Work, work, work!

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!