Nicaragua is beautiful! This morning at the hotel we woke up to a gorgeous day- everything was so green and there were so many luscious exotic plants! Breakfast this morning was very enjoyable. There were no visiting cats and the food was great! I think that I may have had the best cup of coffee in my life! Café con leche es muy bueno!
After breakfast Eliezel took us on a tour of Managua. Managua is much bigger than what my glimpse of the lights from the plane suggested last night. Venders were everywhere, literally in the middle of the street! Women were balancing bowls of mangos and nuts on their head as cars went speeding past on either side of them. Back of the van humor created “Nicaragua Bingo”: seeing thirteen people in the back of a pickup truck, someone being pulled over for a traffic violation, a dog on a leash, and four people on the back of a motorcycle were just a few of the things on the list. Today we saw a family of five on the back of a motorcycle, and eleven (not quite thirteen) in the back of a truck. At our first big round-a-bout we saw a huge cement statue of Jesus balancing on a ball; that should have been on the Bingo list. In the middle of another round-a-bout we came across another huge cement sculpture. This one looked like a larger than life staircase, thus dubbed “stairway to heaven”.
The first stop that we made was a grocery store where we exchanged money and bought snacks and drinks. As we drove through the city we were exposed to more of the cultural dynamics of Managua. The truth of how far away we were from home sunk in when we passed a tent city across from the government buildings. Eliezel explained that the majority of the people living there were suffering from medical conditions and seeking the government’s help with their health care. They have been living in makeshift homes for over a decade while the government continues to ignore their protests. At our next stop, Tiscapa, the depth of government turmoil and corruption that Nicaragua has experienced was even more apparent. This park was previously used in the 80’s as a prison camp where people that the government did not like were held captive, tortured, and even assassinated. In 2004 the new government dedicated the site as a memorial to the people who had been kept there. The site rested on top of a hill, where on one side Lake Managua was visible and on the other you could look down and see a volcanic crater filled with water. This was when I realized that Managua, a city of two million people, is built around a dormant volcano.
After our little tour of Managua, we went back to the hotel and loaded up Eliezel’s pickup with our luggage and the van with our team- and then we were off!
On our way out of Managua we stopped at a Nazarene church that Eliezel likes to take the time to encourage whenever he gets the chance. The church, Timal Iglesia de Nazareno, was in a community of people who were outcasts from the city because their families had been on the wrong side of the civil war in Nicaragua. The neighborhood was very poor. It appeared as though no one had running water and the houses were made out of wood panels at best. The outside of the church was covered in milk carton paper, making it the “leche church” (leche is milk in Spanish) to us. It was incredible that the church could even stand as its only support was a few wooden poles that were connected to the milk paper. Inside, the church was practically barren with a dirt floor and a few handmade posters hanging up on the walls. The pastor told us that around eighty families meet for church there. She also said that she and her husband have been leading ministry there for 5 years but they recently gave up their home in Managua to be with the people. We prayed with them and where showed the pastor’s house and garden, but then had to get back on the road to Jinotega.
The highway from Managua to Jinotega was so crazy. Humungous pot holes, dogs, and crazy drivers, were the main perils that we encountered today. There was some excitement as the driver avoided a dog in the middle of the road, at which Janna remarked “Jesus does not bless stupidity!” (A quote that would last throughout the trip). This event was quickly followed by almost crashing into oncoming traffic as we attempted to keep up with Eliezel’s pickup by passing a bus on the highway. Fortunately, God was blessing and protecting us this time, stupidity and all!
As we drove up the mountains, there was a little sing along in the van as Mike and Amy got us all to practice singing the songs that we would be sharing with the church. The best part was when we sang all five versus of How Great Thou Art. Three were unison, one was women only, and the other was men only. Our guys were spread across the whole van, so they didn’t have each other to listen to. Let’s just say that the girls enjoyed listening to them struggle along. The time in the van passed quickly and despite all of the dangerous traffic we safely made it to Jinotega!
It was so wonderful to make it out of the van and be greeted by Pastor Julian and his family! After a late lunch we unpacked and were introduced to our living arrangements for the week. They are so much nicer than what I had expected; we even have beds and a shower! Girls were put in two rooms of the pastor’s house; I don’t even know where the people stayed who normally sleep there, but they generously sacrificed for us. The guys stayed out in a few extra rooms of the church. It is so nice of the pastor and his family to generously welcome us into their home.
After being shown around we quickly prepared for a church meeting to introduce our group to the church family, tell why we were there in Jinotega, and share what we hoped to accomplish. Shortly following the meeting there was a youth service, although people of all ages were in attendance. Seeing as it was a youth service, we made a last minute decision to change our plans of singing -Be Thou My Vision to instead singing the well-known chorus I’m Forgiven for the service. The church’s youth worship team did such a great job, far more talented than any youth worship band I had ever seen in the U.S.
Being the Spanish expert of our group, Nikki preached for the service without needing the help of a translator! My Spanish was not advanced enough to follow along with the message, however I know it was fantastic as the congregation and pastor approved. Great job Nikki!
As part of Nikki’s message, both Jeb and Amy shared their testimonies. It is always so wonderful and encouraging to hear how God changes our lives and helps us to grow in Him. I’m sure that the congregation was just as blessed as I was to be able to hear each of their testimonies. Thank you Jeb and Amy!
I am definitely looking forward to hearing more testimonies from our group this week!
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