Nicaragua, dia cinco

Sunday, July 27, 2014

It was a very rough night for me...I blogged and uploaded photos until just after midnight, but that did not mean I would sleep :(  Once I settled in for the night, I started hearing very loud Spanish music coming from the plaza, which is a few blocks away. The last time I looked at the clock, it was 1:37 am. While it was still dark outside, 2:43 am, I was awoke by the stupid rooster that Jesse had so much trouble with that he asked to be moved to another room. It is my conclusion that el gallo (the rooster) should be taken to Tip Top (a restaurant that sells chicken dishes). It was after 3:30 am before I fell back to sleep and then woke yet again at 6:30 am so I figured it was time to get up. After getting ready for church, I went out to the courtyard and had breakfast before Pedro picked us up for church about 8:30.

They definitely are not as hung up here on time as we (specifically me) are at home. If it is stated that church starts at 9, it is my opinion that it should begin at 9. I am finding that is not the case here with anything concerning time. I think church finally began about 9:20-ish. The worship music was beautiful. Even though I did not know the words in Spanish, much of the music was the same songs we sing at home. However, I cannot explain why the exact same songs sound so much sweeter in Spanish than in English. Some of the songs were a bit more lively than we do but they were great...it was such a sweet spirit of worship, worshiping with brothers and sisters in Christ yet knowing that my brothers and sisters at home were worshiping the same God was an absolutely amazing feeling. 

Pedro had us come up as a group and tell our name, age, and what we were learning while here in Leon. It would have been nice to have a little more notice so that I could have given some thought to what I wanted to say; however, I had to make due with the few moments I had to prepare. I told them that through the lens of my camera, God was teaching me so much about the people of Nicaragua, that my world was becoming so much larger. Pedro's sermon/teaching was great. The church was very thoughtful in that they had a translator as Pedro did his teaching in Spanish. We may be young/old, serious/silly, Latino/American, but we need to be one church, a healthy church. The church is so much more than a building, a religion, even a relationship. We can all go to church in a building but church is Christians coming together for God's purpose to do His work, globally. 

After Pedro's teaching, we got to watch Pastor Jesse dedicate Pastor Pedro and Maria's sweet baby. It was wonderful watching this specific baby dedication in our sister church. I felt such a connectiveness to them, their family, and their church, our church. 

After church, the team, as well as Pedro Maria, Paola, Rachel, Laura, and PJ went to lunch. Can you guess where?  For those of you who have traveled to Nicaragua with Jesse, you know that he enjoys El Sesteo so we went back there for lunch today. I had the opportunity to sit with Pedro and Maria and talk about some of the ministries here and some ways for tangible help. My mind has been racing pretty much the whole time I have been here and is still going.

My time here is winding down so very quickly as we well be heading to Managua tomorrow because we have an early flight and it is a long drive, but I am glad that I was able to come. In many ways I sure wish I could stay longer. I am so thankful though that the days were spent the way they were - seeing the culture - getting a feel for the way of life. While my accommodations here are humble, they are tremendously better than how the majority of the people here live. While the poverty level has improved even in the last 5 years, it is still second in the nation. Only Haiti's poverty level is higher. I thought I had seen poverty at home in the states, but I really had no idea what poverty truly was until this trip. 

After lunch, it was once again siesta time. I like the down time in the afternoon to work on my blog, pictures, meditate on what I have learned that day. 

I am not usually an irresponsible person, but I think my brain is a little on overload with all of my surroundings. There is a lot to take in here. Today, I lost two things, one of my cooling cloths and unfortunately, my camera strap/sling. I love that sling and when I get home I will have to replace it. I do not like the traditional strap that hangs around the neck as it hurts my neck so I invested in the sling, I love that sling.

I have learned that time is truly a relative term here. As I have stated, Jesse does not like having a firm 'plan,' but sometimes having a plan can be a good thing. Somehow, we believed Pedro was bringing the team in for some afternoon time together as well as dinner and debriefing. After waiting until 6:15 pm and Pedro and the team were still not there, we decided to walk to the square for some dinner. We were just enjoying walking around the plaza observing the people and low and behold the rest of the team showed up about 7:30. There were some vendors out in the square so we went to make a few bargains for souvenirs. I did find a few things, a few treasures. It is kind of hard to try and find bargains when you do not speak the language but gracious a Dios (thank goodness) for Hannah as she got us some bargains. After some discussion, Jesse, Paul, and Pedro decided to have dinner at El Sesteo. After 4 meals there already, I was ready for something different. When the team chose pizza I thought that sounded pretty good so I opted to go with them. The place was packed, no tables available, so we opted to get the pizzas to go and took them back to the hotel to eat them. After the men came back and Pedro and the team left, Jesse, Paul, and I called it a night...it was time for post yesterday's adventure.