Guatemala Work and Learn Trip

I (Beth) just returned from 10 days in Guatemala with a group of 5 Nicaraguans and 4 Hondurans. We went to work on the 4th floor of the Anabaptist Seminary Semilla and participate in various dialogues and learning experiences with Anabaptist young people in the 3 Central American countries. I was taken back to my middle school wood shop class as I helped to fashion beds from wood with my bare hands. I tried to keep up with all the conversations, ranging from the serious (how the Central American church can be active in areas of disaster response, HIV/AIDS, and migration) to the ridiculous (with which animal cracker you relate best). I was inspired again by the network of relationships around the world in which MCC works, and watched my Nicaraguan friends experience this inspiration. I was reminded how much opportunities for travel, service, and leadership shape us. This is a privilege and an opportunity that should be available to young leaders all over the world. If you want to see more pictures/captions from the trip, you can click here.

Hurricane Felix update (with new link)

It's now been 2 weeks since Hurricane Felix slammed into the northeastern coast of Nicaragua. Due to the remote landscape (there are no roads from the pacific coast to the northeast coast...all travel is by boat or helicopter), information has been slow in coming. According to the latest news, it seems like the situation is much worse than originally thought. As many as 70,000 people (unofficial number) have been affected in some way. There are still also some extremely rural areas have yet to be surveyed. The most urgent needs right now are food and water. Virtually all sources of fresh water in the region were contaminated by the hurricane. In addition, virtually the entire crop was destroyed, meaning that there is little natural food available for people in the forests and surrounding lands. Food stored in houses was either blown away by wind or ruined by flooding and rains. The situation for many families is extremely dire.

Last week, the director of a community development organization (he's also a Mennonite pastor and worked w/ MCC in Mexico 6 years ago) here in Managua was invited by the Nicaraguan Army to survey some of the affected region. He flew by helicopter with several other relief organization leaders and took these photos. They show several scenes of damage (note the absence of roads, power lines, etc.). One photo shows people gathered under the helicopter for food & water that was dropped. He reports that the conditions for many people are very difficult.

MCC is coordinating with this organization (CIEETS) and others to provide immediate financial assistance which will be used to purchase food and water. It is clear, however, that the relief and recovery efforts will extend for many months, and MCC is also working on these long-term plans.

You can click here for an updated report on MCC's response in the region.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Christmas in September

Last night I was sitting at the table, chowing down on gallopinto (rice & beans mixed together, not to be mistaken with rice & beans separate on your plate...in this case it's simply called 'rice & beans'), when suddenly the sounds of Christmas music wafted to my ears. 'Deck the Halls' & 'Hark, the Herald Angels Sing', complete with words in English, clear as a bell in our kitchen. What was this? I wasn't playing a random selection from our computer, nor was I breaking the cultural taboo about not playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving. So where was this music coming from?

I listened a little longer, and then I realized...one of our neighbors across the street was watching the movie 'Home Alone', and I was hearing the soundtrack. I listened a little longer and discovered that the movie was dubbed.

This brings up a little point about cultural difference that we've learned. Nicaraguans like things LOUD: televisions, radios, music, worship services, etc. If there's a volume button, you can expect that it will be turned to the max. This, coupled with the open-air feel of many houses, means that when one person listens to something, so does the whole neighborhood.

This has taken some adjustment, learning to share in other people's music & movie tastes. But it does give us a window into the cultural expressions (or in this case, borrowed cultural elements) appreciated by those around us. And to be honest, last night as I sat eating, I didn't mind hearing North American Christmas music. Even if it is before Thanksgiving.

Independence Day

Yesterday and today Nicaragua is celebrating its independence. Sept. 15 (today) is independence from Spain in 1821. Sept. 14 (yesterday) Nicaragua celebrated its independence from William Walker, the American who took over Nicaragua by force in the 1850s and tried to create a new 'slave state' for his southern cronies. It failed, with his departure occurring on Sept. 14, 1856. This little bit of American history never made it into the American history class I had in high school. How embarrassing.
At any rate, most people have had off from work, making a nice 3-day weekend. It's been kind of rainy, w/ very pleasant temperatures for a change. Nicaraguan flags adorn many of the houses and cars in Managua, and many people are hanging out w/ families this weekend. Not many fireworks for these celebrations, which is a bit surprising. Generally if there's a special day, Nicaraguans will celebrate it with fireworks.

Summer Newsletter

Our Summer newsletter, with news and notes from the last 3 months, is now available by clicking the link on the right. You'll be directed to a mediafire.com page, and then you can click 'download' to read the newsletter (it may take a few minutes, depending on your internet speed). Enjoy!

Hurricane Felix

Dear Friends and Family,
Many of you have written notes in the past couple days, asking about the hurricane and sending along thoughts and prayers. Thank you! We are fine--not even very wet. However, there has been significant damage and loss on the north-eastern side of Nicaragua. We wanted to let you know how you can support Nicaragua during this time. The East Coast of Nicaragua (see map at the bottom of the page) is separated from the West Coast by mountains, rivers, rain forest, and a network of impassable roads. In other words, it's difficult to get there even in the best of situations. Communication systems and infrastructure have been hit hard, especially in the communities in and around Puerto Cabezas. For example, even after three days, no one has been able to have any communication with the Brethren in Christ churches on the Atlantic Coast to see what their needs are. Currently, the only ways of getting relief aid into the region are by air and boat, which is expensive. What $100 of relief and development money would do on the Pacific Coast, takes $500 on the Carribean side. MCC and other NGOs down here (especially Acción Medica Cristiana, our primary partner in this situation) have a good network for collecting and distributing funds. If you or your churches would like to donate to the Hurricane Relief effort, you can do so through MCC online, by phone, or by mail. This information, as well as a brief article, is at http://www.mcc.org/news/news/article.html?id=239.
Also, you can read an article from the LA Times here: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-felix7sep07,1,5407673.story?coll=la-headlines-world

Thanks for your support! Love, Beth and Alan