la vida Voorberg

Cup o Joe

2011-08-22T09:14:00.000-06:00

I am finally sitting down here in front of the computer after my little Screamer has decided to stop screaming and start sleeping. I know I only have up to an hour before she decides to let me know that she's awake again, so I figured I better make myself a cup of coffee and enjoy the peaceful moment. Ahh, coffee. Today I am brewing my current favourite a Fair Trade Nicaraguan blend. It's mainly my favourite because of what these particular coffee beans mean to me. It's not quite as strong as I would prefer, so I add a little bit of espresso to the filter and voila, a good cup of joe.

My latest summer time drink is the iced coffee. Not sure why I didn't think of it last summer, but this year it dawned on me that it is a brilliant summer drink. It just means I have to have ice in the freezer at all times, so when I was at Ikea last I picked up a couple bpa free icecube trays that makes cubes that look like fishies - couldn't resist. Well, in the morning I still have my hot cup of coffee or two when Aletta is down for her nap, so I just brew up about 6 cups and turn off the coffee maker (coffee makers use a lot of energy, and I am super frugal).

freshly brewed iced coffee...mmmmm...

Often I don't get around to my second cup of coffee, so later on in the afternoon I pull out a glass put some sugar in the bottom, our over the nicely cooled, leftover coffee, throw in some ice cubes, and a bit of milk and voila, my perfect iced coffee for me to sip on while sitting on the porch while Aletta sucks away on a peach. I know, it all sounds so romantical, but it's actually not! Usually there is squealing and screaming, Lego barking, me yelling, and finally I just sit my butt down and I realize that I can't stop anything from happening and I might as well enjoy the sunshine and my nice glass of iced coffee. OK, the Screamer is screaming now and she has only slept 30 minutes...when, oh when, will this possibly change??

Homemade Soap

2011-07-13T09:21:00.001-06:00

I have been saying to my husband the past few weeks, "I'll make the soap soon. I promise! Don't go out and buy any." Well, he didn't and we have been using my shower gel as hand soap the past week! But today I finally got out and bought the items I wanted for this hand soap. Here's what I came up with using what I do with my baby bum wipe solution:

1 cup of boiled water

1 T liquid castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's because I love that it is Fair Trade and all-natural)

1 T olive oil

3 drops essential oil (I used peppermint, but I also saw on the shelf some other fun smells)

In a jar combine all the ingredients and let cool with lid off. Once it's warm to the touch put the lid on and shake it up.

I made a bunch all in one batch so that I don't have to make it up that often, otherwise I don't always get around to it right when we need it. For handsoap it is easiest to use a foaming dispenser, since the soap comes out pretty runny. My husband wasn't impressed when he first squirted it out and it ran all off his hand...his words, "oh this make your own handsoap is gonna be a lot of fun..." Right. So, I have researched a little bit and it looks like xanthinum gum should do the trick to thicken it up...now I have to find some of that stuff.

Other fun ways to use variations of this recipe:

I use it for my cloth baby wipes...minus the essential oil and use 2 drops tea-tree oil for the anti-fungal elements. I put it in a spray bottle, spray the wipes as needed and wash the used wipes along with the cloth diapers.
use for body wash
since I use the baby mild unscented Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap it can also be used for baby body wash.

Super easy and super frugal! I bought the largest bottle of the Dr. Bronner's at a bulk store for $20 which I guess will last me at least 2 years (if not 3 years) using it for hand soap and baby bum wipes. The tea-tree oil came in a tiny bottle for about $7 and the peppermint essential oil in a small bottle for $8.

The Diaper Sitch

2011-07-02T13:16:00.000-06:00

It's a long weekend and we actually stayed home for a change. Usually we take every chance we can get to get up to my parent's place, in the summer, go camping, or visit family and friends in the States. But this time Kevin said that we needed to stay home, or at least he would and I could go up to my parents with the Babe if I wanted. I opted to stay home with him and then go up to my parents next week.

Kevin has been working around the house, getting things cleaned up, spreading wood chips that we were given to us by a friend and taking coffee breaks with Aletta and I. I on the other hand have been hanging up laundry from our vacation, doing a load of diapers (pictured below) and trying to find ways to save our resources with my maternity leave benefits coming to an end.

Saving your resources and yet not being cheap is a precarious thing. Especially when you are already frugal. Now frugality turns into creativity. I hope to share in the next few blog posts about how my frugal living the past year (which I thought was already creative) worked out in a few areas, and hopefully that will give some of you readers some ideas of your own as you try to be stewardly with your resources.

from left: fuzzi bunz pocket diapers, waterproof diaper pail sack, diaper inserts, cloth wipes

The cloth diapers was one big way that we wanted to save money and not contribute to filling up landfills. I have about 20 pocket diapers and a whole bunch of prefolds. We just came back from vacation during which we used disposable diapers...and I have to admit it is super easy to pull off the diaper, wrap it up and chuck it. Amazing, really. Coming back to the cloth diapers I wasn't so pumped. I can see why its easier to use disposable. BUT, we don't live in a disposable world, so I remembered why we did cloth in the first place and pulled out the brightly coloured, super cute diapers. And they look fun on the clothesline while the sun dries and bleaches them.

time keeps on slippin'

2011-06-10T09:17:00.008-06:00

And here I was going to write a blog once a week...and then life happens. It amazes me how for some people blogging is their life. How do they do it? Where do they come up with all the interesting stuff to write about and then write it in a way that sounds interesting to other people? You got me.

So, really nothing interesting has happened in my life that others might find interesting, BUT, plenty of things that are interesting to me and my little family. The Screamer is still screaming. Oh, I wonder what the future holds. Now she mainly screams when she is going down for a nap and when she bonks her head - which is far too many times.

She is just getting into too many things for me to stay on top of her. How do I let her explore and be happy and yet let her know for the millionth time that the wicker basket which is narrower on the bottom than on the top WILL NOT HOLD HER when she insists on standing up at it? I say "Ah ah, Aletta..." and she looks at me with big, wide mouthed, goofy grin that just screams "I am SO proud of myself. Look at me stand at this. I am SO cool." Really, how is she not amazing??? She not only is prooving to me that she much further ahead than me, but that she will always be one step ahead of me. How does she do that?

Well, today, she decides to go to town in my little pantry cupboard which just happens to be at the perfect height for her. For the most part I don't care that she is pulling things out of there, until it comes to the bottle of Diana sauce, which I explicitely say "ah, ah, Aletta. No." (What she doesn't understand about that is beyond me.) And she proceeds to yank it out anyway, away from me. Well, it falls on her ankle, to which she screams and flails herself forward and does a doozy on her forehead as she connects to that shelf at perfect height. To which she starts screaming louder, hopping up and down almost leaping out of my embrace. Ohhhh, I wonder what the future holds.

One other thing of interest, that isn't about our little Screamer, is that our basement is almost complete (it's been almost complete for a while now) and I just can't wait to declutter and finally move things downstairs from our mainfloor. Like the television. We have this big, huge, honkin old school TV sitting in middle of our beautiful corner window of our livingroom. I hardly even watch the thing, but have been watching it a whole lot more since it has invaded our serene main floor getaway. So I am thinking that once everything has gone down to the basement that I will have my peaceful, serene, calming livingroom back again and I can live life like I did antes Aletta. HA. Will life ever be peaceful again? Our basement looks peaceful right now since no one ever goes down there. But that will be the perfect area for Aletta to play in and hopefully get into less things...everything comes around to Aletta, doesn't it. And here I was so determined not to let a tiny little creature rule my life.

Well, the breeze has just cooled down and it almost looks like it's going to rain. I probably better take the diapers in off the line before I have to defeat the purpose of line drying.

Happy Baby Blessings

2011-04-16T18:49:00.004-06:00

It almost felt like we were back in Nicaragua today...last night I was going to write a blog about what it's like to live with a Screamer who decides she doesn't want to sleep anymore, but after today I am going to write about the little blessings God gives us when things don't go as planned.

The past week has been miserable for us being up every night with a sick, screaming child. Then, last night comes around and at the wise advice of my brother and sister-in-law (yes, the ones with 6 kids, so we take their advice very seriously) we let Aletta "cry-it-out"...not that we hadn't done that before, but after such a week this was really letting her cry-it-out. A battle of the wills of sorts and we had to come out on top. Well, let's just say we came out on top. And really, so did Aletta. She was happier than a pig in, well, it's play pen, all day today. I know, I wasn't going to write about the screaming part of my little Screamer, but I kind of have to in order set the stage for God's little blessings.

So, this morning (I guess it was just after noon) we are heading to some friends' place for lunch. We come to a roll in a very busy intersection and Kevin puts the vehicle into first gear as the light turns green and the car doesn't go... anywhere...well, lucky for us it was still rolling enough that he was just able to creep through the intersection and pull into the far right lane so that we didn't block too much traffic and have to experience the Nicaraguan feeling traffic of horns blaring.

I remember when we first arrived in Nicaragua we filled our cell phones with every English speaking persons phone number that we could find in case of such an emergency. Now, its pouring rain, cold and windy, and we also have a baby in the back seat. So who do we call? CAA. Of course. The strange person who answers the phone on the other end that can send out a tow truck and bring your vehicle to your mechanic of choice, is a welcome voice that can solve all our problems. Sort of. We also have Aletta to think about....can't just stand in the cold, windy rain. We called up the friends we were going to visit and they came to pick up Aletta and I while Kevin went with the tow truck dude to the mechanic, then his dad picked him up there and brought him home so that he could grab our other car and come out one more time to our friend's place.

It all worked out! Beautiful. And you know what was even more beautiful? Aletta was so happy the whole time. Thinking about it just brings a smile to my face.

Anywho, you'd think the happy ending (minus the mechanic bill) would be the end of the story. Not today. We are heading home, stop at a hardware store to pick up paint for our newly renovated basement (baby steps), and our second car doesn't start up! The battery is dead. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? Kevin even made some joke about that as we were leaving our friend's place. We just looked at each other and laughed and laughed. Really, come on...what are the chances?? Twice in the span of 5 hours with two different vehicles.

It was almost time to feed Aletta and we had no idea how long it would take to get the car boosted. This time, Kevin called up another friend to come and give the car a boost. So I grabbed Aletta, wrapped her up in a blanket and walked a couple blocks to a coffee shop to feed her. Still cold and windy, but not raining. And Aletta was happy the whole time making everyones day with her big, snotty-faced smile. With a child like her, how can I be cranky about the situation at hand? Not a chance. Well, about 30 minutes later Kevin comes flying around the corner with a re-energized car. The end to our eventful, Nicaraguan feeling day. Praise God for friends, family, CAA and most of all, happy babies!

Now Kevin is in the basement enjoying himself painting the bathroom a bright, rich purple colour. Ha.

Chronicles of a Screamer: The Beginning

2011-04-07T07:41:00.006-06:00

The world turned on its head almost seven months ago when my sweet baby girl came into the world, screaming. And she hardly stoppped to take a breath for the first thirteen hours of her life. I just remember thinking "What on earth just happened?!", and every once in a while that same thought reoccurs to me. She has kept me on my toes and on my knees in prayer ever since that day.

Just earlier this week my dearest friend in the whole wide world, Tracy, came to visit me...her first encounter with the Screamer...and I now feel like I have an ally. She might not be living close by - God knows I wish she was - but she now knows just how busy my sweet little Screamer really is. OH, my husband sure knows. So do my parents from the short visits I have with them at their place, but now my dearest friend who has been there for me thirteen years, has seen the worst and best of me and still loves me, she understands my perils with this child. That is a feat in and of itself. Oh how I treasure her friendship. Anywho, at the encouragement of Tracy I am starting up my blog again, a whole year later since I blogged about the adventures in Nicaragua, as a bit of a coping mechanism for living with and raising my beautiful little Screamer, Aletta.

The name Aletta is from spanish and dutch origin (very fitting) and means "footloose", "verity", "truth", "small winged one". As much as she is a handful, that is the very reason I am excited to raise this little girl. My husband and I just can't do it on our own, we need our family, friends and more importantly God. Yes, we need God!

From My Spring Newsletter

2010-04-22T14:22:00.006-06:00

Here is a post from my most recent newsletter...

I just love Spring. The new life that it brings, the beauty, the warmth. The seasonsone bigwhy I am glad to be back in Canada.My most recent return home was greeted by warm weather, which made me excited for hanging the clothes outside...not sure why I get excited about that, but pretty much every year that is something that I look forward to. Seeing as we`re talking about seasons, let me do a recap of what I have been up to the past winter months.

November 9-24, 2009

In November I spent 2.5 weeks in Nicaragua with Steve and Alma figuring out our anticipated moves for the Woman at the Well partnership teams that would be coming in the New Year.We planned schedules, brainstormed ideas and began developing learning designs. There are about five learning designs that work to bring each group through a process of diving deeper into the work of the Nehemiah Center, the Nicaraguan culture and how our worlds effect each other as we live our lives in this beautiful global world of God`s.The Woman at the Well partnerships came out of Christian Reformed World Missions in Nicaragua when they noticed that North American churches are sending down their teams, but there were no plans for continued relationship.

On my return home, over Christmas and into the New Year, I busily worked on the learning designs and on the cultural surveys which teams complete on their arrival and departure.

January 21-February 15, 2010

Whether I was prepared or not January 21 came quickly and I headed back to Nicaragua, this time for almost 4 weeks. The first couple weeks I didn’t feel too far from home because a few days after I arrived the team from my home church, Faith Burlington, arrived. They were excited to explore their partnership with the Nehemiah Center and about learning what partnering with a Nicaraguan church/community might look like and to hear stories of God at work. I enjoyed my time with them, although, it was also at this time that I was experiencing pretty bad morning sickness—pretty much whenever the heat hit me, I ate something not so settling or my body just plain wanted to feel sick. Just before I left for this trip Kevin and I found out that I was pregnant and I had to pretend the whole time that I was fine because none of our family back home knew yet!

Faith Burlington team after a very rewarding Incarnational Missions workshop.

After Faith left, a team from Bethel Edmonton arrived for a similar intense Vision Trip with the purpose of diving deeper into the culture and seeking to better understand how God is already at work in Nicaragua. While Faith is focusing on the city of Leon, Bethel is focusing on the city of Chinendega, and the churches that are part of the healthy church initiative there. It was an excellent time of learning and growth for them, but for me as well. God continues to open my eyes to how He is at work in the people of Nicaragua and how partnerships work across cultures. Partnerships take time and patience and a lot of willingness to invest in relationship. We have to give up of self and learn to be and see how and what God wants us to be and see. Relationships are messy, no matter what time zone you are in or what side of the earth you are on. Then throw into the mix different cultures, different perspectives, and so many other bits and pieces and you have yourself a perfect opportunity for two-way transformation.

March 6-22, 2010

My time back home in February went quickly and I soon found myself back at the Nehemiah Center preparing for another church group. Immanuel Hamilton was a multi-generational group and came for 10 days as part of a visioning trip for their church as well, but with the extra time we were able to integrate interactive activities into the mix, which made for a not as intense learning and growing opportunity for the whole group.

The team from Immanuel, Hamilton

Immanuel, along with their neighbours, Faith Burlington, are focusing on the city of Leon in their partnership with the Nehemiah Center. So again I went with them to listen to beautiful stories of how God is moving in Leon through the work of the Nehemiah Center. I spent every waking and sleeping moment with the team and really enjoyed my new found friends and the knowledge that they aren’t too far away from me even back home! Being a part of their discovery and learning of how they fit into God’s big global picture was so much fun to be a part of.

In addition to your prayers and care please consider to financially support my work and the work of CRWM in Nicaragua. Before my position comes to a close June 30, I need to still raise $7,000.

If you want to give you can donate online www.crwm.org/donate with the easy online form, or you can send your gift to CRWM with April Voorberg, WMLA-803689 on the memo line. Thank you and blessings!!

The Final Run

2010-03-09T19:34:00.003-06:00

I don't want to sound so depressed saying that this is my final trip here, but I am starting to feel that way as I look to saying goodbye. It really hit me as I walked out of the airport on Sunday night and was greeting by Alma and her mom. This could possibly be the very last time that I see their beautiful faces in the mass of people at the airport. Lord, please hold my heart.

It is only day two and I am fully enjoying my time back in Nicaragua again. It feels like home. The people feel like home. The friends, the laughs, hey, even the awkward Spanish struggle is feeling pretty natural! But I am just building myself up for huge bummed let down the day I leave this country, so I will move on.

This first week here I am using as a time to get prepared for the team from Hamilton Immanual CRC to come on Saturday. This church has sent a team once before and they have committed to the Woman at the Well church partnership with the excitement of learning and sharing. I am looking forward to them being here and learning and growing along with them. Alma and I will be fully involved with the team for the duration of their time here and Steve will be mostly with us during this time. Please pray for a full time of understanding, open hearts and growth as we all dive deeper into understanding God's desire for missions and what He wants us to encounter and be broken by.

The weather has been exceptionally beautiful since I have been here and I am just praying that it sticks around for the next couple weeks. Maybe throwing the weather into this blog sounds like a random comment, but since I am pregnant I can quite handle the heat like I used to...or maybe its the bebito that can't handle the heat...

Into the Heat

2010-01-22T14:34:00.004-06:00

My travels yesterday went well and no issues came up, which means I still have a clear travel record...unless you include the time when Kevin and I flew home last June and almost missed our connector flight in Houston and had to run like mad through the whole airport, but that's a near miss, not an actual mishap. Everytime I fly I wonder if that will be the time that I have one of those atrocious experiences that many people so often pull out of their repitoir of travel horror stories. Otherwise, I don't worry about it too much about flying and just go about my way.

Don Miguel had his taxi ready at the airport and brought me to Alma's place. Miguel is a trustworthy man that the Nehemiah Center often contracts his business so guests and staff alike can make it where they need to go safely. Although I didn't sleep well cause of all the animal noises, car horns, bombas and all these many other wonderful Managua sounds. Give me a few days and I should be used to it all again.

Steve and I are trying to confirm all our plans that we have for the Faith Burlington team that is coming on Tuesday. I hope to keep everyone updated on their trip via my blog so those who are wondering can rest assure. The team will be here from Jan 26 - Feb 1 and will be focusing on visioning for the partnership with the Nehemiah Center/ Leon churches, which Faith Church is committed to.

Heading into a weekend I see many things to keep me busy, I just hope that with most people not working that I can get the stuff done that I need to.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-16T20:57:00.000-06:00

Success

2009-11-27T08:46:00.003-06:00

A successful trip, I am happy to say. Steve, Alma and I worked it hard and are satisfied with how far we got on the training development and vision trip work. We didn't completely finish so I still have my work cut out for me in the next 8 weeks before my next trip out. Lucky for me I have some solid direction now for what we want everything to look like.

And for anyone who wants to check out Kevin's guitar you can talk to him for a looksee and maybe a strum or two...the guitar was completed and I brought it home!!! A beautiful thing it is.

Now it is back to the cold world of mittens and sweaters. It's not so bad though, I get out to walk my dog, so I am forced to face the chill. I am already listening to my fave Christmas music and started decorating last night! I can't wait to chop down that tree this weekend! Kevin and my first tree! I don't know what's crazier to think of - all what Christ did for us during his life on earth and his death or what He is doing in this world today. When I sit and allow myself the peace to think on Jesus and all He has done, I am blown away by all His works, power, beauty and raw heart. I am really looking forward to this Christmas.

El Hombre de la Guitarra

2009-11-16T10:28:00.004-06:00

The drive up to the Matagalpa region is just so beautiful. Especially just after the raining season with all the vegetation lush and green and the rain is still washing off all the dust. I was in awe the whole way there and back.

Plans had changed but Alma I still managed to find our way up there and do some different things. One man that we met with was Don Gregorio (aka Guitar Man). He doesn't just play guitars, he makes them. A year ago when Kevin and I were here I wanted to bring Kevin to this man as a surprise so that he could design his own guitar, but things didn't work out. This time I knew we were heading up that way anyway so I wanted to for sure meet up with this guy again and see what kind of beautiful guitar he could create. The whole guitar is created from specific materials, to which I chose certain colours, and as a finishing touch he paints a design on the face of the guitar.

Well, I want to make sure you have the right picture in your head of this man. He was a quiet and gentle man and came across as quite content. But doesn't he just look like a guitar man?!

When we showed up all these boys were running around and chattering away with excitement to see the gringita. I don't like being so obvious, but there is nothing I can do about my size or my colour so I try to make the most of it and have fun with the kids. When Alma and I walked into the Guitar Man's house/workshop the kids piled in after us and watched and giggled. Whenever I spoke the kids giggled and called out things. Alma asked the Guitar Man if he could play us some music so the kids were laughing more and started bugging each other. And then I hauled out the camera because I couldn't miss an opportunity like this. Kevin had to at least "meet" the Guitar Man who is creating the masterpiece. All these kids are Don Gregorio's grandsons...what beautiful faces!

I'm not sure if the guitar will be completed in time for my return this time around, but for sure the next time I will return home armed with a guitar for Kevin.

Round Two

2009-11-10T15:44:00.003-06:00

Well, I suppose it's not really round two, but I am back in Nicaragua for 2 weeks to work alongside Steve and Alma with the Church Partnership program and with community trainings. I so enjoy this work!

Kevin dropped me off at the airport yesterday morning and I arrived in Managua by 8pm. I waited for about an hour and a half for my ride to show up not knowing that she was already there looking for me, but we just kept on missing each other in that small airport!! I was about to go grab a taxi when Alma walked by! Oh how happy I was to see her beautiful face!

After a restful sleep at Alma's place we headed into the Nehemiah Center for a full day of work...and of course talking and catching up and meeting new people since Kevin and I left. Right away Steve invited me into a meeting that would be discussing plans for the upcoming vision trips. Henry (healthy churches) and Hultner (youth at risk) and Steve shared with each other their different program initiatives and how they could come together for the specific purpose of the church parnterships. It was definitely a Spanish refresher for me, but very cool to hear of their programs and all the incredible work they do with communities.

Now Alma and I are working on a community training and are planning on facilitating it with a group a Nicaraguan woman at an organization called "Tesoros de Dios". This will be beneficial for both sides, as the women at Tesoros de Dios interact with a lot of North Americans and we need contstructive feedback on the training as well as a solid practice run. That training will be coming up on Friday morning.

We are now heading back to Alma's place for dinner and I am looking forward to a skype date with Kevin tonight!!

Settling In

2009-08-13T17:52:00.008-06:00

It has almost been two months since our return from Nicaragua. We have been settling into our daily routines and reconnecting with our friends and family. Kevin is back at his job and really enjoying it. He loves the consistency and the people he works with, so that helps a tonne! We were both worried about a possible bumpy transition from one cultural extreme into another, but Kevin has handled it without any issues!Doesn't Kevin look so happy?! His boss took this picture even though he thought that I wanted it to sell Kevin on e-bay! Ja ja ja! Kevin is even wearing his Centro Nehemias shirt!

While Kevin is anchored down with a permanent, full-time job, I am working from home, yet still working in Nicaragua at the Nehemiah Center. I am officially working for Christian Reformed World Missions at the Nehemiah Center and do that about 10 – 16 hours per week. My title is Program & Training Developer. In a nutshell, I am working to further develop the Church Partnership Program to help bring it to a point where it is healthy and doesn’t need to be coddled but Steve and Alma can just run with it. Meanwhile, the second piece of my job description is to develop various trainings with Alma, Steve and Mark to use with Nicaraguan communities. The goal is for me to travel to Nicaragua three times in the coming year to put into practice the various pieces I have developed - to evaluate and then revise them. Hopefully, by my last time there most of it has been `perfected` and Alma can fully enjoy running with the program and trainings and not have to worry about all the development and implementation!

Along with working with the Nehemiah Center I need to continue to raise funds and encouragement to support me in my work. That means from this past July until July 2010 I will need to raise all the funds to cover my flights and expenses while I`m in Nicaragua and for my time while in Canada. When I am in Canada I will be working from home...so feel free to pop me an email, give me a call or stop by to give me that extra boost of encouragement and energy.

We are ever so thankful to God for all the people who have made a point to chat with us, call us or email us in the past couple months of transition. The transition is still not over, though, so we ask you for your prayers as we settle and find new moves to groove to.

People mentioned in this blog, in case you forget who they are:

Alma – Alma Hernandez works at the Nehemiah Center with CRWRC, CRWM, PWW. She is an incredibly gifted woman who is amazing at the work that she does, and a very good friend of mine.

Steve – Steve Holtrop is the missionary guy with CRWM and also the sub-director of the Nehemiah Center. A great guy, who is a blast to work with and is very good at what he does in connecting with the various community leaders.

Mark – Mark VanderWees is the missionary guy with CRWRC and is the guy that keeps everyone super busy! He is uber-connected with the communities and walks alongside them as they grow.

If you would like to support my work financially you can follow this link and donate online. Whether you are American or Canadian there is a online form for you to use. If you would like me to send you the information so you can mail it in please email me.

Coffee Table Photobook

2009-08-05T16:04:00.002-06:00

I have created a photobook of our time in Nicaragua. Kevin and I have a copy of it if you would like to to peruse through our adventures and here some cool stories. Or you can go ahead and order your own copy of the book online. Don't worry, there isn't any personal content in the book so it really can be on anyones coffee table for enjoyment. It's 120 pages long and the link below brings you to the website I am selling it from and allows you to have a sneek peek at the fun fotos in it! Enjoy!

Nicaragua

Life Captured

By April Voorberg

Book Preview

Canadian Land

2009-06-18T20:26:00.006-06:00

Canada is that way!

After almost missing our connecting flight in Houston we landed on Canadian land on Monday afternoon and received a warm welcome from Annetta and Paul at the aiport and later from Kevin's family.

Our time in Nicaragua came quickly to an end. We spent most of the weekend packing and closing up stuff with our rental and vehicle and other stuff. Saturday night we were able to hit up a little concert of the Nicaraguan band "Duo Guardabarranco" for some amazing music and relaxing with good friends.

After moving our furniture on Sunday Mark and Nancy VanderWees invited us to sleep the night at their place so we could get a bit of rest before the early start Monday morning. It was so nice to be able to spend our last night with them, as short as it was. Monday morning came around way too quick and we headed to the Nehemiah Center with all our stuff to meet our friends.

Mark kept saying what good friends we have to meet us at 5 AM to bring us to the airport, and it`s true. We are so blessed for the friendships we have in Alma, Andrea and Dave! They brought us to the airport and even waited with us until we had to move out of sight through security...then we were on our own for the quick travel home.

The "A-Team"...Alma, April, Andrea.

Oh, we miss our friends dearly and miss everyone at the Nehemiah Center. But with a bit of time, we know we will settle in just fine here in Burlington and find where God wants to place us.

We are thankful to everyone for your prayers and encouragement!

Air Conditioning

2009-06-12T09:18:00.003-06:00

I feel like I need to apologize to all our friends who voted that we wouldn't even turn the air conditioning on in our house...I know you believed in my stubborness. But, I hit a breaking point. The heat was unbearable. I couldn't handle it anymore and neither could Kevin.

You see, it went like this: We came home, Wednesday, from a long HOT day at the Nehemiah Center and our home, which is usually a refreshing retreat, did not give any relief. Kevin with remote in hand said, "I really think that we should put the a/c on!"...to which I only mumbled "maybe." That was it. That was all it took. And the a/c was on and the heat was being beat out of our house. It's amazing how 28 degrees celcius feels!

To take advantage of the new, refreshing, cool air we rearranged our dining/living area and moved our table and chairs so that they were situated right under the a/c unit. It was like a new life!

So, I deeply apologize to those of you who believed in us and that we wouldn't cave. But I figure, now that it was on once, it will probably be even more hot this weekend while we're packing...

Lizard Friend

2009-06-04T14:23:00.003-06:00

Working in a tropical climate country adds a unique flavor to each work day. There are many different factors we Canadians have had to adapt to while down here at the Nehemiah Centre Offices. Sitting in blistering hot offices, dust storms clogging up our computers, and constant power outages. However, there is one aspect of this tropical climate / open office concept that is rather interesting and fun. We constantly have new friends and visitors crawling and slithering all around. One day we might have a snake in the eaves trough, the other it might be cows crossing the parking lot, and there are always beautiful birds making homes all over the building. This past Monday we had a new visitor to the offices...a bright green Lizard. Just a baby Iguana, but a beautiful little guy came in to say hello shortly after our mother's day mariachi band concert! (You really never know what is going to happen here!)

Sunday Morning Worship

2009-05-24T13:40:00.003-06:00

Sunday mornings we wake up about 8am ish and head to Iglesia Verbo for a 9:30am worship service. We had come here a couple times on previous visits with Faith Church and our close friend Alma attends this church and leads worship some mornings. She encouraged us to be a part if this fellowship, although it didn't take much! We have grown to love this church over the past 8 months.

We enjoy the time singing and praising God with the many people we have come to know and recognize. The following videos were shot on May 3. Enjoy!

The first song is called "Eres Fiel" and will move autimatically into the second and third videos; songs called "Abre Mis Ojos" y "Agnus Dei".

Guatemala - Part 2

2009-05-20T18:59:00.006-06:00

We left you off just after our time in la Ciudad de (the city of) Antigua. For the most part Guatemala Part 1 covered a large portion of our time spent in Guatemala, however, the next three days that would follow would hold some of the most meaningful and thought provoking time in this country.

It was time for Sunday morning church. (Our original plans were to go and celebrate a special family day at one of the cities maximum security prisons, but due to some unforeseen circumstances we were sadly unable to do this). So it was time to do the flexible thing and change plans on the fly. Joel, being the master of improv and flexibility, directed us to a service at Casa de Dios (House of God) a mega-church in Guatemala City. Its four Sunday church services bring in a staggering 10,000 people each week. Without saying too much it was an interesting and discussion provoking service for the team. The praise team was all color coordinated, there was a smoke machine and even the drummer was all decked out in a suit. The message was more reminiscent of a prosperity gospel type and we weren’t sure why we went to this church on Sunday morning, but we were soon to find out.

In the afternoon Joel led the Kuyper group in another teaching module comparing “Theology of Glory vs. Theology of the Cross”. For this module we met in a church (Nueva Jerusalem) located in a barrio of Guatemala City. Joel shared inspiring stories of how this church has been living and working with the surrounding community. We heard how its foundations built on Theology and thinking centered around the Cross. Here we came to further understand the need to integrate and embrace the reality of the world around us rather than retreat and build barriers to ward off the world. The church in which we discussed this was a inspirational example of such a community of believers. Nueva Jerusalem church exemplifies what it means to live with and love the community around you in the area a church serves. We spent time with a specific family getting to know them and worshipped with this church in the evening. That mariachi band was good!

On Monday finally we had a day to sleep in. We spent the morning socializing and complaining about the lack of running water...oh ya, I forgot to tell you that from Saturday (May 16th) to Tuesday night (May 19th) there was no running water at the seminary where we were staying. I pity the rental company that gets the van back after transporting 14 unshowered sweaty people around for 4 days.

Joel took us to visit one of the families which live on the edge of the dump.

After trying to search out other sources of water Joel came by to pick us up for our afternoon reflection. That afternoon he brought us over to the cities cemetery. It is a staggering place enclosed by 12 foot high concrete walls. Inside are rows and rows of crypts and above ground tombs. We made our way to the back of the cemetery to a place that looked out over into the city dump. It was here that our next missional lesson would come. Joel, with the use of the scene around us, talked about how we can and need to rethink the way in which we are reaching those like the 11,000 people working in the city landfill. He based his talk on Judges 19, yes that’s right, Judges 19. Go and read it and email me if you wish to hear more. Needless to say it was a sobering experience, one we will never forget.

Our last day in Guatemala was spent in the squatter community of La Limonada. There we visited two schools to sit in on the classes, help the teachers and play with the kids. In addition to this we were able to visit with a couple families in their homes to pray with them for their families. This was also the day that we finally had water back at the Seminary, its crazy what a shower will do for the moral of a group.

As part of the school curriculum there is scheduled play time one day week.

View of La Limonada from the gravel soccer field.

Although the group of students from Kuyper College were not finished their time in Guatemala, our time came to an end. Wednesday morning at 6:50 am our plane took off and we were back in Managua just over an hour later. Now we sit here in a coffee shop checking the emails that were building up in our inbox, and enjoying a cup of Nica coffee (a little taste of home for us!). I wish I could write more of a reflection but my mind still has not properly and thoroughly processed all that we experienced in Guatemala. What I can say is that we thank God for this opportunity as it felt in part like a debriefing and a new beginning all in one. It brought together some loose ends and helped clarify the context of Central America as a whole. It gave background to a where Nicaragua stems from. We also feel like it has equipped us to return to Canada and properly serve in the ways God has called us to. There are some really exciting things we feel that is being stirred up in us and are really looking forward to sharing them with you!

Guatemala - Part 1

2009-05-16T19:39:00.006-06:00

Yes, we are in Guatemala for about 10 days taking a ride with Joel Van Dyke, CRWM of Guatemala, as he carries out a Vision Trip with students from Kuyper College. We were asked to observe and learn how he runs this trip and we jumped at the opportunity to see more of tag along on one of Joel's well-known trips and to hear more of his day to day work.

Guatemala is pretty amazing...we joined the group at Lake Atitlan, said to be the most beautiful lake in Central America and is located in the middle of three volcanoes. While there in the village of Panajachel we visited a catholic church and heard the story of an American Priest who humbly served and witnessed to the Mayan people there during the midst of the war. He was murdered one night inside his own office by two masked men, the empty bullet shells and blood stained wall still found in his quarters are a testament to this. The man who took his spot asked his friend (and renowned author/speaker) Henri Nouwen to join him...this was at the time that Nouwen was living in Toronto. We encourage you to research this and read his book Love in a Fearful Land: A Guatemalan Story. (google it...it is an inspiring story of a man serving as we are all called to do.)

We then we went to visit a place where some of the Mayan people still worship and burn incense to the carved god maximon. This idol changes homes once per year and it is voted upon which home it will go to next. Everyday of the year the home which has maximon will have people praying and burning incense to it. This experience shook many of us up to the realities of idols and we reflected on what kind of "maximons" are prevalent in our culture and lives.

Yesterday, in the morning, the group visited a forensics lab where anthropologists work to identify the bones of thousands of people who died in the massacre of the 35 year civil war. It was sad and yet it was really cool how these people give of themselves to bring dignity and justice back to the families who had lost loved ones. Once these bodies are legally identified the lab assists in giving the families a proper burial of their loved ones. This work has been going on for almost 20 years and the lab has identified over 5000 bodies. This is a amazing feat but dwarfed by the number of people who were killed or kidnapped during the war, almost 200,000.

Later in the afternoon, they went to the International Justice Mission which is a human rights agency which advocates for the rights of those who are exploited, and victims of violence and/or sexual abuse. (It is also located in Nicaragua.) http://www.ijm.org/.

Therehas been a lot of rain here so some activities haven't turned out as hoped, but we are enjoying the welcome climate change that Guatemala offers. We have been wearing jeans and long sleeves pretty much all the time! Today we spent the day in Antigua seeing more of the ruins and hearing more of the history of the culture. (Antigua was the first capital for all of central america when it was considered one country by the Spaniards and is also a World Heritage site - named by the United Nations.)

So many events in the history of Guatemala overlaps with events in the history of Nicaragua, so it has been an extremely informative and heart/mind moving experience so far. We are so thankful for this time here as we are really starting to understand the history of Central America and this in turn helps us understand some of the reasons and events that have mapped out Nicaragua's history not only as a country but as a civilization and culture. As Joel often says - "unless you map out and see the pain of a city (where it is bleeding), the hope for a city, and God's heart for a city" ...we will never be able to serve the way God has called us to serve - "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you..."

Please call me Mr. V

2009-04-29T13:52:00.006-06:00

Mr. V. That is how the students of the Science Olympiad class addressed me. For a week and a half following Semana Santa I switched my Nehemiah Center hat in for a Nicaraguan Christian Academy one where I taught a workshop on bridges and bridge construction. It was an “out of my comfort zone” experience, yet one that I have really enjoyed and am grateful to have done.

A little background 411 first...Nicaraguan Christian Academy is a Christian elementary and high school here in Managua. It is a fully accredited U.S. School and therefore all classes are in English – hence I was able to teach. Check out their website http://www.nca.edu.ni/ for some more information. Science Olympiad is a course offered to the high school students (it is very popular in the United States). It uses experiments and projects as a method to teach the students about science. You should google it sometime as there is quite the following and sites on this stuff!

Okay, so that gets you a little familiar with the background setting. The upfront (does that word work?) setting is that there are 13 students in the class, an official real life teacher watching – to make sure I don't screw up - and to boot the classroom feels like a sauna in this Nicaragua heat. The object of the workshop was to grasp the concept of bridge design and efficiency by building and testing a popsicle stick bridge. The class would be divided up into groups and then worked to design and produce the lightest popsicle stick bridge (Truss Style) able to carry a load of 15 kilograms.

First up, one must become one with bridges, to think like a bridge. This requires thorough studies in engineering in addition to a complete comprehension of Sir Newton's laws of physics. I feel I was able to easily condense all that into one 50 minute class, even with a river of sweat falling from my brow – you know all in a days work really. I was a teaching machine filling the students mind with so much information that they needed naps during the class just keep from overloading, or maybe it was the fact the class was right after lunch?! In all seriousness though I was actually able to stick to the handout and avoided rambling on and on aimlessly. The only major error I guess would be mixing up a permanent marker for a dry erase one....oops.

So nap time was over, oops I mean lecture time. The next 4 classes were centered around designing and constructing there popsicle stick structures. It was a true gift to be spend those workshops just walking around and talking with each group. Sitting down and going over different design options and determining the best way to build the Trusses. There were many different techniques tried and used that brought a good range of diversity and examples to teach about with the class. I thank them for the fun times I had and all they taught me during those workshops!

At last each group had created their popsicle stick bridge. It is judgement day and I was Captain Crunch (the nickname of an old professor who did this at my college – no joke) ready to bring havoc to the masses of wood and glue. A little harsh maybe? But none-the-less it was time to put these bad boys to the test and “load” them up until structural failure (basically when the bridge turned into toothpicks!) It was awesome to see how well all the bridges did, despite some skepticism from the myself and even the students. I will let the pics below tell the rest of this day.

Looking back on this almost a week later I am very thankful for this opportunity that N.C.A. (Rachel P., and Joel D.) gave me. It gave me 1 – a new found respect for those that teach, 2 – a chance to see another part of the culture here in Managua, and 3 – a realization that I actually might have some knowledge in this old brain that is worth sharing!

5 Reasons Why I Love My Husband

2009-04-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

In case you didn't know already - which would probably mean that you don't have a CRWM calendar - it is Kevin's birthday today.

Right now he is at a class at the Nicaragua Christian Academy teaching the Grade 9's how build bridges, and a finally a very appropriate time for me to write this blog about him. Otherwise we pretty much spend every moment together and that makes it difficult to do anything for surprise worthy days like today.

This isn't a bridge, but he knows how to check the measurements of wind turbines too.

So, for Kevin's birthday I wanted to post about 5 reasons why I love my husband:

He actually likes to cook.
He doesn't like to clean, but he certainly does that too!
He has a huge heart for every person he meets - greeting them with a handshake or kiss and converses with them and makes them feel comfortable.
He has no issues hanging out with Alma, Andrea and I (A-Team), so much so that we've changed our "name" it to K's A-Team.
He encourages me to be who I am and never, ever puts me down, but always tells me that He loves me for exactly who I am.
(Can't just stop at 5) Everyday he seeks God with his whole heart and leads in a way that is honouring to God.

Frequently giving business to the money changer, Kevin introduces the Faith team to him.

Happy Birthday Kevin!

Semana Santa

2009-04-11T12:24:00.001-06:00

The week between Palm Sunday and Easter is called “Semana Santa” in Central America. Semana Santa means Holy Week and the entire week is off in celebration of it.

Each year the CRCNA-Latin America holds a spiritual retreat for all the missionaries - career, volunteers, partners. This year it was held in Nicaragua, which was great for us being so close and not have to travel a long distance. As it so happens every other year the retreat is English and this was the year for Spanish. It was great practice for us to train our ears, but there was also translation supplied over head sets if we wanted to take advantage of it.

Everyone came pouring in starting on Friday night until Saturday night beginning the days away with relaxing on the beach and reconnecting with each other. We saw that this was a great time for the long term people to reconnect, giving encouragement and support. Oh the value of friendships and relationships with people who understand the experiences you are having. We so enjoyed getting to know so many people serving with CRWM and CRWRC, hearing their stories of faith, trials, and joys. What a life they are living!

On Sunday morning we gathered to worship together and praise God on Palm Sunday. For the first time ever I experienced what the waving of palm branches was really like! How beautiful that day two thousand years ago must have been! We broke bread together and shared drink in communion remembering what Christ did for us...an experience I will never forget. At the end of service we then witnessed the baptism of Elise Holtrop, another sign of God’s beautiful promises to us.

Monday and Tuesday we attended four sessions and were taken through the process of “The Dance of Racial Reconciliation”. This was a very valuable process to go through to understand the difference between the way the world views racism and how we as Christians are to play an active part in racial reconciliation. During these two days there was also plenty of time for beach volleyball, card games, corn hole, swimming and walks on the beach.

It was sad for us in saying goodbye to everyone knowing that there are good chances that we won’t see many of them again. But who knows what the future holds, as a year ago we wouldn’t have put ourselves here – God has many surprises for us!

Did You Just Take Another Shower?

2009-04-02T20:22:00.009-06:00

Of late the days are daily becoming hotter and hotter. We are taking every opportunity to get into an air conditioned place. The mornings are typically of a decent temperature - we walk into the office, turn on the fans and start up our computers and feel the inevitable happenings of sweat developing. But, never-the-less we head over to the kitchen to pour ourselves a cup of coffee to start off the morning on the right foot.

Over the past two days we participated in an adult learning training that was hosted by the Nehemiah Center. We would meet together in one of the conference rooms which was a haven of air conditioning, but then go off into small groups to work on our projects out in the hot, muggy, thick, open air center court. The first time we went outside into our groups, the power abruptly shut down and we were left without even the use of fans. Oh, the feeling of slowly suffocating. Sweat, instantaneously soaked through our shirts...Kevin by far the worst of us all.

At this point the temperature is ranging between 35 - 37 degrees Celsius...and it's only getting hotter. Two showers a day is a regular occurance now. It's amazing how easily it is to find ways to compensate for the heat. Typically, by 1:30pm our brains shut down to reduce the heat of our bodies. So far it works pretty good to not have to worry about that, although at times there is a demand to find some air conditioning - immediately. Or, if there is a need to go and purchase big item, like new tires for your vehicle, let's say, we eagerly go along to have a "meeting" in the air conditioned waiting room of the tire place. I have had such an experience and I had never realized the value which tires hold until that day.

However, there are a couple negative aspects in seeking out air conditioning. One being that although it is nice and refreshing, once we have been there for about 10 minutes our bodies are used to the new refreshing air and have adjusted easily. And since the heat outside is so excruciating it takes a lot of money for businesses to compensate for it with a/c, so usually is set at a higher tempurature than what is comfortable on a normal day and we start sweating again. Another negative thing is that when we do walk outside it's like walking into a wall and our body explodes with heat. Now imagine getting into a vehicle with vinyl seats...

With all that effort to find air conditioning we still find the time to exercise in our house, but because we are so frugal we have still not yet put the a/c on while we work out even though we can blast it into a single room. People tell us though, that there will come a point where all you can do is sit in your house if you don't turn on the a/c. I really shouldn't take that as a challenge...but I do. Let's see how long we can go without turning on the a/c. Pobre Kevincito.

Holding Out For A Bribe

2009-03-24T22:27:00.001-06:00

Picture this: you've just finished groceries and a nice lunch at a local cafe with your wife. You pull out of the parking lot and head back to work. Not more than 100 meters down the road a police officer stands in the middle of the road signalling you to pull over. At the exact moment you see him you realize you have left your wallet, containing your licence, in your desk at work. If you need to change your pants after imagining that then you understand how I felt this afternoon.

At around 2:30pm today I was pulled over for a routine check only to have it exposed that I was driving without a licence on me. Not only did I not have my Canadian licence I did not have any identification, such as a passport. There were five police officers at this certain checkpoint, and nothing seemed out of sorts at first. The officer was not happy to find that I was without identification but he neither seemed all that upset. He asked where I was from and seemed interested and intrigued that I was from Canada and lived close to Toronto. It wasn't until he called over another officer, the English speaking one (well he spoke English as much as I speak Spanish), that I was asked to pull the car completely off the road, turn it off, and accompany the officer into the road-side station. I can officially say that this is when the old knees started clacking together.

All the while April has a small grin on her face thinking this will be a good experience to blog about – a real run in with the law, not just being pulled over because you crossed a line that was there 2 years ago. This was going to be a good one.

The room which I was brought into was small and contained only an old desk and a chair which had cardboard for cushions. I was asked if I spoke any Spanish, to which I answered, “si, pero solo un poco”, to which the officer said he would then try to continue in English. It was there in that little office at that moment when I heard him say “We are going to have to bring you downtown, where you will wait in prison. Your car will be held until you can be properly charged for driving without a licence, to which you will have to also pay the fine of 1000 cordobas” ($50.00 american dollars). Okay, so the knees were shaking before and now came the cold sweats – this is something when it’s a blasting 35 degrees Celsius outside. I tried to plead my case, playing all the cards at my disposal – the tourist, the first time offender, the volunteer, the missionary, everything!

Meanwhile, April is outside sitting in the car watching other cars and trucks being pulled over (by now she had turned the car back on so she could have a/c in the blasting sunshine). She is calling Steve to tell him what is happening and if he could find Kevin’s wallet.

He looked at me and smiled a little, but said that he couldn't just let me go, there needed to be something done. I asked if there were any other options to avoid being hauled away in handcuffs. Someone could bring my licence...he could have my wife’s licence...my boss could come and reason with him in Spanish. The inevitable answer came back that I could “pay” $20 for the ticket right there on the spot, he would let me go and this whole fiasco would disappear. The officer said it was the only way he could help me out. (In case you didn't pick it out – this cop was asking for a bribe. A very, very, very common experience with Nicaraguan police.)

Now, I knew to pay the bribe was the easiest way out and I admit it crossed my mind as I was starting pondering how nice those cells would be in the downtown station. I wasn't sure what to say back to him so I told him “I don't have any money officer, let me go talk to my wife”. He agreed and outside I went. April, to my surprise was actually laughing about the whole matter, not helping things for me (I do smile about it now though). She told me to stall as she had phoned Steve at the Nehemiah Centre, and he was coming along with someone to try and help out. Apparently, the police could in fact haul me to the downtown station and they could impound the car until I paid the fine.

So we stalled and I went back in to explain that my wife didn't have any money either. The officer was not happy to that news, but said we could go to the bank up the road to get money if we wanted. I said that we had no bank card and asked what else could be done. By now he had enough of the small talk and started to fill out the paper work needed to document what had happened. As soon as he started to write my name down in came Iskra (Nehemiah Centre employee and friend).

It was a big relief to see her, yet we weren't out of the woods yet. The officer now seemed embarrassed that he was being tested by another person. He put up quite the fuss with Iskra as she tried to persuade him to drop the pending charges. Because she was a Nica and could communicate with him in Spanish, more options became available to me. It wasn't until the final attempt (after about 5 minutes – felt like forever) that the officer agreed to lessen the charge and fine. Truly a blessing from God; and to quote Iskra, “Only by God's Grace”. I still received a fine for a whopping 100 cordobas ($5.00 American), to which I still have no idea what the charge was for.

Eagerly I jumped into Steve’s car and he drove me to the bank while Iskra and April waited with the car. I went inside to pay the ticket (as all tickets and bills in Nicaragua are paid at the bank) and walked back the short way to the road-side police building. It was a good feeling to show the officer the receipt! He gave me back the ownership for the car and I quickly walked out to get moving. Although the knees were still knocking from the experience, April made me drive the short distance to the Nehemiah Center.

I still can't believe it all happened, but that is how I almost ended up in a Nicaraguan jail!

Should We Stay or Should We Go Now?

2009-03-21T17:14:00.003-06:00

Our time in Costa Rica was good for a couple things. First of all we needed to leave the country to have our visa renewed. That was an event like none that we had experienced before. We took a coach bus of sorts across the border into Costa Rica to spend a couple days in the capitol city of San Jose. At the border we handed over our passports and money, got off the bus and then waited an hour or so until we could board the bus again to only be let off at the customs area a short distance later. Again, there for over an hour, we stood in a line wrapped around the building outside in the blazing sun, and then about 45 minutes waiting for our baggage to be searched. It felt like something out of a movie.

The second reason that trip was good for was to get away from everything that is familiar to us to think and pray and talk. We needed to make a decision about our future. Do we stay here for another 3 years to serve God in a country we have grown to love or do we head back home to Burlington and serve Him in the country we grew up in? We sensed that both doors were open – much different than the decision to move to Nicaragua. We know that in “Whatever [we] do, [we need to] work at it with all [our] heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since [we] know that [we] will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ [we] are serving.” (Colossians 3: 23-24) So, even though we feel connected to life in Nicaragua and have loved our time here we have decided to return back to Burlington.

We still have 3 months here and are looking forward to soaking up every possible moment, living each day to the fullest. There is a church team here from Denver, Colorado that has a sort of “partnership” with a couple CRC churches in Nicaragua. They have been coming for the past 10 years so I am excited to spend time with them and with the CRC churches in Nagarote and El Tamarindo. Kevin is working on writing up a grant proposal with Mark and doing something with the grading of the parking lot. Before we know it Semana Santa (Holy Week) will be here and we will be attending the Latin America CRC retreat with all the CRWM and CRWRC missionaries working in Latin America.

We know that many of you have prayed along with us in this decision making time and we want to thank you for bringing this before our Lord with us. Thank you for your encouragement and support!

Faith Team Chronicles 3

2009-03-18T18:04:00.004-06:00

We were so sad to say good bye to the team and our wonderful friends. After a relaxing and enjoyable day on Friday and a fun evening together we brought the team to the airport Saturday morning. We made Willie promise Kevin and I that he would cook us dinner when we come home in the summer... We also look forward to getting together with the whole group to reminisce and play Bang.

Here is a slideshow of our time with the team. You can also access the set via the photo album on the right sidebar.

Faith Team Chronicles 2

2009-03-12T14:43:00.006-06:00

It would take many words to describe the time that we had with the village of San Joaquin (pronounced Sahn Wa-KEEN) and even then it would be hard to express the emotions, the reality of life there and the time shared with the people. But I will attempt to give a general idea of what the team experienced.

We left the Nehemiah Center early Tuesday morning and drove the 4 hour drive up to the Department of Matagalpa, through small towns and off onto one lane rocky roads through valleys and to the tops of mountains with glorious views. We arrived in San Joaquin in the early afternoon after meeting up with the workers from Accion Medica Christiana (AMC) who brought us into the community.

The community of 150 families has been working with AMC for over 10 years, since Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Many of the people living there have not traveled outside the Department of Matagalpa, but through the training and support of AMC have been able to build stable homes, create sustainable incomes and involve the whole community in development.

The men went right to work digging and making squares for the foundation of a community center while the women went over to the school building to hang out with the children. Anna did a fabulous in hyping the children up and then with Alma in the mix the room ended up in absolute chaos!! The children were very responsive to Anna’s stories and loved learning new songs.

The community has a big river close to it where the women and children dig sand for concrete and bring it up to the community center in small feed bags. They have integrated this job into the school curriculum so that the kids take part in the future of the community and learn responsibility for their future.

It is apparent that AMC has cultivated a hope in the people of San Joaquin. There is joy, but there is also awareness of other realities. For example, the teachers and community leaders realize that the children should graduate from high school and encourage that with the kids and their parents at every opportunity.

The last bit of our time there was spent down by the river to wash up and soak in the gorgeous sights of a hanging bridge, Congo monkeys dangling in the trees and a river with high banks. The AMC workers did an informal debriefing with us, asking to hear our feedback on our experience and we ended with a time of prayer for each other. We felt like there was good closure to the event and appreciated how thorough the workers were with their work.

Exhausted from heat, hard work and heart stretching, the team ventured back out of the mountains to a busy Managua, looking forward to showers and a hot meal. The four hour drive gave some the time to sleep and others the time to talk and process the experience of their time with the mountain community.

AMC is a Nicaraguan non government organization that CRWRC works closely with. Mark VanderWees visits with the San Joaquin community about 4-6 times per year.

Faith Team Chronicles 1

2009-03-08T23:02:00.004-06:00

On Wednesday evening we were excited to welcome the team from our home church, Faith Burlington, to spend 10 days with us. We are especially blessed to have Erik, our bro-in-law, here. Can’t even begin to say how happy we are to have so many familiar and warm faces here...it’s like home came here and now we have the best of both worlds!

For those of you who have loved ones here we’ll give you a little update on them. Thursday and Friday they were introduced to the work of the Nehemiah Center through a few different presentations and also how they fit into that work. A majority of the group spent some of their time on making a sidewalk which also acts as a water barrier while the others organized the bodega (tools “shed”) and painted.

A chunk of our time on Saturday was spent on cultural learning and contemplating over what poverty means and how these discussions might change our worldview. It was an eye opener for us all. We then proceeded to walk through the market for some time and tried to experience the culture by bartering, observing, and striking up conversations.

Today was far better than we could have expected. We went to worship with a church in Leon, ate incredibly delicious fish and sat in a circle to have a conversation with two churches from that community. The team shared about Faith church and the other two churches shared with us about themselves. It was such a beautiful display of sharing of lives across cultural and denominational boundaries yet having our Lord as the common denominator pulling us together.

We are getting to know each other quite well and enjoying everyone’s personalities! Willie makes washing his laundry priority every day, Wendy is a very laid back doctor but definitely not someone you would want to mess with, John has an incredible gift for one-liners, Erik is gracious in offering his gift in fixing mechanical stuff, Ron loves to sing and dance to YMCA, Anna gets a big kick out of bartering and always needs to win, Ken drinks all the coffee much to Kevin’s chagrin and Elizabeth might be quiet and small but she can definitely hack it with the guys.

We are heading to the mountains early Tuesday morning so we will let you know when we return how everyone manages!

La Moto Taxi Rush

2009-03-04T14:14:00.004-06:00

We are about to give you a glimpse into the experience of a moto taxi. We hope you enjoy the adrenaline rush!

Another Day

2009-02-28T19:28:00.003-06:00

Today was another good day...we seem to have a lot of those here! This morning we bought some fresh bread and veggies and then checked out some possible places for us to live for our last 3-4 months here before we head back to Canada. There are some pretty cool places around here. Everything from wooden cabanas in the midst of lush green vegetation to a community of duplexes with a guard and plenty of neighbors. We have a few items on our list of priorities that keep us focused in our search. So far, we have a couple places that we are very interested in.

Then this afternoon our good friend, Alma, came over and we hung out together - she even brought our favourite carrot cake. I asked her if a washing machine is on her list of priorities for where she lives (we would like to find a place that has one, or maybe we can find a decent one to purchase), to which she laughed her laugh of disbelief and said "of course!" So, there we have it. It's not "North American" of us to think that a washing machine is a necessity.

Later on in the day the Holtrop family came over, to hang out and have dinner together...but really, we knew that Steve wanted to jump on the trampoline at our place. He says the kids were asking to come over, but I'm not buying it. It was so nice to have them over and talk about stuff about home, about life here and just enjoy each other's company. It was much needed today.

In less than four days Kevin and I are picking the team from Faith Church from the airport!! We are so excited to see them all. It will be like home coming here!! The past couple weeks Steve, Alma, Kevin and I have been working on the plans for their time here. Putting together the pieces for construction, church partnership, relationships and cultural learning. It's going to be a packed 10 days of stretching experiences and servanthood. Kevin and I are also looking forward to forcing our Spanish practice - as tough as that's going to be.

The past few weeks our decision to stay here for three more years or return home for good has been heavily weighing upon us. Our hearts are torn and we aren't any closer to a decision. The time is coming soon when we do need to make up our minds and our hearts. We ask you to pray for us in this decision. Please pray that God will give us ears to hear His voice and follow His direction. Thank you for your support and prayers.

Puppies for Sale!

2009-02-21T18:36:00.006-06:00

On our many ventures out on the streets in Nicaragua we come in contact with some interesting ways make an income. So we decided to have a poll on our blog about what things actually generate an income for Nicaraguans. We gave 5 options, one which is not a business and four that are actual ways to bring home the bacon. Below are the actual results...you might be surprised.

Contrary to what seems obvious…the 9 people who voted that puppies were the least likely to be sold here in Nicaragua check out the following picture! (I know, we were surprise too.) Dogs roam free all over the place here, eating out of garbage and whatever else they can get their noses into. Most dogs are fairly timid, but are also quite skinny. However, there are also good uses for dogs here in nicaragua if taken proper care of - a pet for your kids or a guard for your property...

This particular business brings the puppies out during the day and displays them just a few feet from the road for passerbyers to pull over and purchase their very own pet. The varieties range from cocker spaniels to black labs to terriers. A two month old terrier was going for $500. We didn’t ask if there were any shots or papers, but that would be something worth asking for if you were interested in purchasing one of those cute puppies.

The next item that was voted for with 6 votes was the oven mitts…and those voters were correct…no oven mitts on the streets, from what we could find. I guess there is no need for oven mitts in a hot country…

As those who went on the first mission team from Faith Church in 2006 would know there are definitely cashews sold on the streets. (It was Dave Kloet who had a cashew man running down the street as the bus had to continue through the intersection!) The salespeople usually frequent the same corners, so we knew exactly where to snap a picture of them. This young man was much obliged to pose for this shot. Cashews go from 20 cords ($1) for the small bags to 500 cords ($25) for the large bags and we often see drivers and their passengers purchasing these nutty treats.

So, you have $50 in American bills. BUT, in order to purchase those cashews you need to have cordobas on you. What do you do?? You head over to the streetside money changer. Weighed down with coins and wads of bills these money changers are on the street during the daytime hours eager to change your USD into Cordobas. Usually in pairs, sometimes with a guard, these guys are more than willing to flash around their crispy bills. And their exchange rate comparable if not better than that given by the banks.

Unfortunately, one picture we don’t have, but these people are very real, are the helpful men who will guard your parked vehicle while you are shopping, in church or grabbing a bite to eat. This is a very practical business and these guys usually have their “own” street that they offer to guard vehicles on. We have heard of stories where vehicles have not been guarded and definitely broken into, so we always opt on the side of caution and offer these entrepreneurs a job. We are thankful for their roles around here.

Now, here are some more street businesses that we didn’t have listed in the poll:

Selling water (and other drinks) in plastic bags for a nice cold, quick refreshment to drivers.

Fruits and vegetable vendors (this is usually where we purchase our greens).

Anyone want duck for dinner tonight?

Dirty windshield? A little bit of soapy water and a squeegy and this man will have it cleaned for you before the light turns green.

Steering wheels, sunglasses, school supplies, newspapers, cell phone chargers, lottery tickets, Eskimo ice cream, candy, the list of products sold on the street could go on!

We find ourselves becoming acustom to the street vendors, appreciating the convience of some of their services, although we hope that one day the economic situation in Nicaragua will improve creating more stable and secure forms of income.

My Top Ten

2009-02-14T11:13:00.009-06:00

I know we are taking more and more time between our blog posts. For the moment I will use the excuse that for the past 3, almost 4 weeks, we have had both April's and my parents here for visits.

A friend of ours sent a email update recently of her recent activities in Africa, and in it she gave a top ten of here first month or so there in Uganda. It inspired me to put a list together for myself. I could probably put together a top 100 but feel that 10 will be long enough. Before I get to that we just want to say thank you to all those who have been checking out the blog and supporting us.

My Top Ten (in no particular order):

1. The Sea to Sea Nicaragua bike tour (bikenica.wordpress.com). What an incredible journey. As I wrote before this included, for me, a lot of organizing and logistical work. I was able to grow in make many new freindships with other people involved both riders and support crew. More than all of this I was able to see God bless this trip like only He could. We started with a goal of raising $100,000.00 and finished with a total of almost $ 280,000.00!!!

2. I have been blessed with the ability to spend so much time with my amazing wife, April. Not many couples are given the opportunity to live and learn together in such a situation as this. It has been some hard work for sure I won' t lie, but we are closer than I could have ever imagined.

3. The beaches are pretty FANTASTIC and very accessible!!

4. Learning another language is a difficult task, but increibdly rewarding. I will forever appreciate anyone learning to speak another language for I now know how humbling of an experience it is.

5. Nicaraguan Coffee - no need to say more.

6. Time to read. I have never been the biggest reader, but I think that was due to never finding time to fit it into my life in Burlington. Now there is time, and I am taking advantage of it. There is an amazing library selection here at the home we are house sitting. My favorite book so far has been "Mere Christianity" By the inspiring C.S. Lewis.

7. Going to Verbo Church here in Managua has been a huge encouragement in so many ways. It has helped me with Spanish as all sermons and songs are obviously in Spanish. I am able to observe and learn from the Nicaraguans a free and beautiful way of worship that would be impossible to find at home. Finally it has made us feel part of a rooted community here in Managua.

8. The Fish Filet with jalapeno sauce lunch at the Pulido's Cafe (the family April and I lived with in Leon for two months). It is a full plate with fresh fish, rice, beans, salad, and tortilla all complete with a fresh fruit drink for about $1.50.

9. The emails sent by all of you our supporters. Everything from emails to comments on this blog to Christmas cards sent in the mail. It is such an awesome feeling to recieve them and many times has kept us going on some of those tiring days.

10. I have had the privalige to see more of this country than most Missionaries and ex-pats have in 10 year terms here. I have been North, East, South, and West...and am continuing to explore. The best way to learn and understand something is by putting yourself in different places, experiencing everything for yourself.

Potters, Weavers and Brickmakers

2009-02-03T15:20:00.001-06:00

So what do these people have in common - other than the fact that they make stuff? Everyone has to make a living and sometimes that invloves having to make needed and useful products.

When my (april's) parents were visiting we went on a quest to learn as much about the Nicaraguan people as possible. What a blast we had! From bumpy rides, disjointedly translated conversations and talking to random people we came away with a bigger love for Nicaragua.

As mentioned in our newsletter this potter (Felipe and his wife Dina Gutierrez) makes a living off of creating and selling beautiful hand-crafted pottery. This is a family business which means the whole family is involved. The Gutierrez' also employ some young men to do some engraving and painting on the near finished products. In the picture above you see a freshly sculpted vase which he was able to create in about 7 minutes. His foot moves so fast on that wheel!

Care is taken throughout the whole process to be sure that the product they sell is of top quality. When you live in a town where everyone is a potter you must take all measures possible to create pieces that will stand out in quality and creativity to assure steady business.

Out in the open this man was weaving his basket, so we couldn't resist the urge to walk over and talk with him. He was weaving these commonly used baskets out of bamboo and did so with a smile on his face. His children were doing so as well at their house just down the hill. He had much to say about Nicaragua and all its beauty. Every hour he creates one complete basket. Answering all our questions and giving us answers to questions we didn't even ask we said good-bye to him with full hearts.

If you are driving from Managua to Leon on the new highway you will see plenty of brick makers. In this area the dirt is just the right consistency that when mixed with water, dried and baked creates the perfect bricks for homes, small commercial buildings, and any other application that the manufacturers can sell you on. At only 4 cordobas a brick (about 19 cents) these families need to sell as many as possible to support themselves. Apparently these ones hadn't dried quick enough before the chickens hunted for their food!

Each of these artisans play an important role in the makeup of Nicaragua. Everytime we can have these experiences we deepen our understanding of the Nicaraguan culture.

A Night At the Theatre

2009-01-18T22:28:00.005-06:00

After the first day on the Sea to Sea we relaxed at the AMC training house where we were going to be spending the night. While the team was taking showers, checking out the "facilities" and chatting with each other, our hosts where playing music. People kept pouring in to hang out with us for the evening and thus started the dancing.

Here is a clip from the second row seat (the hammock) of these amazing kids and their moves!

Kevin's Perspective

2009-01-11T19:27:00.001-06:00

There is a lot that I could write about after a trip like the sea to sea Nicaragua. Like April said I have a lot on my mind, but won't use this blog to sort through most of it. Instead I would like to share some highlights of the trip.

The first thought that comes to mind as I reflect on the C2C would be the incredible way we say God answer prayer after prayer. There were a lot of close calls out on the roads, one person fell off a bridge into a small stream below and walked away from it, another hit a dog while flying down a mountain at 55 km/ h and after taking the rest of the day off was able to finish the last three days with no problems. There are so many more stories and I encourage you to keep up to date with the website as we start to post more of these personal reflections up from each rider (www.bikenica.wordpress.com)

Next on my highlight reel would have to be the time I spent driving up to Puerto Cabezas with three Nicaraguans before the tour began. Nestor, Dimas, Luis, and I drove in a box truck and a toyota land cruiser loaded with supplies and bikes. This was a big stretching moment for me. I had been thrown into many “Spanish / Nica “moments before, but not many this long with out April or a translater. For two days I worked on my Spanish, and more importantly got to build some meaningful relationships with Nicaraguans. Nestor (knowning a little english) was really able to challenge me to talk in Spanish like no one else ever has, Dimas was always there to help me negotiate meals and accomodation costs with the store and hotel owners. Then there is Luis. Luis showed me what Christ means when he calls us to LIVE out our faith by actions. Luis would be the first to stop and give up his water to a weary person along the side of the road (knowning he himself might not get water for a while). He would be the first to talk and encourage others in each town we came into. Luis would even during the rides stop in at random churhes and spend a moment singing with his brothers and sisters in Christ, simply out of a pure desire to worship Jesus with them at that moment. I am forever grateful to these three men for what they did for me, for the group, and for God on this trip.

And now for the remaining highlight reel...

#3 – the picturesque views I saw every day
#4 – enjoying a fish fry in Mulukuku as the sun was setting overlooking a beaufiful river.
#5 – Serving 24 bikers at each checkpoint and during the evenings with as much Gatorade and Power bars as there bodies could take!
#6 – Spending Ano Nueva (New Year's) in Rosita with nica fireworks and pinatas.
#7 – Watching a group of riders get lost, adding 20 kilometers on to there daily total and still saw one of them catch the leaders by days end.

With the sea to sea over most people have been asking what is next for me here. To this I don't have any concrete answer right now. Tomorrow April and I will meet with Steve Holtrop to go over the next 6 months and what it will look like for us, in addition I am hoping to meet with Eric Loftsgard to review the construction plans for the Nehemiah Centre's next phase of expansion. We thank you for your continued prayers and ask that you specifically pray about this week as we enter into a new chapter here in our work.

Kevin

Journey from Sea to Sea

2009-01-10T12:31:00.006-06:00

This is how I feel right now...pull me up a hammock please!

It has come to an end...I guess all journeys come to an end. Here is the group dipping their front tires into the Pacific ocean. Job WELL done guys!!

Kevin and I had the priviledge of traveling with 27.5 incredible people all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific. We shared many times of laughter, heart-wrenchers, sleeping arrangements and dreams together. We are so impressed with each cyclist that completed this journey and give them applause for the determination on may tough roads and their big hearts for the people here.

The .5 is because Dave didn't travel with us the entire way due to an accident. But, even though he had an accident he still helped out with updating the Sea to Sea blog!

I am still processing through this incredible time spent crossing the country with our wonderful new friends. Kevin says he has a lot to write about, so I think I will save some space for him. In the meantime enjoy the slideshow below of some of the sights along the way.

On the Road Again

2008-12-27T15:40:00.003-06:00

The Sea to Sea Nicaragua bike tour is HERE!
All the cycling participants from North America have arrived and now are enjoying some R&R time to prepare for the smooth effortless roads ahead of them...or maybe the roads won't be so effortless.

Thirty people - Nicaraguans, North Americans and North Americans living in Nicaragua are heading out to the East Coast to a town call Puerta Cabezas to begin this incredible bicycle tour across the country. We will be travelling from the North East corner down to the South West corner in 9 days. The first day begins on Monday, December 29 and end on Tuesday, January 6 at Gran Pacifica.

The purpose of this trip is to raise money to support the many families and farms that suffered the effects of Huricane Felix. Three organizations have worked to together to make this happen: Accion Medica Christiana, Canadian Food Grains Bank and Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. We do have a website for the tour www.bikenica.wordpress.com where you can find out more info on the purpose and goal, see who is riding and hopefully we will be able to post some updates along the way...so check it out!

Kevin already left this morning to drive out in an ambulance and a box truck with 3 Nicaraguans, so he gets extra opportunity to practice his Spanish! I am leaving tomorrow morning in a pick up truck along with a couple other people who will be a part of the support crew. Yes, that is right, neither Kevin or I are biking. We take the role of support very seriously.

Until next time...

A Forever Green Christmas

2008-12-24T13:17:00.002-06:00

Before and After - The Hair Crisis

2008-12-12T14:46:00.009-06:00

We were so distraught at what to do with his hair that we came to you - our supporters - because we figured you should have a say in the matter and because we trust you to look out for our well-being.

Here's the situation: Kevin didn't have his hair cut since before we left for Nicaragua and we were staying at his parent's place. With three months of growing it was looking pretty long. I didn't mind if it stayed long, as longer hair looks good on him, but I did want to cut it nice and trim for everyone who looks at him. But Kevin less so wanted me to trim it and would rather that I use the electric clippers to clean it right off...to which I was very much opposed. Hence, the reason we needed to come to you our trusted supporters.

Some of you were pretty adamant with your opinions about Kevin's hair, which we like to see. We had such a good turn out on the poll that we could say, yes, polls serve a good purpose. HOWEVER, there was a tie between long and short...so, we went back to his junior high days and gave him a mushroom cut...figured it would keep everyone happy.

and with a little styling, the new, more mature look is great!

...although, Kevin doesn't seem to think so.

So the battle was on once again between Kevin wanting it cut all of it off OR me making him look nice, trim and acceptable for those who look at him...

Needless to say, I'm the one with the clippers.
And Kevin's not looking too unhappy.

Thanks! I'm fun!

2008-12-02T13:58:00.013-06:00

I had one of those dreaded experiences. The one where you quickly walk away and not look anyone in the eye. Yet deep down inside I was laughing at myself - because it was pretty funny.

Last week I was hanging out with the Bethel Edmonton CRC team that has had an unofficial church partnership with the communities of Chinandega for 6 years now. They are a very active church that is just plain excited about worshipping God through serving others and being with the people they have grown to love in Chinandega. I went with the famous Alma and the experienced Andrea. Both of them have led many, many teams to experience Nicaragua in it's beauty and pains as well encourage growth in the lives of many Christians. It was so good to learn from them this past week.

The team spent the week on the construction site, hanging out with kids and teaching women how to take care of themselves and their children. Along with that the team went into many homes to pray with families and share Christ's love. I had a few favourite times, one which included going to the community of El Limonel to hang out with the beautiful kids while the nurses spoke with the moms about health stuff. Maria Saeli (a missionary here) had a children's picture Bible with her that she let me use. So I held the book open and the kids excitedly chorused out the stories to me. They sure taught me a few things about sounding out words properly! Next we handed out colouring books and crayons while calling out "patience!" and "sit down!" I have never seen 65 kids so quite and content as those kids were colouring away on concrete picnic tables.

For me, this was a good time of reflection on my values, thoughts and beliefs and a time for me to step into my role of healthy church partnership facilitator. What does this all mean?? I enjoyed picking peoples brains and hearing what they all thought about the whole church partnership thing. I am excited to learn more and hopefully contribute in a meaningful way to this program. There are a couple more churches sending teams down in the new year that are leaning towards partnerships...including our home church!...so I am looking forward to working with them and the Nicaraguan communities they will be spending time with.

Soooo...about that dreaded experience...it also happened to be a part of a favourite experience I had. On the last day in Chinandega I had to go pick up an important document from the bus terminal. The pastor of the community said he would drive me back on his motor bike! I was pumped! I happened to not be dressed for the occasion as it was the only time I had donned a skirt the whole trip, BUT, that wasn't about to stop me and I hopped on the bike behind him. We zipped through the streets as I held on for dear life to the bike and to the envelope. Almost back to our destination I am prepping myself as to what I was going to say to the pastor. This was going to be good. The pastor being only a spanish speaker this was my opportunity to get a conversation going. We came to a stop, I hop off and say with a big smile "Gracias! Estoy divertido!" My grand exit... However, it didn't come out at all like I had prepped for. English = "Thanks! I am fun!" The pastor started laughing and I immediately realized what I said. I quickly turned around and booked it for the small house that was awaiting my arrival.

I shake my head.

To the Coast and Back

2008-11-23T19:36:00.005-06:00

It's Sunday night and I have just returned from Chinendage where I spent the day with April and the team she is co-leading. It has also now been two days since I have returned from my 4 x 4 adventure to Puerto Cabezes and back.

For those who don't already know, on December 30 there will be a Sea to Sea bick ride in Nicaragua raising funds to support those severly still affected by Hurricane Felix of last year. Not to repeat too much of it I encourage you all to check out that blog at bikenica.wordpress.com . It is gearing up to be a fun adventure. One of the rewarding parts of being an organizer for this event is that I was able to go along with Dave Stienstra in a trip mapping out our stops and places of interest. This turned into an adventure of a lifetime. We had a Toyota Hilux 4 x 4 quad cab pickup that we booted over some of the worst roads I have seen, through rivers, around major sink holes in the highways, and through many little villages.

This was good in so many different ways. It allowed me a chance to get to know Dave, whom I will be working with rather closely while I am here at the Nehemiah Centre, but it also gave me the opportunity to speak a fair amount of Spanish, see God's beautiful creation and how he diversifies even the littliest of countries. This trip was for me a time to renew my mind and spirit in preparation for the times ahead working here in Managua.

Oh ya and by the way we also pulled a guy out of the mud with our truck, saw a bus topple over on the highway, and pulled our way across a river on a cable barge becuase the motor was broken. And for those who are interested it is a 12.5 hour trip (one way) with an average speed of 45 km/h due to the poor road conditions.

Cerro Negro

2008-11-20T11:19:00.005-06:00

One Saturday we went ashboarding down a volcano, Cerro Negro, with some of the Dordt students that are here in Leon. We were just getting geared up for the rough winter ahead...

If you have ever been tobogganing down a snowy hill (that is "sled-riding" for my sister-in-law, Charity) then you have an idea of what it might be like to go ashboarding down a volcano...with a few exceptions.

Well, first of all this volcano is HUGE - at 400 mteres you can hit speeds of up to 70 km/hr down this thing; secondly when you fall, it's not a soft landing. When you go sled-riding you wear a snowsuit because it's cold. When you go ashboarding you wear an orange prison-like jumpsuit to protect your body from the volcanic rock if you fall off the board. A bit different.

The view from the top is absolutely gorgeous and although it was quite the trip I am not sure I want to climb up that thing again, at least not lugging a big ash board with me.

Welcome to Managua

2008-11-15T15:54:00.005-06:00

~~ some friends we made in Leon ~~

After two months of living in Leon studying Spanish and exploring the culture we now find ourselves in Managua. I remember thinking that spending two months on our own in an unfamiliar city would take forever, not thinking it would ever end. However, the time has moved fast; we have said goodbye to our adopted family in Leon and are back in the capital city.

I would be lying to say that we feel we have mastered enough of the Spanish language to leave the school in Leon, but our time has come to start working and learning together. We will just need more self discipline as we teach ourselves with the literature given to us by the school and seek out opportunities to use and grow our speaking and listening abilities. Kinda scary to think that we won't have our teachers anymore though. They were the ones that gave us time to talk slowly, listened to our broken Spanish with a big smile and told us we were doing really good. Now we see blank stares, hear incredibly fast Spanish out on the streets and in the stores. Still really hoping for a few Nica's to come along and help tutor us here, I think that would be an awesome way to learn - Coffee and Conversation. Now it isn't that we can't say anything in fact today we went with a guy, who is working at Nicaragua Christian Academy, and did some translating for him at a local hard ware store and while we were out for lunch! That is right WE did the translating!

For the next three weeks we will be staying at Pastor Ricardo's house (the 2007 Faith CRC Nica. Team should remember this place). It is a beautiful home, family, property and we could not have asked for more. In addition to this awesome home we have been able to enjoy some great conversation with Darryl, a former Missionary with CRWRC who is here teaching a development course. He seems to be the guru on Community development and a founding father of the Nehemiah Centre - a great resource and a wealth of knowledge to which we are taking full advantage of.

Work will be kicking into full swing for both April and I come Monday morning. Early Monday morning I along with Dave S. (CRWM missionary) will be doing a dry run of the sea to sea bike race in a pick up truck in order to map out possible problems, accommodation spots, and other points of interest. It should be an adventurous time! April will be in the office for the first week of work, prepping for her trip with a service and learning team up to Chinendaga.

The weather here remains the same, hot and beginning to be quite dusty. I can't wait for the cool 30 degree weather that December is supposed to bring!!! It's a little odd to think that it is the middle of November. It has been quite different seeing Christmas trees and decorations being sold in 36 degree weather. Some people have been saying that Christmas is beautiful here in Nicaragua, and that I don't doubt, not at all. What I do doubt is that it will be able to replace my memories of the time of year. Last week for some reason I was listening to a Third Day Christmas song, within a few moments I was picturing myself at home wearing a sweater with a hot chocolate in hand staring at the snow fall in the street light...this year I guess it will be my Speedo I am wearing with an ice cold Fanta in hand, watching blue skies.

A Typical Trip to School

2008-11-13T12:13:00.002-06:00

We must apologize for the delay in this long awaited video blog. Our intention for this video was so that everyone could experience along with us a typical walk to school in Leon. The thing is we are leaving Leon tomorrow to begin our work with the Nehemiah Center. However, we figured that you can still experience with us a little bit of what the past couple months has been like. It is a tad long but most enjoyable...

Nuestra Casa

2008-11-04T19:14:00.003-06:00

Si, this is our house. We have been living here for the past 6.5 weeks and are happy to call it home. In less than two weeks we will have to say goodbye to our wonderfully loving family here. We have built such a great relationship with them, especially our "mom". We have many touching stories to remember and definitely many funny experiences.

We will miss saying goodbye to Don Domingo in the morning and saying hi to him when we return for lunch. And for some reason he always up and says good night to us when we go to bed. Ernesto always has a joke or two for us and Alan is very eager to share sports stats with Kevin. And then there is Camila, beautiful little girl who is energetic and happy and very willing to tell everyone exactly what she thinks. Mom always sits down with us at dinner to chat with us for at least half an hour about our day, what's going to happen, about her family, about Nicaragua or just the world in general. She is a very passionate woman and always ready to laugh, but also willing to share with us the truth of life in Nicaragua.

In the next little bit we hope to get a photo of the whole family up soon so you can see exactly who has been touching our lives here everyday.

Once, Twice, Three times a...

2008-10-31T20:14:00.006-06:00

As of today we have two weeks left of our spanish classes and therefore must be able to speak perfect spanish...okay not really, but that is what sometimes goes through our heads.

Since our work with the Nehemiah Center will heavily involve the language, are we a bit loco to think that two months of lessons will be enough? In part, probably, but we are starting to notice that there are certain things that a teacher cannot teach you in the classroom (sorry to our teacher sisters) that life and 'real' conversations will. Most of it comes down to practice, practice, practice...and that includes making mistakes - a lot of them.

My favourite experience (which happens often) is when I am into a conversation that I started and everything is going well. Suddenly the other person says something that I have NO CLUE about. So I calmly ask them to repeat themselves. Hmmmm...no. And one more time. Hmmmm...no. OK, now I start throwing out other possible Spanish words that they would have possibly meant, afterall, I just was in Spanish class and I should know what they were trying to say. Hmmmmm...OK, that was a definite no. I start getting skittish, and I am not about to let this one go, I need to learn this language. I glance around me. Where on earth is Kevin?? He always knows everything. His brain just soaks it in and he memorizes everything. No Kevin. I feel the heat come over me and I try one more time to understand this smiling, sweet person who is trying their hardest to be understood by me. Nope. This time certainly didn't work. So I laugh, shrug my shoulders and go on my way. All the while repeating in my head what they said. I finally find Kevin and tell him what the person says and he laughs and says "you know that. Come on it means 'this'. And suddenly the whole world makes sense again to me. I did know what that meant. Now I feel like going back to that person and explaining everything to them, but with my lack of Spanish, that could only make the whole world even messier.

If only that experience could happen just once I would still have my pride intact. But that's not a part of this process. Pride has nothing to do with it. Maybe at some point the fourth time will be the charm...

La Guitarra Latino

2008-10-22T20:15:00.002-06:00

Last week was a very rainy week - as Kevin said in the last blog we had 3 days straight of rain - so the cultural activites that we participated in had to be indoors. We have had a few salsa dance classes since we have been here...ahem. And now a couple guitar lessons.
This video is of our first guitar lesson with one of our profesors. The guy, our teacher, is amazing. As you will see I have never played a guitar in my life and enjoyed every second of it and Kevin is just learning the Nicaraguan way of strumming away.

Nicaraguan Thanksgiving

2008-10-16T19:03:00.001-06:00

This past weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving weekend) April and I traveled back to Managua for some relaxation and a good ole Turkey dinner! On Friday we were given the address of the home we were going to stay at for the weekend (the same place we started our trip at). That was about it, we were on our own after that with only the advice of “Make sure you take a micro-bus and not a full size one!”. Weŕe actually impressed that with our limited Spanish and the written instructions we were able to – 1. take a taxi from our house to the bus terminal, 2. find a micro-bus headed for Managua, 3. make sure we got off the bus at the right place in Managua, 4. grab a taxi to bring us to our home, and 5. convince the guard at the house that the regular house sitter said we could spend the weekend there. After a trip to store where we bought some peanut butter and whole wheat bread we finished the day with a movie and some sandwiches.

We continued our impressive string of communication with taxi drivers and got ourselves to Esperanza Cafe for lunch and some internet time. That is where our string of ¨luck¨ ran out. First my credit card wasn't accepted so we had to part with the last of our cash. Then walking in the drizzling rain we couldn't find an ATM that would accept my debit card until we had walked a couple km's on one of the busiest roads. Then with money in hand we some how couldn't find a taxi that wasn't already full. Along the way it began to downpour and we took cover under someone's patio area. This was about the last straw with me and well me being me decided that we should just walk home. Now we were walking up a huge hill (think of the escarpment access roads in Hamilton, ON) and its getting dark. No sidewalks just shoulders. Luckily for me I married a smart woman who calmly said we should stop; no sooner did we stop and an empty cab came to take us back to where we were staying.

Finally Thanksgiving Sunday! Steve Holtrop and fam picked April and I up and off we went for the festivities. About 30 Canadian teachers and missionaries had come together at one of there homes. It was a true blessing from God to gather like that. Everyone brought an item for the feast – a Full Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings and desserts. All except buns, you see the day before when we were in the rain with no money trying to find a cab, we were supposed to have bought rolls and butter. We made a judgement call and decided that getting home safely was the first priority with rolls a close second. That afternoon we got to see first hand how amazing the support community was for missionaries like us and felt safe and welcomed.

To be honest it was a hard weekend. I think it took an event or Holiday such as Thanksgiving to drive home how real this is, how far away we are from friends and family. We feel like the rookies or newbies here in Nicaragua, just trying to see where we fit in. Its an akward feeling, like that first day at your new job, or school. All part of this on going “stretching” process.

Thought you might want to know some Fun Facts that we have gathered along the way:

The rain has not stopped for almost 3 days.
1 – times we both have been sick
0 – days we haven't had rice and beans while in Leon.
100 – times we almost have been hit by a car, bike, autobus, etc.
Driving your pick up truck around town with 5 foot speaker stacks blaring hip hop or salsa music is accepted and encouraged.

Trip to the Beach

2008-10-12T20:28:00.003-06:00

A couple days after we arrived in Nicaragua we ventured out on a bus to the beach with the instructions "just get on the bus and it will bring you to the beach"...in Spanish. Enjoy our first attempt at posting a video.

Leon On a Bike

2008-10-04T10:51:00.002-06:00

It’s been over week since we last posted and we have received some threatening emails from a certain friend that thinks we need to post more often. So here you go...
After a long Spanish exam, a filling rice and beans lunch and a reviving nap, Kevin and I headed out on mountain bikes with David, the school director, and another Spanish teacher. At first we were kind of nervous about what it would be like navigating through busy Leon streets, but we’re still alive so I don’t think it was too bad. On top of that it has been about a year since we have been on bikes and we weren’t sure if we would be able to keep up to David, a former 3 time Nicaraguan mountain bike national champion...(his brother is currently the reigning champion and Kevin got to use his bike designed for clip in bike shoes, needless to say Kevin didn’t have those nifty shoes).
Anywho, David took us to the outskirts of the current Leon to see where the original colonial city of Leon existed until the revolutionary war against the Somoza dictatorship. During the war Somoza destroyed the city with canons and guns forcing the city to rebuild at its current location. There are many legendary tails of the old colonial city even that of buried treasure and a loaded Spanish man that protected his wealth riding through the city on his white horse, killing all those who stood in his way.
There is a stark contrast between the rich and poor of Leon. Until yesterday we were in a bubble living among the lower to lower middle class Nicaraguans, then to cycle through the streets on the outskirts of Leon where the rich have built their sanctuaries, it was a jolt into reality. Some of these homes could rival the beautiful homes on the lakeshore in Burlington/Oakville. Then on the other side of a wall is a community of people who do not live in concrete homes, who do not have tile floors, who do not have iron fences.
The other Spanish teacher cycling with us is involved in a community program that works to sustain the social/educational aspect of children to give them support, supplies and hope as they grow up. We were welcomed into one of the homes to meet a family who designs and creates children’s toys among other items and travels to surrounding towns to sell them in the marketplace. I was riveted by the experiences of this family and the lives that so many Nicaraguans live.
We ended our excursion with a jaunt on the Pan-American Highway and entering back into the busy, central core of Leon cycling down streets we had not yet walked, but now plan to in the next few days. Every day we find out something new. Every day we explore a new place and try to talk to new people...although our Spanish is still excruciatingly limited. Hmmmm...today sounds like a good day to find someone else to suffer at the other end of our conversation.

First Impressions

2008-09-23T19:27:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, September 23

Spanish is tough slugging. It's only been two days, I know, but it feels like two weeks, or two months at times.

Our time here has been amazing though.

To say that I love the culture wouldn’t be correct, because really when it comes down to it I don’t even know the culture yet. This is what I know so far of the culture: 1) on buses if we think they are full – they are not, there is still enough room for more people and you just might end up holding someone elses baby. 2) there is no personal space. 3) if you want to be first in line, then you are the one that has to make the move, because no one else is going to step aside to let you in for your ”turn”. 4) People make eye contact on the street – and it’s okay! 5) Our host mom already wants me to become “la gorda” – ummm, fat. I guess that’s good thing because that means I’m not right now! However, according to her, Kevin will not...lucky guy. And she just laughs as she says it because she would love me for it! 6) Sports transcends all languages – talking about it that is. Last night I witnessed Kevin have the longest conversation ever in Spanish, with our house brother...one would name off a sport and the other a team and there would be grunts or “yaaas” or “siiiis”. And then there would be a list of athletes’ names and more grunts and siiis. Then one of them would bring up another team and they would go all over again. Then another sport would be brought up and they would go through the same sequence of groans and shouts and siiiis...and here I would always tease Kevin for being thoroughly knowledgeable in the sports department, I guess I just ate my words.
“God save the queen” is blasting right now, “We are the champions” was just on...oh, now it’s the Village People and they are shouting along with it! I love these vibrant people!

Kevin has his own blog post that is up so I won’t steal away any of his juicy tidbits. Adios!

Hace Mucho Calor!

2008-09-23T19:23:00.002-06:00

Tuesday, September 23

I am sitting here in our room after a much needed nap. Naps seem to be a regular part of our days here. Between the sun, the walking around town (as we have no vehicle), and learning a new language our bodies just shut down at certain hours of the day. Right now as I type away April is taken a longer sleep, a smart thing to do during the hottest part of the day. Another reason for the rest is to prepare us for the festival tonight! Actually if you ask me here in Leon they have a party or fiesta everyday! There is always something to celebrate, independence from just about anyone is reason to celebrate in addition to all the Catholic celebrations they obersve. Most evenings and morning you can here fireworks of some sort firing off in the distance or what seems like in your own room. The Nica's (NEE-ca-s) here in Leon love to party, which for the most part means eating, and driving or walking around town shouting something or waving flags around.
This week marks the first week of actual Spanish classes. We are figuring out quite quickly how little Spanish we in fact do know in a short time. We are being tutored one on one for these four hour long classes, quite daunting as you yourself much answer every question thrown out there. However, it is a great feeling and sense of accomplishment to just begin diving into this task of learning Spanish. A huge thank you goes out to Lena our profesora back in Canada! Your lessons formed a good foundation and familiarity to go into these sessions with.
We really feel God again paving the way for us with these classes. April and I have been paired up with profesora's that teach with the exact style that suits us best. Lucky for me that means I have the hard nosed abosolutely no english profesora! Yes, go me!
Oh and just for eveyones information la Playa is muy bonita y la mar es muy fresca!!!
Muchos Gracias por las oraciónes!
k&a

Settled in Leon

2008-09-19T19:29:00.003-06:00

We have finally made it to the long talked about city of Leon. It is a colonial city with much character and a hometown feel. Our homestay family is so warm and welcoming, already trying to teach us Spanish! We had a wonderful rice, beef and plantain dinner just before venturing out to visit the city. And now we happened upon this internet cafe right around the corner.

Once we can get our previous blogs posted, which are saved on our computer, you can read up on our travels and first few days here.

Even though the days have been long and overwhelming we are very excited to see what God has in store for us. Thank you to all for your prayers, emails and telling us about what we have already missed from home this past week.

Our First Glance

2008-09-18T19:05:00.000-06:00

We are here! Its been a little bit of a whirl wind since we have arrived, so I write this a little scatter brained. Our flights here on Tuesday were went really well. There was a little bit of an issue with checking into our flight at Toronto however, due to some computer system crash, but otherwise it was smooth flying. We flew into Houston early, still not enough time to go scope out President Bush who was in town that day, so we settled to fly from Houston to Managua with the newly crowned nicarguan world champion boxer.

Steve Holtrop picked us up at the airport and drove us to the home we were staying at for a few nights. Its a beautiful condo rented out by missionairies who are currently home for three months. We went to the Nehemiah Centre Wednesday morning for a 7:30 am meeting! Not just any meeting but a round table discussion with all Nicaragua NGO representatives about the current political / cultural context issues and historical patterns found in government parties. Right up my alley but a little heavy of a topic for two sleep deprived missionaires. The rest of the day hot humid day consisted of staff orientation, and discussion about our future place of residence after our time in Leon.

So here we are Thursday morning, having been allowed to sleep in and take it easy for the day. It has been a good time to reflect and look back at this the beginning of our time here in Nicaragua and to once again see the safety and strength that God has provided for us this far.

Kevin (and April)

Ready to Go

2008-09-13T21:15:00.002-06:00

There have been a lot of good byes the past week or so...we are ready to go now. Not completely packed yet, but ready to go.
Our commissioning was last Sunday which was an overwhelming event of support and sending from our church family - we are so blessed - and we know that in God's power we are ready to go.
We spent a relaxing week at my (april's) parent's place, getting a lot of little and some big things done. What I would do without mom sewing up the bottom of a pair of pants, I have no idea; she is a whiz at those things. I never know whether or not spending time with family is a good or bad thing...it just makes us miss them more when we're away. We are so blessed with such wonderful, loving, supportive family.
Now this weekend we are doing more little things that we are realizing that we should have done while were away this past week. But we also we are able to spend time with Kevin's family for Halie's first birthday...we'd post the video of Halie stuffing her face with cake, but it's way too long!
So, provided that Ike is all cleaned up and things are clear, we are ready to go for Tuesday afternoon from Toronto with a layover in Houston.