Immanuel

"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). (Isaiah 7:14)

What can we learn today from a Jesus known as Immanuel? What can be said of a God who wants to be with us, and chooses to be with us in the form of a baby?

As Immanuel, God models an upside-down kingdom. We’ve heard the Christmas story so many times, we forget how crazy it is. So absolutely crazy. Our most powerful, almighty God had the ability to come to us as an earthly king, a celebrity, a learned scholar, a rich ruler--that would make sense to us in our human notion of power and leadership. Yet God chooses to reveal himself to us as a baby. And in the human form of Jesus, God wasn’t just a baby. He was a baby refugee. A baby refugee born into poverty. A racial minority refugee baby born into poverty. Completely defenseless, helpless, vulnerable. And this is what God chose. 

When I was at the Tesoros de Dios party last week, looking around, I saw a number of children being held by parents. Kids--some babies, some teenagers--that cannot walk, talk, and do much of anything alone. Some that never will. They are defenseless, helpless, and vulnerable. And that, essentially, is how God chose to be when He came to us as a baby. That is how God chose to be.

Photo credit: Paola Rivas

Photo credit: Paola Rivas

I think one of the reasons I love working with kids with disabilities at NCA and at Tesoros de Dios is that I get glimpses of God as I serve those whom God chose to be like. When we think of becoming “Christlike,” are we picturing our brothers and sisters in Christ with significant disabilities? Yes, God is powerful and Jesus is King, but we’re also called to meet and love and know Jesus in his “Christmas form” as well.  We meet God when we serve the vulnerable, the defenseless, the needy, the humble--the truly Christlike.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” (Matthew 25: 35-36)

As Immanuel, God models humility. God chose the humblest form in baby Jesus. In this act of “coming down,” I really can’t think of a better model of humility.  And as Christ-followers, we’re called to be humble, too.

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. (1 Peter 3:8)

The work at Tesoros de Dios for our staff can be humbling. Laying on the floor with kids. Wiping noses. Getting hit or bit by a child with little impulse control. Shoveling literal tons of horse poop.  Spending hours making 300 shish kabobs for the family Christmas party that will disappear in a matter of minutes once served. Dressing like a clown and dancing on a stage in front of hundreds of people laughing at you. But in baby Jesus, God shows us that life isn’t all about climbing up the ladder. God moved ALL the way down the ladder.  Why? Love. Meeting us where we are, God’s beloved, broken people.

As Immanuel, God models the power of presence.  In Spanish, the word “incarnation” is “encarnación,” with “carne” (which means flesh/meat) as the obvious root word.  In Spanish, then, it is easy to see how this weighty term signifies God putting on flesh. God loved us so much that he sent part of himself to be WITH us as a human. God’s greatest gift in this act is truly his presence, and I believe that God is modeling something to us here.  Our gift to others in our work and in our daily lives is our presence. 

What does this look like? Doña Angela, the counselor at Tesoros de Dios, sitting with the moms for countless hours, hearing difficult story after story. Physical therapists spending time with those students in palliative care, kids bound by lifelong physical disabilities preventing what we’d note as “progress.” The Director, Michelle’s nightly devotions with the security guards. The staff of Tesoros de Dios are all in a ministry of presence. 

I think so much about DOING. That is a problem I have as a gringo (according to my extensive cultural research:)). I’m seen at Tesoros de Dios most weeks driving up in my trusty Honda Odyssey and running around to meet with folks and paying payroll and checking things off my to-do list.  No time for hanging out and relating beyond the “¿Cómo estás?” and “Bien, gracias.” Sometimes, it is easier for me to do than be. Through Immanuel, though, I’m reminded that God is in the business of BEING. What can a baby do? What can a baby offer? Only presence. Being with us.

As Immanuel, God brings people together. Both in the US and in Nicaragua, nothing brings people together like a baby. You can tell in any church when a new baby arrives for the first time; everyone huddles around to meet the new child. Baby Jesus brought people together, too. Think about the unlikely scene around the bed of Jesus, the baby bringing in shepherds from the fields, and much later wisemen from the East. And more people joined in the greeting of the newborn King as the years continued.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)  

Jesus came for all people, that all people would be brought together around him in his life and death and resurrection. And Jesus is still bringing people together today.  As I think about the ministry of Tesoros de Dios, I see a living example of Jesus bringing people together. It doesn’t make sense that hundreds of people in the United States and Canada would donate money each year to sustain this small, important ministry. It doesn’t make sense that the gringo volunteers at Tesoros de Dios have chosen a life so far from the comforts of home and blood family.  It doesn’t make sense that 32 diverse Nicaraguan staff members come together each day to do difficult work at Tesoros de Dios. They could be searching for a higher paying job. They could let conflict rule, as they might have political differences or a difficult work history.  And yet, they/we show up, together.  Because besides the common work at Tesoros de Dios, they/we also share a common love for a baby born in Bethlehem. We’re all gathered as one diverse group around this baby Jesus even today.

Photo credit: Paola Rivas

Immanuel--God with us. As we celebrate baby Jesus--God taking on flesh--remember the the upside-down kingdom, our call to humility and presence, and the gift of togetherness. 

(This reflection is based on a devotional shared with the Tesoros de Dios staff at their end-of-the-year Christmas gathering)

Prayer Bowl

Over the years, as our kids continue to grow and change, we've had to adapt the ways in which we "do devotions" as a family. After dinner, we try to spend a few minutes as a family in prayer or reading the Bible. While not extremely consistent (maybe 60% of weeknights), we do value this time as a family and it has gotten easier as our kids have gotten older. Well, usually. Just recently, we had a lovely devotions where 2 of our 3 kids were sent to their rooms during this supposedly sacred time. And Charlotte really could use a bungee cord around her lap and chair to keep her seated:) We've read Bible stories, gathered around the piano to sing, listened to "Keys for Kids" (not my favorite) and used a fantastic resource (my personal favorite) written by a family friend called "Teach Us to Pray." We continue to do a hodgepodge of these methods, letting our kids take a turn leading and choosing how to lead once each week.

Last year, we added a new idea into the devotional rotation we've named the "Prayer Bowl." We have a small glass bowl that has slowly been filled with random objects--from pictures and shells to coins and keys. Each object is a reminder to pray for a specific person or thing that has been on our hearts or minds; the objects are typically chosen by our kids. Anyone can suggest that we add a need to the bowl and we decide when things no longer should be in the bowl.

On nights when we use the bowl, we lay out all of the items and we pick up the objects that represent who/what we will be praying for. Once we've chosen our objects, we go around the table, and pray aloud for each need as we hold the object until all have been prayed for. I've enjoyed seeing our kids, especially Charlotte, develop her "prayer language" and I like to see who the kids all enjoy praying for. For some reason, Uncle Miki and the guards are the most popular amongst the kids right now.  Right now, our bowl contains objects for:

Tesoros de Dios

The Future

The environment

Grandpa Bob

Grandpa Steve

Hector

Uncle Rich

Frehiwot

Uncle Ben

The guards

Grandma Norma

Great Grandma Ruth

Sofia

Uncle Miki

Mr. Siepel

Walter

Angel

Uthman

Carla

The Prayer Bowl is a flexible, tangible tool that helps our family remember to lift up people and situations in prayer that we might otherwise forget. It allows all of us to be involved in prayer, both for our children and us adults. We've prayed for sick people that have died, and prayed for others that have since gotten well. We've seen God at work and we've wondered where He is. It is good for all of us to be reminded of the gift of prayer--not talking to a "genie" who will grant our wishes but staying in relationship with a loving father who wants to hear the joys and cries of our collective hearts. Prayer reminds us that He is God and we are not.

It might a be a tool that you can use for your family devotions, too, which is why we've shared it here on this blog. I wish we had done this when our kids were even younger. If you have other ideas--things that have worked for your family devotions, we'd love to hear your ideas, too.

Goodbye Dexter:(

More than five years ago, on January 25, 2014, we introduced the now infamous Dexter, our white-faced capuchin, on our blog with this post here--we've told the epic story of how we became monkey owners countless times and it never gets old. Today, we have to tell the story of saying goodbye. Owning a monkey has been a journey--I predicted even back then that I knew it wouldn't be easy, and yesterday we brought Dexter to a "Rescue Center" near the Managua Zoo. Dexter has been a huge part of Nicaragua life--according to one of our kids, without Dexter we "no longer have a reason to even live in Nicaragua anymore." We haven't shared a lot about him over the years as life with a monkey became quite normal for us, so a few memories about Dexter in his honor and memory as we enter in a monkey-less phase of life here. . .

Dexter first lived inside our home for a few months (when he cried himself to sleep and was scared to even leave our arms!), but for most of the five years lived in a chainlink cage built under our water tower behind our home. The home worked well, but he was able to break the water pipes that go from tank to ground twice by shaking them--I'll never forget trying to climb up a narrow ladder to stop the water gushing out of the tank while being pummeled with water. We just had a beautiful, new free-standing cage built for him in May by our school carpenter--not sure what we'll do with that now!

Dexter would spend time out of the cage nearly every evening. For four years, he was allowed to play in the trees and on our roof, but he got harder to get back when the allotted time was over and he became harder to keep from bothering our neighbors. For the last year he played while on a retractable leash (long enough to still get in the trees and on the roof!) He loved launching himself from high in trees down into the hammocks below. He also enjoyed finding crunchy bugs by the lights and scrolling through Facebook on my phone.

Dexter got to eat twice a day. He ate our leftovers but loved bread and carbs more than anything else. He loved dipping bread in water to soften it before eating. If he ever got his hand on candy, that was always a favorite too, but that wasn't a part of his normal diet! Dexter loved washing himself with citrus fruit slices and old tea bags, though he still would smell like a monkey when finished.

Dexter loved playing with dogs. Eskimo, Rocky, and Toby have been his best friends along the way. Toby will miss our nightly playtimes together. But kids were his favorite--he loved playing on the trampoline, going for walks on a leash out of the neighborhood and loved when Charlotte would spend time inside his cage.

Henry attempted to sleep with Dexter early on. It never worked, but was a fun attempt!

We've had many neighbors who have cared for Dexter for us. Some have enjoyed him, while others have been terrified of him. Dexter seemed to sense fear and loved chasing kids across the yard towards their houses. He became quite good at breaking into homes, especially the Normans. He was once accused of eating a large number of baked goods off of their counter, but we are sure that was the Marin's German Shepherd to this day:) When Dexter was out and off the leash, we'd yell "Dexter's out!!!" across the yard and hear all of the neighbors begin locking their doors. Dexter found other ways to be annoying, like bouncing on tin roof flaps!

The decision to say goodbye to Dexter has not been easy. We've talked about it on and off since we've had him, really, but it finally had to happen for a few logical reasons.
1) According to Google, Dexter is going to live until he's over 40 years old. We can't keep up with the monkey-owning lifestyle for that long!
2) As Dexter has reached puberty, he's become more fixed in the way he interacts with our family. I (Andrew), am the "Alpha," and am the only one who can safely get Dexter in and out of his cage without a problem. When I'm around, the kids LOVE to have Dexter play on them and will hold him and keep him on his leash. He is playful and fun to handle. . .but the moment I walk away he starts to become a little more aggressive towards the kids or Ruth. "Dad, he's biting!"
3) He's an escape artist. He's escaped probably at least 10 times from his cage over the years. No amount of wire and careful "hole" searching seemed to prevent his ability to get out on occasion. We know the sound of Dexter on the roof, a tell-tale sign that he got out again. I've had to drive home from school multiple times to get him after hearing he's escaped. Each summer we've been gone, he's gotten out of his cage at least once, causing a ton of stress for our housesitters (and for us, who are useless to help when so far away!) When Dexter escapes, he doesn't run away as you might expect--he gets into our house to search for food. One school day he spent most of the day inside our house alone with only the dog (he can't get out after dropping in through the open roof) and I'll never forget the damage that happened in our kitchen that day.

4) He bites. He typically "play bites" like a puppy when interacting with us, but he has bitten Ruth and Marlene hard enough to draw a little blood when they've had to put him away in his cage after he's escaped and I'm not around to help.
5) Dexter is in a cage for 23.5 hours on a typical day. The half-hour that he is out with me and the kids each evening is fun, but that really isn't enough. Monkeys are social creatures and the rescue center works to rehabilitate domesticated animals and get them back in the wild and in a herd. I want to imagine Dexter in the jungle making babies and eating mangos with his monkey wives.
6) On our first day back in Nicaragua a few days ago, after getting Dexter out of his cage, I went to clean the cage of our neighbor's monkey whom we've cared for before. The monkey lunged at me the moment I opened the cage--I ended up in the ER with some deep wounds and now have stitches on my hand and upper arm. I am terrified that this could happen to a kid, a visitor, a worker, someone else. . .and it could--monkeys have really, really sharp teeth and yes--I know--are wild animals after all. One just can't always predict behavior. . .and so while Dexter has never harmed anyone so seriously, could it happen one day? Yes.

Despite good reasons for parting ways, yesterday was awful. I cried, Ruth cried, and the kids have all dealt with grief and anger (at their parents) in different ways. Lots of screaming and wailing yesterday and today--we're giving up their "brother" and "the only one they can talk to." Henry protested by staying up in a tree for 4 hours.  And to be fair, Charlotte has had Dexter as a furry companion since the age of two. This is hard for them and we're drained--not a fun way to start the year. Our kids had Dexter in the back of the van during the 45-minute drive to the zoo, and he was so calm and fun and hilarious and I really wanted him to act aggressive or do something bad to justify our decision to the kids, but he didn't do anything remotely annoying (except poop and pee on them and tear up a Spanish dictionary but that stuff doesn't phase us anymore. . .) We had told the kids that we could visit Dexter during his stay in rehab, but found out that we can have absolutely no contact with him ever again or that might jeopardize his ability to become a non-pet monkey that can survive without human contact. That was hard to hear for all of us.

Henry wrote a poem last night--the kind that can be read up or down to change the meaning.

Happy version:
Dexter
Is my friend.
No one
can change that!
My parents
play with him
and be with him.
We can't
say goodbye.
Dexter.

Sad version:
Dexter,
Say goodbye.
We can't
Be with him
Play with him.
My parents
Can change that--
No one
Is my friend.
Dexter.

Do I regret the decision to have a monkey as a pet? Yes and no. It's been so hard, dirty, and dramatic and the inevitable goodbye was hard. Admittedly, it wasn't the best life for a monkey though we did our best. Yet, it's been an unforgettable, shaping part of life and childhood in Nicaragua, and Dexter has been a pretty unique, good friend to three kids who are going to miss him a lot. Now they're asking for two mice, a cat, and chicks. Interesting combo, right? Stay tuned. . .

In the car, on the way to the "Centro de Rescate"

Confessions of a missionary with FOMO

I love living in Nicaragua--I really do!  The six years that we have lived there have been full of rich blessings, wonderful relationships, important traditions and memorable experiences. I can honestly say moving there is one of the best decisions we have ever made, and I am already counting down the days until we travel back (12!). But each summer when we visit the US, there is a deep yearning in my heart to once again be a part of the other places and communities that we also call home.  When we are absorbed in our normal Nicaragua routine, I start to forget about what is going on in these far-off places but when we are here visiting, I become very aware of what we are missing out on.

As I sat in the pew of our Michigan church home  last Sunday, tears came to my eyes.  Not because the service was particularly moving, but because sitting there, I remembered that these services full of people and worship that we love so much happen every Sunday, even when we are not there! This church used to be such a huge part of our lives, and now we only get to be there one or two Sundays a year.

This summer we were able to participate in two Ippel family birthday celebrations (June AND July) and sing through the whole Ippel birthday song rendition--all 5 verses!--twice.  It feels so normal to be a part of these celebrations, but when I think about everyone but us gathering in August, Sept, October, November… I know we are missing out on this important family tradition.

We have 5 nieces and nephews that have been born since we moved to Nicaragua and they are all adorable and learning to walk and talk and we miss it all!  We so enjoy the brief time we spend with them each year, but we leave knowing they might not even remember us the next time we see them.

Our summers as missionaries consist of being plopped down in then ripped out of places and relationships. We excitedly say hi and then sadly say goodbye in the blink of an eye. We know that we are so loved, which makes these visits important and uplifting, but hard at the same time.  Each goodbye is a reminder that we no longer share in normal life--birthday parties, or church services, or cute kid milestones-- with our US friends and family and these are the things we miss.

The crazy thing is that while we are here in the US I’m thinking about all the things that are going on back in Nicaragua without us--my AMOS and House of Hope groups continue to meet, our friends are gathering for dinner and worship every Saturday night, new people are arriving--and I don’t want to miss out on that either.  Yes, I struggle with a severe case of FOMO (“Fear Of Missing Out”), but I do think that living the missionary life intensifies this blight.  We have so many families and so many homes, and I want to be a part of them all! We know this internal battle won’t be resolved in this life (unless science one day allows us to clone ourselves so we can live everywhere at once!) --and that is okay. To have such amazing communities in multiple places is a gift, and we are so thankful.

Worlds collide: Nicaraguan flag in NYC

Our lives from above

I love exploring the world through Google Earth! Type in any city, address, or landmark around the world and instantly you are there (well, kind of). We thought we'd borrow Google Earth technology and share some aerial shots of our lives in Nicaragua with you to give you a better sense of our family geography here in the beautiful land of lakes and volcanoes.

Where do we live?

Nicaragua! Honduras is to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The vast majority of people in Nicaragua live on the western side; the eastern side consists of two large autonomous regions of indiginous people and is not easily accessible.

Zoom in now to Managua. To the north is the lovely lake Managua, polluted beyond use over years and years of direct run-off from the capital city of around 1 million people. You can note the greyish color even in the satellite photos. On the map below, I've traced the route from the airport through the city to where we live (near Monte Tabor), which is about 12 kilometers outside of the city center. We are also higher in elevation than Managua, which gives us cooler temps throughout the year. 

Zoom in now again, closer to our neighborhood near Monte Tabor. You'll note the highway near us. .. it is actually the Pan American highway which will take you from the US to Panama (with a few border crossings in between). The blue circle is our neighborhood, and the star shows a wooded area that I love exploring with our dog Toby! I love being close to the city but out enough that it feels though we're in the middle of the jungle.



And here is our house (I actually put a blue circle on the wrong house! Our home is the house under the blue circle!). You can see we share a pool with 3 other houses in "La Veranera," which translates as bougainvillea flowers.  All of the houses in our complex have been empty this year (the x's) which has made for a different year for our family. The red circle is the house of our good friends and neighbors the Benthems. The black swirl is our landlady's house.

Where do we work (and go to school)? In the photo below, you can see our home and the two main routes that we use to get to Nicaragua Christian Academy, the red circle.

Zooming now into school, which is labeled on the map. "H" is House of Hope, and "T" is Tesoros de Dios. We're so thankful that all of our ministries are so close to home and all on one side of Managua.

Here is a close-up of the school campus; the red dot is my classroom. 

Our school (NCA International) is about 5 minutes from NCA Nejapa, which is near AMOS (Health and Hope) where Ruth teaches her pregnancy classes (A on the map).

Where do we shop?

We live really close to a large, modern grocery store. You can see the route from home to store in red, about a 3-minute drive. The blue arrows designate the two routes we use to get from home to school. The arrow on the left is the "cow trail" and the one on the right is the highway. Both routes have pros and cons. Cows or traffic? A choice to make every day; both get me to school about the same amount of time, depending on. . .cows or traffic.

Where do we play? Mostly we stay home, but when we do go out with friends or visitors, here are a few nearby spots we enjoy (see the numbers on the map):
1. El Crucero--you can tell that it is the highest point around, and as it is only 20 minutes away, we can drive "up the hill" for some coffee plantation hiking.
2. 1.25 hours to the Pacific Ocean. Very wavy and warm water! Our fav beach is called Los Cardones.
3. That spot on the map is actually a huge crater lake called Laguna de Apoyo. The crystal clear water is heated thermally and is my favorite place to swim in Nicaragua.
4. Granada is a historic, colorful colonial city at the foot of a volcano. Fun to climb cathedral towers and eat delicious food. Boat tours take you around small islands in Lake Nicaragua, which is clean(er) and swimmable.
5. Masaya is both a town and the name of a volcano where you can drive up to the top to peer down into a huge crater, catching glimpses of lava glowing hundreds of feet below.

We also enjoy going downtown Managua. The lakefront has lots of nice parks and restaurants (though you can't go in the water!). Great photo ops by the old historic cathedral damaged by the 1972 earthquake.

Where do we worship?
Our church is about a 20 minute drive from our house, down in Managua in a neighborhood called Las Palmas.

The building with the blue X is where we worship. It is SO hot this time of year everywhere, but especially church!

In about a month we'll being a 6-week journey all over the world! Okay, it just feels like it as we finalize plans. We'll be in New Mexico, Vermont, New York, Michigan, and Ohio. Looking forward to summer break and spending time with family and friends in the US.