In with the "new!"

These first few days have been a whirlwind! MANY people have said to write down those first impressions and experiences, because after a while things begin to feel "normal." So I know we've posted a lot recently, and this blog will probably only be updated weekly, but sorry. . .I just want to write down some NEW experiences we've had over the last few days as we've gotten life started. Just a quick aside: our neighbors were assigned to us to be our "mentor" family, and they have been INCREDIBLE at translating for us, making phone calls, taking us shopping (three times already), arranging playdates for our kids, making us a meal. We could not possibly do this alone. Because of them, we have a car (a 2003 Honda Odyssey, the same car we had in the States!), living room furniture, and food to eat! God is good in providing people to step in where needed. We hope we'll become expert enough here that we can reciprocate the favor for others relocating here to Nicaragua!

Okay, here are some of the "new" experiences:

--Test-driving a car with an armed guard in the backseat! 

--eating gallo pinto at a local corner market we walked to this AM with the family (about a mile away)

--Henry and friends chopping up coconuts and collecting their "water" to drink in our yard

--Remembering to turn the hot water heater on for ONLY 15 minutes in the AM to save on electricity (which is VERY high here)

--Cutting up a HUGE papaya for the kids for breakfast, only to find out that it was actually a HUGE avocado. OOPS.

--Going into the "Costco" of Managua. It is seriously just like Sams or Costco, just more expensive. They even have the cheap pizza slices for sale there!

--Driving our new car home alone in rush hour, about a 30 minute drive, and only having a decent idea of where I was going. And it was getting dark, too! I made it, however!

--Enjoying the amazing weather. We were bracing ourselves for a wicked heat blast, but we've been so comfortable. The breezes and the rains are amazing. March and April are supposedly the worst in terms of the heat. 

--Seeing the MANY ways people make ends meet here. . .washing your windshield and selling things at stoplights is very common; saw two jugglers today at busy intersections, including a man juggling with fire. Lots of poverty and contrast between the haves and have-nots here. We're most certainly in the "haves," and that comes with much responsibility that we are working on figuring out.

--Buying bread from a small bakery, fruit from a stand that you simply drive up to, and Nicaraguan style-tamales that are DELICIOUS! We can easily buy all American food here (for a price), but we hope to eat comida Nicaraguense a few times a week at least.

That's all for now!

Our house. . .some pictures. . .

Below are a few pictures of our home! We are so lucky to have this place for our family while we are here in Nicaragua. The school provides a stipend that covers MOST of the rent of this home about 10 minutes drive down a BIG hill to the school (the road is known as the "cow trail!"). The house is in a community with 6 or 7 other houses (one house is occupied by the owner); four houses are all very close together and there are 11 children between the four families (all families are involved in ministry in Nicaragua). The kids flock from home to home (think Rehoboth campus!); our Duplo blocks that we squeezed in a bag have been the hit as the "new" toy here! Our house is empty in terms of furniture and probably will be for a bit, but we have all of our appliances (washer and dryer to be installed yet), beds, and a table and chairs! LOTS of screened windows (open ALL year round) and high ceilings for the breeze. Cool tropical plants all around the house-- strange to look at palm trees while taking a shower through our bathroom window! We have access to a shared community swimming pool and a trampoline, which is a luxury for our kids in the heat! This is definitely a place where we will be "recharged" for ministry; so different from our home in GR which felt like it was in and of itself a part of ministry due to location in a diverse neighborhood. Our prayer is to make this a place of hospitality for ALL folks who enter and extend MANY invitations for fellowshipping to those outside of our neighborhood.

We will have clean clothes some day soon!

Laundry room is sort of outside. . .when it rains, it rains inside!

Love the furniture!

Kitchen

Nuestro casa!

Home with neighbors. . .

Home

During our CRWM orientation a couple weeks ago, we talked a lot about the concept of “home,” and especially what that means for our children living overseas. What makes a place our home? Is it where we were born, where we grew up, where our parents live?  The question on the forefront of our minds at the time though, was “Are we robbing our children of a place to call home and a sense of belonging?” I guess this question will only really be answered 20 years or so down the road when our children look back on their experience growing up overseas and either resent us or thank us. 

The thing that I have been asking God for most consistently over the past few months is that He would show us that moving to Nicaragua was in His plan for us and that we would be continually be affirmed in this decision, even months and years into our transition.  At this point, we are only two days into our new life. We are by no means “settled”—I am typing right now in our living room that has no furniture and when making lunch today I realized we have no salt or pepper (or any spices for that matter) but I do feel a huge sense of affirmation mainly due to the fact that our children already seem to be at home here. In less than 48 hours, they have made friends, been on playdates, been excitedly practicing Spanish and even playing with the neighbor’s pet bird.  I truly feel that our children could look back on this experience and thank us, and thank God for calling us AND them to this place. 

Keys

We leave for Nicaragua in one week! Had shots today at the Kent County Health Department--9 between Andrew, Ruth, Henry, and Mae. Poor Mae had five. Our house is MOSTLY empty. . .our goal is to be out by Thursday, but I think we'll beat the deadline by a day. We actually moved over to Ruth’s parents house last night, simply because of the weather. I think God is giving us a small taste of Nicaraguan heat and humidity before we leave here in Grand Rapids. Actually, the last few times I’ve checked, Managua is cooler than Grand Rapids by a few degrees! We are enjoying the frigid temperatures of the Arrowsmith household now. . .which makes it harder to head back over to 707 Union Ave and finish packing up.

Soon we’ll be handing over the keys of our house to the new owners! My key chain, normally bursting and heavy, has been steadily dwindling over the last few months. Keys are sort of status symbol; seems like the most important people carry the most keys. Now I've turned in school keys. Need to turn in church keys. The van keys drove off to New Mexico with my brother last weekend. We will travel to Nicaragua with absolutely no keys. When is the last time I haven’t owned something that needed to be locked up or turned on with a key? Not sure. It is a strange, sort-of-free feeling. But I’ll admit to a little anxiety as well without the familiar weight of those metal comfort objects.

I know we’ll be acquiring keys very quickly upon arrival. . . a new house, car, classroom. . .but in this moment, it’s good to remind myself that nothing here is forever. The “keys of the Kingdom” in Matthew 16:19 are forever, and without those metal keys in the way, maybe we are better poised to serve with open hands and open hearts.

Andrew