Life is Starting to Feel Normal

Life is Starting to Feel Normal

Not sure when it happened, but life here in Nagarote seems more normal.  This is starting to be the normal and life in New York is different.  Kind of like in Narnia, when they saw the light post, and it reminded them of a dream far far away.  Not really, but you get my point.

 

4 days a week from 9 to 11 we have Spanish lessons with our teacher Cynthia at the Bilingual Academia.  We ride our bikes everywhere since this is our means of transportation.  The school we attend is a school for students to learn English, in Nicaragua if you know English hopefully you can get a better job.  After class we do a little shopping at the local market, (Pali) or around town. It is always an adventure and kind of is like city living. Everything is close to us.

 

We find it amusing, that time has a different meaning.  If we say 5 for dinner, literary it could mean 7 or 8.  Nothing ever starts on time.  Nothing.  If you simply adjust your clock in your head, you get used to it.  There is not a whole lot of rushing here.

 

We signed up at Claro (similar to Verizon) for internet service for our house about 3 weeks ago.  We have no idea when they’ll show up.  We buy data for our modem to at least be able to use the laptop.  However, everytime we go to Claro, it takes about 2 hours, but at least they have air conditioning(prob the only place in all of Nagarote that does).  Just need to get used to the pace here.  It is definitely hard to get used to life without constant wi-fi.  It’s a change not to be able to listen to music, tv or talk to our kids whenever we want.

 

We have become really good friends with a family down the street who has a business making backpacks, and school uniforms.  We hang out with them alot, eat dinner together, pass time and get ice cream.  They are Christians, love the Lord and we have really clicked with them.  They probably also have been the biggest help in learning Spanish, since they know no English and we only speak in Spanish. There names are Alejandro and Elizabeth.

 

Milo and Raquel have been away for 10 days in Costa Rica to be with their home church and Milos brother’s wedding when we first arrived here. We did 3 kids services by ourselves. One lesson on Jonah and the Big Fish, and 2 lessons on Joseph and the coat of many colors.  All the crafts from Eastport Bible Church and Shirley Assembly of God were a huge help and all the kids love doing the projects.  We are getting to know a number of the kids better and their personalities.  It is now our routine to do the children’s class every Saturday and feel we are getting more comfortable doing it.

 

I play basketball once or twice a week at the local basketball court.  Guys usually meet around 4 or 4:30 everyday to play pickup basketball.   It is great exercise to play basketball in 90 degree heat. The level of basketball is surprisingly good.  We usually play to about 6 when it gets dark.  It’s usually about 15 guys that show up, and the same as home, the winner stays on.  We play zone instead of man to man, a little different.  I usually play center in the middle since I’m the big guy.  I have to admit I like being considered tall.  However, they play like little babies and call fouls constantly.  They smoke pot on the sidelines when not playing and are always arguing.  Since I’m the older one there, there all 20 year olds, I seem to get along with everyone. 

I was asked to join the basketball league and our first game is on Sunday, with refs and I got a uniform with my name on it.    I get to march in the parade to start the league; I’m the first Gringo to every play on it.

We have met many of our neighbors and have been able to get to know them.  So many people have made such a big impact on our lives.  They think we are a blessing to them, but they have no idea what a blessing they are to us. 

 

However it is much more difficult to be here than we both realized.  I think I had preconceived notions of the culture here. (Food, family, religion, personality, etc.)  Much of it from TV, mistakenly thinking all of Latin America is similar to Mexico, or from people that are from Latin America, but are American.  It seems the culture is completely opposite to what we expected.  I’m not saying it’s bad but we just had different expectations.

 

The other difficult part is at times we feel lonely and isolated.  We have our Spanish classes in the morning to help us get out of the house, but during the afternoon 12 to 4 the heat is oppressive and we have trouble doing anything. 

The other main difficulty is at home we are involved in our church and our social structure is based through church.    When church has been such a big part of our both our lives for the past 40 years, it’s hard and we miss it a lot.

Continue to pray for us, that even though I feel we are improving at learning Spanish, it can be very intimidating and tiring.  At times, it is a little lonely, that we can’t have truly deep relationships until we learn the language better. 

 

During this time here I have truly learn what it means to trust in the Lord for everything.  It has shown me the importance of the Holy Spirit working through my life on a daily basis.  Jesus has become so much more to me than simply a story in the bible that happened 2000 years ago.  Jesus is alive; He gave us the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit to do incredible things in our lives and in the lives of other people.

Even though this experience is so much more difficult than anticipated, I am so much more excited to do amazing things for Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit.