Lessons - Becky

Tomorrow (Thursday, December 29) we will have been here in Jinotega, Nicaragua for three months. That's a whole season. In some ways it feels like we have been here a long time. We are fairly comfortable getting around town, and our Spanish is getting better all the time. We have already made friends with many people locally. But, in other ways it's like we just got here. We're still not in a house, and we're still figuring out how our daily life needs to flow to accomplish the goals we have set. We do have friends, but we don't know enough Spanish yet to have really deep relationships. I guess we're in an "in between" stage right now, which puts me in the mood for reflection and introspection. Before I get started afresh on various projects, I want to share with you some things I have learned so far while being here:

Lesson 1 - Moving to a different country does not automatically make me a different person.

Yes, I am always changing as a person and growing as a Christian, which led to my coming here. However, I find that I have followed myself here. My habits (good and bad), preferences, and corny sense of humor are all still present. My personality hasn't changed, though it does sometimes play out differently in the different situations I find myself in. I still have the same pet sins (darn it!). I still have the same coping mechanisms for stress. But, I also have the same God. It is very comforting to know that He followed me here too. (Or, rather, I followed Him.)

Lesson 2 - Life can be very draining, and it is important to recharge.

So far our experience has been that it takes more effort and energy to do even simple, everyday things. The language barrier plays into this, obviously, as well as not always knowing how to go about doing things in this location and culture. Anytime we need to go anywhere, we have to take the time and effort to figure out how we're going to get there. (Is there a mission vehicle available? Do we have money for a taxi? Is it close enough just to walk? Etc.) There are almost always lots of people around, and even though that can be a good thing, it takes its toll on us introverts. There are all sorts of little "life" things I could add to this list that wear us out bit by bit every day. Things that we took for granted before are all just slightly harder here, so our "baseline" stress level is higher. Because of that, it is so important for us take the time to gain back that energy. Whether we do that through the obvious things like sleeping, eating, praying, etc. or by vegging for a time on the Internet, those times of being refilled are crucial. Many times we feel like we should always be "doing" something, but to do that would leave us without anything left to give. There has to be a balance.

Lesson 3 - However, sometimes we just have to suck it up and "do" things anyway.

Life is rarely ideal, and it seems so far like things are even less ideal here. Communication is always an issue. Planning (whether too much or too little) is always an issue. Often those two come together and we find that there was a plan, but it was not communicated. In those moments, we just have to ignore how low our energy is at the time, pray for strength and wisdom, and do whatever needs to be done. There is a sign in the dining room at the mission which says, "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." We find ourselves needing to live by this quote every single day.

Lesson 4 - In order to be transformed into better, more Christ-like people, our old self has to die.

There is an awful lot I could say about this, and most of you are probably already well-acquainted with the truth of this statement. But, this concept is fresh in my mind as I have been reading "Mere Christianity" (by C.S. Lewis) and thinking about some of the stresses I have been dealing with lately. To sum up Lewis' words, when Jesus says to "be perfect as [he] is perfect," he is serious. However, that perfection comes from him (Jesus, not Lewis). In fact, what he offers us is perfection and nothing less. When we choose to live a life in Christ, we are choosing to allow him to work in us in order to present us perfect to God. We certainly can't be perfect on our own, so he has to do it. But, giving him free reign of our entire being is so hard because we know that doing so will bring our imperfections to light. Right now I definitely feel like many of my imperfections are being brought to light, and I don't like it. I know, though, that going through this process is ultimately bringing me closer to God, which makes it make sense. I recently read John chapter 16, and the last verse (v. 33) was very comforting to me:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Lesson 5 - I think I would like life on a ship.

Okay, I'll have to explain this one a little more. Most of you probably know that I am into Science Fiction. I like Star Trek and Star Wars and most shows that have something to do with living in space. I realized a while back (before moving here) that one of the main things that appeals to me about those shows is that, usually, there is some sort of ship or space station or something where all of the people are living and working together. They don't have "houses"--or even "rooms"--but "quarters." The reason the people are there together is because they have some objective that they are working toward, whether it be fighting the enemy or simply exploring. The characters have relationships with each other that are both personal and professional. It occurred to me one day that I longed for that type of situation, and on many levels I think I have now achieved it. I am living in "unknown territory" with a team of people who I both work and play with to accomplish a set purpose. We are exploring more of this place all the time, and new "characters" are being introduced into our lives. We are constantly up against spiritual enemies who would seek to undermine our work, but we already know that we win at the end of the story. Alright, maybe this metaphor is incredibly dramatic and cheesy to you, but it helps me to stay on track. :)

Wow, well, I hope all of my "lessons" didn't depress you. I realize it may sound like life here is so hard and stressful all the time. Really, overall we are very happy to be here. The thing is, life is hard, regardless of where you are. The things I said (mostly) could apply to anyone at any time in any place. As I think of these things as a whole, I guess the bottom line to me is that I keep seeing God at work in my life. To try to take Him out of the equation doesn't even compute with me. While it's easy for it to get convoluted, I know that my life has a purpose, and instead of feeling pressure and guilt at not always knowing how to fulfill that purpose, I can rejoice that God is the one leading the way and that He knows what He's doing.

Blessings,
-Becky

Feliz Navidad - Becky

Merry Christmas, everyone! The mission where we are working and (currently) living is closed for the holidays (all in all, the last two weeks of December), so we are enjoying some time "off" until the New Year. In that time, though, our Hope for Life team has been meeting to discuss our goals and strategies for 2012. We talked about what we want to accomplish as a group, as well as what people hope to do individually. Right now those lists are pretty long, so we're excited to see what God has us do in the New Year.

Other than meeting with our team, Tommy and I have been trying to do what we can to experience Christmas in spite of being away from home and our family. Apparently, we waited too long to go looking for a tree (the only ones that would have been available are fake trees, but those were all gone), so we ended up making one by draping a cardboard frame with green cloth. I think it came out pretty good, considering. We also put up some lights, garland, and a few decorations we brought from home. We're not really able to exchange gifts with our family this year, but our group is planning a "White Elephant" party Christmas Eve after we all go out for dinner together.

Speaking of dinner, something that has been really nice for me is that, with the mission closed right now, Tommy and I have free reign in the kitchen. I am at a place in my "culture shock" cycle where I really need a break from the local food. It has been so nice to bring back food from the grocery store and cook our own meals. Once we get in our house* that should be the norm, but until then I am enjoying this window of time where I don't have to share the kitchen. If all goes well, I hope to make some Christmas cookies this afternoon.

It has been weird not being home in Charleston during this holiday time, and we miss our family very much. It has been interesting trying to evaluate what really makes it "Christmas" to us, and so much of that involves our family and things that we do in Charleston with them. Of course, Christmas is all about Christ and about giving to others, but we're in a life situation where we're supposed to be focusing on Christ and on trying to love others every single day. I can honestly say that I do think of those things (and on a practical level) more now than I ever have. That doesn't mean that I always act on them like I should (I try!), but working with Misión para Cristo (Mission for Christ), I hear about Jesus all the time. (This is a good thing.) I have read various blogs and statuses on facebook talking about how we need to keep Christ is Christmas, but I struggle with how to do that in my current situation, how to make Christmas different from any other time. Well, I guess that's a good problem to have.

Anyway, I hope that each of you has a very wonderful Christmas and that the New Year brings awesome opportunities for you and your family.

Love in Christ,
-Becky & Tommy

*Update on our House situation: We have decided not to go with Oscar's house because he is not ready to part with it yet (and that's okay because the Hennigers have really enjoyed having him for a neighbor). However, Joel, Oscar's brother and the Hennigers' landlord, has another house on the other side of town (about a mile and a half from the Hennigers) that he has gutted and is rebuilding. Taking that house will leave our group spread out around the town, which we think is better so that we can impact more of the community. (Of course, the whole city is only 2 miles long anyway.) This house should have good space for visitors, and it has enough of a "backyard" that we can experiment with some gardening and composting. The only thing is that it isn't finished being built yet. We have been checking on it every week and progress is being made, but we're still waiting. Meanwhile, we're very thankful to Benny and Donner Baker for letting us continue to stay at the mission.

Nicaragua Top 10

Hello, y'all! We have been keeping ourselves busy here in Nicaragua. I am working on our Fall Newsletter and hope to have a longer blog post for you soon. Meanwhile, here is my Top 10 List of things that are "special" to me about Nicarauga: :)

10. Being able to walk to most places I need to go in town.

9. Really good coffee.

8. Riding standing up in the backs of trucks.

7. Laughing with the Nicaraguans at the little ironies of life. (There are a lot of those here.)

6. The enthusiasm with which even the adults sing the "fun" songs in church.

5. The impressed looks on their faces when I properly use Spanish slang.

4. Random animals everywhere.

3. Gallo pinto (rice and beans), pollo (chicken), and tortillas. Every. Single. Day. (Well, almost.)

2. Not flushing toilet paper.

and

1. The ability to wear skinny jeans, not because I am skinnier (only slightly so far) but because no one here cares how fat you are.


Have a great day, everyone,
-Becky

So Far So Good! - Tommy

Hey there everybody! Becky and I have been in Nicaragua since September 29th. So far things have been going very well. Neither of us have gotten sick or hurt or anything like that. We are currently living at Mision Para Cristo (www.misionparacristo.com) in the city of Jinotega. We are partnering with Mision Para Cristo to implement our goat ministry projects and to assist them with their ongoing work in the region. Below are some highlights thus far...

- Tuesday, October 4th - David, Chris and myself work with our Nicaraguan brothers to transport fence post for the construction of a new church building in the city of Pantasma. Check out the video here...

http://thegoatlife.smugmug.com/Other/Nicaragua-Videos-October-2011/19319513_MzJTm3#1527770104_WhvwDh9

- All three families (Browns, Counts, Hennigers) have been looking for houses to rent in the city of Jinotega. Living at the mission is a temporary situation and we are all wanting to rent our own houses. Check out some videos here...

http://thegoatlife.smugmug.com/Other/Nicaragua-Videos-October-2011/19319513_MzJTm3#1519784554_NVdkkTG

- We have all been studying Spanish with our Nicaraguan tutor, Tania. She has been an invaluable help to us as we struggle to speak a new language.

- The local church here in Jinotega is AWESOME! The brothers and sisters here have been so loving and welcoming towards us. We have service Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Tuesday evening and Thursday evening. Right from the get go all the guys have been asked to lead prayers and serve on the Lord's table. I was even asked when I was going to preach! Being a part of the body of Christ here in Jinotega has been a HUGE blessing to us!

- David and Chris and I went over to Matagalpa (a city about an hour away) and met with a man who owns a farm where he raises pure bred goats! We were all very excited about this since up until that time we had only seen scraggly looking native bred goats that did not seem suitable for our projects. Check out the video here...

http://thegoatlife.smugmug.com/Other/Nicaragua-Videos-October-2011/19319513_MzJTm3#1549243306_6CzmTDB

- We had a group of six from Grapevine church in Texas join us for the last week of October. They worked to rebuild an old run down school house that wasn't being used. They also rebuilt the swing set at the school and administered anti-parasite medicine to the children at the school at the other children and adults in the community. Check out some pictures of their work here...

http://thegoatlife.smugmug.com/Travel/Nicaragua/Nicaragua-Photos/19963112_KprkhX#1572187380_T3gZCPx

- During that same week we had Jonathan and Sheila Holland with the Site for Sore Eyes Foundation visiting with us as well. They went to several schools and an army base and used special equipment that they brought with them to check children's eyesight. Any child that needed glasses was fitted for and given a new set of eyeglasses. The adult teachers at the schools and other adults in the community were also able to benefit from their work. Check out some pictures of their work here...

http://photos.misionparacristo.com/MisionParaCristo2011/Sight-To-Sore-Eyes-102611/19762714_pB9g2x#1552462152_Bh6RQz7

- Also that week I went with some of the Nicaraguan brothers to a town called Nueva Segovia to distibute food to folks stricken from flood waters brought on by three weeks of non stop rain here in Nicaragua. I rode in the back of a box truck for 14 hours roundtrip which was an adventure in itself but it was certainly worth the opportunity to serve the residents of Nueva Segovia. All food was distributed through the local church in order to help them build better relationships with the people in that city. You can see some pictures from that day here...

http://photos.misionparacristo.com/MisionParaCristo2011/Food-Relief-To-Residents-of/19759309_8SGHmn#1552043923_Mqs4S7z

- Immediatley following that very busy week, we all headed down to Costa Rica for the Pan American Lecturship series. We stayed four nights in downtown San Jose and three nights near La Fortuna at the Arenal Hotel Manoa at the base of an active volcano! It was a great time to meet with other folks who are working for Christ in Central and South America and also with brothers and sisters from the States who support mission work.

Now we are back home in Jinotega Nicaragua and trying to organize ourselves to be able to tackle more work. We are ready to take the next step with our goat ministry projects and the Hennigers just got the keys to their rental house and are moving out of the mission tomorrow.

Please pray for us all as we work to learn Spanish and seek housing in Jinotega. Becky and I are still in need of partners who will help support us financially on a monthly basis. If you or someone you know would like to help out with that just go to our website, www.thegoatlife.com and click on the "donate now" button.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Oscar

I want to share with you all an experience we had yesterday. Tommy and I were walking around Jinotega and decided to go see (the front of) a house we are interested in renting (since it was relatively nearby). Our thought was that it would be good to know how long it would take to walk back to the mission from the house, and it was also good to get more of a feel for the "neighborhood." We had previously seen the inside of this house and really liked it. At that time we had our translator with us while the owner, Oscar, showed us around. Well, when we got to the house yesterday, while we were staring at the outside, the door popped open and, lo and behold, there was Oscar. This was especially awkward at first because 1) he didn't know we were going to be there and 2) we didn't have our translator with us. We tried to explain (in Spanish) that we had just been in the area, and I guess he understood, though he did ask where our translator was. So, we stood there and chatted for a while using what Spanish we knew. At one point Tommy was joking about how he needs to drink more water instead of Coke here in Nicaragua to lessen his gut, and Oscar went and got each of us a glass of water to drink. Normally we wouldn't drink water unless we knew exactly where it came from, but in this situation we really couldn't NOT drink it. But, it was cool and tasted good, and our guts seem to be pretty much fine. After we had stood outside for a solid amount of time, Oscar invited us in to sit in the living room. He ended up turning on the TV, so the three of us sat and watched the news (apparently there are interesting things happening in Venezuela) and chatted. He told us about his family and we about ours. We talked about the weather (it has been very cold and rainy the past few days). He offered us bananas to eat. It was very cool because, even though we didn't have a translator, we felt very comfortable talking with him. Actually, he reminds both of us very much of our friend Jason Knight. Oscar and Jason have the same laid back--though particular about certain things--demeanor. Oscar is an electrician, and, like with Jason, you can look at him and tell that he has been doing hard work. We were able to get our Nica friend (who is also our translator) to call him today and set up a meeting for Monday to see about making arrangements to rent the house. There are things about the house that we would like to see updated, and there are other things we may just have to live with, but "randomly" running into Oscar was confirmation that we should do business with this guy. Interestingly, Oscar's brother owns the house that the Hennigers are in the process of trying to rent, and he is known to be a good Christian guy. I am very thankful that God is making clear paths for us here and that we are forming good relationships with the locals. One of the main things we loved about Nicaragua when we visited in January was the people. I'm very glad to say that is still true.

-Becky

Making Progress

We have now been here 12 days (Thursday will be 2 weeks), and just today we were able to set up our computers in a spot where we don't constantly have to get them out and put them away. We went to Managua yesterday where we shopped at PriceSmart (Costco) and bought two small folding tables so that we could set up our "office" in our temporary room at the mission. Hopefully it will be easier now to post updates, and we finally have our Magic Jack phone set up to receive calls all the time. For those who may not have seen Tommy's facebook status, our number is 843-647-1626. Calling this number (price-wise) is just like calling Charleston, SC. If we don't answer, you can leave a voice-mail message that gets sent to Tommy's e-mail. Our Internet access is somewhat sketchy (our network tends to drop off periodically and then come right back on), but at least our room is close enough to the wireless router that we can get 2 to 3 bars of service. Tommy finally figured out how to get his videos to load, so be checking facebook and our website for those.

Our Spanish is getting better. We have two ladies who give us personal Spanish lessons, although if we have something significant going on in a particular day--which happens a lot--we end up either skipping our lessons or bringing our teachers with us so that we can ask them questions along the way. I can tell that it is easier to understand what is being said at church and in our morning devotionals. We're learning more of the hymns too. It's starting to get hard at this point, though, because our brains are so exhausted from learning and experiencing so many things. It's also getting tricky to remember correct English (ha!). Overall, communication with Nicaraguans is pretty good, though we certainly have a lot of room for improvement.

Today we saw a house that we are 99% sure we want to rent. Tommy shot video of it, so I won't try to describe it now. The cool thing is that it is on the same block as the house the Hennigers want to rent. We really like that "our" house has a lot of room, plenty of space for friends and family to come visit (*hint*hint*). :) However, the house still needs a lot of work before we could move into it. I'm not sure how muck time that will take. We'll see. It's just exciting to have an image in my mind of what my house will look like.

Well, that's about all my brain can come up with right now. We have been pretty busy doing stuff, and when we aren't doing stuff we're so exhausted that we just sit and don't do anything. Now that I have easier access to my computer, I'll try to post more often and tell you about the things that we have been doing.

Hasta luego,
-Becky

Acclimating - Becky

Well, we're here! After a very long day of traveling on Thursday we finally arrived here in Jinotega late that afternoon. After dinner that night and a few phone calls home we went to bed for some much needed sleep. We slept in to about 8 AM on Friday. We ate lunch out at a place called Papa Gayo (sp?) that serves both Mexican and Italian food. (BTW, the food here is not really like Mexican food that you get at a Mexican restaurant in the States. It is much simpler and less spicy, but we can explain more about that another day.) For my drink I ordered a "limonade," which I expected to be a regular lemonade, but we all had an awkward moment when the waitress presented something that looked to be a fancy mixed drink. Upon further inspection, I think they just put regular lemonade stuff (water, lemon juice, sugar) in a blender with some salt to make it all frothy, but as we're definitely in a "no alcohol" situation, it was pretty funny. That afternoon we were supposed to go look at a rental property, but the owner was not available. Instead, we went to a cellular phone store so that David Henniger could get a local cell phone, and then to Pali, one of the grocery store chains here. Along the way we purchased some plastic clothes hangers from a street vendor. That night our team had a devotional. Today we had breakfast at a coffee shop, and then we walked around and checked out various stores. We also got to check out a new grocery store on the other end of town, which we all thought was a little nicer than Pali. For dinner tonight we will be having chicken (purchased at Pali yesterday), and rice and beans and fruit (purchased at the street market this morning). This will be our first chance to have rice and beans here, which is surprising considering how often we had it on our trip here in January. After I finish this post, I hope to organize our "stuff" that is currently haphazardly strewn around our room and in our travel crates.

Time is different here. While the U.S. is still in Daylight Savings Time, there is a 2 hour time difference (after you "Fall Back" the difference will only be 1 hour). However, Sunrise and Sunset are about 2 hours earlier here, so when you are experiencing 7 AM there, our 5 AM feels like your 7 AM. We awake to many birds chirping, buses hoking, and market vendors advertising their wares, as well as random Latin music (and sometimes the odd song from the U.S.). Side Note: I find that certain styles of music here, such as rap and dance music, don't bother me like they would in the U.S. because I can't yet understand what they are saying. Thank the Lord for small blessings. :) Anyway, there is a lot of activity here (on the streets, which we can hear perfectly well here at the mission) in the morning, and it really doesn't stop until around 5 to 5:30 PM when the sun goes down. As for our own activities, we have learned that it is best not to expect too much. It is enough to pick one goal for the day that we're in, and if that goal doesn't work out (which is apt to happen), we just pick another goal and move on. It really is a "one day at a time" culture. Planning too far ahead can lead to disappointment. That is fine, though, as it is good to have time just to get used to things here. The best analogy I can think of is of wood planks you might use to put together a hard wood floor. The planks need a certain amount of time to sit in your house and acclimate before you can install them. So, right now we're just "acclimating" to our new situation. It is a bit of an emotional ride, but overall things have been good. Like I said before, we just have to think about one day at a time (sometimes it's more like one hour at a time). Well, that's about all I've got right now. Feel free to comment with any questions you might have about Nicaragua.

Until later,
-Becky