Here I am, sitting at a hostel in Costa Rica. It’s surreal to think that month 3 is already in progress. Wasn’t just yesterday that we arrived to Guatemala?
Last month in Nicaragua, we were extremely blessed with the people that we met. We stayed at a Baptist church with indoor (!) bathrooms. Indoor plumbing is a wonderful invention. The church welcomed us with open arms. Every time there was a service we were hugged & blessed. Several ladies of the church cooked for us the entire month. And the last night we were there the church prayed over us & served us a meal that is traditionally served at weddings. It was a sweet church & I am so thankful for them.
(photo credit for above picture goes to Clay)
And now, I would like to introduce you to several of our friends from Nicaragua:
Jaime-
This energetic youth pastor works at one of the Baptist church in town & was our contact. His heart for the youth is evident by the love & care he shows them. Many of the youth come from fatherless families, & Jaime is a positive role model for them. Jaime also knows everyone in town. Old people, young people, rich people, poor people, he knows them all. Whenever we would go somewhere with him, people would speak with him. He is also very generous. He & his wife Jackie, invited us into their home many times. They gave us coffee, let us play with their kids, & listened to their stories of God at work. He was always giving. Jaime is quite the joker. At one point, he told us we had ate vulture… & we believed him for about 10 seconds.
Carlos-
Carlos stayed with us at the church, & was our guide of sorts. Where ever we went, Carlos went too. It was nice to have a native around, especially when we were riding buses. I’m pretty sure we would’ve ended up on a wrong bus at some point, if it wasn’t for him. He joined in with our game,s joking & adventuring and acted like a little brother. In January, he will be leaving for TX to go to Bible school. Thank you Carlos, for putting up with our craziness.
Marbelly-
(Opps, I realized that I don’t have a picture of Marbelly. Epic fail on my part.)
This amazing lady cooked for our team all month while we were there. She didn’t speak any English, but her sweet smile & servant spirit spoke volumes. We were served rice & beans with almost every meal, but never grew tired of them because of all the different ways she prepared them. I’m surprised we all didn’t gain weight with her cooking. It was delicious!
John Carlo-
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This active 13 year old was our main meal delivery boy. At first he gave the impression of a shy, well-behaved boy but that didn’t last long. His rambunctious side came out as he became more comfortable with us. He lives with his aunt Marbelly, & her family. He is a good kid; he just needs some good role models.
I’m so blessed that I was able to meet all of these wonderful people. It was a eventful month & my favorite month thus far
