Catching up: Visitors

The last few months have been full of visiting! Visits for work, visits for fun, visits with family and friends. Lots of good times sitting around tables and living rooms, chatting with people.

In June, we received a visit from a church youth group in Maple Grove, OH. They served and learned together with Nicaraguan young people and experienced the richness and awkwardness of visiting their new Nicaraguan friends and their families in their homes. There was also time for fun and craziness like the new hairstyles that both the Nicaraguan and North American guys decided to model.
I had the opportunity to visit Rebeca (one of the IVEP participants--now in Winnipeg) and her family.
In July, my cousin Phil and his wife Mary came down from Honduras, where they were doing cross-cultural study through Fresno MB Biblical Seminary. We also enjoyed another visit from my brother Peter (here Simon, Peter, and Philip are enjoying a little fly-catching). I went out to Chontales to visit Consuelo (YAMEN participant now in Santa Cruz, Bolivia) and her family and church. Our own BIC church here in Monseñor Lezcano also received visitors from the North (Mechanicsburg BIC) who stayed in their homes and accompanied our church´s construction process. Ana and Annali, two Goshen College students, stayed in our home, and we went together to visit two IVEP participants and their families.

In August, we enjoyed a couple days with Sarah and Alvaro, down from Honduras. (How did we not take any pictures?!) We visited a couple of Alan´s students in Ciudad Sandino. For several weeks during the summer, we hosted Pamela, who was back in Nicaragua doing intense field research in the Northern region of Nicaragua and then transcribed her notes in our house while we discussed the world´s problems and solutions. We received three new MCC SALT/YAMEN volunteers (Christa, Sarah, and Sandy) and 2 new MCC couples (Adam/Marisa and Liz/Nate)--and have been enjoying lots of visits with all of them! This is our new team picture (thanks, Christa!):In September, Mom came to visit for a couple weeks. Dad joined in at the end. Then Alan´s sister Emily came.In the two days between the parental and sibling visits, I used my very broken Portuguese with a Learning Tour from Brasil.

Of course, we also have our regular visits and visitors. For example, every Saturday, Cecibel and Hania (and Hazel--not pictured) come to visit and practice English. Simon and I also take frequent visits to our original host family who lives just a couple blocks away to see their cat, climb their steps, and have some good conversation in the garden.