post surgery

Hey, everyone. I thought it would be good to send you and update post-surgery! I'm continuing to feel very blessed by your many prayers! There continues to be no pain and it's already 12 hours after surgery! Thank you so much and praise the Lord. I suspect it will not remain pain free, but I am very thankful for it so far. Funny enough, my left shoulder hurts more along with my lower neck because they're getting knots due to the fact I've been using them so much trying to keep strain off the right shoulder.

So, I went in for surgery this morning at 6am. Alma, another friend and co-worker at the Nehemiah Center came to my house before 5:30am to deliver me to the hospital on time. I arrived, realized I had left an important doctor's note at home (which I intentionally left thinking I wouldn't need it), so my room mate Lennin met Alma half way with it. When she returned, it wasn't long until I was in a fashionable open- backed garment and lying on a bed. The anesthesiologist had some trouble getting the needle into the veins in my hand even though they're normally easy to find. Apparently being cold (air conditioning) and nervous makes them contract. She had to use a baby sized needle in order to get it to work. :) When I felt the warmness in my hand I asked her how long it would take for me to go to sleep. She said I should be feeling dizzy. I told her not yet. Within 10 seconds, I told her that the dizziness was hitting and wham...that's all I remember. Then I was waking up in same room on the same bed, but on my side and with a sore throat from the breathing tube they used (which she warned me about).

So apparently the surgery went well. I now have a screw in my shoulder...hopefully it doesn't come loose! ;) And there's some wiring holding the ligaments in place. They should heal with time and I'll be back to normal. Good as new. They let me lay around for a few hours as they watched my vitals and let the sleepy meds wear off. I still felt a little dizzy when I tried to stand up, which is why they had a wheelchair right there for me.

That's about it. Not real climactic. I've got an appointment with the doc on Friday. he'll take the bandage off and let me know what I can and can't do. I'm guessing we'll talk about physical therapy as well. He did mention to Alma that I shouldn't lift my arm more than 90 degrees...so I think that's a good sign. I will be keeping it pretty still as I enjoy no pain. :)

The doctor offered to take my camera into the surgery. Unfortunately I didn't realize it was nearly full of pictures I'd already moved to my computer! But there are some interesting shots. I've put them on Picasa here. Be aware that they might be a little graphic, but there's no blood.

Again, thank you for your prayers! I have definitely felt them! I will continue to post as I hear more. And, also again check the Sea-to-Sea website. I'm posting some pictures that Kevin and I took when we made the trip since I don't have any from the current trip. Enjoy!

Here's a picture of me right before I went into surgery. See the separated clavicle on my right shoulder? Click the picture for the graphic slides. :) I'll have to post some of the other pictures I have of the damages from before the surgery when the group gets back with the camera containing them.

at the other edge -broken ligaments

Perhaps you've already heard, but my journey has taken an unexpected turn and brought me back to Managua in less than 2 days. Somewhere between Matiguas and Mulukuku on a dirt road the front tire on my motor cycle lost air pressure and after some struggle to remain in control, the front tire slipped out and I went down on my right side. I'm still trying to make sense of it, but in the end, my feet were both under the left side of the bike and I was sitting upright. When I tried to lift the bike off my legs it became apparent that it was far too heavy for me and that something was wrong with my right shoulder. I thought surely it was out of joint. As I looked around, I saw people in both directions and an approaching truck soon stopped and picked up the bike for me and helped me remove my helmet. A few minutes later the people I was traveling with showed up and were startled to see me on the ground with a small crowd around me. We ended up getting in the truck, leaving one of them with the bike, and headed for the next town and medical center. There they took a look at my shoulder, offered me some pain meds and after unsuccesssfully trying to get my shoulder back in joint suggested that we head to Siuna for an x-ray to make sure we didn't do more damage.

Two hours later on a terrible road, we arrived in Siuna. The x-ray technician ended up taking three shots because the first two were so bad they didn't show anything. Soon the doctor arrived and determined that my shoulder was not out of joint as we had thought, but rather that the clavical had come disconnected from the scapula, all four ligaments separated. This, he explained, would require surgery in Managua.

So we retreated to a hotel and the next morning went to the airline office and I bought a ticket back to Managua. I found out later that the airport had been closed for 4 months due to the dirt runway being washed out during the rainy season., and had only reopened two days earlier.

A friend and coworker from the Nehemiah Center graciously picked me up from the airport and took me straight to the hospital where I was seen by who is probably the #1 doctor in the country. He looked at me, took another x-ray, confirmed the diagnosis of the doc in Siuna, got some blood samples and made an appointment for surgery Wednesday morning at 7am. They'll put me under, make an incision, screw my clavical to my scapula, and attach the ligaments again with some wire. Then I'll go home and begin my 3 month recovery.

The Lord has shown his mercy a great deal during this time by preventing more harm, bringing people along side to care for me, opening the airport, and in many more ways. I have been relative painfree, which is also an enormous blessing--and I'm not sure how long that will last. I have health insurance with a $1000 deductible, and they should cover everything over that as long as it is precertified.

Thank you to those who have been praying. Please continue praying for the healing in my arm, for low pain levels, and that the insurance comes through for me.

Also, now that I'm back in Managua, I'll be updating the Sea-to-Sea blog each day of the trip, as they phone me of the day's adventures. Feel free to follow along! bikenica.wordpress.com

at the journey's edge

Well, everyone, after a whirlwind I'm back in Nicaragua and about to head out on a great adventure with 29 very cool people. At 6 or so tomorrow morning I'm going to be meeting at the Nehemiah Center with 3 other people to get a head start on the trip to the Carribean Ocean, where our Sea-to-Sea Nicaragua trip will officially begin on Monday the 29th of January.

I had the pleasure of telling many of you about the trip in person while I was home. I recommend to everyone that you have a look at the Sea-to-Sea Nicaragua website that I set up to keep family and friends back home updated. Go there, explore, read. Check the blogs and skim through some of the recent posts. Check out the profiles of the riders and support staff (like me, for example!)--email me or someone who knows me for the password if you don't have it. It's not a secret, but I don't want to publish it online.

Wish I had more time to write a few more words, but I want to express my deep appreciation for those who have supported me through 2009. It would not be possible to be here and do what I've been doing without your words, prayers, and financial support.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in this coming year; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

coming home soon

It’s true, I’m coming home very soon for a three week visit. December 3. Looking forward to seeing many of you!

If you followed the link on the last blog, you saw that I’ve been very busy with Sea to Sea preparations. Kevin and I took a rental truck 549 kilometers (sorry, I’ve been out of the US too long, and everyone else uses kilometers!) across the country to Puerto Cabezas on the Carribean coast. It was an amazing drive with astounding sights. Our objective was to plan some specific details of the trip and basically get a better idea of the route, the challenges that lay ahead, and make give our hosts along the way a familiar face so that when 30 people show up all at once, they know who to look for. We stopped at every place we are going to stay, checked out the conditions, asked about access to water and other things. The roads are definitely going to be a challenge to the bikers, but there’s no doubt we’ll make it and love it. Fundraising has almost reached our goal, but hasn’t changed in a couple weeks. If you haven’t done so, please consider giving, whatever amount. Remember, if donations come through the Canadian office, there will be matching funds of 4:1! This might be the only time in your life where $20 = $100!

I just thought of something. It would be neat if we could get people who would be willing to pray for specific riders on this trip both before and during the event. If you’d like to take a name, and support that person in a special way through prayer, please check the site and let me know so I can tell them! You can start right away! :) There is something very neat about praying specifically for someone you don’t even know.

Today I was talking with my mechanic friend, who is helping me fix my motorcycle for the Sea to Sea trip. It’s been broken down since June, and I haven’t been able to get it running because we keep finding more problems with it, and because of communication challenges in getting the parts here. My friend told me today that due to lack of time and a super full schedule, I’m going to have to be the mechanic, and he the advisor. So, I’m going to have to do some reading before I pick up the wrenches. I need to change the ‘‘doohickey’’, the clutch, and various other smaller tasks. Needless to say, it will be a lot of time spent on the bike...and I need it running soon!

Internet has been out my house and now my computer’s power supply isn’t working, and the cafe I’m at is closing in about 10 minutes, so unfortunately I can’t post more right now. Hope that everyone is doing well. See you soon.

Prayer Items:

-Pray for safety and energy during the biking trip. And pray for someone specific on the list of bikers. (see site)
-Pray that I can have a productive last week and a half here before I leave for home.
-Pray that I get my bike running asap. And that I don’t screw anything up!

on the raod

Hey! I've been meaning to give another update...but things have been super busy. Check out my last two updates on the Sea-to-Sea website here. I've been on a trip with Kevin Voorberg doing some planning for the bike trip. A few pictures there now, too. Enjoy, and I'll get another update here soon.

sea to shining sea

I've been working a lot recently on the Sea-to-Sea Nicaragua trip that is planned for December 29 through January 8. Rather than do a lot of explaining here, you could go to the website I put together and from there get a better idea of what's happening.

I will mention briefly that the whole intention of the ride is to raise funds for Hurricane Felix relief along the northern border of Nicaragua, where the Miskito people lost not only all of their crops, but also all of their seed (among other losses including homes and livestock). Because we had been working in the area previous to the hurricane, we were in a good position to facilitate and organize appropriate relief efforts. We're working in conjunction with Acción Medica Cristiana and The Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) to help the people there get seeds, learn new agricultural techniques, and learn how to cultivate new varieties of plants. That in addition to the health training that was already in place.

I haven't done much fundraising of my own for this even, but each person who is involved in the ride is asked to raise $500 to cover the cost of the trip, as well as $1000 which will go towards relief efforts. The exciting thing is that for the second part, all of the donations are eligable for 4:1 matching by the Canadian goverment through CFGB. If you're interested in donating even 5, 25, 50 dollars or more, your contribution will multiply automatically. For example, a gift of $20, after being matched 4:1 yeilds $100. A gift of $100 yeilds $500. The fundraising goal of the entire event is $100,000 (20 riders raising $1000 + matching funds). Check the "donate" section of the website.

If you'd like to see the profiles page, you'll need a password. That password is "bike me" without a space. Please be selective in how you share this password with others. There is personal information on that page that should not be accessible by just anyone.

Prayer items:

-pray that all of the planning goes smoothly, and that we as organizers have wisdom and forsight in all areas
-pray that the Lord moves in the hearts of people to give so that we will reach our goal
-pray for a successful trip, and health along the way for everyone
-please also pray that the Lord uses those involved and the resources raised to spread his good news and draw others to himself

september update

Good morning to everyone (or good afternoon or good evening). It's been a while again since my last post. Things have been busy, as usual.

Completed CCDH Video

About two weeks ago at 9pm I finished and delivered a video I'd been working on with Hermes. Hermes is a Nicaraguan that received a class at the Nehemiah Center on basic film production. He's very talented artistically and self-motivated and his relationship with the Nehemiah Center is enabling him to develop his skills in the area of video production. We filmed 2 or 3 days and edited twice that for a 9 minute video that would be shown at a Partners Worldwide global convention. We got very positive feedback from Partners about the work we did, which was very encouraging for both of us. I hope to have the video on the Nehemiah Center website in the coming weeks, along with other work that we've done at the NC.

CCDH is the "Christian Center for Human Rights" and is a community based, volunteer driven organization that aims at education on citizens' rights and responsibilities through local trainings. They also have a force of lawyers that give their time to fight justice cases in three main areas:

• the acquisition of legal status; many people aren't officially registered when they are born, and the process requires a laywer; without this status, they are unable to vote, get a license, go to university, or get a job, among other things.
  
• the release of prisoners at the end of their served term; unlike in the US, this release often requires legal representation

The CRWRC has been working with and supporting CCDH in many ways.

Media Studio Gets Vision Boost

Last week Professor Mark Volkers (digital media) from Dordt College visited to explore the possibilities of Dordt's collaboration with the Media Studio. It was about five years ago that he visited the NC and spoke on the importance of a Christian presence and influence in the area of media. Now here again, he was thrilled to see that we had taken the talk seriously and sees huge ways that the Media Studio could grow and influence Nicaragua and Latin America. Follow this link and click on "digital media blog" in the right hand column to read his reaction to the trip.

We already have a job description and are looking for someone trained in video production who can take the Media Studio under their wing, teaching Nicaraguans what it means to be a Christian in the world of media, teaching skills in pre-production, production and post-production, and facilitating projects through the Media Studio.

Much of Latin America's media (movies, documentaries, mini series, etc.), and especially Nicaragua's, are imported from the US or other countries. They are importing in a big way the culture and values of the US, but they are also missing out on the richness of their own culture and their own challenges are often going unseen. The scope of what Nehemiah Center hopes to accomplish through the Media Studio in the area of development includes producing material locally for national TV; productions such as documentaries about the environment, agricultural trends, injustice, 30 second promos for voting or keeping Managua clean or recycling. The ideas were flowing while Volkers was here. Now we'll need to get back to building the foundations of such a vision--but it was definitely good to set our eyes on the goal again.

Little Friends

Remember those two little guys, Breyling and Mauro, I started hanging out with just before I came home in July? I've had the privilege of spending more time with them. I took them to the beach a couple weeks after I got back here, which they absolutely loved. They found a couple of boogie board and I basically had to drag them out of the ocean when it was time to come out. They fell asleep during dinner and only woke up briefly to get in the car and get out of the car. Then this past weekend we went to the Monkey Hut, a relaxing little place on the volcanic lake of the Laguna de Apoyo. Again, they were in the water all day, hardly giving me time to take a nap. :) They swam and used the kayaks and had a great time. Because of a car problem we had to go on public transportation (taxi, microbus, and moto taxi) and ride home in the back of a truck. It actually allowed us to spend more time together talking and laughing.

One of my hopes of hanging out with these guys is that they will be encouraged to try harder in class. Breyling had been getting poor grades in his "conduct" because he wasn't behaving well in class. He told me this past trip that he has raised his conduct significantly from a 60 to an 80, and he was excited to tell me. Yet, I hear that Mauro's conduct has worsened somewhat. I realize that I am not the only force in their lives, and that ultimately it is the Lord who works in and affects their hearts. All I can do is be there for them and encourage and love them.

Facelift

The Nehemiah Center website did get a facelift. Feel free to check it out--just follow the link on the right side of the page.

Prayer Items

- Pray that the Lord works through me to make Breyling and Mauro feel special and be motivated in all areas of their lives.
- Pray that the media studio is successful and has many positive impacts on people and communities and the society of Nicaragua (and beyond!).

recycling, computers, and videos

I've been pretty busy since I arrived back in Managua. After a very good two and a half weeks of vacation in Michigan, spending quality time with family and friends, I came back to much work and hit the ground running.

Before I write about the work, let me say that I really enjoyed the opportunity I had to come back to Brookside and share about my work there. To my surprise about 40 people showed up to hear me talk about the Nehemiah Cener and my role there, and see a couple videos to validate my stories. :) It was a great opportunity to see many people face to face and personally share my life and ministry. Thank you for coming and encouraging me. If you'd like to know how you can pray for me, stay tuned because I'll share some prayer requests at the end of this message. And if you're interested in supporting me financially, follow the link on the right side of this page (...yes, over that way --> ).

Since arriving back I've definitely been reminded of why working/serving at the Nehemiah Center is so appealing. It is clear that the Lord is working here and the ways that he is using me and guiding me in my work are continually developing. I've been drawn into/forged a few new projects that weren't on my original job description (halfway down this page), and others are growing and the vision is forming.

One new project I'm taking a lead in is recycling at the Nehemiah Center. Recycling is a relatively new concept for most of Nicaragua. It's something that they tried to start at the Nehemiah Center a while back, but the only thing that stuck was using the organic waste to make natural fertilizer. So we've had our first couple of meetings--one internal and one with an organization that collects recyclables--a new organization formed by people who live near Managua's dump as an alternative to the horrible conditions of working in the dump. We'll be trying to sell this idea to the rest of the Nehemiah Center, and forge ahead as a leader in this area.

I'm not sure how much I've written about this before, but since starting, I've been working to form a "Systems Team" that guides the Nehemiah Center as it develops technologically. We've met now probably 4-5 times officially (taking minutes and everything!) discussing things from how to deal with pirated software and viruses to strategies in shifting to free software and training our staff on how to use it. Recently another member of the team caught my vision for turning this Systems Team to face outwards as well--eventually encouraging and training our partners in the benefits of free software. At the Nehemiah Center we work with more than 80 Christian schools, some of which have expressed a desire for training in the area of computers. I would guess that 95 or more percent of Nicaragua uses pirated copies of Microsoft products, which presents virus vulnerabilities and other moral issues. We are in a perfect position to create awareness, affect change in this area, and train leaders how to understand technology as Christians. We would be looking to forge relationships with North Americans interested in supporting appropriate technological advancement in Nicaragua and be a channel for resources and relationships. This is an exciting prospect for me not just because it's a big need, but because I see clearly how I/the Nehemiah Center can play an important role. I've been exchanging emails with a former professor of mine from Redeemer--the computer science prof--who's expressed a desire (through World Missions) to share his expertise and teach others around the world how to understand technology in light of the Scriptures.

I've been working less in the studio recently, focusing more on those things mentioned above, but it looks like we'll have another project here starting as soon as we can. One of the organizations of the Nehemiah Center Partners Worldwide (more specifically, their Lawer-to-Lawyer program) is working with a local organization of lawyers called Christian Center for Human Rights (CCDH). Completely volunteer driven, this organization seeks to promote justice by educating Nicaraguans on their rights as citizens and taking justice cases, as well. They have many "houses of justice" sprinkled across Nicaragua, and are doing great work. Anyway, the project will be to produce a 3-5 minute video about their work for a presentation at a Partners conference on October 2-4. This will require some speedy work, but I think we're going to give it a go.

In other news, the motorcycle is still broken and I'm waiting on a mechanic to come back from a long visit to the US to fix it, soccer season for a small team I'm on starts this Saturday, and ... and ... feel like I need a third point here... and there's a possibility I'll be substituting for a friend of mine at NCA this Thursday/Friday...just one class.

One more thing to mention. I am still looking for enough financial support to cover my budget, and am coming up a bit behind my target. If you'd like to see my budget or have any questions about this, please let me know--I'd be more than happy to share more specific needs with you. A huge thank you to those of you who have given and also to those who give regularly. Your financial support makes it possible for me to be here serving the Lord in these ways and more. Also please consider supporting me through prayer--another thing I need in order to be effective in my work! Thank you very much to those who do remember me in prayer--please let me know if I can also pray for you. Below are some of my requests.

Prayer Items:

-Pray for vision and resources for the "Systems Team" as we try to understand God's plan for us internally and externally.
-Pray for wisdom and focus as I try to tackle a wide array of responsibilities--I'm afraid I could be getting stretched too thin.
-Pray that I/we have enough time for the CCDH video, and that it turns out well.

home again

I know it's been a long long time since the last update, and this isn't exactly an update, but I did want to let you know that I am going to be doing a presentation of sorts at Brookside on Sunday August 3 during the 10:30 service. I apologize to those of you to whom I wrongly told that it would be this Sunday, July 27--it is not. We'll be watching two of the three videos that the Nehemiah Center put out, and that I have been involved with. I would love to have you come and watch and participate in the discussion. Hope to see you there!

slowing, refreshing

Things are finally starting to slow down. I kept thinking that they would slow down "next week." Well, the 'summer' is here. I put summer in quotations because while for most Americans, that's exactly what time of year it is, for Nicaraguans, the recently begun rainy season marks the beginning of "invierno" or "winter." But because it's summer for the Americans, that means that Many make trips back home and those who stay behind might get a little bit of a rest, too.

What's been keeping me busy since I wrote last? Not surprisingly several things have been doing that. Something I mentioned last time is that we were preparing for the country team evaluation. A group of 5 people came down from GR to evaluate the work of CRWRC and CRWM in Nicaragua. Every 7 years they'll do one. It includes a day of presentations from the country team staff, and then several days visiting partner organizations, communities, and projects that the CRC has been supporting. Some of our partnerships are as old as 9 years, while we also have several pilot projects with new partners. We told them about our mission, our vision, each of our partners. We shared our challenges and success, and in the end, they were able to give us some good feedback and encouragement. That first day was definitely the longest for me. We started at 7:30am and ended at 6:30pm. Presentations all day. I wasn't presenting, but I was responsible for having all the presentations in order and doing any last minute printing.

Last week I finished my first video project after many hours of editing. The final product was for an organization called Tesoros de Dios, which seeks to serve children with special needs and their families. The video will be used by those involved with the program to raise awareness of what they're doing, and will also be shown to groups that come through the Nehemiah Center. I hope to show it at Brookside when I'm back this summer.

I shared another first with Lennin, my roommate. I saw a Kiwi fruit at the store when shopping with him, so I figured we should buy some so he could try it. No surprise that he liked it.

June 9 marked the beginning of a 60 Day Challenge, offered by the youth group leadership at NCA. I decided I would accept it and challenge myself to read the entire New Testament in the time between school ending for the summer and beginning again at the end. I've read through chapter 19 of Matthew how, and it has already been rewarding and the Spirit is calling my attention to many things. It's not too late for you to join! :) Just pace yourself to catch up, and follow the same schedule on the website. Let me know if you're doing it.

A few weeks ago I finally made the decision to invest in a better motorcycle. After several repeated problems and a few new ones, I had had enough. For only $400 more than the original cost of my 200cc Chinese bike, I was able to close the deal on a Kawasaki KLR 650. Now I can be more sure that I won't have silly problems that leave the bike non-functional. I am having some final work done on the Chinese bike while it's still under warranty, and then I'm selling it. The Dama de Hierro (my truck) had it's first major problem just recently. Still not resolved, the problem is that it will not move out of first gear. Looks like it's in second, the clutch still engages and disengages fine...but the stupid thing is not going to get out of first. Don't know exactly what to do with it now, but I'm sure I'll figure something out soon.

At the CRC Latin America spiritual retreat a couple months we talked about listening to the Holy Spirit and feeling his nudges...and then doing what he's nudging us to do. I shared with my small group that I've been feeling a nudge to be a sort of big brother to a few certain students from my two years teaching. This past week I finally felt it was time to move on that and wrote an email to a friend who works with them explaining my readiness to commit. His response was a great confirmation, explaining that the timing was amazing. We'll be meeting early this coming week to talk about what it will look like.

Thanks for reading. I just want to remind you of two little things. If you are feeling led to support me there are two ways you can do that right now. I always list prayer requests at the end of my blog posts, and there is also a link on the left for making monetary contributions. Your support in both of these ways is greatly appreciated. God bless.

Prayer Items

- Praise God for his timing and nudging with respect to focusing on the relationships with my former students. Their names are Breyling and Mauro. They're in 3rd grade. Pray for us.
- Thank God for his great provision. Things have slowed down. The weather has cooled down and everything has turned green. He has offered me refreshment in many ways.
- Pray for wisdom and understanding as I continue to plow through the New Testament. Pray that the Spirit continues to open my eyes to see my life in a new way so that I can continue to work on being a better servant of him and others.

saint goodfortune

Wow, a really busy last 5 weeks! Here's a quick overview:

Week 1: In San Buena Ventura (meaning something close to "Saint Good Fortune"). It's near Santa Lucia, about 2.5 hours outside Managua, in the country. It was an amazing experience. My designated purpose was to translate for a Trinity College student making a documentary telling the story about coffee farmers in the area, their way of life, fair trade, coffee cooperatives, and organic farming. I also worked with her on filming, setting up microphones, regulating lighting, coming up with questions and ideas for the video. Needless to say, I learned a ton about all of the cofee farm related things, and the experience of living with a family in the country was really great. While there house was made of concrete, some of the floors were dirt, and they had an outdoor latrine. Their shower was outdoor and open air, and was not really a shower because the water was in a giant bucket. The student with me told me they heard some lapping in the bucket once only to discover that the goats were drinking out of it while she was bathing! The father of the family organized our week according to what we wanted to film. We saw some of the daily chores and activities and we also visited with, hung out with, and interviewed some other farmers. Imagine sharing a fresh coffee mid-morning with a coffee farmer sitting on the patio. The air was fresh, the blue sky spotted with white fluffy clouds. The coffee was great, and we just sat there, totally relaxed, talking about processes and strategies of organic farming. We just returned yesterday to the family to show them the final video, which turned out great. It will soon be available to watch online. I hope to show the full-sized versions when I come home this summer. Check out this photo album--there are more comments on the photos.



Week 2: After arriving back from the country, it was time to join the preparations for a 3-day CRC-Latin America conference. I helped prepared documents and logistics Monday and Tuesday and then the conference began on Wednesday. The topic was "Partnering with Churches for Transformational Development." Throughout the three days I was helping with logistics--helping people to get papers printed, projectors working, and preparing Powerpoint presentations--as well as learning from other missionaries from as far as Mexico and Haiti. It was a very different group than came to the CRC retreat some weeks ago, and the emphasis was a lot different. Here we were challenged to think together on best practices for coming alongside and working with local churches, CRC and otherwise, to impact the community for Christ.

Weeks 3-5: Two days after the conference, I would begin hosting a Canadian couple, Jason and Angela (click here for their interesting blog). They had emailed a few months earlier explaining that they'd be in town for a week or two and would like to be help out in any way possible. Jason was/is a computer programmer, and worked with me for the next two weeks. Angela worked with another CRC missionary, Michelle, at Tesoros de Dios (website) an organization that Michelle started. Both were greatly appreciated. Jason and I worked together to tackle a lot of things I hadn't had time to focus on--many of which were just outside my technical knowhow. He and I succesfully...

a) configured a common router to have two wireless networks (using multi-bssid!). This was probably the most gratifying project we finished together. It took several days of reading forums and downloading different firmwares and trying and testing different settings.
Finally, we were able to do it with the very latest edition of the software that had been released the day before we finished. Had we been working on it the week before, it would have been impossible! We went back to work after dinner to finish when there was nobody at the Nehemiah Center so we could experiment with the router using the real internet connection. Due to some complications we were there until after midnight when finally we were able to get it working correctly. Two weeks later it's still working great! I'm sure you can't fully understand the joy we felt at this accomplishment, but that's alright. :) Here's a photo of us at the end of the night quite pleased with our success.

b) installed a network copier and figured out how to connect to it (installing it as a local printer, and printing to a network port);

c) downloaded and configured the newest version of Ubuntu (see the banner on the right side of the screen) to be used in the Nehemiah Center on as many machines as possible. We already have one person happily using it instead of Windows, and hope to have 3-4 more every month from now until we're using no more pirated versions of Windows or Office! :)

Those are the biggest things that he graciously and skillfully helped me accomplish. Aside from their support at work, they quickly became good friends. They lived at my house, went where I went, and did what I did for 2-3 weeks. I felt like I was hosting some good friends who wanted to live my life with me--it was great. At the end of their stay, Jason and I made visits to Cerro Negro (an active volcano) and Coyotepe (a former fort and prison). Read what Jason wrote about Coyotepe and see some pictures here. Below is a slideshow with some pictures of the Cerro Negro Trip.



Currently: Also during these three weeks and until now we (CRC) were preparing for the upcoming country team evaluation. CRCNA-Nicaragua will fall under the eyes of 6-8 CRC staff and others who will be evaluating the work of CRC missionaries here in Nicaragua. They will come down for about a week to meet with our partners, ask questions, and in the end give suggestions about what we need to do, or could to better as a country team. I'm really looking forward to it. We've prepared probably two dozen documents in English and in Spanish ranging from a history of CRC activity and personnel in Nicaragua to current partners and future projects. We still have a lot to do in terms of preparing some presentations for when the team arrives.

Also this last week I visited the community of Santa Lucia (more specifically, Los Alvares) where I'd worked with two teams before on a water project. It had finally been finished and they invited us to the grand opening of sorts--a celebration of the water that the Lord had provided. It was a great celebration including music, dancing prayer, scripture reading, and ending with a wonderful display of the water coming out of a curved pipe. The water system we helped fund and build augmented the current system which had become dryer in recent years, leaving them without water for sometimes 3 weeks at a time. It also allowed for 45 more homes that had no water previously to have water. Very exciting. Below are a few photos.



Oh, I also have to mention that we had a great video party on Friday at the Nehemiah Center. A culmination of the creativity and effort and learning that happened in the Media Studio this past semester, we showed the three documentaries made by the Calvin and Trinity students in the advanced film production class as well as several videos made by the local students in the introductory class. Daniel was one of the students, and I think it was a very exciting time for him to be showing his project. Here are a couple of pictures.




Wish I could write more. There's a lot more going on that I'm involved with, but it will have to wait for the next blog.

Prayer Items:

- Pray for a good balance of the different things that I'm involved with. I think the longer I'm here, the deeper my involvement will become in different areas and the more I'll have to make decisions about what I can do.
- Thank the Lord for my guests and the impact they had on me and the rest of us.
- Thank the Lord for a very successful time in San Buena Ventura, and for giving me the ability to translate effectively.

april fools

Here is something I found pretty funny. You should check it out. Just make sure you read my last blog first! :)

Top 100 April Fools Day Hoaxes

work and play

Just got a chance to do some updating on the ol' blog.  Uploaded a bunch of photos to share with you, along with captions, so you know what you're looking at.  If you want to skip the first two paragraphs ands skip to the slideshows below, that's fine.  They give a little background.  The rest of the blog is not represented in the photos.

This year Semana Santa was the week of March.  As I've done the past two years, I attended a CRC Latin America retreat for missionaries, which was in Nicaragua this year.  It was pretty interesting, and I'm glad I went.  We spent the first two days reflecting on the Holy Spirit, and how we see and feel evidence of his presence and guidance.  I found it really good to reflect on these things myself and to participate in the group discussions.  The third day we learned about the "7 Practices of Effective Minstries," which I found a little less relevant to my situation.  One thing that did come out of the third day was a CRC-Nicaragua blog.  I'm not sure if the others want it to be a public thing... :)  but I put a link on the side.  It's nothing major, but it will hopefully be for us a way to keep track of small and large successes or "wins" from week to week as we meet to share them.  You might find it interesting to pop in from time to time to see what we've done (or, rather, what has been accomplished through us).

During the next few days of Semana Santa, I and 4 friends rode our motorcycles down some of the worst roads in Nicaragua...  All the Nicaraguans seem to know that it wasn't a good idea, but we somehow missed that before we went.  Sometimes 6-8 lanes wide, this dirt road had no smooth path even for motorcycles.  200 miles and 9 hours later, we arrived in San Carlos at 4:30pm, and were able to find a hotel before nightfall.  We had dinner and arranged the next morning's boat trip 30 miles down the San Juan River to see El Castillo, a fort built to protect the tradroute from pirates centuries ago.  After a 1.5 hour ride there and back and about 45 minutes at the castle, we were back on the road beating a path for home.  Because of the amazingly rough terrain, by the time we got home, everyone had encountered problems with their bike.  Only two of the five bikes arrived with lights (it was dark well before we got back).  My bike was missing the battery box and battery; the rear blinker covers were gone, and the brake light was broken; a few main supports on the chassis had broken; bungee straps held the front wind deflector and the rear fender on, and my rims were smashed and dented from pounding them back into shape with a rock.  Others suffered broken exhaust pipes, broken chassis, electrical problems and no front brakes.  What a trip!  I will not soon forget it. :)

Back at work, I've been getting stuff done.  We have comleted several of our Partner Profiles, telling about the local partners of the CRC in Nicaragua.  If you're interested to see them, leave a comment and I'll post them or some of them here on the blog.  For me, they are highly interesting and informative.

Another interesting thing I did was a training at ACJ (Christian Association of Youth, an affiliate of YMCA) on how to use a document we created to keep records on their programs for evaluation purposes.  I went and spent a morning explaining how to fill in the initial information and how to update it every quarter.  It's supposed to be a way to track a program (numerically speaking) over the course of 3 years.  I really enjoyed it, especially when we got into some discussions about what kind information can we keep track of and how to do it.  It was a really good experience, and allowed me to get to know the good folks at ACJ a little better.

I just met today with a different ACJ person and heard that the water project (see this picture and following) we participated in and funded with two teams (one from Holland, MI, and the other from Hamilton, ON), had been finished by the community.  That means that a community that previously had a deficiency in clean water now has clean water piped all the way into their homes.  That ought to be on the next CRCNA-Nica blog of wins!

Next week I'm going with one of the Trinity Media Program students to do some filming in a village outside Santa Lucia for about 5-7 days.  The idea is to live with them for three weeks (I'm only there for week 2) and put together a video telling the story of the community.  It will definitely be challenging as I'll be the main (only) translator.  I really look forward to being there and getting to know the community's story, but I have a few fears about being able to translate well enough.  It's going to be pretty important to translate quickly and accurately as the filming occurs so that we can get the best video and ask the right follow-up questions.

Thanks for reading and staying up to date with me.  Thank you for your support through prayer and financially.  If you want to help financially, there is a link on the sidebar where you can do that online, or contact me.  If you're interested in praying, below the photos are  a few things to help you know what to pray about.

Click the slideshow to get to some larger photos, and where you can watch the slideshow much larger.

Photos from two days in San Andrés helping with a team from Canada:


Photos from the bike trip to San Carlos:


Prayer Items:

- Pray that I continue to improve with my language skills, and that the trip to San Buena Ventura and shooting the film will be successful.

- We've received an offer from some very able knowledgeable computer-wielding friends that want to contribute their giftedness and collective resources to the Lord's work here.  Pray that we will see an opportunity for them to do that here in Nicaragua in a way that will further the reach of the gospel in the computers/technology area.

a breath of fresh air

Here's a breath of fresh air.  Photos instead of words.  From the fresh air city of Santa Lucia.  I finally had time to upload a few more photos for you to check out. Click on the album to get a bigger version...then click on the slideshow link on the right to get the best view. This is what is awaiting anyone who wants to come and spend some time with me and see what the Lord is doing in Nicaragua! Keep it in mind.

on the move

I've been wanting to sit down and let you know what's been going on in my life since I have arrived here for my third year. As is to be expected, the slow start has been picking up speed quickly. Each of the four areas of my job are taking shape and I have been excited about each one.

Underlying all of my activities has been building a foundation through learning. This past week I put together a formalized "Learning Plan", which will help me focus how I should be spending my time. Some of the things I do will be entirely learning based, and others will be more work-based, but all will be a mixture.

The last five weeks have found me in Santa Lucia most of the time. I spent a week there participating in an evaluation of our national partner ACJ (which means YMCA, interestgly enough started by the YMCA of Montreal). Following the evaluation I participated in a work team that we hosted there in Santa Lucia. The next week I spent in Santa Lucia simply living, practicing Spanish, building relationships, and making notes for the team I would be hosting the following week. The team would be a group of four guys from Holland, Michigan. We ended up having a lot of fun working together on a water project. It was a project that the community has been working towards for approximately 2 years. I really enjoyed my time there. I got to know a bunch of local young people and played soccer nearly everyday. I also had some time to read a large part of the book "Poverty and Affluence: Towards an Economy of Care," by Bob Goudsward, which has definitely been shaping my understanding of economics. If you have a chance, check it out--very valuable.

Since returning to the Nehemiah Center, things have really picked up pace. I've been more involved in the Media Center. I'm trying to make it to as many classes I can that are happening there with the 3 students from the US. They're here as part of an advanced film making program from Trinity Christian College (Chicago). I'm sitting in on the "Fundamentals of Video Photography" class (with locals), and the "History and Culture" and "Advanced Film Production" (with the 3 US students). I'm also going on some field trips with the US students--for example to the National Assembly, where we heard Daniel Ortega's former vice-presidential running mate speak. I'm very excited to be participating in everything that's happening in and through the Media Center.

One of the more work-focused (as opposed to learning-focused) activities on my plate is spearheading an internship program that would mean collaborating with a women's co-op in Santa Lucia, CECNIC (a christian university student organization). The internship will include learning about transformational development and attending seminars at the Nehemiah Center as well as working with the co-op to create a business plan. The co-op is made of close to 30 women from the local community and they have very little business experience and need some help to make the business function more effectively.

I wish I could fill you in on all of the things that are happening here, but it would be much too difficult and time-consuming. Already I think I'm pushing the line--congratulations to you if you're read this far! And a big thank you as well.

Prayer Items:

- praise for the way things are going

- praise for the good work that the Lord is doing here in Nicaragua

- prayer for discernment on how to spend my time

the journey

Hello, hello.  I want to start by responding to my last blog because unfortunately I think I gave the wrong impression!  Some of the emails I recieved confirmed my own reaction when I reread the blog later.  If you read the last blog and thought that perhaps I was questioning whether or not I was in the right place or doing the right thing...you were not alone!

The message I tried to get across was not a message of disappointment, but a realistic message that after proclaiming a fantastic new position, I would now be looking it in the face to see if it would match up!  Certainly not all my dreams would come true the first day.  In fact, much of what excited me about this new position will only be realized after a lot of sweat (figuratively and literally!) over the course of the next two years.  Additionally, I wanted to get across the message that during the at least the first while, I would be learning how I fit into the Nehemiah Center and what my roles are in the various areas that I am involved.  This won't necessarily be quick, and there may be times I don't feel all that productive as I spend time learning.  But that's 100% okay! :)  I don't expect to be expertly coordinating community-building collaborations, expanding networking capabilities, and contributing great, new ideas to project planning and evaluations processes!  The journey and discovery of this job are what I look forward to most.

And for the record...the first month and a half actually has been great!  :)  I'm definitely learning a lot, and am very excited about all the things I'm involved in!  As you may recall, there were four main aspects to my job--none of them with clear, pre-determined, descriptions:

1. techincal advising, troubleshooting, planning, etc. (computers, network...)
   
2. media center (center for professional video production)
   
3. project planning and evaluation
   
4. community development in santa lucia

My first two weeks were made up of entirely number one.  There were some internet/router problems, and a few other things.  The third week was entirely numbers 3 and 4.  And weeks four and five were entirely number 4.  Weeks six and seven are going to be more a mix of all of them.  So far, my involvement in the media center has been almost nothing, but I'm sure that will come around.

I'd love to tell you more about my adventures in Santa Lucia, but it's getting very late and I have to make sure I get up early tomorrow...   For now, I want to correct the impression I left with the last blog.  I'm working on another blog to fill you in on some of the details of the last few weeks--some very exciting news.  Stay tuned!

back in nicalandia

It's been nearly two weeks now since I arrived back in Nicaragua, and it's gone pretty fast. Before coming back I told everyone how excited I was to be starting, and what the Nehemiah Center was all about. Then I arrived back...and was hoping that all I had shared and looked forward to would start just as I had said it would. It's an interesting situation to be in, really, because I know it's easy to build something up, in my own mind, almost expecting that it will be the perfect job. Now that I'm starting, I will face the real challenges, real frustrations, and real working situation, and I'll find out if it's really what I thought it would be.

It might have been slightly more difficult returning this year for some reason. I really enjoyed my time at home this December. I imagine that the longer I'm away, the more I will realize what I'm sacrificing--especially in terms of family--to be here in Nicaragua. One year's not bad. Two is managable. Three? Four? I'll find out, but I'm guessing it probably won't get easier.

Readjusting to life here also was slightly more of a conscious thing that I anticipated. Things quickly became normal, but the first two days a few things struck me. When I arrived at the airport here, I was off the plane quick and one of the first through customs. This was my plan since I didn't want to get stuck in the line to get out of the baggage claim area, and I wanted to get home and settle before it got too late. I ended up being the last person out of the area because one of my bags didn't show up. Already frustrated, I began to notice things like the many employees standing around and chatting...but only one employee at the front of the missing bags line. Once on the road again, the somewhat hectic driving and the fearless pedestrians seemed to have gotten worse since I'd been here. I'm sure they hadn't really. The following day I ran into more frustrating differences when I spent about an hour buying two wireless routers and a power stabilizer...something that should have taken 10 minutes. That's another story for another blog. The important thing is that after a short while back I was feeling well-adjusted and back at home.

My first few days at the Nehemiah Center were a little strange. As I started to figure out my role and where I could start to insert myself, things seemed a little slow. Since then they've picked up a lot, and I can see how I will be kept pretty busy. I spent much of the last two weeks working with computers, software, and networking things. The next three weeks will be intensely related to Santa Lucia. Every three years, the Nehemiah Center does a major evaluation with each national partner. Next week will be the evaluation with Asociación Cristiana de Jovenes (or YMCA). They are the national partners that the we work with and support in Santa Lucia. Monday will be at their Managua offices. Tuesday, Wednesday and maybe Thursday we'll be in Santa Lucia visiting families and communities benefiting from our support. And Friday will include review recommendations from the week, reaffirming our relationship and projecting what it will look like during the coming years, if our goals and mission still line up.

I will probably not be coming back for the final day in Managua, but rather that will mark the beginning of a three-week stay in Santa Lucia. I'll be co-hosting a team that Thursday and Friday with another long-time Nehemiah Center employee, and then the second week after that (Feb 4-7) I'll be hosting a team from Holland, Michigan, in Santa Lucia all by myself. They'll be working on a well, and possibly some watershed projects. The week after that, a team will come down from Immanuel CRC in Hamilton, Ontario, but I'm not sure yet if I'll be running that team. Pretty interesting considering I didn't think I'd have much to with teams. But given my relationship with Santa Lucia, it makes sense that I'll be involved with teams there.

Haven't done much with the Media Center yet, as the people and equipment haven't arrived. Unfortunately I'll be in Santa Lucia when that really starts to come together, so I'll be a little out of the loop for a while. Hopefully it'll be easy to jump back in when I arrive back in Managua.

Thank you to all of you who expressed a desire to continue your support, both financial and prayer support. I hope to be making my budget viewable online so that you can see each month where I am in my support raising. I really don't know at this point how much of what I hope to raise will come in. I trust the Lord will move in you hearts to give me just what I need. I'll do my best to keep you informed of what's going on with that. Probably in about three weeks I'll have the budget published online with a link from my blog. I'll let you know when that happens.

Oh! I just remembered something. I made my first goal in the last soccer game that we had! It was very exciting. Sidney made a pass from the left-center of the goal about 30 feet out and I put it through a crowd of people and just out of the keepers reach!

Prayer Items:

- pray that my work continues to be meaningful and that I might see some of the benefits that the Lord is producing through my efforts

- pray that my time in Santa Lucia is rich, that I learn a lot, and that I am able to do well with the team that's coming at the beginning of February