Move-in week

It has been a very busy week. I could not be more blessed to have such great living quarters while I am down here. It is so beautiful. Precious children and pretty trees surround me. It’s me and God, not many lonely feelings or fear when you have him. I couldn’t be in a happier place.

I haven’t gotten really homesick yet so I am hoping to skip that phase J Please pray about that.

This week has consisted of cleaning, shopping for appliances, cleaning, shopping for appliances, cleaning, shopping for appliances, cleaning, going back to the appliances stores to ask where our purchases are, cleaning, going back to the store and asking again.. Nicaraguan pace is a lot different than American. 3 o clock means 4:30, Delivery on Wednesday morning means Friday night… And so on. Patience is a virtue right? We are learning that lesson in big doses right now.

I feel like squishing bugs is becoming quite a talent of mine. Oh, and I woke up to a Gecko in my room last night around 2 am. Don't know if you have ever heard a gecko but they sound like a cow giving birth. I chased it around the house for about 30 minutes. 

At night the village across the street sings karaoke, I sat outside and listened tonight. Very entertaining.

Yesterday morning we went to the beach for Jaden’s birthday. He turned 8. Jaden is the son of the family who is also down here in Nicaragua with me. The beach is my favorite place in the first place, but after seeing these beaches… wow I am blown away. It is SO beautiful and is definitely going to be my favorite getaway spot while I am here.

Everyday is a fun adventure and it is just going to get better. Can’t wait to see what God has in store.

Tonight we ordered pizza at the Brackens and had the Cunningham’s, Kristen Kirby, Cinthya, and Xiomara. It was great spending time with friends here and getting to know other missionaries!

-Kyleen and Scott Cunningham have two precious little girls and have been living in Leon the past 2 months while Scott takes Spanish school. They are working with Food For the Hungry and are moving to Chinandega, Nicaragua tomorrow!

-Kristen Kirby is the new director at El Ayudante.

-Xiomara is the director here at Nicaragua Christian school and Cinthya is her sister and one of my dear friends.

Monday I start Spanish school! Everyone at the house tonight was able to speak pretty good Spanish except for the Brackens and myself. It is time for us to start catching up. I am really looking forward to learning and being able to communicate.

Here are some pictures from this week! 

                                            Friends I made at the market

                                  A little boy in the market was begging for food

My neighborhood boys playing baseball!

Sweet birthday boy Jaden :)

                                                Be still and know that I AM GOD.

You are treasured. You are sacred. You are his. 

beautiful Poneloya beach 

This is my sweet baby Ricardo. He lives beside us. 

Our "Lawnmowers"

Next door neighbors that I love

This is my neighbor, Jonathan. Every morning when I go outside he is reaching through the fence saying"hola, Summer, hola!!

Thank you for following me on this journey. Te amo.

love

What an eventful 5 days it has been…

January 20 has come and gone in a flash and things are moving so quickly I can’t get my mind around them. I feel so blessed the more that I come to the realization of what God has chosen for me to do.

Some fun experiences I have had in these first few days:

Driving in Nicaragua, reuniting with my dear friends, furniture/appliance shopping, seeing my new home for the next few years, waiting in line for hours to accomplish nothing at immigration, going to the doctor for $12, purchasing an 8 digit Nicaraguan cell phone, sleepless because of cha-cha music at our hotel, loud geckos, Church in Espanol, seeing lots of babies, jumping in a pool while you are all in snow J and so on.

Today has been eventful. We started by going to the house and cleaning hard for about 4 hours. We came back for lunch and then later went back to town with Xiomara for some more appliance shopping. As we came near the supermarket there was a elderly blind woman I have noticed every day sitting outside begging, but today when I saw her sitting there I noticed she was eating something out of a small red wrapper and a little boy was there begging HER for something to eat and so she gave him her other one. They were both eating a little fast food wrapper of ketchup. It is crazy to think how wasteful and ungrateful we are and this sweet hungry old woman shared the only thing she had left, a packet of ketchup.

Needless to say that tore me up a little.

After I turned from this and we were walking back to the car we passed a man holding a sweet baby (maybe a year old) that had a huge (did not look accidental) black eye. Those that know me know how I feel about babies and that was without a doubt one of the most heart wrenching things I think I will ever see.

Things are different here than what I am used to. That is one thing I know for sure. But I also know that God wants me here and I am here for a reason. What exactly that reason may be, I don’t know. But I can’t wait to see what it is he wants to do through me.

Lord willing, we will be moving in tomorrow. If this is the case, I will not have much Internet access for a while so I will try to keep everyone updated as much as possible. God bless and here are some photos from mi casa, I will be living on the left half of this building.

View from my front porch 

                                               View from my window

Te Amo.

January 20th, 2011

Today was the day.

I am in Managua, Nicaragua after a long day of traveling. I am so blessed to be on this journey and I can't wait to see what God has planned.

Thankful for my friends and family who support and love me.


God is so good.

Longer blog this weekend.. I am sleepy.

God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end." - Exodus 33:14

preparación

I am blown away by what God is doing in my life, about where I am about to be, and about the privilege I have been given. I can not think of anywhere I would rather be than surrounded by the loving faces of the sweet children in Leon, Nicaragua. It is finally beginning to feel like a reality.. I am MOVING to Nicaragua in 8 DAYS!

Although I do not have all the money I need for two years, it is quickly coming and I am amazed at how many people are willing to help. I am seeing daily that this is where God wants me.

I have so many emotions right now.. Scared, anxious, nervous, excited, undeserving, blessed.. But most of all HONORED. God wants to take me on this journey, that he wants to use me as his tool to bring light to these sweet faces. To show these sweet babies God's unconditional love.

There is nothing I want to do more.
I ask for prayers as I start this journey. My desire is to be in the word all the time because I let so many things distract me. I want to pray away any home-sickness or fear that I may have in the next few weeks because I want to be as affective as possible and have nothing stand in my way. And I want prayers for my family as they adjust to me being many miles away. 
I am so thankful for a wonderful supportive Christian family. Thank you for all the different ways you have encouraged and supported me. I am ready to get this adventure started. 

If I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." -Psalm 139:9-10

Commit yourself to the Lord and your plans will succeed- Proverbs 16:3

Peace and Blessings, peace and blessings

Nicaraguachristian.org

For such a time as this..

I have spent most of my life searching. Searching for something that has been right in front of me the whole time. I have have had a desire to do missions since I was a child and have had a passion for working with children. My heart was touched and greatly blessed in the fall of 2009 when I spent a week in Nicaragua. Ever since that trip I have felt God pulling me back there. All these things have led me back to what I have been taught everyday of my life: God's Love. Now that I am done with school, I am preparing to give love and share the hope we have in Jesus to the beautiful people of Leon, Nicaragua.

This blog will be used to update everyone on my journey in Leon, Nicaragua where I will be living for the next few years working at the Nicaragua Christian School and churches. My original plan was to leave in September but I am now waiting until my home is finished. I will be leaving around the second week of January and am getting very excited and anxious. Though I am not much of a writer, I hope my posts can keep you informed on my adventure. 

Please pray that God will use me.

"We may not be able to see God, but when we love one another, He lives in us an His love is made complete in us... We love, because He loved us FIRST." 1 John 4

We have not come into the world to be numbered; we have been created for a purpose; for great things: to love and be loved.” - Mother Teresa

Who knows whether you have come here for such a time as this." - Esther 4:14