Month: June 2014

Did we mention to anyone how much we are loving living in town and are thoroughly enjoying having a home?  We have so many more cultural experiences… the security guard who rides his bike up and down our street all evening blowing his whistle every 50 feet, a parade, a man riding his horse at full speed down the street with another horse tied to him, and of course the fritanga.
Even before we moved in here, when we would tell people where we were moving, and they would get a smile on their face and say, “That is right next to a fritanga. It is soooooo good!” We did not really know what that meant. We do now.
Thursday through Sunday evenings starting at 4 through about 10 PM, the most amazing smell of roasted meat fills our house. We resisted for about a week (fearing that with our various ailments that this experience might bring on some other ailments, if you know what I mean). But when I did not want to cook on Saturday, I ventured out!
Let me set the scene. Normal people sell stuff out of their homes- food, kids toys, candies, Christmas ornaments, etc. You just set up a table out in front of your home, put out your wares and wait for people to arrive- kind of like having a garage sell all the time! With our neighbors’ fritanga it is two large tables covered with tacos, taquitos, salad, rice and beans, and fried plantains and two large grills of meat- chicken, beef and pork.
With money in hand I joined the throngs of people- about 20 people, some arriving in taxis, motorcycles, bikes, on foot, with babies, in vans and cars. As we have become aware over the past week, this is a very popular place. I enjoy the cultural experience and feel a little awkward being about six inches taller than everyone there and with light hair. The Sesame Street song goes through my head, “Which one of these is not like the other, which one does not belong…”. I am thankful that I introduced myself to the neighbor the day before.
I tell her what I would like. She gets two banana leaves, wraps up meat and salad in the leaves and asks for 80 cordoba ($3). It is some of the best meat we have had here. Adios and I am on my way to make a “home cooked” meal for my husband. 
The sights, the smells, the sound, the tastes, the touch make this country amazing and overwhelming at times! How we just have to decide what we want to sell out in front of our house. Any ideas

Carnivore

Facing Fears

In theory this is a good thing. I think most of us feel pretty good when we find ourselves having overcome a fear, but the process is not something enjoyed. Living in Nicaragua has put several fears right in my face. I would like to say that I have embraced these changes with joy, but it would be a lie.

Spiders

I have never thought anything but “It must die” when it comes to spiders. In the past few weeks between Stephen and I we have killed at least a dozen  half- dollar sized spiders.  Each time my heart stops a bit, but with a shoe I can usually take care of the issue.

Claustrophobia

This makes no sense to those who do not deal with claustrophobia, but for those who do, you can understand the overwhelming fear that comes up when you find yourself in closed in space. For me, the greatest difficulty comes in the busses here. The busses here are packed with people, bikes, food to be sold in the market, you name it. This is a fear that I have to call on God for. I usually arm myself with headphones, good music or a sermon to listen to as a distractor. I still find myself with an urgent prayer, “God keep me calm”, often throughout the trips. Each time this prayer has been answered.

Misrepresentation/Taken Advantage Of

To be viewed as something I am not. As a gringo, we are often looked at as wealthy; consequently we are often charged more and appealed to for money. The street vendors see us as targets for their wares. When I am in a good mood, I can shrug this off, but when the world seems to be caving in, I cave into annoyance and frustration. Maybe this is not a fear, but rather something that comes with being in a developing country. Technically I am rich. Rich enough to know that if I needed to I could get out of the country. This is not the case for most people here. Just having an American passport gives me that freedom to come and go. I am rich- in love, friends, and a Savior who cares about the details of my life.

Being Ineffective

At the heart of me, I want to serve God; to be used by Him to glorify Him. I fear being complacent, being busy, but not really influencing other people; although honestly speaking,   most of the time I want the easy way out. While we have been inundated with areas that we can give and serve, we have meet many challenges; our own personal physical shortcomings and difficulties, people who misrepresent themselves, greed, etc… The challenge has been to keep a soft, teachable heart that can be effective in the midst of it all. I am not doing so well with this right now, but I know that in order to overcome this fear and my other fears, I have to be close to God- depend on Him daily, minutely,  surrendering to His will.  Wow, I have much to learn!

 

In the past week in postings have been on Facebook rather than blog- access to Facebook has been easier with our comings and goings.
A week ago today, I had made a doctor’s appointment from Stephen due to stomach pain that had been going on for a week. Getting an appointment is an interesting process, which requires having someone else call since my Spanish is enough to get me in trouble.
The plan was that we would stop by the doctor on the way home, and see what we would need to pick up at the pharmacy afterwards. The doctor (English speaking) that everyone goes to was out of the country, so we got to me a man who was filling in for him. The hope was that he might know enough English to communicate- he didn’t. When it was our turn, we went into his office; a room about 8X10 with a desk and an examination table. Doing our best to mime the situation, we finally had to resort to calling someone to be our translator over the phone. The only person we could get a hold of was our taxi driver, who kindly dropped everything and came to our rescue (Blessing #1). The doctor said, “Go to the hospital immediately, you have appendicitis” (in Spanish of course!) A developing country hospital was not on the top of our list of places to go. One of our friends down here shared a story of his last experience in the local Granada hospital. He had cut himself, and while he was being sewn up, there was a cat licking up the blood off the floor.
We left the office wondering “Was this doctor right? Was he even a doctor? What do we do now?” We called our new friends, sharing the information with them. They said, “Stay where you are, we will be there in 20 minutes to pick you up and take you to a hospital in Managua.”( Blessing #2)
When we arrived at the hospital Emergency room we were greeted by an English speaking nurse (Our landlord had called ahead to a friend at the hospital. – Blessing #3) Stephen was taken back, I filled out paperwork and within a short amount of time the doctor was there with a diagnosis and how it would be treated (Blessing #4).
That evening we found ourselves in the maternity ward (no other beds in the hospital) with Stephen on high level antibiotic, an air conditioned room, and hospital food that was not too bad. (Blessing #5) The nursing staff was very good, Stephen’s translation program on his phone was extremely helpful, and Stephen became affectionately known as “Baby Stephen”. He was feeling much better with the antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and pain medicine.
Because of his strong immune system and antibiotics (for something else) that he was taking earlier in the week, Stephen’s body had encapsulated the appendix to keep it from infecting the rest of him (Blessing #6). After IV antibiotics for about 36 hours, he was sent home with four other prescriptions to continue to fight off infection as the encapsulated appendix shrinks and is safe to remove- this will happen in one more week most likely. It is not quite how they would do it in the US, but we are impressed with the doctor’s knowledge and reaction.

During this time, we have heard from so many of you. It was a tremendous encouragement to know that you were praying for us (Blessing #7)! I felt strong and able to handle things, like God was carrying us through every step of the process! (He was)  We so appreciate the prayers from around the world!

A few Things About Leon

Last Sunday, Stephen and I left our casita in Granada and hopped on an express bus for Managua with the final destination of Leon. After several stops, I began to question the definition of “express”. The bus from Managua to Leon was equally interesting. We went out of Managua on the road past the Villa Esperanza, where I was last summer. It was great to see the familiar sights. The next twenty-five miles were similar to driving in a dry river bed with a driver who had too much coffee. My thoughts were that if the road is this difficult to Leon, why do people go there? After looking at a map on arrival in Leon, I found that we were on the old highway. It is still a mystery to me why anyone would take the old highway. 🙂

This week of training has been great! Our classmates were from Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Haiti. We thought that we were just going to be just in learn-mode. What we found out was that we were living out the motto, “Watch one, do one, teach one”. For the first few days we learned the Biblical stories, and then the last two days we had about 50 people come from the community, and it was our opportunity to teach them. This is a great way to learn. My head is spinning now with the stories, as well as all of the Spanish we have heard. We are slowly learning!

It was precious to get to know the Nicaraguans in Leon, and hear their hearts for God. I wish I could pick each of you up and plop you down into a church service in Nicaragua! It is hard to describe the fun, worshipful atmosphere- clapping, moving, singing! In heaven we will likely get some lessons in praising God from the Latinos. Rhythm is not needed, but a genuine love to Jesus is encouraged!

Soon we sadly leave our air conditioned hotel room and return to Granada (hopefully on the new highway). I will miss the youthful and historical city of Leon (the restaurant next door to our hotel is the site of the beginning of the revolution, the murder of seventeen students protesting Somoza), but look forward to returning to Granada to get started in moving forward in many acts of service. I find myself overwhelmed with the poverty of this country right now, but I was reminded in my Perspectives reading that missions had to come out of a joy for Jesus, not the sadness of humanity. Please pray for us in this- it is one thing to say, but another thing to live!

We are at the three month mark from our wedding. It is hard to believe! Someone here said that Nicaraguan years are like dog years…In Nicaragua, one year feels like seven years. 🙂

 

I am titling this blog “Have You Wondered…” Hopefully this gives you some insight into us and the country we live.

 

• Have you wondered about the price of items in Nicaragua? Yesterday we bought a table for $16, we pay $5 for a box of cereal, $.20 for a bus ride into town or $2.50 for a taxi ride, we can get an iced Americano for a little over a dollar, and with a gulp I paid $5 for a can of small shaving cream and $12 for a very basic doormat.

 

• Have you wondered how people get water in the barrio? First let me say that many of the improvements in this country have been completed by others countries. I have yet to hear what the motivation is, but an example of this would be that Japan has redone the water system in Granada, therefore water from the tap is drinkable. In the barrio, there are spigots on most blocks where people can bring buckets and take water back to their homes. The water goes out periodically (It has been out in the whole town all day today.), so people will keep open troughs of water on their property. You can see the need for water purification.

 

• Have you wondered how church services are conducted in Nicaragua? We are by no means the experts in this area, but these words come from our experience at three different churches. The services are held either outside or often in rough cinderblock buildings. The music is very lively and usually involves clapping and sometimes dancing. The great thing is that you don’t all have to clap together; for those who can’t keep a rhythm, it doesn’t matter. We have not found the song words to be posted, so not everyone sings along-especially not us, since we are not adept with Spanish yet. The speakers tend to be more boisterous and last longer than American services. Every service we have attended has included a time for extensive greeting. At the last serve we attended, a young girl ran into my arms and gave me a big hug. I had smiled at her earlier in the service. Any guess on what the “Quadangular” denomination is?

 

• Have you wondered where the clothes from the Goodwill go if they are not purchased in the US? I can safely say that Nicaragua is one of the countries that gets these shipments. There are many second hand clothing stores, and I have seem the well-known Goodwill tags. Items cost less here than at the Goodwill- come on down for an unforgettable shopping trip! 🙂

 

• Have you wondered about the medical system here? Everyone can go to the hospital if they need to go, the draw back is that you are on their schedule. We have heard stories of common things needing many visits. Additionally, there are multi-levels of medical care for those who can pay for more. We have been told that there is a very good hospital in Managua that we should go to if needed. For smaller things, you can get in and visit a doctor. The costs are in the $20-25 per a visit. The first line of defense though is the pharmacy. Both Stephen and I have tested this. We have gone in to tell the pharmacy what is wrong and they make the judgment of what it could be, and then they sell you some remedy. Instead of a box the medicine, they sell it by the pill or dosage. I bought five fiber capsules are about 10 cordoba ($.30)- I am feeling better!

 

Until next time, look for the blessings before you! Natalie

Geckos: Cute, when they speak with an Australian accent and sell insurance, a little startling when they come to from under a picture on the wall when you go to move it

Millipedes: Fun, catch one for a bug collection, not so fun to find 30 of them on the living room floor and walls

Frogs: Amazing, hear them as background sounds in the night, laughable (usually) when it sounds like you live in a video game of sounds when they all get going after a storm

Humidity: Heavy, a constant throughout the day, building to an amazing instant deluge every night

Spanish: Learning, one to five and buenos dias, now our personal connection with the people “Spanglish”

Cordobas: Currency, 25 to $1.00, now $1.00 to 25

Nicas: Vida (life), did not know them before, now kind, helpful, humble people

Hangout: Relaxing, it was Starbucks, now it is Eurocafe

Speakers: Loud, once just used in the house or the car, now strapped to cars and trucks promoting politics and radio stations VERY LOUDLY

Mosquitos: Annoying, they bit me in America and they bite me here, too! 🙂

Today children are starting school in Portland, and I am sitting in a wooden rocker in our screen home, under a fan watching a herd of cattle go down the road directed by their four year old herdsman. Last night the entertainment was an electrical storm and fireflies, and today our goal is to successfully get a ride into and out of town after we get the money to pay our rent.

After spending three nights at a hotel in Granada, we have found a place that is outside of Granada a few kilometers-loosely think suburb. It is called Reparto San Juan. We opted for this to get out of the noise of the city, the price is right, and technically it is cooler; although I must question the difference between 100 degrees with 80 percent humidity and 97 degrees with 80 percent humidity. 🙂 Essentially we live in the converted garage on the property of a larger house. The owner is married to a Nica and they have three daughter. They also own what I have named the “rag-tag posse”- five dogs of varying shapes and sizes and three cats.

So the understatement of the year is “Life is different here”. We are in the season of the miliped ( they are on the floor, the wall, the sink, the bed…), Stephen got to be the hero last night when he saved me from the large frog that had taken up residence in the bedroom, and a little pool time is an essential part of the day. I am doing a little better this morning at a appreciating the differences, but last night was a different story. 🙂

As cold water to a weary soul, so is great news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25

Provisions:
Enough money to take care of our needs as they arise- plane tickets, luggage, setting up home, storage of our American stuff
The right people to be watching over N-Response2 on this side
Connections with individuals in Nicaragua, knowing that much will need to be settled on that side, but trusting that it will all come together as God allows
Time, although it seems in short supply, has been enough to complete the tasks- moving, seeing people, packing belongings, raising support

So many of you have allowed God to work through you to care for us- so humbling and exciting!

I wake up at night still wondering how the details will come together, I still look around and see piles of stuff knowing that the only way they will “disappear” is through hard work, and I fear that the Nicaraguan weather will really melt me- maybe melt away the pounds (that would be good!)

So, now I get back to packing… and trusting God that He will continue to provide!

The latest “beginning” is we have our tickets and we leave in 10 days! Where has the time gone? This comes with excitement and some anxiousness. I have a mix of feelings in me of wanting to get going on this adventure and fearing that this next week and a half will pass too quickly.

 

It is weird going into Target to buy things like anti-biotic ointment rather than school supplies. It is weird still driving out to Scappoose rather than Beaverton, and it continues to be weird packing up my belongings rather than arranging them around the house.

 

Our goal and purpose at this time is to trust and hope through faith in God I am successful much of the time, but other times I fear that I do not have enough faith for this move. Stephen and I have devotions every morning, so we are reminded of God’s power, ability, and control in our lives as we yield to Him. I wonder what I will see when I look back on this time?

 

We feel like we are moving into the “10^th hour” of support raising, packing up our stuff, and good byes. The “11^th hour” is just around the corner and Faith is our big word. Will you believe with us?

 

Love, Natalie