Transition from Teaching

Today is the day that I will begin my transition out of teaching. This will be the first day that Mr. Giovany (computer teacher) and Ms. Mierdna (Third grade teacher) will begin taking over the classes I have been teaching. I will still be in the class as an aid and resource. I am excited for this, but also sad. It has been such a joy to get to plan, create, and customize my style of teaching to the classes and culture. I knew from the beginning that I couldn't get too attached to the work I was preparing because I would have to hand it over. So in this sense the idea of "my work" being handed over is not going to be the hardest part. I am thinking the challenge will be wanting to make sure things are done the right way. HOWEVER I already see that my American style of teaching is different than the Nicaraguan. It will be a balance of aiding the teachers during the transition, discerning the good things of their teaching style, and encouraging new and different ideas. The hardest thing will be preparing to separate myself from the kids in the month I have remaining. Please pray for me during this transition!

Lessons in Bluefields

The lessons I learned in Bluefields was so unexpected and so life changing. Kristie and I conversed that it was Bluefields where the Lord wanted us to be for some time. Because of all that was learned I am choosing to be a bit more vulnerable and have you read straight from the pages of my journal. The Lord really spoke to me in Bluefileds. From the pages:

            (Monday, March 30^th)

“Where you are hungry and thirsty there you will find understanding, there you will be open and desperate for me the Bread of Life, the LIVING WATER.”

–God’s Word to me Today

What a journey this trip is turning out to be. We are at Pastor Ed’s house now from Verbo church in Bluefields. This was a contact Barry gave to help us pick up our passports. We showed up here tired, thirsty, hungry and on a voyage. We first stopped by Verbo church and a man at the church let us use the restroom of the Church then paid for our taxi for us to go to Pastor Ed’s house. This was quit a humbling experience to have that Christian man pay for our taxi. It was a symbol of help is here, I am your brother in Christ.

When we showed up to Pastor Ed’s house we explained how we heard of him and how we thought he could help. He asked us if we had a place to stay and offered us a room to stay until Wednesday. Pastor Ed gave us water and food and let us use a phone.

An image I had while reflecting in a rocking chair on the family’s porch was the image of what it is like to sit at the door of the Lord and knock. Would HE let me in? Pastor Ed let me in to his house. His family gave us water and food. But the Bible says not everyone who says to me Lord will enter the kingdom. What a thought.

This is such a peaceful place.

Later today we went to the Verbo Orphanage that Pastor Ed’s church has just recently begun. We got to visit the seven orphans who live there currently. What a joy it was to be there and see them. We tried walking on stilts that Kevin, one of the adults living there, made for them. It was fun to all hop in the back of Pastor Ed’s truck with the kids. We took a drive to a nearby community that makes a living by smashing rocks. They do this in order to make concrete to sell. Wow!

Kristie walking on stilts with some of the orphans.

 

These are photos of the rock quarry we visited. Many families, including the children, would work here in the heat crushing rocks to make concrete. This was their source of income.

After that eye opening tour Kristie and I got a taxi to the airport. It was there that our passports would arrive from Managua. What a joy it was to open the package and see myself inside (my passport picture that is : ) HALLELUJAH! THANK THE LORD!  I loved Kristie’s comment after opening our passports, “Man, now everything will be easier and less of an adventure.” Her comment was an example of how our view has changed about the way this trip is not going according to our plan. We both loved where the Lord has led us…in unexpected eye opening places.

We finished the great day off with a dinner of real food from the town (as opposed to the ramen, beans, and rice we had been living off of while traveling). Danny a missionary escorted us to the Tasbpounie Village (near Bluefields) and Brother Henri a resident of the village. Both men were staying with Pastor Ed’s family for a few days before going back to the village. It was great to be around these Christian missionaries and to hear about the needs of this village in the bush. Danny apparently sleeps in a hammock to live and serve in this rural community. It was able to speak Mesquite to Brother Henri since Jasper (a friend from Pearl Lagoon) wrote down some of the language’s phrase for me yesterday while in Pearl Lagoon. “Pain Pain,” I told Brother Henri. He started to laugh hysterically! I suppose it was funny to him that a white girl from America knew some Mesquite! The phrase means: fine, fine.

I want to learn from them what life as a missionary is like in such a poor and desolate community.

(BACK AT PASTOR ED'S HOUSE)

Tashi was one of Pastor Ed’s grand daughters. She is beautiful. She wouldn’t talk at first then wouldn’t stop. She started asking me the names of all the colors on the porch in Spanish. She then showed me on the map where in Bluefields I live, and where my sister Melissa lives. It was so cute :) She even got to say hello to Melissa, my mom, and to Garret over skype.

Man today was so unexpected and so so wonderful. Your ways’ are far above mine God. “A man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” This has been true of this week.

LORD I know you are calling me to abroad missions. Continue to guide me in this voice, in spirit and in direction. Speak to me through the people I meet, missionaries, and others I interact with. I want to be all in your will. Could it be to serve orphans? Could it be to bring water to the thirsty? Give food to the hungry? Show me. Give me a clearer vision. I want all of you, O GOD. I love this unexpected, not my way, difficult glorious adventure, because YOU are in control.

(Tuesday, March 31^st)

This morning Brother Henri helped Kristie and I maneuver to find if we could buy our boat tickets early. And to also get information about the boat back to Rama. It was so nice to be helped in this way and from a brother in Christ. God bless this man.

We later had the opportunity to go and serve at the feeding center at Verbo Church. There we met the coordinator, cooks, and a man that entertained the kids being fed. There was 50 kids fed today. They received gallo pinto, fish, and a boiled platano. We also served them juice. Kristie and I were there four about 3 hours.

At the counter of food. Looking at the 50 kids needing to be fed for the day.
The church provides one meal a day Monday-Friday for the kids of the Bluefield's community.

Kristie, Me, and two full time volunteers from Verbo church that work for the feeding operation full time.

This experience opened my eyes up to the simplicity of service within the church. There is no politics to be seen in this church, simply service. I love how Pastor Ed is able to be home and how people come to his house for their needs. The simplicity of his church enables him to interact with people and serve them in grace and in a home setting. You can ask for a taxi anywhere in Bluefields and tell them to take you to Pastor Ed’s house, and they know where to go. People come all throughout the day to get advice and help from this man. It is obvious that without him and his family the city would not be what it is. The way Pastor Ed pastors is against the norm of American churches. I think of my pastor in Waco. Great, great Pastor! He however is so busy, scheduled, and has even opened up to our church how it is difficult not being able to spend time with the people. He has to be at the office from 8-5pm. This is expected of him though. But how great would it be if he could be home with family and minister to other by opening up his home?

Me and Pastor Ed before we left in the morning. The white house behind the truck is their big white SHALOM house. 

Being here is making me see things that I want to be apart of my home and family. I desire to make my home a place of peace; a place of peace and comfort for the weary traveler. I want my home to be a place where they can be fed spiritually and physically. I want to be a wife that affirms my husband—he will be father to many, wise counsel to those who come to him. I want to be a noble wife to support my husband in the mission God has given him. I want to show love to others, collaborate by mission in my house. I want to find joy washing dishes, clothes and cleaning because by these things I will be serving others in my home. I want my house to resemble Pastor Ed’s family’s home—their Shalom. Don’t forget the blessing this family has been to you.

Pearl Lagoon

In the moment of rejection by the Immigration officials, I would have to argue that in that moment I was more bummed than Kristie. We were both extremely disappointed but being the one communicating in Spanish and then rejected, I didn’t know what decision to make next. Thankfully though Kristie saw that there was another river taxi “panga” boat traveling to Pearl Lagoon. And to our great satisfaction we didn’t need to have our passport for that boat.  This boats entry with no passport is an illumination of rule B) order is non-existant! Anyways, we quickly decided to go to Pearl Lagoon a recommended location to visit according to our Lonely Planet travel guide. We would end up spending Saturday, Sunday, and Monday there.

The whole Caribbean side of Nicaragua is influenced by Creole communities. Therefore the culture in Pearl Lagoon, Bluefields, and Corn Islands is completely different than the side of Nicaragua we live on. The people in Pearl Lagoon were black, speaking predominately English with a heavy Jamaican type of accent. It was like we were in a whole different country.  We took our time in Pearl Lagoon to rest after our long day of travel and then sudden disappointment. We also spent time devising a plan to somehow get our passports. Kristie and I agreed that we were both too motivated to simply drop the Corn Island destination. We even discussed traveling all the way back to Dolores to get our passports.

Our time at Pearl Lagoon was marked by going to “Aguas,” beach to swim, eating delicious Creole food, and attending the community’s festival on the night of my Birthday! 

 

I found my own private island for my Birthday!

My dear friend Kristie setting up my hammock
while onlooking the Caribbean.

     

Coconuts! Picked straight from the tree. 

Our Mesquite friend Jasper climbed a tree for us :)

We left Pearl Lagoon Monday morning. We had anticipated traveling all the way back to Dolores until we found out from Barry that the airlines service from Managua to Corn Islands has a mailing service. I was hesitant to trust any Nicaraguan airlines service with my identity, but after prayer and discussion I had a great peace about this. Barry also mentioned we could go back to Bluefields where the airplanes touch down from Managua before going to the Corn Islands, and get some further assistance from a man he knew named Pastor Ed.

I loved this picture I took of one of the village homes
under the sun set. I took it while we were on our walk to Aguas.

We left Pearl Lagoon anticipating getting our passports back in Bluefields, and furthermore just beginning to see the beauty of this unexpected route and where it was leading us.

"Get Behind Me Satan" from Mark 8:33

Upon resting while in Pearl Lagoon I was reading in Mark and came across this Mark 8: 33 When Jesus began to predict his death, Peter began to rebuke Jesus for saying such things. Jesus responded, “Get behind me Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  God used this passage to speak to me in my moment of frustration and annoyance about my trip not going how we had planned. I had only in mind the way in which I wanted the trip to go, not God. I was in a sense rebuking God for our trip not going as WE wanted it to go. In this moment the Lord told me He wanted to show me something better. Even though I had in mind how our trip should go, God had another route for us to take. That night I journaled asking God, Where will be end up? What shall we see?

Adventure to Corn Islands

What an adventure it had been. Let me start by saying that I don’t have the words to describe my trip to you so I will do my best to give you at least a sliver of what happened and of what I learned. I think breaking some of it in parts will be helpful too. So here it goes…

Friday, March 27^th Kristie and I headed out at 5:30 am to begin our voyage to the Corn Islands of Nicaragua.  After taking two taxis, one 7 hour bus ride, and a 2 hour water taxi we would end up in Bluefields, Nicaragua just before dark. Why did we not take a plane you may ask? We paid approximately $21 to travel the way we did across the country, a plane ride cost $150. Uncomfortable, yes. Cultural experience, yes! Cheaper, oh ya! Kristie and I are all about taking the rougher, cultural path rather than the money laden tourist track ;)

Here is a look at our route of the trip that ended up happening. Hope this gives you some perspective as I tell my story through the upcoming posts.

We chose to travel to Bluefields because this is where the boat to the Corn Islands departs from. The boat we were to catch was leaving early the next morning.  To our great delight we rested in Bluefields at a clean and comfortable hostel ($17/room/per night). We woke up early the next morning, as advised, to get in line for our tickets for the boat.

Tickets were to be sold at 7am, so we got in line approximately 30 min before.  If there is anything about Nicaragua that I have learned when traveling it is A) you can’t plan too far ahead, B) order is existent, and C) things always change! We were about to experience all of those things real soon. The line that we were standing in was only about 30 people long. It took however 1.5 hours to sell tickets to these people. And then it all happened…when we finally arrived to the ticket window the lady asked to see our passports. So we pulled out the copies we had taken with us. She shook her head and asked, “los originales” (the original ones)?  This time when traveling we didn’t bring our original passports because we had heard that in Nicaragua traveling with a copy only is accepted. We hadn’t had any problems thus far without them. The lady then said I could talk to the Immigration police. So knowing me, I couldn’t simply stop with an initial no. I was ready and prepared to knock hard on that door until it would open the door! Lol.

A kind and helpful taxi driver drove us around town to find the office of immigration. No official was there so we headed back to the boat dock. The lady at the ticket booth did allow us to buy a ticket and said we could return it if the official rejected us. So we took our chances and got on the boat. There is when we finally found the Immigration police. He asked us to show us our passports. We showed him our copies. He too shook his head. I then began my door knocking. All in Spanish, I explained to him the situation. He wasn’t having any of it. I explained how we had heard and seen from authorities in Managua (capital city) that for travelers to carry copies was an ok thing. I told him next that our friends Rebecca and Auntie Joyce were to be on the Big Corn Island in the next couples of days and would have our passports on the other end (this was in fact true). I explained to him that we were volunteers in Dolores here to serve the country of Nicaragua and that we simply wanted to enjoy more of Nicaragua.  He started to listen to me when I told him that our friends would have our passports on the other end. He called his boss over.  To the Jefe I also began explaining our situation.

After a long and tiring plead, all in Spanish mind you, neither official would let us ride the boat. We walked away with our tails between our legs. All that way, with a boat ticket now in hand, and now we weren’t aloud on the boat. No Corn Islands?

Our trip would take a soon unexpected turn around because according to rule C) Things always change!

A Few Thoughts About Teaching Today

I have a few raw thoughts I would like to share about teaching. These thoughts are inclusive of culture, teaching, mind-set, and how to train the mind.

The past weeks I have teaching 5^th through 7^th grade basic formatting skills using Microsoft Word. The students seem to know a few functions, but no teacher has ever explained what each function on the toolbar does and how they are best used. The students have, more or less, used them by smashing the buttons. I additionally gave them abotut 30 vocabulary words to memorize so that they could be more literate in using the computers. So my goal for the past few weeks was to build vocabulary, teach them basic formatting skills and functions, and to practice these actions.

Today after a “pruebita” (quiz) I had an exercise for them to practice the formatting skills for their upcoming Exam. Here is an example of the basic instructions:

1. Bold this line of text. Negrita esta línea de texto. 

2. Underline this line of text. Subrayar esta línea  de texto.

3. Align this line on the right side of the page. Alinear esta línea en el lado derecho de la página. 

Pretty straight forward. These are basic instructions that I had written in both English and Spanish ( in order to eliminate the language barrier). One thing that was frustrating about today was the way the kids seemed to need help at every step of the exercise. Some are so concerned about the way I want it, that they limit their own mind power.  The words, "No puedo" (I can't) seem to echo from their lips. Part of this "incapability" is yes age, another part is culture. In discussing this issue with Mr. Barry he assured me that it is culture for parents to do many things for their children, even up till high school. In a like manner the students desire the teacher to do their work. In addition to culture, the people here are accustomed to taking orders; therefore they desire constant instruction of how to do things rather than of thinking of new creative solutions, or in the case of this exercise simply following directions with their own understanding of how it should be done. 

This was a huge mental block to me today. How come some of these students simply quit? How come they can't simply follow instructions? Why do they feel like they need to make sure every step they do is OK'd by a teacher? I just want them to use their minds to think. I am so used to thinking of new ideas, developing solutions, and to problem solving. This has been the base of my education and I can see more than ever why I should be thankful for the challenges my professors gave to me. They were training my mind.

Today I thought of all my teachers growing up who seemed to love answering my questions with a question. Their answers, at the time were so frustrating. "Can't I just get an answer," I would think. But I see the fruit of their annoying questions now! I see now that my teachers responded to me in this way because they wanted ME to think, they wanted ME to be creative, and they wanted ME to expand my mind. Well now the tables are turned. I am starting to ask these kids questions as an answer to their questions. Let's see if these questions get them to think, expand, and train their minds.

Traveling With My Girl Kristie

Man I love this girl! We have some great times traveling around. What I admire about Kristie most is her positive perspective ON EVERYTHING and in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE.  Before we left for our trip it was pouring down hard with rain. Her comment was, “I think this is just going to be one of those days.” My response, “Well what do you mean?” Her reply, “One of those days where everything goes wrong.” Because of the gray I couldn’t help but laugh and agree.  Even though it was thought to be a dreary and wet journey to Leon, her attitude was all in.  I have a tendency to think about the bad things for longer periods of time. She however accepts them as reality and chooses to face them with positivity. Our interaction and time together is helping me grow in this way.  Btw, the weather turned out to be sunny that day. Perfect weather for a perfect day!

This was the water bottle that Kristie insisted we turn around in our taxi for. She left it at the hotel. While climbing Mt. Hood Kristie took a 30 ft fall and this water bottle attached to her hip kept her from breaking her leg. It was a sentimental thing. I had to give her a hard time about turning around. So here I am posting about it to the world.

This was in the van packed with 28 people. I think during this photo 4 had left. Personal space is not a thing here. We have to stack our legs in order to fit!  In addition some man's three duffle bags kept me from being able to move. It's quit the trip.

One of my favorite parts of our trip traveling to Leon and back was when we were in a micro bus.  Public transportation is a big thing in Nicaragua considering not many families can afford a car. It cost us 80 cordobas (that is about  $3) to travel from Dolores to Leon (approximately 120 kilometers / about 75 miles) by public transportation. We took micro buses, which are 15 passenger vans.  Even though these buses hold 15 passengers the Nica workers pack as many as they can in order to make the most money. I always like to see how many they can fit, and how many people are wiling to be squashed. This trip back to Leon, 28 fit in the van. It was a record for me :D  It was so packed it was hard for the worker to even shut the door!

This weekend we are traveling to Camoapa, Nicaragua. About 150 km drive by bus, aka a 2.5 hour ride squashed on a school bus ;) We are staying the weekend with two of the teacher's from the school. They live in the In2House with us during the week and then head to their home back in Camoapa on the weekends. I am excited to spend time with Isnia and Indira and to get the opportunity to stay in a real Nicaraguan home.