hi jaelyn began here! thought that maybe some of you parents might be tired of old jimbo giving you the scoop on whats going on so i thought i might as well tell you some things from a students perspective :] tonight was the night of all nights the guys and a couple girls including myself took out the locals we're working with to a nicaraguan restaurant that is right on the beach. we learned how to have a fiesta and enjoy good relationships and friends! i couldn't have asked for a better night. meanwhile we're all saying our goodbye's and wishing we didn't have to go. :[ it's really really sad to say goodbye to everyone we've bonded with. :[ but we're looking forward to what will happen in managua. prayers are helping keep everyone strong.
GOD BLESS!
jaelyn
Friday, July 18, 2008
Up early -
Breakfast at 6:00. Kids are in good spirits!
Sat on the veranda this morning watching the wind whip the palm leaves. Looks like a storm is coming.
Yesterday we visited a more remote village. Like going back a hundred years...
Women carried firewood on their backs with a strap that went across their forehead.
Primitive outdoor kitchen in the center of the village where a woman was baking. Small pigs asleep under the kitchen table.
Once again, the locals were warm, friendly, welcoming.
Last night we attended a worship service with the kids from the orphanage. Our group split up and sat with the locals.
After services, someone found a broom and started a limbo competition. The little kids loved it. The big kids loved it. The adults loved it. Amazing how much fun you can have with a broom stick.
Thank you for your prayers!
Love ya -
jim
Sat on the veranda this morning watching the wind whip the palm leaves. Looks like a storm is coming.
Yesterday we visited a more remote village. Like going back a hundred years...
Women carried firewood on their backs with a strap that went across their forehead.
Primitive outdoor kitchen in the center of the village where a woman was baking. Small pigs asleep under the kitchen table.
Once again, the locals were warm, friendly, welcoming.
Last night we attended a worship service with the kids from the orphanage. Our group split up and sat with the locals.
After services, someone found a broom and started a limbo competition. The little kids loved it. The big kids loved it. The adults loved it. Amazing how much fun you can have with a broom stick.
Thank you for your prayers!
Love ya -
jim
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Note from Susie
i really don't have much to say except for my praise to God for yesterday. when the day started, moral was pretty low because of the girls' bites and the lack of tools, but our kind and gracious hosts told us after lunch that we could go to the beach. the ocean provided some group healing, as God often uses water for that purpose.
last night we learned from Anne, a missionary here who is from Newburg, OR. she is helping women here build a financial life by giving them $75 trust loans, which means that if one doesn't pay back, everyone has to compensate for her's. it sounds like they have a pretty tight nit group. they meet once a week religiously and some of the women walk 3 miles into town to come. they are learning to have their own business, they make tortillas, and other things to sell. the community is so poor, but there is a redeeming spirit that surrounds Verbo Church.
the girls are up, smiling.
another great breakfast, and another great day ahead of us.
love - susie
last night we learned from Anne, a missionary here who is from Newburg, OR. she is helping women here build a financial life by giving them $75 trust loans, which means that if one doesn't pay back, everyone has to compensate for her's. it sounds like they have a pretty tight nit group. they meet once a week religiously and some of the women walk 3 miles into town to come. they are learning to have their own business, they make tortillas, and other things to sell. the community is so poor, but there is a redeeming spirit that surrounds Verbo Church.
the girls are up, smiling.
another great breakfast, and another great day ahead of us.
love - susie
It's early,...
...quiet except for the sound of the pouring rain.
The kids are tired - all still asleep.
The other day, when we were in a remote village building houses, several things struck me -
*The gentle patience of our hosts.
*Jaelyn had several mentors that taught her to drive a nail. It took multiple tries to bring one in in 5 strokes and when she did, their was a round of genuine cheers!
*Sean, Sam and Louis spent a day and a half with a crew that spoke no English. By day two, they had become a tight knit roofing machine. They bonded fast - mutual respect, brotherly love.
One constant here is the poverty. Even our empty water bottles are coveted. People live in shacks we wouldn't use as sheds in our back yards.
God is reveling things to us here about Him, us and our hosts in a way that is only possible through immersion in the culture.
Thank you for making this possible.
love, jim
The kids are tired - all still asleep.
The other day, when we were in a remote village building houses, several things struck me -
*The gentle patience of our hosts.
*Jaelyn had several mentors that taught her to drive a nail. It took multiple tries to bring one in in 5 strokes and when she did, their was a round of genuine cheers!
*Sean, Sam and Louis spent a day and a half with a crew that spoke no English. By day two, they had become a tight knit roofing machine. They bonded fast - mutual respect, brotherly love.
One constant here is the poverty. Even our empty water bottles are coveted. People live in shacks we wouldn't use as sheds in our back yards.
God is reveling things to us here about Him, us and our hosts in a way that is only possible through immersion in the culture.
Thank you for making this possible.
love, jim
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Yesterday our team learned...
...the poorest of the poor live in this part of the country:
*family of 7 living on $2/day
*one meal per day - rice & beans, some milk
*almost no med facilities
*children dying daily of diarrhea
*50% of teenage girls pregnant
*aids on the upswing
Yet, you see JOY in the children's faces when our kids interact with them and the gratitude of the woman yesterday as we finished a new house for her was overwhelming...
It's a BEAUTIFUL country!
This trip has pulled hard on our heart strings. No one will be able to forget what we've seen and experienced.
God has blessed us with this opportunity. It has strengthened my resolve to find ways to serve Him.
Miss you guys,
jim
*family of 7 living on $2/day
*one meal per day - rice & beans, some milk
*almost no med facilities
*children dying daily of diarrhea
*50% of teenage girls pregnant
*aids on the upswing
Yet, you see JOY in the children's faces when our kids interact with them and the gratitude of the woman yesterday as we finished a new house for her was overwhelming...
It's a BEAUTIFUL country!
This trip has pulled hard on our heart strings. No one will be able to forget what we've seen and experienced.
God has blessed us with this opportunity. It has strengthened my resolve to find ways to serve Him.
Miss you guys,
jim
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Good morning from Nicaragua
6:30 am. Cup of coffee. Seems I'm the first one out. Sitting in the kitchen. Rained all night. Had the luxury of a bed. Cold water shower. Our hosts are setting up for breakfast.
Long day yesterday. Only small glitch was Sean forgetting his passport. His mom showed up in the nick of time and saved the day. The entire team made it out together.
Flights to Nicaragua uneventful. On the first leg out, I sat forward and waited for everyone to depart. You wouldn't believe how many passengers stopped to complement me on how great the kids were. Seems they shared the mission of the trip with everyone who would listen.
Had a fun flight from Manuagua to Porto Cabasis in an antique 12 seater plane (took three to get us here). Flew above the jungle and landed safely. Praise God.
We're staying on a large church compound in the middle of town. Our hosts are most gracious. Greeted with a snack of tortillas, beans and shredded cheese. When we arrived it was muggy - 190% humidity.
Roosters, parrots and dogs roam the compound.
Had a great dinner by candlelight last night - the power went out for 6+ hours.
Prayer time outside at 8:00 when a cool breeze picked up. All made it to bed early.
The troops are in good spirits. An amazing group of kids. All are well and excited about the prospects of the coming week.
God is good.
Jim
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