I hope everybody had a better Christmas than I did... I don't want to say it was bad, but definitely very different. It felt more like the 4th of July (actually, pretty much a mirror image). Keren invited Dylan and I to spend Christmas Eve with her family, so we decided to go. The dinner was great, and very filling, but that was pretty much the night. After dinner we basically sat around while some of the guests were shooting off little fireworks. We spent about five hours just waiting for midnight to come (here the big Christmas event is at midnight on the 24th). I'd like to say that it was worth the wait, but we were out of the city and all midnight was was a few more fireworks. There was no exchange of gifts, which was the most surprising of all, and of course there was no snow. Let's just say I'm looking forward to next Christmas.
On Christmas day everything is closed, and everybody sleeps off the night before. In much of the country Christmas Eve is a big drinking and partying night. I spent the first half of the day in La Chureca, but even there it was a lazy atmosphere. Afterwards I went to hang out with Dylan and his street kids in a nearby fast food restaurant called Pollo Campero (Country Chicken). We played with the kids for a couple hours and then we went to Dylan's house to throw the football around. We had to do something to feel more at home on Christmas. On my way over to his house I picked up Esmir who was talking to our buddy the security guard a few houses down. We threw the ball around for a while, and then these three Nicaraguan guys walked by. They wanted to play and said they knew a little of the rules. So we played 3 on 3 touch football, but it was hilarious. Team Nica was basically just trying to play keep away, but they couldn't even do that. We were just flat out dominating. Haha so they told us we had three downs to score and they had infinite. Esmir, who we had only just taught how to throw the ball was our quarterback to make it more fair, but in our last two drives Esmir went 6 for 6 with two touchdowns! It was pretty amazing, and a nice taste of home for Christmas.
On Wednesday we had another long session of HSM dance practice. The new additions were better then the real group members, which I found pretty funny. The five new girls were actually good dancers and the new guys all played basketball. The guys were there just for the basketball song, in which there's practically no dancing, just a little scrimmaging and basic basket ball drills. We were nowhere near ready, however, by the time practice ended. Thursday would be another practice day before the show. After Wednesday's practice I just did a little hanging out with the people who run the bakery near my house and some planning of my family's visit coming up. I got invited to go to church with the people in the bakery, so tomorrow I'll be checking out a new church.
I went to La Chureca on Thursday, but not before printing up 70 photos to take with me. That was the only present I could afford to give the kids there, and even that ended up a little more expensive than I'd have liked. The kids were really excited, though, to get photos of themselves and their friends. I drove around the neighborhoods there feeling a little Santa Clausey. After my rounds in La Chureca I showered and headed to the Holiday Inn, our big venue for the first time in three months. We practiced for a couple hours, trying to get everything down, but it was not enough time. Cristina and I (Gabriella and Troy) were told that we had to quickly learn a duo for that very night. We practiced it about 5 or 6 times while watching the movie, but didn't quite get everything down. Showtime was coming up, so we had to stop practicing and get our makeup done. It was quite hilarious to see everyone getting made up for the show. There was a gay guy orchestrating all of the hairdo's and makeup, and gave me way too much. I went to the bathroom and took it all off because I was so gay looking. It was ridiculous. The basketball song was first, and it went pretty horribly. I was the main guy, doing the lip syncing and everything, and I ended the choreography one line early, so when the music ended we were all just kind of confused. It was pretty funny. Next was Bop to the Top, which was a duo of two other members. Then came "Breaking Free," my duo with Gabriella, which actually went well considering we had just learned the song an hour before the show. The finale was "Together," which was a success and was followed by a short interview of the group and a raffle of some of the newest High School Musical products. We had a small autograph session afterwards, in which I signed three kid's notebooks. I could barely keep from laughing. Three of my friends were there for the show, which was pretty embarrassing. Melissa and her siblings Brenson and Elizabeth could not keep from laughing.
We went out as a group for the after party, which was terrible. We went to a bar instead of the restaurant we'd planned on going to, and hardly got anything to eat. I decided to leave with one of the members, Denis, and we went to a fritanga to get a meal. We talked and ate some beans, rice, steak, and plantains all for a buck fifty. That night I woke up a couple times feeling awful, and in the morning woke up with a fever. I'd told Denis that I'd stop by his house in the morning to take him to La Chureca and to work on my motorcycle since I know nothing about them and he has been riding since he was 8. I felt terrible, but took some meds and went to his house anyway. His mom invited me to eat lunch when we returned from La Chureca, and I accepted. We were only in La Chureca for a short while because I was struggling, and then we went to my house so I could take a cold shower and another dose of ibuprofen. We then went to his house and worked on my bike. My brakes were squeaking, so we took off the back wheel, and sanded the brake disk to make it a little more textured. I learned quite a bit and had a really good lunch afterwards with his mom and dad. I felt much better after lunch, and played soccer with Denis and a bunch of his neighborhood friends. I then went home, showered, and napped because all the pain had come back.
After my nap I took another dose of ibuprofen and went to Casa Habila, which is the rescue home for a few girls from La Chureca who have been abused or whose families can't take care of them. It was Rosa's 15th birthday, which in Latin Culture is a huge celebration. My fever broke and I was sweating pretty bad during the majority of the party, but it was good to participate in and to see a lot of my friends both from La Chureca and from elsewhere.
Dylan invited me to go to the movies after the birthday party, and we went to the nicest theater I've ever been to in my life. It wasn't big like an IMAX, but every chair is a lazyboy recliner, and comes with a button you can press for service. We were the only people in the theater, and could have popcorn or beer brought to us any time throughout the movie. I didn't get anything, but definitely enjoyed the recliner. The tickets were only 5 bucks, which is about double of the other theaters here, but still way cheaper than theaters in the states.
Today I came out in the paper again, with a picture of Cristina and me in our duo. The article says that we're supposed to have a show today, but I think that it got cancelled. I guess that's it until next time. I'm getting excited for my family coming down Wednesday night!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
The past two weeks were very full, and I'm sorry for not getting to the blog. This one might be a long one, so before you continue I'd suggest going and getting a glass of water and maybe a snack. I'd tell you to get some calala and churros, but you'd have to be here to enjoy that.
I now have tried almost all of the Nicaraguan dishes, juices, and snacks, and can tell you what to go for and what to avoid. My Spanish is really coming along, and I'm now able to "platicar" with whoever I run into, be it street kids or businessmen. I'm just starting to get comfortable here, and then I realize that I only have half of my trip left! That realization makes me both sad and happy. I'll try not to think about it. I can still do a lot of things before I leave, and I have a lot to look forward to upon my return. I think that things will work out exactly as they should.
So, to pick up where I left off, I had 5 days to myself, as Esmir was out of town, and I enjoyed them. I visited La Chureca often, with my problematic road hog faithfully getting me there. I went and visited the Cisneros, who are a family who own a small hotel in Managua. I met them through Brad Corrigan, who stays there on all of his trips. They are a great family who really have a heart for Nicaragua. I met with Priscilla, the last of the three children of the owners, to talk about my family coming down. She gave me a list of places to try to visit when they're here, and I reserved a couple rooms for us. I have to say that I am really anticipating the arrival of the Johnson Clan. I haven't been able to do much traveling yet, and there's an awful lot to Nicaragua apart from Managua. We're planning to visit a few volcanoes, islands, lakes, beaches, historic cities, and of course some orphanages and La Chureca. It should be a real blast.
On Saturday, the 15th, we had a huge party in La Chureca. I still don't know exactly how it all went down, but it was pretty much the craziest thing ever. I got there at seven in the morning to get everything organized. We passed out tee-shirts to all the kids in the school. The tee-shirts had pictures of a limousine, hummer, and suburban, and were given by a wealthy Nicaraguan who has a limousine rental business in Miami. I think that's right. Anyways, all the kids got black shirts and those helping organize (like me) got a white one. We finally broke all of the kids up into their respective age groups and headed out to load up on buses. There were six school buses waiting and ready at about 9:00, and we filled all of them with both kids and their parents. I decided to take the motorcycle rather than leave it behind, and we headed off for what shouldn't have been, but was, an adventure. We had a police escort of three cops on motorcycles, as well as a fire truck and ambulance, all with their sirens blaring. "Santa Claus Nica" was there too, in the bed of a truck waving to the people as we went by. Also in the caravan were about 20 expensive SUV's, including the hummer and suburban from the tee-shirts, as well as the limousine. We took a big lap around the whole city (for who knows what). The police were doing indian runs around the whole caravan, stopping traffic at the stop lights for all to pass, and racing up around us on both sides to get to the front of the line in order to stop traffic at the next intersection. It was pretty crazy, as I was just driving alongside the buses waving to the kids and trying to stay out of the way of the fly-by cops. Then it got crazier. A cop passed me on the right-hand side of the buses (which I think is much safer than on the left-hand side because on the left there are cars flying by in the opposite direction). He was about 100 feet ahead of me when I see an old man fall to the pavement and the cop's bike crash into a rack of car wheels for sale on the corner. The man was somehow between the buses and the curb, and the cop tried to get by him on the curb side but took him out and crashed into the rims, sending everything involed in all directions. The cop was fine, but the man seemed to be pretty badly injured, as he lay on the pavement moaning. I guess it was good that the ambulance was part of the caravan, as it drove up and its crew loaded the gentleman into it. The policeman stood nearby looking kind of embarrassed, as it seemed to be his fault. It was a really nice bike that he wrecked too.
The caravan continued as if nothing happened, and once the man was in the ambulance I proceeded to follow the buses, but with greater caution. We finally got back near the dump and went to Expica, which is a big open space under a very high ceiling that has carnival rides and a stage in the back and front, respectively. The kids all were given food and gifts, and there was singing and dancing. After the big party I went back to the dump to help out with the first meeting of the new church of La Chureca.
Pastor Ramon was already there, along with the churchplanting team from Verbo, and a number of people from the dump neighborhood. We opened with a prayer and some worship songs, and Ramon gave a 15 minute talk to the people. It was a very successful first meeting, and hopefully they will continue to get better from here on out.
I'm going to skip to Tuesday morning, when I appeared for the first time on national tv in Nicaragua. Yeah, finally something happened with the high school musical gig. We went at 7 in the morning to the main channel of Nicaragua, canal 2, and were special guests on their version of the Today show. We did a song in which only two members danced (Bop to the Top with Ryan, played by Isaias, and Sharpey, played by Yamileth--for those of you interested). The number was preceeded by a group interview in which I said very little, but understood pretty well for the majority. I was surprised actually at the professionalism of the tv station, in spite of the man trying to sell his husky puppies inside the building.
Tuesday was followed by Wednesday, and another tv appearance. This time we all danced (on channel 11) and had a group interview afterwards. We gave away packets of notebooks (which we're supposed to be advertising), and people called in to the tv station like you do a radio station in order to win. One of the callers was a teenage girl and she was talking about how much she liked me, and they made me blow her a kiss on tv. It was kind of hilarious. On Thursday I went with Esmir to Priscilla's going away party, as she is going to Sevilla, Spain to study as well as evangelize for a year. Brad Corrigan was down for a week, and he and his friend Jonathan Kilinger were there as well as many of Priscilla's close friends. It was a really fun time of hanging out and getting to know William, Raquel, and Priscilla. We ate pizza and cake, and afterwards danced and talked. I learned a few salsa steps, but I really need to take a class.
I went to La Chureca early on Friday to help out with a party with Juntos Contigo, which is a small program that works with kids apart from the Esperanza school. We had a couple pinatas and all the kids got some rice, chicken, and world renowned coca cola. Brad Corrigan and Jonathan, along with a small group of Korean missionaries who have a ministry working with glue-sniffers in the biggest market in all of central america, came in about noon to have another party. We gave the kids some gifts and sang some worship songs together. It was a really good afternoon. It was a great reminder of God's love for us in sending His son to die for our sins. I am ever reminded of how I deserve to live just like these kids if not worse, but God has been so good to me to give me all that I have. None of us deserve any better than to live like the people of La Chureca, because we have all made mistakes and done things that have hurt both ourselves and others. For some reason, inspite of all that we have done against him, God has never stopped loving us, and in fact loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us so that we don't have to pay the penalty for our wrongdoings. That's the motivation for my being in the dump everyday. These kids are awesome and God loves them just as much as anyone else, and I just want for them to be able to partake of his love for them. There were two kids at the party with Brad who tried to enter in with their jars of shoe glue (many people in La Chureca and other impoverished parts of Managua sniff glue to get high and eliminate the pain of hunger). They wanted to be able to get gifts just like everyone else, but we told them that if they wanted food, candy, and toys that they had to give us their jars of glue. The first little boy, probably of about ten years old, just wouldn't give up his glue. Brad and I, along with Bismark, who is a great guy Brad uses as a chofer around the country, talked to him and prayed for him and he finally let us have the glue, and he took the gifts with a smile. Later, the other boy saw that the first had gifts, and asked what he had to do to get some too. He showed us that he no longer had his glue, but we knew that he had hidden it outside. We told him that if he wanted gifts he had to go and get the glue to give to us. He saw that it was worth it, and had the first boy go out and get the glue to give to us. That experience reminds me of what God asks of us. He has an amazing gift of eternal life waiting for us. It's a gift, as in free, we don't have to pay anything for it. All we have to do is see that we are not perfect, and accept Jesus' payment on the cross for our sins. For us to say no to His gift is just like if those boys were to say no to all the toys and food and instead go on sniffing glue. This life is short and temporary, and is nothing compared for the eternity to come. What really matters is the life after this one, and there is nothing like the freedom we have in Christ once we put our faith in Him to save us rather than ourselves.
I was on tv for the third time yesterday, as we appeared on another channel, but then got a call from Priscilla asking me to do a radio show in the afternoon. Eynard, a friend of Priscilla's who I'd met at her going away party, has a Christian radio show and wanted to interview me on my work in La Chureca. We talked for a while before so that he could get a background of what I've been doing in the dump, and then we had a half-hour interview all in Spanish. It was a fun experience, and I was really excited not only to share what God's been doing through me in La Chureca, but also just to be able to understand all of his questions and to express myself in Spanish. There's still a lot for me to learn, but I'm really happy about how far I've come. After the radio show Priscilla invited Esmir and I to a young people's gathering at her church. She attends Hosannah, which is Managua's biggest christian church, with a weekly gathering of almost 1,000 young people from 18 to 25 or so. It was a really fun time, and afterwards she invited us to dinner at one of her favorite local spots. We spent about 2 hours there just talking together about her going to Spain, our experiences in Nicaragua, and about our hearts for the country. Priscilla really is a solid girl and I think that she will do great things both in Spain as she goes for a year but also in Nicaragua when she returns. I wish I had met her earlier, but I'm sure I'll see her in the future.
Today we had a really long morning practice with High School Musical. We're supposed to have a pretty big show this coming Thursday, so we had about 9 new people practicing as extras to look more like the movie, and we are working hard to get things ready for the big event. I'm still not a fan, but apparently I now have fans, so we'll see how it goes.
Everything's cool except the weather down here. Merry Christmas Everyone!
I now have tried almost all of the Nicaraguan dishes, juices, and snacks, and can tell you what to go for and what to avoid. My Spanish is really coming along, and I'm now able to "platicar" with whoever I run into, be it street kids or businessmen. I'm just starting to get comfortable here, and then I realize that I only have half of my trip left! That realization makes me both sad and happy. I'll try not to think about it. I can still do a lot of things before I leave, and I have a lot to look forward to upon my return. I think that things will work out exactly as they should.
So, to pick up where I left off, I had 5 days to myself, as Esmir was out of town, and I enjoyed them. I visited La Chureca often, with my problematic road hog faithfully getting me there. I went and visited the Cisneros, who are a family who own a small hotel in Managua. I met them through Brad Corrigan, who stays there on all of his trips. They are a great family who really have a heart for Nicaragua. I met with Priscilla, the last of the three children of the owners, to talk about my family coming down. She gave me a list of places to try to visit when they're here, and I reserved a couple rooms for us. I have to say that I am really anticipating the arrival of the Johnson Clan. I haven't been able to do much traveling yet, and there's an awful lot to Nicaragua apart from Managua. We're planning to visit a few volcanoes, islands, lakes, beaches, historic cities, and of course some orphanages and La Chureca. It should be a real blast.
On Saturday, the 15th, we had a huge party in La Chureca. I still don't know exactly how it all went down, but it was pretty much the craziest thing ever. I got there at seven in the morning to get everything organized. We passed out tee-shirts to all the kids in the school. The tee-shirts had pictures of a limousine, hummer, and suburban, and were given by a wealthy Nicaraguan who has a limousine rental business in Miami. I think that's right. Anyways, all the kids got black shirts and those helping organize (like me) got a white one. We finally broke all of the kids up into their respective age groups and headed out to load up on buses. There were six school buses waiting and ready at about 9:00, and we filled all of them with both kids and their parents. I decided to take the motorcycle rather than leave it behind, and we headed off for what shouldn't have been, but was, an adventure. We had a police escort of three cops on motorcycles, as well as a fire truck and ambulance, all with their sirens blaring. "Santa Claus Nica" was there too, in the bed of a truck waving to the people as we went by. Also in the caravan were about 20 expensive SUV's, including the hummer and suburban from the tee-shirts, as well as the limousine. We took a big lap around the whole city (for who knows what). The police were doing indian runs around the whole caravan, stopping traffic at the stop lights for all to pass, and racing up around us on both sides to get to the front of the line in order to stop traffic at the next intersection. It was pretty crazy, as I was just driving alongside the buses waving to the kids and trying to stay out of the way of the fly-by cops. Then it got crazier. A cop passed me on the right-hand side of the buses (which I think is much safer than on the left-hand side because on the left there are cars flying by in the opposite direction). He was about 100 feet ahead of me when I see an old man fall to the pavement and the cop's bike crash into a rack of car wheels for sale on the corner. The man was somehow between the buses and the curb, and the cop tried to get by him on the curb side but took him out and crashed into the rims, sending everything involed in all directions. The cop was fine, but the man seemed to be pretty badly injured, as he lay on the pavement moaning. I guess it was good that the ambulance was part of the caravan, as it drove up and its crew loaded the gentleman into it. The policeman stood nearby looking kind of embarrassed, as it seemed to be his fault. It was a really nice bike that he wrecked too.
The caravan continued as if nothing happened, and once the man was in the ambulance I proceeded to follow the buses, but with greater caution. We finally got back near the dump and went to Expica, which is a big open space under a very high ceiling that has carnival rides and a stage in the back and front, respectively. The kids all were given food and gifts, and there was singing and dancing. After the big party I went back to the dump to help out with the first meeting of the new church of La Chureca.
Pastor Ramon was already there, along with the churchplanting team from Verbo, and a number of people from the dump neighborhood. We opened with a prayer and some worship songs, and Ramon gave a 15 minute talk to the people. It was a very successful first meeting, and hopefully they will continue to get better from here on out.
I'm going to skip to Tuesday morning, when I appeared for the first time on national tv in Nicaragua. Yeah, finally something happened with the high school musical gig. We went at 7 in the morning to the main channel of Nicaragua, canal 2, and were special guests on their version of the Today show. We did a song in which only two members danced (Bop to the Top with Ryan, played by Isaias, and Sharpey, played by Yamileth--for those of you interested). The number was preceeded by a group interview in which I said very little, but understood pretty well for the majority. I was surprised actually at the professionalism of the tv station, in spite of the man trying to sell his husky puppies inside the building.
Tuesday was followed by Wednesday, and another tv appearance. This time we all danced (on channel 11) and had a group interview afterwards. We gave away packets of notebooks (which we're supposed to be advertising), and people called in to the tv station like you do a radio station in order to win. One of the callers was a teenage girl and she was talking about how much she liked me, and they made me blow her a kiss on tv. It was kind of hilarious. On Thursday I went with Esmir to Priscilla's going away party, as she is going to Sevilla, Spain to study as well as evangelize for a year. Brad Corrigan was down for a week, and he and his friend Jonathan Kilinger were there as well as many of Priscilla's close friends. It was a really fun time of hanging out and getting to know William, Raquel, and Priscilla. We ate pizza and cake, and afterwards danced and talked. I learned a few salsa steps, but I really need to take a class.
I went to La Chureca early on Friday to help out with a party with Juntos Contigo, which is a small program that works with kids apart from the Esperanza school. We had a couple pinatas and all the kids got some rice, chicken, and world renowned coca cola. Brad Corrigan and Jonathan, along with a small group of Korean missionaries who have a ministry working with glue-sniffers in the biggest market in all of central america, came in about noon to have another party. We gave the kids some gifts and sang some worship songs together. It was a really good afternoon. It was a great reminder of God's love for us in sending His son to die for our sins. I am ever reminded of how I deserve to live just like these kids if not worse, but God has been so good to me to give me all that I have. None of us deserve any better than to live like the people of La Chureca, because we have all made mistakes and done things that have hurt both ourselves and others. For some reason, inspite of all that we have done against him, God has never stopped loving us, and in fact loves us so much that he sent his son to die for us so that we don't have to pay the penalty for our wrongdoings. That's the motivation for my being in the dump everyday. These kids are awesome and God loves them just as much as anyone else, and I just want for them to be able to partake of his love for them. There were two kids at the party with Brad who tried to enter in with their jars of shoe glue (many people in La Chureca and other impoverished parts of Managua sniff glue to get high and eliminate the pain of hunger). They wanted to be able to get gifts just like everyone else, but we told them that if they wanted food, candy, and toys that they had to give us their jars of glue. The first little boy, probably of about ten years old, just wouldn't give up his glue. Brad and I, along with Bismark, who is a great guy Brad uses as a chofer around the country, talked to him and prayed for him and he finally let us have the glue, and he took the gifts with a smile. Later, the other boy saw that the first had gifts, and asked what he had to do to get some too. He showed us that he no longer had his glue, but we knew that he had hidden it outside. We told him that if he wanted gifts he had to go and get the glue to give to us. He saw that it was worth it, and had the first boy go out and get the glue to give to us. That experience reminds me of what God asks of us. He has an amazing gift of eternal life waiting for us. It's a gift, as in free, we don't have to pay anything for it. All we have to do is see that we are not perfect, and accept Jesus' payment on the cross for our sins. For us to say no to His gift is just like if those boys were to say no to all the toys and food and instead go on sniffing glue. This life is short and temporary, and is nothing compared for the eternity to come. What really matters is the life after this one, and there is nothing like the freedom we have in Christ once we put our faith in Him to save us rather than ourselves.
I was on tv for the third time yesterday, as we appeared on another channel, but then got a call from Priscilla asking me to do a radio show in the afternoon. Eynard, a friend of Priscilla's who I'd met at her going away party, has a Christian radio show and wanted to interview me on my work in La Chureca. We talked for a while before so that he could get a background of what I've been doing in the dump, and then we had a half-hour interview all in Spanish. It was a fun experience, and I was really excited not only to share what God's been doing through me in La Chureca, but also just to be able to understand all of his questions and to express myself in Spanish. There's still a lot for me to learn, but I'm really happy about how far I've come. After the radio show Priscilla invited Esmir and I to a young people's gathering at her church. She attends Hosannah, which is Managua's biggest christian church, with a weekly gathering of almost 1,000 young people from 18 to 25 or so. It was a really fun time, and afterwards she invited us to dinner at one of her favorite local spots. We spent about 2 hours there just talking together about her going to Spain, our experiences in Nicaragua, and about our hearts for the country. Priscilla really is a solid girl and I think that she will do great things both in Spain as she goes for a year but also in Nicaragua when she returns. I wish I had met her earlier, but I'm sure I'll see her in the future.
Today we had a really long morning practice with High School Musical. We're supposed to have a pretty big show this coming Thursday, so we had about 9 new people practicing as extras to look more like the movie, and we are working hard to get things ready for the big event. I'm still not a fan, but apparently I now have fans, so we'll see how it goes.
Everything's cool except the weather down here. Merry Christmas Everyone!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Nueva Iglesia
This Friday I went to the church to help out with decorating the stage and arranging the chairs for the graduation of the kids from Esperanza, the school in La Chureca. Norman, the teacher that I helped the most (his class is full of 33 preschoolers), and I were responsible for putting the sticky letters on the wall behind the stage, "Promocion 2007 Colegio Cristiano La Esperanza." We did a spectacular job I might add. Afterwards they asked Norman and me to go and buy some sodas for everybody. We hopped on the bike to go, and Norman asked me if I wanted to get some food while we were out. We drove a few blocks to a Comedor and bought Carne Asada (a long, skinny cut of steak), Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), Ensalada (salad), and Tejadas (plantain chips). We brought it back along with the sodas to the church to eat, and everybody else was jealous, so we collected some money and went back to buy for everybody. It was really good, and I finished off some meat that one teacher couldn't put down. The whole time that we were driving and eating, the rest of the city was celebrating the "Purisima," which is a Catholic holiday that lasts about a week and culminates on the 7th of December, where the whole city shoots off fireworks, sings songs to the Holy Virgin, and gives gifts away. I participated in one on Thursday with Dylan and some kids who work in the streets at stop lights washing cars. We just waited in line for 20 minutes to get some goodies, but the kids loved it. It's kind of just something you have to be there for. Anyways, after dinner Norman and I went to a 24-hour market to buy shoes for him. He needed some dress shoes for the graduation which was the next day (saturday) and that was the only place open after 9pm. Since it was the final night of the Purisima, there was a concert in the market and we stayed a while and had a couple drinks. It was a pretty fun night. Followed by a pretty cool day.
Saturday morning I went early to the church to make sure everything was ready. I was plenty early, since the events didn't start till about an hour after they were supposed to. It was great to see all the kids dressed up with some of their parents there as well supporting them. Only the preschoolers and sixth graders were graduating, but that was plenty enough kids. I took some photos, but then lent the camera to Romolo, who took photos for quantity rather than quality, but I was fine with that.
After the graduation I went to La Chureca for a meeting with Ramon Vaca, one of the pastors from the church. He is starting a church in La Chureca, and asked me to be part of the team, since I've been spending so much time there. There was about 25 people at the meeting, all there because they share a heart for the people there and want to see God move. We talked about the vision of the church, and how we don't want to be a clone of the existing church we attend, but want to fit the needs of the people there, allowing God to be creative and shape the church according to His will. We had a time of prayer and worship, and then talked about the first event, which will be a get together this Saturday to have a time of fellowship with the people. I'm really looking forward to that.
Dane had invited me to the Mana Project house for a party, so after the meeting in the dump I went home and changed, and went to the party. It was just a hang out time with the Mana team and their English students, with some dancing, eating, and swimming mixed in. I didn't swim or dance, but grabbed a bite to eat and got to know the guys a little better. Afterwards we went out to a club, and I invited Esmir to come along as well. It was a pretty good time, I danced with a Nicaraguan girl who I'd met before. Esmir of course danced with the Gringas.
Sunday Esmir and I went to church and I was part of a little presentation of the church planting in La Chureca. We turned off the church lights and carried candles throughout the building to represent God's light going into the dark corners of the world. Ramon gave a few words, and we had a time of prayer for the new church. After church I went with Esmir to play some ultimate frisbee with about 30 gringos, only a few of which I'd met previously. It was kind of funny to watch Esmir play, since he had no idea what he was doing. He caught on farily quickly, though, and had a good time.
Today Esmir left for a few days to go on his final university field trip. He went with his classmates to a farm up north, about a half hour from Honduras. He said that there is no electricity there, and that he'll probably be sleeping in a hammock. Can't really say I'm jealous, but I might be a little lonely this week. After Esmir left I went to la Chureca and we finished up the census. I don't know the official count of the total population, but there are 169 families living there, which would probably be about 900 to 1000 people, as most families have a good number of kids. Many more people work there, but only about 900 actually live inside and among it.
I took my bike to the shop again because the case for my headlight cracked. It broke open on its own due to vibration, so I thought that it would be covered by the guarantee. They said it should be covered, so I left it there, only to get a call an hour later saying that i'd have to pay for it. I told them to just leave it and I'm going tomorrow to pick it up. I talked to one of the guys there, who i've gotten to know pretty well now after the 5th time taking it in, and he told me that it's the cheapest bike he's ever seen. He told me that they have more than one of them come in the shop everyday, and told me I should trade it in for a Kawasaki. I'm strongly considering that, but we'll have to see if it fits in the budget. I'm also thinking about just straight up selling it, because it's a pain always taking it in for problems. I should have done more research, but I guess it's just a lesson learned the hard way.
That's about it, everything is going great and I'm still loving it down here. Please pray that the church will really be a success and that people will be brought into the Kingdom. Also pray for me that God will continue to provide and keep me close to Himself.
Saturday morning I went early to the church to make sure everything was ready. I was plenty early, since the events didn't start till about an hour after they were supposed to. It was great to see all the kids dressed up with some of their parents there as well supporting them. Only the preschoolers and sixth graders were graduating, but that was plenty enough kids. I took some photos, but then lent the camera to Romolo, who took photos for quantity rather than quality, but I was fine with that.
After the graduation I went to La Chureca for a meeting with Ramon Vaca, one of the pastors from the church. He is starting a church in La Chureca, and asked me to be part of the team, since I've been spending so much time there. There was about 25 people at the meeting, all there because they share a heart for the people there and want to see God move. We talked about the vision of the church, and how we don't want to be a clone of the existing church we attend, but want to fit the needs of the people there, allowing God to be creative and shape the church according to His will. We had a time of prayer and worship, and then talked about the first event, which will be a get together this Saturday to have a time of fellowship with the people. I'm really looking forward to that.
Dane had invited me to the Mana Project house for a party, so after the meeting in the dump I went home and changed, and went to the party. It was just a hang out time with the Mana team and their English students, with some dancing, eating, and swimming mixed in. I didn't swim or dance, but grabbed a bite to eat and got to know the guys a little better. Afterwards we went out to a club, and I invited Esmir to come along as well. It was a pretty good time, I danced with a Nicaraguan girl who I'd met before. Esmir of course danced with the Gringas.
Sunday Esmir and I went to church and I was part of a little presentation of the church planting in La Chureca. We turned off the church lights and carried candles throughout the building to represent God's light going into the dark corners of the world. Ramon gave a few words, and we had a time of prayer for the new church. After church I went with Esmir to play some ultimate frisbee with about 30 gringos, only a few of which I'd met previously. It was kind of funny to watch Esmir play, since he had no idea what he was doing. He caught on farily quickly, though, and had a good time.
Today Esmir left for a few days to go on his final university field trip. He went with his classmates to a farm up north, about a half hour from Honduras. He said that there is no electricity there, and that he'll probably be sleeping in a hammock. Can't really say I'm jealous, but I might be a little lonely this week. After Esmir left I went to la Chureca and we finished up the census. I don't know the official count of the total population, but there are 169 families living there, which would probably be about 900 to 1000 people, as most families have a good number of kids. Many more people work there, but only about 900 actually live inside and among it.
I took my bike to the shop again because the case for my headlight cracked. It broke open on its own due to vibration, so I thought that it would be covered by the guarantee. They said it should be covered, so I left it there, only to get a call an hour later saying that i'd have to pay for it. I told them to just leave it and I'm going tomorrow to pick it up. I talked to one of the guys there, who i've gotten to know pretty well now after the 5th time taking it in, and he told me that it's the cheapest bike he's ever seen. He told me that they have more than one of them come in the shop everyday, and told me I should trade it in for a Kawasaki. I'm strongly considering that, but we'll have to see if it fits in the budget. I'm also thinking about just straight up selling it, because it's a pain always taking it in for problems. I should have done more research, but I guess it's just a lesson learned the hard way.
That's about it, everything is going great and I'm still loving it down here. Please pray that the church will really be a success and that people will be brought into the Kingdom. Also pray for me that God will continue to provide and keep me close to Himself.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Habukuk
When Brad was here we often talked about how we both feel that God is doing something in La Chureca, and that it's about to happen. Something inside of us is whispering that He is about to blow us away with something absolutely amazing, and from Him alone, that credit can be given to no one. I had a dream or something like a dream the other day, but it was just the word Nahum. I don't know why, but I woke up and just thought I should read the book of Nahum. I opened up to it, not having really any idea what it was about, and browsed to find that it was about God punishing Nineveh for its unbelief. I thought, "false alarm, i guess," and turned to the next book, which was Habakkuk. I knew that Habakkuk was a prayer, and so I began to read.
The book started out by asking God why He tolerates all that He tolerates. I had been struggling so much with that very question, especially in regard to La Chureca. How can He really have plans for all of the people there and have nothing to show for it? Why does He let the devil prevent His plans from coming true? It was really bothering me, even though at the same time I was so excited to know that He does have infinite love for each and every one of them.
Well, God answers Habakkuk by telling him to "Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." That right there was so amazing for me to hear. I've read and heard it before, but it was so powerful to read yesterday, in light of all that I've been wrestling with. I really do think that God is moving in and around La Chureca, and is using me there in ways that I wouldn't have believed if I had been told before coming here.
I've also been reading Job, which is really helping my struggle. Our human nature wants to believe that we deserve to live a nice, cushy life, but the fact is that we are all sinners and have turned against our Creator and deserve death. Not one of us is innocent, even the little girls in La Chureca. We all deserve to live in the trash heaps, but to some of us God is unbelievably gracious. It's probably the most difficult thing I've ever tried to understand, and I will never fully understand it because God's ways are so foreign to me, but God's been showing me little pieces to grow me closer to him. Seeing all that La Chureca is very easily could have turned me against my "God of Love," but thanks be to God, He has been gracious enough to encourage me in all of this. I still want to cry for the people there, but that won't do anything. Even my going there is in vain without God. In Job, Elihu says that we are powerless, and that, good or bad, our works have no impact on the character of God. He will forever be able to use everything to His glory.
I'm right in the middle of His hand, living daily on his provision. I have a lot to talk about, but it will have to wait until next time.
The book started out by asking God why He tolerates all that He tolerates. I had been struggling so much with that very question, especially in regard to La Chureca. How can He really have plans for all of the people there and have nothing to show for it? Why does He let the devil prevent His plans from coming true? It was really bothering me, even though at the same time I was so excited to know that He does have infinite love for each and every one of them.
Well, God answers Habakkuk by telling him to "Look at the nations and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." That right there was so amazing for me to hear. I've read and heard it before, but it was so powerful to read yesterday, in light of all that I've been wrestling with. I really do think that God is moving in and around La Chureca, and is using me there in ways that I wouldn't have believed if I had been told before coming here.
I've also been reading Job, which is really helping my struggle. Our human nature wants to believe that we deserve to live a nice, cushy life, but the fact is that we are all sinners and have turned against our Creator and deserve death. Not one of us is innocent, even the little girls in La Chureca. We all deserve to live in the trash heaps, but to some of us God is unbelievably gracious. It's probably the most difficult thing I've ever tried to understand, and I will never fully understand it because God's ways are so foreign to me, but God's been showing me little pieces to grow me closer to him. Seeing all that La Chureca is very easily could have turned me against my "God of Love," but thanks be to God, He has been gracious enough to encourage me in all of this. I still want to cry for the people there, but that won't do anything. Even my going there is in vain without God. In Job, Elihu says that we are powerless, and that, good or bad, our works have no impact on the character of God. He will forever be able to use everything to His glory.
I'm right in the middle of His hand, living daily on his provision. I have a lot to talk about, but it will have to wait until next time.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
More Twists in the Story
On Friday I was planning on going to the beach to surf with Dane, but I got a text message from him Thursday night cancelling due to something in the school he teaches English at. It wasn't a big deal, though, because Melissa had called and said that the school needed help doing inventory and organizing. So, I went in the morning to the school and we counted tables and chairs, swept the floors and ceilings (spider webs) and organized all of the school supplies like books, pencils, etc. Friday night I went to an art exhibit on the south highway where Melissa had set up a sale of the La Chureca kids' artwork. They had some really good work, and I wish I could have bought some, but I didn't have any money at the time. I did get to spend some time with Eli, Deanna, Melissa, and other Americans, as well as two teenagers from La Chureca who are now living outside with a pastor from the Verbo Church that I attend. Their names are Miguel and Romolo, and I talked with them for the majority of the night. Romolo told me that he knew how to ride a motorcycle, so I foolishly decided to let him drive it. I showed him the basics, which he did kind of know, and let him at it. He drove around the parkinglot at a very irregular pace, without changing gears from first to second. It was funny to watch. Then Miguel told me that he wanted to learn, so i spent about five minutes explaining everything to him with Romolo also helping me. Then I got on the back and he tried to drive. We took a lap around the lot, and it went alright, but then he started heading for a portion of the lot that had a slight hill. I told him not to go much farther, but he couldn't turn very well, so we went right up to the hill. I told him it was really hard to start on a hill, but he tried it and sure enough we fell. He accelerated, but with me on the back, the front tire went up in the air and he didn't know how to recover, so we slowly fell to the side. We caught the bike fine and nobody was hurt, but it was pretty funny. He felt so bad, but luckily nothing happened to the bike.
I spent saturday with Esmir, Dylan and Lauren. Dylan and Lauren had just come back from a Thanksgiving trip back home, so it was fun to watch the hokies win and get some other college football action. Saturday night Esmir and I went to a concert in a coffee shop close to where the art sale was. A Christian group runs the shop and also performs, and it was a fun night. They sang worship songs in English and Spanish, as well as some of their own stuff. They later opened it up to whoever, and Eli played wagon wheel, ring of fire, and some others with another missionary named Mike and the group keyboardist. Sunday was another chill day. I went to church with Dylan and Lauren, had lunch with Eli in MetroCentro, a mall close to my house, and then spent the afternoon watching some NFL with Dylan.
On Monday I went back to the school, where all the staff met to do a census of La Chureca. We split up in groups and walked around, talking to families about how many lived in each house, how many kids were or were not studying, and if they weren't we asked how far they'd gotten to if they ever did study. It was all new to me, and I was fascinated to learn the different backgrounds of the families. About half of the adults never studied, and of those who did there wasn't one who made it past 6th grade. It was pretty much the same story with the kids. Half worked in the dump, and those who are studying are in the school in the dump, which goes up to 6th grade. There are only a handful of kids that are attending secondary schools, from which none have ever graduated. Romolo and Miguel, who I mentioned earlier, are in Melissa's scholarship program, and are in their last year of high school. If all works out, they will both graduate as the first ever from the La Chureca school to do so.
While doing the census I ran into some of my favorite boys boogie-boarding in a terrifyingly dirty lake in the middle of the dump. I waved to them, and they shouted and waved back, just having a blast in the lake filled by dump runnoff. Next to the lake was one of the cutest girls ever with some of her friends looking for who-knows-what in the trash. She called my name and hid behind her cousin, who I'd never met. I went up to her and gave her a big hug, and she introduced me to her cousin, who was nine, and worked instead of school. I didn't want to leave them, but I had to continue with the other teachers.
Today Marvin, the High School Musical organizer, called me and said I just had to come back. He said that the owner of the Distributor wanted to talk to me and so I decided to at least hear them out. I went in, and the owner decided to pay for my rent and also give me gas money each week, and I only have to go two days a week. I said yes, and now I'm reluctantly back in the group, but they do seem to be more serious now at least. I'll let you know how it goes.
I spent saturday with Esmir, Dylan and Lauren. Dylan and Lauren had just come back from a Thanksgiving trip back home, so it was fun to watch the hokies win and get some other college football action. Saturday night Esmir and I went to a concert in a coffee shop close to where the art sale was. A Christian group runs the shop and also performs, and it was a fun night. They sang worship songs in English and Spanish, as well as some of their own stuff. They later opened it up to whoever, and Eli played wagon wheel, ring of fire, and some others with another missionary named Mike and the group keyboardist. Sunday was another chill day. I went to church with Dylan and Lauren, had lunch with Eli in MetroCentro, a mall close to my house, and then spent the afternoon watching some NFL with Dylan.
On Monday I went back to the school, where all the staff met to do a census of La Chureca. We split up in groups and walked around, talking to families about how many lived in each house, how many kids were or were not studying, and if they weren't we asked how far they'd gotten to if they ever did study. It was all new to me, and I was fascinated to learn the different backgrounds of the families. About half of the adults never studied, and of those who did there wasn't one who made it past 6th grade. It was pretty much the same story with the kids. Half worked in the dump, and those who are studying are in the school in the dump, which goes up to 6th grade. There are only a handful of kids that are attending secondary schools, from which none have ever graduated. Romolo and Miguel, who I mentioned earlier, are in Melissa's scholarship program, and are in their last year of high school. If all works out, they will both graduate as the first ever from the La Chureca school to do so.
While doing the census I ran into some of my favorite boys boogie-boarding in a terrifyingly dirty lake in the middle of the dump. I waved to them, and they shouted and waved back, just having a blast in the lake filled by dump runnoff. Next to the lake was one of the cutest girls ever with some of her friends looking for who-knows-what in the trash. She called my name and hid behind her cousin, who I'd never met. I went up to her and gave her a big hug, and she introduced me to her cousin, who was nine, and worked instead of school. I didn't want to leave them, but I had to continue with the other teachers.
Today Marvin, the High School Musical organizer, called me and said I just had to come back. He said that the owner of the Distributor wanted to talk to me and so I decided to at least hear them out. I went in, and the owner decided to pay for my rent and also give me gas money each week, and I only have to go two days a week. I said yes, and now I'm reluctantly back in the group, but they do seem to be more serious now at least. I'll let you know how it goes.
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