Beginning a Conversation

October 19, 2017

I realized that my blog has only been used the last couple of years to recount my trips to Nicaragua as I have led mission teams there. While that is something I will continue to do, it also occurs to me that my original plan with the blog was always something more than just mission-related trips. I call the blog “Avenues of Faith” because I have always been interested in how our faith (individually and collectively) interacts on the ground with daily life in our world. Especially how our faith directs us to interact with each other and with others who are different in a world that is constantly becoming smaller and smaller, where information is shared much more freely and quickly, and where diversity of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender and sexuality is something we deal with more frequently than we have in ages past.

As that was my intent, I would like to get back to doing that, at least more frequently than I have in the past two years or so. I am very aware that the role our faith plays in our public lives has gotten to be very complicated over the past decade, and especially in the last couple of years. More importantly, I believe that the Christian faith has, unfortunately, been used to further the aims of certain groups who misconstrue the tenets of our faith (sometimes intentionally and other times unintentionally) in order to reinforce their own paradigmatic mental constructions of how others should feel/behave/believe, etc. This is unfortunate for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is unfortunate because it paints a picture of Christianity that is skewed quite a bit to one type of mindset and, as a result, those who don’t agree with that mindset mistakenly understand Christianity, or faith in general, to be something that it isn’t. Especially among more liberally minded people, Christianity is seen as being backward, old-fashioned, stuck in another century, unwilling to change, and completely against certain types of lifestyles. While there are pockets of Christianity that fit this stereotypical mold, to equate all Christians with this backward type of thinking is to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Thankfully, many (if not most) Christians are of a very different sort. We don’t oppose things out of hand without careful consideration, we don’t equate those with different lifestyles than our own as aberrations or “sinful.” We don’t look at the world with an eye towards what God hates, but rather we look at the world with an eye towards what God loves and who God loves. (Hint, God loves all creation and God loves everyone, without exception!)

Yet these are the types of thinking that get glossed over in what most people think of people who are religious. In addition, those who don’t fit into this mold have done a very poor job of talking about their faith in a way that counters the common narrative. We have done a horrible job telling others why we believe what we believe, what in Scripture calls us to think this way, and why we should be proud of our faith and yearn to share it with everyone, not out of a need to only “save” the lost, but more importantly as a way to share the love God has for us because it is something that should be shared, something that can change lives, something that is worth the time to talk about.

Therefore, I would like to try something a little different. I would like to use this blog to try to start a discussion. It isn’t meant to be a totally comprehensive discussion, but I would like to see where it goes from here. So, I am going to start with a question, seemingly simple, but an important one nonetheless. I would like people to respond with their own answers. From there, I’ll put up new questions and hopefully the conversation will continue. If you have a thought, or an answer or would just like to be part of the conversation, simply reply with a comment.

The first question, as I mentioned, will be simple, at least in theory. It is a basic question. I recently read Rob Bell’s book What We Talk About When We Talk About God and he starts the book in this way:

“I realize that when I use the word God in the title of this book there’s a good chance I’m stepping on all kinds of land mines. Is there a more volatile word loaded down with more history, assumptions, and expectations than that tired, old, relevant, electrically-charged, provocative, fresh, antiquated yet ubiquitous as ever, familiar/unfamiliar word God? And that’s why I use it.”

So, the first question is simply, Who, or what, is God? What do you mean when you use the term? What images come to your mind? What preconceived ideas do you have about who or what this God really is? Who, or what, is God? That is the question, please take a few minutes and reply with a comment.

X-Rays and Sad Goodbyes

Nicaragua – Last Day

September 27, 2017

X-Rays and Sad Goodbyes

Our trip has come to an end. Another success, the team all stayed safe, no one got sick, everyone had a true “Nica” experience. Goodbye's are always hard, but they are also full of promise. That statement may not make a lot of sense on its surface, but it does if you dig a bit deeper.

So, let me explain. Coming to Nicaragua is what you could call a “total body experience.” It is physically uncomfortable. The heat is often oppressive. The showers are more like trickles of cold water. You can't even flush toilet paper down the comode. Yet, the food is out of this world, the fruit alone will leave you wanting to return here even if just to taste what a ripe banana is supposed to taste like, and the coffee, oh, the coffee is so amazing that words can't describe it. While the discomfort is obviously discomforting, it is not a negative thing. It makes you stronger, it makes you heartier, it makes you more human.

More than the physical aspects of the trip, the experience is emotionally exhausting. Everyone in the US has seen commercials on tv of starving children. Those commercials are heart-wrenching. But actually seeing that type of poverty face to face can haunt you. It makes you much more aware of just how lucky you are. It also gives many people a passion to work to help correct the ills that humanity has created. Working with a team in a place like this creates an emotional bond that can't be broken. The experience is a collective one, and it changes you, inside and out. I had done some traveling before arriving for the first time in Nicaragua. I got here just a few months after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch and that experience changed me. It made me a better person, at least I believe it did. It left me with a passion to help others heal when their lives are touched by disaster. Whether that be the disaster of natural origin like a hurricane or earthquake, or a disaster of human origin, be it the effects of war, the brutality of poverty, or even the disaster of a broken heart that leaves everything in its wake. I almost certainly would not have ended up in ministry had it not been for Hurricane Mitch. An event almost 20 years ago is what made me, and it is what has made the city of Nueva Vida that still suffers from its effects. It is what made the thousands of families who call it home. It is what made my desire to help those in my church and elsewhere aware of this reality and through that, hopefully to ignite a passion within them selves to listen for God calling them and pursuing that, wherever it may lead.

It is true that not everyone who comes here will come back. But it is also true that everyone who comes here will never truly leave here. You carry it with you. It becomes part of who you are and part of who you are becoming. That is how God works. God invades us. God invades us in wonderful ways. Like when get married, or when we become parents, or when we achieve a great milestone. But, God also invades us in experiences like this mission. God grabs our hearts when we are here, and when God grabs someone's heart, God never lets it go. That is maybe the best gift.

Please don't think I simply am talking about God grabbing a heart as a euphemism for salvation, because that is not what I mean. Rather, what I am speaking about is that when God grabs a heart, a change is created in the deepest part of that person's identity. A change that cannot be undone. A new person has been created, with parts of the old and parts of the new. There is no going back. There is no holding on to what was, because what is now is so much more awesome. When God grabs your heart, God is saying, “I know you see me know, I know you feel me know, I know you need me now.”

There is no better feeling in the world. There is also no worse feeling in the world, because from that point on, it is no longer about you. Everything takes on a different shade, a different reason, a different constitution, everything takes on more meaning! That is what God does when God grabs your heart and won't let go. That is what happens when you come to Nicaragua. You go back home, but you never truly leave here. You will carry it with you and you will remember it for the rest of your life. The decisions that you make day in and day out take on a different quality and direction. Sometimes in small ways that you don't initially notice, but they are there.

This week, this amazing team has helped a lot of people, many of whom they may never meet. They have made it easier for kids who have broken arms and legs to get an x-ray without having to leave their town and go to a big hospital in the capital. They have made it easier for doctors to catch a life-threatening illness before it becomes too late. They have made the lives of the people in this community that much better. They take that accomplishment with them, and they should celebrate that they were and are part of it. They also did what the world tries to tell us is impossible. They worked side by side with three guys who speak no English and they got things done, enjoyed doing it and even laughed with each other. They formed a connection that will be with them forever. Where politics and economics and social status divide, these six wonderful people during the past six days said through their actions that we no longer see those division as insurmountable. They can say this because they experienced it in a profound and life-altering way. I thank them for their ability to open themselves up to the opportunity to serve and I know that as we return home they will continue to serve in countless ways. Today they should be proud, because I couldn't be prouder of them and while I am thankful to call them my parishioners, I am even more honored to call them my friends.

To the staff at the JHC, thank you for everything. Mike and Kathleen and Becca, we missed you this time, but we thank you for all you have done over the years and we are proud to know you. Pat and Kathy, we don't always get to see you that much, but you are angels behind the scenes and we are blessed to know you. Sarah, we were so happy to spend time with you this week, and I am so glad to see you after such a long time. You are amazing and we thank you for literally everything. I look forward to seeing you in Harrisburg in the spring and for you to meet our families. I have told my wife and kids so much about you and they will be thrilled to finally meet you. All of our families look forward to your visit. Autumn, I have enjoyed all the Volunteer Coordinator's that I have had the privilege of meeting here in Nicaragua, but you are the best. Thoughtful and kind, keeping everything running smoothly which is no easy task. We enjoyed your company and your passion. Good luck for the rest of your stay here. I look forward to seeing you again at Bucknell or Harrisburg, or wherever it may be. Just please, when you go to the Eskimo restaurant, please watch where you are walking! Carolyn, you are an amazing person with an absolutely infectious smile. It was wonderful to meet you, to spend time talking in the Ambulancia and during the trips to the Laguna de Apoyo, Masaya and through Managua. You have a passion for what you do and we all can see that. Plus your English and your Spanish are much better than you give yourself credit for. May the rest of your stay here in Nicaragua be blessed, and please know that we have been blessed to have met you. On a personal note, I do hope that at some point in the future we can meet up and drink some Mate and each some Dulce de Leche together. It was wonderful to talk to someone who loves Latin America as much as I do and who had spent time in Argentina, the other country I love; I don't get to do that very much at all.

Finally, I have a message to the entire staff at the JHC. The work you do is important, more important than words can explain. I know you get lots of groups over the years, that you have met countless people. I couldn't have been easy to have so many people living in your home for a week or more at a time, but you did that and never once made anyone feel unwelcome. You built an extra building just to make the groups of volunteers more comfortable. At the same time, you have done the impossible. For decades you have put the well-being of Nicaraguans above your own and have worked tirelessly to help all of them. We thank you for all those things. I know you must get thanked a lot, but I want to thank you for something that maybe gets glossed over. You have had a huge impact in Nicaragua, but you have had an equally huge impact in the lives of all of us. If I had never come down here right after the hurricane, I doubt I ever would have found my love of ministry. You inspired me to look at my own life and ask myself what more I could be doing for others. I know that countless others feel the same. You have made hundreds of people aware of what life is like if you live in poverty. You have guided many, many students to think long and hard about the reality of poverty, of underdevelopment, and of the history of Nicaragua and its relationship with the US. And you have inspired so many others to help in Nicaragua and throughout the world. You have made life better for Nicaraguans as well as making life better for every member of every delegation that have come here. For all of that I thank you. May your work continue to be blessed.

Start Over Again!

Nicaragua – Day 4

September 26, 2017

Let's Start Over Again!

Today was a long and trying day, but at the same time, each and every moment was meaningful and encouraging. The day started with the usual delicious breakfast. However, before leaving for the work site, an individual came to talk with us a bit about the history of Nicaragua. Before I go any further, let me set a few things straight.

1. Nicaragua is a country with a rich and complex history that is full of many amazing accomplishments as well as many extremely trying times. It is an interesting history, but not one that can be easily fit into a two-hour discussion.
2. Part of Nicaragua's history is difficult to hear no matter who you are or where you are from. However, if you are a citizen of the United States, this history can easily get emotionally fraught with the recognition that as proud as we may be to be US citizens and as much as we love our country, we cannot and should not be blind to some of the actions that have been taken in our history that have severely affected the Nicaraguan people.
3. In the past, these type of discussions have caused hurt feelings and unease with those who have, of their own volition and free-will, come to Nicaragua with love in their heart and a desire to do good in the world. This can negatively affect the experience of someone whose intentions are pure and are offset by what may seem at times to run contrary to the narrative they have always held fast to.

In the past I have often felt uneasy with groups engaged in mission when this type of discussion occurs. However, I have to admit that this time I was amazed at how this group responded. The gentleman leading the discussion was also respectful, easy-going and conversationally engaging. This team responded in the best possible way; paying attention, throwing aside any pre-conceived notions and willing to hear a different side of the story. I am impressed, amazed, and thankful that they participated in the positive way that they did and that they were willing to entertain some questions that can be difficult to contemplate.

After this discussion, we headed to the work-site. Our job today was masonry. Mixing cement (sometimes by hand) and laying the blocks for the special wall that will encompass the x-ray room in the new clinic. The Nicaraguan guys that worked along side us were wonderful. There was a large language barrier between the local guys and most of those in the team, but what words couldn't explain, body language and laughter could. Everyone enjoyed each others' company and even though the work was taxing, the atmosphere made it seem easier than it was.

As the work day came to a close, we headed back home to get showered and changed in time to be ready for dinner. It is my custom at the end of the day on trips like this to have a debriefing and group discussion and devotional. We talked first about everyone's impressions from the day, things that they noticed, memorable moments, etc. However, I asked them the night before to do some “homework.” Our hosts are an organization called the “Jubilee House Community.” For those who know them or know their bible, or who know both, will have an idea what the word Jubilee means and its relevance both in scripture and socially. I asked the team the night before to think about what Jubilee means and maybe why that name was chosen by our hosts and/or what significance it might have to the work we have been doing and to the work this organization has been doing over the past 30 years.

“You shall count off seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the period of seven weeks of years gives forty-nine years. Then you shall have the trumpet sound loud; on the tenth day of the seventh month – on the day of atonement – you shall have the trumpet sounded throughout all your land. And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you..” (Leviticus 25:8-10a)

I bring this up for a couple of reasons. Sometimes we can get weighed down with Scripture because we believe that a literal translation is the only option. Leviticus as a whole is problematic in this respect. The scripture continues on for some time and lays out exactly what is to happen in the Year of Jubilee. Rather than list the whole chapter, suffice it to say that it required all debts to be forgiven, requires all slaves or household servants to be set free, requires forgiveness for any wrongs, and the list goes on.

For my purposes, the specifics are not the most important thing. Through this scripture, if we look at it as a whole, we can see a hidden purpose. The point isn't necessarily to form a checklist and make sure everything on the list is checked off in order to uphold what God envisions with this Jubilee. Rather, the question to ask is why God felt it necessary to have the Year of Jubilee in the first place.

Human beings are imperfect, this we know, this our history tells us. We rack up debt we can't afford to pay back. We hurt others with decisions we make or actions we take. We steal, we plunder, we kill and we maim. Yet, just as we accept that humans are of God's creation, we also accept that our free-will is also necessary for God's plan to reach fulfillment. God is no amateur and God knows this about us. At the same time, God also recognizes that every so often we need to start again. We need a blank slate. This is where the debt forgiveness comes in and the setting slaves free. We need to begin again. While debt forgiveness is mentioned specifically, it is important to realize what is really being asked of us here. The Year of Jubilee is about making a plan to totally forgive all wrongs done. Not forgetting, but forgiving.

This forgiveness is key. If we don't forgive, then we can't move on. If we don't forgive, then it means we are not willing to look past ourselves to the greater purpose. If we believe, as we claim to, that God has a purpose for us, then accepting our need to forgive needs to be part and parcel of seeking out that greater purpose. In other words, if we can't forgive, then we can't truly know God. If we can't forgive, all is for naught.

When we look at the world around us, we see the problems, the violence, the war. It is easy for us to pass the blame to others and refuse to accept our own guilt. This disrupts the forgiveness necessary for the reconciliation of creation. Being here in Nicaragua, learning what we have learned about our own history and theirs, it becomes necessary to recognize that nothing good can happen unless we agree to start over again. We can't erase the history, nor should we. However, me mustn't hold on to it for its own sake, for tradition's sake, for the sake of flag or patriotism. Nicaragua and the United States need to start over again. While I am referring to the history of two specific nations, the truth of scripture is telling us that this is a command for all. We need to start over again. We can't start over again unless we can totally forgive all wrongs done, all hurts caused, all blood and tears shed. We as a species need to start over again.

When the people here at the Jubilee House Community began their work, first in North Carolina while working with the homeless and creating battered women shelters, and then later here in Central America, they had to have known this fact of what Jubilee means. Our shared faith led them down this path and the name they chose couldn't be more fitting. Jubilee. Let's start over again. It is necessary for our own future development, it is necessary for our current estate, and it is required by the God we claim to love and follow. And there it is, way back at the beginning of Scripture, God is telling us, create the Jubilee, forgive, form relationships again, work hard to love, to serve and to lead. We need to start over again. I'm thankful this group has helped this week to do just that.

It might not seem like more than laying a few bricks on a wall that will help x-ray exams be done in a poverty-stricken place. It might not seem like more than mixing cement by hand to better the health care in a poor community. It might not seem like much more than that. Yet, it is. It is through these little steps that we can help answer the ancient call to help us all start over again.

First day of Work

Day 3 – The work begins

Today was the first day of real work. After a delicious breakfast and amazing coffee at 7:15, we had the pleasure of welcoming Sara to speak with us a bit. Sara has been here at the JHC since the beginning. The staff of the JHC is amazing in many ways. But, they each have their own specific foci. For that reason, in the past, volunteers spend more time with some than with others. When I first started coming here in March of 1999, Sara was the one who was the go-to person for all things construction and labor related. So, she was the one I spent the most time around. I was sad last year when our group arrived to find that Sara was doing a speaking tour in the states. So, when I saw her today, it was the first time I had seen her since January of 2002. I was so happy to see her and despite 15 years having passed, she hasn't changed a bit. She talked with the group a bit about the history of the JHC, how they came to be here in the first place and the work they continue to do to this day.

After hearing from her, we were taken to the work site to briefly tour the two operating clinics and see where we were going to be working and what we would be doing. We were then put to work. There were a couple of tasks that needed to be done. Sharon and Ken and Kim immediately and happily took to shoveling a gravel/sand mixture into a sieve to filter out the gravel. The sand was then placed in a wheelbarrow to be taken closer to where it was needed. It was decided, then that we needed to go and get the concrete blocks we would be using. Mike, Scott, Katrina and myself were chosen to go with Rogelio, the construction supervisor, to get the blocks. Much to our dismay when we arrived at the brick factory, they didn't have what we needed and we were told we would have to come back at 1:30 to get something that would work, though it wasn't exactly what we needed. We drove back to the work-site just in time for lunch. After lunch, Scott and I went back with Rogelio to pick up the cement blocks we needed. We loaded 100 on to the truck which sounds a lot easier than it was and drove back to the work-site. While we were gone, everyone else had been busy. We arrived to find them covered in sweat, dirt, and soaked to the bone from the rain. Saying that they were successful would be an understatement. The amount of work they had gotten done during the two hours it took to get the concrete block was amazing. They had been mixing concrete and using it to fill in the wooden frame towards the top of the first floor of the walls that have been constructed. It is backbreaking work, and they definitely rose to the occasion. After unloading the 100 cement blocks, we left to come back to the dorm. Since it was still light outside and dinner was not quite ready, we left the compound to take a short hike through downtown Ciudad Sandino, which is the neighborhood next to Nueva Vida, and where we are staying this week. We were able to see some of the differences between what home is like when compared to this bustling town of 200,000 people. We walked back to the dorm and had dinner, followed by a time of reflection and debriefing that we do every night. We are looking forward to tomorrow when we can continue to work on the clinic and we hope that it will be even more productive than today.

Before ending this post, though, I feel it is necessary to say something in particular about this group. This is my fifth trip here to Nicaragua, and each group has been amazing in many ways. I have learned a lot from each person I have spent time with here and they all have been blessings. That said, I want, for a minute, to get theological. You can't blame me, I am a pastor, it is what I do. At the end of the second chapter of Acts, the author writes these sage words:

“Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:43-47; NRSV)

When I first started in ministry and was taking classes for my license to practice pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church (this was before seminary for those who are unfamiliar with the process), I had one class on church administration. The first meeting of this class started with this verse. The instructor said that this one verse alone is the perfect example of what a church looks like. It includes all the important parts. It has worship, it has fellowship, it has the sharing of joys and difficulties, it has the sharing of resources to strengthen the body. Church is not the place we go on Sunday morning, rather, church is what we do with ourselves when we recognize the God-created bonds that unite us. I write this because I recognize today that I am blessed. I have a great job, doing great things, and I am thankful for that. But, today, is special. Today, I got a crystal clear glimpse of what this verse in Acts truly looks like in our world. My team is small. However, they are mighty. They have a strength that shines through all they do. They have a sense of humor about themselves and others that helps to lighten the emotional load. They have a good time with each other and they all feel the depth of the problems here and I believe they see themselves as part of the solution. This happens in ministry less often than it should. So today I thank each of them. Scott, the only other veteran on this trip has been outgoing, wanting to make sure that everyone else has a chance to see and feel and experience what he did last time. Always ready to lend a hand and because he has been here before, has been so very helpful in explaining his take on a number of things that we've seen which, in my perspective, has been crucial. Mike is hard-working but fun-loving and really has a desire to understand how things work here and why, and is always thinking of ways that might improve the process. Ken is a go-getter. He wants to make an impact, he wants to live his faith in a way that touches those around him, and is committed to make that happen. Kim is a hoot, always has a smile, and has no qualms about getting dirty and soaked in sweat, and is a joy to be around. Katrina is new to us as she comes from a different church back home, but that doesn't seem to matter. She is ready and willing to do what is needed, always has great stories to tell, and has shown in her various travels that even though there is much work in the world to be done, the only way it will happen is by going and doing it. Sharon keeps me on my toes and has thrown things at me when I talk too long. She gives 110% and then gives more, and has been amazing at coming up with creative ideas about how we may be able to continue to participate in this work even when we return home.

I can't imagine having the pleasure to bring a better group. I thank each of them from the bottom of my heart. I know how hard this experience can be and they each have risen to the occasion and have already gone above and beyond my expectations. I thank God for them.

That said, until tomorrow (provided there's electricity),

goodnight!

Nicaragua – Day 1 and 2

September 23-24, 2017

Nicaragua - Land of Fire and Rain

Having arrived on a Friday night, our schedule has changed somewhat from past trips. While we usually will get acquainted with the place and then start working before we do any “touristy” things, this time the sightseeing and shopping are happening first and the real work will begin later.

Our first full day, then, was an amazing trip to an amazing place. The city of Masaya is about an hour southeast of Managua. After an amazing breakfast, we started off on out journey that would bring us to the same place our journey last time ended at, the Masaya Market. For those who have been to Latin America, you know what an open air market can be like. For those who haven't, imagine a farmer's market with little room to walk between the stalls, people selling things to you at every turn, and being barraged by vibrant colors, enticing smells, and engaging people. It is truly an experience. We were given about an hour to do some shopping. This particular market is framed by a wall on all sides, so it is impossible to wander away from the market. However, it is still a maze inside, so getting lost is almost assured. Luckily, this time around, everyone made it out on time and with their purchases and stories. Our group is not that big, but it is a group I am impressed with and amazed by. I am the youngest in the group, but there are six wonderful people traveling with me. Four come from Neidig Memorial UMC, the larger of the two churches where I serve as Pastor. One individual is from Mt. Zion UMC, the other church I am blessed to serve in. We also have a fun-loving and engaging woman from New Freedom, Pennsylvania that heard about the trip and wanted to come along. There is a growing cohesion among that group that I am very thankful for. In addition, there are two individuals who are spending the first two days with us. The Volunteer Coordinator for our hosts, the Jubilee House Community/Center for Development in Central America. She is our guide and the organizer of our schedule and has been absolutely wonderful in making sure we are able to do all the things we have planned. We also have a wonderful new-comer to the JHC, a woman named Carolyn from Germany who is here for the next few months doing an internship at the clinic, as she is a nurse and interested in medical care in Latin America. Both Carolyn and Autumn are wonderful company and a joy to be around and I am thankful that we've been blessed with their presence, their intelligence, and their passions.

After our shopping trip in the market, we went up to a favorite place of mine. Laguna del Apoyo is an extinct volcano that has filled up with water over thousands (I assume) of years. There are a number of small resorts around this lake and we ate lunch and spent some time swimming. The water is bath-water warm and provides a wonderful way to appreciate the natural beauty of this amazing country. It also afforded us an opportunity to just spend some time with each other. Talking while we ate, getting to know one another as we swam in the lake or relaxed on inner-tubes as we floated around.

After swimming, we headed back to grab some burritos to eat while we were waiting in line to see a sight few people get to see. Outside of the city of Masaya, there is a large volcano by the same name. This volcano is active and over the past few months, there is a lake of lava inside the crater. There is a viewing station at the top of the crater, so after dark we went up to see down into the volcano. We were able to hear the bubbling lava below us, see (and smell) the sulfuric fumes rising from below. An amazing scene to behold.

Managua – City of the Trees of Life and the Cliffs of Death.

Our second day here was also a “tourist day.” We were taken around to see the sights, sounds, and smells of the capital city of Managua. There is a lot to see in this city and we can't see it all but we hit the big things. One of the first things you notice about this city is the gigantic, multi-colored electronic trees that have been placed everywhere as a way to increase tourism. They are lovingly called the “Trees of Life” and while they are a sight to be hold, they are a bit out of place here, and the Nicaraguan people are still not quite sure whether they love them or hate them. We started with a trip down to the center of town to he central plaza. Here we saw the old national cathedral which we can't enter because it is condemned. The earthquake of 1972 damaged it quite a bit and it suffered some damage during the revolution a few years after that. Nonetheless, it is a sight to behold.

Next to the cathedral is the national museum where one can walk back in time to see the history of the beautiful country unfold, era by era. Next to the museum is a small memorial with three “eternal” flamed each marking the final resting place of one of the heroes of the revolution. After our time in the central plaza we went to lunch where we could enjoy some amazing pupusas, which is a corn meal based thick pancake with different things inside, cheese, beans, chicken and/or vegetables. Driving around the city at different times during the day we saw a number of sites. The embassy of the United States provides a convenient way of addressing the complicated and sometimes disastrous impact the US has had on this tiny country and the results of that impact that can be seen in many ways even to this day. We spent some time at a few crucial overlooks of the city where in the past the National Guard (which were really the secret police of the Somoza dictatorship) would take dissidents and throw them to their deaths.

One of the highlights of the end of the day was a trip to the Malecon, which is a lakeside park. During the last trip, we went to an adjoining park dedicated to the martyred Chilean president Salvador Allende. The Malecon, though, was something I wasn't expecting. In this park they have a walk-through replica of the main thoroughfare of Managua as it was the day before the devastating earthquake of 1972. That temblor destroyed much of the downtown and it was never rebuilt for reasons I won't go into in this post. I had seen pictures of it, but only in black and white. To see a fairly large model of it in color was amazing. There is a new water park next to this and on the other side of the waterpark was one of my new favorite things to see here. Just as they created a mini-Managua, they also have recreated every cathedral and important church in the whole country. For those who know some of the history, they layout of this exhibit is well thought out. The exhibit starts with a replica of the central plaza in the city of Leon, from there you travel throughout each region of the country seeing the churches and cathedrals in each place. Though, in those churches, the plazas are not recreated, just the churches. The exhibit ends with a recreation of the central plaza in the town of Granada. I was not aware just how many churches and cathedrals there were, and I was surprised at out large this exhibit is. It is breathtaking.

This ended our two days of sight-seeing. We went back to our dormitory for this trip and prepared for day three, the first day of back-breaking labor as we would work to further the construction of the third clinic in the refugee camp (now a town in its own right) Nueva Vida.

A new team, a new adventure!

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything, in fact, the last time I did, I was on my way home from Nicaragua. I write this on the eve of another trip to my favorite place in Central America.

A new group and I are travelling tomorrow for a week in the tropics. We will be continuing work on the project we began last time, a third medical clinic for the folks in Nueva Vida, a resettlment camp on the outskirts of Managua. This being my fifth trip there, I love being able to share with others my love of this place, its peoples, and our shared responsibility to build God's kingdom together.

I am a firm believer that while our faith speaks to living so as to one day make it to heaven, the truth is that we are to make it here. Eternity doesn't begin at the moment of our earthly death, it begins in the moment of our earthly life. Answering the call to serve God, is answering a call to participate in the building now of what tomorrow will be. Being able to do that in a place as amazing as Nicaragua is a gift.

Matthew 7:21 reminds us that claiming the identity of Christ is not simply a matter of saying the word, nor is it only a matter of belief as a mental exercise. "Not everyone who calls me 'Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father." Faith is an action verb. For that, I am thankful. I am thrilled to lead this small group of seven great people! Follow along with us as I post something each day (provided the electricity works!). Pray for us and for the work we will do, the things we will learn, and the ways we will grow.

A final hurrah!

As I write this, our journey has come to an end. Today was a wonderful end to a life-changing trip. We got up and had a wonderful breakfast. Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), empanadas with either beans or beef, a variety of fresh fruit, bread with jelly and coffee. We got all our stuff together and got in the van and were taken to the city of Masaya, which is a little over an hour away from our home in Managua. Once there, we were taken to a small artesenal community and went to visit a potter. We sat in his workshop and watched him make some pottery and he explained to us all the different steps that go into making his products. This particular potter is quite successful, his work has been featured around the world and he has traveled extensively and was named Master Potter in Nicaragua. It is an amazing story being the fourth generation potter in his family, but living in poverty much of his life. Today he still lives in a modest dwelling, still turns the potters wheel with his foot and by most first world standards would qualify as lower middle class, but he has been extremely successful and has a talent that is too amazing to put into words.

After leaving the potter we were taken to an outlook where there were also some artesenal markets. We did a little shopping and looking around and went to the edge of the town and were able to see an amazing view. Seeing for miles around, we could see Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America and home to, I believe, the only fresh water lake sharks in the world. Volcanos could be seen not far away and below us was a huge crater filled with water. It is called the Laguna de Apoyo. It is, itself, an extinct volcano that collapsed in on itself millions of years ago and filled with water. We went down to a hostel on the beach of the lagoon where we had lunch and spent a few hours swimming in the lagoon, the very deep lagoon.

Following the swim we went to the market in the city of Masaya. There we spent an hour doing some shopping. The market consists of countless artisans selling their wares. Everything from pottery to coffee, to clothing and jewelry as well as the one thing on the top of everyone's shopping list, hand-made Nicaraguan hammocks.

Following that we began our drive back to Managua, stopping at a restaurant on the way. Asados served us a traditional meal of either chicken, steak, or pork along with some Nicaraguan staples, rice and beans and fried plantains. After dinner it was time to come back to the dormitory here on the outskirts of Managua. We then had to pack, sorting through items that we planned to leave here as donations. We met with Kathy, the treasurer of the Jubilee House Community and we paid off our tab, if we had purchased any soft drinks during the week. Then we could give back our Cordobas (the Nicaraguan currency) and she would give us US Dollars.

One of the most touching personal moments of the whole trip happened during this event. My son, Ian, paid off his tab of a few dollars and took out a few bills that he wanted to keep to show people back home. He gave her the rest and she exchanged them and paid in the same amount in dollars. He then took out ten dollars that he had, a large part of his whole amount and he gave it back to her as a donation to the Jubilee House Community, our hosts. Then before he left, he went back to Kathy and asked if it would be possible that the ten dollar donation he had just made could be used for something in particular. She said yes. Then he said, “Great! Can you please put the money towards one of the educational needs in Nicaragua, in the community we helped in?” I was amazed and proud. Then he said, “Education is important, especially for the kids, so hopefully this will help them a bit to make their lives better.” I love my son and have been proud of him many times, but I have never been so proud of him as I was at that moment. God does bless us with opportunities to see the amazing and believe in the unbelievable.

In fact, that might be the best way to explain this whole trip; not just for me or for my son, but for all of us. God blesses us and helps us see the amazing and believe in the impossible and to know a truth even when it may seem impossible for our minds to grasp. God indeed is good. All the time.

This trip has been an eye-opener for all of us and since this will be the last blogpost of our trip, I want to thank the seven people who came along with me. It wasn't always easy, but you worked hard together, you looked out for each other, you became a family and I am so greatful that you shared this family with me.

For those of you who might not know this, I have been here to Nicaragua three different times before this trip. However, that last time I was here was 14 years ago. I never had the opportunity to share Nicaragua with any family or friends. Yet, it has been a crucial event that helped shape me, so the fact that this time I had family and friends with me and that has meant to world to me.

I pray that we are able to do this again in a year or so. So if you would be interested in coming on the next trip, let me know.

I thank those of you reading this blog and following us on our trip.

Signing off from Nicaragua,

Pastor Steve.