Dear Family and Friends,
It has been such a pleasure to see so many of you this summer. Once again, we have been deeply encouraged as we return to our US home by your words and hugs and service. We are so rich, so very, very rich.
I will briefly describe what has been happening in our lives these past several weeks and then will share a little more deeply in regard to some of the things I’ve been reflecting on since we have been back.
What’s Happening with us in the U.S.
The word “whirlwind” comes to mind as a word to describe our exit from Nicaragua and our time in the US until now. School ended in Nicaragua on June 8, we had one day to pack, and the next day we flew to the US. The month of June consisted of 3 church visits in both IA and MI and 4 dessert “fiestas” in Cedar Rapids, IA during which we met with around 50 of our supporters and shared more with them about what has been happening this past year at Nicaragua Christian. We love this time of seeing so many people who are so faithfully and intimately connected to us and what we are doing in Nicaragua. You encourage us in so many ways, including letting us know that you continue to follow what’s happening in Nicaragua through our updates – this means a lot to us. The challenge for us while we are in the US, however, is that we travel a lot during this time which is very tiring for all of us. There was one week where we slept in 6 different places in the course of a week and other weeks that involved sleeping in 2 or 3 different places.
God has also provided some very fun and rich times with our families and friends as well. We enjoyed a week on Lake MI with Dan’s family in June which included his two sisters and their families from CA, his Mom from OH, Uncle and 2 Aunts, and brother and his family from MI. We have also been able to see friends/supporters during our travels which has been so encouraging as well. Last week, we enjoyed a week with my parents at a lake in IA. We have been so incredibly blessed by the hospitality and generosity of so many people during our time here. We are constantly the recipients of such amazing grace and love.
Reflection on What’s Happening in us
This life that we live is quite fascinating to me. Life for me, personally, has never been so simple and so complicated all at the same time . . . And truly, life has never been so good.
Perhaps, I can share a story with you to illustrate what this looks like as we move back and forth between “worlds” in a sense:
A few weeks ago, Rebekah and I were in the American Girl doll store in Chicago. We were there with my sister-in-law who was treating us and several other family members to an American Girl doll luncheon. We began our visit by walking around the American Girl doll Store which included hundreds of dolls, clothes and accessories, and a beauty shop where you could get your doll’s hair styled. As we walked into the large and beautiful room where the luncheon was held, I stopped for a moment and looked around at all of the people and dolls (sitting in pink booster seats at the tables) and food and decorations. I had been warned by friends in Nicaragua to never allow the two worlds that we live in to intersect. And I’ve followed that advice during our time in the US, trying to enjoy each moment with each person in each place that we visit without comparing Nicaragua to the US. However, on this particular day, I let my guard down and my thoughts drifted as I started thinking about how many kids in Nicaragua eat one meal a day. Following this thought was a “picture” in my mind (not sure how to explain this) of a group of Nicaraguan people in colorful clothes standing before a backdrop of dirt. And they were laughing . . .
I’ve never experienced culture shock quite like this before, but what happened next was that I started to cry and I just couldn’t stop. I let some family members know that I was having a culture shock moment and that I just needed to leave for a little while. I went to the bathroom and bawled in a bathroom stall. The feeling that I was experiencing was a very deep sorrow – something I’ve never experienced before. I normally have a good cry about once a year and what I usually feel during that cry is self pity. This time, it was not about me, it was about a people that I have grown to love and appreciate and admire.
I did not stay long in the bathroom stall to process what was happening as I reminded myself that this was a special day for Rebekah and that I needed to be there for her. I also wanted to enjoy and participate in this special time that was generously given to us. A few minutes after I returned to the table, Rebekah tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Ma ma, this place is so much bigger than I thought it would be. I thought we were having lunch at a little American Girl shop.” I smiled as I realized that she was having her own “culture shock” moment, transitioning from the simplicity of our lives in Nicaragua to the complexity of American life.
We do not live a “primitive” life in Nicaragua, but we do live a simple life. The city we live in, Managua, has a population of 1.5 million people. We actually shop at a grocery store that would resemble a small grocery store in the US in terms of how it looks structurally, complete with air conditioning – I think it is even owned by Wal-mart. We have a refrigerator, stove, a washer, and a dryer (which we do not use a lot due to the cost of electricity, but comes in handy for us and our neighbors during the rainy season!). Our house is small and made of concrete, but it is painted in attractive colors. The simplicity of our lives does relate to the fact that we do have fewer choices to manage than we did when we lived in the US. This "simplicity" is also related to how we live our lives. Our daily activities are centered around relationships with people and our "posture" reflects a more consistent "dependence" on God for daily provision and protection. It is the norm for me to hug at least 5 to 7 people a day, as that is the way that both Nicaraguans and Americans relate to each other – even if we just saw the person yesterday. Our entertainment primarily consists of time with other people in our home or in the homes of others, at school, or at church. Our family travels everywhere together because we have one car. We do not receive junk mail, do not have an answering machine, or a TV. We read the world news on the internet and talk with neighbors about what is happening locally. A friend of mine once said that living in Managua, Nicaragua is like living back in the 50s. I think this is a good comparison.
And yet, life can also be complicated as we so often bump up against cultural and doctrinal differences (with both Nicaraguans, but also with missionaries from all over the world) that we need to work at understanding and responding to with grace and love. It can also be complicated in terms of our identity being that of “American” while our hearts are more and more intimately connected to the pace and the values of the Latin culture. It is complicated in the sense that we live our lives surrounded by poverty and are confronted with it daily - often through requests for financial assistance. This includes small children, people without limbs, and elderly people begging at our car windows; Nicaraguan friends who request help to pay for a surgery for their child; or our house helper who is in desperate need of a new pair of glasses and a nebulizer for her asthmatic son. We wrestle often with whether to give and how much to give and whether giving is even wise or healthy in each case. Our family also often struggles to define where “home” really is now that our hearts are knitted to two places that we love where people that we love live. This summer, I’ve also sometimes struggled with tracking with the fast-pacedness and business and expectations of American culture. Our introduction to this facet of American culture came at customs in Atlanta while we were talking and laughing with the man who was assisting us – the people behind us in line became irate and expressed very loudly how much more quickly the other lines were going compared to ours. And yet, as I look around at the beautiful green corn and bean fields of IA, I think about how these fields represent hard work, faith, discipline, responsibility for self and for others, and hope for the future. So, we are thankful, so very thankful and proud to call ourselves American citizens and recognize the incredible blessing that we have been given to have this as part of our identity as well. It’s just that we see how both cultures have so much to teach us. The blending of the two cultures is a picture of truth (American culture) and grace (Latin culture) – which in the same portrait, reflects the image of Christ.
. . . And, life has never been so good. When we received the call to go to Nicaragua, I think that what I believed was that God was calling us to “give up”, to “let go”, and to “sacrifice”. However, I did not anticipate how much He would respond by “giving us far more than we could ask or imagine” and by “showing us how firm His grip is on us when we let go” and by “showing us the freedom that comes when we die to ourselves”. This past year has been a hallmark year for me, and I think for us as a family. Our kids will talk about how much they love their lives in Nicaragua and how it feels like “home” to them. I see passion and fulfillment in Dan as he engages with his work at NCA. And never in my life have I experienced such joy, such contentment, and such peace. If you are like me, you might wonder how that happened. And I know that the answer to that is not a short one or one that I can fully explain. However, I will mention two things that I know contributed.
1) At the beginning of the last school year, I wrote about how God repeatedly (within a week) brought Matt. 11:28 to my attention through the Bible, through a book, and through 2 different individuals. It is the verse that goes like this “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” He then led me to spend one day a month at a farm with Him. My day with Him usually involved 5 hours, the first of which I usually spent just staring into the trees as I “unwound” and poured out all my worries and stress and the things that were swirling around in my mind. I asked Him to show me the next steps for the ministries I was involved in and prayed for the kids and the women that I was leading. I drank in the beauty of trees, flowers, and the smell of fresh air. I asked Him what He saw that needed to be changed in me and He showed me 3 specific things throughout the course of the year – 2 of which I have found great victory in overcoming through His power as He led me step- by- step by providing people/classes/and an on-line study to help me in these areas. It is a routine that I will continue next year, as I am learning that His call on my life is not about living a driven life – even when it comes to serving Him. It is about living an abiding life - one that is intimately connected to Him and open to allowing Him to serve others through me. The amazing thing is that as I look at the three years we have been in Nicaragua, it has been this past year where I have seen Him work most powerfully through me – so much more was accomplished when I “came to Him and received His rest” and trusted Him with everything else.
2) So, learning to rest in my relationship with God was one contributor to this sense of peace. A second contributor involved my relationships with people. One of the things that I’ve learned on the foreign mission field is that you make friends differently there than you do in the States. You need to be intentional and assertive and fast! People are so often on the field for a year or two or three and then leave. This causes those who stay to sometimes erect barriers toward new people coming on the field because saying good-bye repeatedly hurts. So, this year, instead of waiting for people to ask me to do things with them, I was much more intentional about inviting people to our home, finding a walking partner, developing an accountability relationship with a friend, attending a Bible Study that I didn’t need to lead myself, and just stopping by at friends’ homes for an hour or two to talk. I have so enjoyed getting to know so many people from all over the world. And God has so often used them to encourage and challenge and strengthen me as well.
The relationships I just mentioned are primarily with missionary and US embassy women. I have also been praying and hoping for deeper connections with Nicaraguan women/families. A few weeks before we left to come back to the US for the summer, we were invited to a Mother’s Day celebration with a Nicaraguan family. A Canadian friend of mine had recently married a Nicaraguan man from this family and she remembered me expressing a desire to connect more with the Nicaraguan community. So, she invited us and we went. This family is poor, but generous – they served us Nicaraguan snacks and cake and we enjoyed a piñata together (only the Mothers got to hit the piñata that day). It was an amazing time. My stomach and my cheeks hurt by the end of the night from laughing so much and so hard. We were also inspired by how the men of this family organized and executed this celebration honoring the women of the family. Our kids played with their kids – musical chairs and soccer – and were invited into one of the homes to meet a pet bird. At the end of the night, the family invited us to come for their Christmas celebration. God has given us the opportunity to enjoy so many different people who have so much to teach us.
And besides all of those people, we have you – those who faithfully pray for us and support us financially and read these very long updates and encourage us along the way. So, that picture that I mentioned earlier that appeared in my mind at the American Girl doll store with the Nicaraguan people who were laughing . . . well, it does seem to represent the spirit of the Nicaraguan people in spite of their hardships. But, it also very accurately illustrates our experience there. We have found joy in Nicaragua - in a place that is so desperate when it comes to economics but is so very rich when it comes to relationships. We find joy too through you – through people who are a very special part of our lives. And in many cases, the reason why we are so close is because . . . of Nicaragua.
And that is what I mean when I say that we are rich, . . . so very, very rich.
Peace to you,
Dan, Lisa (the writer), Rebekah, and Will