Adios Nicaragua

I sit in the airport in Managua as I write this. My bags have been checked to RDU, so now I just have to wait to board the plane. We will fly home through Atlanta. It will be impossible to post this prior to my departure from Nicaragua, so, when you read this we will be back in the United States safe and sound.

I am at peace. My restless spirit has been quieted through my adventure to this beautiful country. I am happy to head home knowing that I am bringing part of this country back with me in my heart and mind. At the same time there is joy here, as we are leaving something valuable behind for Ricardo�s family.

My mind drifts back to San Ramon as I lay in bed falling to sleep. I think of Josefa and Ivania doing the same in their pretty pink bedroom, in their nice new beds, with their soft little stuffed toys. I think of Ricardo and his son, Anibal, gathering firewood to carry back to their kitchen where their meals can be prepared rain or shine. When you travel as we have in this country you see how many people are desperate for housing. Because of your generous gifts and the work of this small mission group, we can all be proud that we made a big difference in the lives of one family.

I mentioned in my last post that I would watch the sunset over the Pacific and say a prayer for all of you on my last night in Nicaragua. We got back a bit late because of the challenges of getting out of the mangrove forest when the tide was changing. The low tide required us to disembark our small boat so that the tour guide could move it across the shallow eddies. We all had to walk a little way on the beach to our bus.

Arrangements had been made for us to eat our last dinner together in Nicaragua at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. When we arrived at our table the sun was just about to set, so I immediately stepped out on the beach. It looked like God had been holding the sun above the horizon by a string, waiting for us to arrive. It looked like the orange, shimmering sun was being dipped into a huge vat of emerald blue candy coating. When the sun had set its orange melted into the entire sky. As we ate our dinner we watched the sky turn from orange to deep blue and then slowly into the black night sky and I prayed for you. My first evening in San Ramon began as I stood in the middle of a field and watched the sun set over the mountains. It seems so long ago; but I find it interesting that God gave me two gorgeous sunsets as bookends to my time here.

I often think when I am home that my life is too busy, too noisy to feel God's presence and hear his voice. We think of our busy lives as being filled with abundant blessings, but here I see those blessings in another way. I see that our accumulation of things and activities truly do separate us from the love of God. By keeping God central in their lives, Nicaraguans are enriched in the important things, like relationships with family and community. In the evening the families here do not separate into their own little rooms to watch television or surf the web for hours by themselves. They take that time instead to sit around tables and eat dinner together, to walk in the street visiting with relatives and friends that all seem to live close by. If kids play computer games at all, they have to go to public buildings and pay for the experience. This fact alone keeps their time online to a minimum.

I am not so naive as to think that this is the way it is in all families but it is the norm here and as such it is easy to see how steep the price we pay to live the way we do. I for one will strive to live a simpler life when I return, where there is more time for worship and conversation with God and more time spent with my family. I will give thanks continually for the time that has been given to me by a loving God who desires to be part of the lives of ALL families.

—Pastor Larry (Managua, Nicaragua)

Living In the Shadow of Volcanos

Yesterday we got underway early. Before leaving Managua, we visited Jubilee House Community, the home base for the Center for Development in Central America, which you can find at www.jhc-cdca.org. I visited them once in 2006 as a member of a Witness for Peace delegation. It was good to reconnect with Sarah and to learn that she will visit Raleigh early in April. She will have items to sell after presentations as a way to fund some of the work that she is doing among the people of Central America.

Jubilee House is adjacent to the village of Sadino, which remains the poorest neighborhood in all of Nicaragua. It was established by Somoza with the funds sent to Nicaragua from countries all over the world to help rebuild the city of Managua after the earthquake in the early 70's. The only rebuilding the people received were a couple of poles and a sheet of black plastic. Period!!! Not much "bang" for the millions of "bucks" that poured into the coffers of the dictatorship. It is heartrending to see 200,000 people living in these conditions.

When our tour was complete we piled back into our van and made our way to Leon, an ancient city which was settled by Indians who made their way south from northern California in the 1600's. Never have I seen so many churches. There is one on almost every block. The main cathedral on the central square dates back to 1747, but was not completed until 1861. It is the third largest cathedral in Central and South America, behind those in Mexico City, Mexico and Lima, Peru.

The tour we took today included a climb to the roof of the cathedral. From that vantage point we could see the city sprawling in all directions. On the horizon we could see five of the tallest volcanoes in Central America, the tallest of which filled the sky with a thick plume of smoke, and the smallest of which has the distinction of erupting on an average of once in every seven years. I wish the guide had told us where we were in THAT cycle. I am beginning to wonder if the high number of churches has any correlation to the number of volcanoes on the horizon.

—Pastor Larry (Leon, Nicaragua)

The Universal Spirit

So far on this trip I have worshiped God at Pentecostal and Roman Catholic churches. This morning many of the group came home, so to speak, and worshiped with the Lutheran community of Nicaragua, in Managua.

We arrived about 30 minutes early for the service and I watched as several individuals prepared the worship space. 

As I sat there centering myself for the worship of our awesome God, I realized that there were saints preparing to do the same thing at Holy Trinity, at that exact same time. As the musicians rehearsed I thought of Shannon Thomas and our choir practicing the anthem. How can one not be humbled by a God that can welcome people from all over the world into a loving embrace to refresh, forgive, nurture, heal and offer hope simultaneously?

I sat there and gazed at the painted cross on the wall behind the altar. There was an image of Jesus Christ robed in white with his arms outstretched to the world. Surrounding him were his gathered faithful with their arms outstretched as a welcome to all into the family of God. What a beautiful image. That evoked exactly what was happening to us and this community of faith in Nicaragua.

Just as the NC Synod is a sister community with the Lutheran Church of Costa Rica, it seems that the South Dakota Synod of the ELCA is a sister community of Nicaragua. It happened that the South Dakota Synod had representatives visiting as well. So, we were not the only people in worship from the United States. At the close of the service, during the announcement, each group was given an opportunity to introduce themselves and to explain what had brought them to Nicaragua. 

We also learned that there was another tradition that required the visiting groups to sing a song in their native tongue. The South Dakota group sang "Jesus Loves Me," and we chose to sing "Amazing Grace." We thought that that was an excellent choice since there was so much of it floating around.

—Pastor Larry (Managua, Nicaragua)

To Hell and Back

It seems like we have been traveling at warp speed since leaving the peaceful life in San Ramon. Thinking back to that idyllic time in the mountains, there are three truisms that stick in my mind:

1. There is absolutely no reason for a village to keep more than one rooster.

2. The more pictures of Jesus on the side of the bus … the worse the driver.

3. There is NO graceful way to enter a cold shower.

On our way to Managua we took a detour to the Masaya region to the east of Managua. There we drove up the side of a semi-dormant volcano (if there is such a thing). The Masaya volcano has not experienced a major eruption since 1772 but every now and then it "burps," so to speak, and hurls boulders from the vent. As we pulled into the parking lot a plume of steam filled the sky above the vent and there were signs telling drivers to back into their parking spots. I assumed that this would make a quicker exit possible. 

When I got out the first thing I did was read a big sign that read in English:

"Dear Visitor, This is an active volcano that can present phenomenas without advisement, such as smoke and expulsions of rock and sand. In such a situation, we advise you:

1. Keep away from the area.

2. In case of expulsions of rock, protect yourself under the car.

3. Stay 20 minutes only in the crater area."

I haven't fit under a car in years, so I was anxious for our 20 minutes to be up. I did look over the railing and was impressed with the sheer enormity of the crater in the earth which probably could have contained 100 RBC centers.

In the museum at the base of the volcano we learned that the ancient Indians called this place "The Mouth of Hell." I guess now  if anyone tells us where to go, we can say, "Thank you, but we have already been there."

Pastor Larry (Managua, Nicaragua)

Dedication Day

Today was an emotional day for all of us. We met at Ricardo's house. While he and his children were distracted by a neighbor, we began to move the stuff we had been able to purchase with your donations into his new home. First there was the concrete sink that we placed under a tree near his kitchen and water source. 

With this sink they will be able to cook and do laundry. Then we placed two bright-blue metal beds, with mattresses, sheets and pillows, into the girls' bedroom, which we had painted pink. We hung a little round mirror on the wall and placed a stuffed animal on each pillow. 

We then moved a wooden bed which Ricardo had made into the boy's room, along with a hammock which hung from the ceiling.

 No home in Nicaragua comes without a hammock, it seems. We put a new mattress on the bed along with new sheets, and the boy's room - which of course was painted blue — was finished. Then we moved four plastic chairs into the living room and put a set of dishes, along with silverware, in the kitchen.

When everything was in place, someone went for Ricardo and Josefa (the older daughter, who is 13), Anibal Ricardo, (the 11-year-old son) and Ivanial (the younger daughter, who is eight). We all met for the dedication/houseblessing under the new kitchen roof. We all stood together holding hands and, as we prayed, it felt to me as if we were also being held with all of your arms. God made it all happen, through us and through you.

After the houseblessing we opened the door and followed the family into their new home. The last thing Marcus had done the day before was to cut the hole in the door and install the lock. Ricardo was there so that Marcus could teach him how it worked and where to insert the key. This is the first home that Ricardo, who is forty-four years old, has ever lived in that can be secured.

What an awesome sight to watch as this family walked into their new home! Truly the best 'God' moment of the trip.

After the tour of the house, we were stunned as Josefa handed us a letter she had written on behalf of her family. It was a 'thank you' letter to all of us and gave credit appropriately to God. As Marcus and Berthalina translated and read it in English we all began to cry. It was one of the most moving 'thank you' letters that I have ever heard. We will share the translation with everyone when there is time to write it out in English.

When we had ALL dried our tears, Josepha stood in her pretty pink dress and sang two beautiful songs and then followed that with a duet with her father. So far the day was an emotional roller coaster, and the ride had just begun.

From the dedication, we walked back into San Ramon, where we loaded our suitcases for the ride back to Managua. This of course meant that we had to say good-bye to our host families with whom we had shared so much time since we arrived. Donna Aracelli and Don Augustine had shared the best they had to offer. Donna Aracelli had cooked all of our meals and tried to anticipate our needs with all the graciousness that we could have asked.

The evening before, we had gathered as a group with the the host families for a traditional Nicaraguan feast. A live band played traditional music while we ate and when the dishes were cleaned up people began to dance. It was great to see the spontaneous joy that erupted from the group. Such is the power of music.

So the next day, with all these fresh memories it was hard to leave and close the San Ramon chapter of our trip. After more tears and hugs and kisses, we climbed into our van and waved good-bye, and headed down from the mountains into the steamy metropolis of Managua.

—Pastor Larry (San Ramon and Managua)

Bacon and Ham

This morning I walked out on the front porch to do a little writing and saw a couple of men stringing something up on a tree branch across the street. When they went back inside I walked over and discovered that it was the heads of two pigs that they had just slaughtered in their back yard. I took a couple of pictures because it is something we don't see in Raleigh. When I turned around I saw the neighbor sitting there watching me. I said to him, "It is not a good day to be a pig." He replied, "Si, very bad."

If we have bacon tomorrow morning I will give thanks for the ultimate gift given by the pig who lived across the street for awhile.

I sat back down and watched all the children walking to school past this grizzly sight, and no one made a comment or even seemed to notice them. It was probably something they had seen many times. Within five minutes a woman stopped and spoke to the man who had hung them in the tree and she pointed to a head. Soon there was money changing hands. One family will have meat on the table and the other will be buying baby pigs. So life and death goes on in the village.

—Pastor Larry (San Ramon, Nicaragua)

Joy In a Small Town

It rained for a long time during the night. I fell asleeep with the sound of it falling on the metal roof over my head. It was a new experience and rather nice. The day dawned clear and cool and the work continued on Ricardo's house. The roof over the kitchen was completed and the interior walls will be completed and painted tomorrow. Just in time for the house blessing on Friday morning.

By far the highlight of our whole trip was our visit to Los Papitos in the afternoon. 

They were so appreciative of our gifts. While Marcus narrated in Spanish the story about why Christmas Candy Canes were colored as they are, Tom Sevier handed out candy canes to every one. Following the story, Bertalina led everyone in the singing of Nicaraguan folk songs, one of which she created on the spot. 

It was so wonderful to see this group of parents and children that are so in need of love and the joy that can only come from God, laugh and enjoy the moment. Many of us had brought bubbles and the therapists greatly appreciated that, because they will be used to help the children increase their lung capacities. What we had thought would be a simple toy will also be used in their long-term development. Only a loving God can turn a simple gift into such a blessing.

—Pastor Larry (San Ramon, Nicaragua)