Oh my.  Where to begin.  Time has absolutely flown by.  Today was our last day of ministry, which is so hard to believe.  Tomorrow we are leaving for our "debrief" time in Costa Rica and we'll be there for 4 days and then return for 2 more days to Granada before we fly home.  The reality of leaving has started sinking in this week and I find myself fighting off tears at so many random moments...I don't even want to think about actually saying goodbye next week.  It's like my heart is torn in two-one part is so excited to see family and friends again but the other part is indescribably sad to close this chapter. 

But before I get preemptively sappy, a recap of the last month:  Mom and Dad visited, which was so much fun.  I absolutely loved playing hostess to this city and showing them the people and places I've come to love so much over these last months.  It is nice to have people from home understand a bit more what life is like here.  We got to do so much and it was so fun to have them here.  It was a blending of my worlds, for sure, as I introduced them to things here but we also visited Casa Bernabe, another orphanage all of us has previously been to as well.  I will always cherish the memories I have with my family in this country and feel confident more will be made.

Last week I visited three different orphanages.  Two of them I had already been to and one was new to me.  I loved reconnecting with the kids I already knew and also got to know so many more!

One of the highlights was going with my neighbor, Yelba, age 17, to visit her sister (who I already knew from the girls' orphanage in Granada!).  We went on Sunday to visit Diana (age 10) and her mother was there too, which surprised Yelba.  It was a very interesting family dynamic to observe.  I don't even know if I can put it into words...the mother so distant and formal, Yelba trying to be fun for her sister, and Diana looking quietly back and forth between the two of them with this look that I'm not sure I know the depths of...I walked away with a mixture of emotions-sadness at the reality of the situation but also feeling glad that Diana lives in such a joyful place where she is well cared for.  It's hard to come to grips with it all but I was glad to see Diana with her family. 

Another highlight was going back to the orphanage on the island of Ometepe.  This is where we were before Christmas and I was overjoyed to see the most adorable pair of sisters back at the orphanage!  They had left the week we were last there to live with the grandmother but it was a violent home and so it is much better that they are back at Cicrin, the orphanage.  Juliette, the crazy-fun girl in the hammock with my teammate Annie and me, is 4 years old and a bag of sass!  She is hilarious and we had so much fun playing. 

Again, it is so hard to believe I am leaving Nicaragua in a little over a week.  I am overwhelmed by the richness of the memories I have here, the lessons I've learned, the way my faith has been stretched and increased immeasurably, and the knowledge that none of this would have happened if it were not for so much support from all of you-whether financially, through prayer, emails, letters, so much.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!  Words seem so inadequate...

I can't wait to tell you more stories in person, and to hear about your lives as well.  It reminds me of that verse..."Let us keep on spurring one another on in love and good deeds..." Hebrews 10:24.  Just know how much you have helped spur me on!!!

Blessings to all of you!

Even after living here for over half a year now, I am constantly discovering new parts of town that make me wish I had longer to live in this city! I was blessed to be able to spend last week with my brother and sister, Mark and Lindsay, as they were here leading a group of their friends on a spring break trip here in Nicaragua.  Part of their week included spending time with eighteen beautiful girls who all live in an orphanage here in Granada.  This was my first time even seeing this place and it was such an oasis, housing this group of girls, located off one of the busiest streets.  Inside was a peaceful haven where these girls all live together with the three nuns who take care of them. 

We took all these girls with us on a few excursions, one of which was a day at the beach.  I loved watching some run away from the waves, while others dove head first, each girl all smiles.  The beach was a blast but my favorite thing we did with the girls was treating them to a night of royal status.  We told them we were taking them out to dinner and when we showed up, they were dressed in their best and finest dresses, each looking like a princess.  I've seriously never seen a more beautiful group of girls.  Their hair was perfect, their shoes were polished the best they could be, and their joy was contagious.  We proceeded to the restaurant where we ate delicious food and then we surprised them with a Mariachi band.  The dance floor was our home for the next two hours and I've never enjoyed sweating that much!  These girls could dance circles around us gringos and we had so much fun, laughing, dancing, and trying to learn new dance moves. 

Amidst the flurry of twirling dresses, energetic music, and peals of laughter, I had a moment where I almost ended up in tears-joyful tears.  I looked around me and all I saw were princesses.  I was reminded of how we are each children of the King and that, in his eyes, we are all princes and princesses.  These verses in Psalms came to mind and I have been dwelling on them in my quiet times lately, amazed that God sees me as his princess, his beloved daughter, heir to his Kingdom.  Sometimes I guess we need tangible reminders of these kinds of truths...and if it takes taffeta, ruffles, and a Mariachi band to get my attention, so be it.

 In other news, the realization that I only have a bit more than a month left here is hitting me...I want to make the most of every day and am trying not to get sad about leaving before I have to. It will be really hard to leave this place, the culture, the friendships, everything...but pray for me, and our team, that we would be fully present here, focused on where the Lord wants us.  It is easy to start thinking ahead to what is next, which is good, but I want to finish well here. So please pray for focus and energy as we finish this last leg of our time here in Nicaragua.  

Love to you all!

[This is El Puente, our mission base. We live behind it and also conduct many ministries from this site, such as our women's Bible study.]

We have been praying about starting a Bible study for women and had our first meeting Tuesday morning.  At first no one showed up.  Eight of us gringos (or gringas if we want to get technical), were there promptly at 7:30 anxious to see who would come.  We had announced our study at multiple men's Bible studies, asking them to tell their wives, at church, and had extended many personal invitations to our neighbors, friends, and chance encounters on the streets.  I personally was very excited about starting this study because a few women who live next door to us had asked me specifically about a women's Bible study.  Needless to say when no one showed up we were a bit discouraged.  We spent the rest of the time together praying and God has a sense of humor because after about 30 minutes of prayer we opened our eyes and realized a Nicaraguan woman was sitting in our circle.  She had come in while we were praying and none of had noticed! 

It's funny how God often reveals just enough to keep us trusting Him.  Just when we could have been discouraged he gave us a glimpse of his plan to renew our faith.  He doesn't have to, but He often does.  The Lord is teaching me so much about having more faith-truly believing in what he says. Yesterday morning was a great reminder that every heart counts.  Cynthia, the one woman who came to the Bible study, may be the only reason we are having this study.  Or maybe God will bring more. Regardless of numbers, his faithfulness astounds me and he is teaching me more of what it means to trust in him.

Please pray for this Bible study, that we would honor the Lord in the way we conduct it, that it would be a safe haven in this community, a place for women to come together and learn more about Jesus together and to be encouraged by fellowship. 

After a wonderful time of being with friends and family over the holidays, we are settling back into life in Nicaragua.  We moved into our new dorm-style house behind El Puente, which has been great to be closer to a lot of our ministry.  Seems like we always have kids to greet us when we come out our front door.  Our first few days we relaxed and moved into our house, and yesterday we worked about 5 hours in the yard, cleaning up from a lot of the construction, hauling tree branches into our bonfire area, and picking up trash.  Something exciting that greeted us when we got back was that they are putting pavers on our street! After years of saying they were going to, they are finally doing it.  I wonder if this will change trash pick-up at all since it is no longer a dirt street.  Hopefully people will take better care of it since it looks so much nicer.

Next week we are going to be nailing down the logistics and details of what the next few months are going to look like.  We will be choosing particular ministries and essentially making an internship out of our hours of service. 

There have been some changes in the structure of our leadership team as one of our male leaders has felt called back to his home.  We are getting a new leader in his place and I, as well, am stepping up into a leadership position.  I am excited about what the Lord wants to teach me through this transition.  Please pray for our team as we seek out where God wants to use us in this city. 

I'm excited to be back and would love your prayers, as always.  Thank you for reading! I hope you are having a wonderful start to this new year.  

Not snow....rain  :)

            As I prepare to fly home tomorrow, I am in a place of reflection over the last 3 months and am truly amazed with how the Lord has met me in my time here. Last night as I walked around our neighborhood saying goodbye to people, it made me realize how much I love this country, these people, and how much I am looking forward to coming back and continuing life here. There is something so beautiful in the open-door lifestyle here, and I find so much joy in the relationships that I have here. I would love your prayers over this Christmas break for wisdom about what ministries to pursue next semester. When we come back we will be focusing in a bit on one or a few ministries in particular and at this point I am still not exactly sure where God wants me. I am excited to be home for a few weeks, to be with friends and family and enjoy Christmas traditions. I probably won't blog until I get back in January so until then, I hope all of you have a wonderful, joyful Christmas, full of reminders of why Jesus really came and the gift he gave us on that day! Thank you SO MUCH for all the continued prayers, support, and encouragement. I can't tell you how much it has kept me going. I need y'all! You are such an example to me of the church in action. Thank you for letting the Lord use you in that way. I hope to see so many of you. 
Feliz Navidad!!!!

Well, this was our last week in Granada before we come home for Christmas. We are leaving on Tuesday for an orphanage on a nearby island, Omotepe, to work there for a week and then we are flying home! 

 

    Another fun part of this week was the start of the 9-day processional of the Virgin Mary around the entire city of Granada. They literally take her down from the front of a cathedral and put her on a huge float and she processes throughout various streets around town each night. Street vendors, lights, fireworks, and thousands of people all come together and make this quite the event. The parade was on our street two nights ago and it was so much fun walking around before and after, running into literally everyone we know, it seemed, and taking in all the tradition and community that surround this event. It was such a snapshot of Latin American culture. 

   It's hard to believe we are about to head home...that is has been 3 months already. Time has gone by so quickly and relationships feel much deeper than the short amount of time it has been. We said goodbye to the kids who live on the street where we do trash pick-up and it was so sad! We told them Merry Christmas (or, rather, "Feliz Navidad!") and the good news: that we'll actually be living on that street when we come back in January! Our team is moving into the back of El Puente, the AIM base, where they will just have completed a house for missionaries to live in. So, we'll continue pioneering this experience as we move into a completely new setting next semester. 

 I will hopefully blog once more before I fly home, to tell about the orphanage. Please pray for focus and energy this last week...that our minds would be present here in Nicaragua, not looking too far ahead to going home. I am certainly excited to have a chance to come home, though, and feel blessed to be able to do that! Looking forward to seeing many of you!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thursday full of family, friends, food, and thankfulness.  Our team worked hard to put together quite an amazing Thanksgiving meal.  We had a turkey, stuffing, even a variation of pumpkin pie (with a Nicaraguan fruit called ayote that is similar to pumpkin...kind of).  We certainly had to flex, though, and parts of our day were quite comical actually.  For example, the water pressure went completely out halfway through the morning, followed quickly by the power men coming to our door and claiming that we didn't pay our October bill (which isn't true...).  Long story short they still cut our power, mid-turkey.  So, I ran next door to Chilu's house and sure enough they let us use their oven-all day.  The funny part was that it was half the size of a normal oven so our bird barely fit, but it worked.  And 5 hours later we had a perfectly cooked Thanksgiving turkey and our team sat around a long banquet table, in the former barn that is now El Puente.  I love Nicaragua J   It was a great day, filled with reflections on the many blessings in my life...and while I certainly missed many things from home, I have to say it was a wonderful and memorable day filled with laughter, joy, good food, and lots of gratitude for so many things in my life-both at home and here.

Another highlight of the week included my boyfriend Joe's visit this week, along with his mom and sister one day as well.  It was a joy to share my world down here with others!  The rest of the week was great too, although it strayed from our normal schedule a bit.  We still taught ESL and are having our class "fiesta" for our last day on Monday.  Then on Wednesday we ended up only doing our kids' program/activity instead of trash pick-up because of various issues with the trash-company that should be worked out by next week.  It was so much fun though and we played with the kids for a solid hour and a half, including a great lesson, song, and prayer time.  Thursday was a great day with the team, with everyone cooking, eating, just being together.  And Friday we went up a mountain overlooking the entire city and spent the morning in solitude, which was a great conclusion to the week.  It was the most beautiful day and a great chance to just slow down and spend some uninterrupted time with the Lord, enjoying his creation. 

Overall, my heart is just full after this week.  Even though we still don't have power yet (2 days and even a bribe later...), there have been countless moments of joy throughout the last few days reminding me of how much I have to be thankful for in the way of relationships, provisions, spiritual blessings, and so much more.  I hope you are finding moments of joy throughout your week as well.  Know that I am thankful for so many of you and the countless ways you support me and love me!