Thanksgiving Day - Nicaragua style 11.28.14

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Day!  We did not have turkey - but we had a full day of activities with the special people of our lives in Bluefields.

We started by going to the Moravian Church where Dr. Bernardeth was having a conference with 25 midwives from many different villages along the river.  Adrian had taken a medical river trip last weekend - 7 hours up river - and as he came back, picked up midwives/medical person of their village.  They all spoke Miskito - one of the indigenous languages in Nicaragua.  Bernardeth asked if I would lead them with devotions and Adrian would translate.  I was blessed was a beautiful experience of sharing God's word with believers in a different language.  They were all so attentive, shaking their heads in agreement.  I told them that we would pray for them with all of the medical difficulties that happen with little or no medicine and none of them are trained professionals.  I asked if they would pray for us and our church in Michigan and they all responded enthusiastically - Yes. 

leading devotions with Adrian

The midwives

 After devotions, we went to the Comedor where we had our Thanksgiving Dinner - rice, beans, beef, bananas

After we served lunch and cleaned up at the Comedor, we were invited to attend a 9th grade graduation of 2 children who live at the Tabitha's House.  Kenan and Jolexyi.

Kenan and Jolexyi

This girl asked Peter and Jack if her mom could take a picture of them with her!

Ana and Shayan at graduation

Typical shoes of women in Bluefields, dressed up for graduation.

Friday - November 28th - We went to the Central Park in Bluefields this morning.  actually it is the only park in Bluefields. There were swings, slides and playground equipment.  They were getting ready for Christmas and the ice cream man was selling ice cream in the shape of a Christmas tree!

 Since it barely rained today - everyone was doing wash and hanging it out to dry.  Can you image drying 10 pairs of jeans on the line? and white t-shirts?

 We also took the bus today.  It was a good experience. The red buses head downtown.

Our street is almost dry with little mud since we have had 2 days with only a little bit of rain

Tabitha Homes

     Every day we go and help at the Comedor from 11:00am - 2:00pm.  We also spend time with the children from the Tabitha Homes, either before or after the Comedor.  The children from the Tabitha Homes are children that either are orphans or have been in abusive situations.  Bluefield's Children Social Services asks the Moravian Church (Bernardeth and Adrian) if they can take a child into the home.  There are currently 5 boys in the Boy's Home. and 7 girls in the Girl's Home.  We help them with homework, do crafts, play games and just love on them.  Ana and Peter really like playing with the children from these homes and could spend hours with them everyday. Some of the children speak some English. Most speak Spanish.  Each home has a house mother that takes care of the children.
Miss Mary is at the Boy's home. Miss Bernice is at the girl's home. The children go to school everyday.  The homes have no running water, but do have an outside well where they get their water. The children pull up many buckets of water everyday to shower, cook, wash clothes, shoes and flush toilets.  Each bathroom has a big pail of water - with a smaller bowl in the water to either scoop water to flush a toilet or to pour over your head to shower.  This is the case for 95% of the homes in Bluefields.  Our apartment has a tank on the roof - so we do have running water and showers - slow gravity brings the water through the pipes.  The children have multiple chores everyday - clean, sweep and mop floors (so much dust, mud and dirt daily on all tiles floors), wash and hang up to dry their own clothes, help in the kitchen, clean bathrooms, etc. 

The Girl's Homes - 2 story on a steep hill

Ana making Rainbow Loom bracelets with Yuveisi, Eva and Shayan

Jack and Ebi

Peter and Alcira

The Boy's Home - 1 story small home

Peter, Miss Mary, Kenan, Jack, Melburn, Darriel and Ebi

Miss Mary, the house mother, helping Darriel with homework

Chelsea washes her shoes everyday

Peter helping Melburn with math. Math is a universal language!

Making Rainbow Loom bracelets with the boys - they loved it!

Running in Bluefields 11/25/14

We finally have internet today.  We have been without for a few days - so that is why all the posts.

Running in Bluefields.

Before coming to Bluefields, I knew that not many people run. I was even hesitant to bring my running clothes, not knowing the city and safety.  Dave and I brought them anyway.
Running is hard; it is 80 degrees and 100% humidity in the morning.   Bluefields is hilly, the streets are always wet and slippery b/c of the daily rain, and taxis and people on the street.  So we run from 5:45am - 6:30am. If we run earlier, I am scared b/c there are not enough people outside and there are enough men just hanging around that make me nervous (they whistle at you).   If we run later, we'll be run over by a taxi or too many people on the sidewalk.
Yesterday, as I was running, I met someone else running and he said he was running around the block.  He said there were many people running around the Central Park.  I went there, and sure enough, there were people jogging around the park, around and around. There were also a few men practicing their boxing. So, we have learned that some people do jog, but around Central Park, not necessarily on the streets. I also saw a lady, in pants and a hat, jogging around a small soccer/basketball court  1/4 mile from our apartment.

1/3 of a mile walk/run to the main road

The wet and slippery streets of Bluefields

Up and down, hill after hill after hill

Bowls and Spoons for the Comedor 11/25/14

Bernardeth and Adrian asked if we would bring 60 bowls and 4 dozen spoons for the comedor.  The students at South Olive Christian School collected money to purchase new bowls and spoons because there were many cracked bowls  and plastic spoons the comedor was using. They were so happy that we brought new bowls and spoons.  Now they have enough good bowls and spoons for everyone.
The comedor says " Thank You" to the children at South Olive Christian School.
Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!

Bowls purchased by SOCS!  Thank you!

Jack's job every day at Comedor - rinsing bowls.

My Little Missionary 11/25/2014

Peter enjoys being in Bluefields. He enjoys school.  He enjoys playing with the boys and girls at the comedor and Tabitha Homes.  He asks consistently to go to their homes and play.  He enjoys trying to talk in Spanish/English with the kids.  He isn't afraid to use sign language to try and speak (instead of waiting to ask me).  He enjoys buying a Coke along the street as we walk. He enjoys watching a high-school girls basketball game.
As we walked to the main road this morning for him to take a taxi to school, I told him maybe he would be a missionary some day.

The one who protested the most to come to Nicaragua, is enjoying it the most.

Saturday's Adventure 11.22.14

       Midweek, we were asked by the family living on the main floor of the house if our family would like to do something on Saturday with them.  We said "sure".  "What is it that you have planned?"  That is when the adventure began.  You see, visiting a finca means nothing to me, especially when it is a finca that their friend in Virginia owns and you must take a panga because it is on the ocean.  OK, lets piece this together, finca means farm and panga is a boat.  This is about as clear as all the mud here.
Saturday morning arrives and Amy and I go to market with Dina at 6:30am to buy fish, pineapple, pop, limes etc for the day.  Packing a daypack, we head down the dirt road 1/4 mile to the dock at 8:00am.

Sylvia in the tan shirt

    We climbed in the large canoe style panga and off we went. Miss Sylvia said, "We are on an adventure."  The first part of the adventure is getting in the tippy boat.  Then on the way, the rain began to fall so we all held a piece of black plastic the length of the boat over our heads. After about 45 minutes with a 9.9hp engine, we had to travel through a very narrow passage cut and dug out by hand through the mangroves for 3/4 mile.  Finally, the finca came in view.  A house with several crops (pineapple, yucca, bananas, coconuts, sugar cane)and some chickens and dogs. 

Narrow passage dug by hand

 
The farm borders the Atlantic Ocean and the beach was beautiful. 

While we enjoyed swimming and playing on the beach, an authentic Nicaraguan meal of rice, fried yucca and fish was being prepared by Dina and Jose's wife.

Dogs and chickens looking for scraps

 

Beach at the finca

 Jose is the caretaker and took us around, showing us the plants and how to harvest them.

 

Ana wants a machete for Christmas!

Joked about our family Christmas tree picture

Cutting yucca roots off

The day's adventure ended about 5:00pm, pulling up to the dock at dusk.  Oh, we had to pull the plastic over our heads again.

Everyone ate well and had a great day, except for the sunburn which is very hard to control here.  Ana's burn was treated with yucca paste!  Jack calls it yucca block.


Bonus pictures of the day:

Peeking out from under the plastic

Playing in the hammock

  

Yucca skin treatment

Swimming and body surfing

Laundry Day 11/19/14

I have always wondered why people have clothes hanging out to dry every day in Bluefields.  Now I know!!!!!
It looked like it would be a sunny day, so let's do some wash.  We do have a washing machine in our apartment - but it just trickles in to fill the machine.  So, we take a 5 gallon bucket and fill from a spigot outside, taking about 4-5 minutes to fill.

Dave has little patience for this so he goes down to the giant tub where they catch rain water and fills the bucket.  3 buckets full to make a small load. Miss Sylvia asks "why are you taking rain water to fill your machine - you are hooked up to water upstairs." After washing clothes, you need to repeat the process to rinse the clothes - back down to the rain water - Dave doesn't care what anybody thinks anymore - it's just faster.  I (David) have also used the "save suds" method to do a 2nd load.  When it rains, we put the 5 gallon bucket under the downspout by our door, it fills in less than a minute as we have been getting between 4 - 9 mm of rain daily.

We will be ready for the maple syrup season with all the hauling of 5 gallon buckets!

We hang our clothes on the line to dry - sunny - and within 30 minutes, it starts to sprinkle. Oh well, the sun will come out again - sometime.

By the afternoon, most clothes are dry, the ones that are not - we bring into our air-conditioned bedroom and crank the air - they are dry by the next morning.

Needless to say - we are thankful for our washing machine. 95% of people in Bluefields wash clothes by hand in a cement washboard.  They drop a bucket in the well to get water for the wash - and the clothes are on the line until they dry. They do this everyday!  In 5 weeks, I return to my washer and dryer back home. What an easy life I have in Michigan washing clothes.

Going to School Thursday 11/20/2014

Peter and Ana went to school today.  They attend the Moravian Christian High School in Bluefields, going with our friend Abayomi.  They walk out to the main paved road to be picked up in a taxi at 6:30am. They attend an all Spanish speaking school from 7:00am - 12:00 noon.  Ana sits in a 9th grade class with Abayomi. Peter went into a 7th grade class.  High School is from 7th - 11th grade.  Peter was very excited when he came home yesterday.  He said he made 3 friends; 1 boy and 2 girls - but he didn't know their name and wasn't sure how to ask them.  His notebook was written with Spanish words that he copied from the blackboard.  Ana had a math class - and she understood everything. They were doing the same math that she is doing at SOCS.  Good job Mr. Ezell!!
Teachers change from room to room while most students stay in the same room all day.
At dinner, Ana said that there were girls at school who liked Peter.  (He must have been the talk at school)  Peter said that a girl told him, "I like you." but he didn't know what it meant. My blond hair boy getting the girls' attention!!!!!!!

We walked to a restaurant for dinner. It started to rain - so we ducked into a store to get shelter. Another girl came in with us. After I said 'Hi' to her, she said that she had seen Ana and Peter at school. A red head and a blondie - get noticed in a school full of Nicaraguan children.

Ana and Peter ready for school.

Walking to the main paved road to get a taxi.  Notice our dirt road - it is like this all the time.