My end of the beach for 2009

Since I'm still here in Florida, my friend Kirsten and I decided we should have some quality time before I leave the country for the rest of the year. So we decided to do an activity that can only be done in Florida: we got up to watch the sunrise over the ocean, then drove to the west coast of Florida to watch the sun set over the ocean. I really enjoy doing this. We explored Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, and looked for shells in Captiva while we waited for the sun to go down. Unfortunately, a cold front was coming through so it was cloudy, windy, and cold all day!!

Trip Canceled

I was supposed to be on my way to Oklahoma today, but unfortunately had to cancel last night because of health issues in the family. I am really sad, as I leave for Bolivia next week and now will not be able to see my family until some time next year. God still knows what He is doing, I'm just not enjoying it at the moment!!

The end of Nicaragua and just a little Costa Rica

On Friday, we decided we should probably start heading to Costa Rica. Eduardo and I were going to take the overnight bus, but I had a little stomach issue and we decided that we shouldn't risk the 6 hours in a bus. Saturday morning we got up early and headed to the bus station. It was about a two hour ride to the border. I was sad to be leaving the dirty city that I enjoyed so much and the family that made me feel so welcome. At the border, we went through immigration and got on another bus, the bus took us to the other side of the terminal (which was apparently in Costa Rica) and we had to get off and go through immigrations again. We had a quick meal and were off again.

Have you ever seen a windmill (the kind used to produce electricity) in real life? I've always assumed from pictures that they were big, but we passed a field of them going through Costa Rica and they are ENORMOUS!! I literally stared out the window with my mouth open in awe of their sheer size. Wow.

This morning Eduardo got called to check out a potential job site. So we met Mario and went to meet a wealthy old gringo who has bought an old hotel and wants to turn it into his house. After that, I had to head to the airport. It is very sad for me to leave and not have an exact plan of return. But God will do what He wants and make a way if this is truly what He desires. That is what I remain confident in.

Nicaragua: the Lake

On Wednesday evening, Eduardo's uncle came back to the house. He drives a taxi and he wanted to take us out. He brought his daughter and another girl (I couldn't figure out if she was a friend or a cousin or what) and we all piled into the car. He took us out to see Lake Managua, which is huge. You would have thought we were at the ocean. There was a pier and a little park. I got to play with Diana a lot and enjoyed that.

Tonight we were sitting out front of the house. Eduardo has decided that he wants to pave a sidewalk in front of the house in addition to building up the wall. So we were all out there to admire how far he had gotten that day. His mom was carrying drinks out, when the dog went tearing around the corning and completely wiped her out. It terrified me! But both Eduardo and his sister were laughing hysterically as she swore a fit and got back up. The dog has been hiding ever since!

Turtle eggs, by the way, are gross.

Nicaragua: Birthday, Eggs, and Work

I am in Nicaragua to visit Eduardo, who is in Nicaragua to do a construction project on his mom's house. She has a wall that surrounds the house, as is typical, but it was very low and did not really offer any security. So Eduardo has been hard at work, with another guy or two, mixing cement and building the wall nice and high. He is up around 5:30am each day and works until it is just too dark to see.

Monday was his mom's birthday. Two sisters and thier three kids came over to the house along with his uncle and aunt. I swung the kids in the hammock and spent a while talking to his uncle. I actually met him in Costa Rica, too. I really like the uncle and aunt. They have been married 30 years and still seem smitten with each other. At one point, everyone was in the house doing things except for the uncle and I, and he took the opportunity to explain to me that he could do anything in the world...except live without his wife. The two of them stayed so late however, that I had to excuse myself and go to bed. There is a certain time of night when my brain just stops registering spanish.

Nicaragua: feeling at home

I'm down in Nicaragua for the first time! It was planned at the very last minute, but I am here to visit Eduardo and his family. I arrived on Saturday. My first impression of Managua, the capital city, was from the air: the city is HUGE! But I love cities and was ready to explore. Eduardo picked me up at the airport and it took about 15 minutes by taxi to get to his mom's house. I met his mom before I met him in Costa Rica, so it was nice to see her again and she welcomed me warmly. I got to meet one of his sisters that I had not met before and her son as well as his grandfather. They all share the small 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house. His mom has lived here for 40 years, so it is where Eduardo grew up. There was lots of meeting, and some eating, and a trip to the little market too. The market reminds me of the one in Bolivia, but much smaller. And it is just a few blocks walking distance.

There are lots of churches very close to the house and we heard the praise music much of the day. In the evening, Eduardo and I took Leo and Diana to a service. I recognized several of the songs and it was fun to have the kids with us. Eduardo and I were back in the market in the afternoon with his mom and they wanted me to try all kinds of foods. So I had a burrito and a hot dog and they bought a bag of turtle eggs that they will cook tomorrow.

Nicaragua is definitely the dirtiest place that I have visited, there is a lot of trash in the streets, but I still really like what I have seen of the city. I feel welcome, not like I stick out like a gringa, and am happy to be here!

129,000 children with no family can't find a place to call home despite 10 million church-going families in the USA

I was at a church to represent CIN on Sunday. It was a small church, still new and meeting in a school gym, and they were celebrating their first annual Celebrate Adoption Sunday. I don't recall ever being in a church service devoted entirely to adoption, and this one got me thinking. So I did some research, and this is how the numbers broke down:

510,000 children are in foster care in the USA
129,000 of those children are ready to be adopted
300 billion is the approx. population of the USA
20% is the lowest estimate that I could find for the number of people who attend church on a regular basis. So hopefully it is actually more than that.
60 million then is the approx. number of people in the USA that regularly attend church
4 is the "normal" family size, with 2 parents and 2 kids
15 million would be the number of "normal" sized families that regularly attend church
10 million is a more probable number of families in churches, since many singles also attend church

With 10 million families regularly attending church, why can we not find homes for the 510,000 kids in foster care????

Even more so, why do we still have 129,000 kids just waiting around for someone to decide to love them and permanently invite them into the family????

If we have been Christians longer than 2 days we know that God has COMMANDED us to care for the fatherless. So what are we doing?!?! We are living in sin. Caring for these children is a command to every single Christian just like loving our neighbors and observing the sabbath. Departments of Children and Families should be overrun with calls from Christian families asking for available children. All the group homes should be closed because all the kids are in families. And no child should ever be placed in an institution because there are no families and the group homes are all full (I used to work for an institution and I personally know foster care children who were placed in my program simply because there was no other place to put them.) Neighborhoods, church bulletins, and community posts should be plastered with fliers from Christian singles who have been certified to offer babysitting services for foster care families.

Christians should be clamoring for the chance to care for these children.

If you aren't clamoring, this is your warning. You will be held accountable.

Another Surprise

At 6:45 this morning Felicia’s brother and nephew were at our door again. This time another of Felicia’s brothers was with them. He is another very large man. So they came in to visit and Felicia was cooking again and Steven was off to the bakery again. Poor lady, she thought she was going to make breakfast for two women and a boy and was surprised with three large men in addition. How gracious is she!!

Surprise Guests

At 6:30 this morning there was an unexpected knock on the door. It was Felicia’s brother and nephew. They had come for a visit. So Felicia got up and let them in and woke Steven up and sent him to the bakery to buy bread so that she could make them breakfast. I don’t know what your mental picture is of these two guys, but you should be picturing two very large adult men. I came down to shower and eat breakfast too, and then was off to school. When I got home at noon, Felicia said that they had just left. I’m not sure if that was culturally appropriate or as crazy as I thought it was….

Rice Limit

I think that I have a rice limit. When I am in Bolivia, for the first couple of weeks I am hungry and I eat plenty of the amazing food set out before me. But after about 3 weeks, I loose my appetite. I just don't want to eat. I know the food is delicious, but I have to force myself to consume even small quantities. I couldn't explain it for a long time.

Now I am in Costa Rica. I get delicious food here too. And I have been eating it and enjoying it. But about a week ago, my appetite left me once again. I know the food is good, but I just don't want it. I'm not hungry. Felicia always tries to over feed me, but now she seems really worried about me. She asks if I am dieting. I'm not. I would really like to eat that food! But even when I force myself to eat small portions, it is hard to convince my body to swallow. I'm just not hungry.

I tried to explain to Felicia that I have the same reaction in Bolivia, but it was hard to explain because I didn't know why I have the reaction. The food really isn't that different. I don't eat anything in Bolivia or Costa Rica that I never eat in the US. The only difference that I could come up with was the amount of rice I am eating. In the US I eat rice once every week or two. When I am out of the country I eat it every day, and usually twice (here in Costa Rica usually three times) every day. I think that I have a rice limit and after 3-4 weeks I just can't take any more in. That's all I can come up with.