Back tracking day 1 - Sandino Monument

After our meeting on the first day we had lunch and then had met with Aynn Setright to find out about the history of Nicaragua.  After that we headed out to Managua for a quick view of the city (after the tour of the city on Wednesday I should have more photos).  This is a few photos of the view near the Sandino memorial.

 

 

 



After a quick visit to the Sandino Memorial we headed to Esperanza en Accion to see how they were helping local artisans to have a place to sell their wares at a fair wage.  I had setup  link in a previous post which would take you to more information on Esperanza en Accion.

Back tracking day 1 - Carl and Leslie

As you remember from an earlier post we had a get together the first morning to discuss some of the history of Cepad and had a visit from Rev. Dr. Leslie Clay and Carl Agsten.  Yelba Rivera also joined us.  I've also included a link for Doug Orbaker so you read more information on him and what he has done.  Here are a few pics from that meeting.

 

 

 

Well it's time to eat.  More info and photos to follow...



Back tracking day 1

I thought since we have a little time to relax, I would go back over the past few days and try to catch up on some of the things that went on and share some pictures with you.  Here are some pictures from Friday morning after our first nights stay in Nicaragua.

 

A view of the courtyard.  This is where we gather for our breakfast, lunch, and

dinner while we are at Cepad Nehemias.

 

 

 

Another shot of the courtyard.

 

 

In this view you can see the nice relaxing atmosphere they have created

here for the guest and a glance to the left at Tepito the parrot.  I'm not

sure if I've spelled his name right or not.  Apparently he's been here quite a while.  As Doug put it, "He was here when I got here".

 

 

 

 

He must be very shy.  According to Carl if you're willing to hang around him for about 15 or 20 minutes he may open up and say "Hola". 

 

 

 

Say "Hola" to Tepito. 

 

 

 

Had to include a shot of Blanca.  She's very friendly and likes to siesta.

 

 

 

Here's a shot of the room 4 of the men stays in while at Cepad Nehemias.  There isn't any air conditioning but we have some windows you can see above the beds and we have 2 fans blowing constantly but they're not in the shot.

 

 

 

Another shot of the room.  That's Todd in the background getting ready for the day.

 

Home away from home.

 

 

 

All the accommodations you need.  The shower only has knob to turn the water on and only one temperature; cool.  Not freezing cold, not warm, not hot, just cool.  The funny thing is that it actually feels pretty good when you're starting out the day.  It made me to start wondering why in the world I have to have the water so warm when I take showers back home because this actually feels better to me.

 

 

 

Well hopefully this will give you a quick idea of Cepad Nehemias.  Once we get all the pictures together, we'll share them with you.



Back from the mountains

In a word... WOW!  I'm not sure if there are enough words, I'm not sure if there are enough pictures.  Amazing.  I've seen poor before and actually THOUGHT I myself had experienced it at earlier points in my life.  WRONG!!!  I've seen somewhat difficult conditions before or at least what we might consider difficult.  But I'm not sure if I've seen as much hope and faith in God before within people living in those conditions.  For some reason visions of the early pioneers come to mind.  Difficult conditions but plenty of determination and innovation.  I'm not sure my writing could capture the feelings of what everyone felt or experienced but over the course of the next week or so we will try to with words and pictures.  As a matter of fact, when we get all the pictures together, I will try to show some of the ones that hopefully will capture some of the experience we felt within our hearts. 

Today we will be leaving after breakfast to head out to a women's sewing co-op and then stopping by another school (we had stopped by an elementary school while in the mountains in the Matasano community which I will share later on).  I will say bye for now and later take time and start sharing more.

Dios bendiga - God bless you

A trip into the mountains

This morning around 8:30 we will be heading out to Matagalpa.

We will be in a more mountainous region and not sure of how communications will be so bear with us.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

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Espreranza en Accion

Yesterday afternoon we got on a van and went for a small tour of the city.  Afterwards we visited a small store where they sold coffee and various items made by some local artisans.  We listened intently as the manager told us how the artisans would make their wares.  Every word she spoke was in Spanish and Doug translated as she spoke.  One thing was clear though, and you don't need a translator for this.  She enjoyed and had a passion for what she did there.  You could see the joy in her face and hear the enthusiasm in her voice.  And no wonder.  They were helping to make a difference in people's lives.  I have setup  a link that will hopefully give you an idea of what they do there and how they are helping people better their lives.  Just click here on Esperanza en Accion.

It was also amazing to see some of the artisan's tools.  She showed us stones that were used for shaping, sponges for painting, and even bicycle tire spokes that had been ground down and fashioned into various sized scribes for etching designs into the clay.  Innovative.

One thing I have found here is that although this is a poor country, they don't sit around waiting for hand-outs.  Everyday I've been here, I've seen people trying to make a living and other people who are trying to help them make a living.  Where do we fit into the mix?  What is God calling us to do in light of the things we've saw?  The story continues...

A walking encyclopedia

A walking encyclopedia on the history of Nicaragua - that's about the only way I could describe Aynn Setright, our afternoon speaker.  As a matter of fact, that may even be a disservice to Aynn because an encyclopedia just doesn't have the passion or way of bringing out the information as Aynn did.  Thank you Aynn.  Discovery, Spanish influence, political wars, revolution, influence from the church,... kind of like watching a video of a child being born into the world and watching as it goes from its first steps, first day of school, and on into high school. You not only feel like you know the facts but you feel like you've got to witness the growing pains that has made Nicaragua the country it is today.  Lord, as Aynn has helped us to see the story of Nicaragua, help us to try to see the story of all we meet.  Help us not to be judgmental of anyone without being willing to hear their story.