Wow! I can't believe it's been more than a week since I last wrote. Time is flying by fast down here. I'll give you a brief synopsis of what my regular week looks like:
Sundays- I go to church at El Paraiso and teach Sunday school and help lead the service.
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays- I teach Spanish to three of Tamara's boys (2 together and one separately) and English to Tamara's help, Patzy and Jessica.
Tuesdays- My day off!! This past Tuesday, I washed my clothes the Nicaraguan way- by hand. It took me two hours, and I got a blister on my thumb! Then, because I washed them so late, they didn't dry that evening! It took some of them two days to dry! As you can imagine, some of them didn't smell so great, haha.
Thursdays- I get on the 6:45 a.m. bus to go to Chichigalpa to teach two English classes to 5th and 6th graders in an elementary school. In the afternoons, some volunteers from La Isla and I play and color with the kids. :-) After that, I go to Bethel to see Yahaira and some of my friends out there.
Before I tell you what I do Saturdays, I have to make a big announcement: I GOT A JOB TEACHING ENGLISH AT THE UNIVERSITY!!! A month ago, I applied at the Centro de Idiomas (Language Center) in UNAN- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua (National Autonomous University of Nicaragua). This university is one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and the English program is the best in Leon. This past week the director called me to let me know that there was a teacher leaving and they were needing someone to replace him. So, on Saturdays, I am teaching a level 7 (there are 14 levels) intermediate English class from 8:00 a.m.-noon. I have 24 students ages 14-30s. It's a challenge teaching teenagers and adults! However, I really like my students, and I am really excited about the opportunity to grow in my craft.
I am also substitute teaching an English class for Jonah Price on Saturdays until the end of the month. I teach that class from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Therefore, yesterday, I taught English for 6 hours!!! At least next week, the UNAN classes will be on break, and the last Saturday of the month, I will be giving Jonah's class an exam.
Finally, Saturday nights, Luis and I go to his church, Belen. His church has been really growing this past month, especially in the youth department. Last night we had a wonderful service that really energized my spirit.
So today, David (Tamara's husband), his sons, Luis, and I went to El Paraiso. We tried to go last week, but the clutch on the van was loose so we had to come back. Thankfully, today, the van held up even though David had to lift up the clutch with his foot every time he changed gears. What's important is that we got there safely.
We were supposed to have Luis's uncle come with us to preach, but he was unable to come today. I didn't find out about that until 10:30 this morning, and this morning I was worn out! However, when I found out that we didn't have a preacher, I had just read my Jesus Calling devotional. To sum it up, it was talking about being tired and how God works in weakness. I knew that even though I was tired, I was going to have to preach, and God had given me the word. So, I preached today, and it went really well! Thank God that He opened my mouth and gave me the words to speak, even it wasn't perfect. I think the message is exactly what the people needed to hear.... that God uses the weak to show his power. Many of the people in the church feel like they aren't qualified to step up and be leaders. Hopefully, after today, they are encouraged that Christ can work through anyone and that He is calling them to rise up and be courageous.
So life has gotten really busy here in Nicaragua, but I am still loving every minute! At times, I still get to relax or have fun. Raquel and I haven't seen each other too much, but we were able to spend some time together this past Wednesday. I am hoping we'll get to spend more time together on our days off. Luis and I still see each other and spend time together every day. We usually just sit and talk or watch a movie; this past week we watched the Abraham movie on YouTube, haha. We also have been reading the Secret Garden in English so I can help him with his pronunciation.
Winter has finally arrived in Nicaragua. Of course, it's not the type of winter we are used to in Tennessee rather what they call winter is really the rainy season. Tuesday night brought the first long rain. After that first rain, it's rained every day, mostly in the afternoon or at night. The rain's kind of nice because it cools everything off. The disadvantages are that (1) people get sick more during the rainy season, (2) you can't get out as much when the streets are flooding, and (3) clothes don't dry as fast!
Well, I think I'm done "summarizing" another week and my life right now. Here are some prayer requests:
1. The church in El Paraiso. We really need a preacher and some of the members to step up and lead. Also, some of the members cannot read, either because they didn't learn or have poor eyesight. Maybe in the future we can collect some reading glasses for those that have trouble seeing.
2. People that I live and work with. A lot of people here in the hostal and the people that I work with on Thursdays in La Isla don't know the Lord. It has really burdened my heart. Please pray for opportunities to share God's love with them and boldness to speak the truth in love. I feel like it's easier to witness to Nicaraguans than to Americans, and so I am more timid when speaking to them about the gospel.
3. Managing time. I am so blessed with what is going on, but I don't want to be so busy that I miss what is fruitful for the kingdom.
4. My energy and health. Praise God that my energy has been getting better. I have still been fighting off infections from time to time, and I am still struggling with finding things and making food that's good for my digestion. However, thank God that I am well for the moment.
Thank you so much again for reading. I always sit down with the intentions just to write a little, but then I keep thinking of things to share! I share these things with the hope that you will receive a blessing just as much as I have been blessed here. I love you all very much. Take care and God bless!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Getting Settled into a New Routine
So I am really exhausted right now, but I already have so much to tell and I want to share it before I miss the opportunity.
This week, I started doing more of what I had planned to do while I am down here: Bible studies, teaching Spanish, teaching English, spending time with the people down here and administering needs etc.
Sunday was a big day. Tamara's husband (David), her boys (Jonah, Daniel, Caleb, and Josh), Luis, a leader from Luis's church, and I went out to El Paraiso to lead the church service. I really didn't know what to expect because I had just been to the service one time while Tamara was here, and there was a pastor that lead the service at the time. However, since El Paraiso doesn't have a full time pastor and the other pastor didn't feel called to serve there, Luis asked for someone from his church to come preach. Luis and I kind of took the reigns, so to speak, with leading the worship and the process of the service. It was a challenge but a blessing, and I was really proud of Luis for manning up and helping lead, even though he didn't feel good at all that day. The man from Luis's church did a great job preaching. I lead the children's Sunday school activities and watched them as they colored quietly out front during the preaching. David and some of the men from El Paraiso are in the beginning stages of building a Sunday School building, and that will serve as a great place to have children's church while the adults receive the word without distractions.
Monday, my friends Lissette and Adriana came over to my house for Bible study. We have been going through Genesis and John. God is so good to pour out His Spirit and knowledge into the conversation. I am so impressed about how much these girls know about His word and how He is opening their eyes to His word. We had some really great in depth conversations like if men really had one less rib because God made Eve out of Adam's ribs or about how smart men really are but don't consider their knowledge from God. I am so thankful for my time with them, not just because of the opportunity to serve, but how much I am learning myself and how they challenge me to study and read more.
Raquel was supposed to be at the Bible study, but when I called to check on her, she was on her way to take her younger brother, Marcos age 18, to the hospital. Marcos was really sick and vomiting and said he didn't have a lot of feeling in his arm and his tongue. So, since Raquel and her older sister are the only close family around, they took him to the hospital emergency room. For those of you that aren't familiar with Nicaraguan public health hospitals, you would be absolutely horrified with the conditions they are in. The one in Leon is a run down building, most of it open air, and not very sanitary at all. Going to the emergency room is an all day process, too. When I went to check on my friends, they were sitting in what look like an airport or bus station seats, and Marcos was laying on his older sister's lap with an IV. I stayed with Raquel, who seemed really worried about her brother, and kept her company. We had to walk up a floor for Marcos to get his fluids taken for lab work, around the corner to get x-rays, back down a floor to wait, and back up 3 hours later to get the blood and urine analysis results. Craziness... Thankfully, I had made some chicken noodle soup for Luis and me the night before (Luis got extremely sick that night but I nursed him back to health). So I heated up the leftovers to take over to them for lunch. It was kind of awkward sitting there while people with IVs and whatnot were watching them eat a bowl of soup, but at least they got to eat! I was happy that Marcos was able to put away two small servings! I don't know if they ever really figured out what was wrong... I think maybe maldigestion and dehydration.
Monday night, I hung out with Luis's family. I was so delighted to see Luis's 2 year old niece giggle silly with joy because we were there. Luis, his sisters, and I took her on a walk in her stroller. Later that night, Luis's little sister, Cynthia age 10, and I played STOP, which is like scattegories. I really enjoy spending time with his family. :-)
Tuesday and Wednesday, I started helping Tamara's sons with their Spanish. I am thankful for the experience I had teaching last year, because I have been using some of the resources and teaching ideas to help them. They are really good students, mostly because they usually teach themselves in other subjects. I am hoping to work with them at least 3 times a week for about 30-1 hour each, sometimes with two of them together.
One of the girls that lived in my house last month, Dureen, works for La Isla, a non-profit foundation that does research to support and advocate for the people living with the kidney disease in Chichigalpa, close to where I first did mission work in 2008 with Vision Nicaragua. She mentioned to me the other day that they had an English program that they were starting again and invited me to volunteer on Thursday. So today, Thursday, I went with her and a couple volunteers to an elementary school to teach two beginning level classes to 5th and 6th graders. Although I was not prepared at all for the lesson or teaching, I loved teaching English to those kids! Therefore, I am going to try to start teaching out their every Thursday and maybe even be kind of a director for the English program over there. Unfortunately, it might not be a paid position, but I might be able to write a grant for funds. At least I will have another opportunity to use my talents to help others and share God's love. Those kids will benefit from learning English to help them have a better chance of a good job in the future so they won't have to work in the sugar cane fields, where most people get sick.
Another advantage of going to Chichigalpa is that I will have the opportunity to visit some of my friends in Bethel! Bethel is the community that I worked with the first few times I came to Nicaragua. Since Bethel is about 45 minutes from Leon, I had not been out there in 2 years. Today, I called my dear friend and sister, Yahaira, to meet me in Chichigalpa for lunch, and after doing some activities with the kids at the school, I went back with her to Bethel. It felt so different but so good to be back in the community and see familiar faces! Many of the kids have grown so much! I was so happy to spend time with Yahaira and her sister Jazmina and her family for a couple of hours. I am planning to try to visit every week after teaching English in Chichigalpa.
Well, I think I wrapped up the majority of what's going on. God has been so good to me. Not only is He opening doors for me to work and witness to others, He has used many people to be blessings to me and has been teaching me to draw closer to Him. I have been able to have more quiet times. Today, the Lord woke me up miraculously (for those that know me) at 5:00 am, and I got to spend a good chunk of time reading the word and praying before I had to leave early on the bus for Chichigalpa.
On the bus, a man sat down beside me and was reading a pamplet that a Jehovah's witness had given him, but He was looking up scripture on His phone. I started talking to him and found out that he is a Christian and reads the Bible. He was just reading what the scriptures in the pamplet said. Nonetheless, I came to find out that his wife attends a baptist church where the ministry had been before, and Pastor Carlos, who used to work for the ministry, was the former pastor of that church. He knew about Milagros and some of the kids in Cheryl's house, and I was able to update him on the kids' progress. It just seemed like one of those divine interventions for whatever reason, only God knows. For me, at least, it was an encouragement talking about the word with a fellow brother.
Thanks for reading all this. Sometimes I wish I just had a jump drive that I could connect to my brain and download all the glimpses and details that are stored in my mind. I appreciate your prayers... I can feel them. Please keep praying that I will be come stronger in health, mind, and spirit. Please pray for the ministry in El Paraiso and the girls I have mentioned in this blog. Please pray for boldness and opportunities to share the gospel. Above all, may God be glorified in my life, as well as yours. :-)
This week, I started doing more of what I had planned to do while I am down here: Bible studies, teaching Spanish, teaching English, spending time with the people down here and administering needs etc.
Sunday was a big day. Tamara's husband (David), her boys (Jonah, Daniel, Caleb, and Josh), Luis, a leader from Luis's church, and I went out to El Paraiso to lead the church service. I really didn't know what to expect because I had just been to the service one time while Tamara was here, and there was a pastor that lead the service at the time. However, since El Paraiso doesn't have a full time pastor and the other pastor didn't feel called to serve there, Luis asked for someone from his church to come preach. Luis and I kind of took the reigns, so to speak, with leading the worship and the process of the service. It was a challenge but a blessing, and I was really proud of Luis for manning up and helping lead, even though he didn't feel good at all that day. The man from Luis's church did a great job preaching. I lead the children's Sunday school activities and watched them as they colored quietly out front during the preaching. David and some of the men from El Paraiso are in the beginning stages of building a Sunday School building, and that will serve as a great place to have children's church while the adults receive the word without distractions.
Monday, my friends Lissette and Adriana came over to my house for Bible study. We have been going through Genesis and John. God is so good to pour out His Spirit and knowledge into the conversation. I am so impressed about how much these girls know about His word and how He is opening their eyes to His word. We had some really great in depth conversations like if men really had one less rib because God made Eve out of Adam's ribs or about how smart men really are but don't consider their knowledge from God. I am so thankful for my time with them, not just because of the opportunity to serve, but how much I am learning myself and how they challenge me to study and read more.
Raquel was supposed to be at the Bible study, but when I called to check on her, she was on her way to take her younger brother, Marcos age 18, to the hospital. Marcos was really sick and vomiting and said he didn't have a lot of feeling in his arm and his tongue. So, since Raquel and her older sister are the only close family around, they took him to the hospital emergency room. For those of you that aren't familiar with Nicaraguan public health hospitals, you would be absolutely horrified with the conditions they are in. The one in Leon is a run down building, most of it open air, and not very sanitary at all. Going to the emergency room is an all day process, too. When I went to check on my friends, they were sitting in what look like an airport or bus station seats, and Marcos was laying on his older sister's lap with an IV. I stayed with Raquel, who seemed really worried about her brother, and kept her company. We had to walk up a floor for Marcos to get his fluids taken for lab work, around the corner to get x-rays, back down a floor to wait, and back up 3 hours later to get the blood and urine analysis results. Craziness... Thankfully, I had made some chicken noodle soup for Luis and me the night before (Luis got extremely sick that night but I nursed him back to health). So I heated up the leftovers to take over to them for lunch. It was kind of awkward sitting there while people with IVs and whatnot were watching them eat a bowl of soup, but at least they got to eat! I was happy that Marcos was able to put away two small servings! I don't know if they ever really figured out what was wrong... I think maybe maldigestion and dehydration.
Monday night, I hung out with Luis's family. I was so delighted to see Luis's 2 year old niece giggle silly with joy because we were there. Luis, his sisters, and I took her on a walk in her stroller. Later that night, Luis's little sister, Cynthia age 10, and I played STOP, which is like scattegories. I really enjoy spending time with his family. :-)
Tuesday and Wednesday, I started helping Tamara's sons with their Spanish. I am thankful for the experience I had teaching last year, because I have been using some of the resources and teaching ideas to help them. They are really good students, mostly because they usually teach themselves in other subjects. I am hoping to work with them at least 3 times a week for about 30-1 hour each, sometimes with two of them together.
One of the girls that lived in my house last month, Dureen, works for La Isla, a non-profit foundation that does research to support and advocate for the people living with the kidney disease in Chichigalpa, close to where I first did mission work in 2008 with Vision Nicaragua. She mentioned to me the other day that they had an English program that they were starting again and invited me to volunteer on Thursday. So today, Thursday, I went with her and a couple volunteers to an elementary school to teach two beginning level classes to 5th and 6th graders. Although I was not prepared at all for the lesson or teaching, I loved teaching English to those kids! Therefore, I am going to try to start teaching out their every Thursday and maybe even be kind of a director for the English program over there. Unfortunately, it might not be a paid position, but I might be able to write a grant for funds. At least I will have another opportunity to use my talents to help others and share God's love. Those kids will benefit from learning English to help them have a better chance of a good job in the future so they won't have to work in the sugar cane fields, where most people get sick.
Another advantage of going to Chichigalpa is that I will have the opportunity to visit some of my friends in Bethel! Bethel is the community that I worked with the first few times I came to Nicaragua. Since Bethel is about 45 minutes from Leon, I had not been out there in 2 years. Today, I called my dear friend and sister, Yahaira, to meet me in Chichigalpa for lunch, and after doing some activities with the kids at the school, I went back with her to Bethel. It felt so different but so good to be back in the community and see familiar faces! Many of the kids have grown so much! I was so happy to spend time with Yahaira and her sister Jazmina and her family for a couple of hours. I am planning to try to visit every week after teaching English in Chichigalpa.
Well, I think I wrapped up the majority of what's going on. God has been so good to me. Not only is He opening doors for me to work and witness to others, He has used many people to be blessings to me and has been teaching me to draw closer to Him. I have been able to have more quiet times. Today, the Lord woke me up miraculously (for those that know me) at 5:00 am, and I got to spend a good chunk of time reading the word and praying before I had to leave early on the bus for Chichigalpa.
On the bus, a man sat down beside me and was reading a pamplet that a Jehovah's witness had given him, but He was looking up scripture on His phone. I started talking to him and found out that he is a Christian and reads the Bible. He was just reading what the scriptures in the pamplet said. Nonetheless, I came to find out that his wife attends a baptist church where the ministry had been before, and Pastor Carlos, who used to work for the ministry, was the former pastor of that church. He knew about Milagros and some of the kids in Cheryl's house, and I was able to update him on the kids' progress. It just seemed like one of those divine interventions for whatever reason, only God knows. For me, at least, it was an encouragement talking about the word with a fellow brother.
Thanks for reading all this. Sometimes I wish I just had a jump drive that I could connect to my brain and download all the glimpses and details that are stored in my mind. I appreciate your prayers... I can feel them. Please keep praying that I will be come stronger in health, mind, and spirit. Please pray for the ministry in El Paraiso and the girls I have mentioned in this blog. Please pray for boldness and opportunities to share the gospel. Above all, may God be glorified in my life, as well as yours. :-)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)