So…. Last Saturday, Jessica and I headed out on what we thought would be a little fishing adventure in Lake Nicaragua. We got up and met the guys at 5am ( I know,can you believe it??) to leave on what we thought would be a relaxing morning in the boat, enjoying the scenery and the company. 🙂
Well, fishing with Elarrio and Josiel is not with fishing poles, but with a massive net. We pattled out in the little boat and gathered fish from this net, which was quite a process. Like, literally: it’s over an hour long process to put out the net and then pull it in from both sides! I got some AMAZING photos of them/me playing with the fish!!! Pretend you can see them:
So… the sunrise over the island was phenomenal. Imagine the sun peeking over the volcano, through the clouds, just barely touching the surface of the water:
So,what we didn’t realize was that they had planned to go fishing down at a different point, but we thought that wouldn’t include the boat, so we talked them into taking us in the boat. Basically, instead of driving the boat down to the point, they ended up thinking we wanted a “boat ride,” so we pattled for an hour and a half to the point, so they could do their fishing there, as well. We felt SO bad, since they missed the best early morning fishing out at their best fishing spot just to entertain us with a boat ride. Communication lapse. 🙂 At least they seemed joyful at our amazment with the whole process!
So, the reason I don’t have any pictures to post of our amazing Lake Nicaragua Fishing adventure is this:
I was being very cafeful with my camera, mind you. I had it in a zip lock bag, and that was inside of a dry sac. I would take a picture and quickly return it to it’s home, safe inside the none-wet bags. However, when I went to swap places with Josiel so he could take over rowing, I didn’t quite have time to put it all the way back in my bag. So I threw it in the top of the dry sac momentarily as I moved places. But then… one of the ores started floating off, and instinctively I grabbed for it… and the dry sac gracefully flipped over into the lake. Yep. That’s right. The bag was recovered. However, the camera was not.
Lake Nicaragua stole my heart…. and my camera. BLAST.
I didn’t even know how to react, other than giggle. It was pretty much destined to happen. You know when you get that feeling in your gut that something like that will happen? Ya, I had that the night before when I was packing it up so carefully. I almost didn’t take it… but I convinced myself I was only being paranoid and that I would be super careful.
I mean seriously: what are the odds? I felt sick to my stomach, but there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. Praise God I had downloaded all my other pictures the night before, so all I really lost was the pictures from that day…. (and the scorpion from the day before that was hiding in the cinder blocks I was moving… but that’s a different story. 🙂
Anyhow… I’m super sad I won’t have a camera for the rest of this month, but it’s just a camera. My friends are all amazing about sharing pictures, and even sharing their cameras with me when I want it for something! I was so blessed when Jess told me I could just borrow her small digital camera until I could buy another one, since she had brought two. God’s just blessed me so much through all of this! I kind of feel released to just enjoy His presence, rather than constantly trying to capture it.
Anyway… That’s just one story of ridiculousness from this weekend.
I really feel like Satan has been trying everything he can to steal my joy… but I refuse to let him.
I’ve been a little sick to my stomach this month, nothing real bad, but enough to make me very annoyed at least a little every day. Then on Sunday, walking home from church, I slipped and fell really hard. Yes, your number one klutz has not dissapointed even though I’m overseas.
Actually, Katie fell first, then I fell about 20 seconds after her, then Andrea fell about 20 seconds after me! It was INSANE! How does that stuff happen? Andi sprained her ankle pretty bad- I’ve been calling her gimpy. 🙂 I just scrapped mine up really bad.
So, Satan’s been trying to remind me of all the things going on that I could complain about, but I’m choosing to rejoice. I mean, literally: Jesus has flooded me with joy and giggles. It’s ridiculous. Sorry, Satan: you’ve lost this battle.
*insert giggles/joy*
Philippians 2:1-16
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death-
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life…”
