May ’12 Highlights (Photo Blog)

    

We started our month with a New Song staff meeting in the mountains of Matagalpa. We spent a couple days just hanging out, drinking coffee, going to the gym, enjoying the beautiful mountains and time together. I love that we really enjoy being together as a staff!! I know that’s a rare and beautiful gift.
    When it came time to actually meet together as a staff to plan for this next year, we decided that we needed to go out to Selva Negra and meet by the lake (staff meeting at the beautiful lake pictured right- picture by Whitney Foreman). If you’re going to be in super long meetings than you need to be in the beauty of nature! We met for over four hours; laughing together, sharing our hearts and passions, and talking about where the mission is headed.
    I believe that the Lord is going to do such amazing things in New Song during this next year!! He is moving in the mission. Healing is coming to hearts, the youth are maturing in their relationship with the Lord, and programs are growing. Also, the Lord is about to lead several new people here to work with us over the next few months. Be praying for our growing staff and for the mission itself. It’s going to be such a good year; I just know it!   

   I love seeing how our student sponsorship program not only provides educational opportunities, but is also giving children access to free medical and dental care through our New Song Clinic (To see more on our clinic, watch our clinic video).

   This month several of our sponsored students came to the clinic to receive medical or dental care (Esmeralda and her mom pictured right with the doctor at the New Song clinic). This service helps improve their overall health and also helps them maintain more consistent attendance in school.

   Welcome back rainy season!! Yes, it’s my favorite time of year here in Nica. The long-awaited moment when the first rains arrive after months and months of increasingly hot weather. I love to see how the vibrant greens of the landscape return after only one or two downpours. I love the sudden torrential rains and how it can change your entire day at a moment’s notice. I love playing in the rain and jumping in mud puddles with my beautiful neighborhood kids. I love getting the first mud hug of the year from Rosita. I love watching the lightening streak across the sky and hearing thunder so loud that the shakes the entire house. I love watching storms roll in from a distance. I love falling asleep to the sound of rain beating against the tin roof of our house. I love riding my bike home in the pouring rain after a hot afternoon under the Nicaraguan sun. I just honestly love rainy season!!! I know some people find it inconvenient, but it fills my heart with joy (Pictured left-all decked out in my rain jacket and my awesome new rain boots- thanks momma!)

   For those of you who don’t know, Nicaragua only has two seasons: rainy and dry. It rains EVERY day from mid-May to mid-November and then we won’t see a drop of rain for the next six months (mid-November to mid-May). I become so excited when I know that dry season is drawing to an end and the rains are coming again. Like I said, I LOVE RAINY SEASON!!! So, I welcome it back with open arms.  

   I have really enjoyed teaching English to my kids in Nuevo Amanecer. I feel like they are beginning to catch on and understand more English. I am really proud to start seeing some real progress. Earlier this month Ramon’s mom told me that his English grades in school have improved dramatically since beginning to take our English classes. His teacher even asked what he had been doing to improve his grades. I am so proud of him!! (Ramon pictured right). I’m anxious to see how the kids will continue to grow in their English skills as our classes continue.   

   I experienced a fun cultural experience this month attending the circus with some of my youth (Principe circus- pictured left). Rosita and I were so excited from the first moment that we saw the circus tents. We were searching for a way to go together. I really just wanted to attend to see culturally what circuses were like here in Nicaragua. I went to the circus one Friday night with Rosita, Gabriela, and Jose (Rosita and I pictured below right at the circus with our cotton candy). We had a great time together! The circus here seems to be completely family-run. It turns out to be mostly clown acts. It’s interesting to see how cultural humor is. I could see a definite Nicaraguan flair in the type of clown humor. We were laughing and joking that since this is a family-run circus that the Vega family should start their own circus in Candelaria. Of course they all said that they would be too scared to do the giant swing and high-flying circle acts. I told Rosita that when I was younger, I always said that if I were in a circus I would want to be a trapeze artist. We decided since I’m an honorary Vega, the swing and circle acts would be mine in our Candelaria circus.  

    One of the most exciting parts of this month has been watching the Lord work to provide land for my future children’s home. I think you all know that I have a dream to BE family for the orphaned, abandoned, neglected, and abused. Over the past several months, I have been working towards starting a foster care home here in the Chichigalpa area. This month, the Lord brought me to the land where the children’s home will be (praying over the land- pictured left). I discovered this particular plot of land through my friends Julia & Esly. It is located in Wells, another one of the barrios of Chichigalpa, between Candelaria and Chichigalpa. It seems to be a perfect location for this children’s home. I walked the land, and knew that it would be my home. I began to raise $3000 needed to buy two neighboring plots of land (total of 16×20 meters). You responded with unbelievable generosity and money poured in for this project. (To read more, read: Crossing the Jordan & Entering the Land and Resting in HIS Favor.) I am currently negotiating to buy the land in Wells and planning for the upcoming children’s home. The Lord spoke clearly a couple months ago, telling me that it was time to move forward in this dream (read My Journey: First Fruits of Spring). As I have begun to step out in faith, He has poured forth His favor in abundance. I love just watching and being amazed at what He does next. Pray that I will have the land in my name soon so that I can move forward with the next step in the process.

    One of my sweet Sunday school girls, Gissel, came to spend Sunday afternoon with me. (To read more on Gissel’s family read When Life is Hard… There is Hope Part 3). Her mom just left for Costa Rica to find work. She didn’t want to leave her girls, but work has been so hard to find and finally made it impossible for her to stay in Nicaragua. Nidia (Gissel’s momma) asked me to check in on Gissel after she left. Gissel had been struggling last year with anorexia. She has been seeing a counseling and is doing much better. However, Nidia feared that her daughter would relapse without her mom. I started meeting with Gissel just to see how she is doing, to talk to her about her eating disorder and her family, and to pray with and encourage her. After just chatting at Sunday school I invited Gissel to come and spend the whole afternoon hanging out with me (Gissel and me pictured above right). We had the best time together!! We walked all through Candelaria and Chichigalpa talking about life, school, friends, her family, her dreams and her fears. I just loved getting to hear her heart.

    We walked to see the land where my children’s home will be located. She has already asked to have a sleepover at the house once it is built! Then we kept walking farther into town until we arrived at the main park in town. Once there, it seemed like a perfect idea to stop for ice cream sundaes (beautiful Gissel pictured left with her ice cream sundae). We ate and laughed and talked for over an hour. Once we finished with our ice cream, Gissel wanted me to help her make a mother’s day craft for her grandma (who is now caring for Gissel while her mom is in Costa Rica) like I used to do with my students in Atlanta. So, we walked back to my house, raided a few items from the Sunday school bodega, and made a little craft for her grandma. She has already asked if she can come back next Sunday afternoon and make picture frames with a picture of the two of us. I have a feeling that this may become a weekly date for the next 6 months or so until her mom’s return.     

    We were so blessed to have the Batzell family visiting with us this month. Linda and Brian and their son Nathan were here at New Song for a week (Batzell family pictured left). They are such a precious family! They are some of the most generous people that I have ever met. They are so in love with the Lord and live in constant gratitude of His provision. They were here running outreach clinics in Santa Matilde and Nuevo Amanecer. I just enjoyed getting to spend the week with them.

    Of course, I almost always include sweet moments with Katalin Adaya in my month highlights! One night we had a talent show with the youth and Jasmina brought Katalin to watch. I got to spend most of the evening with my precious girl. I walked around with Katalin on my hip, fed her banana (which she loves!), comforted her when she cried, and made her laugh (Katalin’s precious laugh pictured right). I just cannot get enough time with this beautiful girl!! I love holding her, playing with her, and praying over her life. I just adore my sweet goddaughter!

    This month I have been traveling to all of our outreach villages to meet with our sponsored students there and see how they are doing in their classes. It has been wonderful to be with the kids from each outreach village (meeting with our sponsored students in La Isla- pictured left). I love connecting with each of our students individually, hearing about their classes and their lives, and encouraging them in their studies. The high school age children in La Isla are now entering into time of greater difficulty arriving to school each day because they have to walk through the river in order to get to their schools in Chichigalpa. As the rains come more frequently, the river becomes less and less passable. I also traveled out to Santa Matilde with Pastor Walter to visit our sponsored students in that village (visiting with Nuvia, Luis, & Josue- pictured right). These children are so precious! I loved hearing about their classes, smiling and laughing with them, praying over the ones who are sick, and finding out an additional needs that can be met through our sponsorship program. It was especially good to meet with Josue because a couple weeks ago, he was in our clinic with an abscess in his tooth. When I went to visit at his home, he was now pain free! It’s so good to see tangible difference that our sponsorship program is making in the lives of these children!

    We are so excited that Patrick has come back to Nicaragua to work with us (Patrick and Whit pictured left)! Diego met Patrick while he was traveling in Costa Rica. Patrick was really interested in the work that we were doing at New Song and wanted to come and check it out. So, he came down for a few weeks in March/April. Patrick is a massage therapist and while he was visiting, he realized that several of the youth had an interest in learning massage. He began teaching classes and giving the youth skills that they could use to start their own small business. The youth were so excited to begin learning these skills. Shortly after Patrick returned to the States in April, Diego was able to buy a massage table in Leon that would allow the youth to begin giving massages as a source of income.
    After only three weeks back in the States, Patrick decided that he wanted to come back and continue his work with the youth. He has returned for at least 3 months to continue teaching the youth more about massage (Rosita and Gema pictured right blessing some of the women from our church by giving them massages). He is currently offering classes four days a week for any of the youth who are interested in learning and searching for certification programs for the ones who would like to continue in massage. We are so excited to have Patrick back working with us! He is such a great fit with our staff, the youth really enjoy him, and he is able to use his talents to provide the youth with an opportunity to provide for themselves and their families.   

   Patrick, Whit, and I went to Matagalpa to visit with my dear friend, Melissa. She is running a foster care home there in Matagalpa (check out her blog). She and I share so much of the same heart. It’s been great being able to share information about life in Nica and the process of opening a foster home and to encourage one another in our ministries. We had a wonderful time spending the weekend with Melissa. I just love her! We also decided to take her out for a special Mother’s day dinner to celebrate her first mother’s day in Nicaragua. We got all dressed up and went out for a steak dinner in Matagalpa. It was a wonderful night sitting on the balcony of the steakhouse overlooking Matagalpa, eating incredible food, and spending time with some amazing people (pictured above left the ladies all dressed up for dinner). Then we came back to Melissa’s house and made delicious cake (Whit, Patick, and I sitting on Melissa’s kitchen floor eating cake- pictured right) and spent the evening laughing, singing, and eating in the kitchen. We loved getting to help Melissa celebrate her first mother’s day and to celebrate for ourselves all the beautiful children that the Lord allows Whit and I to be surrogate mommas to here in Candelaria.