The Day of Action of Thanks

I'll have to admit that I have been a lazy Thanksgiving participant.  It has been easy to ride over to our relatives' homes where my mom and others have organized an amazing feast.  And then to sit around and talk while they cleaned it up as well.

Our context this year has made Thanksgiving a very different kind of experience.  For starters, it's a holiday celebrated in the U.S. and a handful of other places, so Thursday was a working day.  And the traditional foods and traditional family gatherings are far away as well.

The U.S. staff of our team decided to invite our Nicaraguan national staff to a Thanksgiving experience, to the extant that it was possible to recreate here.  My job was to prepare my mom's rolls (or use my mom's recipe for rolls to make something bread-like) and to prepare a mini-lesson on Thanksgiving to explain the event.  Ariane, Andrew, and Rebekah divided up other dishes, and PriceSmart (owned by Costco) helped us out with some pies.  All told, it was a great time together with the team and a few extra guests.  And it was a significant amount of work as well.  Musing a little about the holiday's name as it is in Spanish (el Día de Acción de Gracias - the Day of Action of Thanks), it makes me think about the effort and action of giving.  It makes me thankful for all those taken-for-granted efforts of others that I have enjoyed and not always fully appreciated.  So, thanks Mom and relatives for all thanksgiving meals of in the past, thanks to Ariane, Andrew, and Rebekah for their work to get today ready, and thanks to Yolanda, Liseth, Dency, and others for helping in dozens of ways today as well. I have much to be thankful for.

A few pictures from the day:

Visiting Ariane in Matagalpa

On Sunday afternoon we drove north to visit Ariane, an MCC service worker, in Matagalpa.

Matagalpa is Nicaragua's second largest city (although much smaller than Managua - Matagalpa's population is around 150,000 according to Wikipedia) and sits over 2,000 ft above sea level, which offers a very pleasant climate. 

Not long after arriving, we lost electricity which continued for quite a few hours, which was much more than Ariane says is typical for the area.  As a result, I don't have many pictures from our arrival in Matagalpa. After supper, we went out to a little ice cream shop called "Kiss Me" that Ariane told us was the best in the country.  They were running off a generator as the blackout continued.  The ice cream was indeed delicious.

The following morning we rode a hour out into the countryside with other staff from the partner organization, CIEETS (roughly translated as the Ecumenical Center for Theological and Social Studies). We would be joining them as they would give a workshop/training among farmers on ideas related to understanding and coping with climate change.  Before the workshop began, we took a moment to explore down the road some.  This was Lia and Silas's first time really in the "campo" (countryside). Below, Lia plays with sticks.

Matagalpa's location means they have different conditions than other areas that I've already mentioned in the dry corridor.  Still, they have had noticeable changes in when the seasonal rains began, and how consistent or inconsistent the rains are. In the picture below, Lucrecia of CIEETS leads the meeting and Ariane supports the conversation from up front.  Meanwhile, Lia and Silas did pretty well at sitting and coloring while we listened to the presentation/conversation, and shared their paper and crayons with the other children who were there.  Later they need some breaks; we did some more walking and chased the soccer ball down a hill.

Another part of the work CIEETS does is with seed banks.  The idea with seed banks is to store local seed, and when needs to be distributed, the recipient agrees to return 2 lbs for every 1 lb of seed.  Below, some silos.

After the morning's session, we enjoyed lunch with the CIEETS staff and the session participants.  Here's Lia and her coloring friends.  Lia was also happy to find that, inside the house, children were enjoying watching Paw Patrol, which she and Silas currently enjoy through Netflix. As a side note, they've got most of the theme song memorized (in Spanish) by now, which impresses me.

Some more scenery on the way back to Matagalpa:

Back in Matagalpa, at the CIEETS office where Lucrecia and Ariane work when they're not out and about in the campo.

Unfortunately, our time in Matagalpa took a sour turn as we were on way back into town.  Silas developed a fever which left him tired and cranky.  Lia and I went to find him some Tylenol and juice, came back to Ariane's apartment, and then set out walking again to find the "Monkey Park," where we were hoping to find playgrounds and, actually, some real monkeys too. We were disappointed to learn that the park was closed until the end of the month for repairs.  We met a kind older gentleman and his grandson who were learning the same thing, and the offered to give us a ride to the other park in Matagalpa.  We rode with them to the other park and found out this park was also closed and would open again tomorrow.  Lia was disappointed and frustrated.  We went back to the house, where Silas was still sick and cranky, pulled out the laptop and let the kids watch some Paw Patrol. Thank you, Netflix.

The next morning, we would leave Matagalpa as Ariane would head out to the campo with CIEETS in a different direction.  Here we are in front of Ariane's apartment, before leaving for Managua:

Lia was hoping to get back to the "other park" to spend some time before hitting the road.  We drove over and learned (at 7:45 am) that it wouldn't open until 10:00.  Once again, disappointed, I told them that we would go to the Luis Alfonso park (a.k.a. the splash park) back in Managua. 

It should be noted as well that Rebekah took her first turn at driving on the return trip, first putting in some highway miles and then driving across Managua back to our house in Linda Vista Norte. She'll sleep well tonight.

Special thanks to Ariane (and the CIEETS folks as well) for the warm welcome and the good work that is happening around Matagalpa!

Bluefields Visit

Thursday the fifth of November started early for another trip to visit our partners in Bluefields Nicaragua. (If you’re curious about the name “Bluefields,” it comes from the history of pirates along the coast long ago; “Bluefields” was the English translation of the Dutch pirate Abraham Blauveldt.) Andrew Claassen, the MCC program assistant and Connecting Peoples coordinator and I went to visit our partner, Acción Médica Cristiana who has a project in Bluefields. 

 

 Flying over the country gave me an eagle’s view of the country we live in.  Lakes, mountains, fields, volcanos and old craters, rivers, and lots of green coastal area.  We landed in on the bumpy worn runway, taxied to the side and walked out over a bridge across a gully, and up into the tiny airport.  There we were met by Saul, one of Acción Médica Cristiana’s (AMC) staff.  He took us to the hotel to drop our bags and we headed for the office.  

Bluefields is a small city with little winding roads and sneak peaks out to the ocean.  We arrived on a damp morning which added to the tropical feel of the place.  On the streets many were speaking English Creole along with Spanish.  My ears perked up to be hearing so many familiar words.  The languages are fairly different in sound so it was fascinating hearing people jump from one to the other.

We were warmly welcomed at the office by Ms. Jeannette and Ms. Jenny.  They fed us a hot breakfast and we jumped into our full agenda.  In the morning we discussed the project overview and some context of Bluefields.  We were then joined by the youth that are the Comunicadores de la Paz (peace communicators.)  They were a vibrant and enthusiastic bunch from 15-21 years old.  They have created radio and TV clips on signs of violence in relationships and combating HIV stigma as well as work to support peacemakers in school to offer peer lead conflict resolution.

After lunch I was pleased to learn we would experience one of the region’s primary sources of transportation.  We took a taxi down to the bay and found a panga (motor boat-taxi).  We took a 15 minute ride out to El Bluff where AMC works with a school offering teachers and students workshops and support around HIV prevention and “Culture of Peace.”  We were greeted warmly by a large group of teachers and a few students who spent the next couple hours talking about how the program had helped them as a school and as individuals.  We then hopped back on a panga, took it around to a narrow peninsula where we could look at the Caribbean and put our feet in the sand.  I collected a couple shells for the kids and we headed back to the AMC office.

Miss Jenny and I

Our last stop of the day was to a support group living with HIV.  The group gathered was about 15 of a total 36 who meet regularly.  Some shared their stories.  They represented many age groups and walks of life.  Their testimonies were powerful and the support and hope they received from the group when they first found out and their positive outlooks now was touching.  In the end they presented us with small copies of their banner to hang in our homes and in the office.  It was a holy circle.

They day was exhausting but rich.  I went to bed early and slept hard.  

Friday the sixth of November was as booked or even more so than Thursday.  We ate a quick breakfast at the office and headed out to another school.  We met the pacificadores (peacemakers) who are tasked with addressing peer conflicts.  They shared a bit with us and we hurried back to the office to visit with the Ministry of Education who has invited AMC to work within the public schools.  After that we headed to a school for children with special needs where MCC canned meat is used to supplement the food provided by the government.  Again we heard testimonies about how the meat has improved the nutrition of the children and were invited to taste a couple of recipes made from the meat.  Mothers prepare the meat in many ways and then bring it to the school for the children.  They had made us a welcome poster as well!

After that we headed back to meet a group of parents that meets to discuss HIV prevention and violence prevention. They also made us a welcome sign.

Our last stop was to the AMC office where we met a number of the school directors of the 17 schools where the program is active.  We heard more testimonies and per Andrew’s request we had Rondon, a typical stew made with coconut milk, meat, yucca, and plantains.  We wrapped up with Miss Jenny and Miss Jeannette, our gracious hosts, and headed to the airport.

There is not replacement for visiting a place, experiencing a little food and culture, shaking hands and sharing hugs.  I feel blessed to be a link in this chain.

   -R                                                                                                                            

Costa Rica! - Barva, Heredia and San José

This weekend we went for a quick trip with long bus rides to visit the good leaders from the Evangelical Mennonite Convention of Costa Rica. In short: Friday (Oct 30) was a long bus ride and then eventually arriving at the church's offices in Barva, Heredia; Saturday was a day of meetings and IVEP/YAMEN interviews; Sunday was a church visit and exploring downtown San José; Monday was the long bus ride back to Managua.  I realize I don't have the best pictures to document the trip, but here are some bits and pieces.

Here is a map so you can see where we traveled.  We left our house in taxi at 4:00 am, boarded our bus at 5:00 am, went through border crossing procedures at around 7:30 am, were taken from a bus stop to the church offices, and arrived around 3:00 pm.  Whoever was on that 50 minute flight in the map may have beat us there, but we have built much more character. 

 Here's Rebekah and Silas, enjoying snacks and jackets.  Of course the jacket here has to do with the bus air conditioning, but we certainly enjoyed the climate around Barva and its beautiful, cool evenings.


 On Saturday morning we went around down around the hill to enjoy a very nice little track/soccer field/park and very nice view.

Another picture of the mountains, from the other side of the field:


 
 The kids enjoying some exercise equipment.


Creative play in dirt.


We also felt a little tremor while out in the park.  Here are the stats:

As I mentioned I don't have pictures from our meetings.   Meanwhile, Lia and Silas colored and watched some videos. Here's Lia doing her homework for school.

Sunday morning. Lia and Silas wrestling and tussling.

The church in Barrio Jesús had some dancers with their worship time, and lots of the church's girls joined in.

Afterwards, they were serving Sopa Azteca as a fundraiser for their Sunday School classes.  Lia really enjoyed it.

Here's a picture with Sandra Campos, president of the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Costa Rica; Andrew, who is on our MCC team and spent a year in Costa Rica in SALT; Fernando, the pastor, and a girl from Sunday School class.

On Sunday afternoon we went with Sandra and Andrew to explore downtown San José. 

Here we are in front of Hotel Costa Rica, which is apparently an old hotel where President Kennedy stayed once upon a time.  More importantly, here we are enjoying Pops ice cream, a fine Costa Rican product.

Lia and Silas entertain themselves chasing the pigeons.

Lia and Silas play among the statues in front of the Banco Popular.  Sandra tells us that the joke is that these people, who represent the poor of Costa Rica, came to the bank for a loan and were left waiting so long they turned into statues.  Lia and Silas had fun here until Silas tripped off the edge of the statue platform and landed hard on sidewalk.  Fortunately, he's alright.  Thanks to all of you keeping us in your prayers!

No pictures from the ride home.  It was another long one.  We made it.