hot out of the oven???
The Interns had a last night of devotions and prayer together. They will be missed very much! It has been a pleasure to serve with them this month!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Interns left at 3am and 8am for Managua for their flights. It was bittersweet seeing them go.
I started getting some laundry caught up before the workers started on the towels and sheets again. It’s always good to get laundry done. We carry our clothes out to the washer and dryer, which are outside of another building. Every time I do that, I think of how spoiled we are in the US to have a laundry room so convenient to us. And I think of how spoiled we are at the team house to have a washer and dryer at all. Most people here wash by hand. I’m thankful I don’t have to do all of my laundry that way!
Manuel was here for part of the morning, but left with Mike when he was getting a little hard to handle. I miss the days when Manuel could hang out with me and Mary for hours and we would have so much fun together. Maybe some day they will get his medicines worked out and we will have our old Manuel back.
Mayela came to work for the day directing the workers to get the house ready for the team. She was walking around with a clipboard so that she wouldn’t forget anything that Sherry told her to do. Mary thought the clipboard was funny, and followed Mayela around a little bit. I told Mayela not to take it personally. She and I actually work a lot a like, making lists and checking them off. I think that’s why we work together so well. Mayela left at 3pm and Mary and I rested in our rooms until the team got here about 4pm.
We had a brief team meeting and had dinner. We chatted awhile and the team broke up into groups to practice their songs for the week. It was such a sweet spirit here at the team house. I loved it!
I got the chance to sit with Charlie and chat a while. We’ve been so busy with our different responsibilities with the ministry that we haven’t had any good talks. It was very nice.
I went to bed listening to the team singing and talking and laughing. It was great!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
June 15 - 17, 2012
Friday (6/15) started with waking up to new faces. Mary, Mike, as well as part of the Estelí team arrived late night on Thursday. They are here to do a crusade in Posoltega this week. We all scrunched into a van and went to the Feeding Center at San Jacinto that was celebrating its first meal for the kids. We took a piñata and cookies to supplement the lunch. We met 4 of the cooks and I was blown away to find out that they have over 30 women who have volunteered to cook during the month. (one of the other feeding centers has been so difficult as far as cooks, that Sherry had to have a stern talk with the moms in the area) The kids received their IDs and a good hot lunch. God is working miracles in allowing us to provide food for these feeding centers. The team rested and went downtown for a little while for them to look around. I worked on computer stuff and feeding center records in the evening.
Saturday (6/16) Vans left to pick up the rest of the teams arriving for this week’s crusade. Of course, there were some delays, but everyone made it in safely before 8pm (scheduled to arrive in mid afternoon). It was raining hard and most of the team made it to the church service. I stayed back at the team house with Mary and we made sure that dinner was ready for everyone coming in late. We also helped them find their rooms and get settled for the night. Earlier in the day, I worked in the sewing room on preparing fabric and machines for a marathon Apron Sewing project. I’m thrilled that Connie (a team member) is happy to help out with the sewing. She is such a blessing to me! We’re making a total of about 60 aprons for the cooks at the feeding centers and I’m looking for all the help I can get! I did get a really nice nap in, though. I spent almost all day on apron project and felt good about the chunk of work we got done. I’m excited to get back to work on them this week. The group that was already here got to go to the beach for the morning. It was a great time of rest and relaxation for these guys after the week they spent at the Crusade in Estelí. I’m glad that they got to enjoy themselves.
Today, Sunday (6/17) We started off with groups going to different churches this morning. We had a wonderful lunch of grilled chicken, coleslaw, beans, rice and tortilla. After team orientation by Mike, the group split into work groups. Some prepared the toys and prizes for the Fiestas, the prizes and giveaways for the Conferences (Men, Women, Youth) this week, Mary and a few ladies helped clean up some changes in the Feeding Center sponsor picture books and I worked all afternoon putting new pictures in the picture book for La Quimera. A lot of work was accomplished today. I went to La Quimera church with Sherry, Manuel, Calen, Fred and Jonathan. Fred was going to preach as we dedicated the soccer team that is going to represent the church, but the players didn’t show up (they had a game!), so Pastor Brian did a great job. Before he got there, Manuel had Jonathan translate for him as he preached. He also got to help take up the offering. After collecting the money, he took it to Brian and ‘high-fived’ him. It was cute. Also, someone had a parakeet at church and Manuel had it on his finger. It was all fun until the bird pooped on Manuel’s hand. hahah
God has brought together teams from 3 different churches this week to work together on the Crusade in Posoltega. Mayela and I will try to get back to our regular work schedule on the Feeding Centers this week. There will be lots of Salvations and blessings galore this week. We have a great group and they are gelling well. God’s people are amazing!
Saturday (6/16) Vans left to pick up the rest of the teams arriving for this week’s crusade. Of course, there were some delays, but everyone made it in safely before 8pm (scheduled to arrive in mid afternoon). It was raining hard and most of the team made it to the church service. I stayed back at the team house with Mary and we made sure that dinner was ready for everyone coming in late. We also helped them find their rooms and get settled for the night. Earlier in the day, I worked in the sewing room on preparing fabric and machines for a marathon Apron Sewing project. I’m thrilled that Connie (a team member) is happy to help out with the sewing. She is such a blessing to me! We’re making a total of about 60 aprons for the cooks at the feeding centers and I’m looking for all the help I can get! I did get a really nice nap in, though. I spent almost all day on apron project and felt good about the chunk of work we got done. I’m excited to get back to work on them this week. The group that was already here got to go to the beach for the morning. It was a great time of rest and relaxation for these guys after the week they spent at the Crusade in Estelí. I’m glad that they got to enjoy themselves.
Today, Sunday (6/17) We started off with groups going to different churches this morning. We had a wonderful lunch of grilled chicken, coleslaw, beans, rice and tortilla. After team orientation by Mike, the group split into work groups. Some prepared the toys and prizes for the Fiestas, the prizes and giveaways for the Conferences (Men, Women, Youth) this week, Mary and a few ladies helped clean up some changes in the Feeding Center sponsor picture books and I worked all afternoon putting new pictures in the picture book for La Quimera. A lot of work was accomplished today. I went to La Quimera church with Sherry, Manuel, Calen, Fred and Jonathan. Fred was going to preach as we dedicated the soccer team that is going to represent the church, but the players didn’t show up (they had a game!), so Pastor Brian did a great job. Before he got there, Manuel had Jonathan translate for him as he preached. He also got to help take up the offering. After collecting the money, he took it to Brian and ‘high-fived’ him. It was cute. Also, someone had a parakeet at church and Manuel had it on his finger. It was all fun until the bird pooped on Manuel’s hand. hahah
God has brought together teams from 3 different churches this week to work together on the Crusade in Posoltega. Mayela and I will try to get back to our regular work schedule on the Feeding Centers this week. There will be lots of Salvations and blessings galore this week. We have a great group and they are gelling well. God’s people are amazing!
June 10 - 14, 2012
June 10 – 14, 2012
Sunday (6/10) started with Mary and Mike leaving the team house about 6am to pick up translators and heading to Estelí. The interns started the cleaning process on the team house after the Pastor’s conference from the weekend. They stripped the sheets off of all the 60+ beds, gathered dirty towels, trash and other items so that the rooms would be ready to be swept, mopped and prepared for the team coming in a week. We went to La Quimera church and Rachel gave her testimony and the three girls sang. Then all 5 interns helped with the kids’ church. Sherry had our lunch ready when we got home and then we had time in the afternoon to relax. The interns hit the pool and also kept up with washing load after load of towels. Mike had to come back to León to get some supplies that didn’t make it on the van, so he brought Rick Dean, one of our boardmembers to see the team house and feeding centers. I got to meet Rick and had a wonderful conversation with him. Rick and Mike left at 4am the next morning.
Monday (6/11) Auxiliodoro and Pastor Pedro both came early to pick up meat for their feeding centers. I dropped the interns off at the Shalom preschool for some VBS time, ran to La Union to get snacks for the VBS and while I was checking out, Sherry called me with a need for the team house. I checked the grocery bags and ran back to the meat department to get chicken for our lunch. Then I dropped the supplies off at the VBS and took the chicken to the team house and returned to VBS to pick up the interns. I’m thankful it was all on the way and I didn’t have to try to get back and forth across town. The VBS went really well. The kids are so sweet! I then dropped Mayela, Calen and Rachel off at the Monte Horeb Feeding Center (for pics and info) and took the guys and Haley with me to shop for men’s shoes for Mary to give to a little man at San Jacinto community. We found a good deal (a God thing) and went back for the girls at Monte Horeb. After lunch, I took a taxi to get my haircut and had a great time there by myself. The lady and I talked about her family and my family and did quite well without a translator. The interns helped sort and bag the veggies for the Feeding Centers. I took Lesly and Mayela with me for errands and then dropped Lesly off to go home and took Mayela on another errand and dropped her at the Bus Terminal. I got back for dinner and then printed off IDs for the San Jacinto Feeding Center. The interns worked on them while chatting in the evening.
Tuesday (6/12) The Interns went back to the Shalom preschool VBS. We ran a few errands and then got gas and headed to the La Quimera Feeding Center. Afterward, we dropped Estefanie off so she could attend her afternoon classes at the university. After lunch we weighed and measured the monthly staples (rice, beans, sugar, etc) for the feeding centers. We used the Nica scales, which are a bowl attached by string to a wooden stick. By holding the tool by specific pieces of string, you can weigh from ½ pounds to 4 pounds in the bowl. Pretty neat. I did some computer work and then found out that our evening church service was cancelled. I dropped the interns downtown for some quick shopping and took Mayela to the Bus Terminal and then went back for the interns. I got a little shopping done while waiting on them (elastic for sewing class, sharpies, bookends, snacks for Bible study). I enjoyed the evening in my room hemming 2 pairs of pants for Lesly. (I love having hand work to do while watching a video). I got the chance to talk to my Mom twice by phone.
Wednesday (6/13) I called and talked to my sister Sandy. We’ve been having phone and internet issues lately for some reason, so I take advantage of the opportunity to connect. Calen, Austin and I took the monthly food to Monte Horeb and got more pics and info. Calen and Haley went with me to the Women’s Bible Study at Las Quimeras. They shared their testimonies and we had a really good time with the ladies. There were only about 10 there, I think due to the rainy weather, but it was fun. We had brought the monthly food for that feeding center, so we hurried and unloaded it all before the rain got too strong. I did computer work that night and also called my sweet ‘daughter’ Kelly, whose husband, my sweet ‘son’ Jeremy, was in Estelí for the week. She was doing well with him gone by having friends spend lots of time with her. It was good to hear her voice.
Thursday (6/14) Our regular cook, Lydia, is sick and Sherry was working with Erika (an assistant to Lydia when we have teams) for cooking for us when the teams arrive. Erika was game, but the next day had to quit because her husband is going out of the country for a little while and she has 2 small children to take care of. So Sherry was scrambling to find a replacement just days before we start our back to back teams for the summer. Liana has helped us before and Sherry sent me and Erika and Jassiel to find her. We got to her neighborhood and found a teenaged boy to help us find her house. He jumped in the Sportage with us and directed us. His directions were pretty comical. We found Liana and she agreed to come to talk to Sherry. She jumped in the car and off we went. Before we got back on the highway, they all were yelling at me to stop. I had forgotten to let the boy get out of the car. He must have thought that I was kidnapping him! LOL Anyway, Liana came to talk with Sherry and all is well. She will cook for us this summer while Lydia is sick. I took Saturnino to the Monte Horeb feeding center to spray for bugs. While there, the neighbor girl wanted us to come and spray her mom’s house, too. I think if we would have done that, we would have ended up doing the whole community. Which is kind of a neat mission for the future… Sherry took Mayela, Lesly, Jorge and all the interns to the beach and horseback riding for their last quiet afternoon. I stayed back at the team house and got tons of work done (love my quiet time) and finished my laundry (including sheets) and was a happy camper! They ate dinner at Suyapa and I had yummy left overs from the fridge. Everyone was satisfied.
Tomorrow will bring a new phase to the summer missions. Ready for the busy season! Ready for the Harvest!!!
Sunday (6/10) started with Mary and Mike leaving the team house about 6am to pick up translators and heading to Estelí. The interns started the cleaning process on the team house after the Pastor’s conference from the weekend. They stripped the sheets off of all the 60+ beds, gathered dirty towels, trash and other items so that the rooms would be ready to be swept, mopped and prepared for the team coming in a week. We went to La Quimera church and Rachel gave her testimony and the three girls sang. Then all 5 interns helped with the kids’ church. Sherry had our lunch ready when we got home and then we had time in the afternoon to relax. The interns hit the pool and also kept up with washing load after load of towels. Mike had to come back to León to get some supplies that didn’t make it on the van, so he brought Rick Dean, one of our boardmembers to see the team house and feeding centers. I got to meet Rick and had a wonderful conversation with him. Rick and Mike left at 4am the next morning.
Monday (6/11) Auxiliodoro and Pastor Pedro both came early to pick up meat for their feeding centers. I dropped the interns off at the Shalom preschool for some VBS time, ran to La Union to get snacks for the VBS and while I was checking out, Sherry called me with a need for the team house. I checked the grocery bags and ran back to the meat department to get chicken for our lunch. Then I dropped the supplies off at the VBS and took the chicken to the team house and returned to VBS to pick up the interns. I’m thankful it was all on the way and I didn’t have to try to get back and forth across town. The VBS went really well. The kids are so sweet! I then dropped Mayela, Calen and Rachel off at the Monte Horeb Feeding Center (for pics and info) and took the guys and Haley with me to shop for men’s shoes for Mary to give to a little man at San Jacinto community. We found a good deal (a God thing) and went back for the girls at Monte Horeb. After lunch, I took a taxi to get my haircut and had a great time there by myself. The lady and I talked about her family and my family and did quite well without a translator. The interns helped sort and bag the veggies for the Feeding Centers. I took Lesly and Mayela with me for errands and then dropped Lesly off to go home and took Mayela on another errand and dropped her at the Bus Terminal. I got back for dinner and then printed off IDs for the San Jacinto Feeding Center. The interns worked on them while chatting in the evening.
Tuesday (6/12) The Interns went back to the Shalom preschool VBS. We ran a few errands and then got gas and headed to the La Quimera Feeding Center. Afterward, we dropped Estefanie off so she could attend her afternoon classes at the university. After lunch we weighed and measured the monthly staples (rice, beans, sugar, etc) for the feeding centers. We used the Nica scales, which are a bowl attached by string to a wooden stick. By holding the tool by specific pieces of string, you can weigh from ½ pounds to 4 pounds in the bowl. Pretty neat. I did some computer work and then found out that our evening church service was cancelled. I dropped the interns downtown for some quick shopping and took Mayela to the Bus Terminal and then went back for the interns. I got a little shopping done while waiting on them (elastic for sewing class, sharpies, bookends, snacks for Bible study). I enjoyed the evening in my room hemming 2 pairs of pants for Lesly. (I love having hand work to do while watching a video). I got the chance to talk to my Mom twice by phone.
Wednesday (6/13) I called and talked to my sister Sandy. We’ve been having phone and internet issues lately for some reason, so I take advantage of the opportunity to connect. Calen, Austin and I took the monthly food to Monte Horeb and got more pics and info. Calen and Haley went with me to the Women’s Bible Study at Las Quimeras. They shared their testimonies and we had a really good time with the ladies. There were only about 10 there, I think due to the rainy weather, but it was fun. We had brought the monthly food for that feeding center, so we hurried and unloaded it all before the rain got too strong. I did computer work that night and also called my sweet ‘daughter’ Kelly, whose husband, my sweet ‘son’ Jeremy, was in Estelí for the week. She was doing well with him gone by having friends spend lots of time with her. It was good to hear her voice.
Thursday (6/14) Our regular cook, Lydia, is sick and Sherry was working with Erika (an assistant to Lydia when we have teams) for cooking for us when the teams arrive. Erika was game, but the next day had to quit because her husband is going out of the country for a little while and she has 2 small children to take care of. So Sherry was scrambling to find a replacement just days before we start our back to back teams for the summer. Liana has helped us before and Sherry sent me and Erika and Jassiel to find her. We got to her neighborhood and found a teenaged boy to help us find her house. He jumped in the Sportage with us and directed us. His directions were pretty comical. We found Liana and she agreed to come to talk to Sherry. She jumped in the car and off we went. Before we got back on the highway, they all were yelling at me to stop. I had forgotten to let the boy get out of the car. He must have thought that I was kidnapping him! LOL Anyway, Liana came to talk with Sherry and all is well. She will cook for us this summer while Lydia is sick. I took Saturnino to the Monte Horeb feeding center to spray for bugs. While there, the neighbor girl wanted us to come and spray her mom’s house, too. I think if we would have done that, we would have ended up doing the whole community. Which is kind of a neat mission for the future… Sherry took Mayela, Lesly, Jorge and all the interns to the beach and horseback riding for their last quiet afternoon. I stayed back at the team house and got tons of work done (love my quiet time) and finished my laundry (including sheets) and was a happy camper! They ate dinner at Suyapa and I had yummy left overs from the fridge. Everyone was satisfied.
Tomorrow will bring a new phase to the summer missions. Ready for the busy season! Ready for the Harvest!!!
June 1 - 9, 2012
June 1 - 9, 2012
I’m posting this on June 17 and it’s been over half a month since I’ve posted and that’s not like me at all. But the more I got behind, the more daunting the task of catching up. I tend to run on and on normally, so this will be an improvement in condensing my daily treks here in Nica.
I arrived back in León on Thursday night (May 31). I spent Friday unpacking, and giving away all the goodies that I brought back from the states. A few of us went on a recon trip to find the areas where we would be doing VBS with the interns the coming week. I met with Estefanie and worked on the Bible study notes that she translated for me into Spanish. The interns arrived later in the evening. It was a good day.
Saturday (6/1) was orientation for the interns: Haley, Rachel, Calen, Austin and Zachary. Charlie Brown is staying the summer here, also. I did some computer work and then took the interns downtown for some orienting and shopping. We all went to Suyapa for dinner.
Sunday (6/3) we went to La Quimera church. I worked on communication stuff and rested and then we all went to Todopoderoso church in the evening. We got home to no electricity for a large part of the evening. Welcome to Nicaragua, interns!!!
Monday (6/4) The interns went with Mayela and me to Monte Horeb Feeding Center and played and face painted while Mayela and I took new pics and gathered more info on the kids. We had to stop at a couple of librerias (bookstore/stationary store) before we settled on the appropriate paint. In the afternoon, Mayela and I worked on Feeding Center computer stuff and the interns went with Lesly to the market to buy the weekly produce for 4 Feeding Centers. In the late afternoon, Mary and I took the interns to Tip Top for dinner and then to La Union (grocery store) before heading back to the team house.
Tuesday (6/5) was another day for working at the Feeding Centers. This time we went to La Quimera and the interns did the same thing. After lunch, we went to the copy place to make color sheets for VBS, hardware stores (teeny places) to try to find a light bulb for Mary’s desk lamp (didn’t find one) and then to Eskimo for ice cream. When we got back to the team house, I went swimming with the interns and we had a nice evening. The interns worked on putting the pics in the photo album for the San Jacinto Feeding Center.
Wednesday (6/6) we stayed here at the team house all morning. Mayela and I had tons of computer work to do after visiting the feeding centers on Monday and Tuesday. The interns pulled stuff together for VBS next week. In the afternoon, Sherry & Mike took everyone to Poneloya beach and Suyapa for dinner. I stayed back at the team house and enjoyed the quiet and got a lot of work done. It was a blessing for me as well as everyone else.
Thursday (6/7) The interns helped Mary give out reading glasses at Monte Horeb. Sherry, Mayela and I met with some of the women of the Monte Horeb community trying to get volunteers to help cook the meals for the kids. After lunch, the interns did VBS in a new (to us) neighborhood that is located near a cement wall with a pepsi sign painted on it. Since I can’t remember the name of the neighborhood, I just call it the Pepsi neighborhood. I worked on the computer and did laundry.
There was a Pastor’s conference held at our team house (aka Hotel Berlin) and over 60 people were staying overnight from Thursday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. They were everywhere and we stayed pretty much in our rooms. This doesn’t bother me at all because I have tons of computer work and lessons to work on and reading on my Kindle and sewing, etc.
Friday (6/8) The interns went to La Quimera to pass out reading glasses to the folks there. The interns did a second day of VBS at the Pepsi neighborhood and I did a lot of computer catching up.
Saturday (6/9) We left early to do a VBS at a remote neighborhood that I first visited 2 years ago. We had to drive a little while and then park the van at the end of the rutted road and walk about a mile through a field to the little school. There was some mix up on vehicles (due to lack of communication – which happens a lot with us) and then we missed our turn off (which happens a lot with us) and then we put a Pastor and his 3 kids in with our already overflowing van (which happens a lot with us). It was a good VBS and we all had fun. And some of the kids prayed to receive Christ!!! Later that day, Charlie and Jeremy left to pick up some of the team going to Estelí for the crusade. I drove the interns and Mary downtown to the movies. I don’t go because of my hearing problem, but I enjoyed my time alone with some Spanish lessons and then ordered pizza to bring home with us. Everyone liked the movie and we had yummy pizza for dinner and the interns swam some more. We were so happy for the Pastor’s conference to be over so we could roam around our compound. It was the last time that we are renting out the place and that is wonderful!
Now it was time to gear up for a busy week of ministry while part of the staff was in Estelí for the crusade!!
I’m posting this on June 17 and it’s been over half a month since I’ve posted and that’s not like me at all. But the more I got behind, the more daunting the task of catching up. I tend to run on and on normally, so this will be an improvement in condensing my daily treks here in Nica.
I arrived back in León on Thursday night (May 31). I spent Friday unpacking, and giving away all the goodies that I brought back from the states. A few of us went on a recon trip to find the areas where we would be doing VBS with the interns the coming week. I met with Estefanie and worked on the Bible study notes that she translated for me into Spanish. The interns arrived later in the evening. It was a good day.
Saturday (6/1) was orientation for the interns: Haley, Rachel, Calen, Austin and Zachary. Charlie Brown is staying the summer here, also. I did some computer work and then took the interns downtown for some orienting and shopping. We all went to Suyapa for dinner.
Sunday (6/3) we went to La Quimera church. I worked on communication stuff and rested and then we all went to Todopoderoso church in the evening. We got home to no electricity for a large part of the evening. Welcome to Nicaragua, interns!!!
Monday (6/4) The interns went with Mayela and me to Monte Horeb Feeding Center and played and face painted while Mayela and I took new pics and gathered more info on the kids. We had to stop at a couple of librerias (bookstore/stationary store) before we settled on the appropriate paint. In the afternoon, Mayela and I worked on Feeding Center computer stuff and the interns went with Lesly to the market to buy the weekly produce for 4 Feeding Centers. In the late afternoon, Mary and I took the interns to Tip Top for dinner and then to La Union (grocery store) before heading back to the team house.
Tuesday (6/5) was another day for working at the Feeding Centers. This time we went to La Quimera and the interns did the same thing. After lunch, we went to the copy place to make color sheets for VBS, hardware stores (teeny places) to try to find a light bulb for Mary’s desk lamp (didn’t find one) and then to Eskimo for ice cream. When we got back to the team house, I went swimming with the interns and we had a nice evening. The interns worked on putting the pics in the photo album for the San Jacinto Feeding Center.
Wednesday (6/6) we stayed here at the team house all morning. Mayela and I had tons of computer work to do after visiting the feeding centers on Monday and Tuesday. The interns pulled stuff together for VBS next week. In the afternoon, Sherry & Mike took everyone to Poneloya beach and Suyapa for dinner. I stayed back at the team house and enjoyed the quiet and got a lot of work done. It was a blessing for me as well as everyone else.
Thursday (6/7) The interns helped Mary give out reading glasses at Monte Horeb. Sherry, Mayela and I met with some of the women of the Monte Horeb community trying to get volunteers to help cook the meals for the kids. After lunch, the interns did VBS in a new (to us) neighborhood that is located near a cement wall with a pepsi sign painted on it. Since I can’t remember the name of the neighborhood, I just call it the Pepsi neighborhood. I worked on the computer and did laundry.
There was a Pastor’s conference held at our team house (aka Hotel Berlin) and over 60 people were staying overnight from Thursday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. They were everywhere and we stayed pretty much in our rooms. This doesn’t bother me at all because I have tons of computer work and lessons to work on and reading on my Kindle and sewing, etc.
Friday (6/8) The interns went to La Quimera to pass out reading glasses to the folks there. The interns did a second day of VBS at the Pepsi neighborhood and I did a lot of computer catching up.
Saturday (6/9) We left early to do a VBS at a remote neighborhood that I first visited 2 years ago. We had to drive a little while and then park the van at the end of the rutted road and walk about a mile through a field to the little school. There was some mix up on vehicles (due to lack of communication – which happens a lot with us) and then we missed our turn off (which happens a lot with us) and then we put a Pastor and his 3 kids in with our already overflowing van (which happens a lot with us). It was a good VBS and we all had fun. And some of the kids prayed to receive Christ!!! Later that day, Charlie and Jeremy left to pick up some of the team going to Estelí for the crusade. I drove the interns and Mary downtown to the movies. I don’t go because of my hearing problem, but I enjoyed my time alone with some Spanish lessons and then ordered pizza to bring home with us. Everyone liked the movie and we had yummy pizza for dinner and the interns swam some more. We were so happy for the Pastor’s conference to be over so we could roam around our compound. It was the last time that we are renting out the place and that is wonderful!
Now it was time to gear up for a busy week of ministry while part of the staff was in Estelí for the crusade!!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sitting at the airport in Louisville KY (the closest and cheapest airport to my family in Columbus IN). All checked in and ready for my return travel back to Nicaragua. I don’t like travel days at all (because of my stomach and ear problems), but it will be good to be back in Nica. My mind is already getting back into that mindset.
Yesterday, I went with Sandy, Terry, Conner and Isaac to visit my Aunt June and Uncle Mac in Ohio. It was a 2+ hour drive there. We visited for a couple of hours with them at their retirement condo. It was a very nice place. They have always had a huge house (4 boys) and it was a change to move to a 2 bedroom place, but it’s really cute and laid out nice. We stopped for lunch and then at a couple of stores on our way out of Ohio. I found a cute pair of sandals to take back to Nica. We got back to Sandy’s about 6pm and I finished up some laundry and packed for the last time. I slept pretty well considering I had so many things on my mind.
Today, Sandy and Colten (2yr old grandson) and I went to the Credit Union to deposit my checks from Dad’s estate. I put the money in a couple of accounts and took care of some business. Over an hour later, we walked out of the bank and headed south to the Louisville airport.
Colten finally started saying my name on this trip. Although he calls me Icky Jo (Vickie Jo). It’s a start! At least he doesn’t say a curse word before or after my name! haha
Sandy and I were just saying how fast this week has flown by. We had many appointments and were on the road constantly. She only had time to cook at home twice. There was no time for just relaxing. But I got so many things on my list taken care of. I’m thankful for the wonderful weather and the safe travels. Sandy helped me out a lot by making lots of phone calls and doing a lot of research for me so that I could just walk into the appointments and get things done. And we did a TON of shopping. I just about got everything on the Nica shopping list. I couldn’t fit everything I bought into my 2 suitcases, so a large amount will go back to Nica with me in the fall. I tried to prioritize as best I could. I always stress over the weight of my suitcases, and I was between 5-8 pounds underweight, but I was afraid to put anything else in them. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to tote them around everywhere! My carry-on and laptop backpack are enough trouble on the plane.
It would be nice if we could ship things to Nica, but then we would probably take those things for granted. We cherish every ministry supply now since it’s not easy to get them. It’s like Christmas to us!
A funny thing happened as I was going through security at the airport. I am wearing capris with cargo pockets. As I went through the body scanner I set off an alert. Seems that I forgot that I had (foil covered) Werther’s candies in the left cargo pocket. So I had to have my left leg patted down, remove the candy, have the candy x-rayed and then have my leg patted down again. I felt like I was caught by the candy police for eating too many sweets! Ha
I love my hard-sided luggage, especially the carry-on, which I use for a footstool at the airport. It’s nice to stretch my legs and elevate them between flights.
It’s about time to board my first flight, so I’ll finish this later.
Happy travels!
Yesterday, I went with Sandy, Terry, Conner and Isaac to visit my Aunt June and Uncle Mac in Ohio. It was a 2+ hour drive there. We visited for a couple of hours with them at their retirement condo. It was a very nice place. They have always had a huge house (4 boys) and it was a change to move to a 2 bedroom place, but it’s really cute and laid out nice. We stopped for lunch and then at a couple of stores on our way out of Ohio. I found a cute pair of sandals to take back to Nica. We got back to Sandy’s about 6pm and I finished up some laundry and packed for the last time. I slept pretty well considering I had so many things on my mind.
Today, Sandy and Colten (2yr old grandson) and I went to the Credit Union to deposit my checks from Dad’s estate. I put the money in a couple of accounts and took care of some business. Over an hour later, we walked out of the bank and headed south to the Louisville airport.
Colten finally started saying my name on this trip. Although he calls me Icky Jo (Vickie Jo). It’s a start! At least he doesn’t say a curse word before or after my name! haha
Sandy and I were just saying how fast this week has flown by. We had many appointments and were on the road constantly. She only had time to cook at home twice. There was no time for just relaxing. But I got so many things on my list taken care of. I’m thankful for the wonderful weather and the safe travels. Sandy helped me out a lot by making lots of phone calls and doing a lot of research for me so that I could just walk into the appointments and get things done. And we did a TON of shopping. I just about got everything on the Nica shopping list. I couldn’t fit everything I bought into my 2 suitcases, so a large amount will go back to Nica with me in the fall. I tried to prioritize as best I could. I always stress over the weight of my suitcases, and I was between 5-8 pounds underweight, but I was afraid to put anything else in them. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to tote them around everywhere! My carry-on and laptop backpack are enough trouble on the plane.
It would be nice if we could ship things to Nica, but then we would probably take those things for granted. We cherish every ministry supply now since it’s not easy to get them. It’s like Christmas to us!
A funny thing happened as I was going through security at the airport. I am wearing capris with cargo pockets. As I went through the body scanner I set off an alert. Seems that I forgot that I had (foil covered) Werther’s candies in the left cargo pocket. So I had to have my left leg patted down, remove the candy, have the candy x-rayed and then have my leg patted down again. I felt like I was caught by the candy police for eating too many sweets! Ha
I love my hard-sided luggage, especially the carry-on, which I use for a footstool at the airport. It’s nice to stretch my legs and elevate them between flights.
It’s about time to board my first flight, so I’ll finish this later.
Happy travels!
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