Jan
6th
We call this sweet little girl “La Jefa” (the boss). At two years, she has us completely wrapped around her little fingers. When she isn’t ordering her mom (our housekeeper) around, she’s dancing to her own little beat.
Location: Barrio near Calle Santa Lucia. Granada, Nicaragua.
Taken: December 25, 2009
Dec
7th
A few weeks ago, we were able to visit La Chureca, the city dump in Managua. Stories, some true some false, abound about this place where people live as families scavenging for the supplies that will provide income. The smell and fog of burning trash is everywhere. If the wind is stagnant, it’s hard to see. The acrid smell gives headaches, and it’s heartbreaking to know some children will grow up in this place of so little beauty just like their grandparents did. It’s truly a picture of generational poverty at its worst.
I’d love to continue to paint a bleak picture for you, but that wouldn’t be completely honest. Specifically because we were with a couple who work for Love, Light & Melody, a Christian charity that works in La Chureca. Instead of despair, we saw hope. The kids obviously knew the couple well, hugging them, climbing all over them, telling them stories. Every person we saw in the dump was happy to see them. By the end of our time there, their t-shirts were covered in dirt shaped like the hands of the children they loved on. It is, by every definition, exactly what Christians should be doing. Loving the least of these, and I was so excited to see this couple doing that.
Oct
20th
A friend let me borrow her copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility, and I now consider it a must read for every female. The information in here is amazing, even when not trying to conceive. I don’t think girl doctors (my dad’s words, not mine) hide information from you, but the system is definitely built so that a lot of information is assumed to be known. Every year, I expect my visit to be really informative and enlightening. But it inevitably turns into a bundle of nerves irritated at being left waiting for almost two hours before being seen. I then rush through any questions I have, downplaying any concerns because I just know the doctor doesn’t have time to discuss these trivial matters and am then left to wonder again for another year. For instance, on my last visit I asked her what was involved with conceiving a child and she said, “Go off birth control, have sex every two days but not every day and call us if you can’t conceive.” My response? “Um, ok. If it’s that easy, why is infertility such a hot topic? Huh? Also, shouldn’t you give me a psych exam to make sure I’m a suitable parent. Shouldn’t this turn into a discussion where we decide together that I’m mentally stable and financially able to have a child? Isn’t this a huge life changing thing? And you’re just telling me to HAVE SEX EVERY TWO DAYS??!”
Of course, that was all mental. What I really said was, “Ok.”
