Sunday

     High:
Tana, Sarah, and I sang with the band at El Puente for the morning
worship service. I've missed that so much! Then in the afternoon, our
team split up - some went to Managua and some to Masaya for a little
Christmas shopping before the prices start to go up. I went to Masaya
and spent the afternoon mostly walking around and talking with Tana,
Carlos, and two new friends named Manuel and Dani.

     Low:
While I was in Masaya, I heard a noise outside that got louder and
louder. We went outside to check it out and saw a parade which I was
informed was basically a gay/lesbian/trans pride celebration. Seeing
that was very sobering and a good reminder that the world around me
doesn't stop living out a life apart from God just because I am
taking a "day off". There are no real days off in the
Christian life, are there?

 

Monday

     High:
We made the armor of God out of poster board in class. I think it was
one of the first creative/artsy things I've done here, and it felt
good. In our team meeting that evening, we wrote encouraging notes to
each other and that was pretty sweet too.

     Low:
Caleb A. and I had an exciting game prepared for our advanced ESL
class with adjective cards from the game Apples to Apples (which by
the way, if you haven't heard of/played that, you're missing out),
but no students showed up. I think this week and next week are finals
for several schools though, so that might explain it.

 

Tuesday

     High: I
had some good conversations with a few of the girls on my team. We
also found out that on December 9th, our group will be visiting an
orphanage on the island of Ometepe and staying there for a week to a
week and a half, then returning to Granada for a few days before
flying home. This is the same orphanage where AIM will most likely be
sending their summer teams, and where teams from the World Race have
stayed before when in Nica.

     Low:
Again, no students for ESL. It made me wonder exactly what our
ministry will look like after this week, since there will be no
school until January. Also, it made me wonder what ministries I will
get involved with after returning for next semester.

 

Wednesday

     High:
After picking up trash in the afternoon from the street by El Puente,
we held a mini-program for the neighborhood kids that lasted about a
half hour or so. I watched the 20-25 kids who were there sit
relatively still and quiet while we performed a little skit about
Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and then prayed with them. Then
they got a chance to move again and loved singing songs, dancing
around, and then playing a few games at the end too.

     I
wasn't involved in planning any of this, so it was great to see some
of my teammates step up and initiate this type of children's
ministry. It's pretty clear to me that they're using their gifts well
in that way on this trip.

     Low: I
had a lot on my mind in the evening as I started thinking (yes, and
worrying too) about plans for the future and how that relates to
what's happening at home. It was a night of just pouring all that
uncertainty back into God's lap so in that sense, I guess you could
see it as a high. It was also a night of having to choose to NOT
dwell on emotions such as fear or doubt, no matter how many times
they kept popping back up in my mind, and choosing to focus on God
instead.

 

Thursday

     High:
Dinner was amazing, and I am proud to say that I cooked it. :)

     Low: I
realized that out of all the friends I have here in Nica (other than
my team, of course), most of them are guys. The girls here are less
open and willing to build new relationships with us gringos than the
guys are, and I'm not sure if that's a cultural thing, a "you're
only here for nine months" thing, or if maybe there just haven't
been as many opportunities. This is something that I hope changes -
would you join me this week in praying for opportunities to get to
know some of the girls better?

 

Friday

Also,
class time was turned into a worship time, and it was FANTASTIC. We
had communion together and washed each other's feet, sang some songs
in both English and Spanish, and I had a chance to get drawn more
into God's word with different verses that reminded me again of just
how much He loves me and desires an intimate relationship with me.

     Low: I
was very homesick. (Normally you think people get homesick on rough
days.. interesting.)

 

Saturday

     High:
The whole team spent the day at Laguna de Apoyo, which is about a 45
minute drive away. We had a great time swimming and playing in the
water, sleeping in hammocks, eating some good food, etc. The location
was beautiful and the day was very relaxing.

     Low:
Transportation was slightly sketchy, but then again, this is
Nicaragua. One van with twelve seats and seventeen people.. you do
the math! The van actually did have to stop at one point on the way
back because we were too heavy to get up an incline. The driver just
took half of us to the top and had us wait there while he backtracked
to get the other half of the group, then he let us all pile in the
van again, and drove the rest of the way home.

 

     And of course, since I haven't posted any pictures lately, I apologize and am going to leave you with two. The first picture is the view we see every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday as we walk to Sisters of Charity (the orphanage). The second is a group of fairly-regular kids who show up to hang out and pick up trash every Wednesday. If I were a kid, that would not be my choice of how to spend an afternoon! I pray that you are doing well and that God is revealing Himself to you in new ways each day. I love you all!