Safely home

Praise God!! We had an early start (4am) yesterday and a long day of travel (18 hours) but we are SUPER grateful that everything went well. Special thanks to our friend Clair from church who picked us up in Chicago and drove us home for the last leg of our journey.

To God be the glory...great things He has done!

Leaving you with lyrics

Thank you for joining us on this journey. We are grateful for your prayers, emails and comments. We covet your prayers for our travels on Wednesday and as we transition back into life in West Michigan.

We sung this song in church two weeks ago and the lyrics have been on my mind ever since:

You're the God of this city

You're the King of these people

You're the Lord of this nation

You Are

You're the light in this darkness

You're the hope to the hopeless

You're the peace to the restless

You are

Bridge:

For there is no one like our God

There is no one like You God

Chorus :

For greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done

In this city

Greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done here

You're the Lord of Creation
The Creator of all things
You're the King above all kings
You Are

You're the strength in the weakness
You're the love to the broken
You're the joy in the sadness
You Are

For greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done

In this city

Greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done here

LORD JESUS, GIVER OF EVERLASTING HOPE, MAY YOUR PEOPLE RESPOND TO THE BROKEN AND HURTING IN THIS WORLD AND MAY YOUR HOLY NAME BE PRAISED IN MANAGUA AND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.

AMEN.

Sowers and Reapers

Sowers, planters, pruners, waterers and harvesters.

Nicaragua has been a steep learning curve for us. A tough climb at times . . . inspiring at others. Contrasts between rich and poor, those who have and have not. Miserable, dilapidated shacks alongside a scenic drive up to a volcano or beach. A supportive network of cooperating missionaries and workers as opposed to an undercurrent of anti-foreign resentment among some nationals. Sensing we are meant to be here but never feeling completely safe and secure. Even where we have visited and participated in great things it seems that darkness lurks menacingly just beyond the gate. An oppressive spirit lingers.

We have learned that we were actually fortunate in the amount of things we lost when the house here was broken into. Others have fared far worse and lost much more. There is an air of “lawlessness” here rooted in the desperate conditions of many, widespread unemployment and aided by a lack of police presence and legal accountability for actions.

In essence we know that these things are more than physical problems. There are spiritual battles going on. A sports center opens and changes the atmosphere of its neighborhood. Young men are trained in a vocation and gain a new lease on life as skilled workers. A home for prostitutes trains them in other methods of earning and the lives of several generations are touched. A Christian school teaches a wholesome, Biblical worldview in hopes of forming responsible future leaders. An orphanage demonstrates love for the unloved and fatherless. Beams of light shining into the darkness. We hope that we have contributed in some small way to lights here.

Realizing that not everyone can come as we have we want to make some suggestions of ways you too can contribute here in Nicaragua. Prayer is a simple yet powerful means of contribution. You can use the names and places we have talked about or just keep it general. If you live in West Michigan then we are bringing 52 packs of the greeting cards that the women at House of Hope have made in order to sell them for their benefit. We took the step of faith of paying for them upfront as a help to the ministry and now are looking for people who would like to partner by buying a packet of ten handmade cards for $5. Buy some cards and help to free someone from a life of walking the dangerous streets of Managua. Contact us to get some!

Also we want to link you to some of the places we have visited and been involved with here. Check them out on their websites and contact or contribute as you feel led. All of them have inspired us in some way during our time here. (Click on the ministry names below to link)

House of Hope – ministry to women & girls in prostitution & sex slavery

Manna Project International – Lori S. the director has shown us their work in several places here including a community sports center, the city dump and a medical clinic there (look for a video online)

ESVO Ministries – Mike and Lauren Deibert, Joel Dozeman – vocational training for young men in metal work and woodworking

July 25: Tears

Today was one of those days when the hours of rain matched my emotions of melancholiness. According to an online dictionary it describes melancholy as "sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness". My heart ached as we had to say goodbye to Kenia and the others at House of Hope as it was our last day scheduled to be there before we leave on Wednesday. I thought and reflected on our time at House of Hope and how it will forever be a part of us now. We had never heard of this ministry before getting here and had no idea that God would lead us to this place but we are so grateful He did. There are some people that you meet in life that seem to touch you in a special way no matter how short a time you have with them. Kenia is one of those people on this trip.

Kenia became like a big sister to Sophia who clung to her like a teddy. Sophia has barely spoken English let alone tried to speak Spanish with anyone here but Kenia's contagious smile and sweet & compassionate spirit won her over. Despite a 10 year age difference they hung out like best buddies. As a mom it's hard for me to imagine having to bring an 11-year old Angelina or Sophia to the street with a painted face and tell her it's time to start selling her body in order to contribute to the family's finances. That's what happened to Kenia. Yet, despite her horrific past, her face shines with potential. By the grace of God she is in the loving & supportive environment of House of Hope, a place where she can grow in her understanding of God's unending love and promises.

As we left the House of Hope grounds I continued to cry....tears of gratitude for the life I live, tears of sorrow and anguish for the pain that Kenia and the others have already experienced in their young lives, tears of sadness that departing brings and tears of complexity as I try to respond to Sophia's request: "I want to bring Kenia home with us"

July 24: Living in a dump

It's hard to believe that for thousands of people the title of today's blog is not just an expression, it's a daily reality. Managua's city dump is called La Chureca and people have been living in it for over 40 years. Every day children through adults leave their shacks to collect, sort and sell recyclables and valuables that they find while searching through the 1,200 tons of trash that is delivered to La Chureca each day.

Although many organizations and individuals with good intentions go in to offer some sort of temporary relief through handouts, medicines etc., there are some ministries that are committed to bring long term sustainable develpment to those living in La Chureca. Manna Project International (MPI) is one of those ministries and we had the opportunity today to go to the outskirts of the dump with Lori, the executive director of MPI. This ministry is helping to run a children's community center where children have a safe place to play and learn instead of being in the unhealthy conditions of the dump. We were able to see the center in action as teens had a lively soccer game going on outside while undercover a volunteer was helping children with literacy skills and educational activities. We also toured the small health clinic that is next to the community center. The dedicated Nicaraguan staff of medical professionals is responding to the unique needs of the residents in La Chureca. They suffer many health issues from the constantly burning garbage, which exposes them to combustion fumes, skin disease and infections from glass cuts. Many also suffer from malnutrition.

Smoke rises each day from the burning garbage and it can be seen from miles around. Lori and the MPI staff are sensitive to the people's privacy and dignity and get frustrated at times when Americans simply come in to take a bunch of pictures of the extreme poverty. Although we did not take any closeup pictures, the images that we saw will remain on our minds and in our hearts....one of the responses from our kids: "wow, we live in a mansion".

these homes are just outside the dump

Looking out the window

I think I've mentioned before how fascinating it is to simply be on the road because of all the interesting and unique things there are to observe along the way. Hopefully these pics will give you a small taste of what we have seen while driving since they were all taken from inside our vehicle.

House near House of Hope

Nathan calls these "tropical traffic jams" :)

For the kids and me, we get to relax and look around when we're in the vehicle. For George it's much more stressful and tiring since he needs to maneuver the vehicle around large vehicles, pedestrians, animals, biciclists & motorists, and lots and lots of potholes (worse b/c it's rainy season). Bless his heart - he's done a great job!! This is definitely not where I'd want to learn how to drive a stick shift.

Very typical sight even in rain storms...backs of trucks loaded down with goods and people

We definitely have not tired from looking at the beautiful landscape - the reddish/brown plants in this pic are all pineapples

I love observing the talents of the Nica women!

No internet

We haven't had internet the last couple of days...will try to post something tomorrow

June 21: Stories of Hope

Jessica (above, middle) moved to House of Hope two years ago with her mom, Margarita, and brother and sister. They are a Managua family coming from desperate poverty. The house they were living in was made of black plastic and everything they owned was muddy as a result of the rainy season rains. When Jessica's family arrived at House of Hope, her mom was illiterate but is learning to read thanks to House of Hope volunteers and staff. Margarita has also learned how to sew.

Bertha is in her mid-twenties and has been at House of Hope for more than two years. She has a strong desire to finish her education and is in 8th grade. She has had a very rough life. Both her mother and sister were prostitutes when her sister sold her to five men when she was SEVEN years old. Both her mother and younger brother are mentally ill, having been hospitalized on numerous occasions receiving electric shock treatment. According to H of H staff, she has changed and grown enormously since arriving at House of Hope

These are just two examples of how God is at work through the ministry of House of Hope. Lives filled with brokenness, abuse, desperation, and poverty in need of the everlasting Hope that only Christ can supply. We feel blessed to have learned about this ministry and to have gotten to know the women and children there.

July 19: A walk to church

We walked to church this morning so I thought I'd share some pics of what we see around our neighborhood. One thing that strikes us is the vast diversity of housing, ranging from gated, well-manicured properties right next to very simple dwellings.

At church it was announced that a missionary family who is currently out of the country had their house broken into and had basically everything stolen except their larger furniture pieces. While we were frustrated with our break-in and loss, we realize things could have been much worse.

July 18: Dancing, piercing, cooking

• Yesterday the girls from House of Hope invited us to watch them dance at a VBS-like day camp. They danced two different times during the morning and they did a great job in front of a very big audience (400-500 children and parents!). The Bible camp is run almost every Saturday morning by One to One Ministries of Nicaragua who are reaching out to Nicaragua's youth. They bus in children and parents from the poorest areas of the city and do a phenomenal job - praise team leading songs, games, Bible memory, music videos, Bible story and skit etc.
• Angelina has been asking for months to get her ears pierced, and since it's the cultural norm here (in Mexico the baby girls leave the hospital with their ears pierced, although they wait a bit longer here we've been told) we decided to let her do it - a lasting 'souvenir'.
• Mystery solved: a few days ago I was puzzled as to why Angelina's shirt and capris came out of the wash with dark brown stains on them. I was pretty sure they weren't on when they went in so I figured they came from the machine. I soaked them in stain remover and scrubbed them with no change whatsoever. Within a 24 hour period two different people told us that the juice of mamones (a tropical fruit which they've been eating a lot of) stains really badly. I finally made the connection....but a little too late. They have about 8 t-shirts and shorts with permanent dark stains on them (fascinating b/c the stain doesn't show up until after being washed)
• We invited our neighbors, the Pachechos, over for crepes tonight. We normally have them every Sunday morning for breakfast so since it's a 'family specialty' we decided to share them with the Pachecos who had never had them before. It was a great evening of fellowship and the kids enjoyed hanging out with their kids: Katy will be a senior, Miguelito is going into 7th grade and Vanessa is in preschool.

July 17: home again...House of Hope

This morning was spent settling back into our home here. That meant sorting laundry, organizing a grocery list, catching up on e-mail, making phone calls and helping Chilo clean and prepare food. Nathan and Angelina were particularly intrigued with learning bean sorting, lime squeezing and floor scrubbing at Chilo’s school of Nicaraguan homemaking. We took a break from that in order to go to the grocery store, deli and pharmacy (some minor ailments but nothing serious). After a yummy lunch of fresh gallo pinto (rice & beans) we gave Chilo a ride to her other worksite and headed over to House of Hope to interact with the children there.

When we arrived at House of Hope the women and girls were busy cleaning the public areas by splashing water around and scrubbing with brooms. We were told that they were preparing to clean the dining hall next so we would have to use the more limited porch space to start. Soon after we began to play cards, apply temporary tattoos and read books with the kids it began to rain. The drops grew in intensity until we were all crowding against the wall to keep out of the wind driven downpour. For several minutes we milled around simply watching the rain pound down. Eventually it settled down enough for us to race to the dining hall where we had ample space to set up tables for coloring and playing with bouncy balls. Sophia and one of the older girls had fun pretending that they were doggie friends. It really seems that some relationships are growing. This was reinforced when, as we were getting set to leave, one of the girls mentioned that they would be performing a couple of interpretive dance numbers at a children’s program tomorrow. They wanted to know if we would we be interested in coming to see them. Of course we were . . . if we could figure out the where and when.

July 12 & 13

Sunday: We had a great day of fellowship with Nica brothers & sisters and greatly enjoyed their food and hospitality. We attended the Miranda's church, the family we had met earlier in the week. Yeah! The whole service was in Spanish with no English translation :). The praise and worship time was led entirely by the youth - vocalists, drummer, guitarists and keyboardist. Although they had no printed words or overhead for the songs, many of them were ones we knew and it was a wonderful time of worship.

After the service there was a woman from church selling homemade tacos. She explained she got up at 5am to start making the tortillas, preparing the chicken etc. We started with two and said we'd share but ended up getting six in all because they were so good. Another church family had prepared chicken soup and invited anyone from the church to come by and buy some. The pastor's family invited us to go so we walked the couple of blocks and enjoyed hanging out and getting to know both families better. The kids enjoyed it too because the family had two young boys who were watching Tom & Jerry cartoons. It's been good for our kids not to have a TV here but they gladly take advantage of opportunities elsewhere to watch.

Monday: We were back at the community sports center. We took our neighbor Katy along who graciously played numerous games of teatherball with Angelina while the rest of us headed to the library. The young librarian, Rosemary, does a terrific job but she often can have up to 20 kids all trying to do different things...reading, puzzles, crafts, checking out books etc. She had supplies out today for kids to make masks so we helped out with that. It has been fun to watch Sophia warm up to a couple of the girls b/c she has been sooo shy with everyone else. She invited Tatiana (below) and Monica to play ball outside and they eagerly accepted.

July 14-16: Ometepe Island

· On Sunday evening we got a phone call from April, the director of House of Hope apologizing that she forgot there was a team from the States coming so it wouldn't work for us to come the next few days. We decided to move up what would have been a weekend trip to the Island of Ometepe, the largest lake island in the world and home to two volcanoes. Disconnected from the main land, the island has been referred to in song as "an oasis of peace" and by our guidebook as a "dramatic candidate for eighth wonder of the world". We very much enjoyed our two days on the island, a drasticly different pace and culture than what we are used to. Things we'll remember (more pics will be on Facebook):

• women getting water from a well and washing clothes in rivers and lakes
• People bathing in the river
• Bright colored, flowering trees
• Lots of beautiful tropical birds and butterflies
• Whole family going to bed at 7:30 because the power went out at our hotel (it gets dark by 6pm here). Called a hotel but it was very simple accommodations.
• Hearing a noise while laying on the beach watching the kids play in the water, asking George “what was that?” and turning around to see a PIG a few feet from our heads….just don’t see that every day on the shores of west Michigan
• Seeing lots of simple, small homes with outhouses. The outdoor showers constructed of three ‘walls’ of black plastic with the fourth usually a sheet or blanket
• Finding out that fish soup consists of a delicious broth and vegetables and a WHOLE fish in the bowl (which is huge to accommodate the size of the fish)
• George meeting a family who fled Nicaragua during the civil war in the 70/80’s and now returning to visit the country for the first time
• Sophia waking up with 30 mosquito bites (just on one arm alone…we stopped trying to count)
• Gorgeous vistas of green foliage, rolling hills, volcanoes, and fields of rice and bananas
• People watching us go by from their windows or doorsteps and waving or smiling at us gringos
• Multiple generational families conversing outdoors in plastic chairs and hammocks
• Getting served meals in restaurants as they get finished cooking, not all at the same time
• A guided hike at a coffee plantation collective where we saw a family of monkeys eating mangos and learned from our guide all kinds of natural herbal remedies (he kept stopping to point out a plant and what it could be used for…kidney infections, improving your blood color, getting rid of a cold, back aches etc.).
• Sophia throwing up on our hour long ferry ride over to the island (quite choppy waters)
• spotting lots of hurracas, beautiful blue-jay like birds with long tails and tufts on their heads

View to the north of our hotel (above) and to the south (below). We could see both volcanos well the first day. Day two was cloudy and rainy.

The grounds at Finca Magdalena, a coffee plantation collective, were breathtaking. We ate lunch overlooking this garden area and saw hundreds of butterflies fluttering about.

July 11: Masaya Volcano

We enjoyed a day of adventure at Masaya Volcano, the most active one in the country. Amazingly, you can drive right up to the crater and there are instructions all over requiring vehicles to park facing the exit...in case you need to make a quick dash out if the volcano starts rumbling. We were glad it didn't and we drove out calmly.

We hired a guide to take us on two hikes. The first one took us past a lava field, steam vents, and then beautiful lush jungle where we saw some monkeys, iguanas, butterflies, birds and lots of flowering saquanjoche, the national tree.

The second hike took us on an underground adventure complete with hard hats and flashlights. On our way we were serenaded by the song of green parakeets that we could see in the trees and flying overhead. Thousands of them make their home around the crater and apparently are unharmed from the toxic gases. Our guide led us down into cool lava tunnels that formed when the volcano erupted and are now home to hundreds of bats. When we got to the farthest point allowed for hikers the guide suggested we shut off our flashlights....it was by far the most obscure darkness we had ever experienced with absolutely no light of any kind. We were thankful the flashlights came back on as we proceeded with our return journey. On my mind, however, on our way out were the words of our guide, "during Nicaragua's civil war in the 70's and 80's, moms took their adolescent boys here to hide out so the soldiers wouldn't find them." For us, it was a hike of adventure and exploration; for others suffering the atrocities of civil war the same journey was the difference between life and death.

We spent about 5 hours in all hiking and exploring and were accompanied the whole time by Mario, a French-Canadian from Montreal. He had asked us at the visitor's center if he could join us so he didn't have to go on solo hikes with a guide (he's in the country for a few weeks of language study). The kids warmed up to him quickly and he took up their offer to go with us afterwards to the town of Masaya, which has the country's largest artisan's market. He mentioned a few times throughout the day how great our kids were with all the hiking and adventure...they really are doing a great job and we're thankful for that! (they certainly have had some sibling issues on the trip but they tend to be when we're in the smaller confines of our house and not so much when we're out exploring new places).

We returned to Managua at dinner time. Tired and hungry, we treated ourselves to Pizza Hut for an enjoyable finish to a great day.

Checking out the steam vents

July 10: The Potter's House

Today we joined Nicaragua Christian Academy's English camp excursion to San Juan de Oriente. This colonial town of 3,000 people about 40 minutes away from Managua has been in the pottery business since before the Spanish conquest. The great thing about going on NCA's excursions is that Sonia, the English camp director, has a lot of connections with people and can give the campers (and us!) a real inside look at whatever they're visiting.

She knows one of the families in the pottery business and was able to take our whole bus load to the potter's house where he and his two sons were all working on three different wheels. Every child was able to take a turn at forming their own small creation on the wheel - our kids loved it!

I enjoyed watching the family members carve and paint, skills that get passed on from one generation to another in this town.

A piece of pottery like these takes about 22 days from start to finish

A walk across the street, we met his mom who has been working clay by hand (she does not use a wheel) for 50 years and forms large beautiful vases and pots. Each child got a small ball of clay that they could form into whatever they wanted as they watched her work her magic on a simple ball of clay. A few steps from where she was working stood her basic kiln, with a smoke hole at the top.

It was a very unique setting because of the simplicity of the surroundings...the kitchen area was not enclosed, and a few women and a couple of young children sitting on buckets greeted us warmly as we passed by. The woman watching the pots over the open fire said she was boiling a type of gourd/zucchini-like vegetable for the soup they'd have for lunch. The 'floor' of the house was somewhat rugged and comprised of wet dirt, which soiled the shirt of a toddler who fell and sought comfort from one of the women in the kitchen area. No flush toilet, just a seat made out of wood, a hole in the ground, three 'walls' made out of sticks and a sheet of black plastic for the front door privacy :)

Pondering the Brokenness

This week some conversations linger in my mind...

The House of Hope director, April, shared with us details of Berta and Enrique's lives. They are young siblings who now live at House of Hope with their mom who left her life of prostitution. Before arriving, they were malnurished and left to fend for themselves for most of the day while their mom slept. They had no toys or books. Children, but they had to learn how to play games and how to play with toys once they were in the secure & supportive environs of House of Hope.

18 girls rescued from prostitution and sexual slavery live in the dormitory at House of Hope without their parents, some of whom sold them into the trade because they were desperate for money. April leads the girls, some as young as 10, through counseling and healing from their sexual and emotional wounds.

April shares that some of the adolescent girls ran away this weekend. Will they return to their former life? What are they searching for? Will they find it? Will they be loved unconditionally?

Rosemary, the librarian at the community sports center, shares how hard it was to kick Cristian out. He was disrespectful and not following the rules. But it hurts her to not allow him to come for a few days. His dad abandoned him when he was young and his mom is a prostitute. He's a nine-year old boy smaller than Nathan who's on his own most of the time. Lacks a home with security, love, discipline. Rosemary offers that to Cristian and the many others who come, but the work is tiring and draining.

Rosemary explains how 'foreign' the concept of a library is to most Nicaraguan children. A private school might have one but the majority of children attend under-funded government schools. They have no Media Center day and no one at home reading books to them. A third of Nicaraguans are illiterate.

On Wednesday we met the Miranda family who, with the help of church members, run an afternoon program for children in their church neighborhood three days a week. Many of the 150 children are undernurished and a hot meal is served in addition to the academic work that is done. Many of the children that attend are sponsored by Compassion International who helps support the Miranda's ministry.

After inviting us out for dinner, the Mirandas invite us to their home. They explain the poor conditions that many in their neighborhood endure, some still living in homes in disrepair from the 1972 (!!!) earthquake that destroyed 53,000 homes. Really? 37 years later and still evidence of the destruction. Will it take 37 years for West Michiganders to recover and rebuild from this summer's flooding?

We are seeing, hearing, observing, listening and pondering on this trip. What is our response collectively as a body of Christ to the brokenness in this world? What is my family's response? What is my personal response?

Did you know?

Some random things you might not know about Nicaragua:

• known as the land of lakes (8) and volcanos (28)

• Half (over 2.5 million) of all Nicaraguans live on less than $1 a day

• Except for the main highways and streets in a city, most roads are not paved. The picture shows our road which is a half mile from the nearest main paved road

• Many homes are surrounded by a high wall and a front gate that encloses the yard. After our break-in, the owner had metal sheeting put on our front gate so now you can't see through the gate grids to see if anyone is home or not. As is typical here, we have razor wire on top of the gate to deter intruders.

• It’s almost impossible to stay clean due to the dirt and mud (especially after a rain). However, I’m amazed at how clean & crisp the Nica women can get even their white shirts and pants. I find it interesting that kids & teens come to the sports center with wet hair from having just bathed and clean clothes on even though they’re going to get sweaty and dirty playing. My kids, however, have spent the morning playing with the kids at House of Hope and have plenty of dirt and spots on their clothes; I tell them to leave their dirty clothes on b/c they’ll just get dirtier at the sports center. A Nica mom would have her kids change into clean clothes if going out in public

White may be cooler but it's definitely not cleaner!

• my favorite herb, cilantro, grows in our yard! It looks totally different than what we have in the States or Mexico but it tastes the same.

• A lot of things in Nicaragua wouldn’t ‘pass code’ in the States. At the zoo this week our kids could have walked up and touched the teeth of a live crocodile

• Nicas are good at piling the backs of trucks full of stuff – furniture, produce, animals, people. It’s interesting simply to be on the road to observe the sights around us. Notice the guy below taking a nap?

Midpoint reflections by George

I remember hearing a sermon once in which the preacher sought to spur the congregants to new levels of service and commitment with the refrain that "service and servanthood aren't genuine until they cost you to the point of hurting." On some levels our Nicaragua experience has been like that. It hurt to drive up and see the property gate open and the door frame of the house shattered and smashed. It hurt to lose some of our property in that incident . . . as well as some of our sense of security. (and sense of sight too in my case!) It hurts too that our sense of purpose and call to service here came into question. There are bruises in our psyche and question marks darken our spirits. "What ifs" and "Whys?" linger in our thoughts.

This place is so vastly different from our Mexican reference points that sometimes it makes us long for "our second home" there. We have had to let some of that go and realize that this is simply a very different reality here. The abundance of English has been dissapointing . . . but is partly doe to the circles we are in here. The heat and humidity are, quite frankly, energy sapping co-conspirators that wear you down. This is by no means a place for those who can not coexist with insects . . . and we have many bites to prove it. Dodging the abundant potholes, pedestrians, animals, cyclists and reckless fellow drivers has been taxing too. And spending every waking moment in close proximity to the same 4 persons can, in spite of all the love and best intentions, fray ones nerves and patience to the point of less than gracious ugliness.

And yet . . . in spite of all those negatives . . . the positives continue to shine forth too. The people are warm and caring. The cooperation and caring among the missionary community is a blessing to behold and an encouragement to ponder. The sights and sounds of natural Nicaragua are beautiful and moving. Our children adapt readily and take all things in stride. It is neat to watch them flow from interaction to interaction without losing a beat . . . each in their own characteristic way. Sophia - shy at first but soon running and laughing with a new friend with whom she shares no common language other than signs, gestures and playfullness. Angelina - ready to play sports with those twice her age . . . and if you get her past an initial conversation she might never quit. Nathan - quietly making friends by playing foursquare or by sharing his passion for birds, bugs and reptiles. With limited internet and no TV (and in my case limited reading ability) we have been spending time as a family playing games and telling stories . . . tales of the past and hopes for the future. Sweet moments the like of which are too rare "at home".

Our service opportunities too have been a blessing to us. It was humbling to be an instrument that God used to answer someone else's prayer that first week as the team from Texas was desperately seeking some assistance. That somewhat chaotic VBS was exhausting but we built some relationships, sowed some seeds and served according to our abilities and giftings. House of Hope has been interesting too. The children are slowly warming up to us and becoming more friendly. They have fun with our activities and are constantly observing our interactions as a family. The staff worker thanked us for giving her a couple of hours of reprieve from having 15 people calling out her name. At the Sports Center we have been able to interact in a variety of ways also. One of the best was in organizing their collection of puzzles. With the help of a variety of the children there we spent several hours sorting through about 20 boxes and making all the puzzles so that we could put the correct pieces in their proper boxes. They are also attentive to the simple reading of a book aloud. Jane has begun a relationship with the librarian there initiated by some lengthy conversations. Makes us wonder what these next few weeks will bring and how things will develop.

So this adventure has not all been smooth sailing bliss thus far . . . and it has been far from easy . . . but we continue to ask God to use us and to be available to him for service in the opportunities that present themselves for His glory. Please pray with us in that regard.

Grace and Peace in abundant measure, George

Monday, July 6: House of Hope

We were back at House of Hope today, accompanied by Kathy and Beth. We tried to do some new things today so we sang some action songs, brought along some Spanish children's books to read and George tried teaching the girls the 'spoons' card game...it wasn't super successful as they kept way too many cards in their hands. Crazy Eights went over well again as did another round of Strawberry Shortcake coloring pages and tattoos. It was fun to learn from the kids as well - they taught Nathan and Angelina a new card game and a group game with song and dance.

Kathy and Beth stayed for lunch and by the time they left it was mid afternoon and a rainshower was on its way so we decided not to go out to the community sports center like planned.

Our power was off for 5 hours today which was the longest stretch - it's not uncommon for it to go out sporadically but usually not nearly that long.

Nathan and Angelina learned a new game - sort of a card version of Rummicube

Thanks to her fine Vander Beek dancing genes, Angelina did well when she had to go in the middle of the circle.

Sunday, July 5: English English everywhere

Although we enjoyed meeting a number of American missionaries here the first two Sundays at the English service we attended, we were more than ready to find a Spanish-speaking church to attend. El Verbo was recommended to us (it's a megachurch of 1200 members with multiple services) so we decided to check it out. After an hour of praise & worship in Spanish which we really enjoyed, it was a bit disappointing to have a translator go up and translate the entire second hour of the service into English. Because it is a large contemporary church, it does attract a number of English speakers so there were probably many that appreciated the translation, but we were really hoping for a worship 'immersion' experience.

We met Kathy and Beth, friends of a friend, who have Calvin and MI connections. Kathy is visiting Beth, who is here on a three year assignment through the Central Mennonite Committee. They want to come with us to House of Hope tomorrow.

Angelina's stomach had some issues today so we spent the afternoon & evening at home.

July 2-4: Island Retreat

We took advantage of what will probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity - a stay on our very own tropical island. In Lake Nicaragua there are 350+ islands (called isletas) formed thousands of years ago when the nearby Mombacho Volcano erupted and sent its pieces of rock and lava into the lake below. One of the small islands called El Roble (The Oak) is home to a small and cozy 4 bedroom hotel that only rents to one party at a time. We were able to spend 48 hours on the island, enjoying the views of various surrounding volcanoes, swimming in the pool that overlooks the lake, swaying & singing in the hammacks, kayaking, fishing and enjoying delicious meals prepared by a family that lives on a nearby island.

Francisco, the 'man in charge' of the island gave us a tour of the isletas and shared what life is like in this unique corner of the world, a place where kids learn how to row a boat instead of riding a bike. He took us by the island that serves as the cemetary, another one that is home to Nicaragua's only island school, and explained that the 'stores' are floating ones - boats come by to sell goods to the residents. Some of the islands are home to very simple, poor homes where we observed people using the lake as their bathing facility and washing machine. Other islands are home to immaculately kept elegant homes of rich Nicaraguans and foreigners where gardeners tend to the flowering shrubs and bushes.

The islands are also home to numerous species of birds, butterflies, monkeys, and turtles - all of which we saw on our boat tour with Francisco.

I thought the kids might pull up their noses at getting served a WHOLE fish on their plate but Nathan & Angelina dug right in.

I will post more pictures to my Facebook account so check those out if you're interested. These take 3 minutes each to upload on the blog but I can do more at a time on Facebook and it's speedier.

July 1: House of Hope

We were back at House of Hope today. The kids have this week and next week off for a winter break (hard to believe 90+ temps exist in winter) so there's more kids around than usual in the morning. They all greeted us with big smiles and warm welcomes - it's hard not to fall in love with them, especially when you see their smiles despite the horrific backgrounds some have endured.

We learned last time that they love Rosita Fresita (Strawberry Shortcake) coloring pages so we brought some more along from copies we made from Sophia's book. Even the women and moms come and ask for a coloring sheet. For the five or six boys I had made copies of Nathan's Star Wars coloring book but they even preferred Rosita Fresita!

We spent time coloring, playing Crazy Eights and catch, tattooing, blowing bubbles and some simple group games (if anyone has some good simple games that don't require a lot of things/props but can involve a bunch of people - I'd love to hear your ideas!!!

They enjoyed learning the 'hand game' we taught them - no materials needed and can be played with a number of people - do you know any more games like that???