The Bracht Family

Guilt Free Laundry

2012-01-20T08:57:00.004-05:00

For the last year and a half, Jeff has been 'home'. He left his job in May of 2010, to start preparing for moving to Nicaragua. Since May of 2010, I have had the twisted notion that we have been on 'vacation'. Of course language learning and cultural adjustment hasn't felt like vacation...but I had been accustomed to Jeff working full time. So the fact that he was 'home' meant he was on vacation. Even though I knew this was not the 'reality'...I functioned like it was. I would put off chores or begrudgingly do chores feeling like I was missing out on the precious time we had "off". Odd, I know. Actually, it really messed up my routine. I LOVE my husband, he's my best friend...yet, he was on my turf ALL DAY LONG. I have done laundry with the guilt of not taking advantage of 'the vacation time with Jeff' for over a year. Crazy, I know. The mind (okay, my mind) is an interesting thing.

However, this week, Jeff started "working" at the university (vet school) in Managua. He is no longer on 'vacation' in my mind. I was able to do laundry guilt free. I have my 'turf' back AND he has a new role/work that he enjoys...we have returned to the 'roles' God intends for us to have. Routine. Balance. Guilt-free laundry.

School Shopping

2012-01-14T11:00:00.003-05:00

We are gearing up for the start of school. This time last year, we were translating the list of school supplies and wondering what eskimo paddles and milk erasers were and where to find them. This year, we walked into the school supply store and felt much more confident. However, lest we become puffed up with pride...God always has some lessons in humility up his sleeve.

After shopping for about 45 minutes in a store that felt over 100 degrees, we are checking out at the cash register. A sweet employee approaches and starts her "speech" on what I find out later is about a discount membership. After her spiel...I embarrassingly tell her that I am so sorry - but I didn't understand anything she said. Humbling. She repeats the important parts...I get the gist. Now I have to give her my phone number. In Nicaragua, a phone number is given two numbers at time. Okay, I can adjust to that...but numbers are my biggest weakness. Kicking myself for not memorizing my number by twos...I start the attempt on the phone number. Pitifully after 4 numbers, I give up and go one by one...which earns an "silent exchange" between the girl at the register and the membership girl. Then, she tells me that I need to get my picture taken for the membership card. Fabulous...because I've been sweating for the last 45 minutes and I am having a bad hair day...really bad. Humbling (in the vanity department). She motions for me to stand in front of a door...but of course I missed something because I open the door to some store room which earns several chuckles from the employees standing around. Humbling. The success of school shopping is starting to fade. The photographer shows me the picture, I cringe and mumble..."está bien" (it's okay).

Trying to remember that language learning is life-long, I tell myself that I successfully found the milk erasers, eskimo paddles, and myriad of other supplies. I thank God for the progress I've made and resolve to learn my phone number by twos.

Update

2012-01-12T15:56:00.002-05:00

Update to the last blog post. Andrew (10 years old) loves reading our blog. You should have seen him when he read the part about the "boxer-clad gringo". After I explained what "boxer-clad" meant, he laughed for a solid 3 minutes until he couldn't breathe and was crying. Even now, as he reads over my shoulder, he is chuckling...and now lauging harder. I guess he can envision better than you, what that image would look like...yes, it would be funny :)

Burglars Beware!

2012-01-10T17:39:00.006-05:00

I (Jeff) am very thankful for the varied responses that I have received to my last two postings. I have received the suggestion that I should be even more open in sharing our experiences and others encouraging more caution. Regarding my musings on security, I have received comments of "right-on", and also "you are off base". Because of the variety, I went back and read what I wrote, and I got stuck staring at the picture of the padlock. I smiled because I had just read a note encouraging more caution and I thought about what kind of an experience a burglar would have...

Back yard scenario: Scale a 10 foot wall covered with razor wire. Break your ankle dropping 10 feet into our concrete backyard. Say hello to our ferocious Rottweiler while being blinded by our motion sensor lights. Begin breaking outer bars to door (the ones with the padlock). Once through bars, break down interior door with 3 dead bolts, and finally...be greeted by a boxer-clad gringo wielding a stick and a Maglite. And no, I won't post a picture of that :)

Front yard scenario: Get past the two guard stations and the 3 guards. Scale the chain link fence. Say hello to our dog, and repeat the above mentioned lights, bars, dead bolts, and scary man in boxers.

My home security philosophy is to take every reasonable precaution possible while placing my ultimate trust in God.

Short of having the Depelter Turbo from the movie "Over the Hedge" (currently banned by the Geneva Convention) we are as secure as can be. Now, the hard part is trying to get into the house when your kids have to use the potty after a road trip.

Safety

2012-01-05T17:18:00.009-05:00

In light of my (Jeff's) recent resolution, here is one of my mental works in progress...

I am occassionally asked if my current life circumstances are less safe now than they where before. I could give the simple answer "yes, they are less safe", but it isn't that simple. I could also give the seemingly spiritual answer and say... "The safest place in the world is in the center of God's will". In addition to not being able to find that verse in the Bible, it has not been my experience nor was it Jesus' experience either (the center of God's will took him to his public execution). I think that part of my difficulty in answering this question, lies in my definition of, and in my pre-occupation with, safety.

Jesus didn't share this preoccupation of mine and his definition of safety was different than mine. He said "Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Mt.10:28 NLT. Apparently God's safety conerns are different than mine...spiritual safety is more important than physical safety. Also, Jesus had a different priority ranking of safety than mine..."For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame." Heb. 12:2 NIV. Apparently the promise of future joy out-ranked current safety.

My thinking could be wrong at this point in my life, but this is how I would summarize my thoughts: God is the ultimate source of my safety, but my physical safety is not his ultimate concern. I would do well to determine and pursue what ultimately concerns God, even at the risk of personal safety. You know what? I am kind of OK with that...at least personally, but I begin to squirm when God and I begin to talk about how this applies to my family. I am glad that God didn't squirm when he chose to not make the physical safety of his only son his ultimate concern. I have space to grow here. I am glad that God is patient with me.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
-Jim Elliot

I Resolve to...

2012-01-02T17:19:00.006-05:00

I (Jeff) don't like to make resolutions. The self-righteous part of me will tell you that I don't like them because I don't want to risk breaking my word and so I will just "let my yes be yes, and my no be no". However, closer to the truth is probably that I don't want to fail at something. If I don't resolve, then I can't fail. Good sound logic. Good plan.

Well, I am going to go against my fail-safe plan and make a resolution. It is a subjective resolution so I am still safe because failure can't be measured if the resolution is subjective. I still have sound logic. Good plan.

Here it is...I resolve to be more honest in blogging. There I said it. So now you are asking..."have you been lying in your blogging?" Well, yes and no. No, because I believe everything presented has been truthful. And yes, becuase there has been so much more that I wanted to share and didn't. I can think of at least 2 reasons why I hold back:

First because I like nice neat little packages. If I have a mental "can of worms" on a subject, and there is no lid in sight, then I am not going to mention cans or worms. I just don't like to bring up a problem until I have at least one viable solution or answer. This plays out in my blogging, in that I do not like to bring up messy things like wealth, natural disasters, racism, or the sovereignty of God unless I have a well threaded lid to put on it at the end. The reality is that I don't have the wisdom to have the answers to all of these things. So then , my new resolution is to open some cans of worms without lids in sight, and if my audience has the wisdom to offer me some lids, I will gladly accept.

Secondly, due to my varied audience, I tend to not share all that is on my mind. I am a hard-wired people-pleaser, and so I try to be ultra careful that my words will not offend anyone that could possibly read this blog. The problem is that our readers include: family, mentors, strangers, Americans, Nicaraguans, supervisors...really the whole world and so the opportunity to be misunderstood is vast. I resolve to take the risk of being misunderstood...at least until the first person writes back saying that they were displeased with something I wrote. When that happens, I will have a good cry, break my resolution and wait for next year.

Joy

2012-01-01T18:27:00.001-05:00

And just sayin'...

Being in a place of obedience results in JOY.

Reflection and Looking Forward

2011-12-31T22:26:00.002-05:00

It's New Year's Eve. Something about this day makes you reflect on the past year and think more deeply about the coming year. Thinking about the past year here in Nicaragua, the relationships that we've started, the adjustments we've made...the mountains we still have yet to climb...I started to evaluate it all. If things dramatically changed (which we are not planning on or hoping for)...what would I miss about my life here in Nicaragua. Somehow, that gets me thinking about what I miss from the States. The water starts to muddy and I find myself asking the "why" questions...why are we here, why I am I not fluent in Spanish already, why can't there be a Target in Managua...??? But then, I hear that unmistakable voice of God in my soul...the answer to your questions, Bethany, is obedience. Obedience demonstrates Love. Love for God, God alone. That's where it starts and it spreads out from there. So, looking ahead at 2012...haven't got a clue...but I know that my "resolution" is to continue in the path of obedience.

Celebrating Christmas!

2011-12-27T22:12:00.007-05:00

Our second Christmas in Nicaragua. The songs may be a little different (especially the ones that start at 4:30am every morning the week prior to Christmas...blaring loudly from a nearby church), the fireworks are still surprising, the warm weather is something to get used to...but we had a wonderful Christmas! Old and new traditions. Good friends to help us celebrate. Fun times opening gifts on Christmas morning. Joy in our hearts that God came down and dwelt among us.

Here are some snapshots of our Nicaraguan Christmas morning.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...that was given to us for Free! By the way...notice that the gifts are wrapped in 'real' wrapping paper this year...not newspaper like last year.

The Traditional Making of the Fresh Orange Juice (had to add about 2 cups of sugar to get it sweet...but the kids enjoyed the process!)

Andrew received a "real tool box with real tools".

We did most of our shopping for Noah at the hardware store and the office supply store. He got several varieties of tape, PVC pipe and joints, post-its, paper, etc.

The kids know...the best gift for Papa is CANDY.

All Ella wanted was a baby doll for Christmas. Can you see the look of delight!?

Andrew also received a guitar. Tool boxes and guitars...big boy toys!

Ella gave Andrew a "futbol jersey" for Christmas. (For the soccer fans out there...yes, this is Barcelona.)

Aaawwwwww. Hugs for Christmas. We opened our kindle (gift to each other) about 2 weeks ago.

The best thing about the warm weather...being able to walk right outside to use your new sidewalk chalk.

Homemade Cinnamon Buns (aka Sugar Bums) for breakfast.

Three Happy Children on Christmas Morning.

Even Luna got a gift...a new collar.

Vacation

2011-12-26T16:36:00.013-05:00

I (Jeff) will start by wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I am sure that Bethany with post something soon about Christmas, but I wanted to write about my vacation.

Since graduating from veterinary school in 2001, I have not had the academic type of Christmas vacation until now. Let me tell you, it is sweet! I gave the final exam to my students on December 15th, I couldn't grade all of them right away because one student didn't show up to take his exam, he was "stuck with his family in an interview at the embassy"...yeah sure...likely excuse. I hadn't heard that excuse before, but around here it is legitimate and believable. I had the exams graded and final grades entered by December 19th, and I was officially on vacation!

I have read 2 books, and am in the middle of 3 others.
I have played board games with the kids.
I have helped paint half of the house.

I have eaten countless Christmas cookies.
I have watched more football than my wife is pleased with (yes, I can watch American football online for free...it is very small, very pixelated, and stutters, sometimes showing 1 frame for every 10 frames it drops, but for an addict it is a fix.

And then, just this morning, Andrew and I were thinking up plans for an addition to the tree-house that the kids and I built last month.

I am still kind of the 'on-call' veterinarian for the missionary community, so I get the random calls...like a few nights ago for the dog versus porcupine mishap.
(note for the squeamish, picture is graphic, so scroll down with caution)

Watch out!!! Here it comes...

[Call me crazy, but I enjoy this kind of "work" so it doesn't feel like it is spoiling my vacation. ]

I am giving myself until the beginning of January before pursuing the next phase of "employment". For now, I am just enjoying the academic calendar and the vacation that comes with it. It is a good time to vacate!

Lost in Fiction

2011-12-20T08:07:00.003-05:00

Again, we've allowed a big gap in time between our posts. We could blame it on the busyness of the Christmas season. Yet, while we have a few more social events, we are not overly busy. It is more likely that we could blame it on the kids being on vacation from school. However, since I am the one who posts the majority of our blogposts...I'll tell you why we have been blogslackers. The reason is: I get lost in fiction. It's true...I pick up a good book and forget that the world is still turning. My kids have to beg me for their meals, laundry is left in dirty piles, blogs go un-updated, Facebook falls low on the list...

Last night however, having stayed up too late (again), I finished The Help. Great book. The story struck me in a way that wouldn't have happened if we still lived in Delaware. Because, now, living here in Nicaragua, I have "help." While there are huge differences between the atmosphere and events of the 1960s (when the book takes place) and the present day -- still, there remains a thread of similarity. That 'thread' is one that I will continue to ponder, process and lift up in prayer.

It was a good book to get lost in...because it not only entertains...but gives reason to reflect and think. Still, for the sake of meals and clean socks, I am going to guess that my family is glad that I found my way back.

Under the Mango Tree

2011-12-10T21:27:00.003-05:00

Tonight, for the second time, we enjoyed attending a Nicaraguan house church. It meets at the home of one of Ella's classmates which means that the kids have fun running around and playing (Noah likes this kind of church). Tonight, we took advantage of the mild temperature and cool breeze by sitting outside for "church" under a canopy of mango trees. There were the usual yard dogs meandering about and a few horse carts clopped by along the road. In some ways, it is a stretch for us...not so much because of the 'life' that continues to go on around us while we 'do church' but rather due to the language gap. Both Jeff and I were asked to read a verse or two (in Spanish, of course), as well as, pray in Spanish. Andrew said we did a pretty good job. Yet, despite the differences and struggles with language...we feel welcomed and loved...and that's what matters, right? We may not conjugate our verbs correctly...but we share the commonality of being 'forgiven' and 'adopted' into God's Family. And His family is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural family...it is a privilege to get a taste of that kind of fellowship this side of Heaven.

Things that go "Bump" in the night

2011-12-06T21:24:00.002-05:00

Last night as I (Jeff) was trying to fall asleep, I remarked to myself... "Self, there are some different sounds out there that you are gradually becoming accustomed to." Here is a list of the things that I have heard recently between the hours of 10pm to 4am. Keep in mind the hours I just mentioned as you read the list, and that our windows are never closed...we couldn't even close them if we wanted to.

-Roosters crowing (all night long)
-Dogs barking
-Insects buzzing (sometimes in my ear)
-Babies crying
-Table saw whirring
-Arc welder crackling
-Jake brake pounding
-Hammering
-Tractor trailer diesel trucks passing by
-Roosters crowing (they sound like they are right by my head now)
-Bats scurrying and squeaking in the ceiling above my head
-Large tree falling (it shook the house from 100 yards away)
-Coconuts falling with a thud!
-Crickets chirping
-Car alarms sounding
-Neighbors cooking (dinner and breakfast between 10pm-4am)
-Neighbors' conversations
-Fire works (different than fire crackers, these are the big ones)
-Cats fighting
-Fans spinning
-Guards using their whistles while doing their rounds
-Birds squawking
-Geckos chirping
-A certain 5 year old coming in and asking if it is Christmas yet?
-Varying livestock passing nearby
-Did I mention roosters crowing (they seem to be getting closer)?
-After I hear a quick scuffle, the rooster stops crowing...is someone cooking dinner? Nothing smells better than grilled chicken at 12am! Now I can get some sleep...ohh, but the smells...that would be a different post.

The truth is, that as I get accustomed to all of this, I probably couldn't sleep soundly if I were back in suburbia with windows that could close. It is becoming my new definition of white noise.

"How We Spent Our Thanksgiving Break"

2011-11-30T07:57:00.009-05:00

It has been a while since we've done a "Window Wednesday"...so here you go...this is a snapshot look at how we spent our 2nd Thanksgiving in Nicaragua. We traveled to an ecolodge up in the mountains of Matagalpa and enjoyed the cooler weather (felt like a mild northeast american fall), as well as, enjoying hiking and spending time as a family away from the city.

Hiking in the Selva. Yes, there is a trail...although at times we wondered if we had accidently ventured off the path.

The water was so cold. Thankfully, no one fell in...although the trail followed VERY close to the river's edge!

Interesting flora in the forest. We named these 'alien spy cams'.

Noah had a great time! He was still having fun after 2 hours of hiking!

Bananas being transported down the mountain.

If you are curious about "coffee processing"...the black bags are dried coffee (I think)...the 'sand looking stuff' is coffee beans laying out to dry in the sun. This is one of many beneficios that we passed on the way back from the mountains. Matagalpa is somewhat of a coffee capital in Nicaragua.

Gotta watch out for cattle crossing.

Last Day of School!!!!

2011-11-23T21:10:00.005-05:00

It has been a while since we've posted. I looked at the last post date...and it made a lot of sense. We've been consumed since November 14th with final exams and end-of-the-school-year activities. By the grace and through the strength of God, we successfully made it through an entire school year in an entirely different language and culture! Our kids perservered as they walked through some hard valleys. Hopefully, they have learned that the Lord walks with them. They also climbed a few mountains and rejoiced at the top! Hopefully, they know that the Lord celebrates with them! While we spent the first several months translating every single word in every book assignment and on every worksheet...we have now reached a new level of language proficiency...well, at least at a preschool, first grade and third grade level! While we all fought to "fit in" and talk with others with the amount of vocabulary that could fit in one hand...we've made friends, shared meals, had playdates, and genuinely enjoyed being a part of the school community.

I'd love to wax eloquent...but it's been a long day. Today was the last day of school. We spent the morning enjoying a program for the "fin del año". It was also a Christmas program...being that there are no holidays (ie. Thanksgiving) standing in the way. It is still a bit odd to experience the things of Christmas when it is in the high 80s and flowers are blooming. Yet, we said our "see you next year's" and "feliz navidad's" and said farewell to one of the hardest school years we've ever experienced. I can say for sure, we all learned a lot and are stronger for it...our hearts and minds are changed...for that we are thankful.

Enjoy some photos from the day!

Andrew having a good time dancing to a swingin' Christmas song with his class.

Andrew with his "academic excellence" certificate...go figure! He truly worked hard and is well on his way to being bi-lingual.

Our little angel-girl!

Ella having fun in her class's performance!

Ella with her certificate of "academic excellence". This girl rocks school work. She is already translating for me!

Noah hanging out...waiting for the show to start!

Noah having fun being on stage with the preschool and kindergarten classes!

A very serious angel. (I just had to post this...so rare to catch Noah with a serious expression!)

This is more like it...a smiling Noah-angel! He ran around with his wings on...yelling--"I'm an angel! I'm an angel!"

¡Felicidades Andrew, Ella y Noah! ¡¡Excelente trabajo!!

Survival Skills Training: Pizza Delivery

2011-11-14T21:02:00.004-05:00

To all those who have been wondering about the outcome of the pizza ordering experience last night....

Success!!!

Thanks to Ella, I had just enough money to pay the delivery guy. (She asked me to pay her back today when she got home from school.)...and being that PizzaHut never showed up with a pizza, I was also successful in cancelling that order. Oh, I forgot to mention...when I was on the phone with the PizzaHut guy, while there was much confusion over cheese...what I did understand was when he suggested that I have someone who DID know Spanish call back and order for me. Hmmm....not sure how I feel about that.

(Ironically, by the time the pizza arrived, I didn't even feel like eating pizza. Go figure.)

Just Bring Me A Pizza!!!!

2011-11-13T18:01:00.002-05:00

Okay, let me share a secret (or perhaps a confession)...we can order pizza and have it delivered here in Managua--one of the benefits of living in the capital city. The options and quality are limited...but PizzaHut enjoys doing business here AND we recently discovered another pizza place called D'Agostino's.

We had agreed (and told the kids) that we would treat ourselves to pizza for dinner. Jeff is the "order-er" of the family. But tonight, Jeff is out helping a friend (I was really hoping he'd be back by dinner...but like many things here...it is taking longer than expected). So, that meant that I had to call and place the order. There is usually a "deal" at PizzaHut--so armed with my conversation cheat-sheet--I dialed the number. I made it through most of my planned conversation...feeling rather accomplished. Then, the order guy started asking questions and telling me something about cheese that I didn't understand. What I gathered was that that the "offer" seems to no longer exist. (This is not good...please, let's not deviate from the conversation I planned). There was confusion about cheese-stuffed crust (no offense...but GROSS!) So, I cancelled the order (I think...I hope...we'll see in about 45 minutes).

Dejected, I grieved over my defeat. Then I decided that we were indeed going to have pizza tonight. I CAN order pizza, I told myself....it is essential to survival. So, I called the other pizza place without a cheat-sheet. It all seemed to go well until the "telling of the price". I think they wanted to know how much 'change' the delivery guy would need. This threw me off...goodness, I don't know...like, do you want me tell you exactly what denominations of money you need to send him with? So, I just said I'd have the exact amount needed for the pizza (okay, another confession...I can't translate numbers). I just had to borrow Ella's small denominations of Nicaraguan money in hopes that I will have the EXACT combination of money needed for this pizza.

Ordering pizza used to be so simple...well, in about 30 minutes we'll see how successful (or not) I was in trying to get a pizza delieved to my house.

Noticing the Little Things

2011-11-12T08:22:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we were driving down the same road we've driven down for a year (it's the Pan-American Highway). There is a stretch of road that overlooks a valley, volcanoes, and Lake Managua. On the side of the road, there are hundreds of beautiful orange colored daisies...they kind of resemble black-eyed susans. I told Jeff that I don't remember them growing there last year. Yet, last year at this time, we had only been here for about 3 weeks...all I saw was the "stuff" that seemed 'unlovely' and glaringly different.

It has been refreshing to notice the little things...the pretty orange flowers, the cool breeze early in the morning, the many wild poinsettias blooming in preparation for Christmas...I am looking forward to discovering more "treasures" of Nicaragua.

Campin' Out

2011-11-08T20:06:00.002-05:00

It is bedtime here in Nicaragua...yet, all my kids are down here in the living room...sleeping either on matresses on the floor or on the sofa. By the way, Jeff and I will be sleeping down here in the living room tonight as well. Actually this is our second night sleeping downstairs. Why, you ask? Because the upstairs is covered in a not-so-fine layer of dirt and other gross-ness, due to the removal and repair of the roof. We have had quite the colony of bats roosting in our roof. There is no attic in this house...so the "roof" is made up of the wood plank ceiling, zinc (corrugated tin), and lastly u-shaped terracotta tiles. The bats roost between the layers of zinc and tile....AND....between the wood and the zinc. Well, despite the fact that these little creatures eat un-wanted mosquitos...we found that they did not make good house-mates. Because I do not want to make this story even longer, let's just say a miracle of sorts occured...the owners decided to completely remove the roof layers (and the bats), add insulation, and then re-layer the roof...as opposed to trying to seal up holes through which the bats would exit at dusk and enter around 4 in the morning (quite the flurry of noise, by the way!). Oh, and just so you know...bats can enter into the smallest of crevices. So, here I am typing in the dark...as my kids fall asleep--camped out in the living room.

Double Meanings...It isn't Just a Language Learner Error

2011-11-01T12:38:00.004-04:00

There are many words that have multiple meanings. We have them in English. There are an abundance of them in Spanish as well. This morning, Noah's preschool class put on a little skit and song at Chapel. A note went home yesterday, asking parents to send their children to school on Tuesday dressed as "pastorcitos". To be sure, we looked up the word "pastor" in the dictionary (the "cito" part just means little).

pastor(a): 1. Shepherd/shepherdess.

So we dressed Noah as a shepherd, as did many other parents. However, we noticed this morning at the Chapel program that there was one child (a Nicaraguan) dressed in a shirt, tie and dress pants. It took us a minute, and then stiffling laughter, we realized that his parent must have interpretted the word "pastorcito" as the second definition for pastor.

pastor(a): 1. Shepherd/shepherdess. 2. minister, clergyman.

Apparently, second language learners are not the ONLY victims of mis-translation and multiply-defined words.

"our little shepherd boy"

Crazy Things Jesus Said

2011-10-29T15:57:00.004-04:00

Back on October 4th, I (Jeff) mentioned that I would share with you some of the things that my students thought were crazy things that Jesus said. Again, I think that this interests me bacause I too seldom gloss over many of the absolutely startling things that Jesus said. He was definitely not out to win a popularity contest when he said:

“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26 (NLT - emphasis mine)

I chose to post the NLT translation here because it includes the softening disclaimer "...everyone else by comparison..." While this softening comment probably accurately portrays Jesus' feelings on the matter, it is not in the original text. Read it again excluding these 4 words.

Is Jesus trying to pick a fight with me? Is he trying to discourage me from following him? I thought Jesus wanted me to love others, not hate them. If Jesus' words disturb you, let them disturb you...they disturb me. When I read this, I see Jesus pointing into my heart and saying: "Jeff, sometimes you love these, these, and these relationships more than me, and your actions, decisions, and worries show it." So then, what am I going to do with this crazy thing Jesus said?

"Somos Nicas"

2011-10-27T14:01:00.004-04:00

Translation: We are Nicaraguan.

Okay, well not by birth...but this morning, we obtained our Nicaraguan residency. If you remember, several months ago, we had to travel to Costa Rica in order to "re-enter" Nicaragua as tourists. [A tidbit of "visa" information for Nicaragua: a tourist visa lasts 90 days and the government allows you to "renew" it for another 90 days...giving you a total of 6 months. However, after that second installment of 90 days...you must leave the country for 72 hours.] Sounds fine and good--a chance for vacation, unless you have three children whom need to travel with you. This morning as we waited in the Immigration Building, there were a smattering of complaints over the "waiting." I asked the disgruntled "wait-ers" if they would prefer taking the bus to Costa Rica. The immediate response was a very quick, "No, that's okay, we'll wait here." (Uh-huh, that's what I thought.) So, while obtaining residency is important for many reasons, the #1 reason for our family would be to avoid the day-long bus ride to Costa Rica.

Obtaining residency has been quite a process...lots of paperwork, mailings (thanks to Bruce & Debbi for all your trips to the post office), proving you were born in New Jersey, standing in lines, being told "no" this morning due to our documents "not being ready" (thanks to our lawyer, Cecilia for pushing the issue). After some deliberation of the "people behind the window" at the Immigration Building...God parted the Red Tape Sea, and granted us passage and favor to the Land of Residency. So, join with us today to give God the glory for this miracle (well, it feels like a miracle to us). Thanks for all who have helped us and have been praying for us throughout this process.

Now, if only instaneous fluency in the Spanish language came with the residency card!

One Year Milestone

2011-10-21T09:04:00.006-04:00

One year ago, today, we arrived in Nicaragua. Toting our 10 footlockers and 10 carry-ons (including the cat), along with assorted dreams, hopes and expectations--we started our "new life" here in the land of lakes and volcanoes.

By God's grace, strength and mercy--we've come a long way. Those first days, weeks and months were full of tears and frustrations. Yet, here we are--celebrating our one year milestone! We have found, that while each day brings the unplanned (and a certain amount of culture clashing), we are indeed settling into and enjoying life here in Nicaragua.

As we take time this weekend to reflect on this past year, remembering on God's Mercy and Faithfulness...we plan to post a blog of answered prayers from this past year. Tonight, however, we are planning on going out to dinner to celebrate this milestone. Ironically, we are going to go to an Italian restaurant to have calzones.

We are eternally grateful for your prayers, support, emails, calls, goodies (sent through travelers), blog-following, and your friendship! Thanks for being a part of our family's journey (and adventure) of faith.

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4:21-24

Random and Raw Thoughts on Poverty, Wealth and Guilt

2011-10-19T13:31:00.007-04:00

This is a journey--the thoughts, the struggles, the tension that surround the vast divide between wealth and poverty. As I laid in bed last night, I thought of my clothes dryer. Random, I know. But, it has been raining for about 10 days straight now...nothing dries; in fact, things that were dry have become damp. We are thankful to have a "secadora" (a clothes dryer). Generally, we try to hang laundry on the clothesline when we can...but that has been impossible this week (unless we are looking for an endless rinse cycle). As I lay there in bed, I realized that, at times, I have guilt over owning and using the dryer, a luxury item of sorts. I don't want to feel guilty for using my dryer....so, why do I? Thus, I started thinking about the "blessings" we have...particularly because here in Nicaragua I can see clearly the contrast between "have" and "have not". If my friend "Sally", who doesn't have a dryer, had one...she'd use it and be happy about it, right? Perhaps, those that don't have the "blessings" that I have....maybe they have other blessings that I don't have. Do they feel guilty for having something that I don't have? Really, these "blessings" (their's or mine)are from the Lord...so if I struggle to enjoy them...am I essentially scoffing at God, who gifted them to me?

I continue to search Scripture for answers and perspective. Sometimes that seems to muddy the waters...but then isn't that what we need the Holy Spirit and wisdom for...to learn and grow through the struggle. Again, I find myself at Paul's words to the Philippians in chapter 4:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I'd like to know Paul's secret...because, quite honestly, I am not content. I guess I will press on...seeking that learned contentment that Paul talks about...learning to enjoy the gifts that God has given me without guilt, but rather with an attitue of gratitude and willingness to share. It is ironic, isn't it? If I were in the States, I'd probably be struggling with not being content because I'd be wanting more...and yet, what I had there is more than I have here. Interesting.

Dangerous Territory

2011-10-17T22:52:00.002-04:00

Tonight at dinner, Andrew asked Noah a question about school...in Spanish. Noah paused to ponder the question...and answered appropriately. Jeff and I exchanged a glance that implied, "do you know what they are talking about?" Ella, being the observant child that she is, repeated the question to Jeff and I...in Spanish...and yet, we STILL needed to ask for a translation.

Yes, we have crossed into dangerous territory. Our mistake was letting on that we didn't understand. Now they know that if they speak fast enough, their parents may not fully understand the "secret code."

We needed a renewed motivation to keep studying our Spanish...and now we have one.

Rainy Season Lesson #37

2011-10-14T23:41:00.003-04:00

It has been raining nearly non-stop since Monday.

Lesson: envelopes have the ability to seal themselves when the moisture content in the air is off the charts.
Solution: wrapping envelopes in Glad Press-n-Seal helps stop envelopes from self-sealing.

On the upside of constant rain...the plants are well watered and growing nicely! We now have lakeside property. We've gotten great use from the rainboots we brought with us from the States. School is sometimes closed because of "rain".

Celebrating 10 years...of Andrew

2011-10-10T21:41:00.006-04:00

Andrew turned 10 last week. An entire decade old. Amazing. Doing the school party/piñata thing is not as "cool" for a third-grader as it is for a preschooler and first-grader. So, for Andrew's birthday--the first one celebrated on Nica soil--we had a skate party with some of the American boys in the neighborhood. There is an old tiled tennis court in our neighborhood...perfect for skateboarding. Andrew and his friends had some good ol' boy fun...skateboarding and rip-sticking, while Ella scootered around and Noah rode his little bike. Andrew had a great time trying out his new skateboard!

Happy 10th Birthday Andrew!

Enjoy some photos from the celebration.

The Birthday Boy

Yup, Jeff still remembers how to catch air.

Crazy Things Jesus Said

2011-10-04T22:05:00.008-04:00

I (Jeff) am currently teaching a 9th grade Bible class. Tomorrow, I am going to add a little 5 minute interlude into our class time. I am asking that each day, one student come to class with an example of one crazy thing that Jesus said.

As I think about it, I am reminded of something that C.S. Lewis wrote. He eloquently described how we must decide if the historic person of Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or truly who he said he was. As I have thought about it, I find that it is very easy to dismiss the possibility that he was a liar (i.e. he knew that he wasn't who he said he was, but he kept the charade going); there is just too much evidence to refute this theory. However I linger a little longer on the possibility that he was a lunatic i.e. he honestly believed he was who he said he was, but he really wasn't.

I guess someone could be sane and still say some "crazy" things, and maybe that is more the category of things I am talking about, but still, Jesus said some crazy - dare I say - insane things. My temptation is to gloss over these things, or to rationalize the things he said so that he fits into the image of a "good guy", a "good teacher", or a "moral man". However, he didn't intend to fit neatly into one of these categories...he actually had a snappy - challenging retort for the person that dared to call him "good". So, the challenge to myself is this: will I seriously meditate on the "crazy" things that Jesus said, or will I gloss over them, seeking to keep him manageable...on my terms?

I will share the comments from class on this blog as they occur, but for now I will leave you with the one that has been on my mind for a few months as I have been talking with a few guys here on the question of "who was Jesus?"

John 8:24 "...unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be (the one and only true God of the universe who happens to be standing in front of you in human form), you will die in your sins." (NLT) [emphasis mine]

Maybe it is just me, but that sounds a little crazy...yet, I am not ashamed to say that I believe him.

Public Speaking in Spanish

2011-09-30T21:40:00.012-04:00

This past Thursday was the celebration of YA SÉ LEER for the first grade at NCA-Nejapa where our kids attend school. YA SÉ LEER translates as: Now, I know how to read!

From what we gather, first graders all over the country need to demonstrate that they can read. It is likely that the degree of demonstration varies. However, for Ella and her classmates, they spent many hours preparing for their YA SÉ LEER day. The theme was "cowboys and cowgirls". Dances were learned, songs were rehearsed, and reading was practiced. A couple of weeks ago, I asked Ella's teacher if we could have a copy of the paragraph that Ella would need to read in front of the audience of parents and teachers. (Needless to say, Ella was nervous...so it seemed like a good idea to have her practice the assigned reading.) However, I was informed that each child would pick a letter of the alphabet randomly out of a basket and then read the cooresponding paragraph from a book. These readings were not the simple "Dick and Jane can run." -- or in our case -- "Ricardo y Maria pueden correr."

As the ceremonial day approached, we realized how important this actually was to the students, teachers, and the school. Parents were asked to bring a small gift as a means to affirm your child's accomplishment. There was to be a "pizza party" afterward. The morning of the event, the first graders traveled classroom to classroom, sounding their noise-makers, announcing that "I CAN READ/ YA SÉ LEER"!!!! There was much excitement! Ella even looked more excited than nervous during the parade. When it came time for Ella to read...we prayed silently as our little girl approached the podium. She had randomly selected "L" from the basket. She stepped up to the microphone and carefully read her paragraph full of Spanish words that have the letter "L". We were so proud of her!!! It served as a great example for Ella to show her that...you can do all things (even scary things like reading in Spanish in front of an audience) through Christ who gives you strength (Phil. 4:13)...a verse of Scripture that we prayed with her the week leading up to this public speaking event. ***By the way, our friend Curtis was able to experience first hand the exciting YA SÉ LEER event.***

Enjoy some photos of the excitement....

"I CAN READ!!!!"

The Parade

Ella dancing a country jig!

The Big Moment

Ella receiving her certificate from her wonderful teacher.

Window Wednesday: Randomness

2011-09-21T22:02:00.003-04:00

A few random snapshots of life...

The remnants of making limeade.

Hopefully this is the extent of adding a monkey to our menagerie!

A Feast with a Dish of Icecream

2011-09-20T22:08:00.005-04:00

There are a few places in the Bible which I tend to read often. I call them my default passages. When in doubt (of what to read), read Isaiah 55 or Psalm 23. Psalm 23 is one of those passages of Scripture that can conjure up a funeral scene in a Hollywood film. Yet, Psalm 23 is very much about life and being renewed. Recently, to help improve our Spanish listening skills, we've been listening to some great music en español. One of the songs by Kari Jobe that I personally love is called Gozándome which is a song about Psalm 23. Funny that out of all the songs on the CD...none of which I can fully understand (okay, or even partially understand)...my favorite is the one about Psalm 23.

Tonight, as I was enjoying the last scoop of "American Ice Cream" that we found in the store...I thought of verse 5 in Psalm 23.

You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.

In the presence of the enemy of "culture stress" or the enemy of the clock (lots to do...not enough time)...I am thankful for the "feast" of a dish of ice cream. Okay, perhaps a dish of "American ice cream" was not what the Psalmist was talking about...but I am thankful that God knows when we need some TLC.

¡Vive La Independencia!

2011-09-14T13:43:00.015-04:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks. We've been rather preoccupied with preparations for this week's holiday. Tomorrow is Central America's Independence Day. The last couple of weeks of school have been filled with patriotic lessons and activities.

On Monday, there was fiesta at school filled with marches, songs, and a feast of comida típica (typical food from Central America). I even cooked 'gallo pinto' for the celebration...although I joked that it was more gallo pinto gringa than comida típica.

Yesterday, all of the students and parents met at the University of Managua to conclude the celebration of Fiestas Patrias with a presentation of folk dances. Each class was represented. Andrew had the opportunity to dance in his class's folk dance called Managua Linda Managua. He did a fantastic job!

Not everyone in our family enjoys the art of dance like I do. LOL! So, while others sat through it; I thorougly enjoyed the celebration and the window into culture that it provided!

Here are a few snapshots of the day....

Andrew waiting for the celebration to begin.

Andrew dancing with his partner in Managua Linda Managua.

Ella's class representing the area of Rivas. (Ella was quite relieved to NOT be included in the presentation.)

One of the girls from the Bible Study...if I understood the meaning of the dance...it has to do with the coffee pickers of Matagalpa.

One of our beautiful little friends.

The Senior Students danced the GÜEGÜENSE.

Intussusepction

2011-09-02T23:36:00.008-04:00

Ella with our 7 week old puppy Luna

What is an intussusepction, you ask? Good question. It is a medical condition where one portion of the intestine is "swallowed" by the adjacent part, much like a collapsing telescope. So why am I blogging about this medical condition? Well, our 7 week old puppy had it occur about a week ago. It is very rare (I have now seen 3 cases in 10 years of practice) and it is a condition that is fatal if not treated.

It all started with our puppy (Luna) vomiting and showing signs of abdominal discomfort. When she didn't improve with conservative treatment, I did a thorough exam of her abdomen under mild sedation (she was too tense in her abdomen for an thorough exam without it). My heart sank when I felt a loop of intestines that was just too thick to be normal. I had to decide if our puppy needed immediate - major abdominal surgery at 10:00pm. I did not have the luxury of an ultrasound or x-ray confirmation. I discovered that the decision to operate was a harder decision than I thought it would be, in part because the type of anesthesia that I have available is not the safest for a 7 week old puppy that is weak and sick. We had our own emotions to deal with, but we were mostly worried about what the kids would think if they woke up to find that their puppy was dead...either because of or because of the lack of surgery.

Well, we said a prayer and went for it. Bethany was brave enough to be the anesthesiologist, surgical nurse, and surgical lamp holder (aka mini-Maglite). She is still not used to the sights and smells of surgery, but she didn't vomit or faint (she is an amazing wife!). Little Luna (all of 4 pounds) was cut stem to stern and all of her abdomen was examined. The suspected problem was found and corrected, and the intestines were pexy'd (sutured to themselves) to prevent recurrence. Bethany marveled to see all of her intestines laid out on the surgical drape, and then when they were put back in the abdomen, she marveled at the fact that I knew how to put them all back correctly. Sshhh, don't tell her that all you do is stuff them back in like putting a sleeping bag into a case...there is no wrong way to do it...it will be our secret.

Praise God, she has made a full recovery and is doing great. Just as I was closing up her abdomen (now at 11:30 pm) I asked Bethany to take some pictures, because this was a night that we will not soon forget.

Closing her up

Andrew and Luna doing Math (a week earlier)

¡Feliz Cumpleaños a Nuestra Niña!

2011-08-28T10:43:00.004-04:00

Happpy 7th Birthday to our girl, Ella Kathryn! Ella turned 7 on August 26th...hard to believe it has been 7 years since we first met our little girl!

To celebrate "Nica-style", we went to the market and bought a nearly life-sized Cinderella piñata for Ella and her classmates to beat at her party. We jokingly asked Ella how she felt about beating up such a nice Cinderella piñata. She said with a grin...it will be like we are those mean girls on the movie that tear up her dress. LOL!

Ella and her compañeros (classmates) had a great time at her birthday party. Here in Nicaragua..."North American summer-time" birthdays get to celebrate at school since the school year runs February to November!

Here are some snapshots of the celebration.

Ella and her friend Mariana

Ella and her friend Paola

Ella and Cinderella

Ella BEATING Cinderella

The Fiesta!

The Princess Cupcake: We found some Pillsbury Cake Mix AND Betty Crocker Chocolate Icing!

And...We're Back!....So Where to Start?

2011-08-25T21:15:00.012-04:00

Wow, it has certainly been a while since I sat down at my computer to write a blogpost. Due to many "circumstances" that were beyond our control, not to mention, beyond our understanding...we were without internet in our home for about 2 months. We can't express how happy we are to be connected again to the world of social media...and iGoogle translate. What we've really missed though, is being able to share life with you!

So what's been going on the last 2 months?!

On June 28th we officially moved to our "own home".

The first two weeks of July, we were visited by my (Bethany's) parents. We kinda pretended to be tourists for a couple of weeks.

A Visit to the National Zoo

We had the great opportunity to host a vet-student..."Miss Jessie"...for a few days. The kids enjoyed having her stay with us...and we enjoyed sharing life with her for several days! She even got the chance to do surgery in our living room!

We are nearly finished with language school. 8 more classes left. While it doesn't feel like it most of the time (especially on days like this when 2 locals tell you that your Spanish isn't very good)...we have indeed made some progress in the large task of learning a second language.

We have added to our zoo. We now have, in addition to the cat we brought with us from the U.S.: 2 fish, 1 water snail, 1 baby turtle, 1 green iguana, and the lastest addition...A PUPPY! Luna, the puppy, is a 7 week old Rottweiller. We got her at 5 weeks old. She was so tiny. In the 2 weeks that we've had her, she has essentially doubled in size. For the first week, Ella carried her around like a baby. The kids are enjoying having a puppy. The cat has her doubts about this new addition.

Jeff was presented with a 'last minute' opportunity to teach a 9th grade boys Bible class at the local Christian (English speaking) school. He teaches 3 days a week. By the way, this means that I have to drive 3 days a week to pick up everyone from school. Who would have thought that Jeff would teach a high school Bible class and I'd drive stick-shift!

Jeff and I celebrated our 14th Wedding Anniversary in July!

I have been enjoying attending a Bible study led by one of the English teachers at the Spanish speaking school where our kids are enrolled. There are four 9th grade Nicaraguan girls that attend. It has been fun getting to know them and seeing life through their eyes. (I struggle through my Spanish in order to participate.)

We have really been enjoying our new neighborhood...especially the kids! They all have someone "their age" to play with here and lots of open space in which to play!

Okay, well that would be the straight-up low-down on the last 2 months. Of course there are lots of fun and thoughtful details we want to share with you...but we'll save that for other posts!

still here...slow connection

2011-07-11T08:02:00.002-04:00

yes...we are still here. we do realize we haven't blogged in a couple of weeks. our internet is still not set up (long, non-sensical story)...we are using a neighbor's connection...so this will be brief. what has been happening...
we moved! then, we had family come visit for a week and a half and that brings us to right now! it has been a whirlwind. we are hoping to get internet in our home sometime this month and then we will be back on-line posting and chatting and sharing life with you all!

thanks for being patient!

Moving Day

2011-06-28T15:27:00.003-04:00

We are professional movers...not that we help others move...we move--A LOT (technically, we've moved about 13 times this year alone!). But today...[drumroll please... we move into "our house" in Nicaragua!!!! This move, however, has been one of the most disorganized moves EVER! Fast forward a few hours from now and we will be aking each other things like: "Where did you pack my toothbrush? or "Where did you put my clothes?" or "Where is Noah?!" We have literally thrown our belongings into the very same bins that we moved here with--the bins that were so neatly packed and meticulously catalogued and each weighed exactly 49.5 pounds.

Here are a few pictures of the house...BEFORE we threw all of our stuff in!

"Our house"

Bethany and Noah sitting on the front porch

Part of the backyard...yes, it is all concrete... there is a fountain though...and a vine growing that is full of passion fruit!

The kitchen

The Living Room/Dining Room

Caught and In "Jail"

2011-06-21T22:33:00.003-04:00

Noah has become our critter collector. Last week, he kept two crickets in a 2-liter soda bottle for several days. He has loved the tails off of many geckos. Animals still on his list are: parrot, turtle and a baby chicken.

This week, I came home from working on the other house and Noah is proudly displaying his baby iguana that Jeff actually captured in the house where we are staying. Oh, and by the way, Noah calls any animal containment area: a "jail". He sometimes refers to the zoo as the animal jail. He named the iguana, "SAM" and Sam has a fairly decent rubbermaid-style "jail."

Sam the Iguana

Noah has been campaigning diligently for a "bird jail" in which to keep his parrot and the baby chicken that he is still trying to convince us to 'capture'. (By the way...it is possible to buy both of these animals at various stoplights around Managua...you don't even have to get out of your car. It is like a drive-thru pet store.)

Being vs. Doing

2011-06-17T00:03:00.011-04:00

My Day:

At the end of a long day, I (Jeff) just said to Bethany, "I am wiped out". But then I thought "What did I do today? As I mentally went through my day to see if I did anything measurable (my American cultural value) I thought I may as well blog about it...at least that is measurable right? So here is my day as best as I can remember, including random commentary. Warning: this blog breaks our general rule of "short and sweet". I won't be offended if you don't read it.

-After 6 hours of sleep, the alarm went off at 6:30am...Bethany never heard it go off; that is uncommon she must have been tired.

-I unlock the 4 locks on the back door (it feels like those doors you see in New York City) to let a breeze in...bummer, no breeze this morning, but there was one yesterday.

-We are a little behind ourselves trying to get out the door by 7am for school. I make a larger pot of coffee than normal because we are going to have visitors at 9am, and I start a gallon of water filtering. I make enough time to read John 19-20 and drink a mug of coffee and eat a granola bar...I leave thinking about why Pilate was afraid of Jesus, and why Jesus did not respond to one of Pilate's questions???

-To leave the house, I unlock the two locks on the front door, and the lock on the inner gate/bars...Bethany goes to open the padlock on the outer gate while the kids pile into the car (a borrowed car - I will get to that later). Oh wait...I have that feeling that I should make a stop in the bathroom before getting into the car, so I run back in. Now, a year ago, I would have been embarrased to mention to a close friend that I struggled with diarrhea all day, but since being here, I now have no qualms even blogging about it. It is not uncommon here, for a conversation to go like this:

Hi, how are you? - I am fine, but struggling with a little diarrhea. Oh, bummer is there any blood in it? No. That's good, have you ever tried antibiotic X?...it really worked well for me last time. No, I haven't...thanks for caring enough about me to talk with me about my diarrhea and suggest a treatment.

OK, OK, that last sentence is a little far fetched, but the rest is true.

-So, after a quick trip to the bathroom, and downing an Imodium, I hop in the car and drive the kids to school. We use our time in the car to recite the books of the Bible, talk about an Old Testament story (we are up to Samson), and pray for the day. The kids know the intersections of the drive where they have to stop talking so that I can focus...it is kind of funny. We get to see a tractor trailer in front of us pull down the same low lying electrical line for the 3rd time this month...it is kind of a game to see how long it stays up before coming down again.

-After dropping off the kids, I drive back to get ready for my Bible Study guests. My spanish is improving, but there are still times of frustration as we talk, especially talking about things of the heart.

-They had to leave early, but it was just as good because my new mechanic friend called me on the phone to tell me that he had the whole front end suspension taken apart and he wanted me to come look at it with him. How should I describe it...His "garage" is just like my operating room = open air. He works in the front yard with his two dogs, parrot, chickens, and geese...only one dog and one goose try to bite me. He is easy to talk to, and we talk more about life than the car. I am confident that I can trust him as I give him $400 to go to the local market (a place that is too dangerous for gringos to go to...however I bought my tires there a month ago, but that is a different story) to buy the parts. He tells me that he hopes to have the car done by Saturday, but if not, he assures me that he will work on Sunday to finish it. In response, I firmly but kindly encourage him not to work on my car on Sunday..."God designed it to be a day of rest to spend with him and family, not working". He seems to appreciate this...maybe it was because with my bad spanish I might have said "God designed Sunday as a day for me to pay you twice as much for working on my car"...I guess we will see when I get the bill.

-From there, I pick up the kids from school, and despite the Imodium, I am feeling the need to get close to a bathroom.

-After a pit stop back home, we head to the house that we will be moving to in 2 weeks. Yesterday, we signed the rental contract (all in spanish...I may have promised my daughter in marriage to the land lord's son...I don't know) and got the keys. This house story could be a blog in itself, but the fun for the day was a leaking sewer line in the house because they had tried to re-set a toilet without using a wax seal because they are hard to find...it didn't go as planned :) So the water is turned off to do the plumbing, but we are there to clean...oh wait, we can use the water from the reserve tank...of wait, we can't, that is broken too. Good thing we brought a ball, so we play living room soccer because there is no furniture...good fun!

-I go outside for a little while to talk with one of the guards making his rounds...it is good to be friendly with these guys...they have a hard 24/7 job.

-We are also waiting to hear from someone about when we can come and pick up a dryer from them...it will be 1.5 hours later than expected. I use the time to go visit one of the employees of the family whose house we are currently living in. She had broken her ankle 6 weeks ago, and we visit her weekly to bring rice, beans, and her salary. I enjoy catching up with her and seeing one of my past surgical patients (the animal variety) running around the yard.

-On the way back to the "new" house I stop at the local corner market to buy a drink for me and my over-heated family waiting for me. I end up talking to the guard in the store. We talk about his family, and his work. As I leave, I ask him what his favorite drink is, and I am happy to buy it for him as I leave.

-I then go to pick up the dryer from a missionary that is moving back to the U.S. I try to probe him for his thoughts and he encourages me to take intentional breaks (mini-vacations) from the culture to prevent burn out and to closely monitor how my wife is doing. We both agree that there is an odd tension that exists while living here, of feeling the reality of the challenges that come with living here, but at the same time not wanting to leave. It is odd.

-The whole family is now ready to leave and go back to the house that we are staying in, except Andrew. He is playing with a friend in the neighborhood out in the large green space in the center of all of the houses. They are building a fort, and enjoying playing as boys should.

-After returning home, I spend half an hour talking outside with our guard as the sun sets and the bats begin flying about. I excuse myself from conversation as I hear the bathroom calling me.

-This was where I came into the house and said to Bethany "I am wiped out, but I don't feel like I did anything measurable today".

-Even with all that I wrote, I left out about 1/2 of my interactions, challenges, and joys of the day. So what did I do today? I would say that I was in relationship today. This isn't any different than when I was in the U.S., but I
find myself being more intentional about it, and realizing that it is more valuable than things that I might be able to measure. I thank all of you who have helped me be here so that I have this opportunity to grow in this manner. My worth/value is so much more about "being" (how God has made me and how I reflect him to others) than about "doing" measurable things. This is counter to my birth culture, but it is part of God's culture and a bigger part of the culture here in Nicaragua.

So that was a glimpse into my day, thanks for reading.

Su Casa...mi Casa (His house...my house)

2011-06-15T09:13:00.004-04:00

As many of you know, we've been somewhat nomadic for a year...staying here and there and everywhere! While we have been enjoying the same house now for the last 8 months...still...it isn't our home. Honesly, I've been getting impatient to have "my own space". I find myself thinking..."it is my right to have a home."

However, yesterday God reminded me that it isn't my "right" to have a home...a house (a home) is a gift or a tool given to me from God. This gift or tool should be used to bring Him glory. A good reminder....especially because today, we are supposed to sign the rental contract and get the keys to our next "gift or tool". We are, without a doubt, excited! May we use this home as a place to share God's love with others!

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deut. 6: 5-9

posted by bethany

We know...Window Wednesday...A Wee Bit Late

2011-06-09T23:32:00.004-04:00

Enjoy some glimpses of God's Creation growing here in Nicaragua.

Learning to be Content with Plenty

2011-06-03T09:11:00.004-04:00

One of the tensions about living in a developing country, where the cycle of poverty is tremendous, is struggling with the guilt of having above and beyond our share of 'daily bread'. Our needs (and wants) are more than covered and that creates a struggle as we drive through the streets of Managua and see the reality of poverty. Honestly, it is hard not to feel guilty. Yet, in part, this struggle is good. It helps to keep my coveting and selfishness in check. Seeing 'poverty' on a daily basis certainly makes us evaulate our stewardship (after all, God has asked us to be good stewards of the resources He has provided). However, I don't think feeling guilty for being blessed is godly. A wiser missionary friend of mine reminded me this week of Paul's words to the Philippians.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12

I've always focused on the part of that verse that speaks to being content in "want" rather than the being content with "plenty". God has provided for us abundently...we have 'plenty'...especially in comparison to the people around us. So, I think the struggle should be in, not feeling guilty for being blessed, but rather--how will I use that blessing to bless others? Handouts aren't necessarily helpful...we need to seek the wisdom of God in discovering how He wants to provide for the needs of others through His gift of plenty.

posted by bethany

Window Wednesday: Mother's Day--Nica Style

2011-06-01T23:14:00.003-04:00

This past Monday was Día de Las Madres...Mother´s Day in Nicaragua. It is a serious holiday here. Schools are closed or have a half-day...some stores even close! Celebrating ´mom´ is a big deal. Works for me! LOL!!! The kids´school had a big celebration on Thursday last week. Each class participated by singing a song, performing a dance, or reciting a poem or Bible verse. There was a stage set up and lots of special decorations...it was an impressive event! Enjoy a few pictures of our kids participating in the celebration! (Thanks M.H. for rescuing us by taking pictures since our camera battery died that morning!)

A Meaningful and 'Reminding' Miracle

2011-05-29T20:33:00.003-04:00

So, are you ready for a little story (with a personal lesson mixed in)? Yesterday, we hear a knock on our gate and the honk of a motor-cycle horn. Jeff goes out to the gate and comes back in with a manilla mailing envelope with a dear friend's return address in the corner. I open it and inside there is a pink bandana, a necklace/earring set and a little pack of cute notepads. It is a gift for me from this 'dear friend of mine'. I don't know when she sent it...but it did safely arrive yesterday.

The arrival of a package...especially one with jewelry in it...is a miracle! What is even more amazing (and an AMAZING example of God's Love and Provision for not just our needs but our wants as well) is that just the day before, I said to Jeff that I regretted not keeping more of my jewelry....AND....I had thought to myself that same day that I wanted a bandana in which to pull back my hair.

I am continually amazed at how God provides for the little wants in my life. He is a great gift giver...eternally and in the mundane!

This lesson in provision is well-timed (go figure). As we prepare to set up our house next month, I am tempted to covet more than is necessary for a home, as well as, wanting all the perfect little touches to make our home environment perfect. However, the arrival of the bandana and jewelry reminded me that God knows me...He knows the 'wants' in my life and He is more than capable of providing those as He sees fit. It is up to me to receive them graciously which therefore affords HIM the glory.

Window Wednesday - Cropped

2011-05-25T23:57:00.012-04:00

When I (Jeff) was a child, my grandfather bought me a subscription to World Magazine (National Geographic for kids). I enjoyed the back cover of the magazine that was entitled "What in the World". It had pictures of ordinary things (like a sunflower), but so tightly cropped, that it was hard to tell what it was. Of course, the answers were written upside-down on the bottom of the page. I have no idea how to do that, so you will have to just scroll down to see the answers. I apologize for the pixely appearance of some pictures, but that is what happens when you crop down 100X.

What in the World?

I am sure you can tell by now.

This little friend of ours wanted to take a shower with me one day. Always look before you step in the shower, and shake your shoes out before putting them on. Good advice...Good advice!

What in the World?

Hint: These feet bring good news. This is the foot of one of our friends.

Our friendly geckos are always welcome visitors because of the insects they eat. However they do surprise you every now and then when they fall on you, or you try to turn a light switch on in the dark, and the jump on your hand.

Oh, someone spilled some rice...probably Noah. "Noah, come here please...did you do this?"...

Oh, wait, that's not rice...

This desk drawer looked like a nice place for a nest.

What it the world?

Ohhh, it looks like a cute little mammal.

It is a cute little mammal, perched on the top of our mosquito net at 2a.m. The sound of it running up the net, with the cat in hot pursuit, woke Bethany up. Guess who got to carry him outside?

I am just now realizing, that if anyone was ever thinking of coming to visit us, they are porbably now reconsidering. Really it is not that bad, and remember from our post last year while in CIT, we name all of our home invaders, so really they are all just pets. We have a home full of pets!

A Bit of "Real-ness" from This Clay Jar

2011-05-21T21:36:00.003-04:00

I don't know if it has been the increase in beetles that have taken up residence in our home or the frustration over the time it takes to learn a second language...but I have found myself asking the Lord: "Um...Lord, why am I living here?" Everytime I ask, the Lord replies..."Because I asked you to." That usually resets that peace deep in my heart...because I know that there is JOY in obeying the Lord. Obedience and Faith go hand-in-hand. If I say I have faith but I don't obey than my faith is rather empty.

Yet, the fact remains that living here can be challenging. The cultural mistakes we make, the "very different" style of driving, the fact that we have to filter all the water we use, the lack of familiar things in the grocery store (and when we do find them...they are so over-priced that we can't justify buying it)...and a hundred other "little things" that accumulate into a moments of frustration when I find myself asking that "why" question.

That is when it is good to turn to Scripture and read this passage from 2 Corinthians 4:

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies
.

Yeah, I am "unable" to live here without God's Power. I am "pressed" by cultural differences...but I am not crushed. I am "perplexed" by the conjugation of the past tense verbs in Spanish but I don't need to be driven to despair. I am hunted down by thoughts of 'I can't!' or 'Why?' but God has not abandoned me. I do feel "knocked down" by exhaustion and frustration over learning to drive a stick-shift...but I am never destroyed. The fact that we are here is proof of God's great strength and plan to reconcile all people to Himself. I may be a fragile clay jar...but I do have His light shining in my heart that provides me the peace and strength to live as He has asked.

(Thanks to the staff at C.I.T. for 'making me' memorize this passage of Scripture.)

posted by Bethany

Window Wednesday

2011-05-18T22:57:00.004-04:00

It is officially "winter" here in Nica. Winter is synonymous with "rainy season." The offical first day of winter is May 15. The rain started on May 14th...and will continue into October. Today, just as the kids needed to leave for school, it started pouring! We must be adjusting to the laid back nature of the culture (academically known as a "non-crisis oriented society") because we didn't have raincoats for the kids and only one umbrella. Tomorrow we have plans to search for rain ponchos for the kids. The roads become rivers and at least for this first week of rain--the flying ants take flight! On Sunday, after it had rained...the flying ants created the effect of a snow flurry while we drove to church. Definitely different.

Enjoy a few shots from the rain this morning.

Hanging clothes inside to avoid a second rinse cycle.

The wing from one of the infamous flying ants.

It it is amazing to watch the plants and landscape turn "green" over night!

Tropical Rain

The sun trying to peek through during the downpour.

Thirsty flowers...beautiful in the rain!

I Know the Plans

2011-05-17T13:35:00.002-04:00

Jeff and I both have several half written, never posted blog 'embryos'. I know, for me personally, I feel a bit maxed out on learning. Perhaps I need to apply previous lessons to current circumstances. However that puts me at a place where I can't effectively communicate in a succinct blog post. But, I'll give it a try....

This past weekend the sermon was on the topic of "purpose". There was one point out of the five that were discussed that resonated with me, in part because it somewhat echoed a line in a favorite song of mine. The point that was made was: God's call and purpose will take me beyond my natural experiences or plans. God's purpose and plan for me personally is quite different than the plans I made for myself long ago before I walked intimately with the Lord. His plans, while at the moment, require a lot of work, are infinitely better than any of the plans I made for myself. I know from Jeremiah 29:11 that God has 'plans for me, plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans that give me a hope and a future.'

The evidence and fact that God, the Creator of the Universe, who holds all things together...made plans and purpose for me....yeah, I'm pretty sure His plans are better.

The song that I mentioned is:
I'm Letting Go by Francesca Basistelli

I’m letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
I’m losing control
Of my destiny
It feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe

Window Wednesday

2011-05-11T23:04:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we met up with a friend from our sending church (Ogletown Baptist Church) who was passing through Central America. We met him in the city of Granada. Granada is rumored to be one of the oldest cities in the Western Hempishere. The city sits on the shore of Lake Nicaragua. Lake Nicaragua is rumored to have 400 lb. bull sharks living in it. The lake is also home to a few volcanos and over 300 islands. It is a beautiful city with brightly colored buildings and cathedrals. Enjoy the glimpes through the photos!

"Sea glass" can be found on the shore...Ella enjoyed looking for and collecting the sea glass.

Some local Nicaraguans swimming in the lake...swimming with the possibility of meeting a shark is not high on our list.

The kids on the shore of Lake Nicaragua.

One of the cathedrals in the plaza of Granada.

Evaporative Cooling

2011-05-10T23:31:00.003-04:00

Evaporative cooling: The heat lost by an object by the evaporation of a liquid covering said object...my (Jeff's) loose definition.

Evaporative cooling is a wonderful design. I don´t know about you, but I carry my evaporative cooler with me wherever I go, especially in this heat. However it wasn't working yesterday and I found out why after some troubleshooting.

Yesterday, it was the typical 97 degrees by 7:00am, so naturally I broke out into a sweat from the over-exertion of putting on my shoes. But alas, no cooling occurred with the sweat. I was worried. Maybe my evaporative cooler was broken. I had a brilliant idea...I turned on the floor fan right in front of my face...this should make it work (note, it wouldn't have helped anyways today because the electricity was out during the heat of the day). But alas, my cooler still did not work, even with the fan on high...there was no evaporation occurring!

What do you do when an appliance is broken? Just like you, I Google it. So, I Googled: brokenevaporativecoolerdespitefan. In 0.12 seconds Google found 314,578 possible reasons. The #1 reason...you guessed it, Relative Humidity. At 97 degrees with a relative humidity between 70-80%, the heat index is around 115 degrees. There are no evaporative coolers that work in these conditions...I know because after Googling it, I tried to buy one on Amazon.com ... there were none for sale, and if Amazon doesn't have them, then they don't exist.

No surprise, I am dripping sweat as I write this at 10:00pm...and all the readers said "Ewwhh".

Happy evaporative cooling, glistening, sweating, or whatever you want to call it.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:47:00.007-04:00

Mother's Day is not celebrated here in Nicaragua for a few more weeks but naturally, I found myself (Jeff) thinking about and appreciating my mom today. This morning, as I was thinking about my mother, I found myself appreciating a particular value that she holds, and has passed on to me: Obey God, even if it looks harder than disobedience. I was thinking through this lens as I read Joshua 5:14 this morning..."I am at your command." Joshua said (to the Lord). "What do you want your servant to do?"

Growing up, my mother modeled this character trait of "sold out" obedience to the Lord. Without being fully conscience of it, I pursued this same value in my wife. When I describe what I appreciate most about Bethany, this is #1. Bethany will do whatever God asks of her with faith-filled, joyful obedience (this is different than happy-happy-yay-yay obedience, but that is a different blog).

Naturally, this is having an impact on our children. On our morning drive to school, we use the time to "walk" through the stories of the Old Testament. This week we were discussing the poor decisions of some of the kings of Israel, and in particular, their marriages to women that distracted them from obeying God. I was able to quickly point out what their grandmother had taught me...and how I had been attracted to this in their mother...and now I was encouraging them to live this way as well...and to seek spouses with the same value...and to pass it on to their kids...

Do you see here, how my mother is affecting her grandchildren and has the hope of affecting her great grandchildren as well? So, I would encourage you to appreciate those who have been good examples to you, and especially if you are a parent, to be intentional about modeling this type of Godly obedience for your kids as well.

Thank you mom! I love you! Happy Mother's Day

Enjoy a 1970's picture of my mom.

Window Wednesday: It's Raining, It's Pouring....Well Almost.

2011-05-04T22:53:00.005-04:00

Rainy season or "winter" is almost upon us here in Nica! By the way...let's define "winter": winter is 95 degrees and raining; as opposed to "summer" which is 95 degrees and not raining. And, actually today we learned a phrase, analogous to "it's raining cats and dogs". It is: "llueven sapos y culebras" (which translated means: It's raining toads and snakes).

Last week, we had an "early" episode of rain and in the city, it even hailed. There was also 2 earthquakes after the freak thunderstorm (we didn't feel the tremors or see the hail, other than the newspaper photos...but we did feel the rain!) Noah enjoyed dancing in the rain. Here are the photos...

The First (that we've seen) Tropical Thundercloud of the Season

Tasting the Rain

Our Gate: Raindrops dripping down...proof that it is indeed raining!

Dancing in the Rain

I Think I Can...I Think I Can...I KNOW I Can in Christ

2011-05-01T20:48:00.010-04:00

Learning is becoming a lifestyle. Sometimes the lessons feel impossible...yet we know there is hope. Here are some examples of the practical application of the hope we find in the verse: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13)
-------------------------------------------
I (Bethany) drove our vehicle, non-automatic, stick shift vehicle, without Jeff in the car giving me "when to shift" instructions. Okay, so I did take Andrew with me so that I wouldn't be tempted to stop the car, cry and refuse to drive another inch. I made it to my destination and back without stalling and even managed to do a K-turn on a road the size of a grocery store aisle.

When a tree caught fire in the plot of land next to where we are living (due to the practice of slash-and-burn), the neighbors asked Jeff to call the "bomberos" (fire dept.). Why the Spanish-speaking neighbors didn't make the call is still a mystery to us...but now we know we are capable of calling the fire department. Jeff gave them the directions in Spanish. Keep in mind, there are no addresses or street names here. The firefighters did show up to the correct location, put most of the fire out, and came surprisingly quickly!

(by the way...the tree is still smouldering...that's dry season for you!)

Jeff learned that it is possible to set up a surgery suite in the living room. The "nursing staff" is still lacking...but it is possible to remove tumors and other parts without a laser and the other nifty tools that existed in his O.R. in the States.

I did attempt waffles again. It was deliciously successful. It is more fun to make waffles when I can wear the super-cute apron that my friend Shawna made for me.

Yes, there are many things that we feel like we "can't do"...but when you follow God into the place He has called you to be...He equips you to do things that you need to do even when they are new, strange, different and difficult.

Piñata: A Party Must Have

2011-04-28T22:39:00.004-04:00

Today was the much awaited day of Noah's birthday fiesta at school. Piñatas are a must have. And the bigger the better. We jumped into the culture with both feet on this one. Jeff and I went to one of the local markets (the kind that span a city block) and walked out with a dog the size of a pony. The act of beating the piñata is really quite dangerous. Giving a small child obsessed with candy a strong wooden stick surrounded by other children obsessed with candy is really just an 'trip to get stiches' waiting to happen. Thankfully, while there were a few near misses, no one got hurt...they only got candy. Enjoy the photos from the FIESTA!

Noah awoke this morning to find SuperDog waiting downstairs for him.

The Piñata: SuperDog

The traditional beating of the piñata.

It seems to be the custom to take a photo of all the kids with the piñata.

The Fuzzy Stick: The term Noah came up with for the piñata beating stick.

The rush for candy.

Cake time! "Store bought cakes are the norm." Noah is currently calling Superman his favorite character...and we did find a Superman cake already made! The kids sang Happy Birthday in English and then the Nicaraguan version of the birthday song...and then the cake feast began!

Delay for a Day

2011-04-27T23:21:00.002-04:00

Yeah, we know it is Wednesday...Window Wednesday...and no pix. We are going to delay WW until tomorrow (Window Thursday doesn't sound as fun...but it is only temporary). Noah is having his FIESTA for his birthday tomorrow at school and we want to share the piñata beating photos with you all! So check back with us tomorrow night!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños a Noah!

2011-04-25T22:01:00.003-04:00

Today is Noah's birthday. This was the first "kid birthday" that we have celebrated in Nicaragua. On Thursday of this week, Noah will have a little "fiesta" at school with the culturally expected giant piñata and a Superman birthday cake (expected by Noah).

Noah had a great FIFTH birthday today (yeah, I am still trying to grasp the fact that my baby is now 5!!!) He had a birthday donut with candles. He opened his presents before 8am! He enjoyed putting together his "model airplane" that he had been asking for for the last 6 months. (Good thing Mommy thought ahead and had someone bring one from the States last month). We enjoyed a dip in the pool and had birthday cake right before bed!

Slap me if this ever gets old

2011-04-22T20:31:00.000-04:00

Recently we had the opportunity to visit a place that has howler monkeys swinging from tree to tree and communicating with one another with their signature – guttural – whooping. We were enthralled. We torqued our necks to look at them in the trees above and to take pictures for what seemed like hours. One time as I (Jeff) looked down to rub the back of my neck, I noticed that a local Nicaraguan was watching us. I tried to think about it from his perspective...it would be like our family going out for a picnic lunch at a park in the United States and then being amused if a family of tourists ran around for hours taking pictures of tree squirrels running up and down trees--all the while with a look of amazement on their faces. I would laugh to my self and probably mutter “Come on, they are just squirrels”...to me they are just squirrels and to the Nicaraguans living here, these are just howler monkeys. Anyway, realizing that this was happening, Bethany said to me: “Slap me if seeing howler monkeys ever ceases to amaze me.”

This is our human nature...we cease to be amazed by the familiar. I thought about this as I was listening to a sermon by my friend and pastor Curtis Hill (shout out to OBC in Newark DE whoo-hooo...it sounded like the howler monkeys when I did it). The sermon series is on the topic of the last 8 days of Jesus' life on earth. For those of us who have grown up hearing the Easter story for many years, it can become familiar...un-amazing. However, we can use this familiarity to our advantage if we will allow our familiarity with the big picture to give us the chance to go deeper and look at the details. God always wants to reveal more of himself, more of the details, if we seek him. May someone slap me if I ever get familiar with the Gospel. By God's grace, may it always be new and amazing to me every day.

A recent cure for my familiarity with the Gospel has been to study the book of John with 3 guys who are skeptical of the Gospel (by the way, that is OK, I have been “skeptical” my whole life), and we are doing it in Spanish. So my recommendation to you is to start a Bible study with some skeptics...in another language...it will cure your familiarity!

Window Wednesday: Hiking and Howlers

2011-04-20T21:57:00.008-04:00

The kids have a week long vacation from school because this week is Semana Santa (Holy Week). We took the opportunity to do some hiking in the mountains. Here are some snapshots.

Bethany and Noah playing near a stream

This is me (Jeff) off the beaten path, trying to get some good pictures of the howler monkeys. This is probably where I picked up some irritating chiggers, but Bethany won't let me post pictures of my skin lesions...she says that it is gross, I think it is interesting...she won.

Ella truly meandering along the trail.

The boys.

While this tree had as many as 13 howler monkeys at once, there are 7 pictured here...2 fighting - playing in the middle, and one hiding in the leaves. It makes you want to sing "seven little monkeys swinging in a tree..." When these monkeys howled, it sounded pre-historic, like you might expect dinosaurs to sound. Their howl can be heard up to 3 miles away, and they are said to be the loudest land animals. We have our own little Noah who could give them a run for their money, and he literally tried :)

Notice this mama with a baby on her back.

Our little monkey on the ground.

Andrew standing in one of the many interesting trees.

We enjoyed the amazing biodiversity and the constant marveling at God's creative creation.

Window Wednesdays

2011-04-13T20:05:00.007-04:00

We had such a fantastic response from our picture post last week...we decided to try to post photos of "life in general" on Wednesdays. I like to "name" things...so we are naming this weekly 'event' Window Wednesdays because it is kinda like looking through a window (of photos) into our life here in Nicaragua.

This week's photos are some of the things that have seemed stereotypically "missionary" to us over the years as we've heard stories from others around the world...and now they are part of our life.

Mosquito Nets: unless you want to be a mid-night snack to a host of mosquitos...a mosquito net is a great thing to have!

A Toyota Land Cruiser: it is the vehicle of choice among "missionaries"...or so it seems...and we decided to join the club. Jeff really enjoys getting off road and shifting into Low-Range 4WD, and 1 out of 2 adults along with 2 out of 3 kids agree that the bumpy ride is fun...I think it has something to do with testosterone.

The Water Filter: a necessity. Note the use of duct tape again.

The GPS: a nice handy tool in the U.S.; here in Nica--it is the tool that prevents us from driving aimlessly for hours upon hours. Creating and downloading routes on Google Earth has been invaluable for when we takes trips out into "the bush" (called "el campo" here). In the city, it is fairly accurate; however, we do receive directions like: "turn right on road from road". There is only a select handful of roads that have official "names".

The Pressure Cooker: we have used it only to cook beans. I still fear that it will explode beans all over the kitchen...which I have heard is possible.

Bobbing for apples, or Soaking the Fruit?: we soak all our produce in a natural grapefruit seed extract (GSE) which helps kill any bacteria that may be hitching a ride.

Like Hannah

2011-04-11T14:55:00.002-04:00

I've been reading through the first book of Samuel. I was struck again by the part where Hannah promised to dedicate her son Samuel (her first child after years of infertility) to the Lord. She vowed to handm over her little boy to be raised by the priest, Eli, so he could be trained to serve the Lord. I was struck by the faith, obedience, and stength of Hannah. This child whom she had longed for and begged God for...she then hands him back into the hands of the Lord so he can serve God.

What challenged me (and encouraged me) was that Hannah did a really hard thing...for the purpose of putting her son in the position to glorify God. She knew that he was God's first...and that an expression of her love for him (and HIM) was to dedicate her son to the Lord. Samuel was a great prophet for the Lord to the nation of Israel. He was able to be used by God in part because of the obedient actions of his parents. My hope is that the "hard parts" of living here will actually be putting our children in a position to glorify God in their individual lives in special ways because of their experience of being raised here in Nica. Like Samuel, they belong to HIM and HE has plans for them!

Borders & Stamps

2011-04-06T23:30:00.018-04:00

Perhaps you heard that we recently returned from a long weekend in Costa Rica...so, why did the Bracht family travel 8 long hours by bus to Costa Rica?

Well...we are still working on gathering all of the necessary documents for our resident visas here in Nicaragua and so...we needed to "renew" our tourist visas. To do this, we needed to leave the country for 72 hours and then "re-enter" as tourists. So, after delaying our trip 24 hours because Ella got an ill-timed 'stomach virus' (which Andrew then got while in Costa Rica), we packed up a few backpacks and boarded a bus headed to Costa Rica!

It was quite the adventure! Especially the part where the bus dropped us off in what felt like the middle of nowhere on the Pan-American highway in Costa Rica to wait for a driver from the hotel. Faith was necessary. Courage was also required when we needed to ask a stranger at the bus stop if we could use his cell phone (for a few Colones--Costa Rican currency) to call the hotel to inform them of our non-descript drop-off point. Our driver did find us. He drove us up to our hotel in the cloud forest region of Northern Costa Rica called Monteverde. The ride was bumpy (and a bit nauseating) as we climbed to an elevation of 4200 feet. But the climate, the scenery and the incredible bio-diversity at the top of the mountain was breathtaking--especially as we watched the clouds descend on the earth around us! Monteverde is known as having an 'eternal season of Spring'...it is true. It was glorious to sleep under a blanket and feel cold floor under our feet in the morning! It was a needed retreat from the heat in Managua. We had lots of opportunities to hike, relax, and enjoy nature. Yet, somehow it felt peaceful deep in our hearts to get back to life here in Nicaragua. Even Andrew expressed how he had missed his friends at school.

ENJOY some snapshots of our Costa Rican Adventure!
(in no particular order)

The Cloud Forest region in Northern Costa Rica

The Border Crossing at Costa Rica. It was interesting. We'd stop at one migracion (i think i've spelled this the "spanish way") post in one country. Wait for our passports to get stamped. Get back on the bus. Drive 100 yards across the "border" to the migracion post in the next country. Wait. Get our passports stamped. Get back on the bus and continue traveling.

The non-descript drop-off point in Costa Rica.

Calla Lilies growing in "el patio del hotel"

Andrew: our Central American trekker.

A Monteverde pasture.

The Morpho Butterfly. We found this one laying on the side of the road. It traveled back with us in a plastic baggie in our cooler.

There is really no caption adequate at describing Noah's love of adventure and fun!

The non-screened, easy to open, window of our hotel room. No warning sign that says you shouldn't let your children lean out the window. It was about a 6-7 foot drop out to the ground below. We did notice the second floor windows opened just as easily! It did, however, make for an amazing view from our hotel room.

The coveted "stamps" on our passports.

Ella and Noah enjoyed a hike with Jeff. While Andrew recovered in the hotel room...poor kid!

There were so many beautiful aspects of God's Creation to photograph!

Our three travelers.

Snippets of Life in Nica

2011-03-30T23:08:00.006-04:00

Here are some random snippets of life in Nica...¡Disfruta! (Enjoy!)

Jeff and Bethany at the little waterfall in the El Chocoyero Nature Reserve.

"How Pineapples Grow" (I, Bethany, was totally amazed by this...for some reason I thought they grew in trees...which really doesn't make sense.)

Ella enjoying the beach at San Juan del Sur. Ella simply loves the beach.

One of the many painted walls here in the city. Some of the artwork (and grafitti) is really beautiful!

Why facepainting is not a good idea in a tropical climate.

This horse was tied up and waiting for its owner just outside our gate.

"Moto taxis" are very popular. We joke and call them "moto-motos" (Have you seen Madagascar II?)

This baby iguana was a good sport and so was Andrew! By the way, this is our yard--NOT some crazy zoo program!

The Spanish School in the city where Jeff and I attempt to learn Spanish.

Where is the A/C

2011-03-26T19:26:00.003-04:00

While most of North America is probably enjoying temperate - Spring weather, we are just getting into the hottest part of the dry season here in Nicaragua. When we lived in the States, Bethany and I would always hold out as long as we could before we would turn on the A/C in the summer. Invariably a day would come that was just too hot, and we would look at each other and say "it's time". Well today was that day here. It was 104 degrees in the shade, and the sun was intense because we are much closer to the equator. So, we both looked at each other and said "it's time". That was at about 10:00 this morning and it is now 5:30 pm. We have been looking all day for the thermostat or the air conditioner unit. We can't find either one. We can't find any air registers or signs of ventilation ducting. It as if this house does not have an HVAC system. I guess we will have to suffer one night here without A/C, but tomorrow I am going to ask the landlord to show me where this inconspicuous HVAC system is hiding. There has to be one...Right?

5 Stop Shopping

2011-03-22T22:20:00.009-04:00

We recently had to refill some of our fuel tanks that we use for cooking. This was our first Nicaraguan Propane-Filling Experience. "Firsts" here are always an adventure!

We drove to the refinery on the outskirt of the city. As I (Jeff) parked I noticed two things: 1) There was a prominent sign in the parking lot that seemed important, but it was in Spanish so I glossed over it and 2) The smell of natural gas hit me like a ton of bricks when I opened the car door. As soon as I had parked, a guard ran up to me and explained what the sign was trying to tell me. I was supposed to back the car into the parking space so that in the event of a catastrophic explosion, I would be able to exit more quickly. Now I have seen enough "guy" movies to know that if this refinery explodes, I will barely have enough time to kiss my wife goodbye, let alone exit the refinery in an orderly and efficient manner. I didn't have enough Spanish to argue my point, so I happily re-parked correctly... facing out in case of an explosion.

So, with my car safely parked, I was told to go to a desk to place my order (stop #1). I tell the man that I want to buy two tanks of propane. He writes out a slip of paper and tells me to take it the nearby window with a hole in it (not 2 feet from the first stop). I give this man the paper (stop #2) and he generates a print-out of my order, and tells me to take it to the neighboring window with a hole in it. I pass my paper through the hole in window number 2 (stop #3) and here I finally get the opportunity to pay someone...I feel like I have accomplished something! Without any direction from there, I wander back to stop #2 and he tells me to give the receipt from stop #3 to the man at stop #1, who is actually at my right elbow. Without taking a step, I turn 90 degrees to the right and give him my receipt (this is now stop #4...same as stop #1 if you are following). Now I have proof that I have paid and I can get the tanks filled (stop #5).

As I proudly walk back to the car with my full tanks, I see the man from stop #1 and #4 (one in the same) yelling and waving for my attention. He apologetically comes to me and says that a mistake was made between steps #1 and #2. He had written down that I had wanted 2 tanks, but the man who made the printed invoice (from stop #2) had only typed 'one' tank. So now I needed to pay for the other tank. With a smile on my face and a chuckle in my heart, I say with my Spanish mouth "no hay falla" (no problem) while I think in my English mind "you have got to be kidding me"! So back to stops 2-4...this time I had a free pass to skip #1 because he verbally told the guy in #2 what I wanted.

I hope you remeber this story the next time you fill a propane tank, and it makes you laugh. It made me laugh.

Vine, vi, vencí (I came, I saw, I conquered)

Begging for a Choice

2011-03-19T09:07:00.003-04:00

Let me start with this disclaimer: the following musings are still "in process".

There are many people that "beg" at our car windows as we drive through the city. Some are small children, some are disabled adults. There are a few children that we see on a regular basis because of where we drive and live. We recently received some free nutritional drink products and prayerfully decided that we would give some of these products to one of the little kids that we see every day on one particular street corner. The first time we gave him a pouch of this "food", he was very thankful; yet, the second time he seemed disappointed that it was the same food. I thought, rather non-compassionately, "well, beggers can't be choosers." Yet, I started thinking about this particular cliche.

Is the freedom of choice just a slogan of American freedom? Is it a societal right to be able to choose? Going deeper, is the desire for choice wrong and selfish? OR, is the freedom of choice a God-given freedom? In the account of Adam and Eve, they were indeed given the ability (and freedom) to choose: choose obedience (in not accepting the forbidden fruit) or choose disobedience (in accepting the fruit that the serpent offered). The ability and freedom of choice existed from the beginning...God created it. And so, in our fallen world where the ideal was destroyed by the choice of disobedience: can there be a "poverty of choice"?

Like I said, I am still thinking, wrestling and praying through this issue. Thanks for reading my musings. I'll continue to blog as I continue to process. --Bethany

here is the "famous" street corner that we pass everyday

Good Eatin' with Good Friends

2011-03-14T18:44:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday, we drove out to a town called Catarina. We visited some new friends that we met this summer in Pennsylvania (it was good to see you David and Linda). They are here in Nica for a week with a short-term veterinary team. They are staying with a Nicaraguan family whom we met 2 years ago when we first visited Nicaragua. We stayed for dinner and got to experience the delicious-ness of Nicaraguan fried enchiladas. WOW! Super-yummy! Our friends from the States also brought with them a gift from their son and daughter-in-law (thanks Bill and Kelly) which included Tastykakes (a Philadelphia specialty). That was some serious delicious-ness also (which we are currently still enjoying)!!!!

Día de la Mujer

2011-03-09T11:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Nicaragua celebrated Día de la Mujer. March 8th is International Women's Day. I didn't know this...did you? International Women's Day originated as a socialist political event 100 years ago; and apparently, in 1977 the UN declared March 8th as a day of Women's Rights and International Peace. Regardless, in a country where the "machismo" culture is still alive...it is somewhat interesting that this day is observed. May there be true appreciation for the women of Nicaragua, women created in the image of God.

The kids celebrated at school. Andrew had to bring an extra snack to share with one of the girls in the class. Noah brought me home a little paper flower.

And, to all the women reading this...¡Feliz Día de la Mujer!...may you know that you are loved by God, your Creator.

Ants--An Excuse for Shoe Shopping?

2011-03-06T16:55:00.007-05:00

So not only have the ants attacked our pancake mix as you may have read in the last post...but there is a particular variety of ant that is mean to me. I (Bethany) have the uncanny ability of smashing their homes with my flip-flopped foot. Okay, fine, maybe they are not so much mean, as they are defensive. So, when I smash their home, they attack my feet. Unfortunately, I must be allergic to these ants because my stricken foot swells up (it swells more over time...and lasts a few days)!!! I am SO NOT LIKING these ants! Can I use this as an excuse to go shoe shopping...I think I need some closed toe/cover-the-foot shoes.

And what is crazy...it has swelled more since I took this picture.
And if you can't tell, it is the right foot.

Ants or Almonds?

2011-03-02T18:38:00.006-05:00

Our kids enjoy the weekly tradition of having pancakes for dinner; it is a nice break from rice and beans. However, we found ants in the flour this evening . What to do? Well, we picked out the ants as best as we could, but because the ants were so small there was no way to be sure that we got them all out. In addition to this, Bethany added finely chopped almonds to the pancakes. It worked out great. Every time we would get a crucnhy bite of pancake, we would just think "huh, that was an almond". So, the next time you have an unknown quantity or type of insect in your food, just add nuts. Every crunch will be a good one.

These leaf cutter ants were not the ants in the food, but they are dramatic to look at.

A Post by Andrew

2011-02-28T20:14:00.004-05:00

(This post was written by Andrew and typed just as it was written.)

When I (Andrew) first started NCA Nejapa I felt like I couldn't do any thing, like talk or ask to be helped. I also couldn't make friends, I like to have a lot of friends. Plus I wanted to make friends with Nican boys. When ever I started something new, like preschool or Little Gym, I cryd, then my feelings changd and I liked it. When ever you started something did you cry or say this is hard - I can't do this? Thats how I felt, welcome to my world (bienbenidos a mi nueva mundo). So any way, have your feelings changd? If they have then that means God is giving you strength.

I can do all things through Christ who strengths me. Phil. 4:13

NCA-Nejapa

Fingerprinted in the Backroom

2011-02-26T09:08:00.003-05:00

We had the unique opportunity to get an extensive walking tour of a Nicaraguan police station this week...as well as, being fingerprinted by the police.

Before you jump to conclusions...we asked to be fingerprinted. One of the documents needed for our "Visas" is a background check from our state of residency. Delaware won't release a background check unless they have our "fingerprints." They advised us to go to the local police to have our fingerprints taken. Obviously, they have never traveled to a developing country like Nicaragua.

So, Jeff and I walk in to the police station and read from a "cheat sheet" the items that we need from the police: fingerprints, a signature and an official stamp. The policewoman proceded to walk us around the station (down hallways and into assorted offices) 3 times with a brief stop in the room where she keeps her purse, from which she pulled out a little sample tube of Olay Facial Regenerating Serum and asked me if I could translate it into Spanish. Ummm, nope can't translate "facial regenerating serum", sorry. We then followed her around the station a couple more times only to end up back where we started. Then, we followed another officer through the hallways past the same people we've now passed and smiled to multiple times and finally ended up in a backroom that looked liked something from the show "Alias." This very kind police officer fingerprinted us with great care. We washed our hands in a small utility sink with several Nicaraguans watching and wondering (only criminals and those 'under investigation' get fingerprinted here). We followed the nice fingerprinting officer to the police chief's office to get an "Official Policía Nacional" stamp on our documents...which produced a few raised eyebrows and quizzical looks from the chief and those he was "questioning" in his office.

Yet, 45 minutes later we emerged with the needed documents and a great cultural learning experience! Our only regret is that we weren't able to take pictures of this fieldtrip.

Waffling on Cooking

2011-02-19T19:16:00.004-05:00

If you haven't heard me say it before, I can't cook. My apologies for bringing shame to all the wonderful cooks in my extended family.

Okay, fine, there may be a few meals that I can cook...not because I am good at it...but because they are the kind of meals that are inherently very "forgiving." I really should start a sidebar on this blog of the foods that I have destroyed by cooking or caught on fire.

Tonight, for example, it was my intention to make waffles. (Waffles! How hard can it be...you just pour the batter into the waffle-iron and wait for the little light to go on, right?!) However, I am fairly certain that we will be finding burnt waffle dust in the kitchen for a few days. Seriously, only I can burn waffles to the point of incineration. Only, I didn't stop there. I thought that if I poured more batter into the waffle iron that waffle #2 would soak up all the burnt waffle dust from waffle #1 and provide a "clean slate" for waffle #3. No. This was the wrong assumption. I also discovered that waffle batter is not a substitute for pancake batter. So, for those less-ept in the kitchen than myself, don't try to cook waffles "pancake style" in a frying pan...it doesn't work.

So, "learn to cook" will stay at the top of my "TO LEARN" list...second only to: "learn a new language". In the meantime, cold cereal will remain a staple in our pantry.

Waffle #2 and The Waffle-Pancake Experiment

I had to take a photo and attempt to find the humor...and as I write this blogpost, I can hear Jeff scrubbing the waffle-iron.

Walking up to Jesus

2011-02-14T21:00:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, our family went to the coastal town of San Juan del Sur for an overnight. This "beach trip" was the reward for finishing the second week of school. We stayed with some new friends (thanks Keith and Kelly and kids) and enjoyed the beach life for about 24 hours! In the town of San Juan del Sur there is a large statue of Jesus on the top of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean--it is kind of like a smaller version of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. The statue can be seen from the beach and the surrounding hillside. We even had the opportunity to "walk up to Jesus". Noah decided that he wanted to "make a God" at his house too. His heart is in the right place! LOL! Honestly though, taking that "walk up to Jesus" and looking out over God's majestic creation was a good reminder that we can "walk up to Jesus" anytime.

Where is MY carrot?

2011-02-08T09:08:00.013-05:00

When I (Jeff) encounter challenges of various kinds (Romans 5:3-5) one of my first thoughts is: "What is the purpose of this pain?" I usually ask this because I want to know if the reward for obedience, or the payoff for the pain, is indeed worth it. I do this becuase I tend to want to argue about whether or not it is worth it...is it fair ? Or because I am contemplating disobedience. My mind naturally goes to Hebrews 12:2. Jesus endured the cross "for the joy set before him". Well then, (stamping my foot on the floor) Where is MY carrot (you know, the reward dangling at the end of the stick)? AND What is MY carrot? Jesus had a carrot, so, why don't I get to have one too? Wow, I sound just like my kids...but that is how I feel. I am thankful that God does not flare with rage at the honest expressions of my heart.

For the moment, my carrot is two-fold. First, I get to enjoy the carrot that Jesus reached out and grabbed for me (right about now I am wishing that I had chosen the word image of ice cream instead of a carrot). I have the assurance of eternal friendship with the God of this universe...now that's a carrot - I mean ice cream. Second, I have the joy set before me of "...hope. And hope does not disapoint us." (Rom. 5:5) Yet, sometimes it feels as if that carrot, dangling in front of me, is covered in a paper bag. But when I have endured, and I open that bag and receive my reward it never has, and never will, disappoint. Can you imagine life without Hope; that would be true misery, true pain. This second point sounds a little abstract, a little "pie in the sky" as my friend says. I wish I had the time and space to lay out for you how really tangible and practical my hope is.

So, whether my trials are hard, big or small--my pain is my pain. However, God enters into the pain with me and gives me the ice cream of hope. What is your carrot - your ice cream?

First Week Down

2011-02-05T17:42:00.009-05:00

It is Saturday. We made it through the first week of school. The novelty of the first day wore off fairly quickly and the reality of going to school cross-culturally has hit our entire family. There were some tears shed this week. There were times when it felt painful. There were some moments of wondering if this was worth it. Yet, in a way, it is somewhat analogous to giving birth. When that baby is in your belly, you know that birth will be painful. However, you simply cannot grasp just how painful it really is until you experience those labor contractions. Yet, the pain is worth it when you are handed your sweet baby whom you've prayed for and anticipated holding for 9 months. We knew that this would be hard; but we are still in the labor pain phase of school-adjustment. It hurts. It is hard to watch your kids struggle. However, we trust that a time will come when this trial will produce something beautiful. We hope that the "something beautiful" will be that our kids gain the knowledge that our God walks through life with us and that He is worthy of depending upon for our needs, wants and hopes. We hope that they learn to rely on God and seek Him in prayer. Our kids were able to experience the tenderness of God this week as we saw prayers answered.

Here are few:
---For Andrew, we prayed that at least one fellow classmate would reach out to Andrew. The next day, a little boy in Andrew's class invited Andrew to sit next to him during story-time and sat with him at lunch.
---For Ella, we prayed that she would have a kind, caring teacher who would help her feel safe. Her teacher greets her each morning with a hug and says, "Buenos Días, Mi amor."
---For Noah, we prayed that he would be have fun and be kind to others. He has been trying to comfort the little boy who cries for his mama every morning.

This second week will likely be a tough one. Yet, we know where our hope is and we pray our kids will continue to learn that for themselves.

Psalm 33: 20-22
We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

First Day of School

2011-02-01T20:49:00.004-05:00

It is the evening of the First Day of School. By God's love and grace, our family successfully made it through this momumental first day. However, let's define "successfully": no tears (except Mommy's), no calls from the principal or an English-speaking teacher who is able to translate, 3 pleasant children at pick-up and as Andrew put it--Noah didn't hit anyone with a stick. Yes, this was a successful first day of school. We are so thankful for all those who prayed for us and our children on this step-of-faith-kinda-day. We felt enabled by God's peace and strength that was a result of your prayers. For now, we are taking it one day at time...and we'll see how tomorrow goes! But tonight, we are celebrating a good day and giving God the glory for it!

The traditional "first day of school photos.

Another Step of Faith Forward...Stepping into School

2011-01-31T19:16:00.005-05:00

Uniforms are washed, altered, hemmed, and ironed. Lunchboxes are ready to be filled with PB&J sandwiches tomorrow morning. Showers are being taken. Bedtimes just got earlier! It is time for the next step of faith for our family--sending our kids to a local, Christian, Spanish-speaking school. As a mom, this step of faith feels WAY harder than actually moving to a foreign country. However, as I have been reminding the kids--God loves them deeply, He will be with them at school, He knows Spanish, and He has good plans for each of them (I've needed the reminders as much, if not more, than they have!). This step of faith won't be easy for any of us. Yet, for God-bent growth, pain is often required and in that pain comes the shaping of our character. Although, I am not sure who is being shaped more right now...us or them!

Romans 5:3-5
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Keep stalking our blog to see photos of the first day of school and hear the "wows" and "woes" of their first week of school in Nicaragua!

Frost Jars Found!

2011-01-28T13:49:00.011-05:00

After multiple shopping trips spanning three days, several opportunities to practice humility as well as the Spanish language, and a few tense discussions on the best approach to find the remaining school supplies...we have nearly everything our kids need for school here in Nicaragua! Yesterday, we decided to divide and conquer; which really means that Jeff takes the kids to go share a soda and I wander around the school supply store 75 times until I find the remaining items on the supply list. I now know how to say with confidence "yo tengo una pregunta" which means "I have a question". Upon inquiring, it was discovered that the illusive "frost jars" are in actuality small tubes of glitter. [Congrats to Jeff's Mom for her correct guess of "glitter" and thanks to all of our readers who chimed in with their ideas!] Seriously though, it may have truly scarred Ella NOT to have her own glitter!

So, with "milk erasers, frost jars, liquid silicon, eskimo paddles" and many other supplies, I got in line to pay at the counter. It was then that I realized that I had left my wallet at home (thankfully there was one person in line ahead of me). Praise the Lord for the technology of cell phones! I called Jeff and beckoned him to come rescue me and the mountain of school supplies that took me nearly an hour to collect!

The sight of all the bright colored paper, tape, scissors, glue, glitter, new notebooks, lunchbags, erasers, pencils, markers, pens....is helping the kids feel a little more excited to start classes at a new school with a "new language." It will be a new experience for all of us...but at least we have the frost jars.

"Frost Jars, a.k.a. Glitter"

Back to School

2011-01-26T19:19:00.011-05:00

Here in Nicaragua, the academic school year runs February to November. We are gearing up to go "back to school" in January instead of August. We've needed to purchase the traditional school uniforms here (white shirt and blue pants/skirts) and a plethora of school supplies. Instead of hiding the cost of supplies in the tuition, it is our responsibility to purchase all of their books and supplies. We received the "materials list" and worked on translating it so that we would have some idea of what to look for in the stores. Some of the "translations" have been confusing to us. For example, what translated as 100 Eskimo paddles is actually 100 popsicle sticks, that makes sense...the ice cream brand here is "Eskimo"...but 100? 'Chips or Tokens' turned out to be 3X5 index cards. But what about "milk erasers"? They turned out to be white pencil erasers the size of a Hershy's miniature. [I should remember that we have "gum erasers" in the States...not made out of gum.] We still don't know what "frost jars" are; but whatever they are, our poor kids are going to be the only ones without "frost jars" on the first day of school...I am sure that it will scar them forever. I can just imagine, two decades from now, as Ella sits on a soft couch in therapist's office, "...I would have grown up to be a functional adult if only my parents had bought me 'frost jars' for first grade...sob, sob, all I ever wanted was a 'frost jar'...pass the Kleenex please".

By the way, the picture below is not posed. Andrew and I are doing our Spanish homework together, and Noah is enjoying breakfast. There is something to be said for a father and son learning the same thing side by side. It humbles me, while showing him that I still have many things to learn.

Rock My World

2011-01-23T21:04:00.002-05:00

Moving to Nicaragua has definitely "rocked our world"; but this past week our world was truly rocked as we experienced our first Nicaraguan earthquake. It was reported to be "short but strong" at a 5.1. This was my first earthquake and honestly, it did "rock my world." I had no frame of reference as to why the small pieces of furniture were moving along the floor OR why the windows were rattling OR why the floor was shaking. It wasn't until Jeff informed me that we were experiencing an earthquake that I realized what was happening. It is a bit un-nerving to realize that "solid" is subjective. It was however an excellent reminder of how all-powerful our God is AND that He alone is our rock, our foundation. "Being in control" is merely an allusion and the earthquake reminded me of this reality. My hope, my assurance, my foundation is in Christ. He is the only true "solid".

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
(from the hymn The Solid Rock by Edward Mote)

Getting Accustomed

2011-01-19T22:01:00.003-05:00

I (Jeff) had a couple of experiences this morning that made me think that maybe I am growing accustomed to life here. Don't get me wrong, there is still much to learn, but I felt a little progress today when...

...I took some friends to the airport and didn't want to be a stowaway in their luggage.

...On the drive there, a man sprinted towards me, from my left, through traffic. I didn't screech to a stop because I knew that he would teeter to a halt on the non-existent line in the middle of the road (think - like the game "Frogger"). As expected he went from 60 to 0 in 0.2 seconds, and I kindly put his shirt collar down with my side mirror. He had nice brown eyes, a neatly trimmed mustache, and a scar over his left eye. I think he had coffee with breakfast.

...I didn't look hard to see what was causing the thick plumes of smoke coming from the side of the road. It is a tropical country and there is a lot of foilage that needs to be burned...makes sense.

...I didn't try to pass the car in front of me that was coughing up thick black smoke. I knew that the chances were good that the thick smoke was obscurring another vehicle coughing up the same...it was. No need to pass, just relax. Speaking of relaxing, I know that I will have made more progress when my knuckles are no longer white, and my back finally touches the seat rest (I use the car seat more like a stool and drive like a kid playing a video game, just barely sitting on the edge of the couch).

Wanna go for a ride?

Seriously, I am "out of the country"

2011-01-18T20:38:00.002-05:00

Up until this past summer, I have never been summoned for jury duty. However, since this summer (while we were living in NC), I have been "summoned" three times. I recently received my third notice and once again informed the court that I am living "outside the country." Apparently, this is the #1 excuse to get out of jury duty. Don't try it, 'cause even when you are telling the truth they don't believe you. Go figure.

(We know we've been slack in updating our blog. Language learning has affected our ability to put one coherent word in front of another...we'll try to be better at opening the window to our world here in Nica!)

posted by bethany

Zoomed Out

2011-01-13T18:34:00.004-05:00

Every so often, I am struck by the fact that I actually live in Central America. Odd as it sounds, although most of you know by now that I am a little off-center, I imagine myself in Google Earth. As I 'zoom out'...I think "Wow, I live in another country! I don't live in the United States. That's wild!" just sayin'.

posted by bethany

Our 5x7 Piece of North America

2011-01-10T16:35:00.004-05:00

In Nicaragua, the types of flooring that we have seen so far are: tile, concrete or hard-packed earth. Our house has tile flooring. This style of flooring is great for the environment in which we live; however, it makes for dangerous wrestling matches! Playing on the floor isn't much fun either.

The kids have expressed to us numerous times that one of the "things" they miss about America is carpet. So this past weekend, we went out and purchased a 5x7 piece of carpet. Upon rolling it out, they all laid down on the rug and breathed in the "carpet smell"! It is interesting to discover the things that we took for granted in America. In the States, carpet used to be something to walk on and vacuum, it is now a 5x7 piece of comfort and happiness.

Answer To The Riddle (see post 1/5)

2011-01-06T19:00:00.001-05:00

Here is the puzzle: Up and left is always cold at first and then warms up (as expected). Up and right is sometimes cold and stays cold, and at other times is immediately warm and stays warm. Why the difference in the up and right, and is there anything that I can do to predict what I am going to get when I push up and right?
Here is my attempt at an answer:
I did not plumb the house, so I may be wrong (one friend suggested that it may be a faulty cartridge), but here is the best answer that I have come up with. A common yard decoration here in Nica is a reserve water tank for when the city water goes out.

So, when the city water is off and the reserve tank kicks-in the water is hot towards the end of the day from being warmed in the sun all day, but cools off during the night. So, I can expect hot water from the cold spigot later in the day, when the city water is off. If you got the riddle correct (Those of you who said that it was from the sun warming the pipes were close enough) go ahead and buy your ticket...we look forward to housing you. There is a hammock in the yard for you to sleep in, and rice and beans for every meal...oh, and don't forget the warm shower in the afternoon. That is free room and board Nica style :)

Thanks for playing: Nica Life Riddles!

A Riddle For You

2011-01-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

This isn't one of those silly play - on - words riddles. This is a real life puzzle that took me a little while to figure out. Those that have lived overseas may get it faster. Feel free to email the answer if you think you get it (thebrachtfamily@gmail.com). The prize for answering correctly is a one week vacation to tropical Nicaragua with free room and board. No joke! You just pay the airfare.

OK, so the kitchen faucet here is the typical lever type that I am used to, with the red dot (for dummies) up and to the left, and the blue dot up and to the right.

As expected, if you push the handle up and to the left it is cold initially and then warms up (the house we are in has a hot water heater - this is atypical here, but this house is an old embassy house). Also, as expected, when you push the handle up and to the right, it is cold and stays cold. Here is the riddle: Sometimes when I push the handle up and to the right (cold) the water comes out cold for 5 seconds, the turns warm and stays warm. At first I just thought that the hot and cold lines were switched (wouldn't be the first thing that was switched) and that Bethany had just been ahead of me and had warmed up the line. But then I mentioned this to her one time and she said that she had not used the water before me. OK, for that coveted trip to Nica, here is the puzzle: Up and left is always cold at first and then warms up (as expected). Up and right is sometimes cold and stays cold, and at other times is immediately warm and stays warm. Why the difference in the up and right, and is there anything that I can do to predict what I am going to get when I push up and right?

Refreshment

2011-01-01T13:49:00.002-05:00

Why is it that the simple change of one digit (2010 to 2011) makes you feel like you get a fresh start? We don't feel this way when we go from 34 to 35 OR 65 to 66. This "fresh start" phenomenon doesn't occur when the calendar changes from July 31st to August 1st. It seems isolated to the changing of the year. Interesting, isn't it? Perhaps it is because there is something nice about the idea of getting a fresh start.

The thing is...we get to experience this "New Year" refreshment each day according to Scripture. Lamenations 3:23 says that "Great is His Faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh every morning." We get a fresh start each morning when we live life with God. I need to remember this.

posted by Bethany

Clutch. Shift. Clutch. Break.

2010-12-28T22:18:00.002-05:00

I had my first lesson in driving a NON-AUTOMATIC car today. We went to a nearby neighborhood that has a road that runs a "loop". I managed to get from a stop to first to second and back to a stop in neutral without stalling or grinding the gears. My backseat audience was patient and quiet. Noah's only comment was that I was a "funny driver." I suppose that is better than a "bad driver." You gotta love being in a place in life where you have to learn to speak and drive all over again!

posted by bethany

Our First Nica Christmas

2010-12-24T09:10:00.016-05:00

There are certainly differences in the practice of celebrating Christmas here in Nicaragua. We are learning to mix the old and the new, and still keep Jesus "in the manger." We'd like to share some aspects of our first Nica Christmas with you.

The kids found some beautiful elements of God's creation (red honeysuckle and peach hibiscus flowers) to lay before the King!!

Products and goods disappear quickly in the stores (we've been told to 'buy it when you see it'). Thus, we have had difficulty finding Christmas wrapping paper.

So, we are going "green" and using newspaper!

To prepare our hearts for Christmas, as a family we have been reading through the book One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham. It tells the story of God's plan for redemption from Creation to the Ressurrection. We use ornaments to symbolize some aspects of the story. Noah's Ark is one such symbol (the faithfulness of Noah). The boys worked on making an "ark" out of a natural resource found in our backyard.

The Coconut Ark

It is a tradition in our family (inherited from Bethany's family) to squeeze fresh orange juice for Christmas. Noah and I (Bethany) worked on this ahead of time (although we will squeeze some more on Christmas morning!) We used the oranges we received as "payment" from Jeff's first tropical surgery!

Following the advice of 'buy it when you see it', we did purchase a little Christmas tree for our family to use this year and for our future Christmases in Nicaragua! It is a cute little tree!

There is no doubt that God's creation exhibits His Glory. There are beautiful examples of that here in Nica...like the wild poinsettia plants growing in the yard.

It isn't always easy to embrace change, but God has provided some wonderful things to help us celebrate His Birthday in a new place. Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas to me.

2010-12-20T19:12:00.024-05:00

I (Jeff) had the pleasure of being able to do surgery after a 7 month sabbatical. A new friend from our church wanted to have his dog spayed, and I jumped at the chance. "ooh - ooh, me - me, pick me". After a quick discussion about my credentials and a perusal of my license and diploma, we decided on a day and payment - lunch for the family :) The experience was a little different from what I have grown accustomed to in the U.S., but the differences were enjoyable. I loved the open air operating room and only a few leaves fell into the operating site. They were from a sterile tree so it was OK.

The operating table was portable and made out of stacked cinder blocks and a 1/8" piece of door skin. Notice below that my patient is smiling. She smiled throughout the whole surgery. You couldn't ask for a better patient.

My friend thought ahead, and invited a local pastor (who is also a veterinary technician) to join us. He is interested in learning to do more surgery himself, so I had the luxury of 2 assistants...

...and one great looking nurse! I kept asking for more suture even when I didn't need it. If I have the courage, I will ask her for her number next time.

I found another use for duct tape. There are many here in Nica. I find myself using it on just about everything.

All in all, we had a great day and we had the added bonus of being tipped with stalks of sugar cane, a bag of oranges, a bunch of bananas (not like a 'bunch" from the store...like a bunch right off the tree with 40 bananas on it), and a bunch of plantains. Good times! Surgery has never been so much fun!

A Christmas Greeting

2010-12-18T16:27:00.004-05:00

In your imagination, pretend that you are getting this Christmas card in the mail!

Feeling Christmas

2010-12-14T08:04:00.004-05:00

What does Christmas mean to you? This question is one that I've been challenged with over the last several weeks. My "good Christian answer" is that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth. Sadly, what I've discovered, is that for me Christmas means special foods, pretty decorations (that match my decor), twinkly Christmas lights, cold weather, and a pretty Christmas outfit.

Being here in Nicaragua has stripped me of most of these things. I have struggled with "getting into" the Chrismtas spirit. Granted, this is our first Christmas not celebrated in the States...and we are still in a season of adjustment...but, the conviction remains. What does Christmas mean to me? Is it the pretty decorations or is it truly the celebration that Jesus--Emmanuel--God WITH US-- was born in a manger to later die for my sins (and yours), and be raised to life that I may be adopted into the family of God?

What concerns me is -- will I just replace my former meanings of Christmas with new meanings here in Nicaragua? Will I look to buy Nica Christmas decorations (that match my decor)? Will I continue to make Christmas a "feeling"? What I am starting to realize is that along with putting up the Christmas tree every year, I will need to take the "things that feel Christmas" out of the manger and put Jesus in their place. Traditions are good. Celebrating in special ways is exemplified in Scripture. However, are we celebrating the celebration or the Guest of Honor? What does Christmas mean to you?

posted by bethany

Donut Day

2010-12-10T07:05:00.003-05:00

Very early on Friday mornings, Jeff meets with a few guys for Bible Study at a nearby "panadería" (bread/pastry shop). An American baker and his Nicarguan wife own the shop called Pan Ticomo. He bakes "American style" donuts (as well as other breads and rolls). The kids look forward to Fridays...not so much for the Spiritual health of their beloved Papa...but rather for the donuts he brings home after his time in the Word.

Little Critters

2010-12-08T20:21:00.010-05:00

Everynight, a little gecko crawls down the screen door that is near the desk on which our computer sits. We call it the "window gecko."

The Window Gecko

We also have a stray kitten, whom the kids named "Coco", that hangs out on the property as well. Sometimes, Coco gets bold and meanders into the house (the guards dogs have yet to stop Coco).

"Coco" The Cat

Tonight, I (Bethany) went to the backdoor to lock up and I thought I saw another kitten on our patio. The "awwww, how cute" was just about to ooze out when I realized it was a opossum. Not so cute. They have long, thick, rat-like tails, did you know that? "Ewwww". We were also informed today that come spring-time, iguanas start showing up in the yard and on the terrace near where I hang laundry. Fabulous! We also have a colony of leaf-cutter ants that "cut" the leaves of the mango tree out back.

I wonder what we'll discover next!? (I think the kids are hoping a monkey will show up in the backyard!)

As Iron Sharpens Iron

2010-12-04T20:57:00.017-05:00

A few weeks ago, our gate keeper (Alvaro) gave Andrew a lesson on how to sharpen a machette. It begins with using a wet stone.

And for the final step, he uses a metal file to give it a sharp edge.

As I (Jeff) watched this, I couldn't help but think of Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." The next time that Andrew and I were back in the house, I showed him that verse. He was eager to share the verse in Proverbs with Alvaro.

Prior to moving to Nicaragua, Andrew had heard that we would have a gate keeper. Andrew wanted to bring down a Bible for him. We had a Spanish/English Bible that we brought with us for this purpose. However, we encouraged Andrew to be patient for the right time to present this special gift to Alvaro. Thinking that this might be that time, I let Andrew give it to him. Alvaro was amazed that Andrew had thought of him even before ever meeting him. After reading this verse in Proverbs, Alvaro began to read one of Jesus' parables. We had a good discussion about its meaning.

Alvaro has continued to read more and more. He seems to really enjoy Proverbs because it often speaks about politics, justice, and poverty...things that he greatly enjoys talking about. Having this Bible to read has even helped him practically as he continues to learn to read and write more proficiently. As an added bonus, it has also helped me with my Spanish as we read it together.

I am thankful that Andrew had a desire to give this Bible to Alvaro. We had hoped that our kids would have opportunities to open doors for the Gospel, and it has been a joy to see that happen.

Random Tidbits of Life at the Moment

2010-12-02T22:03:00.005-05:00

~We've been here for six weeks today!
~Jeff had to kill an injured bat tonight.
~We bought a vehicle this week. Now for learning to drive on Nica roads. ( It is not uncommon to pass cattle in the grassy medians, horsecarts, other small farm animals...and this is in the city.)
~Jeff and a new Nicaraguan friend managed to get the vehicle registered and insured...which took 10 hours and 6 different DMV like stops.
~Fireworks are very popular here in the month of December. I heard some at 5am yesterday morning.
~The kids have started asking for rice & beans for lunch and sometimes dinner...how's that for acclimation!
~We found out about a thrift shop here...they get the clothes and goods from clothing drops and thrift shops in the States. What do you think the chances are of me finding some things I gave away when we moved. LOL

Where the Wild Things Are

2010-11-27T22:34:00.011-05:00

We visited the National Zoo of Nicaragua yesterday with some new friends. It is well worth the admission fee of 75 cents per person. The kids (and the grown-ups) had a great time. Many of the cages are simply chainlink fences...so, if you felt so inclined (and very brave), you could technically squish your hand through the fence to touch the animals. There were a few attempts...mostly on the part of the animals. Here are some snapshots of our adventure to the zoo!

The Ocelots

By the Way...NOT our kid's hand.

Ella was sure this was "Dexter" from Night at the Museum

Our Three Monkeys

Yeah, it was that close. (If you were foolish enough, you could stick your arm through the door of the enclosure and be inches away from touching his face...or feeling the clamp of his jaws.)

Good memories were made today.

How would you (will you) respond?

2010-11-24T20:18:00.010-05:00

post by Jeff
The other evening we attended a local church for a time of fellowship. Near the end of our time, an opportunity was presented to help one of the ministries here in Managua. They were asking for people who would be willing to fill a Christmas basket with food and toiletries for the women that this ministry serves; women that are coming out of prostitution. We chose one of the cards hanging on the tree indicating who we were to buy for. We thought that there was a mistake when we looked at the information card that we had chosen. It said that the woman we had chosen was 11 years old. We asked our friends, who had also chosen a name, if this was a daughter of one of the women. No, this 11 year old girl is the "woman"! Our friends showed us their card, it was for a 10 year old girl.

On our way home, we drove by the same 2 brothels that we drove by on the way there; but I looked at them differently. Were there little girls in there now? I admit that I have heard of such things on news shows like Dateline or 20/20; but this is happening just down the street from where I now live. I can't wrap my head around this. How am I to respond? How are you to respond?

I am thankful for the ministry of House of Hope and will seek to help them in any way that I can.

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others, One of These Things Doesn't Belong

2010-11-21T15:36:00.008-05:00

This little song from old school Sesame Street could have been our theme song yesterday as we ventured into the city of Managua. There was a car we wanted to check out (and by that, we mean, we needed to check to see if my (bethany's) short legs could reach the pedals in this particular SUV). So, we decided to take "public transportation." There are no bus schedules; there are several different types of buses...although most are retired yellow American school buses that have been painted and decorated. They pack as many people into them as they can. You essentially stand on the side of the road until you see the bus that you think you want and then, you wave at the driver. There are a few formal bus stops...but really, any space works.

This is us waiting for the bus.

We rode the bus for several kilometers (we were the only 'gringos' on the bus and then got off (we thought the bus driver was telling us that the bus was going to turn before we wanted...but maybe he was inviting us over for coffee later). We walked for what felt like a long time, especially when it is hot, you are being stared at due to the fact that you look really look like you 'don't belong'...oh, and you have a 4 year old who wants to jump over all the cracks and spots of grass he finds on the sidewalk.

A Glimpse of the Scene While Walking

Finally, we decided to take a taxi. When hailing a taxi, you have to pick one that is passenger-less and you haggle the price before you even get in. We let many taxis pass us by first...even though they all honked at us, indicating that they'd gladly give us a ride--5 white people standing confusedly on the roadside look like good customers. We did make it to our destination successfully. We saw the car we wanted to see. I was able to reach the pedals. Jeff even test drove it around the parking lot. Having done what we came to do, we decided to call it a day. We walked to a "bus stop" but the bus we wanted didn't appear. So, we walked. And we walked. Finally, we decided to hail another taxi to drive us back home.

We managed to use our limited vocubulary of Spanish. We enjoyed getting out and being among Nicaraguans. To be honest, we were rather proud of ourselves, and definitely proud of our kids, for "getting out there" and trying something new. Getting from one end of town to the other used to be something that we took for granted. Now, it is a major accomplishment. Interesting, how your perspective changes. God was glorified yesterday through our weakness.

The Truth Comes Out

2010-11-19T14:01:00.002-05:00

We haven't admitted, up until now, that we have a maid. The polite term here is "empleada." I (bethany) feel a bit self-conscious admitting that we have a maid. In America, it seems more of a luxury to have someone come wash your dishes and clean the floors and bathrooms. However, here in Nicaragua, it is expected and acceptable for North Americans to have an 'empleadas'. Rita (our maid) is an employee of the family we are subletting from while they are out of the country. Rita, like our gate-keeper Alvaro, only speaks Spanish. While it may sound ridiculous, it was quite an adjustment having someone in our 'space' cleaning and tending to the things that we were used to doing (or putting off until the shower was too gross to stand in). Rita and I awkwardly danced around each other the first couple of weeks. Just this week, things started feeling more normal. Admittedly, I am enjoying the help! More so, I am enjoying the opportunity to practice my Spanish with Rita. We just had a very successful conversation about washing dishes and the age of her granddaugther. Rita is a very kind and gentle woman who loves the Lord and it is a blessing to have her share our space for a few hours a day.