Karla in her little uniform for the opening ceremonies....we've had some issues with poo the last two times I've worked with her. Haha, character building I guess (for me)
Some of the staff at Hogar Belen. It was Dia de las mujeres! Day of the Women....something I am definitely bringing home to Canada!!
Costa Rica: Beautiful falls
Haha, and this is the highway at the border!! Please notice three lanes of traffic (one passing through the center of the other two) and heaps of people all trying to get it flowing!
Lunch break after a very long day of driving!!
Wow I think I am actually getting worse at updating this blog. The last time I wrote I had just had a crazy week with my sister....and now I have just had an amazing week with my mom and her husband. The month of march has honestly just flown by. I have been working (I promise). At the end of February we had a big opening ceremony for a new home in Diriamba. It is an orphanage sponsored by Mustard Seed Communities as well. It is actually where all the older kids are (the ones that came in December for a month) right now. It was really neat to see how many people are behind the homes and supporting the work being done. There were visitors from Jamaica (as Mustard Seed also has homes there), and the U.S. that had all come down for the ceremony. So all the kids got into their little uniforms and we took off for Diriamba which is about half an hour away from Hogar Belen. The place will be great once it is done, and they are trying to work with the psychologist, nurse, physio, and teacher in order to implement some activities there.
Work has been going really well. Definitely still some frustrations but I think that goes for work and life anywhere. As a whole it has been going well. We have had a lot of groups coming in for a morning or an afternoon and actually we currently have about 10 physiotherapy students coming in Mon-Tues morning to work as part of their practicum. So that will be a good opportunity for them, for the kids, and for us as staff. Now I just have to practice more Spanish so that I can explain what and why I do what I do. (tough to tell if they are nodding their head and smiling, or if they really understand but are just shy, maybe a mix).
The weekend before my mom came, a friend of mine from Canada happened to be in Nicaragua. He is traveling through Central America and stopped by in San Juan del Sur. I had a chance to go down for the weekend and spend some time with him which was really great. Not only to spend time with a friend but also speak English with a guy who is really respectful and has no alternative motives (that maybe sounds bad, but unfortunately it's often the case here) We've been friends for awhile and you don't realize how much you miss those old friends....until they are here and gone.
Speaking of here and gone....mom and Rob were here and now they are gone. I was good until she said "see you in a few months," then I just started to cry. But it was such a great time to see them. It was a really busy week though. They flew in on Saturday the 20th and we spent that evening and the next day with my family. Monday we did a quick visit at Hogar Belen....and then the adventures started. Thankfully we rented a car so we made a lot of ground in a really short time. We had a chance to go to Granada and visit Volcan Masaya (it is still active and emits sulphurous gases). Later on we walked through a tunnel which was melted out by lava. Fortunately it is only frequented by bats now. Might I add that in the first three days, I was stopped by the police 3 times without reason! It was started to get humorous so the 4th time I asked them for directions. At least I know the routine now, and I apparently have triangles and a fire extinguisher in the back which was good to know. Thank you Nicaraguan police for being worried about my safety.
Wednesday-Friday we headed to La Isla de Ometepe. It is a huge island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, made out of two volcanoes, Volcan Concepcion and Volcan Maderas. Concepcion actually started spitting out some fumes about 5 days before we got there. Thankfully that's the extent of the activity (although on the roads there are signs that say "ruta de evacuacion"....all heading to the water, whichever shore is closer I guess.) The roads were nothing less than shocking! haha, Rob felt like he was in a mixmaster in the back seat. HUGE rocks and potholes....non dodge-able. It was fun after I got the hang of it though (I was the chauffeur for the week). We stayed at a beautiful place called Totoco Eco-Lodge, with a view of both coasts and Volcan Concepcion. And somehow I was treated to my own cabin with an outdoor shower, hot water, and an amazing view of the stars (i showered more than necessary, only to take full advantage of previously stated perks). The hotel was just opened a few years ago and it is amazing to see how the owners are both running a hotel but also starting community programs, and working to re-use water, utilize the land while also planting and building up the eco-system that was there...before it was all cut down.
Thursday we took a hike to San Ramon falls. It was a long hot hike with a small waterfall at the end but I really enjoyed it. Any chance to get some exercise, with a refreshing swimming hole at the end....and I'm in. Later on we went kayaking on Lake Nicaragua and then entered into a little river estuary type thing. It was absolutely beautiful. There were wild birds, approximately 8 little crocodiles (that we saw) and beautiful flowers and trees everywhere! It was unreal.
Friday we headed to Monteverde, Costa Rica. We had a little stop on the side of the road to walk to some amazing waterfalls, then headed up into the hills of Monteverde. It is actually really similar to Banff I think, and cold!! I'm a Canadian girl through and through so I can handle the cold, but it's been a few months since I have been in weather below 20C, so I took full advantage of layering up my clothes. It was a really quick trip to Costa Rica but again we took full advantage. We did a suspension bridge tour through the cloud forest and then mom and I went zip-lining through the forest. It was unreal and beautiful. Later on we followed it up with a most interesting coffee tour.
Unfortunately after a long day of driving yesterday, I had to drop them off at the airport this morning. God blessed our path the entire way and put amazing people along our path. From the random (and multiple) people on the side of the street that I had to ask for directions from, to the guys that helped us across the border, and others that gave me VIP parking :) Everything worked out so well and the week was a huge blessing.
This week is the beginning of Semana Santa or Holy Week. The kids are off school for the week and we all have a half day Wed and then the rest of the week off. It is a great time for everyone to go to the beach...but I've been spending a lot of time at the beach and feel like I need to stick around and spend a little more time with my family and community here in Esquipulas. They are all doing really well and my relationship with them continues to grow as they encourage me in different areas of life, set examples for me from marriage to walking with God, and talk out some difficult situations/relationships with me.
I've been struggling a bit with some ongoing issues which is a bit frustrating as I of course wanted to have dealt with them by now, but they apparently weren't left at the border so I will definitely be trying to use this next few days to journal, pray, and refocus. I still want to use this year to be intentional about seeking God, immersing myself into the lives and culture here and pouring into the lives of the kids at work (sometimes the poo and crying makes me forget to be gracious and patient). Although I have become comfortable with the day to day, I don't want to get back into the day to day habits that I've had before. I also really want to be accountable to your prayer and support as I know there are so many people that are praying and have been encouraging me throughout this entire process...thank you so much. I think God is working in me, sometimes it's hard to see and a lot of times I get in the way, but let's all just pray that He keeps at it :)
There are only about 4 more months left and the time is going to fly by. April 12-14th we have some team meetings in Matagalpa, more in May and June (June involves a trip to Honduras to meet with all the MCC teams from Central America. There may be a few more visitors scattered across the way as well.
I hope you are all doing well. I hear the weather is warming up at least a little bit.
Have a great Easter!
amanda
