Poor turkey still had an egg in it!

my Christmas corner, complete with stocking and countdown

A nativity scene at the Microfer in Managua

Ready to go

Hanging out with the kids at Hogar Belen

Moises has captured the Christmas spirit! haha

Yes that is stuffing at the top of the picture, and a beautiful plate of turkey and rice to accompany it.

Eating my meat Nicaraguan style, straight off the bone, both hands in.


AH! I made it through Christmas in one piece and only cried because my sister got me going on the phone. Just kidding, it has been an amazing few days. I will start on the 23rd when my cute little parasite woke up. I actually still don't know if that is what I have, and I am too stubborn and what I like to think as "tough" that I have yet to go to the doctor. But anyhow, I slept until noon and then headed into Managua to pick up a package from some of my greatest friends :) It was the perfect combination of chocolate, sandals, and movies. I decided to stay the night at the office as it can be somewhat dangerous on the bus for multiple reasons, some personal and others not, haha but I had a chance to talk with my sisters, listen to Christmas music and make some peanut brittle (my opa's favourite Christmas treat and one I thought would help put me in the Christmas spirit).

24th: Christmas Eve: Christmas Eve is actually Christmas here. It is the day of festivities and celebrations. So I headed back into Esquipulas to wrap up some presents and help prep the turkey. And yes, there was still a little egg in the turkey. Poor guy only needed a little more time to get out. But I now know the internal anatomy of a turkey....a true life skill. For those of you who know me well, I don't like to touch raw meat and I don't know how to cook meat. I always said that would be a job for my husband. But I am learning slowly (they cook all their meat with orange juice, onions and garlic), and I had both hands in the pot mixing it around. Later on I headed to Hogar Belen to hang out with the kids for a bit and hand out some stickers my mom had sent for the kids. There was also some Arroz con leche (rice pudding x3 in yum factor). I usually don't feel like Hogar Belen is a sad place to be, but that day it was. Earlier on in December the kids had received presents for Christmas and had a big dinner, but on the 24th most of the workers including myself had gone home to spend time with their families. I guess a lot of these kids don't realize or understand the difference between the days, but still, they don't receive that one on one attention or get to participate in those family activities. For example, one of the little guys Amilkar who is about 4yrs old will just sort of stare into space or up at the clouds, but once you come close he just clings to you. You have to bring him out of his own world by swinging with him or tickling him, but when he does come out, it is awesome. Unfortunately he doesn't always have someone to bring him out of the clouds.

Christmas Eve service is always one of my favourite times to be in church. It is always a candlelight service, christmas carols...you get the painted picture. And despite waking up late from an afternoon nap, I knew I wanted to be at church for this service as well. Although it was a little different. The evangelical church here doesn't really celebrate Christmas. It isn't that they don't believe Jesus came to earth. But from my understanding it is either because the Catholics celebrate it and so they want to set themselves apart from catholicism, they feel it is a North American tradition, or others don't believe Jesus was born in December. Either way, I didn't feel totally comfortable wishing "feliz navidad" to all the elders in the church. But after church we had a great feast at our house. Turkey dinner (they added in some ingredients after I had done my part...it was more delicious that way), with rice, salad, and my own personal touch of stove top dressing/stuffing. Mom had sent some gifts for them and I had gotten a few things for them as well. Needless to say I think they were a bit overwhelmed when I gave them their gifts. But it felt so nice to be able to actually give them something tangible as they have done nothing but served me for the past few months.

Christmas DAY: It was a bit of a different Christmas, but amazingly good. I had my own private gift opening in my room with Michael Buble and Josh Groban singing in the Christmas carols, as my family had sent some gifts wrapped for Christmas day. Although the rest of the days events were pretty low key, honestly last night I felt sooo at peace. It was a joy and a peace that I haven't had for a long time. I feel so blessed by my family and friends back home who have gone out of there way to let me know that they are thinking of and praying for me. And I miss them incredibly, but am also really happy to be where I am right now, with the friends and family I have surrounding me now. This is a bit of a side note, but I was reading the story of the birth of Jesus, and Mary was one laid back lady. If I was pregnant and I knew I was carrying Jesus, I would be yelling at Joseph that he hadn't made a reservation or that we should have left earlier to get a room at a hotel. I should not have to have Jesus in a manger! But no, (from what I make of it anyways), she just went with the flow. The situation was what it was and she went with it. I think she understood God's purpose or at least was willing to trust that He was in the moment wherever that moment was held. And she pondered...I am more of an out loud thinker...but she just pondered, and I think she just waited to see where and how God was going to show Himself. I hope that I am not speaking for God or just adding words to the Bible. Maybe I am just adding in what I am learning and assuming Mary and I are working on the same lessons. Needless to say by the time the evening rolled around, I was filled with a peace and joy of truly being happy to be where I am, in this very moment. Cause I know God is working around me and has planned out so many little details. I am so blessed to be with my host family, I am able to joke around with my host parents and they are very laid back and easy-going, I have a 15yr old host brother who will accompany me to the field at 5am so that I can go for a run, and a little brother who truly makes me happy that I was the youngest child. haha I'm just joking. Even with Christmas, there are so many families that don't celebrate Christmas and yet my family was more than willing and gracious enough to put up Christmas lights with me because they saw it was something special for me.

Tonight has also been really special as I was able to come into Managua to spend some time with the other SALTers and YAMENer. We did some Christmas baking, face masks, painting toes and watching Christmas movies. Definitely a nice time to relax and enjoy some time together....and of course now update my blog.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas/ Feliz Navidad! And a Happy New Year!

love

amanda

My sticker Christmas countdown says its 6 days until Christmas...but its really 5

Manuel-ito, I am not being mean to him, he just doesn't like that I actually make him stand up.

This is Elvirita, I am feeding her everyday from around 1100 to 1200. We are working on transitioning her from a bottle to a spoon but it is a very slow process....and messy!

A group came into Hogar Belen to help celebrate Christmas with the kids

Some face painting to start things out

Antoni and I during one of our play dates

Which tree isn't like the others??haha

Putting up Christmas lights

Feliz Navidad Todo!! Espero que todo esta bien con ustedes! It is only 5 days because Christmas is celebrated on the 24th here. I am currently listening to the Edmonton Christian Radio station to get a little flavour of Christmas music as it is hard to come by here. It's funny the things that are sentimental to us, or the things that cue our mood. For example there is no snow obviously, not a lot of Christmas music being played, and an abscence of other familiar traditions around me. And so for me it feels really weird that Christmas is so close. But nonetheless, the reason for the season is the exact same! And thanks be to God that it is. God is a God who is bigger than traditions, He is bigger than borders, languages and any other box we may put around Him or around ourselves. Jesus may of come as a small package but He is a powerful and amazingly personal gift.

I am looking at only three days of work this next week and then the festivities begin. This month has flown by and again there have been good and bad days....but as a whole the good days far outweigh the moments of struggle. The last few weekends I have had a chance to spend more time with my host family, we headed into Managua to see the Christmas activities and fair that they have in December. I also went to the market with my host mom to buy some Christmas lights (I am by no means above Christmas traditions :) .

Work has been going well. We are now up to 30 kids with a huge variety in abilities and ages. As of January 4th, the older ones will be moving to another house about a 1/2 hour away from Hogar Belen. I had a chance to visit the site on Thursday and I think there is a lot of potential in creating a home-like environment for them, and the place is beautiful. The psychologist, physio-therapist and I have been working on setting up a plan for the kids and workers. We don't just want them to be busy but to also be learning vocational skills, how to plan, follow directions, build self-esteem, and get involved not only in the house but possibly also in the community. Initially I was not included in this planning which was disappointing for me as I felt like I had a lot of ideas to share...but then there was that language barrier again. But I was really excited this wednesday as I was asked to write out my ideas and share them with the rest of the team. It's hard to know how much will get followed. I would love to be leading some of the group activities because I feel like it is really O.T. but we shall see.

Although Christmas is so close and I definitely am missing friends and family, I feel like I am getting to experience so many great things that I can't spend my time wishing I was somewhere else. Coming here was a risk, and being away from family has been hard. Each day is filled with moments of uncertainty and at times anxiety, but the more awkward I have anticipated it to be, the more God has given me His peace. It's hard to explain, but I have been going through a devotional book and it has been talking a lot about rejoicing in your weakness and thanking God for the difficult times because that is when we seek God. And it is so true. I feel like I am learning to trust God more in situations (big and seemingly small) because what else am I going to do. I don't have a lot of control with what happens and so I can really only pray that God would guide my actions and reactions. Although days are still up and down, I feel like more often than not God has given me His joy and peace.

I will fill you in on the events of Christmas! As for now the plan is to have Christmas supper on the 24th and the 25th will just be spent relaxing with my family. Then the 26th and 27th I am going to go into Managua to watch Christmas movies, maybe do some Christmas baking and listen to Christmas carols with what few MCCers are here (likely just a couple others SALTers)

Many Blessings over Christmas!! Feliz Navidad! Enjoy every minute spent with family and friends. (And don't take for granted the eggnog! haha)

Lots of love

amanda

Feeling Better

The MCC Nicaragua team

Just me getting distracted as per usual during the meetings

Ah! my countryside get away, we actually went swimming in that river in an area where a little waterfall came down

Frijoles....natural

The beautiful countryside of Matagalpa, Nicaragua

Hey, thank you everyone for your prayers. I am back in Managua but had a really great weekend/week out in Matagalpa with the rest of the team. Sunday morning was an early start to catch the bus and head out to Matagalpa and then out to the compo or countryside. I stayed the night with one of the other Salters who is doing her year long term out there. It is definitely a different way of living but the countryside is beautiful, the people are so generous, and we had a great time! In fact I was cold for what I think is the first time in about 4 months! We all went swimming in this area of the river where a water fall ran into and we could jump off these tiny cliffs! It was great.

Monday was a 'fun day' for the team, so we all went out to a swimming pool and had a chance to relax and eat some lunch together. And of course the work started yesterday and today. I actually really enjoy meetings though as I find it a good chance to get to know the other team members, what they are doing and how they are doing in their area of work and what the plans are for the next year with MCC.

And of course evenings are free and so we were able to just relax or get to know Matagalpa a little better.

Thank you for your prayers, I will be at Hogar Belen today and tomorrow and then there will be a long weekend as Monday and Tuesday is the Purisima which is a big Catholic holiday celebrating the conception of Mary. So although it would be a FANTASTIC weekend to go away.... I think I will hang out with my family and see what happens from there.

Prayer

Despite the constant blessings around me, this week has been a long and difficult week. It may be a mixture of being tired and missing home. But if you could pray for me that would be great. I have the next few days in Matagalpa for meetings with MCC and then next Monday and Tuesday is off for a National holiday, which could mean a great time of relaxation or more time to think about home. I am definitely missing home, missing having those conversations with friends and family where I can really express myself, or not say anything and be totally comfortable just spending time with them. I am also struggling with some insecurities and doubts. So really any prayer would be great if you think of it.

Thanks so much

amanda

Having a little music session

This was when we were in Masaya, some traditional dancing

One of the little girls during Horse therapy

Doing a sensory activity with one of the little guys: a nasty combination of cooked spaghetti, marshmallows, jello, and chocolate pudding

A day out to Masaya with my family

Friday afternoon activity: the water balloon toss which of course turned into a huge water fight with the older kids and some of the staff :)

Out rappelling at Flor de Pachote: 70m down

I apologize to all my devoted readers that it has now been like 3 weeks since I last posted! HAha Im just kidding.
Well as I said in the last post, Christmas is gearing up here. We are starting to make and hang up Christmas decorations at work. And I actually had a conversation with my host mom Layla about if she would like a Christmas tree for the house and she said that everyday is special and so many families dont get a Christmas tree but after I rationalized that it is like a birthday cake on your birthday....something extra to celebrate, she agreed and said if I wanted to buy a tree or some lights, we can definitely decorate the house a little bit. So I am not sure when we will do that, but I think we will get some lights and decorate the place a little bit. And Christmas music is going to start playing, as soon as I find some!
The last few weeks have been really great at work. There have been some struggles and differences in opinion as far as how to discipline the kids, how to position the kids and feed kids who require a lot of extra time (bottle vs spoon), but this last tuesday was the grand presentation! Gabbi and I gave a presentation on Feeding, Positioning the kids in bed, Providing extra sensation for those kids who dont respond to natural stimuli (i.e. music, lights, people around them etc...hyper and hyposensitivity), we also talked about disciplining the kids and how to re-enforce consequences when there are so many people that work with the kids and everyone has a difference of opinion. Especially for example in my case. It is tough to communicate with the kids as is, and the older ones really dont listen when I try to tell them what to do (i.e. not run in the street, pick up there garbage, dont hit other kids etc) and so it actually becomes a game for them. And everyone has a different opinion about how to have them listen, so just working through that and working with what I believe is appropriate as well. There was a lot of great conversation about all of the topics and we will see how things change....poco a poco I am assuming but still hopeful.

Last weekend I went rapelling with some friends which was sooooo much fun. I have never been and so it was a little exhilarating with a 70m drop. And yet another activity added to the list of tourist activities!! Javier my host brother came with us, but due to a slight miscommunication, he ended up coming even though he doesnt actually enjoy rapelling. I guess I forgot to actually tell him the activity when we were talking on the phone (which is really hard by the way when i can't act anything out haha)..oops again, but we went out to a movie the next day so I think it was a pretty good weekend in general. He is actually going to Guatemala for the week to play baseball so that will be pretty awesome for him, if all the paperwork goes through.

And actually tomorrow I am going to a Thanksgiving Dinner with all the American people from MCC which means I need to figure out a dish to make. Not totally sure yet as my family is sending stuffing in a care package and I plan on learning the lesson of sharing after I eat it!

So this next week will again be a transition as Gabbi has left back for the states and I am flying solo at Hogar Belen. I am a bit apprehensive about working solo with the kids, but at the same time I am thankful for the time she was here and excited for the next phase. However, I think it will be a good opportunity to get to know the ladies at Hogar Belen a little better and practice more Spanish.

FYI it is NOVEMBER

Yes another post is definitely needed. Just to clear up one thing from the last post. Gabby or Gabriella is a girl that is volunteering here for two months. It was really random and last minute how she ended up working at Hogar Belen, but she is a blessing to work with as she not only speaks and understands Spanish (she is American) but her and I get along really well and its always more fun working with kids when someone else is around to relieve you when you are a little bit stressed on patience. And we have been able to hang out after work as she lives quite close to me.
The last couple of weeks have flown by and I cannot believe it is November already! In fact the Christmas tree is up in one of the malls here....thats a little early for me, even if there was snow on the ground.

Okay so what has happened? hmm, all the ladies from MCC went up to Matagalpa for a ladies night two weekends ago which was a great time to relax, eat, make jewelery and get to know some of them a bit better. A few of us went to Selva Negra which is sort of a natural reserve area/ self sustaining community all the way from coffee plantations to a restaurant. There are also really beautiful trails to hike/walk and see some howler monkeys. Which we didnt actually see but did hear. And of course before we left we just had to try some home grown coffee ! And that Sunday was one of the families, sons 3rd birthday. So of course we celebrated and had a pinyata.

Unfortunately I was a little sick coming out of that weekend and this weekend as well. Not sure if it is the food or if I am not hydrating enough on the weekends, but its kept me from work for a couple half days. So while I sleep off whatever I have, I keep one eye open as my host dad thinks an injection shot is the cure for everything!! I have resisted him sooo far, but I am running out of excuses. haha

And this past weekend was really great. It started out with an awesome afternoon with the kids on Friday. We were told to think of a fun activity for them as Fridays we like to do something different both for the kids and the staff to enjoy. So I had some balloons which had been sent with me and so we decided to do a balloon toss with the older kids and have the younger kids just play with the water balloons.....which of course turned into a huge water fight between a few of us! Then some ladies from the community donated a Spiderman pinyata, Spiderman and Spongebob shirts for all the kids and followed it up with cake and jello! That is a good day no matter where you are working!

Saturday there was another fundraiser at the church in order to finish the floor, roof etc. This of course was a huge surprise to me as I thought there was just a drama being performed...but no, it was likely announced in church and I just happened to miss it!...again! Actually it was really great as there were a lot of specials performed (dramas and music pieces) and thankfully none of them by me...although I was told the last one went well, as I did it in both English and Spanish. Afterwards we went for pizza with my family...another surprise, but a delicious one as I could eat pizza for breakfast lunch and supper.

Sunday my host family and I went to the Masaya market for a little shopping and I wanted to buy a present for my host mom Layla as it is her Birthday on the 9th....so we got some new dancing shoes for her. Not actually for dancing, but new shoes nonetheless. The weekend was just a great time to spend with family here as I had been invited to go down to the beach with a friend but really felt like I should stick it at home for a bit. And I am definitely glad I did. I am so used to planning my own schedule and I like to be busy and doing things, but when I have slowed down is when I have had the chance to do some unexpected things...a little lesson I guess.

And yet again it is Wednesday. Time with the kids has been great...today I started writing out what I will be saying for the presentation we are giving in a couple weeks. And it looks like Friday we will be taking a few kids to the pool for some therapy. I really wish I had a bit more experience working with kids so that I could really focus on some development goals and have more of a clinical rationale behind what I am doing....but things are going well as I am learning what works best for each child, how to pace myself, and how to communicate with them.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-If you could pray for health that would be great. As I said I have been sick a few times with nausea, cramping stomach and have just been really tired. I am not too sure what it is from either.
-That God would continue to work in me. I have a lot of things to learn....generosity for one. Also prayer. I am reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller (i believe), and so far it has talked about just coming to God messy. Not worrying that your prayers arent polished or focused, just come to Him with whatever you have. And learning to live your life in constant communication with Him....which also helps in keeping your perspective on whatever moments come your way.
-That God would guide my thoughts and show me how He sees me.
BUT Thanks be to God because I have seen Him working around me in so many ways, whether providing me with supportive friends, a great conversation (in Spanish) with my host cousin or a random event to lighten my mood (like a traffic jam caused by cows crossing the road).

Hope you enjoy the read and pictures will hopefully soon come however I dont like to have my camera out with me very often and so it is difficult to download pictures at a cyber cafe.

Lots of love
amanda

Eating Papaya

No the title of this blog has nothing to do with the contents hereafter however I am currently eating papaya...first one i have ever actually bought...and it is delicious!

So the big news is that I have missed Thanksgiving :( which I wasn't too upset about until my dearly beloved family called and made me a little bit homesick and I then realized the turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie that I was missing (along with family time of course) However, after my dearly beloved niece pointed out that she ate two pieces of pie she insisted that she would tell oma to save me a piece.....so in due time I too will have my pie.

Well I have officially been gone for 10 weeks, 1/5th of the way done with 9 more months to go. This past week has been great....and exhausting! The 'regular' schedule for the week involves Monday morning and Wednesday afternoon out at a ranch where a few of the kids go horseback-riding and Friday morning out at a swimming pool for some physiotherapy, however this hasn't happened yet as they are still looking for a new therapist. Chapel is every morning at 10am with a few of the older kids and the entire staff, and other than that, the time is used up by any creative ideas we have for spending time with the kids while working on some development. For example:

Tuesday morning: some of the kids have either sensory hyper or hyposensitivity. A couple of them will just be vibrating when left alone, make noises, hand movements etc. however when we get them into our "sensory room" with lights, music and some deep pressure (really just bit bear hugs) they totally relax and chill. And another boy just hates being touched, so to work with both sides of the scale we made a bit of a sensory goolash which included cooked spaghetti, pudding, jello, and marshmallows and had some of the kids put there hands and feet in it and play with it a bit. Needless to say I was also covered with chocolate pudding by the end of the day :)

Wednesday afternoon: Gabby and I realized what it would be like to have 19 children! The other staff were having a meeting about positioning of the kids and some tips for feeding them and so Gabby and I were put in charge of the kids for two hours. They were supposed to be sleeping for half of that time.....but no such luck! Oh wow, kids climbing everywhere, running, crying, laughing....we were exhausted which the staff found hilarious as we only had to do it for a couple hours.

Apparently Fridays I am now playing guitar and doing some singing/songs with the kids. For those of you who haven't heard my skill, it involves about 5 chords with the same strumming pattern for ALL songs, none of which have a Nicaraguan beat! haha

Gabby and I were asked to do a presentation on the 15th of November for all staff which will include educating and providing suggestions for improving the childcare. So we are going to try to focus on Feeding/Positioning, general stimulation/activities for the kids and positioning for kids while they are in bed or in a chair as some of them have contractures/tight muscles in their legs. There may be a few other things we will add in as well. So that should be exciting as there are great things being done at Hogar Belen, but it's nice when they are open to suggestions!

Yesterday I had the chance to go to the Oriental Market which is the biggest in Central America. I was told it is ~100 city blocks(?). It is ginormous, but really fun as I went with Gabby and her host family. In the evening I had a chance to meet with some friends and fellow MCCers at a restaurant in Managua to listen to five famous Nicaraguan singers. Unbelievable music! And now I am heading home to prepare to sing a special in church. Each service a few people will sing or lead a song, and my host mom asked if I was going to do one sooooo, I guess I am. A little bit nervous but there isn't too much pressure...I don't think anyways. Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord is one that some people know in both Spanish and English so we'll see how that goes! haha

I hope everything is going well in Canada and that everyone had a great time with family and friends over Thanksgiving. Crazy that it's October and there isn't even snow on the ground! haha :)

Have a blessed week. Thank you for your prayers and support. It has been a great week, Spanish and relationships are coming and will continue to develop, Gracious a Dios.

much love

amanda

**having troubles loading pictures, sorry.

Just started working

So I have officially made it through hump day...thats the middle of the week, which in my books is always the toughest day to reach during a work week back home. I am really excited about working at Hogar Belen. It is going to be interesting and challenging but I will learn a lot and gain a lot of new experiences. The kids are all at really different levels. A couple have Downs Syndrome, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, some behavioural things...and others I am not totally sure. Back home I am used to having a diagnosis, a list of assessments highlighting a childs abilities and difficulties and the written out plan of action or specific goals. Here it is a little bit different. But good news is that I am getting used to taking things as they come and finding out as I go. Many of the diagnosis are not specific, and the general goal for each child is to provide them with sensory stimulation- tactile, visual, and auditory. Work on vocalizations...many understand but dont speak...which actually means they are slightly more skilled than I am! haha. But from what I can see, if I can provide them with attention, a chance to play and be a kid, and love them, then all the other things will come in time. poco a poco.

There is a girl who just started volunteering today and she is from the States. She will be here for two months and speaks Spanish! so that will help with the translation, although I definitely want to continue studying and practicing.

Hmm I am running out of time at this cyber cafe and I only have 20 cordobas with me....but please pray that God would fill me with love and compassion for these kids. I have heard it can be challenging as progress is very slow. Continued pray for learning Spanish, and that God would guide me interactions and friendships with people here as I do not feel like I am able to truly connect with people or show myself to them as I would back home. Which is frustrating, seeing how I am usually somewhat loud and chatty cathy at home.haha But it has been so encouraging to see God in day to day events. I can be having a frustrating day and then all of a sudden I have a great conversation with someone and I get excited. Oh speaking of which, fun note....I had a night of futbol and hide and seek with some of the neighbourhood teens. Super fun, and probably more exciting when you dont know what you are playing or who you are looking for for the first ten minutes! haha. Anyways, we ended up getting rained out and running home on the road which had quickly become a grand river!

Adios
amanda

more changes!

Okay so this is going to be really quick but i thought I would show some pictures of my new place and family in Esquipula. It is a town just outside of Managua and I am really excited about the change. My family is very relaxed and as our place in a bit out in the country, it is a lot quieter and safer. In fact I had the chance to go for my first run yesterday morning.....which is so great not only for exercise, but it has always been an outlet for me when i am stressed, anxious, frustrated or just need someplace to get some space.

My family Ebert and Layla, and their two sons Javier (15) and Cristopher (9) are really great and I am already starting to feel at home. Javier plays baseball and so we will be heading out to watch his game tomorrow morning, and Cristopher and I play golf as displayed in the pictures! It's unreal how four holes can be so different and challenging, but the course changes everyday depending on whether it has rained the day before.

Please pray as I have only one more week of Spanish. The communication is coming, but I have a long way to go. My family has been really encouraging in this aspect as my host dad has just told me to be relaxed about it and it will come. Javier also wants to learn more conversational English (I think for his big baseball career as he wants to play for Toronto and eventually Boston and apparently is quite good!) Anyways, I think we will get a whiteboard or something to have half english and half spanish as I am someone who definitely has to see the word in order to remember it!

Also please continue to pray that God would help me to be in the moment of each experience, conversation and relationship. I have great experiences each day, but this last week was a bit challenging. I don't know if it was a combination of being tired from not sleeping well mixed with being affected by the heat...but I found myself frustrated/overwhelmed/exhausted and continually wanting to escape and get a break. Go for coffee, meet with a friend or just read. I know none of these things are bad but I also don't want to always be "escaping." Just another thing I'm working out.

People have been asking me how God is working in me and how my devotional life is. And to be honest it's different than I thought. Although I am surrounded by a Christian community and attending church a few times a week, I haven't been able to understand the worship or message and thus haven't really felt filled. But I think God is working in me in those day to day moments. As I pray for safety, or see Him in the small things around me and asking what His purpose is for me and why He wants me here. I find I am looking for Him more in the small things and He is confirming different things to me (such as trusting Him or resting in His grace) at the same time that I am thinking or struggling with these different ideas.

Kinda make sense?! I'm not great at articulating what is happening, but at the same time I am still at the beginning stages of this learning curve...so hopefully I'll be able to be more insightful around Christmas or something.

I will try to update before then, but if not, I will be starting work at Hogar Belen on the 5th of October. Another change, more learning, and I'm sure more experiences of humility and patience. If you happen to think of me on that day it would be great if you could pray for me.

A weekend getaway

Our last night in San Juan del Sur...eating some Eskimo!
A little bump on the head from surfing....I think that means I'm a pro now! haha
And I'm up...I will continue to practice surfing so that I can be on the big waves! Might have to make a trip to Tofino, wet suit in hand!
Going our for my lesson with Frank
A parade in lieu of the National Holiday
The water came up a little faster than expected :)
Out for breakfast with Norma (Melissa's host sister), Abby and Melissa (other SALTers)
Just playing on the beach our first night in town
A beautiful sunset behind
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

*** look at these pictures in reverse order please
Well I was told there are a few people visiting this site who want to be more informed! So I will do my best to keep you all better informed...and if you do have facebook, feel free to add me as I can't upload all the pictures here.

Ah! this last weekend was a little getaway for myself, two other team members, and the host sister of one of the girls. We went down to San Juan del Sur which is on the Pacific Coast and really close to the Nicaragua- Costa Rica border. It is a bit more of a tourist town, but it is absolutely beautiful! We had a chance to go for supper and swim the first night. And here in Nicaragua, the 14th and 15th are both National Holidays....like our Canada Day, and so we were able to stay from Sunday-Tuesday afternoon.

It was really neat because you can get a thousand different answers depending on who you talk to. But thanks to the girls' spanish, the owner of the hotel actually took us down to a more private beach where it was a bit safer but absolutely beautiful to surf and swim. And so all day Monday was spent at the beach! And while I was feeling a bit disappointed that I couldn't converse as well with the Nicaraguan people in San Juan and find out great local spots....God blessed me with my own little deal as I had the chance to have a surf lesson by one of the local instructors who actually happened to be on his day off and did it for next to nothing. I don't know if that made sense but to me God was like," hey Amanda, while you are studying Spanish there are still going to be little blessings and great interactions with the Nicaraguans along the way...I'm not going to wait until you are fluent." So besides getting hit on the head with the surfboard (only a large goose-egg on my forehead), I had a great time! Normally back home I go for a run when I am feeling stressed, anxious, or just have a lot on my mind. And since it is harder to do that here in Managua, surfing was a great chance to just escape for a little bit and release some of that tension. On top of it all, the ocean is one of those places where I get a taste of God's sovereignty...He's Gi-Normous!! Really the whole weekend was a great chance to get away, journal, enjoy the sun (as I may have mentioned, the Nicaraguans think I'm crazy for sitting in the sun), and build relationships with the girls. For anyone who wants to visit....we will definitely head back there! We ended up coming back Tuesday afternoon by bus and thankfully it was a safe bus trip home.

I am back to Spanish classes this week with a renewed sense of urgency as I only have a few weeks left and really want to improve my skills not only to be a great tour guide!!...but to build relationships with the people and families here.

I will be moving out to Esquipula which is just outside of Managua. (Kind of how Abbotsford and Surrey all run into Vancouver). Anyways, I will be moving out to live with my new host family and will be residing there for the rest of the year as it is closer to Hogar Belen. So tomorrow I will be attempting to cook a Canadian meal of chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies, and salad for my current host family and giving a few gifts of appreciation for their hospitality. Please pray: As I transition, that God would bless my interactions with my current host family and that I would be able to maintain those relationships

2. That God would go before me as I go to live with my new host family, as we will be starting from square one again, which can be tough with the language barrier.

3. That God would expediate my learning...or at least give me the diligence and patience to continue studying and learning Spanish

4. That my eyes would be open to where He is working and to how He wants to work in me.

5. Oh, and also that I would have wisdom to know when to take a rest to rejuvenate and get some time away (even for an afternoon), and when to stay in those sometimes uncomfortable places. For example, I don't always want to be running to spend time with American friends, or grabbing a coffee, or going to a cyber cafe to chat with friends and family. Although it is easier, I do want to get to know my family, the day to days of life...and be open for God to grow and change me as I go through those ups and downs throughout the days and weeks.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts