New Session

¡Buenos días! ¡Mucho gusto! I have been meeting a lot of people here at the Nehemiah Center yesterday and today. We had our first day of class in Managua yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. A full 8 hours of class is a bit intense, but I like the content of the classes. Here’s what the day looks like:

6 am: get picked up by Roberto – either in microbus or camioneta

8 am: arrive at the Nehemiah Center, have devotions with the staff for an hour

9 am: start History and Culture of Nicaragua class with Joel Huyser and Alicia Hamming

12 pm: class ends, lunch time!

1 pm: start Worldview and Development class with Jim Padilla-DeBorst and Steve Holtrop, with lively discussions (hopefully) about how to make the world a better place, especially in Nicaragua

4 pm: get out of class

I assume that on normal days we will go back to León after 4, but yesterday we spent the night at the Nehemiah Center. That meant a huge amount of time with internet access! It was great. I got to call my parents, and I set up a Skype account. Granted, my computer doesn’t have a mic or web cam, but I can borrow my classmates’ stuff or I can buy something. I decided that I miss talking voice to voice with people. Although I don’t have consistent internet access, at least I have the option of using these things now. I’m also thankful for the gmail call option that’s available now – it’s free! And you know, being a cheap girl like I am, I always like free stuff.

Today we are going to Matagalpa. It’s a region in the mountains. We are going to visit landbanks and talk to people there. I am looking forward to it. I am a little nervous I will be cold. I accidentally brought along my sweatpants to Nicaragua, and I thought the only place I might use them would be in the mountains. But we didn’t know we were going to Matagalpa until we were in León yesterday, so my sweatpants are still in my dresser at my house in León… Rats! I will probably wear them sometime just on principle. But yesterday was a lot cooler in Managua, and we have our classes in the media room at the Nehemiah Center, which is air-conditioned, so I was almost cold! It was a wonderful feeling after weeks of sweating most of the time. J

So, life is good. I learned some tongue-twisters in Spanish from Don Antonio, one of the men here, today. It was fun. I am looking forward to spending time at the Nehemiah Center for classes. The people here are great: friendly, godly, supportive, committed. I’m glad to be here. The classes seem interesting, and they are already helping me get a better picture of people in Nicaragua and some of the things that confuse me about my host family. Lord willing, I will learn a lot and be able to witness to God’s transforming grace in my life to the people with whom I interact.

Prayer request: my church at home in Indiana has been going through a hard time. There have been a couple of shocking deaths, and I think the community is really hurting right now. I’m praying for them here, but I feel pretty disconnected. Ask God to wrap his arms around them. And for me, pray that I will have the words to speak and God’s love to show to the people here in Nicaragua.