Campamento

On January 11, we and 45 young Nicaraguans piled onto a cattle truck and headed up to the mountains in the North of Nicaragua. There we spent 3 days participating with them in their youth camp and leading one of the sessions. It was a good chance to get to know some new people, as well as deepening relationships with our neighbor Carlos and Lydell's new almost-in-laws. We hiked on cliffs with no trails or guard rails, went boating with people who didn't know how to swim, played soccer, did team-building activities, learned new songs, and experienced the universal compulsory prank-pulling. It was an adventure. We talked about wearing the "clothing" (patience, kindness, love, etc.) that identifies us as Christians and memorized Matthew 5:23-24 together. For more pictures, click here.

Watching the waves

Between Christmas and New Year's, we went down to the Southwest of Nicaragua to the beaches around San Juan del Sur. We enjoyed the chance to sit on beautiful beaches almost by ourselves, explore tide pools, and watch sunsets from cliff-tops. We read, walked, reflected on the year, attempted to avoid sunburns, made goals, and tried to be aware of how God's Spirit is moving in our lives. I thought that it's a little like the waves, coming and going unpredictably. Sometimes coming up unexpectedly high, sending the little crabs scrambling up the rocks. Sometimes filling each little cove where you didn't even know the water could reach. But it's addicting--you could watch it all day. It feels similar to see those in our church here experience the Spirit, even as we also think about our own cultural understandings and expressions of the Spirit. Sometimes we pull our toes back, startled. Sometimes we are inspired. Sometimes we get wet and laugh or cry. Mostly, we continue watching in curiosity and awe as the tide continues coming in. Click here for more pictures.

Good friends in 2007

We are thankful for our friendships here in Nicaragua. In addition to our team members and those we work with, in the past year God has blessed us with meaningful conversations, laughing, and a sense of mutual care with several people: Kevin and Hannah, who lived with us for a couple months and encouraged us in great ways; Rebeca and our friends in Estelí, who have included us in the family and shared openly with us; Andrea and Pamela, who are working here with Food for the Hungry and have helped us process our Nicaragua experience and life in general; Jacquelyn, another "family member" who has been a partner in language learning, dancing, and late-night conversations; Marlon, who has provided us with a house, beautiful artwork, and good conversation.