My Incredible Wife Ruth

Happy Dia de Amor y Amistad! (Day of Love and Friendship, as many people call Valentine's Day in Nicaragua). I'm using this day as an excuse to brag on my wife a little bit, before she gets out of bed. I am so lucky to be married to Ruth, and I can't imagine these last 10 years of our marriage without her! Ruth is caring, demonstrating a loving concern that extends to our often-needy children, family and well beyond. She has her priorities right, valuing relationships and friendships above so much of the silly to-do lists I have in my mind. She loves serving the Lord, and I am so happy we have one another as best friends while we live and serve in Nicaragua. My love for Ruth is unconditional--she certainly doesn't have to earn it by doing anything. That said, I'm pretty proud of all that she does. She is amazing, and I want to give you a glimpse into this amazingness by listing a few of the things she used her time, talents, and energy for this past week:

1) Shopping for our family. No Walmart or Meijer run here. This is NOT a simple task in Nicaragua. She went to 6 stores on Monday to get everything we needed for our week.

2) Cooking for our family and hosting 2.5 dinner gatherings. We used to take turns cooking the States, but here, she does the majority (though I still enjoy helping!). This week, she made 6 pans of chicken enchiladas--some for hosting a dinner with visitng friends Gary and Rosemary Schipper from First CRC, some for a hosting a dinner with our Manuel (our pastor) and Maria Jose and family, and some for a co-worker of mine that is recovering from surgery. I love Ruth's hospitality!

3) Teaching in Spanish. Ruth spent her Wednesday morning teaching a group of 10 expectant moms (and 10 other observers, medical professionals, ect) for 2 hours at AMOS clinic, all in Spanish with no other English speakers around, part of a 8 week course. Last semester, she had only a handful of participants--it has grown so much this year, praise God! It takes so much work and energy to prepare a class in a language we are still learning. Ruth is brave and doesn't let the language barrier affect her work or relationships!

4) Carpooling: She drives groups of kids to and from school all the time!

5) Paying the Bills: Not like the US. You call on the phone, and do it all in Spanish. A horrifying task, and she does it monthly and so well. I would have no clue how to do it!

6) Playing Volleyball: Ruth loves sports (way more than I do!), and I love that Ruth loves sports. For the first time, she played volleyball one night this week with a group of adults (including a former professional player), and she both held her own and had a blast. I'm so glad she can have fun. If you are in a group of people, RUth is someone you want to be around. Funny, sometimes "edgy":), witty, loud (when playing sports!).

7) Valentine's Day Tasks: Of course, it was Ruth who made cute Valentine's with (not for!) all of the kids to share at school. 90,to be exact. I didn't do one. She also baked 50 heart-shaped sugar cookies for my students (of course on the day she made the chicken enchiladas). She is a servant-hearted mom and wife, and I appreciate so much the way she looks to love me through acts of service.

8) Coordinating: Ruth has been busy coordinating with Rehoboth school, CRWM, and a team here in Nicaragua to prepare for a group of 14 coming to learn and serve here over Semana Santa (holy week). She is so good at details and thinking ahead, and keeps our calendar organized.

My list could go on and on, and the moment I publish this, I'll no doubt think of something that should have been on this list. . . thanks for reading about my awesome wife on this day of "love and friendship," and I wish you all a day where you feel blessed by the friends and family God has surrounded you with. Ruth is leaving for the States this Thursday for a week. . .I'm so happy for her to get to be with her family and especially so she can meet new beautiful  baby Isla and help out her sister Muriel. .. but I know that her being gone for 7 days will only make me appreciate Ruth and all she does and all she is even more!

Autumn and Music Class

Autumn


January was a busy month (what month isn't, really?), as we hosted Autumn, a friend from Grand Rapids, for three weeks of service and fun. Autumn is a senior at Calvin College, soon heading to PT school, and before we even moved here asked if she could spend January 2015 here. . .and she did!

Autumn helped sort and pack books to help the transition to the new library at NCA, helped students in Henry's 2nd grade class, shadowed physical therapists at Tesoros de Dios, assisted Ruth with programs and giving shots at House of Hope, and even braved babysitting 19 missionary kids so the parents could go on a fantastic quintuple date!
 

On our "days off," we went to the ocean, a crater lake, a volcano, downtown Managua. . .I think we did a pretty good job wearing Autumn (and ourselves!) out. We're so thankful for her choice to come be a part of our lives for this month and to learn more about Nicaragua. If you are interested in a short term opportunity and want a free place to crash, let us know.


(Thanks, Autumn, for some of these pictures!)

Music Class

For the last year, my role at Tesoros de Dios has been to shadow their special education teachers and assist kids with homework from 3:15-4:15 on Thursday afternoons. I found that some of the kids were already finished with their school work by 3:30, and would spend the last 45-50 minutes of their time at Tesoros waiting with their moms for the bus to take them home. With the blessing of Michelle, the director, I offered to do some "music stuff" with the kids who were finished with their school work. This has now evolved into a dedicated weekly activity for about 12 of the kids. Our "music" class now involves a mixture of music, art, and movement. . .whatever I can come up with that might work with a diverse group of kids and a leader (me) who is still learning Spanish! Favorite activities have included using a parachute to launch things into the sky, finger painting to various styles of music, and laughing at my horrible Spanish singing:)