Nicaraguan sun is no joke. We get a break from the humidity but the vengeance of the sun is just as strong if not stronger. Don’t get me wrong, I love the heat and could take this weather year round but even I start sweating as soon as I step into the sun. One of our ministries this month is manual labor for a change of pace! We have cleared fields for planting plantain trees and have dug a trench to bury wires for electricity on the farm. I also picked up a new skill of plantain harvesting; cutting down the huge stalks, hauling them to the wagon (driving the horse), then separating them, washing them off and putting them in bins to take to the buyers. Long explanation for we are sweating buckets. It seems like we can’t drink enough water to keep up with what we are losing. We got these electrolyte drink packets to supplement…I had to choke it down. It is so salty that it makes me nauseous.
Machete Training
Ok, I’m spoiled…Break time ride!
This got me to thinking, I need to review what this sodium is really good for. When losing so much water so fast we can’t just replace it with more water. Too much water dilutes the electrolytes; we can keep filling up with tons of water, but if we don’t have action-sodium, potassium and electrolytes to stimulate the movement we get weak; it’s just as unhealthy as not having enough water. Sodium and potassium work together to create electrical impulses at the cellular level to activate muscle movement from moving extremities to pumping your heart and moving the oxygen-rich blood through your body. Not having enough or having diluted levels can cause headaches, fatigue, weakness, muscle cramps and disorientation. This can be related to life; yes, Jesus is the living water and ultimately that is the only thing that can save us. However, in order to thrive and the disciples He has called us to we need to feed our bodies the essentials for producing action. The sodium and potassium work together to create the electrical signals to move our muscles, which pump blood through our veins and ultimately pump life into our body. The level of all these vital chemicals need to be in a specific balance so all our bodies can function to the best of there ability. It’s our responsibility to track where we are lacking and what we need to supplement to best take care of our spiritual walk. I am going just going to have to eat more plantain chips for my salt intake I guess ;P
Fun Fact: the main street food of Nicaragua is: Fritanga. It consists of: Plantain leaves as the plate with gallo pinto (rice&beans), choice of chicken or pork (we were advised to stay away from this), plantain chips or fried plantains and a vinegary cabbage salad. There is also the option of a huge slab of fried queso…my stomach turned when I saw that part. It’s so cheap too! The best place to buy is right around the corner from where we are staying; one plate is only $3 and I can get the only the plantains and salad for $1; now that is living off a world race budget!
