Merry Christmas!

May the light of the world fill our hearts with grace and peace and truth.

May this baby who was born in the midst of angels, campesinos, and kings fill us with child-like wonder.

(Special thanks to Grandma Long and Grandma Smith, who provided wonderful materials that have helped us and our neighbors to celebrate).

New Newsletter

To see our newsletter, look under "Newsletters" on the right hand side and click "Fall 2007." These pictures and information are different from what is on the blog. :)

Deck the Halls...

...with plastic pine boughs, fa la la la la, la la la la.

There aren't any real pine trees available to chop down here in Nicaragua (besides, we're worried about deforestation). So instead, we're decorating with some festive plastic that we found at a local market. It lacks the fresh pine smell, but it helps to put us in a Christmas mood. The first picture is Alan stringing garland onto the tree at home. The second photo is Beth's handiwork at the MCC office.

Team Retreat

We spent a few days last week in the COLD (yes, that word actually still exists in our vocabulary!) mountains in Northern Nicaragua. It was our first time together as a team in our new expanded form, and we had a wonderful time getting to know each other, singing, exploring nature, planning for the coming year, and reflecting individually and collectively. Our prayers and conversations were centered around the theme of anticipation: the anticipation in Scripture for the Messiah and our ongoing anticipation for Christ's kingdom in our lives and in the world. For more pictures and captions, click here.

Arriba los pobres del mundo!

Here are a few reflections on the Nicaraguan political scene in 2007, from the perspective of outsiders.

-Toma de poder: last January, Daniel Ortega was inaugurated as president, along with his wife, Rosario Murillo (who has been very involved in all aspects of campaigning and governing). They were surrounded by dignitaries, most notably and loudly from Venezuela and Bolivia. The promises, always in non-threatening hues of yellow and pink, have been for reconciliation and peace. Constant allusions are made to the re-triumph of the 1979 Sandinista revolution. Below is a picture of the National Palace with a large banner dedicated to Carlos Fonseca, the brains behind the Sandinista party, assuring him that they are advancing in the revolution.

-Cooperación internacional: this phrase usually refers to the oil that Nicaragua is getting from Venezuela and whatever else goes along with this partnership.

-"Arriba los pobres del mundo!" is a slogan seen everywhere in government propaganda. It usually also includes some reference to the 1979 Sandinista revolution and a photo of the balding Daniel Ortega (former Sandinista Comandante and current President) holding up his hand in . . . triumph? battle? a political wave? The saying could be translated, "Rise up, poor of the world!" or "The poor of the world are now on top!" Some cynical Nicaraguans insert the word "de" after "arriba," making the slogan imply that Daniel Ortega has lifted himself up from the poor of the world.

-Cero hambre (zero hunger) is a policy implemented by this Sandinista government to give goats/cows/chickens and seed to people in the most rural and impoverished parts of Nicaragua. Plus: this is a great and sustainable idea if people know how to use these gifts (and in many places they are being educated for this). Potential negatives: 1) some people do not have the tools to make these gifts work for them over the long haul. 2) it is unclear if these are being distributed to all people, or only government supporters.

-CPCs are the Citizen Power Councils that were set up by the Sandinista government in each community. There is now a controversy over the administration's attempt to make the CPCs part of the executive branch. Plus: in many communities people have been empowered, are organized, and feel they have a voice in the government. Controversy: some people have accused the councils of being set up to monitor communities (especially opposition).

-Government restructuring (politically): There has been some push to change the constitution to a more parliamentary system, with a prime minister and direct geographic representation (instead of the current system of the National Assembly being selected based on percentage of votes that the party receives in the presidential election).

-Government restructuring (physically): In the 1990s, the liberal government of Arnoldo Aleman decided to put a fountain and garden outside the National Palace and old cathedral, where the Plaza de la Revolución used to be. This year, the new government tore out the fountain and garden, spending thousands of government dollars to repave the Plaza so that it could be like it was in the time of the revolution.

-Aborto terapeutico/therapeutic abortion: this has been a political issue for the last 2 years or more here. Currently, the law criminalizes therapeutic abortion, meaning that the penalty for abortion to save the life of the woman is 3 years in prison for the woman and doctor. This has been in the news especially with the pregancies of young girls (at least one case of a 9 year old). Nicaragua is one of the only countries in the world with a law like this, and there are many protests against it. Many would say that it was passed before the last election to gain support from the Catholic church. Catholics and Evangelicals, normally at odds, have joined together to defend the law.

Nicaragua, Nicaragüita! A country of contrasts . . .

La Purísima (updated - 12/19)

Friday marked the celebration of the Purisima, or the immaculate conception of Mary (We earlier wrote that la Purísima was the conception of Mary with Jesus. The Immaculate Conception is the conception of Mary's mother with Mary. For more information about the origins of La Purísima, click here). This uniquely Nicaraguan holiday starts at noon on the 7th and continues until noon on the 8th. Here are a few highlights...

- fireworks. Lots of fireworks. The most spectacular display is at midnight, and it sounds like the city is exploding.

- yelling. Well, that's the Spanish word, but it's more like 'caroling.' Groups of people go from house to house singing/yelling carols in honor of Mary.

- altars. Lots of Catholic families set up little altars in honor of Mary, and the groups of carolers sing in front of these.

- yummy treats. Houses that have altars are expected to give away gifts to the carolers (kind of like Halloween). Our neighbors passed out lots of toys to the kids, but also small bags of rice, sugar, and a traditional Nicaraguan breakfast food called nacatamal.

Here are a few pictures from our neighborhood. One is of our neighbor's altar, and another is of the people lined up to sing. The third is of two teenagers who saw me in the street with our camera. They asked me to take their picture, and in honor of them, I'm posting it online.