Month: January 2015

We had a wonderful problem tonight! Many of you might remember that a week and a half ago we went visiting our nieghbors to invite them to be part of a Bible study at our house. Tonight at 5:30 we wondered if anyone would show up; by 6 PM we had 20 people and by a little after 6 the number doubled.

Our problem was/is stuff; we do not have enough chairs for 40 people, we handed out all our Bibles and it met the requests but not the need, we could not hand out the snacks we had because we did not have enough, and now we have to make many more copies than anticipated of our study book- so many good problems!

What an amazing blessing to see 40 beautiful faces come through our gate, ranging from 4 months to 80 years. Stephen did a great job sharing his testimony,as well as the importance of our study- “Who is Jesus Christ?” Only a small number of our neighbors go to church or have a Bible.

So as we wait for other things, Solarbags and residency, we do what is before us; love our neighbors!

Today we went door to door inviting people to a Bible Study at our house starting in the end of January.  These are people that we have been smiling at, meeting on the road, receiving and giving rides to, watching them play baseball, working alongside them on the road, watching their animals and family interactions, and wondering how we fit into this new neighborhood.

This is not a neighborhood with asphalt streets, curbs or gutters. We do have tree lined streets but that is mostly because they have used trees as fencing to delineate property and streets. The yards are either swept or unswept dirt, and most of the houses would fit into your living room. Not just dogs are in the yards, but cows, horses, pigs, chickens, roosters, rabbits, and of course cats roam at will.

Instead of oaks and firs, there are banana, plantain, jicote, mango, neem, and others I do not recognize. Most flowering plants have no trouble attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, slow flying bee/flies, and people like us who are amazed on a daily basis of the vegetation around us. We have an amazing plant that has flowers with a yellow stacked interior and white trumpets coming off the top; this seems to be a favorite for the hummingbirds.

We received a variety of responses. Most people were shy but friendly at our approach. We have learned to greet them from where their property starts rather than go to the door. We got many “yeses”, but we also know that a “yes” here can mean that “I am just being polite” or it could be a “yes, I will be there.” It might also mean “I am curious about these people and how they live.” or it could mean “I want to come to learn more about God”.

We heard several “I am too busy”, some changing the subject, some fear of us being Catholic and some fear of us being evangelical. One man told us that we should go to a community not too far away and invite them because they have no church in their community; that is something to definitely look into.

Even before we went out, I wondered if I would do this in my neighborhood in the US. I would like to say yes to that question, but I know from experience that the thought would have crossed my mind, but I would have been too afraid to actually do it. I am disappointed about that.

When I think of the responses, I think they would have been similar in the States to what we received today. Maybe fewer “yeses” and more “We will see if I can find the time.” I think the language barrier and not completely knowing the culture worked in our favor today. It took away some of the fear of the unknown. I asked Oscar, Byron, and Austin, the guys to helped us today, if they were scared to invite people, and they said, “No, we are glad to do it.”  I have something to learn from these guys.

We will see the fruits of our and God’s labor on January 29^th! I am excited to see the results.

Friends-

Here is the second part of the saga from mid-December. As I mentioned yesterday, this situation has not been solved, but we have not gotten to part three; the part where God combines your prayers and His work to give us a miracle!

Thank you for standing with us in this,

Natalie

The Next Day-December 13

Stephen is an optimist in many things. I am what I would term a realist, but moving in the pessimists direction with each bureaucratic encounter.

When Stephen departed from the offices the night before, they told him to get there early the next morning so that he could get a place in line similar to the number he had. In no way was he given a bye for the time he already served. The placed opens at 8 AM, so he thought that if he left at 6 for the hour ride that he would be in good standings. When he arrived a bit after 7 AM the line was the equivalent of three city blocks- we have so much to learn.

We were expecting company for lunch, so I had stayed at home to make preparations. Periodically throughout the morning I got updates. Sometime around 10:30 I got the message that he was let inside the gate. About a half an hour late I got a call saying that he would only receive the goods if we paid $2800 in taxes and fees. The contents of the boxes cost less than $3000, and there was no way that we could even come up with $2800.

I was so sad and mad because adults and kids in the US had given their hard-earned money so that people in Nicaragua could have clean drinking water, yet this part of the government was more concerned about making a profit than the needs of their countrymen.

Stephen said he would call me back, but the next time I saw him was at the front gate about an hour and a half later. I was with our guests, debriefing some, and in the intervening time read the December 12^th entry in Jesus Calling (I was a day behind in my reading):

“Every detail of your life in under my control. Moreover, everything fits into a pattern for good to those who love Me and are called according to My design and purpose. Because the world is in an abnormal, fallen condition, people tend to think that chance governs the universe….Submerged beneath the surface of the visible world are mysteries too vast for you to      comprehend. …That is why you must live by faith and not by sight.”

I tried to argue that one. Every detail except for the Nicaraguan government is under God’s control, but that blasted my theology out of the water, so I had to trust, albeit grudgingly that this too could work out for good.

Meanwhile Stephen had left Managua in frustration and knew he would benefit from listening to Podcasted sermon rather than rehearsing the morning events on the ride home. He listened to Pastor Dave from our home church, Cedar Mill Bible Church. For 45 minutes he heard about the travesty of having a condemning spirit towards others. The conviction was too obvious to ignore; even with the frustrations and absurdities, he had no godly right to condemn these people.

So we wait, we pray, and we expect God intervention so that we can share the rest of the story with you, and you can praise God with us.

The following is a “To Be Continued”, with the next part coming tomorrow. The events occurred a month ago, but are still an issue today. We are just now about to get back to this since government offices are now open from the holidays. We ask your fervent prays for this, as we know that only God can clear the way.

Thank you, Natalie

Bureaucracy-December 12

In the past few weeks, we have had several opportunities to see how things work here. Our biggest experience and one that is not complete is the importing of Solarbags. Our original plan was to have them brought in a container owned by a friend. It seemed like a great idea, until we found out that he already had three containers waiting in customs here, and that the one we hoped to use was going to be delayed being sent for a few months because of the other containers.

Plan Two was put together by our Board President. He connected with a well-known shipping company, and was able to send the 100 Solarbags to us for $300; more than we wanted to spend, but a reasonable rate since it covered customs, shipping and other fees.

After two weeks we were summoned to the shipping companies office (let’s just call them VPS), saying that we needed to pay $40 and we would be able to get our stuff. Of course we could not get it that day because it was in customs at the airport. They kept asking us if we needed to change the name on our items and if we had a broker; we did not really know what that meant, but in hindsight it would have given us a clue.

A week later, they called to say that we had two choices. 1) Get a importers license (I can only imagine how long that will take!) or 2) change the name on our packages to Stephen Marc Goff instead of NResponse2-Stephen Goff- very confusing, right? We opted for the second, with the understanding that by paying $15 to change this that we would get our packages.

The next step was to be directed over to the office at the airport. After talking with them, they made it very clear that we were on our own once we had the paperwork in our name. This should have been clue #2. A woman walked us about three blocks to a place where about 40 people were standing around waiting. There was a large gate and it was clear that only the right people could go in. The security guard looked at our paper work, and Stephen was the right person and I was not. For the next three hours he was on the inside and I was waiting with the lady who sold food, tape, and rented out chairs. Being the only gringa in the area invites a lot of attention. A man talked with me for about an hour, sharing with me that he had been waiting for his girlfriend for about three hours. He was very familiar with this process, which allows Nicaraguans to receive $500 worth of things every six months. I saw a lot of big screen TV boxes, beat up boxes with clothes and shoes tumbling out, and knowing that money was changing hands. My time outside had frustration, kindness, and some understanding as I saw people turned away from receiving their things as well as was offered a seat for free from the kind lady with chairs and supplies. Later, I saw this same lady who was 50ish, thinly built and in high-heels give a right handed hook to a man who was pestering her. The time was boring, but definitely not dull!

What I did not know during my three and a half hour wait was what was happening inside the gate.

The first thing he heard when he was released into the area was “Administracion”.  He headed toward a series of doors, and number 3 was Administracion. He thought, “This is going well”. The administrator stamped his paperwork, and then he was off to the next line. For the next two and a half hours, he was shuffled from one place to the next, asked to make photocopies in an unknown location, asked to make more photocopies that then were not required, and finally being asked to buy tape so that he could tape up his stuff after it was gone through. The door of hope opened again as he was let into a caged area so that he could open the boxes sent to us. He saw, he touched, and then he was escorted out of the room, thinking that there must be one more thing to sign and then someone will bring the items. I saw him through the gate at this point; he was happily walking toward an office. I was watching employees leave the primacies.

About 20 minutes late he walks to the gate with no boxes, and he can’t seem to get a word out of his mouth. Finally he says, “I have to come back tomorrow, because they are closing for the day”. The absurdity of it all was somewhere between laughing and crying.