Making spirits bright...

Wednesday, Christmas Eve Day was somewhat of a continuation of what we had started the day before but my goodness, what an amazing day we had! That morning, we loaded up the car with the food bags we had made the night before…they were huge and they were heavy. Alongside the food bags, were wrapped gifts which Jim and I had been purchasing for several weeks prior to that day, fruit baskets, and cookie tins...we had more families to bless!

Tom, Nora, Jim and I drove over to the middle of Managua to meet with Miguel for one of his twice weekly language lessons. I had told him the week before we had friends from the States who would be coming to the lesson with us. I had also told him we would take him home that day from his lesson. He wasn’t sure why we wanted to do this but he was very happy to not have to ride for an hour on a hot, crowded, smelly bus so he didn’t question us too much about it.

That morning, Miguel demonstrated his English skills by reading a child’s book out loud to Tom and Nora. He obviously had been practicing all weekend in anticipation of their visit. After a bit of coaxing, he then entered in to a conversation with his new American friends. He would constantly look at me for reassurance of his pronunciation, translation help and periodical pleas to Tom and Nora to speak more slowly. I completely understood how he was feeling…that’s how we now live every day here. He did great! I was so proud of him, I thought I was going to burst! And when Tom and Nora praised his efforts, Miguel beamed.

He also entertained us with his singing and his playing the church’s electric keyboard. He is self-taught, playing by ear. He sang several Nicaraguan songs and then had us join him in singing Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord and Jingle Bells…both songs he had requested Jim and I teach him earlier. We’re assuming that our off-key attempts at singing fell under the heading of Making a Joyful Noise…

When our lesson time had ended and it was time for us to go, Miguel couldn’t find the keys to lock up the church. He finally admitted he was so nervous to speak in front of the Americans (I wonder what he considers us???) that he couldn’t remember where he had left them. Thankfully, Jim finally found them in the door of one of the Sunday school rooms.

We stopped at Pizza Hut for lunch…a first for Miguel. He had never been to one before and although very impressed by the restaurant itself, he asked the waitress to change the loud, hard driving beat of the Latin music that was playing to “classical music” for his American friends. I realized what he was doing and tried to stop the waitress but evidently, Miguel’s authoritative tone surpassed my butchered Spanish because it wasn’t long until we were dining to Beatle songs…I’m sure Beethoven did roll over with that being classified as “classical music”!

After lunch, we headed to Tipitapa, the community east of Managua where Miguel lives with his family. You can read about his home in a blog I just recently wrote. Upon our arrival at Miguel’s house, his family all came to the door to see what the hoopla was about. We began unloading gifts that I had already purchased and wrapped, along with the giant food sack…gifts and food that many of you have so generously purchased through us. Miguel stood there, speechless. The children’s eyes never left the packages and Elizabeth literally shook with excitement.

Miguel’s mother quickly invited us all inside with one of her daughters mopping the floor before us. As we passed through the house to go out back to sit, I gave Miguel’s mother one of the fruit baskets. I was immediately thanked profusely and given a generous hug and firmly planted kiss. I was beginning to understand just what a treat these simple fruit baskets were…that not only helped justify the cost of them but also helped me to be extremely thankful we had thought to use those as “household” gifts.

We had a package for Kenet, a small Hot Wheels race car track and car and for Liseta, a large, stuffed doll. In this culture, gifts aren’t opened in front of the one who has given the gift. So, we didn’t get to see their faces but we knew they would be happy with new toys of their own. We also had Barbie dolls for Miguel to give to his girls. The other packages were for Miguel and Elizabeth.

Miguel proudly showed Tom and Nora the pelibuey (described with a picture two blogs ago) while Elizabeth quickly pulled me in to her house. Once again her hands were ice cold and she was shaking. I asked her if she was again nervous and she told me she was very excited about all the presents. I had a special “girly” gift of bath soap and body lotion, just for her and she would pick it up and hold it to her ear as she would shake it. I told her to go ahead and open it but she didn’t want to then. She wanted to wait until midnight at their special meal to open their gifts. The wrapped packages added a wonderful festive air to the congested little space and Elizabeth couldn’t take her eyes off of them.

A quick background explanation…a few weeks back, during one of our English lessons, we had the word “dream”. In trying to define the various ways it could be used, I made a chart with two columns in it – one with Jim’s name heading it up and one with Miguel’s. I then asked them to give me two examples of what they would like for Christmas…the first example of something they were pretty sure they would get and the other, something they knew that only a miracle would make happen. I explained to Miguel that was “dreaming”…imagining what something would be like as if it were real. That actually was a fun exercise and served its purpose in defining an abstract concept.

Jim’s Christmas “dream” was for us to spend Christmas with our grandchildren…my eyes teared up with that one. Miguel’s dream was for a “cocina”. When he said that, I had to stop to ask him what he meant as that word in general, means “kitchen”. He explained that a stove top (with only the burners and no oven) is also called a “cocina” and that he and Elizabeth would love to have one of their own so they didn’t have to depend on his mother and sisters for their meals…the outdoor “kitchen” belongs to his mother.

I told him that was a wonderful dream and that it was an important one, as well. I explained that it had to be difficult for both Elizabeth and his mother to share a “kitchen” with the circumstances as they are. He said that there were problems because of that. I told him that all women want to be the head of their own kitchen. He said that when they married, Elizabeth thought she would have her own kitchen but that it hadn’t worked out that way. The seed was planted as to what we might get Miguel and Elizabeth for Christmas…we were going to give a “dream” gift!

Back to Christmas Eve day…Elizabeth hugged me as I explained which gifts were whose. She had me tell her again and again who each present was for and each time I would mention her name and Miguel’s, she would just light up. She was beside herself. It was truly like watching a child tremble with anticipation. It wasn’t that she had an abundance of gifts that brought such joy…it was that she had gifts period. I think I was every bit as excited as she was…maybe more so because I knew what was wrapped in the gold and red papers.

We had found a “cocina” stove top at a very reasonable price for them. Then, I realized they didn’t have any pans of their own to use on the stove. So, naturally, I had to buy two pans that would function to fix chicken or tortillas, rice or beans. But, they were nonstick pans and I knew they wouldn’t have the utensils to cook with…found those at the grocery store in a set of six utensils. But, hmmm….what would they eat on? We had discovered when we had recently visited them that Miguel and Elizabeth had only a few small chipped bowls which they had purchased at the market shortly after they were married. So, guess what I found on sale at a “dollar” type store? Yep! A set of dishes with a very pretty floral pattern. But could they be expected to eat with their fingers? Absolutely not! That’s why we just had to find some tableware and we most certainly did…nothing of extremely great quality but serviceable, at least for awhile. Have I mentioned that I think I have the spiritual gift of shopping???

I knew they would appreciate the gifts and I knew they were things they needed, so it was great fun to find the items and to find them at such reasonable prices. I don’t think Elizabeth’s quivering had anything on my own! I wished I could have been there to have seen their expressions of a dream coming true right before their eyes. I really believe it was one of the best gifts I’ve ever given in all my Christmases.

We all decided it was time for us to go and we got lots of hugs and thank-yous for the yet unopened gifts. Miguel told us at the gate, with tears in his eyes, that it was the best Christmas he had ever had and it was because of his “American friends”. We reminded him God blesses us to bless others…I know Miguel and Elizabeth’s smiles were our blessing that day!

On the way back in to Managua, we stopped by Pastor Sergio’s house…the pastor who is starting the church plant in Rio Blanco. He and his wife were out but his boys were home. I gave them a tin of cookies and a fruit basket and they promised excitedly, that they would give them to their parents upon their return. They thanked us and wished us a Merry Christmas and God’s blessings.

We then headed out to our next stop – Margarita’s. I had already given Margarita her packages the day before as she had seen them under the tree. She received bath powder and lotion, her husband was given a multipurpose pocket knife and her ten-year old son, Freddy, received a small car track, several small cars and a small lego-type vehicle to put together. She was so excited…again, a family that never has exchanged gifts, was overcome with joy at the unexpected blessings they were receiving. She was totally taken by surprise when I called her on our cell phone and asked her to meet us at the road as we had another gift for her.

She was at her mother’s house in a little community close to hers and as we sat waiting in the car for her to appear, we all discussed what it’s like to live as the people in the country here live. Dirt floors are common, no refrigeration, open air fires. A life much different than Cassville. About that time, I saw Freddy, Margarita’s boy, ride up on his bicycle. He grinned and waved and I asked him where his mother was. He pointed down the road. Sure enough, we first saw two dogs loping down the side of the road and then a skinny horse pulling a handmade flat wagon loaded down with women…one of them waving excitedly. It was Margarita.

As Jim opened the back of the car, I asked Freddy if he was strong. He assured me he was. I then asked him to show me his muscle…and like all boys, both big and small, he proudly pulled up his shirt sleeve, flexed his arm and pointed to a neatly formed little mound on his skinny little arm. I smiled, handed him the fruit basket, watched his eyes grow large as he counted the apples in it and then told Margarita that we had a food bag but that it was heavy. She hollered for one of the young teenage girls in the campo area to come and get the bag. We told her it was too heavy and Jim could carry it for her. She grinned as she took it from him and swung it easily to the young girl. The bags had to easily weigh 50 pounds or more…they seemed light to women who do such hard physical labor both day in and day out. Margarita, who is often very serious, was almost giddy when she felt the weight of the bag. It was good for another hug and a very joyous wish for us to have a blessed Christmas Eve. We already were!

On our way to our last stop for the day, our cell phone rang. It was Pastor Sergio. He was so excited and was talking a mile a minute. Finally, he realized I couldn’t understand him with him talking so fast and so he slowed down enough that I understood that he and his family were thrilled with the gift of the fruit basket and cookies. He literally was laughing with joy…and so was I. We wished one another a Merry Christmas and we continued on our way to our final stop which would be our gardener, Freddy’s house.

Again, we had already sent gifts home earlier in the day with him. We had wrapped up another bath and lotion set to give to Mary, Freddy’s wife, a small tool set for Freddy and for 2 year old Gabriel, a pair of shorts and matching shirt with the Cars characters, a truck and car set made for toddlers, and a children’s cup, plate and bowl set with silverware all in a fish shape. When we pulled up in front of Freddy’s house, we asked several men standing outside if he was home. Someone hollered at him and he came out with a worried look on his face. When we told him we had gifts for his family, he looked stunned…we had already given him gifts he hadn’t expected…how could there be more? Once again, the fruit basket was treated as a prized possession.

Freddy gingerly carried it in one hand and effortlessly took the heavy feed bag filled with food from Jim in his other. He thanked us repeatedly and a crowd gathered on the porch of his house as he carried his bounty inside.

We were through. It had been a full day and it was almost dark! We decided to go out to eat at a favorite “fast food” place before going home for the day. One of the young men who works there has been so good to us ever since we first started going there with Susanna before we moved here. He knows a little English but not much and is very encouraging with us as he knows we’re studying Spanish. He always shakes Jim’s hand when we go in and although he wasn’t our waiter that night, he made the effort to come to our table to say hello and to greet Tom and Nora. After we had eaten and paid our bill, as we were getting ready to leave, Jim found him and gave him a little Christmas cash…he was thrilled. And so were we.

I don’t remember ever having so much fun at Christmas before, honestly, not even when buying for my own children or grandchildren. Because of the generosity of others, we were able to make dreams come true, bring surprised smiles of delight to the faces of some precious children, postpone the daily worry of food for a few weeks for three families, spread unexpected joy through the giving of fruit baskets and cookie tins and help ease the burden a missionary couple carries in meeting the food needs for a house full of orphaned and neglected children. Thank you for blessing us so richly our first Christmas in Nicaragua! We pray God multiplies those blessings back to you.