This will be my third time to try to write and send this email, as before my computer has either crashed or the electricity has cut out - ah well it´s all part of the Nicaraguan experience!
The most part of last week and this week has been spent travelling round to
different communities and planting Nim and Acacia trees and pitaya plants.
The people we´ve visited have been really welcoming and grateful for the
trees that it really has been a joy. One guy we met was really enthusiastic
about his farm and showed us round his land - he had mangos, lemons, pitaya,
corn and beans growing. When we asked him if he sold his produce, he said
that he didnt because he believed that the earth and all of its produce
belongs to God. He had therefore decided to share his produce by giving it
to his neighbours as a demonstartion of God´s provision. What a principle to
live by! And I´ve seen this sort of attitude in other people too, they are
content with just making enough money to feed their family. There is also a
much greater emphasis placed on relationships and therefore a much stronger
sense of community. How different to the UK where life seems to be so
focussed on making as much money as possible to make life as comfortable as
possible, often at the expense of relationships and community life.
Today we went to another farm and helped locals dig a huge fish tank. Once
the tank is completed they plan to buy 300 fish for 1 cordoba each (about
3p), keep them 3 months till they´ve grown to full size and then sell the
fish for 10 cordoba each (about 30p). Although the land here is so fertile,
harvest can be ruined by a dry season, and so people are trying to develop
new ways to produce food. A fish farm sounds like a great idea to me, and
the people here really do need something to supplement their rice and beans
diet!
Most afternoons we are going to the deaf children´s home, and take crafts
and sports equipment with us. We have a lot of fun and are really getting to
know the kids. Last week we went to one of the members of staff´s birthday
party which involved eating ice cream and dancing. We taught them the YMCA
dance which made us feel like fools, but we gave it our best shot!
There´s one boy at the deaf home, who isnt actually deaf but has cerebral
palsy and is severely handicapped, called Mario. He is 15 but is so frail
that he looks a lot younger and sadly he spends most of his time lying in
bed with the light turned off. The women who work at the home clean and feed
him but give him very little attention or affection. Over the last few days
we have been trying especially hard to show that he is an important person
and one who should be loved as much as the other children. Yesterday we took
him in his wheelchair and out into the garden where the children were
playing. He giggled a lot and loved watching the children blowing bubbles.
It was great to see him being so resposive and hopefully the children and
staff will continue to include him in thier activities. Please pray for
Mario, and that we would be able to encourage the staff to show him love and
value.
Last Friday, Hannah, Sam, Jon and I went to Managua (capital of NIcaragua)
for an all night Christian youth event. This was a memorable experience that
started with the crazy 3 hour bus ride with other youth from churches in
Condega. The event was held at a university campus and was very charismatic
with worship, prayer, drama, dance and talks. Strong black coffee kept us
going till 3am and then we all drove back to Condega. It was great to be a
part of this event and to see how God is working in so many young people´s
lives here.
The water has been off here for the last 3 days so we´re all starting to
smell. Trying to wash out of buckets as best we can but it´s not the same as
a proper shower. There´s road work being done which explains the disrupted
water supply but it also means we have no idea when its going to come back
on.
I could go on and on about all the things we´re seeing and doing, but I´ll
stop here. Nicaragua is such a beautiful country and we really are having
such an amazing experience, there is such a lot to learn from these people.
