Village Day 3

June 29, 2010

Great day in the village. Started low as Caleb Mckee was sick all last night. Poor thing! It was his first trip to Nicaragua, and it was his birthday. He laid low most of today and seems better tonight.

I got the chance to work in the clothing ministry today. I so enjoyed picking out dresses and outfits to give the little girls. A lady in the states started a ministry that she calls "Hemmed in Prayer." She and a group of ladies take one pattern and sew numerous little cotton dresses in various sizes and fabrics. As they sew, they are praying for each little girl who will receive a dress. We took a number of these dresses to Nicaragua, and I loved seeing the little girls' faces light up when we handed them their new dress.

I also got to teach in youth girls' ministry today. Since I'm married, the other two leaders designated me to give the sex/true love waits talk (smile). Sexual promiscuity is rampant among teens and adults in Nicaragua because it is viewed as a cultural way of life. I talked to the girls about God's design for sex and the physical and emotional consequences that result from sex outside of marriage. I told them that without Jesus in their lives, they would struggle to keep themselves sexually pure. I think they understood. At least they didn't have blank stares on their faces. Several responded to the Gospel message. Praise the Lord! I must not allow the busyness and craziness of life to keep me from praying for these precious girls as they began their journey of faith in Christ.

Today was not quite as busy as yesterday (for me), since I was not working in the pharmacy. I had more breaks and opportunities to interact with the people. Got to talk to lots of children. A tiny bit of Spanish came back to me after four years of Spanish classes---not enough.

In the afternoon, the youth girls came back and we cut and fixed their hair. I volunteered to fix. Cutting hair is probably not a good idea for me! Most of the girls did not want any of their hair cut. Apparently, long hair is the "thing."

Loved church tonight! We sang a lot of the familiar Spanish songs that I've learned through the years. Adolfo and the band were fabulous, as always. I really missed my Dad being with us tonight. He LOVES worshipping with Adolfo and the band. Today, someone sneezed really loudly and obnoxiously, and I turned around expecting to see Dad standing there (you will understand this if you've ever heard him sneeze). It's so strange not having him here, but we fully trust that it is all part of God's perfect plan.

Mom has been talking to Philipe', the interpreter in the pharmacy. She learned that he does not know the Lord. He seems to be searching. This is his first week working for BMDMI and going out with a team. He came to the church service tonight. We are praying for his salvation. May God move in his heart and open his eyes to truth, drawing Philipe' unto Himself! He sure is hearing the Gospel---a lot! He is such a nice, out-going guy. We've really enjoyed getting to know him and pray that he will see the difference in our lives.

Today we saw 941 patients and filled that many prescriptions. Hard work! Good work!

Showers were quite an experience. While I was in the shower, completely lathered in soap, the water and the light-bulb hanging over me cut off. AHH! Help! Mr. Mike and Mr. Nick (our maintenance men) were already in bed. Someone called them and they were out in a jiffy to fix the problem. One of the water buckets (providing our shower water) had just run out of water, so they had to switch the hose to another bucket. I'm not sure what happened to the power. Anyway, they got it all fixed, and I finished cold shower (that doesn't feel so cold by the time you're done).

Another funny nightly incident: Mom and I decided to avoid the disgusting experience of the bano. It's just such a pain to trudge through the tall, muddy grass in the dark with a flashlight to go into a stinky, roach infested little box JUST to quickly use the bathroom before bed. So, we took styrofoam cups and headed out to find a deserted spot behind the school building. Ha. Much quicker, easier, and less stinky than the whole bano experience, I must say. However, we were a sight to behold (that, hopefully, no one beheld)!

Church Service

Sex talk
Excited about her new dress!

Village Day 2

June 28, 2010

The sun has not been shining brightly, and the rain has fallen often. For this, we are very grateful. One of our interpreters, Philipe', told us that Cayanlipe' is the hottest place in Nicaragua. The rain has definitely helped to keep things cooler. I think the temperature is very pleasant...actually feels cooler than last week in Louisville. However, we've traded the heat for the mud. Yuck! I'm so glad that I brought my old running shoes. Poor Mom only brought flip flops, and she is really wishing for some close-toed shoes as we slosh through the mud. Everyone anticipated dry heat rather than sloshy, rainy mud.

Today has been another busy day. The medical clinic saw 1,009 patients, and the pharmacy filled that many prescriptions. There were not many breaks today. I'm used to a bigger team and more opportunities to sit down and rest. With a smaller team, everyone is needed all the time! The work is tiring but fulfilling. You know that you're doing something valuable---something that makes a difference.

I worked in the Pharmacy most of the day. I always enjoy the pharmacy and the fellowship with everyone. There is always lots of talking and laughing as we work to find the medicines and fill each prescription (FYI: You don't have to be specially trained to work in the pharmacy. You are basically just locating pre-labeled medicines and putting them in a bag for the patients). It was fun to get to spend lots of time with Mom.

The Mosquitoes are AWFUL here, and they absolutely LOVE me (especially my legs). Last night, my feet were being bitten through tennis shoes and socks. WHAT?!? I've been rubbing down in mosquito spray with 100% deet all day long. My legs look diseased with all these bites that I keep scratching. It would be easy to complain about these little pests, but I am trying to keep my mouth closed. I'm reminded of Betsy and Corrie Ten Boom, who thanked God (even) for the fleas that were biting them while they were in a concentration camp during WWII. They realized that God is completely sovereign, even over bugs, and we are to rejoice always. What an example!

I enjoyed helping out in the youth girl's ministry today. Meghan Howard taught the girls about inner beauty and about how God is more concerned with the condition of their hearts than the condition of their outer appearance. She shared the Gospel and several girls responded by putting their faith in Christ.

I have also really enjoyed getting to know the new field missionaries, Timothy and Jessie Crabtree. They are only a few years older than Adam and me and moved to Nicaragua a month ago after language school in Costa Rica for a year. It has been encouraging to talk to Jessie about their call to the mission field and all that God is doing in their lives. They are just so sweet and down-to-earth. I love building new friendships! I hope that we can stay connected with their work in Nicaragua, a country and a people we so love.

Adam preached in the evening church service. He did a great job! I love seeing his passion for the Gospel when he speaks.

Showers and Bed (a little earlier than last night...Gracias, Dios!)

(I'm have trouble posting pics for this post! Maybe later...)

Remembering Nicaragua--Village Day 1

Adam and I just returned from a week-long mission trip to Cayanlipe, Nicaragua. This was Adam's fourth trip and my seventh trip to this country to serve. When I look back on all my summers in Nicaragua, each trips run together. So, this year I decided to keep a journal during my time in the village. I did this for two main reasons. First, I want to be able to look back and remember the details of this trip in years to come--the hard things, the funny things, and the GREAT things God did. Second, my Dad was not able to be with us on the trip this year, and I want him to be able to read about how each day went. So, I'm going to attempt to record a journal entry from each day of the trip during the coming week. Here goes....

June 27, 2010

Today was a day of firsts. It was my first day in the village of Cayanlipe, Nicaragua. It was my first trip to Nicaragua with Adam since we have been married. It was my first day to ride a bus into a Nicaraguan village without my Dad leading our team.

We arrived in the village later than expected. The travel from the mission home in Managua took longer, particularly our snack stop. As we neared the village of Cayanlipe, we passed the village of Canafistola. This was the first Nicaraguan village that I visited as part of a medical mission team ( in 2002). It was neat to see it again after all these years. When we arrived at Cayanlipe, I surveyed that it was very similar to Canafistola and about as primitive as they come. Roberto told us that this village would have running toilets (some villages do and some don't), but when we arrived we found that the toilets were "out of order," if you will. We will be using the banos (aka..outhouses) for the week.

Getting our ministry areas set-up and organized was chaotic as always. There were MANY boxes to be hauled to different areas of the school. Everyone worked together as a team to get things put together quickly. We were all dripping sweat as we hauled things to and fro. I spent most of my time helping in the pharmacy, getting medicines organized into various baskets and packaging worm medicine into individual bags.

We saw the first round of patients late in the day--almost supper time. The first church service started around 5:30, and we didn't finish until around 8:30 (all the patients have to go to a church service and hear the Gospel before getting their card to come see the doctor. So, there is a church service before every group of patients). The clinic saw about 250 patients this first night. I recorded weights on patients' cards before they entered the clinic. This was a challenge, since it got dark around 6:30. I had to do everything by flashlight. Ed Howard preached at the first church service and several responded and put their faith in Christ. What cause to rejoice! This is why we come. We had a late supper and completely missed the first evening church service. Adam went to preach, and none of the people showed up because it was so late. We had our first cold showers of the week around 11:00 and fell into bed exhausted.

The Bano

First people I saw upon arrival in the village
About 1/4 of the boxes we had to carry to get set-up

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Today, my sweet parents are celebrating 29 years of marriage. I am so thankful for these 29 years of love and faithfulness to one another, to the Lord, and to our family. Mom and Dad have set an excellent example for Adam and me to follow in our own marriage, and we are truly blessed by that example. So, happy anniversary to YOU, Mom and Dad. I love you both so much and hope you have a fabulous day together.

(Photo is of Mom and Dad celebrating at my wedding reception. Sadly, I don't have a picture from their own wedding day.)

Sweet Home Alabama...

where the skies are so blue...and the air is so humid...and the tea is so sweet...and family and friends are so near....

It was so good to be in Alabama for a long weekend, and I certainly covered a lot of ground and saw a lot of people I love. Thankfully, I was able to fly home this time (the eight hour drive leaves me utterly exhausted). My sweet college friend, Megan, picked me up at the airport in Birmingham. We spent some time catching up and then met (lifelong friend) Rachael for lunch. Rach was kind enough to drive from Auburn to pick me up, and after lunch we headed back to AU. I really felt somewhat nostalgic when we drove into downtown Auburn. I hadn't been there since before I got married (1.5 years ago), and I just have so many wonderful memories with precious people from my four years living in this little college town. It was good to be back, spend quality time with Rach, and see another close college friend, Marci. The next day, Judd (lifelong friend and practically brother) and I headed to Montgomery for the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner of our good friend Jake. Judd was a groomsmen in the wedding, and he took me as his date to the rehearsal since (girlfriend) Amanda was home in Texas. It was good to catch up with Judd and celebrate Jake and Sarah's wedding weekend. The wedding was beautiful and it was an absolute treat to spend time with (lifelong best friends) Rachael, Mallory,

Jake, and Judd. The five of us were best friends from high school.

Of course, it was also wonderful to spend time with "the madre" who made the trip from Jackson for the wedding.

After the wedding, I rode back to home-sweet-home Jackson, AL with Mom and Judd's mom. After one night in my bed at home and church at First Baptist the next morning, Mom, Dad, and I loaded up in the car again to head to Hattiesburg, MS. My Aunt Kevin married Perrin Lowry on her front porch, and I enjoyed more sweet fellowship with (grandparents) Papa and Grandy, aunts and uncles, and a few of the cousins. After the wedding we headed over to (other grandparent) Granddaddy's house for a quick visit. While I was there, Granddaddy insisted that I go through some of (late grandmother) Mama Grace's books and pick out some to add to my library. Mama Grace was an academic, a college English professor, and an avid reader. She collected books from all of her travels, and her library is absolutely enormous. I pilfered through her shelves and found a couple of my favorite classics (and others) to add to my collection. Here is my loot...

Several of these books have Mama Grace's name (Grace Smith) penciled across the front, and I love that I have inherited them. What a neat heirloom! I picked out a few more but had to leave them at home because I ran out of room in my suitcase. After visiting with G-daddy, the parentals and I headed back to Jackson for my last night at home. Mom was gracious enough to drive me to Birmingham today, and I caught my flight back to Lou with Whitney Alexander! It was a busy but fun trip home!

In other news...

While I was gone, Adam traded in his Honda Civic and got this....

It's a 2002 with only 55,000 miles and in excellent condition. Because Adam works at Carmax, he got to buy it at wholesale price, so we cut our car debt in half! Even though we will pay more for gas, we think it is a smart move to get out of our car payment quickly. Now we don't owe much at all. Thank you, Carmax!

Meet My Friends!

God has been so kind to bless both Adam and me with precious, godly friends during each season of our lives. We have deep friendships with people from home, Auburn, and now Louisville. I try to remind myself to never take these friendships for granted, but to remember what a gift they are--another reminder of the Lord's kindness toward me. This weekend we had a group of some of our close friends over, and as I looked through pictures from the night, I was reminded how much each friend means to me...especially these three girls below. These have probably been my closest female companions here in Lou.

I'll start with Diana or "D" (far left) because I've known her the longest. D, Adam, and I all grew up in rural Clarke County, Alabama. Each of us lived in a different small town, mind you, but all in the same county. There's just something about coming from the same place that bonds people together, and you just can't understand small-town, south Alabama unless you came from there. I cannot express how thankful I am for Diana's friendship. Adam and I moved to Louisville at the beginning of a harsh, gray winter, and Diana was the only soul we knew. She immediately reached out to us, introduced us to people, took us with her to Highview (now, our home church), and basically just helped us adjust to a very different place. I remember that right when we moved, D was returning from a trip to Israel. The morning after she arrived home, she was at our apartment wanting to go out to lunch. She has continued to be such a sweet, giving friend. She's the kind of person who will do anything in the world for you. She's also the kind of person that you can say anything to. I just love me some D!

Next we have Whitney (in black next to D). Whitney and her husband, Mat, moved to Lou a semester after us from Mobile, AL (also our neck of the woods). I instantly liked Whitney and felt like we had a lot in common. In fact, the first time she came to our apartment, she said, "Wow, our apartments are decorated very similarly." I just love hanging out with and talking to Whitney. She is very real, and she's a whole lot of fun. I'm especially inspired and encouraged by watching the way Whit cares for her home and for Mat. She is the ideal wife and homemaker--a fabulous cook (her artichoke dip is to DIE for), a great decorator, and super creative. It is so evident that she absolutely delights in caring for her husband and her home, and I just love this about her! She is going to be an amazing mom one day. And, this is the lucky man who got to marry her....

Adam and I are so thankful for the friendship that we have with Mat and Whitney as a couple. As you could probably guess from the picture, Mat keeps us laughing constantly. He is a HOOT! Oh, if only everyone could get to know Mat Alexander...

Last but certainly not least is Christy (glasses, far right). Christy was my first close friend in Louisville, who I didn't already know from home. I'll never forget the first time I met Christy. We were in our first SWI (Seminary Wives Institute) class only about a month after we had both moved to Louisville in January '09. Before class started, I was sitting alone (being my quiet-somewhat-introverted-when-I-don't-know-anyone self) when this teeny-tiny girl in a gray sweater with blonde curls and glasses plops down beside me and introduces herself. She was so outgoing from the beginning. She starts telling me about how she and her husband have come to Lou for seminary and how she just got a job at Bridal Warehouse. I pipe up and tell her about my new job at Ann Taylor, and we immediately start griping about how we both have college degrees and the only jobs we can manage to secure are retail positions. From that day on, Christy and I were friends. Our friendship developed during the class and eventually moved outside the class when we introduced Ben and Adam to each other and then all ended up joining the same church. Christy and I both decided to start seminary, and now we have become school buddies as well. If I call Christy for a quick question, we usually end up talking on the phone for 30 minutes to an hour. A lot of our conversations consist of venting about how tough it is to work, be a wife, and go to school all at the same time. In the end, we always determine that we will make it. It's just nice to have someone walking the same path as you--someone who understands your struggles. Christy is such a sweet and true friend. And she's married to this guy.....
Adam and I have had a lot of fun with this couple as well--lots of game nights, late night Graeters icecream runs, and a hilarious camping trip.

So, there they are! What precious, godly girls! I am so very thankful to call them friends!

Every now and then...

I get a hankerin' to paint something creative. Sometimes I like the finished product, and sometimes I hate it. The children I nanny inspire me to let my creative juices flow! They are very artistic and paint all sorts of neat things, which are displayed throughout the house. Also, their grandmother was an artist, and many of her gorgeous paintings are hung about. This weekend I attempted to replicate a piece of the kids' art that is displayed in their formal library. Here is how my (smaller) version turned out.