A day with the Creator...

What do you do when you’re “restricted” to your house? Actually, I don’t think I’ve had that imposed on me since I was a teenager…and all I could do then was pout and complain about how unfair life was. I’ve tried that this morning but it’s not worked any better now than it did then.
I guess “restricted” is too extreme of a word for this situation. We opted to stay home this morning from going to teach Miguel, due to the continuing problems in the streets. He’s sad but he understands. He really looks forward to our time together. He’s so curious about Americans and our way of life – just as we are his. He’s also very curious as to why we do some of the things we do…or don’t do. We continue to disciple Miguel according to God’s Word. He has much to learn about grace…but don’t we all?

Staying home has turned out to be a wise decision. There are already impromptu demonstra-tions happening all over the city. The news just showed a large crowd gathering at the inter-section we would have gone through. The demonstrators, (not sure if it was the Opposition or the Sandinistas) had set fire to a truck…always a good way to gather a crowd…and to get on television.

For the most part, the demonstrations seem to be pretty peaceful today but there’s to be a huge demonstration planned for this afternoon and they are anticipating there to be violence then. The businesses at that location are all boarding up their windows and the roads are already starting to be blocked off. The Sandinistas are burning tires in the street, tearing down the Opposition’s banners and traffic is a nightmare. Yep, staying home was a good idea…the trash men must have the same idea as they didn’t come by this morning.

So, what can we do today? We will study, that’s a given. And, I’m on my second load of clothes but since water pressure is so low, it’s now almost a 2 hour process to get a load washed. The house is easy to keep clean…especially with Margarita here this morning! The floors just shine…she wields a mean mop! So, no need to do much housework – I’m able to keep up with it each day. The benefit of living in a small space without a lot of extra stuff… We’re trying not to stay glued to the news but it is difficult. This city is where we now live and these are the people to whom we want to minister. We don’t want to see them as Sandinistas or Opposition party members…it’s too easy to get caught up in the politics. We’re not here to be political pundits. We’re here to show and share the love of Jesus Christ…to both the Sandinistas and the Opposition parties.

With it being a “slow” day, it’s amazing what we can find to entertain us. This morning, I took a couple of pictures of the active volcano, Mombotombo and its smaller sidekick, Mombotombito, which sits towards the northwest of us. I wish my camera could capture the beauty of this area, but it’s just not able to do so. The rising sun was hitting the side of Mombotombo and the sky provided the perfect backdrop to clearly see the steady poofing of black smoke coming from the peak. It was beautiful.

To the northeast, the mountains in the distance were veiled with a thin haze. The lake was still and Managua appeared peaceful. So did Ciudad Sandino. It was too early for the booms to have begun and the only noise that stood out was the crunching and rustling of our four-legged neighbors. They belong to Eddy, a neighborhood man who keeps an eye out on the backside of the houses on this stretch of street. When we first looked at the house, there were three little pigs…he’s down to two.

This yellow-bellied bird is a regular on our clothesline each morning. He sits proudly like a king on his throne and turns his head first one way and then another, surveying his kingdom and looking for breakfast. When I got ready to take his picture, he flew to another part of the yard. This is the best picture I could get of him today. Unlike the demonstrators on the other side of the city, he’s a bit camera shy.

And finally, our find of the day…this giant, black grasshopper!!! He has been injured, with a portion of his back end looking as though it has been gnawed on, (perhaps he found part of his fanny in the beak of the yellow bird) and his right rear leg (is that what it’s called???) bent inwards at an awkward angle when he walks, but even so, he’s still a mighty fine and strappin’ lookin’ bug! My daughter, Sadie, will be happy to know that after his photo shoot, we left him alone, to live and terrorize other gringas who might happen upon him. Jim actually gets the credit for the photos on this one. I asked him to put his finger next to the grasshopper so you would have an idea how large he was. My big, brave photographer would only put his finger a few inches away from the grasshopper and not right next to it so you still can't get a fair perspective of just what a whopper this lil' black beauty is…but then, I have to add he got a lot closer to it than I was willing to do!

I always want to glorify God with whatever I write. I think I’ve been pretty clear about the “wars and rumors of wars” that we’re experiencing here. God is still God. He is our Hiding Place. His banner cannot be torn down nor can he be voted out of being God. The nations may rage but God reigns. Mombotombo cannot be contained by man. No artist could begin to paint the beauty our Creator showed me this morning. And there was a lesson in both the bird and the grasshopper…neither were concerned with riots or demonstrations. They were just busy being who they were created to be. That’s what we need to do today. We were created to be His children and as such, we can rest safely in the presence of our Father, knowing He is in control of all things, from booms to bugs.