Last day of 2010. I'm so blessed to get to spend it here in Nicaragua. I love being here to begin the new year.
Today we held 2 Fiestas. Both in areas that we have not worked in before. Alfonso Cortez and Ruben Dario neighborhoods. Both fiestas went well. We were running out of candy after the first fiesta, so we took up a collection and bought some more at a little pulperia (local one room store) to get us through the second fiesta. You can't have a fiesta de caramelos without the caramelos!!! There were 173 salvations today. Everyone seemed very happy to have us there. The team enjoyed working there, too. I tried to get lots of pictures, especially of the babies! I love the babies!
We stopped off at the Pedrera neighborhood again today so the guys on the team could visit with someone who was needing to get an eye exam. Yesterday was our first time to do a fiesta in that neighborhood. When the kids saw our van pull up today, they got so excited and ran to get their friends. Pastor Chet, Jase and Pacheco were the only ones who got out of the van to visit the man down the street. The rest of us stayed inside the cool van. Some of the kids kept waving and one girl mouthed something to me, but I couldn't figure out what she was saying. I got out of the van to talk with them. She was asking my name. One of the other kids said Biki!! I was surprised they remembered me from just one visit. But I guess I do stand out somewhat down here. :) Anyway, I explained why we were there and that we were not doing another fiesta today. I got them talking and laughing and singing. I grabbed my camera from the van and took some pics and video of them singing. It was so fun. After about 15 minutes, the guys came back and we left. One man had asked me for a Bible and a lady said that she was Christiano. The man had to leave, so when we were ready to depart, I got 2 New Testaments out of the van and gave them to the lady (Ana) to share with the guy (I forget his name now). I really enjoyed just getting to talk with the kids.
We got back to the house for lunch about 12:30pm. We had meat and veggies, rice and beans, slaw and tortillas. It was yummy. Then we had plenty of time for resting and even a nap.
I worked on the computer some, called my sister to see what her latest report from the doctors was, read a little, then took about an hour nap. It was wonderful! Then I woke up and worked on downloading pictures from my camera. I need to upload them to facebook, but it takes a while with the slow internet, so I'll probably work on it tomorrow and Sunday.
We got ready for church and had dinner (canalones - YUM) and then headed into León. We stopped at Eskimo for icecream. Mary and I haven't been there in over a week! We were ready!!!
We headed over to the church a little early. Danilo said it was only about 10 minutes, so we could wait some more, but we were done eating our icecream, and the team could be talking with the congregation instead of just sitting at Eskimo. It's a good thing we went ahead and left, because it took 20 minutes to get there with all the roads being closed down for New Year's celebrations. Lots of piñatas, balloons, tables & chairs and 'viejos'. There is a custom here to stuff clothes to look like old men, kind of like scarecrows, for new year's. They represent old. You set them at your house or a party, then at midnight, you explode them with fireworks. As we were driving home from church tonight we saw many different ones sitting out as people were getting ready to celebrate.
Church service was nice this evening. We went to Jericho church where Pastor Calderon (the main cooking team for our feedings) is the pastor. They asked that our team preach during the 2 hour service between 7 and 9pm, when they were going to celebrate the Lord's Supper. They were also going to have 2 other services back-to-back until the new year. Tony preached the message and Pacheco translated. It was good. Pastor Miguel and his wife and youngest daughter, Hasiel came, too. German and his family met us there. The Lord's supper service was nice. I was very moved to celebrate Jesus' sacrifice and love for me on this special night in this special country. At the end of the service, Pastor Calderon and his wife came forward to be prayed over by the church. They held hands and kneeled and people raised a hand toward them and prayed blessings over them. It was lovely.
At church, I ran into one of the guys who worked at a feeding. He speaks English and gave me his email address and name for facebook. I haven't taken the time to contact him and he also apologized for not contacting me yet. It was nice to see him again. We promised to write.
After church, we came home about 9:30 and sent Danilo and Saturnino home to celebrate with their families. The men of the team are our guards for tonight. :)
By the way, Jeremy wasn't with us tonight to translate because he was at his church being anointed as a pastor. We had thought about going there after our service ended, but decided to come on home. The roads were crazy with closings and it would take a long time to get there, get parked and go into the already in progress service. I know a couple of the guys on the team were disappointed, but it just wasn't practical to go. We will be seeing Jeremy on Sunday and Monday, so they will get to congratulate him then. I, too, wish we could be at every important celebration for the everyone one of our VOH family here, but it's just not possible. They know that we love them, though.
I'm so thankful for all that God has allowed in my life for 2010. It amazes me to revisit some of the experiences that He has brought me to and through. And, oh, the people He has brought across my path. He is glorious. He is so generous with His blessings. And I know that I have not given Him the honor and glory that He deserves.
I don't usually make new year's resolutions, but my desire for 2011 is to love God more, show Him reverence and honor in more of my life, share Him more with more people, love and encourage my fellow Christians, saturate myself in the Word more, and work on my Spanish so that I can share Him in 2 languages. God is my everything. He's all I need. I'm so blessed to be His child.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
December 30, 2010
It's late and I'm tired, but I want to post for today while it is still today. :0
Got up early and prepared for the day. I had to miss the devotions this morning to take care of some emails for projects back in AR. I did get to eat my cold oatmeal. The smell of the cook's breakfast is to tempting, but I know I need to be sticking to my oatmeal for now.
We went to the Concrete Pit to do an early morning Fiesta. It went really well. It's the 3rd time we have been there, but the first time for a Fiesta. Having a small team still offers challenges to cover the parts for the drama, but Danilo and German helped out, too, so that most of the team could street witness. Mary was Sinbox Sally and I got a video of her performance. It was great until Pacheco was portraying a Pastor and leading her through the Salvation prayer. They both got so tickled that they almost couldn't finish. Pastor Miguel was not looking too happy about it. But they finally made it through. Everything went fine after that. I told Mary I was going to blackmail her with the video. :)
Then we went to another new area called Antenor Sandino. We had a fairly good turnout there. Little Hope, who is 7, was Sinbox Sally and did a good job. Pastor Miguel was his silly self with the kids and they all love him. It isn't the same without his son Eliezar, who is working fulltime to support a wife and baby on the way. Beth and I always called Eliezar "Sapito" for little toad, because we called Pastor Miguel "Sapo" for toad, because they did an action song about a Sapo. Anyway, I miss Sapito. I got some good pics of kids, especially the babies, who I love. It was a very successful morning of Fiestas with 163 salvations. We had 94 salvations yesterday.
We then stopped at On the Run for a quick bathroom break and to get drinks. Then we went to La Unión for what Mary and I thought would be a quick stop to pick us the items for the next 2 day's meals. It was almost as bad as a Wednesday, which is worse than a Saturday! Anyway, there were no carts or wire baskets to be had when we walked in. They were all being used. There were people everywhere! We got tickets at the chicken meat counter and at the beef meat counter and then stood in line at the cheese counter. We had 30+ people ahead of us in the beef line (and we only needed 3 pounds of ground beef) and about 15 people ahead of us in the chicken line (all for just 3 chicken breasts). While in the cheese line, Mary noticed some wrapped chicken breasts and ground beef packages nearby. They had today's date on them, but they were handy. So we chucked the tickets for the meat counter and got the packages. After waiting about 5 minutes in the cheese counter, we found out that they were out of the kind of cheese that the cook had asked for. We decided to get the cheese and crema at 'the house of cheese' on the way home. So we took our little wire basket, that Mary had gotten from somewhere (I hope she didn't hurt anyone and take theirs away) and took our items to the front to check out. It was packed up front. We finally got through. The team was patiently waiting in the van. We stopped and got the crema and cheese and then headed for home to eat lunch, which was waiting on us.
After a good lunch of chicken spaghetti (Nicaraguan style), rice, beans, slaw and tortilla, we all decided to walk on the beach for a little while. Actually, 2 of the guys ran, but they're crazy. We found some interesting sea shells. I hadn't been on the beach for about a week, so I enjoyed the walk.
After some computer time, I got a quick shower and dressed for church tonight. We had to eat dinner at 4pm so we could leave at 4:30 to drive to the church. We weren't terribly hungry since we finished lunch at 1pm, but it was good and we filled up our tummies before heading out for a long evening.
It took about 45 minutes to get to Nagarote, once we picked up the translators and German and Pastor Miguel. The church was big and nice. The music was fantastic. I sat by myself so that I could listen to the Spanish without being in earshot of the translators in the congregation. I also enjoyed consentrating on Chet and Pacheco's team of Pastor and translator. They were preaching a message tonight!!! It was really good.
On the van ride home, there were jokes being told. Few were very funny. But the fellowship was fun. We got home right about 10pm and everyone retired to their rooms. As soon as I get this post done, I'm going to sleep. We have another busy morning tomorrow of Fiestas. They are in new places, so that's always interesting to see the effect of the team on the area. We also are going to visit a man who we met today who needs some help with something about glasses. I didn't get the whole story, but I'm sure it's an interesting one. Then we get to have lunch, rest time and then we will spend all evening in 2 back-to-back church services. It was be great and we get to ring in the New Year here in Nic! yay!
I'm enjoying the team and getting out to do the Fiestas. I always love going to the different churches. I'm glad there are service somewhere almost every night of the week. A lot of variety and a lot of lovely Christian brothers and sisters. I'm so thankful to my Lord and Father for all They share in this life. I pray They are glorified in everything we do!
Got up early and prepared for the day. I had to miss the devotions this morning to take care of some emails for projects back in AR. I did get to eat my cold oatmeal. The smell of the cook's breakfast is to tempting, but I know I need to be sticking to my oatmeal for now.
We went to the Concrete Pit to do an early morning Fiesta. It went really well. It's the 3rd time we have been there, but the first time for a Fiesta. Having a small team still offers challenges to cover the parts for the drama, but Danilo and German helped out, too, so that most of the team could street witness. Mary was Sinbox Sally and I got a video of her performance. It was great until Pacheco was portraying a Pastor and leading her through the Salvation prayer. They both got so tickled that they almost couldn't finish. Pastor Miguel was not looking too happy about it. But they finally made it through. Everything went fine after that. I told Mary I was going to blackmail her with the video. :)
Then we went to another new area called Antenor Sandino. We had a fairly good turnout there. Little Hope, who is 7, was Sinbox Sally and did a good job. Pastor Miguel was his silly self with the kids and they all love him. It isn't the same without his son Eliezar, who is working fulltime to support a wife and baby on the way. Beth and I always called Eliezar "Sapito" for little toad, because we called Pastor Miguel "Sapo" for toad, because they did an action song about a Sapo. Anyway, I miss Sapito. I got some good pics of kids, especially the babies, who I love. It was a very successful morning of Fiestas with 163 salvations. We had 94 salvations yesterday.
We then stopped at On the Run for a quick bathroom break and to get drinks. Then we went to La Unión for what Mary and I thought would be a quick stop to pick us the items for the next 2 day's meals. It was almost as bad as a Wednesday, which is worse than a Saturday! Anyway, there were no carts or wire baskets to be had when we walked in. They were all being used. There were people everywhere! We got tickets at the chicken meat counter and at the beef meat counter and then stood in line at the cheese counter. We had 30+ people ahead of us in the beef line (and we only needed 3 pounds of ground beef) and about 15 people ahead of us in the chicken line (all for just 3 chicken breasts). While in the cheese line, Mary noticed some wrapped chicken breasts and ground beef packages nearby. They had today's date on them, but they were handy. So we chucked the tickets for the meat counter and got the packages. After waiting about 5 minutes in the cheese counter, we found out that they were out of the kind of cheese that the cook had asked for. We decided to get the cheese and crema at 'the house of cheese' on the way home. So we took our little wire basket, that Mary had gotten from somewhere (I hope she didn't hurt anyone and take theirs away) and took our items to the front to check out. It was packed up front. We finally got through. The team was patiently waiting in the van. We stopped and got the crema and cheese and then headed for home to eat lunch, which was waiting on us.
After a good lunch of chicken spaghetti (Nicaraguan style), rice, beans, slaw and tortilla, we all decided to walk on the beach for a little while. Actually, 2 of the guys ran, but they're crazy. We found some interesting sea shells. I hadn't been on the beach for about a week, so I enjoyed the walk.
After some computer time, I got a quick shower and dressed for church tonight. We had to eat dinner at 4pm so we could leave at 4:30 to drive to the church. We weren't terribly hungry since we finished lunch at 1pm, but it was good and we filled up our tummies before heading out for a long evening.
It took about 45 minutes to get to Nagarote, once we picked up the translators and German and Pastor Miguel. The church was big and nice. The music was fantastic. I sat by myself so that I could listen to the Spanish without being in earshot of the translators in the congregation. I also enjoyed consentrating on Chet and Pacheco's team of Pastor and translator. They were preaching a message tonight!!! It was really good.
On the van ride home, there were jokes being told. Few were very funny. But the fellowship was fun. We got home right about 10pm and everyone retired to their rooms. As soon as I get this post done, I'm going to sleep. We have another busy morning tomorrow of Fiestas. They are in new places, so that's always interesting to see the effect of the team on the area. We also are going to visit a man who we met today who needs some help with something about glasses. I didn't get the whole story, but I'm sure it's an interesting one. Then we get to have lunch, rest time and then we will spend all evening in 2 back-to-back church services. It was be great and we get to ring in the New Year here in Nic! yay!
I'm enjoying the team and getting out to do the Fiestas. I always love going to the different churches. I'm glad there are service somewhere almost every night of the week. A lot of variety and a lot of lovely Christian brothers and sisters. I'm so thankful to my Lord and Father for all They share in this life. I pray They are glorified in everything we do!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
December 29, 2010
We've had a good work day, today. Up by 6am for breakfast. I had some cold oatmeal, but the team had eggs, fruit, beans, rice, sweet bread. They seemed to enjoy it.
We got ready and had devotions. Then we left at 7:30am for the rondevous at the stoplight in León at 8am. We picked up German and Jeremy and Juan, our translators, and also Michael, one of Juan's English students that Mary and I got to work with one day. He is coming along to get his feet wet as a translator. His biggest desire is to translate the Word of God and lead people to Christ. Amen, brother!! He is such a sweet kid.
We headed off to the Sewer Pond. We met up with Pastor Miguel there. We did our Fiesta there and the whole team participated in the drama, since there are only 6 of them. Pastor Chet was wonderful as the Strongman. We had a lot of fun. It was nice to be back there with so many familiar faces. After the Sewer Pond, we went to the next little village, where we have given out some food, but never really had a chance to do a Fiesta before. We didn't have a huge turnout, and some of them were actually from the Sewer Pond. But we did the Fiesta and shared the Gospel. We only had 2 people from the team to do the drama, so Chuck had to be the Strongman, Drunk, and Singer himself. The kids really got into his performance, though, and it was great. We finished up that Fiesta and packed up to head home. I didn't get a count on the total salvations today. I'll have to ask Pastor Miguel later.
On the way home, we stopped at a Cell store to get Chet's Nica phone working. That took a while and some of the team got out of the van and walked down the street to buy some fruit. They met a homeless man begging on the street. They stopped and witnessed to him for a very long time. They gave him a New Testament, which he leaned up on the wall. Hopefully, he set it there because he treasures it, and not because he's trying to sell it. :)
We then stopped at a bus stop to meet a couple of ladies from the Sewer Pond, who wanted German and Mary and I to meet a lady with 4 kids (one has menangitis and needs something like Peadisure to survive on) and a newborn. The other 2 kids are probably 4 and 5. Her husband left her and she had no where to live. So a friend let her build a one room shack on her property. it's structure is tree limbs with black plastic as walls. There is a full size bed that all 5 of them sleep in. They wanted us to see her home and to meet her and the kids to see if there is anything we could do for her. We gave her $15 out of our pockets to help buy formula for the baby and special needs girl, and told her that we would pray about what, if anything else, we could do. She let us take her family picture to share with prayer partners and potential supporters. Bless her heart.
It was a long walk to her house and we had to pass a slaughterhouse to get there. Peeuuu!! I took a picture of large intestines that were blown up (by mouth) and hung in coils over some lines to dry. Amazing. We were glad to get back to the van. My heart breaks for people who have to live in these circumstances. There is so much need and only so much that we can individually do. It's in God's hands to show us who to reach out to and how to do it.
When we first got to the Sewer Pond area for the Fiesta, Hope, the 7 year old girl on the team, broke out in tears. She was so overwhelmed with how these people, especially the kids, live. Bless her sweet heart. She was my prize-giver-outer for the games at the Fiesta. She did a good job. By the second place, she was warming up to the kids more.
We finally made it home for lunch at 1pm. It was shredded beef with onions and peppers and a brown gravy, rice, beans, cabbage slaw and a tortilla. Yum! Then we had down time until dinner and evening church.
I sat on my bed and researched some books for Juan Pacheco to use for his school. It was very peaceful and I had to struggle not to take a nap! Mary came and got me and we went to talk to the cook about what items we needed to buy at the store for the next few days. We have so much crazy conversation with our Spanish and English. We got it all figured out for the rest of the team's stay and when we would buy the items. Hopefully, we got it right. :)
Dinner was hamburgers and then we headed off to church at 6pm. We went to Cristo Viene church, which is in the next little town over and is where Saturnino (our guard) and his family go. It's a medium size building with bright yellow and white decor. As all churches here, they have the molded plastic lawn-type chairs to sit in. I love it when they have the kid's sized chairs, too.
We were greeted very warmly when we got there. Freddy, Araceliz (our cleaning lady)'s son, met me at the door and said in very clear English "Hello Vickie". He wants to learn English so much. He is very good at picking up words. I wish we could have the time to work with him on it. Maybe someday... We felt very much welcome at the church. I think it's one of my favorite ones! The service was long, like most here, about 2 hours. There was a lot of singing and praying and singing and praying, testimony, singing and praying, testimony, singing and praying, sermon, singing and praying, etc. Mary spoke on behalf of VOH. She is getting very comfortable with that. I'm glad for her. I think it does her heart good, too. She invited everyone in the congregation to come to AR to her church. :) One of the team members gave his testimony. Pastor Chet gave the message and German translated. It was a really good message on forgiveness.
I sat by myself a row in front of the team, partly because it was the only seat I saw when we walked in and I also like to sit apart from the translators in the congregation so that I can try to understand what's being said myself. I enjoyed that very much tonight. Oh how I wish I could dunk my head in Spanish and have it all sink it! But it's getting better every day.
There were some young boys gathered around the large windows of the church to listen to what the North Americans had to say. A couple of the guys from the team took a translator with them outside during the service and spoke with the boys. One young man, Michael, age 13, gave his life to Christ tonight. The Pastor brought him up to the front to pray with Pastor Chet and Jas, the young team member who gave his testimony, also prayed with him. It was very special.
We got back home and the team had share time and we all retired to our rooms. It's been a good day. God is blessing in His way and His time. I'm enjoying the team.
But I'm not enjoying the clock ticking away. It feels so strange to be leaving next week. But I know that God has lots planned for me to do each day of my life and I'm ready for the challenge. I trust Him and His plans. I'm excited to see what each day brings. He is awesome and so worthy of praise and honor and celebration!
We got ready and had devotions. Then we left at 7:30am for the rondevous at the stoplight in León at 8am. We picked up German and Jeremy and Juan, our translators, and also Michael, one of Juan's English students that Mary and I got to work with one day. He is coming along to get his feet wet as a translator. His biggest desire is to translate the Word of God and lead people to Christ. Amen, brother!! He is such a sweet kid.
We headed off to the Sewer Pond. We met up with Pastor Miguel there. We did our Fiesta there and the whole team participated in the drama, since there are only 6 of them. Pastor Chet was wonderful as the Strongman. We had a lot of fun. It was nice to be back there with so many familiar faces. After the Sewer Pond, we went to the next little village, where we have given out some food, but never really had a chance to do a Fiesta before. We didn't have a huge turnout, and some of them were actually from the Sewer Pond. But we did the Fiesta and shared the Gospel. We only had 2 people from the team to do the drama, so Chuck had to be the Strongman, Drunk, and Singer himself. The kids really got into his performance, though, and it was great. We finished up that Fiesta and packed up to head home. I didn't get a count on the total salvations today. I'll have to ask Pastor Miguel later.
On the way home, we stopped at a Cell store to get Chet's Nica phone working. That took a while and some of the team got out of the van and walked down the street to buy some fruit. They met a homeless man begging on the street. They stopped and witnessed to him for a very long time. They gave him a New Testament, which he leaned up on the wall. Hopefully, he set it there because he treasures it, and not because he's trying to sell it. :)
We then stopped at a bus stop to meet a couple of ladies from the Sewer Pond, who wanted German and Mary and I to meet a lady with 4 kids (one has menangitis and needs something like Peadisure to survive on) and a newborn. The other 2 kids are probably 4 and 5. Her husband left her and she had no where to live. So a friend let her build a one room shack on her property. it's structure is tree limbs with black plastic as walls. There is a full size bed that all 5 of them sleep in. They wanted us to see her home and to meet her and the kids to see if there is anything we could do for her. We gave her $15 out of our pockets to help buy formula for the baby and special needs girl, and told her that we would pray about what, if anything else, we could do. She let us take her family picture to share with prayer partners and potential supporters. Bless her heart.
It was a long walk to her house and we had to pass a slaughterhouse to get there. Peeuuu!! I took a picture of large intestines that were blown up (by mouth) and hung in coils over some lines to dry. Amazing. We were glad to get back to the van. My heart breaks for people who have to live in these circumstances. There is so much need and only so much that we can individually do. It's in God's hands to show us who to reach out to and how to do it.
When we first got to the Sewer Pond area for the Fiesta, Hope, the 7 year old girl on the team, broke out in tears. She was so overwhelmed with how these people, especially the kids, live. Bless her sweet heart. She was my prize-giver-outer for the games at the Fiesta. She did a good job. By the second place, she was warming up to the kids more.
We finally made it home for lunch at 1pm. It was shredded beef with onions and peppers and a brown gravy, rice, beans, cabbage slaw and a tortilla. Yum! Then we had down time until dinner and evening church.
I sat on my bed and researched some books for Juan Pacheco to use for his school. It was very peaceful and I had to struggle not to take a nap! Mary came and got me and we went to talk to the cook about what items we needed to buy at the store for the next few days. We have so much crazy conversation with our Spanish and English. We got it all figured out for the rest of the team's stay and when we would buy the items. Hopefully, we got it right. :)
Dinner was hamburgers and then we headed off to church at 6pm. We went to Cristo Viene church, which is in the next little town over and is where Saturnino (our guard) and his family go. It's a medium size building with bright yellow and white decor. As all churches here, they have the molded plastic lawn-type chairs to sit in. I love it when they have the kid's sized chairs, too.
We were greeted very warmly when we got there. Freddy, Araceliz (our cleaning lady)'s son, met me at the door and said in very clear English "Hello Vickie". He wants to learn English so much. He is very good at picking up words. I wish we could have the time to work with him on it. Maybe someday... We felt very much welcome at the church. I think it's one of my favorite ones! The service was long, like most here, about 2 hours. There was a lot of singing and praying and singing and praying, testimony, singing and praying, testimony, singing and praying, sermon, singing and praying, etc. Mary spoke on behalf of VOH. She is getting very comfortable with that. I'm glad for her. I think it does her heart good, too. She invited everyone in the congregation to come to AR to her church. :) One of the team members gave his testimony. Pastor Chet gave the message and German translated. It was a really good message on forgiveness.
I sat by myself a row in front of the team, partly because it was the only seat I saw when we walked in and I also like to sit apart from the translators in the congregation so that I can try to understand what's being said myself. I enjoyed that very much tonight. Oh how I wish I could dunk my head in Spanish and have it all sink it! But it's getting better every day.
There were some young boys gathered around the large windows of the church to listen to what the North Americans had to say. A couple of the guys from the team took a translator with them outside during the service and spoke with the boys. One young man, Michael, age 13, gave his life to Christ tonight. The Pastor brought him up to the front to pray with Pastor Chet and Jas, the young team member who gave his testimony, also prayed with him. It was very special.
We got back home and the team had share time and we all retired to our rooms. It's been a good day. God is blessing in His way and His time. I'm enjoying the team.
But I'm not enjoying the clock ticking away. It feels so strange to be leaving next week. But I know that God has lots planned for me to do each day of my life and I'm ready for the challenge. I trust Him and His plans. I'm excited to see what each day brings. He is awesome and so worthy of praise and honor and celebration!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
December 28, 2010
My last Tuesday here. (we fly out next Tuesday)
I got up early and washed my sheets (which took less than an hour to dry on the clothesline) and another load of laundry. I made a big pan of oatmeal for this week. I put the last of my walnuts and cranberries in it. I still have flaxseeds and sunflower seeds left. I'll have to figure out what to do with them.
I sat upstairs on the veranda (the upper room) and did some Bible Study in a rocking chair. My view was the ocean. beautiful. I've been reading through the New Testament again and marking special passages that speak to me while I'm here in Nic. I don't think I'll make it all the way through, but I'm making good progress. I love it.
We found out the that team coming in at noon, was delayed until 3pm. That meant that I had time for my last afternoon nap. I took my shower, put clean sheets on the bed, had tuna for lunch and laid down to sleep. I was so excited about my last nap that I couldn't go to sleep! I would read a little and get sleepy and then when I put the book down, I would start thinking of a million things. I rested for a while, but never did go to sleep. Which is just as well, since I need to go to sleep at a decent time tonight to get up early for the rest of our ministry days.
The team was delayed even longer and didn't make it here until after 6pm. We fed them sandwiches and chips and cookies. We discussed Fiestas a little about our schedule. They were very tired from a long travel day. Mandy and I worked on getting the prizes and candy ready for the Fiestas tomorrow. Everyone went to their rooms about 8pm.
We will be doing 7 Fiestas, 1 feeding and 5 church services over the next 6 days (Jan 1st will be the day off, since German says that Nicas all take New Years Day off, even the chickens don't lay eggs). We'll use that day to go into León and let everyone shop a little (hoping stores and the vendors at the park are open), get coffee from La Unión to take back home, eat out, etc. We'll be ending on Monday with a Fiesta and a feeding. It will be a nice week.
The beach is getting busy with people coming for the holidays. New Year's Eve is supposed to be a big day. Lots of partying on the beach. It's quite different from the usual quiet days that we experience here. There are already lots more noise as the houses near us have vacation renters and the beach stays busy even after dark. There are even a couple of four wheelers that go rip roaring back and forth. I hope they don't run over anyone. I'm sure we'll hear plenty of fireworks this week, especially on Friday and Saturday. They love their fireworks here.
I've been getting emails and facebook messages about things I need to take care of when I get back to AR. It will be nice to be busy with projects there, too. I'm praying about what my future transportation will be like. God knows where I need to be and when and how. I trust Him to show me interesting ways to meet with people and plan my schedule to His agenda.
The Caubbles made it to Dubai today. Very loooong flights. I don't like flying over 3 or 4 hours at a time, so I admire them for making it. I know they are so excited to be in there new Home country and starting their mission duties. I know the Phillips are very happy to have them there, too.
I guess I had better go to bed now. I'm so thankful for all God allows me to do and where He allows me to go. I pray that I glorify Him with my life and my heart.
I got up early and washed my sheets (which took less than an hour to dry on the clothesline) and another load of laundry. I made a big pan of oatmeal for this week. I put the last of my walnuts and cranberries in it. I still have flaxseeds and sunflower seeds left. I'll have to figure out what to do with them.
I sat upstairs on the veranda (the upper room) and did some Bible Study in a rocking chair. My view was the ocean. beautiful. I've been reading through the New Testament again and marking special passages that speak to me while I'm here in Nic. I don't think I'll make it all the way through, but I'm making good progress. I love it.
We found out the that team coming in at noon, was delayed until 3pm. That meant that I had time for my last afternoon nap. I took my shower, put clean sheets on the bed, had tuna for lunch and laid down to sleep. I was so excited about my last nap that I couldn't go to sleep! I would read a little and get sleepy and then when I put the book down, I would start thinking of a million things. I rested for a while, but never did go to sleep. Which is just as well, since I need to go to sleep at a decent time tonight to get up early for the rest of our ministry days.
The team was delayed even longer and didn't make it here until after 6pm. We fed them sandwiches and chips and cookies. We discussed Fiestas a little about our schedule. They were very tired from a long travel day. Mandy and I worked on getting the prizes and candy ready for the Fiestas tomorrow. Everyone went to their rooms about 8pm.
We will be doing 7 Fiestas, 1 feeding and 5 church services over the next 6 days (Jan 1st will be the day off, since German says that Nicas all take New Years Day off, even the chickens don't lay eggs). We'll use that day to go into León and let everyone shop a little (hoping stores and the vendors at the park are open), get coffee from La Unión to take back home, eat out, etc. We'll be ending on Monday with a Fiesta and a feeding. It will be a nice week.
The beach is getting busy with people coming for the holidays. New Year's Eve is supposed to be a big day. Lots of partying on the beach. It's quite different from the usual quiet days that we experience here. There are already lots more noise as the houses near us have vacation renters and the beach stays busy even after dark. There are even a couple of four wheelers that go rip roaring back and forth. I hope they don't run over anyone. I'm sure we'll hear plenty of fireworks this week, especially on Friday and Saturday. They love their fireworks here.
I've been getting emails and facebook messages about things I need to take care of when I get back to AR. It will be nice to be busy with projects there, too. I'm praying about what my future transportation will be like. God knows where I need to be and when and how. I trust Him to show me interesting ways to meet with people and plan my schedule to His agenda.
The Caubbles made it to Dubai today. Very loooong flights. I don't like flying over 3 or 4 hours at a time, so I admire them for making it. I know they are so excited to be in there new Home country and starting their mission duties. I know the Phillips are very happy to have them there, too.
I guess I had better go to bed now. I'm so thankful for all God allows me to do and where He allows me to go. I pray that I glorify Him with my life and my heart.
Monday, December 27, 2010
December 27, 2010
Monday evening. Only one more week here in Nic. It doesn't seem possible. It feels strange to think about leaving. These last weeks have felt like we live here fulltime and have felt just right. This is the last night with just me and Mary here. Hmmm...
We got up this morning and headed to the bus stop just down the road. We always get there early, since we don't know exactly what time they will actually come by. They do a pretty good job of being on schedule - give or take 15-20 minutes... Anyway, we sit on the curb outside a tiny store and listen for the bus to come rumbling by. They usually blast their horn a few times as they are coming down our road. Then we stand by the road and they stop for us. We like to catch them as they are arriving, so that we can get a seat before too many people from Poneloya get on at the end of the road. But this morning, they didn't announce their arrival with the horn and the bus was quieter than some of the more run down ones, so we didn't get to the road in time to flag them down. So we just sat back down and waited about 30 minutes until they came back down the street.
As we were getting on the bus, which was full, there was a family of 5, who were spread out over 2 seats, one seat on the left of the bus, and one seat on the right. The man and 2 little kids jumped up from the left seat and moved them all over to squish into the seat on the right side with the rest of his family. We thanked him profusely, thinking that he was wanting to give us a place to sit down. As I was scooting into the seat, I noticed something semi-liquid running down the floor towards the back of the bus. It seems the little girl in the seat in front of us had just thrown up her pink candy. The mom, sick child and sister got off at the next stop, with the little girl still clutching the rest of her big wad of pink candy in her hand. And no one moved to sit in that seat, needless to say... Thank goodness that the windows were down on the bus! We just tried to keep our shoes out of it as much as possible. That was our excitement for the last bus trip going into town.
At the bus stop in León, we found a taxi right away (a legal one) and he took us to La Unión grocery store. We use that as a good dropping off place for taxis since it is well known and close to a lot of what we want to do downtown. Our first order of business was to go to the little shopping area next door, where Tip Top Chicken restaurant is located, to use the public restrooms. They aren't great, but better than most choices in town. They were locked up, but when one of the guys from Tip Top saw us (they recognize us from eating so much), he got the key and opened them up for us. When we were through, he locked them back up again, until the regular opening time. It's nice to have friends in the right places...
We walked around looking in stores, walked to the park and shopped a little at the vendors tents, and just had a nice time. Mary found a ring with the Lord's Prayers in Spanish on it that she had been looking for (I had gotten one back in March) to wear on a chain. I found some more of the woven little bags that I'm finding tons of uses for. There were a couple of murals on walls that I was wanting to get pictures of, so we walked around a few blocks.
We started to get hungry and decided to eat at Tip Top (of course) and headed that way. German was wanting to meet up with us to give us the printed copy of the team schedule, so he found us at Tip Top. We had him go to a little kiosk close by and pick up some churros like he had gotten before. They were yummy! That was our dessert! On the way to Tip Top, we stopped at La Unión grocery store to buy a package of crackers to eat with our salads at Tip Top. The guard at the door is very friendly to us and always tries to find us a table. We sat inside today, by a window. The waiter, who knows us by now, too, asked if the sun coming in the window was bothering us. There were no shades that he could pull, and we didn't see anything he could do about it, so we just said no. But then he moved one of their big floor signs (about 6' tall and 4' wide) to cover the window and shade us. How nice! We always try to tip him well. It pays off!
We enjoyed our lunch and then stopped at the kiosk and got more churros to bring home. Then we set out to find a taxi to take us to the bus stop. It's pretty easy to find a taxi in the busy areas. And sometimes we end up sharing one, because the drivers like to have all the seats of their tiny cars filled at all times. We rode with a lady who was getting out at a part of the market area that we had not been to before, so it was fun to see it. Then we made it to the bus stop. Actually, the driver whizzed past it and I think he was going to take us all the way to Poneloya instead to the bus. We had him turn around and drop us at the bus.
Our ride home on the bus was memorable, since we rode standing up the whole way. The best process for getting a seat on a bus going out of the town is to arrive at least 30 minutes early and sit on the bus as it fills up. Today, we rode standing and it seemed like a little longer than the usual 35 minute ride home. With all the starting and stopping and with all the people standing in the aisle, it was making me carsick. Luckily, we made it close to the house and we got off. It was a nice day for a ride and as always, the breeze coming in through the open windows was nice. Most importantly, we were on a totally different bus than the puke bus, which was probably still riding back and forth with nastiness baking in the sun. :)
We got home a little before 2pm and I laid down to read and take a nap, one of my last here. Mary read in her rocking chair. For dinner, Mary finished off her left over salad and I had some soup and crackers. We enjoyed our time of quiet this evening.
It's hard to believe that the team will be here late tomorrow afternoon. It's been just the 2 of us for about 5 weeks now. We'll feed the team sandwiches and chips for dinner, sort through the supplies they bring, get everything ready for Fiestas for the week, get to know them and help them get settled in. Jasmina (the cook) will be here bright and early (5am) starting on Wed to prepare our meals. We'll be back to the normal routine again. Then, way too quickly, it will be time to leave.
My friends, the Caubbles, left today for the long, long flight to Dubai, where they will be living and serving as Missionaries for the next 2 years. I'll be going over to work with them a little this next year. It will be great to see them. I know they are excited to finally be on their way. I pray for safe travel, healthy bodies, no jet lag and many, many blessings.
Some of my friends in NYC have posted pictures of the huge amounts of snow that they received over the last few days. My friend Jenny, made snow angels. How fun! I don't think I have ever been as cold as the winters in NYC. Probably because I was out on the streets as part of life there. I remember Jenny used to think my big puffy coat was funny. But it sure was warm! When I left there, I gave that coat to a friend who worked at one of the soup kitchen/shelters that I volunteered at. I hope it is still keeping her just as warm.
My friends, the Janes, made a cute little video for me and posted it on facebook. Elizabeth is playing the piano and Will is playing the violin. It is precious! I love that family soooo much! I can't wait to get back and see them. Phillip is crawling now. And there are 2 new pets in the family. What fun I will have visiting them!
I guess I should go to sleep now. How thankful I am that God allows me to be in this place at this time. I love the busy times and I love the quiet times. I've enjoyed getting to relax and study these past weeks. And also, so serve others a few days a week and to have time to fellowship with our VOH family. I've been so blessed. And I will fall asleep a happy woman. Thank You Lord.
We got up this morning and headed to the bus stop just down the road. We always get there early, since we don't know exactly what time they will actually come by. They do a pretty good job of being on schedule - give or take 15-20 minutes... Anyway, we sit on the curb outside a tiny store and listen for the bus to come rumbling by. They usually blast their horn a few times as they are coming down our road. Then we stand by the road and they stop for us. We like to catch them as they are arriving, so that we can get a seat before too many people from Poneloya get on at the end of the road. But this morning, they didn't announce their arrival with the horn and the bus was quieter than some of the more run down ones, so we didn't get to the road in time to flag them down. So we just sat back down and waited about 30 minutes until they came back down the street.
As we were getting on the bus, which was full, there was a family of 5, who were spread out over 2 seats, one seat on the left of the bus, and one seat on the right. The man and 2 little kids jumped up from the left seat and moved them all over to squish into the seat on the right side with the rest of his family. We thanked him profusely, thinking that he was wanting to give us a place to sit down. As I was scooting into the seat, I noticed something semi-liquid running down the floor towards the back of the bus. It seems the little girl in the seat in front of us had just thrown up her pink candy. The mom, sick child and sister got off at the next stop, with the little girl still clutching the rest of her big wad of pink candy in her hand. And no one moved to sit in that seat, needless to say... Thank goodness that the windows were down on the bus! We just tried to keep our shoes out of it as much as possible. That was our excitement for the last bus trip going into town.
At the bus stop in León, we found a taxi right away (a legal one) and he took us to La Unión grocery store. We use that as a good dropping off place for taxis since it is well known and close to a lot of what we want to do downtown. Our first order of business was to go to the little shopping area next door, where Tip Top Chicken restaurant is located, to use the public restrooms. They aren't great, but better than most choices in town. They were locked up, but when one of the guys from Tip Top saw us (they recognize us from eating so much), he got the key and opened them up for us. When we were through, he locked them back up again, until the regular opening time. It's nice to have friends in the right places...
We walked around looking in stores, walked to the park and shopped a little at the vendors tents, and just had a nice time. Mary found a ring with the Lord's Prayers in Spanish on it that she had been looking for (I had gotten one back in March) to wear on a chain. I found some more of the woven little bags that I'm finding tons of uses for. There were a couple of murals on walls that I was wanting to get pictures of, so we walked around a few blocks.
We started to get hungry and decided to eat at Tip Top (of course) and headed that way. German was wanting to meet up with us to give us the printed copy of the team schedule, so he found us at Tip Top. We had him go to a little kiosk close by and pick up some churros like he had gotten before. They were yummy! That was our dessert! On the way to Tip Top, we stopped at La Unión grocery store to buy a package of crackers to eat with our salads at Tip Top. The guard at the door is very friendly to us and always tries to find us a table. We sat inside today, by a window. The waiter, who knows us by now, too, asked if the sun coming in the window was bothering us. There were no shades that he could pull, and we didn't see anything he could do about it, so we just said no. But then he moved one of their big floor signs (about 6' tall and 4' wide) to cover the window and shade us. How nice! We always try to tip him well. It pays off!
We enjoyed our lunch and then stopped at the kiosk and got more churros to bring home. Then we set out to find a taxi to take us to the bus stop. It's pretty easy to find a taxi in the busy areas. And sometimes we end up sharing one, because the drivers like to have all the seats of their tiny cars filled at all times. We rode with a lady who was getting out at a part of the market area that we had not been to before, so it was fun to see it. Then we made it to the bus stop. Actually, the driver whizzed past it and I think he was going to take us all the way to Poneloya instead to the bus. We had him turn around and drop us at the bus.
Our ride home on the bus was memorable, since we rode standing up the whole way. The best process for getting a seat on a bus going out of the town is to arrive at least 30 minutes early and sit on the bus as it fills up. Today, we rode standing and it seemed like a little longer than the usual 35 minute ride home. With all the starting and stopping and with all the people standing in the aisle, it was making me carsick. Luckily, we made it close to the house and we got off. It was a nice day for a ride and as always, the breeze coming in through the open windows was nice. Most importantly, we were on a totally different bus than the puke bus, which was probably still riding back and forth with nastiness baking in the sun. :)
We got home a little before 2pm and I laid down to read and take a nap, one of my last here. Mary read in her rocking chair. For dinner, Mary finished off her left over salad and I had some soup and crackers. We enjoyed our time of quiet this evening.
It's hard to believe that the team will be here late tomorrow afternoon. It's been just the 2 of us for about 5 weeks now. We'll feed the team sandwiches and chips for dinner, sort through the supplies they bring, get everything ready for Fiestas for the week, get to know them and help them get settled in. Jasmina (the cook) will be here bright and early (5am) starting on Wed to prepare our meals. We'll be back to the normal routine again. Then, way too quickly, it will be time to leave.
My friends, the Caubbles, left today for the long, long flight to Dubai, where they will be living and serving as Missionaries for the next 2 years. I'll be going over to work with them a little this next year. It will be great to see them. I know they are excited to finally be on their way. I pray for safe travel, healthy bodies, no jet lag and many, many blessings.
Some of my friends in NYC have posted pictures of the huge amounts of snow that they received over the last few days. My friend Jenny, made snow angels. How fun! I don't think I have ever been as cold as the winters in NYC. Probably because I was out on the streets as part of life there. I remember Jenny used to think my big puffy coat was funny. But it sure was warm! When I left there, I gave that coat to a friend who worked at one of the soup kitchen/shelters that I volunteered at. I hope it is still keeping her just as warm.
My friends, the Janes, made a cute little video for me and posted it on facebook. Elizabeth is playing the piano and Will is playing the violin. It is precious! I love that family soooo much! I can't wait to get back and see them. Phillip is crawling now. And there are 2 new pets in the family. What fun I will have visiting them!
I guess I should go to sleep now. How thankful I am that God allows me to be in this place at this time. I love the busy times and I love the quiet times. I've enjoyed getting to relax and study these past weeks. And also, so serve others a few days a week and to have time to fellowship with our VOH family. I've been so blessed. And I will fall asleep a happy woman. Thank You Lord.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
December 26, 2010
Sunday night. So relaxed. Ready to fall asleep...
The day started quiet. I mention this a lot, because after Tuesday, we will be getting up at 5am-ish for the team to have breakfast.
I spent a lot of time reading in the New Testament this morning. I'm trying to reread as much of it as possible these last weeks here. I didn't even study Spanish or take a nap today. Just Bible reading.
We snacked for breakfast and lunch. Then we got ready for German to bring Jasmina (the cook) out to discuss the menu for next week and to check out our staples in the pantry. Then we all left about 3:30 and headed in to León to buy groceries for the first few days for the team. We took a cooler to put the meat in, since we were going to be going to church afterward.
It took about an hour at La Unión. We had a cart full. I picked out some things for myself to purchase, especially for the next few days. I was very saddened to see that they had run out of liquid fudge snack pack pudding. Oh my! I had to settle on vanilla. I hope it's worth it. I was really looking forward to the chocolate. It takes them a very long time to restock something - like weeks. They probably won't have any more chocolate until after we leave. (and I don't usually eat it at home when I'm trying to be healthy) Too bad. I also got some 'organic' cashews. The thing I like about them is that they don't have any salt on them. I also got some tuna, soup and crackers. I think I'm set until the team comes in. I've pretty much run out of my instant stuff that I brought from home. Which is good, because it all has preservatives and stuff in it that I shouldn't be eating anyway. :)
We had bought 2 round watermelons at the store and the boy who put the groceries in the van set them in the floor. As we were driving, they were rolling around the van. Mary was chasing them and it was hilarious! Every time I looked back there, she was in a different seat in the van. It was kind of like that game where animals pop up through these holes and you have to bonk them on the head. I never knew where she was going to pop up. We've tried putting a melon in German's motorcycle helmet before, if it fits. We had a nylon insulated bag that was big enough for one and it kept it from rolling around. The last time we bought one and it rolled around, it fell out of the van and cracked open on the road. Since it was in a bag, we just brought it on into the house and tried to salvage it. We may have to find something to rig up as a melon car seat from now on. :)
We had a great time at Jericho church tonight. Mary gave a testimony about our getting to be here for 2 months over the holidays. It's so nice to see her more comfortable talking in front of the congregations. During the service, German translated for her and I tried to just listen on my own so I could practice my listening skills. I can catch quite a bit of what is being said. Sometimes I have to hear 2 or 3 sentences to get the context and then I can follow along. Jericho church is one of our favorite churches to go to.
Tonight, when they announced that we were going to take up the offering, a little lady from across the aisle came over and asked for a gift of a little money so that she could put it in the offering. German had 2 one dollar bills in his hand, and I just had a 20 córdova bill in mine, so German gave her one of his one dollar bills. As they were taking up the offering I looked over to see what she actually put in the offering bag. And I felt a little guilty for looking. But I noticed that she put in a coin. I looked over at German and he was watching her, too and we both started laughing. She had kept the one dollar bill (about 20 córdovas) and put in a coin worth about 5 córdovas). Oh well, it's between her and God about keeping what she had asked us for to use as an offering. She had blessed me by kissing my shoulder for handing her the money. And, besides, it was German's dollar bill to begin with. :)
After church, we went to Tip Top Chicken restaurant to grab a late dinner. That took a while, as there were no tables for a little while and service was slow as usual. But it was yummy. German always makes me laugh and the three of us had a good time.
We went to German's inlaws' house and picked up his wife and 2 kids, who rode out to the team house to drop us off. Ishmael likes to sit on his papa's lap and help drive. His favorite thing is to beep the horn. He has to put his whole little body into it to push hard enough. Mariangel always sits quietly with her sweet little smile. It was good to see Joana. I thanked her for letting us borrow German to run us around. We've tried not to use him too much on the holidays, so that he can have time with the family.
Tomorrow we will ride the bus into town for the last time. We'll probably grab lunch somewhere (we are getting very full of chicken!) or maybe an icecream cone or maybe both! and walk around the park and take some more pics of town. We really don't have much of an agenda. The last day of our retreat. We start working with the team on Tuesday afternoon.
it's been so wonderful to be here these weeks. It will feel strange to be back in NW Arkansas, and then to visit my family in Indiana for a week. I'll be coming back here for about 10 days in March, when the youth from my home church comes down. Then I won't be back until mid-May, but I'll get to stay for 3 months. I sure love it here.
Well, it's time to go to sleep. We're going to try to catch the 9am bus, which means we try to be at the stop by 8:30, cuz you never know what timetable the bus is actually running on.
I'm going to sleep with a full stomach and a full heart. God is so gracious and loving. And I am so thankful.
The day started quiet. I mention this a lot, because after Tuesday, we will be getting up at 5am-ish for the team to have breakfast.
I spent a lot of time reading in the New Testament this morning. I'm trying to reread as much of it as possible these last weeks here. I didn't even study Spanish or take a nap today. Just Bible reading.
We snacked for breakfast and lunch. Then we got ready for German to bring Jasmina (the cook) out to discuss the menu for next week and to check out our staples in the pantry. Then we all left about 3:30 and headed in to León to buy groceries for the first few days for the team. We took a cooler to put the meat in, since we were going to be going to church afterward.
It took about an hour at La Unión. We had a cart full. I picked out some things for myself to purchase, especially for the next few days. I was very saddened to see that they had run out of liquid fudge snack pack pudding. Oh my! I had to settle on vanilla. I hope it's worth it. I was really looking forward to the chocolate. It takes them a very long time to restock something - like weeks. They probably won't have any more chocolate until after we leave. (and I don't usually eat it at home when I'm trying to be healthy) Too bad. I also got some 'organic' cashews. The thing I like about them is that they don't have any salt on them. I also got some tuna, soup and crackers. I think I'm set until the team comes in. I've pretty much run out of my instant stuff that I brought from home. Which is good, because it all has preservatives and stuff in it that I shouldn't be eating anyway. :)
We had bought 2 round watermelons at the store and the boy who put the groceries in the van set them in the floor. As we were driving, they were rolling around the van. Mary was chasing them and it was hilarious! Every time I looked back there, she was in a different seat in the van. It was kind of like that game where animals pop up through these holes and you have to bonk them on the head. I never knew where she was going to pop up. We've tried putting a melon in German's motorcycle helmet before, if it fits. We had a nylon insulated bag that was big enough for one and it kept it from rolling around. The last time we bought one and it rolled around, it fell out of the van and cracked open on the road. Since it was in a bag, we just brought it on into the house and tried to salvage it. We may have to find something to rig up as a melon car seat from now on. :)
We had a great time at Jericho church tonight. Mary gave a testimony about our getting to be here for 2 months over the holidays. It's so nice to see her more comfortable talking in front of the congregations. During the service, German translated for her and I tried to just listen on my own so I could practice my listening skills. I can catch quite a bit of what is being said. Sometimes I have to hear 2 or 3 sentences to get the context and then I can follow along. Jericho church is one of our favorite churches to go to.
Tonight, when they announced that we were going to take up the offering, a little lady from across the aisle came over and asked for a gift of a little money so that she could put it in the offering. German had 2 one dollar bills in his hand, and I just had a 20 córdova bill in mine, so German gave her one of his one dollar bills. As they were taking up the offering I looked over to see what she actually put in the offering bag. And I felt a little guilty for looking. But I noticed that she put in a coin. I looked over at German and he was watching her, too and we both started laughing. She had kept the one dollar bill (about 20 córdovas) and put in a coin worth about 5 córdovas). Oh well, it's between her and God about keeping what she had asked us for to use as an offering. She had blessed me by kissing my shoulder for handing her the money. And, besides, it was German's dollar bill to begin with. :)
After church, we went to Tip Top Chicken restaurant to grab a late dinner. That took a while, as there were no tables for a little while and service was slow as usual. But it was yummy. German always makes me laugh and the three of us had a good time.
We went to German's inlaws' house and picked up his wife and 2 kids, who rode out to the team house to drop us off. Ishmael likes to sit on his papa's lap and help drive. His favorite thing is to beep the horn. He has to put his whole little body into it to push hard enough. Mariangel always sits quietly with her sweet little smile. It was good to see Joana. I thanked her for letting us borrow German to run us around. We've tried not to use him too much on the holidays, so that he can have time with the family.
Tomorrow we will ride the bus into town for the last time. We'll probably grab lunch somewhere (we are getting very full of chicken!) or maybe an icecream cone or maybe both! and walk around the park and take some more pics of town. We really don't have much of an agenda. The last day of our retreat. We start working with the team on Tuesday afternoon.
it's been so wonderful to be here these weeks. It will feel strange to be back in NW Arkansas, and then to visit my family in Indiana for a week. I'll be coming back here for about 10 days in March, when the youth from my home church comes down. Then I won't be back until mid-May, but I'll get to stay for 3 months. I sure love it here.
Well, it's time to go to sleep. We're going to try to catch the 9am bus, which means we try to be at the stop by 8:30, cuz you never know what timetable the bus is actually running on.
I'm going to sleep with a full stomach and a full heart. God is so gracious and loving. And I am so thankful.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
December 25, 2010
Christmas Day!
Woke up early and had to think about it being Christmas Day before it actually sunk in.
The sun was shining beautifully, the waves were crashing, birds were singing, the fans were whirring, it was so pleasant to just lay in my bed and talk with Jesus.
Things are so much simpler here in Nic. The processes to get through each day are more difficult than the US, but there are fewer distractions and expectations here than in the US, too. Less pressure to have the 'perfect' Christmas with just the right decorations, a large variety and an over abundance of food, impressive gifts, fancy clothes... It has been so refreshing to just spend time with people. Giving them attention and caring. Celebrating our Lord and Savior together. I love it.
We had asked Araceliz (our cleaning lady) to come by today for a quick visit. We gave her a few gifts for the family and some groceries for Christmas. She is very quiet and shy and very sweet. We also gave Saturnino his Christmas goodies today. His family is sweet. We were blessed to have them join us for the dinner last Tuesday. I would love to get to know everyone's family better. It feels so natural to have them be part of our work down here. Part of the VOH extended family.
Mary and I had a very quiet day today. We made calls to our families in the states. We read, studied and rested. For dinner, we sent Saturnino (our guard) on his bike to a restaurant (Suyapa) in the next little town down the beach (Las Peñitas) to bring back some Christmas dinner takeout. We bought him a dinner, too. I think he enjoyed getting to chat with the workers at the restaurant while waiting on our dinners. He takes really good care of us here at the house. We enjoyed the food very much, grilled chicken and veggies, rice (of course) and a little pasta salad. So good! I enjoyed a little snack pack liquid fudge pudding for my dessert. I was all set!
I've been working on Spanish verbs and grammar very diligently these last few days. Some of it is sticking. Some is slipping out my ears, I think. I pray each day for God to help it make sense in my little pea brain. It's coming along. It's times like these that I wish I would have paid more attention to grammar in English classes in school. Now I have to go back and figure out verb tenses, how to diagram a sentence and everything so that I can relate it to Spanish. Even though sentence structure is different in Spanish, I still need to understand participles and all that stuff and then build on it with the extra Spanish grammar. It's slowly making sense. I'll probably still talk like a little kid for a while, but I'm really trying hard. Mary said today that she is so hungry to learn more. She's working at it very hard. I'm proud of her. Maybe by the rapture, we'll have it figured out. :)
My jaw/tooth/earache has been coming and going. When it hits it seems to be stronger. I'm so thankful when it goes away. I'm definitely getting this thing checked out when I get back home. We were noticing that 99% of my mosquito bites are on my left leg. It's the left side of my face giving me trouble. Maybe there is something going on with half my body. hmmmm....
We're going to enjoy our last few days of solitude before the team comes on Tuesday. Tomorrow morning we get to sleep in since we are going to evening church. We'll also pick up some of the groceries for the team meals next week. Monday, we plan on taking the bus into town to enjoy the park and get an ice cream. Maybe we'll eat at Tip Top again. We're figuring out downtown pretty well. It will look a lot different without all the vendors for Christmas. There are a few things I would like to get pics of downtown. We'll probably just walk around a while. Then we'll take the bus back home for the last time. That has been fun.
The house next door is rented out for the weekend and probably for the next week. They have a small pool, which is good for swimming, since the ocean waves are so rough. It sounds like teenage kids playing in the pool. There is not really the concept of personal space and quietness here. It doesn't bother me and kind of reminds me of nyc. When you live where there are a lot of people in a small area, you get used to blocking out distractions. I got to where jackhammers didn't even phase me anymore. Here, you hear the neighbors' music and conversations and laughter and you don't mind it. Back in the suburbs I'll find myself irritated that I can hear the bass beating through the windows of someone's car at a stoplight. Silly.
I'm so thankful that my precious Lord was born to make the sacrifice for my salvation. I'm so thankful that He allowed me to accept Him as my Savior and Lord. I'm so thankful that He forgives me and claims me no matter what I do. I'm so thankful that He loves me just as I am and will never let me go. I'm so thankful that I will be allowed to spend eternity with Him. I'm so thankful to have Christmas Day to honor and celebrate Him. He is Worthy.
Woke up early and had to think about it being Christmas Day before it actually sunk in.
The sun was shining beautifully, the waves were crashing, birds were singing, the fans were whirring, it was so pleasant to just lay in my bed and talk with Jesus.
Things are so much simpler here in Nic. The processes to get through each day are more difficult than the US, but there are fewer distractions and expectations here than in the US, too. Less pressure to have the 'perfect' Christmas with just the right decorations, a large variety and an over abundance of food, impressive gifts, fancy clothes... It has been so refreshing to just spend time with people. Giving them attention and caring. Celebrating our Lord and Savior together. I love it.
We had asked Araceliz (our cleaning lady) to come by today for a quick visit. We gave her a few gifts for the family and some groceries for Christmas. She is very quiet and shy and very sweet. We also gave Saturnino his Christmas goodies today. His family is sweet. We were blessed to have them join us for the dinner last Tuesday. I would love to get to know everyone's family better. It feels so natural to have them be part of our work down here. Part of the VOH extended family.
Mary and I had a very quiet day today. We made calls to our families in the states. We read, studied and rested. For dinner, we sent Saturnino (our guard) on his bike to a restaurant (Suyapa) in the next little town down the beach (Las Peñitas) to bring back some Christmas dinner takeout. We bought him a dinner, too. I think he enjoyed getting to chat with the workers at the restaurant while waiting on our dinners. He takes really good care of us here at the house. We enjoyed the food very much, grilled chicken and veggies, rice (of course) and a little pasta salad. So good! I enjoyed a little snack pack liquid fudge pudding for my dessert. I was all set!
I've been working on Spanish verbs and grammar very diligently these last few days. Some of it is sticking. Some is slipping out my ears, I think. I pray each day for God to help it make sense in my little pea brain. It's coming along. It's times like these that I wish I would have paid more attention to grammar in English classes in school. Now I have to go back and figure out verb tenses, how to diagram a sentence and everything so that I can relate it to Spanish. Even though sentence structure is different in Spanish, I still need to understand participles and all that stuff and then build on it with the extra Spanish grammar. It's slowly making sense. I'll probably still talk like a little kid for a while, but I'm really trying hard. Mary said today that she is so hungry to learn more. She's working at it very hard. I'm proud of her. Maybe by the rapture, we'll have it figured out. :)
My jaw/tooth/earache has been coming and going. When it hits it seems to be stronger. I'm so thankful when it goes away. I'm definitely getting this thing checked out when I get back home. We were noticing that 99% of my mosquito bites are on my left leg. It's the left side of my face giving me trouble. Maybe there is something going on with half my body. hmmmm....
We're going to enjoy our last few days of solitude before the team comes on Tuesday. Tomorrow morning we get to sleep in since we are going to evening church. We'll also pick up some of the groceries for the team meals next week. Monday, we plan on taking the bus into town to enjoy the park and get an ice cream. Maybe we'll eat at Tip Top again. We're figuring out downtown pretty well. It will look a lot different without all the vendors for Christmas. There are a few things I would like to get pics of downtown. We'll probably just walk around a while. Then we'll take the bus back home for the last time. That has been fun.
The house next door is rented out for the weekend and probably for the next week. They have a small pool, which is good for swimming, since the ocean waves are so rough. It sounds like teenage kids playing in the pool. There is not really the concept of personal space and quietness here. It doesn't bother me and kind of reminds me of nyc. When you live where there are a lot of people in a small area, you get used to blocking out distractions. I got to where jackhammers didn't even phase me anymore. Here, you hear the neighbors' music and conversations and laughter and you don't mind it. Back in the suburbs I'll find myself irritated that I can hear the bass beating through the windows of someone's car at a stoplight. Silly.
I'm so thankful that my precious Lord was born to make the sacrifice for my salvation. I'm so thankful that He allowed me to accept Him as my Savior and Lord. I'm so thankful that He forgives me and claims me no matter what I do. I'm so thankful that He loves me just as I am and will never let me go. I'm so thankful that I will be allowed to spend eternity with Him. I'm so thankful to have Christmas Day to honor and celebrate Him. He is Worthy.
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