Jan
10th
Our roommates had a baby this week. She’s pretty awesome. It won’t be long until she’s ordering all of us around, composing poetry and writing symphonies. I have a feeling this baby is going to change the world.
Location: Granada, Nicaragua
Taken: January 6, 2009
Dec
16th
Last month, we drove up to the northern cities of Matagalpa, Jinotega, Esteli and Condega. The cooler weather was amazing and the countryside was BEAUTIFUL. My favorite part, besides the company, was the chance to see so many flowers. I collected pictures of the flora like they were going out of style. I’m creating my own little visual garden. The flowers were more of what you would see in the Southern states (excluding Florida) because of the cooler weather. The hydrangeas at one location were the size of a prize winning watermelon. It’s the first time I’ve been up close and personal with the most perfect calla lilies you could possibly imagine, as well as incredible roses.
This woman, a flower vendor, was so sweet and kind. Her skin tone and eye color are pretty typical of the German settled town of Matagalpa.
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.
