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| Nicaragua 2010 |
23 March 2010
some learnings
nica-inspired:
1. Even one suitcase is probably more than you need.
2. Your attitude is completely dependent on your attitude. ha.
3. Our value doesn't change to God no matter how screwed up or screwed over we become.
4. The good in the worst place still out weighs the bad.
5. Most of communicating is non-verbal.
6. We are all quite small (no, not just me). How do we feel invincible when something as gentle as the breeze shakes more earth than we ever will?
7. We probably weren't meant to live complicated lives.
8. I am convinced that God created this earth. Look outside. Better yet, look outside somewhere that seems to have no human influence. It can stand on it's own and it's far more ingenious and complex than our complicated whatevers.
9. Things that can't be plugged in have more value than things that are.
10. Suffering can bring about real joy.
11. If I were God, I probably WOULD create all the different species, colors, textures, landscapes, etc. Isn't that what you'd expect from infinite power? How could the world get any more delicate / solid / large / small?
12. Worship is universal.
13. It's fun to sit down during worship time and just write down what you think the words mean in your own vernacular. That's what I've found.
14. People always bring about more joy than my MacBook. Always.
15. Lost my favorite sunglasses in the ocean but I THINK THERE ARE BIGGER THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN LOST.
16. It's good to just sit and be happy with where everything is. No use in being discontent when you shouldn't do it all anyway.
17. Life is better when there are fewer clocks and mirrors.
18. If you've been blessed, take care of it. God gave me a great apartment and I came home to a disaster. Cleanliness is Godliness. I guess I'd be mad too if someone trashed the house I gave them. Have a little pride, Becky.
19. when in doubt, pray.
20. If you have a layover that is at least an hour long, go ahead and do a scavenger hunt. Ideas include: someone reading Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, velor jump suit, stroller used as storage (not child), socks + sandals, foreign hotties, someone who knows someone you know, and an airport worker who can say the alphabet backwards.
good trip.
1. Even one suitcase is probably more than you need.
2. Your attitude is completely dependent on your attitude. ha.
3. Our value doesn't change to God no matter how screwed up or screwed over we become.
4. The good in the worst place still out weighs the bad.
5. Most of communicating is non-verbal.
6. We are all quite small (no, not just me). How do we feel invincible when something as gentle as the breeze shakes more earth than we ever will?
7. We probably weren't meant to live complicated lives.
8. I am convinced that God created this earth. Look outside. Better yet, look outside somewhere that seems to have no human influence. It can stand on it's own and it's far more ingenious and complex than our complicated whatevers.
9. Things that can't be plugged in have more value than things that are.
10. Suffering can bring about real joy.
11. If I were God, I probably WOULD create all the different species, colors, textures, landscapes, etc. Isn't that what you'd expect from infinite power? How could the world get any more delicate / solid / large / small?
12. Worship is universal.
13. It's fun to sit down during worship time and just write down what you think the words mean in your own vernacular. That's what I've found.
14. People always bring about more joy than my MacBook. Always.
15. Lost my favorite sunglasses in the ocean but I THINK THERE ARE BIGGER THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN LOST.
16. It's good to just sit and be happy with where everything is. No use in being discontent when you shouldn't do it all anyway.
17. Life is better when there are fewer clocks and mirrors.
18. If you've been blessed, take care of it. God gave me a great apartment and I came home to a disaster. Cleanliness is Godliness. I guess I'd be mad too if someone trashed the house I gave them. Have a little pride, Becky.
19. when in doubt, pray.
20. If you have a layover that is at least an hour long, go ahead and do a scavenger hunt. Ideas include: someone reading Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, velor jump suit, stroller used as storage (not child), socks + sandals, foreign hotties, someone who knows someone you know, and an airport worker who can say the alphabet backwards.
good trip.
...and now we're back...
Hi.
Glad you're reading. Much appreciated.
I really do not know where to start with this update of the trip. I experienced so much last week and I don't know how to sum it up in a blog post. I know you all care how the trip was, but I'll try to keep it brief and not test my luck.
SUMMARY OF THE HAPPENINGS:
Fri: Travel day. Flights from Des Moines > St. Louis > Washington DC > Miami > Managua > 2 hour bus ride to Arms of Love in Jinotepe.
Sat: Since luggage didn't arrive (not surprisingly with that many flights), we couldn't go to the beach this day. Flexibility was key on this trip. Instead, we worked on projects around the orphanage then hung with kids when they came home from school.
Sun: Day with kids. We were invited to the school's fiesta. It was nice seeing the kid's (we got to be the gringos in the front row of the skits. They loved it), but it got kind of long when 3 hours went by featuring only Spanish (and some German, but that story is for another time).
Mon: La Playa! Unfortunately I forgot my camera on beach day, but it was a treat. It was nice to get the kids out of the orphanage. I imagine it gets a bit mundane being there everyday. We also took them to lunch at a restaurant beach side. That red snapper is still the best fish I think I'll ever have.
Tues: La Chureca (The Dump). This was hard to see. 1,600 people live at this dump. They fight for food and daughters are sacrificed as prostitutes in the hopes for a plate of food. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, and La Chureca is the worst place in Nicaragua. The drug of choice is sniffing glue. If you go to the wrong area, you can get stabbed with a hangar.
Not cool. Those people know how it feels to live day by day.
We met this 19 year old girl and her father. They prayed for us. It was really cool. How rough, ya know? Here are these really poor people- they know it (Nicaraguans refer to them as 'garbage people'.) Then comes in this group of American folks and they were willing to not only let us come to their home, but they explained what it's like to live there AND then he prayed for us. It was a special moment for everyone.
Wed: Baggin food day. Doug and Julie said it would take all day. Harvest Vineyard said it would take three hours. It took one. We can kind of thank Henry Ford for the assembly line and mostly thank God for the hustle.
Thurs: I M P A C T I N G. It was really cool delivering the food to the churches. We also did a few skits, shared the gospel, and did a mini-carnival for the kids. They have so much love to share.
I couldn't sleep at all Thursday because I had so much to think about. Too many though
Glad you're reading. Much appreciated.
I really do not know where to start with this update of the trip. I experienced so much last week and I don't know how to sum it up in a blog post. I know you all care how the trip was, but I'll try to keep it brief and not test my luck.
SUMMARY OF THE HAPPENINGS:
Fri: Travel day. Flights from Des Moines > St. Louis > Washington DC > Miami > Managua > 2 hour bus ride to Arms of Love in Jinotepe.
Sat: Since luggage didn't arrive (not surprisingly with that many flights), we couldn't go to the beach this day. Flexibility was key on this trip. Instead, we worked on projects around the orphanage then hung with kids when they came home from school.
Sun: Day with kids. We were invited to the school's fiesta. It was nice seeing the kid's (we got to be the gringos in the front row of the skits. They loved it), but it got kind of long when 3 hours went by featuring only Spanish (and some German, but that story is for another time).
Mon: La Playa! Unfortunately I forgot my camera on beach day, but it was a treat. It was nice to get the kids out of the orphanage. I imagine it gets a bit mundane being there everyday. We also took them to lunch at a restaurant beach side. That red snapper is still the best fish I think I'll ever have.
Tues: La Chureca (The Dump). This was hard to see. 1,600 people live at this dump. They fight for food and daughters are sacrificed as prostitutes in the hopes for a plate of food. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, and La Chureca is the worst place in Nicaragua. The drug of choice is sniffing glue. If you go to the wrong area, you can get stabbed with a hangar.
Not cool. Those people know how it feels to live day by day.
We met this 19 year old girl and her father. They prayed for us. It was really cool. How rough, ya know? Here are these really poor people- they know it (Nicaraguans refer to them as 'garbage people'.) Then comes in this group of American folks and they were willing to not only let us come to their home, but they explained what it's like to live there AND then he prayed for us. It was a special moment for everyone.
Wed: Baggin food day. Doug and Julie said it would take all day. Harvest Vineyard said it would take three hours. It took one. We can kind of thank Henry Ford for the assembly line and mostly thank God for the hustle.
Thurs: I M P A C T I N G. It was really cool delivering the food to the churches. We also did a few skits, shared the gospel, and did a mini-carnival for the kids. They have so much love to share.
I couldn't sleep at all Thursday because I had so much to think about. Too many though
22 March 2010
WE'RE THERE {and back}
Thanks for all your support!!
I forgot to update this before I left, but the week before the trip I raised exactly enough money. There was an amount that I expected to pay and thanks to everyone's help that's the EXACT amount I did. You are all wonderful. This was one of the best things I've done in my life. Details to come!
God. is. Good.
I forgot to update this before I left, but the week before the trip I raised exactly enough money. There was an amount that I expected to pay and thanks to everyone's help that's the EXACT amount I did. You are all wonderful. This was one of the best things I've done in my life. Details to come!
God. is. Good.
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