Guilt Free Laundry

For the last year and a half, Jeff has been 'home'. He left his job in May of 2010, to start preparing for moving to Nicaragua. Since May of 2010, I have had the twisted notion that we have been on 'vacation'. Of course language learning and cultural adjustment hasn't felt like vacation...but I had been accustomed to Jeff working full time. So the fact that he was 'home' meant he was on vacation. Even though I knew this was not the 'reality'...I functioned like it was. I would put off chores or begrudgingly do chores feeling like I was missing out on the precious time we had "off". Odd, I know. Actually, it really messed up my routine. I LOVE my husband, he's my best friend...yet, he was on my turf ALL DAY LONG. I have done laundry with the guilt of not taking advantage of 'the vacation time with Jeff' for over a year. Crazy, I know. The mind (okay, my mind) is an interesting thing.

However, this week, Jeff started "working" at the university (vet school) in Managua. He is no longer on 'vacation' in my mind. I was able to do laundry guilt free. I have my 'turf' back AND he has a new role/work that he enjoys...we have returned to the 'roles' God intends for us to have. Routine. Balance. Guilt-free laundry.

School Shopping

We are gearing up for the start of school. This time last year, we were translating the list of school supplies and wondering what eskimo paddles and milk erasers were and where to find them. This year, we walked into the school supply store and felt much more confident. However, lest we become puffed up with pride...God always has some lessons in humility up his sleeve.

After shopping for about 45 minutes in a store that felt over 100 degrees, we are checking out at the cash register. A sweet employee approaches and starts her "speech" on what I find out later is about a discount membership. After her spiel...I embarrassingly tell her that I am so sorry - but I didn't understand anything she said. Humbling. She repeats the important parts...I get the gist. Now I have to give her my phone number. In Nicaragua, a phone number is given two numbers at time. Okay, I can adjust to that...but numbers are my biggest weakness. Kicking myself for not memorizing my number by twos...I start the attempt on the phone number. Pitifully after 4 numbers, I give up and go one by one...which earns an "silent exchange" between the girl at the register and the membership girl. Then, she tells me that I need to get my picture taken for the membership card. Fabulous...because I've been sweating for the last 45 minutes and I am having a bad hair day...really bad. Humbling (in the vanity department). She motions for me to stand in front of a door...but of course I missed something because I open the door to some store room which earns several chuckles from the employees standing around. Humbling. The success of school shopping is starting to fade. The photographer shows me the picture, I cringe and mumble..."está bien" (it's okay).

Trying to remember that language learning is life-long, I tell myself that I successfully found the milk erasers, eskimo paddles, and myriad of other supplies. I thank God for the progress I've made and resolve to learn my phone number by twos.

Update

Update to the last blog post. Andrew (10 years old) loves reading our blog. You should have seen him when he read the part about the "boxer-clad gringo". After I explained what "boxer-clad" meant, he laughed for a solid 3 minutes until he couldn't breathe and was crying. Even now, as he reads over my shoulder, he is chuckling...and now lauging harder. I guess he can envision better than you, what that image would look like...yes, it would be funny :)

Burglars Beware!

I (Jeff) am very thankful for the varied responses that I have received to my last two postings. I have received the suggestion that I should be even more open in sharing our experiences and others encouraging more caution. Regarding my musings on security, I have received comments of "right-on", and also "you are off base". Because of the variety, I went back and read what I wrote, and I got stuck staring at the picture of the padlock. I smiled because I had just read a note encouraging more caution and I thought about what kind of an experience a burglar would have...

Back yard scenario: Scale a 10 foot wall covered with razor wire. Break your ankle dropping 10 feet into our concrete backyard. Say hello to our ferocious Rottweiler while being blinded by our motion sensor lights. Begin breaking outer bars to door (the ones with the padlock). Once through bars, break down interior door with 3 dead bolts, and finally...be greeted by a boxer-clad gringo wielding a stick and a Maglite. And no, I won't post a picture of that :)

Front yard scenario: Get past the two guard stations and the 3 guards. Scale the chain link fence. Say hello to our dog, and repeat the above mentioned lights, bars, dead bolts, and scary man in boxers.

My home security philosophy is to take every reasonable precaution possible while placing my ultimate trust in God.

Short of having the Depelter Turbo from the movie "Over the Hedge" (currently banned by the Geneva Convention) we are as secure as can be. Now, the hard part is trying to get into the house when your kids have to use the potty after a road trip.

Safety

In light of my (Jeff's) recent resolution, here is one of my mental works in progress...

I am occassionally asked if my current life circumstances are less safe now than they where before. I could give the simple answer "yes, they are less safe", but it isn't that simple. I could also give the seemingly spiritual answer and say... "The safest place in the world is in the center of God's will". In addition to not being able to find that verse in the Bible, it has not been my experience nor was it Jesus' experience either (the center of God's will took him to his public execution). I think that part of my difficulty in answering this question, lies in my definition of, and in my pre-occupation with, safety.

Jesus didn't share this preoccupation of mine and his definition of safety was different than mine. He said "Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Mt.10:28 NLT. Apparently God's safety conerns are different than mine...spiritual safety is more important than physical safety. Also, Jesus had a different priority ranking of safety than mine..."For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame." Heb. 12:2 NIV. Apparently the promise of future joy out-ranked current safety.

My thinking could be wrong at this point in my life, but this is how I would summarize my thoughts: God is the ultimate source of my safety, but my physical safety is not his ultimate concern. I would do well to determine and pursue what ultimately concerns God, even at the risk of personal safety. You know what? I am kind of OK with that...at least personally, but I begin to squirm when God and I begin to talk about how this applies to my family. I am glad that God didn't squirm when he chose to not make the physical safety of his only son his ultimate concern. I have space to grow here. I am glad that God is patient with me.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
-Jim Elliot

I Resolve to...

I (Jeff) don't like to make resolutions. The self-righteous part of me will tell you that I don't like them because I don't want to risk breaking my word and so I will just "let my yes be yes, and my no be no". However, closer to the truth is probably that I don't want to fail at something. If I don't resolve, then I can't fail. Good sound logic. Good plan.

Well, I am going to go against my fail-safe plan and make a resolution. It is a subjective resolution so I am still safe because failure can't be measured if the resolution is subjective. I still have sound logic. Good plan.

Here it is...I resolve to be more honest in blogging. There I said it. So now you are asking..."have you been lying in your blogging?" Well, yes and no. No, because I believe everything presented has been truthful. And yes, becuase there has been so much more that I wanted to share and didn't. I can think of at least 2 reasons why I hold back:

First because I like nice neat little packages. If I have a mental "can of worms" on a subject, and there is no lid in sight, then I am not going to mention cans or worms. I just don't like to bring up a problem until I have at least one viable solution or answer. This plays out in my blogging, in that I do not like to bring up messy things like wealth, natural disasters, racism, or the sovereignty of God unless I have a well threaded lid to put on it at the end. The reality is that I don't have the wisdom to have the answers to all of these things. So then , my new resolution is to open some cans of worms without lids in sight, and if my audience has the wisdom to offer me some lids, I will gladly accept.

Secondly, due to my varied audience, I tend to not share all that is on my mind. I am a hard-wired people-pleaser, and so I try to be ultra careful that my words will not offend anyone that could possibly read this blog. The problem is that our readers include: family, mentors, strangers, Americans, Nicaraguans, supervisors...really the whole world and so the opportunity to be misunderstood is vast. I resolve to take the risk of being misunderstood...at least until the first person writes back saying that they were displeased with something I wrote. When that happens, I will have a good cry, break my resolution and wait for next year.

Joy

And just sayin'...

Being in a place of obedience results in JOY.

Reflection and Looking Forward

It's New Year's Eve. Something about this day makes you reflect on the past year and think more deeply about the coming year. Thinking about the past year here in Nicaragua, the relationships that we've started, the adjustments we've made...the mountains we still have yet to climb...I started to evaluate it all. If things dramatically changed (which we are not planning on or hoping for)...what would I miss about my life here in Nicaragua. Somehow, that gets me thinking about what I miss from the States. The water starts to muddy and I find myself asking the "why" questions...why are we here, why I am I not fluent in Spanish already, why can't there be a Target in Managua...??? But then, I hear that unmistakable voice of God in my soul...the answer to your questions, Bethany, is obedience. Obedience demonstrates Love. Love for God, God alone. That's where it starts and it spreads out from there. So, looking ahead at 2012...haven't got a clue...but I know that my "resolution" is to continue in the path of obedience.

Celebrating Christmas!

Our second Christmas in Nicaragua. The songs may be a little different (especially the ones that start at 4:30am every morning the week prior to Christmas...blaring loudly from a nearby church), the fireworks are still surprising, the warm weather is something to get used to...but we had a wonderful Christmas! Old and new traditions. Good friends to help us celebrate. Fun times opening gifts on Christmas morning. Joy in our hearts that God came down and dwelt among us.

Here are some snapshots of our Nicaraguan Christmas morning.


Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...that was given to us for Free! By the way...notice that the gifts are wrapped in 'real' wrapping paper this year...not newspaper like last year.



The Traditional Making of the Fresh Orange Juice (had to add about 2 cups of sugar to get it sweet...but the kids enjoyed the process!)



Andrew received a "real tool box with real tools".



We did most of our shopping for Noah at the hardware store and the office supply store. He got several varieties of tape, PVC pipe and joints, post-its, paper, etc.



The kids know...the best gift for Papa is CANDY.



All Ella wanted was a baby doll for Christmas. Can you see the look of delight!?



Andrew also received a guitar. Tool boxes and guitars...big boy toys!



Ella gave Andrew a "futbol jersey" for Christmas. (For the soccer fans out there...yes, this is Barcelona.)



Aaawwwwww. Hugs for Christmas. We opened our kindle (gift to each other) about 2 weeks ago.



The best thing about the warm weather...being able to walk right outside to use your new sidewalk chalk.



Homemade Cinnamon Buns (aka Sugar Bums) for breakfast.



Three Happy Children on Christmas Morning.



Even Luna got a gift...a new collar.

Vacation

I (Jeff) will start by wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I am sure that Bethany with post something soon about Christmas, but I wanted to write about my vacation.

Since graduating from veterinary school in 2001, I have not had the academic type of Christmas vacation until now. Let me tell you, it is sweet! I gave the final exam to my students on December 15th, I couldn't grade all of them right away because one student didn't show up to take his exam, he was "stuck with his family in an interview at the embassy"...yeah sure...likely excuse. I hadn't heard that excuse before, but around here it is legitimate and believable. I had the exams graded and final grades entered by December 19th, and I was officially on vacation!

I have read 2 books, and am in the middle of 3 others.
I have played board games with the kids.
I have helped paint half of the house.



I have eaten countless Christmas cookies.
I have watched more football than my wife is pleased with (yes, I can watch American football online for free...it is very small, very pixelated, and stutters, sometimes showing 1 frame for every 10 frames it drops, but for an addict it is a fix.

And then, just this morning, Andrew and I were thinking up plans for an addition to the tree-house that the kids and I built last month.



I am still kind of the 'on-call' veterinarian for the missionary community, so I get the random calls...like a few nights ago for the dog versus porcupine mishap.
(note for the squeamish, picture is graphic, so scroll down with caution)


Watch out!!! Here it comes...





[Call me crazy, but I enjoy this kind of "work" so it doesn't feel like it is spoiling my vacation. ]

I am giving myself until the beginning of January before pursuing the next phase of "employment". For now, I am just enjoying the academic calendar and the vacation that comes with it. It is a good time to vacate!

Lost in Fiction

Again, we've allowed a big gap in time between our posts. We could blame it on the busyness of the Christmas season. Yet, while we have a few more social events, we are not overly busy. It is more likely that we could blame it on the kids being on vacation from school. However, since I am the one who posts the majority of our blogposts...I'll tell you why we have been blogslackers. The reason is: I get lost in fiction. It's true...I pick up a good book and forget that the world is still turning. My kids have to beg me for their meals, laundry is left in dirty piles, blogs go un-updated, Facebook falls low on the list...

Last night however, having stayed up too late (again), I finished The Help. Great book. The story struck me in a way that wouldn't have happened if we still lived in Delaware. Because, now, living here in Nicaragua, I have "help." While there are huge differences between the atmosphere and events of the 1960s (when the book takes place) and the present day -- still, there remains a thread of similarity. That 'thread' is one that I will continue to ponder, process and lift up in prayer.

It was a good book to get lost in...because it not only entertains...but gives reason to reflect and think. Still, for the sake of meals and clean socks, I am going to guess that my family is glad that I found my way back.

Under the Mango Tree

Tonight, for the second time, we enjoyed attending a Nicaraguan house church. It meets at the home of one of Ella's classmates which means that the kids have fun running around and playing (Noah likes this kind of church). Tonight, we took advantage of the mild temperature and cool breeze by sitting outside for "church" under a canopy of mango trees. There were the usual yard dogs meandering about and a few horse carts clopped by along the road. In some ways, it is a stretch for us...not so much because of the 'life' that continues to go on around us while we 'do church' but rather due to the language gap. Both Jeff and I were asked to read a verse or two (in Spanish, of course), as well as, pray in Spanish. Andrew said we did a pretty good job. Yet, despite the differences and struggles with language...we feel welcomed and loved...and that's what matters, right? We may not conjugate our verbs correctly...but we share the commonality of being 'forgiven' and 'adopted' into God's Family. And His family is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural family...it is a privilege to get a taste of that kind of fellowship this side of Heaven.

Things that go "Bump" in the night

Last night as I (Jeff) was trying to fall asleep, I remarked to myself... "Self, there are some different sounds out there that you are gradually becoming accustomed to." Here is a list of the things that I have heard recently between the hours of 10pm to 4am. Keep in mind the hours I just mentioned as you read the list, and that our windows are never closed...we couldn't even close them if we wanted to.

-Roosters crowing (all night long)
-Dogs barking
-Insects buzzing (sometimes in my ear)
-Babies crying
-Table saw whirring
-Arc welder crackling
-Jake brake pounding
-Hammering
-Tractor trailer diesel trucks passing by
-Roosters crowing (they sound like they are right by my head now)
-Bats scurrying and squeaking in the ceiling above my head
-Large tree falling (it shook the house from 100 yards away)
-Coconuts falling with a thud!
-Crickets chirping
-Car alarms sounding
-Neighbors cooking (dinner and breakfast between 10pm-4am)
-Neighbors' conversations
-Fire works (different than fire crackers, these are the big ones)
-Cats fighting
-Fans spinning
-Guards using their whistles while doing their rounds
-Birds squawking
-Geckos chirping
-A certain 5 year old coming in and asking if it is Christmas yet?
-Varying livestock passing nearby
-Did I mention roosters crowing (they seem to be getting closer)?
-After I hear a quick scuffle, the rooster stops crowing...is someone cooking dinner? Nothing smells better than grilled chicken at 12am! Now I can get some sleep...ohh, but the smells...that would be a different post.

The truth is, that as I get accustomed to all of this, I probably couldn't sleep soundly if I were back in suburbia with windows that could close. It is becoming my new definition of white noise.

"How We Spent Our Thanksgiving Break"

It has been a while since we've done a "Window Wednesday"...so here you go...this is a snapshot look at how we spent our 2nd Thanksgiving in Nicaragua. We traveled to an ecolodge up in the mountains of Matagalpa and enjoyed the cooler weather (felt like a mild northeast american fall), as well as, enjoying hiking and spending time as a family away from the city.




Hiking in the Selva. Yes, there is a trail...although at times we wondered if we had accidently ventured off the path.




The water was so cold. Thankfully, no one fell in...although the trail followed VERY close to the river's edge!


Interesting flora in the forest. We named these 'alien spy cams'.




Noah had a great time! He was still having fun after 2 hours of hiking!




Bananas being transported down the mountain.


If you are curious about "coffee processing"...the black bags are dried coffee (I think)...the 'sand looking stuff' is coffee beans laying out to dry in the sun. This is one of many beneficios that we passed on the way back from the mountains. Matagalpa is somewhat of a coffee capital in Nicaragua.


Gotta watch out for cattle crossing.

Last Day of School!!!!

It has been a while since we've posted. I looked at the last post date...and it made a lot of sense. We've been consumed since November 14th with final exams and end-of-the-school-year activities. By the grace and through the strength of God, we successfully made it through an entire school year in an entirely different language and culture! Our kids perservered as they walked through some hard valleys. Hopefully, they have learned that the Lord walks with them. They also climbed a few mountains and rejoiced at the top! Hopefully, they know that the Lord celebrates with them! While we spent the first several months translating every single word in every book assignment and on every worksheet...we have now reached a new level of language proficiency...well, at least at a preschool, first grade and third grade level! While we all fought to "fit in" and talk with others with the amount of vocabulary that could fit in one hand...we've made friends, shared meals, had playdates, and genuinely enjoyed being a part of the school community.

I'd love to wax eloquent...but it's been a long day. Today was the last day of school. We spent the morning enjoying a program for the "fin del año". It was also a Christmas program...being that there are no holidays (ie. Thanksgiving) standing in the way. It is still a bit odd to experience the things of Christmas when it is in the high 80s and flowers are blooming. Yet, we said our "see you next year's" and "feliz navidad's" and said farewell to one of the hardest school years we've ever experienced. I can say for sure, we all learned a lot and are stronger for it...our hearts and minds are changed...for that we are thankful.

Enjoy some photos from the day!





Andrew having a good time dancing to a swingin' Christmas song with his class.



Andrew with his "academic excellence" certificate...go figure! He truly worked hard and is well on his way to being bi-lingual.



Our little angel-girl!



Ella having fun in her class's performance!



Ella with her certificate of "academic excellence". This girl rocks school work. She is already translating for me!



Noah hanging out...waiting for the show to start!


Noah having fun being on stage with the preschool and kindergarten classes!



A very serious angel. (I just had to post this...so rare to catch Noah with a serious expression!)



This is more like it...a smiling Noah-angel! He ran around with his wings on...yelling--"I'm an angel! I'm an angel!"



¡Felicidades Andrew, Ella y Noah! ¡¡Excelente trabajo!!

Survival Skills Training: Pizza Delivery

To all those who have been wondering about the outcome of the pizza ordering experience last night....


Success!!!

Thanks to Ella, I had just enough money to pay the delivery guy. (She asked me to pay her back today when she got home from school.)...and being that PizzaHut never showed up with a pizza, I was also successful in cancelling that order. Oh, I forgot to mention...when I was on the phone with the PizzaHut guy, while there was much confusion over cheese...what I did understand was when he suggested that I have someone who DID know Spanish call back and order for me. Hmmm....not sure how I feel about that.

(Ironically, by the time the pizza arrived, I didn't even feel like eating pizza. Go figure.)

Just Bring Me A Pizza!!!!

Okay, let me share a secret (or perhaps a confession)...we can order pizza and have it delivered here in Managua--one of the benefits of living in the capital city. The options and quality are limited...but PizzaHut enjoys doing business here AND we recently discovered another pizza place called D'Agostino's.

We had agreed (and told the kids) that we would treat ourselves to pizza for dinner. Jeff is the "order-er" of the family. But tonight, Jeff is out helping a friend (I was really hoping he'd be back by dinner...but like many things here...it is taking longer than expected). So, that meant that I had to call and place the order. There is usually a "deal" at PizzaHut--so armed with my conversation cheat-sheet--I dialed the number. I made it through most of my planned conversation...feeling rather accomplished. Then, the order guy started asking questions and telling me something about cheese that I didn't understand. What I gathered was that that the "offer" seems to no longer exist. (This is not good...please, let's not deviate from the conversation I planned). There was confusion about cheese-stuffed crust (no offense...but GROSS!) So, I cancelled the order (I think...I hope...we'll see in about 45 minutes).

Dejected, I grieved over my defeat. Then I decided that we were indeed going to have pizza tonight. I CAN order pizza, I told myself....it is essential to survival. So, I called the other pizza place without a cheat-sheet. It all seemed to go well until the "telling of the price". I think they wanted to know how much 'change' the delivery guy would need. This threw me off...goodness, I don't know...like, do you want me tell you exactly what denominations of money you need to send him with? So, I just said I'd have the exact amount needed for the pizza (okay, another confession...I can't translate numbers). I just had to borrow Ella's small denominations of Nicaraguan money in hopes that I will have the EXACT combination of money needed for this pizza.

Ordering pizza used to be so simple...well, in about 30 minutes we'll see how successful (or not) I was in trying to get a pizza delieved to my house.

Noticing the Little Things

Yesterday, we were driving down the same road we've driven down for a year (it's the Pan-American Highway). There is a stretch of road that overlooks a valley, volcanoes, and Lake Managua. On the side of the road, there are hundreds of beautiful orange colored daisies...they kind of resemble black-eyed susans. I told Jeff that I don't remember them growing there last year. Yet, last year at this time, we had only been here for about 3 weeks...all I saw was the "stuff" that seemed 'unlovely' and glaringly different.

It has been refreshing to notice the little things...the pretty orange flowers, the cool breeze early in the morning, the many wild poinsettias blooming in preparation for Christmas...I am looking forward to discovering more "treasures" of Nicaragua.

Campin' Out

It is bedtime here in Nicaragua...yet, all my kids are down here in the living room...sleeping either on matresses on the floor or on the sofa. By the way, Jeff and I will be sleeping down here in the living room tonight as well. Actually this is our second night sleeping downstairs. Why, you ask? Because the upstairs is covered in a not-so-fine layer of dirt and other gross-ness, due to the removal and repair of the roof. We have had quite the colony of bats roosting in our roof. There is no attic in this house...so the "roof" is made up of the wood plank ceiling, zinc (corrugated tin), and lastly u-shaped terracotta tiles. The bats roost between the layers of zinc and tile....AND....between the wood and the zinc. Well, despite the fact that these little creatures eat un-wanted mosquitos...we found that they did not make good house-mates. Because I do not want to make this story even longer, let's just say a miracle of sorts occured...the owners decided to completely remove the roof layers (and the bats), add insulation, and then re-layer the roof...as opposed to trying to seal up holes through which the bats would exit at dusk and enter around 4 in the morning (quite the flurry of noise, by the way!). Oh, and just so you know...bats can enter into the smallest of crevices. So, here I am typing in the dark...as my kids fall asleep--camped out in the living room.

Double Meanings...It isn't Just a Language Learner Error

There are many words that have multiple meanings. We have them in English. There are an abundance of them in Spanish as well. This morning, Noah's preschool class put on a little skit and song at Chapel. A note went home yesterday, asking parents to send their children to school on Tuesday dressed as "pastorcitos". To be sure, we looked up the word "pastor" in the dictionary (the "cito" part just means little).

pastor(a): 1. Shepherd/shepherdess.

So we dressed Noah as a shepherd, as did many other parents. However, we noticed this morning at the Chapel program that there was one child (a Nicaraguan) dressed in a shirt, tie and dress pants. It took us a minute, and then stiffling laughter, we realized that his parent must have interpretted the word "pastorcito" as the second definition for pastor.

pastor(a): 1. Shepherd/shepherdess. 2. minister, clergyman.

Apparently, second language learners are not the ONLY victims of mis-translation and multiply-defined words.


"our little shepherd boy"

Crazy Things Jesus Said

Back on October 4th, I (Jeff) mentioned that I would share with you some of the things that my students thought were crazy things that Jesus said. Again, I think that this interests me bacause I too seldom gloss over many of the absolutely startling things that Jesus said. He was definitely not out to win a popularity contest when he said:

“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26 (NLT - emphasis mine)

I chose to post the NLT translation here because it includes the softening disclaimer "...everyone else by comparison..." While this softening comment probably accurately portrays Jesus' feelings on the matter, it is not in the original text. Read it again excluding these 4 words.

Is Jesus trying to pick a fight with me? Is he trying to discourage me from following him? I thought Jesus wanted me to love others, not hate them. If Jesus' words disturb you, let them disturb you...they disturb me. When I read this, I see Jesus pointing into my heart and saying: "Jeff, sometimes you love these, these, and these relationships more than me, and your actions, decisions, and worries show it." So then, what am I going to do with this crazy thing Jesus said?

"Somos Nicas"

Translation: We are Nicaraguan.

Okay, well not by birth...but this morning, we obtained our Nicaraguan residency. If you remember, several months ago, we had to travel to Costa Rica in order to "re-enter" Nicaragua as tourists. [A tidbit of "visa" information for Nicaragua: a tourist visa lasts 90 days and the government allows you to "renew" it for another 90 days...giving you a total of 6 months. However, after that second installment of 90 days...you must leave the country for 72 hours.] Sounds fine and good--a chance for vacation, unless you have three children whom need to travel with you. This morning as we waited in the Immigration Building, there were a smattering of complaints over the "waiting." I asked the disgruntled "wait-ers" if they would prefer taking the bus to Costa Rica. The immediate response was a very quick, "No, that's okay, we'll wait here." (Uh-huh, that's what I thought.) So, while obtaining residency is important for many reasons, the #1 reason for our family would be to avoid the day-long bus ride to Costa Rica.

Obtaining residency has been quite a process...lots of paperwork, mailings (thanks to Bruce & Debbi for all your trips to the post office), proving you were born in New Jersey, standing in lines, being told "no" this morning due to our documents "not being ready" (thanks to our lawyer, Cecilia for pushing the issue). After some deliberation of the "people behind the window" at the Immigration Building...God parted the Red Tape Sea, and granted us passage and favor to the Land of Residency. So, join with us today to give God the glory for this miracle (well, it feels like a miracle to us). Thanks for all who have helped us and have been praying for us throughout this process.

Now, if only instaneous fluency in the Spanish language came with the residency card!

One Year Milestone

One year ago, today, we arrived in Nicaragua. Toting our 10 footlockers and 10 carry-ons (including the cat), along with assorted dreams, hopes and expectations--we started our "new life" here in the land of lakes and volcanoes.

By God's grace, strength and mercy--we've come a long way. Those first days, weeks and months were full of tears and frustrations. Yet, here we are--celebrating our one year milestone! We have found, that while each day brings the unplanned (and a certain amount of culture clashing), we are indeed settling into and enjoying life here in Nicaragua.

As we take time this weekend to reflect on this past year, remembering on God's Mercy and Faithfulness...we plan to post a blog of answered prayers from this past year. Tonight, however, we are planning on going out to dinner to celebrate this milestone. Ironically, we are going to go to an Italian restaurant to have calzones.

We are eternally grateful for your prayers, support, emails, calls, goodies (sent through travelers), blog-following, and your friendship! Thanks for being a part of our family's journey (and adventure) of faith.

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4:21-24

Random and Raw Thoughts on Poverty, Wealth and Guilt

This is a journey--the thoughts, the struggles, the tension that surround the vast divide between wealth and poverty. As I laid in bed last night, I thought of my clothes dryer. Random, I know. But, it has been raining for about 10 days straight now...nothing dries; in fact, things that were dry have become damp. We are thankful to have a "secadora" (a clothes dryer). Generally, we try to hang laundry on the clothesline when we can...but that has been impossible this week (unless we are looking for an endless rinse cycle). As I lay there in bed, I realized that, at times, I have guilt over owning and using the dryer, a luxury item of sorts. I don't want to feel guilty for using my dryer....so, why do I? Thus, I started thinking about the "blessings" we have...particularly because here in Nicaragua I can see clearly the contrast between "have" and "have not". If my friend "Sally", who doesn't have a dryer, had one...she'd use it and be happy about it, right? Perhaps, those that don't have the "blessings" that I have....maybe they have other blessings that I don't have. Do they feel guilty for having something that I don't have? Really, these "blessings" (their's or mine)are from the Lord...so if I struggle to enjoy them...am I essentially scoffing at God, who gifted them to me?

I continue to search Scripture for answers and perspective. Sometimes that seems to muddy the waters...but then isn't that what we need the Holy Spirit and wisdom for...to learn and grow through the struggle. Again, I find myself at Paul's words to the Philippians in chapter 4:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I'd like to know Paul's secret...because, quite honestly, I am not content. I guess I will press on...seeking that learned contentment that Paul talks about...learning to enjoy the gifts that God has given me without guilt, but rather with an attitue of gratitude and willingness to share. It is ironic, isn't it? If I were in the States, I'd probably be struggling with not being content because I'd be wanting more...and yet, what I had there is more than I have here. Interesting.

Dangerous Territory

Tonight at dinner, Andrew asked Noah a question about school...in Spanish. Noah paused to ponder the question...and answered appropriately. Jeff and I exchanged a glance that implied, "do you know what they are talking about?" Ella, being the observant child that she is, repeated the question to Jeff and I...in Spanish...and yet, we STILL needed to ask for a translation.

Yes, we have crossed into dangerous territory. Our mistake was letting on that we didn't understand. Now they know that if they speak fast enough, their parents may not fully understand the "secret code."

We needed a renewed motivation to keep studying our Spanish...and now we have one.

Rainy Season Lesson #37

It has been raining nearly non-stop since Monday.

Lesson: envelopes have the ability to seal themselves when the moisture content in the air is off the charts.
Solution: wrapping envelopes in Glad Press-n-Seal helps stop envelopes from self-sealing.

On the upside of constant rain...the plants are well watered and growing nicely! We now have lakeside property. We've gotten great use from the rainboots we brought with us from the States. School is sometimes closed because of "rain".

Celebrating 10 years...of Andrew

Andrew turned 10 last week. An entire decade old. Amazing. Doing the school party/piñata thing is not as "cool" for a third-grader as it is for a preschooler and first-grader. So, for Andrew's birthday--the first one celebrated on Nica soil--we had a skate party with some of the American boys in the neighborhood. There is an old tiled tennis court in our neighborhood...perfect for skateboarding. Andrew and his friends had some good ol' boy fun...skateboarding and rip-sticking, while Ella scootered around and Noah rode his little bike. Andrew had a great time trying out his new skateboard!

Happy 10th Birthday Andrew!

Enjoy some photos from the celebration.


The Birthday Boy













Yup, Jeff still remembers how to catch air.