Another Day

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!

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

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

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.