To Be Continued

Although I had planned on staying in Nicaragua until August  I am writing this entry from Indiana.  After spending four days in the infirmary at Casa Blanca waiting for any semblance of improvement I decided to surrender and come home.  Today I found out for sure that I have mono which is what I had suspected for the past week.  I know it was a good decision to come home and recover- which could take weeks to months. Nevertheless I am frustrated that I had to leave so soon. I don't understand why this happened but I know that God is in control and that his plans are sovereign.  At this point I don't know if or when I may be returning; all I can do is take one day at a time and trust that "his ways are higher than my ways" (Isaiah 55:9).

Perfect in Weakness

Today I am reminded of 2 Cor 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  I had planned on conducting health interviews with families in the village of El Chonco with the other healthcare interns today, but I had to stay home and rest because I've been sick the past couple of days (congestion/ear ache kind of sick).  It's frustrating because I feel totally useless at the house by myself and I don't want to be sick.  But I know that God has a plan and that even in the midst of my weakness He will be glorified.  I slept for most of the morning, but I have gotten a chance to work on some "charlas" or health lessons, that we can use in the future.  I am at least thankful that I have a chance to get better before the summer really gets going. 

On Sunday I faced my nemesis, Cerro Negro for the second time.  Cerro Negro is one of the most active volcanos in Nicaragua. It last erupted in 1999 but it is seismically monitored so in theory there would be warning before it erupts again.  There are basically three options for climbing it: hard, harder, and hardest. Two years ago I climbed the harder way but since I'll have 12 opportunities to master it this summer, I took the "scenic" route this week, which was less difficult, but equally rewarding.

Yesterday I think I discovered which Nicaraguan kid I'll be adopting and bringing back with me...I wish.  While we were working on a retention wall for the new water system in El Chonco, one of the boys that was working with us who was probably about 10 years old, ran up to me and started making armpit fart noises! I'm pretty sure he and I thought it was equally hysterical.  It's funny which things are universally entertaining haha.

When we came back from working in El Chonco, Casa Blanca had lost power which meant our well didn't work, meaning we couldn't flush toilets, wash our hands, clean dishes, or have drinking water.  Fortunately the electricity came back on after dinner, but it was powerful to consider exactly what life without clean water is like, which is a daily reality for the "Chonconians."  It reminded me of the Campus House sermon Brandon gave this semester about the difference between sympathy and empathy.

I can share a few more details about what I think my summer will look like now that I have been here a couple of days.  On Mondays I am going to be with the mission groups that come down as a go-to person for nursing knowledge.  On Tuesdays I am going to work in a local clinic called Fe y Alegria. In a couple of weeks I'm going to start working the Wednesday night shift at the maternity hospital in Chinandega.  During the day on Wednesdays I will be volunteering at the handicap orphanage in town.  Thursday is my day to rest/work in the Amigos office (on charlas, etc).  Friday morning the other health interns and I are going to set up a "Curacion" clinic in different villages for treating minor things.  Those are the plans at least but as always our plans are subject to change.  Regardless, I am really excited to see what's in store and I know I am going to grow in so many ways.

Bienvenidos a Nicaragua!

I decided I would try to blog for y'all and for me since I'm not very consistent with old fashioned journaling (although I did make a mod-podge notebook before I left in case this fails!).  Whew, yesterday was a 22 hour day filled with all sorts of emotions.  I am sad to leave the family and friends I love in the US, but I'm so excited for the adventures I'll have in Nicaragua.  Yesterday we visited El Luminol aka "The Triangle of Death."  El Luminol is the Chinandega city dump situated next to an above ground cemetery where the waste from a local hospital, a meat processing plant, and sewage treatment facility coalesce.  In 1998 when Hurricane Mitch struck Nicaragua, thousands of Nicaraguans were killed, and thousands more farmers were left homeless from mudslides created by a crater lake on top of a volcano.  When the homeless approached the government for help, they were placed "temporarily" on the land of the dump.  However over ten years later people are still living there. That's where Amigos comes in.  They have been going to the dump at least once a week for the past ten years and inviting people to leave and move in to houses built by Amigos.  There are many beautiful success stories living in places like Villa Catalina, but there are also families who refuse to leave the dump.  They have become complacent with their situation and find it impossible to trust what Amigos is offering.  At first it seems absolutely crazy that someone wouldn't immediately accept the offer of a new life for themselves and their family.  Currently they make a "living" ($12/day) by rummaging through the dump for glass, plastic, metal, anything of value.  They have all sorts of health problems from living in the dump and breathing in the burning trash. It seems absurd to continue to get by like that when Amigos is offering to help, but how often do we do the same thing? It may be a little less visible, but I know there are areas in my life where I have settled and I am complacent with getting by. But there is hope.  Amigos will never stop pursuing these people to help them realize that they are called to something more.  I believe by the grace of God there will be a day when El Luminol doesn't exist.

After we went to El Luminol, we visited El Chonco, a village about 30 minutes away.  These people came to Amigos a year ago asking them to build a well so they could have water.  They currently have to walk 4 miles (one-way) everyday just to get clean water.  Amigos agreed to help as long as every family (about 150 familes) would send 1 person 1 day a week to help work on the well and the pipes.  The people were ecstatic and through themselves into this project wholeheartedly.  Amigo estimated that it would probably take two and a half years to finish this project.  They started last June and it will be done by the end of this month!  We went to play with the kids yesterday, who are so full of life.  One girl took me to meet her abuelita and hang out in her home and while I was there she offered me water.   Knowing how limited of a resource water is for them, the fact that she would willingly give it to a strange gringa that she just met is pretty incredible.

The pace of life has changed drastically in the past 24 hours.  I have already accepted the fact that I will be sweating continuously for the next 3 months.  I took my first outdoor cold shower of the summer last night and I can't remember a time when a shower felt soooo good.  The other interns and I went to Tacos Mexicanos for dinner last night, muy delicioso. This morning I realized that drinking coffee here is a bit of a lose-lose situation.  If I don't drink it I'll be lacking the pick me up I have grown to know and love, but if I do drink it I need to plan on some time in the bano in the near future, bano terminacion anyone?