Getting caught up...

Periodically, I find I’ve gotten so far behind in writing the blog that I have to resort to snippet-type updates just to get reasonably back on track. That’s where I am now….where to begin? I will try to answer some of the questions we’ve been getting which have expressed concern about my apparent silence…guess you figure the only way I could be quiet is if I’m sick!

Our health…Jim is finally getting past his ear infection situation that he’s been battling since last May. It had flared up again and so, after several weeks’ worth of visits to an otolaryngologist, an ear culture, a course of strong antibiotics, an antihistamine and several types of ear drops, I think he’s finally on the road to recovery. He will need to return for periodic check-ups but he is feeling better and he’s definitely hearing better.

Unfortunately, the actinic keratosis spot on my face was not completely eradicated with the three treatments of cryosurgery. The dermatologist has prescribed a cream for me to apply 3x a week for six weeks. It is a strong medication which is supposed to weaken the cells so that the body’s own defense system takes over. It also happens to be an extremely pricey little tube of magic…we’re just praying it works!

The dermatologist told me again that the sun here is too intense for my melanin-void skin. Obviously. He also said as I was leaving his office that I would need to be “brave” to continue this course of treatment which didn’t exactly inspire me to run right out and buy the cream. The last time he told me I needed to be brave, he burned my face! Well, this innocuous looking little cream (which I almost didn’t buy simply because of the ridiculous price) feels like it is doing the same thing. My face blisters each time it is applied and is very tender and itchy. I’ve gotten past how unsightly it is; now, it’s just a painful process! My words of advice to all… wear a good sun block, especially on your face!

Kenneth and family…Kenneth’s hair is once again growing back in but he still continues to have his “moon face” – several of the side effects from his last treatment…that’s an uncomfortable sensation for him. He doesn’t have much of an appetite but his sweet spirit has not faded one bit. The doctors had reiterated that anything they did from that point forward was simply to try to buy him a little more time. With each chemo treatment, his tachy cardia worsened. One of the doctors finally told Danelia that he didn’t think the treatments were benefitting Kenneth at all. She told him we were trying to locate another chemo option and he said that Kenneth would be better served if we could increase his intake of fresh fruits, vegetables and protein.

The doctor doesn’t think it’s a cure by any means, but he feels it can only help Kenneth’s compromised immune system. So, we’ve upped both the frequency and quantity of food and nutritional supplements we take. Kenneth had to go have tests done again last week and the results showed that the cancer has not spread and that his test numbers were better than they’ve been for months. The expected time frame of progression of deterioration is not happening as all have predicted.

This particular doctor lost his own son to Hodgkins has a very hard heart towards God and a very cold, matter of fact way of dealing with his patients and their families. Danelia continues to tell him that she believes that it is God who is preserving Kenneth’s health. He knows extra servings of pipian, carrots and tomatoes are not going to cure this little boy and he has no explanation for Kenneth’s “improvement”. Danelia said Saturday that he’s beginning to soften a bit and even told her that her faith certainly isn’t hurting Kenneth. We are rejoicing that God is using Kenneth to make this man’s head and heart to consider the possibility that God not only exists, but that He loves and cares for all His children. We continue to pray that God’s will be done and that Kenneth will continue to be used to bring glory to our Lord.

Danelia…I had written earlier about getting Danelia her sewing machine. She is continuing to learn how to use it and it helps that Arturo’s job is sewing in a sweatshop as he’s been able to teach her quite a bit. Having a manual machine has proved to be beneficial with the daily lack of electricity but that same lack of electricity also means that her light source is limited to the one front window in the house.

She had mentioned that it is sometimes difficult to see well enough to thread the needle and that she has to get close to the table to do so. Arturo agreed and I noticed that even he had to squint to thread the needle. I realized that at that point, the sunlight coming in through the window was actually pretty good. I remembered we still had some reading glasses at home and wondered if that wouldn’t help them.

We had some groceries for the family so after our classes last Saturday in Tipitapa, we took Danelia home. She knew we had the groceries but we also brought our cases of reading glasses with us. She was thrilled as she got to go “shopping” in the case. She chose one of the weakest pairs of reading glasses but they were strong enough to magnify the needle area. We had her pick several so that she would have a backup.

Arturo stood watching and when she told him how much better she could see the needle, he nodded in approval. I asked him if he would like to try some and that maybe they could help him at work. He shyly agreed. I opened the drawer to the men’s readers and after trying on various strengths, he finally decided upon some that were a little stronger than Danelia’s. We also had him take an extra pair for himself.

Both were so thankful…again, another luxury they would not be able to afford, especially, not with all their resources going to just surviving and trying to keep Kenneth as healthy as they possibly can. We had those glasses to give only because there were folks who donated them. Most of the glasses still have the tags on them…the most expensive pair in the cases cost $5. Five dollars. It’s amazing to me how God uses to such great good those things that most of us have even forgotten about, things that cost us so very little and yet are out of the reach of so many. Thank you!

Los Cedros… School is out for two months until February. I wrote some about our last day there in this month’s newsletter. It was a fun day for the most part with each child receiving a small gift from us. The star and heart shaped sunglasses for the 1st-3rd graders were the biggest hit. The kids were so affectionate and the hugs, kisses, drawings and notes from so many of the kids were overwhelming. Most asked if we would come back next year. I told them I didn’t know. We have been asked to return and have to give our answer soon. There are children that have made this year such fun and so rewarding, seeing them learn and watching them grow…it’s been exciting. There have also been children who have made this one of the most frustrating and defeating years I could have imagined. What to do, what to do?

The fifth grade boys (the girls aren’t nearly as tough to deal with) remained a challenge right up to the last day…hard and defiant, disrespectful and dismissive. I have vacillated from one end of the spectrum to the other…they need to learn - they will never learn; they are victims of their environment - they are little hellions bent on destruction; I don’t have to put up with that - I have to see this through. They are walking tanks of testosterone with huge chips seemingly permanently attached to their shoulders and they have little regard for anyone else. Their treatment of one another, the other teachers and even the director is really no better than their treatment of me. That doesn’t make me feel better and does nothing to encourage me to go back and deal with them. But God won’t let me off the hook just because I dread that one class. So, I’m guessing unless God suddenly decides to show me great compassion in this and says I don’t have to deal with them again, we will return.

All complaining aside, I know that God has put us there for a reason. I will be the first English teacher to return for a second year. I’m not sure what that means exactly…I don’t know that it’s necessarily anything to be prideful about, that’s for sure! But I do believe that God is teaching me copious amounts in this process and hopefully, He is bringing glory to Himself and somehow, miraculously touching the hearts and minds of these hardened young men.

This is about far more than trying to teach English. This is a spiritual battle. These boys, ages 12-16, think nothing of lying, stealing, cheating, threatening, hitting, getting in people’s faces and yelling. They ignore requests to be seated or to be silent. It’s like that phrase “the inmates are running the asylum”. There are core character values that these children are missing. These are all children who profess to be Christians and who come from families that profess to be the same.

Yes…this is a spiritual battle and it’s not one I’m looking forward to engaging in again but the stakes are so high, that I don’t see how I can’t. It’s not by my choice, believe me. These young men need to meet Jesus in a real way and right now, I’m praying that if the Lord makes me go back to face those kids, that not only will He go before me, but that He will fill me with His wisdom, that He will protect my heart and most of all that He will help me love these children as He does. Until I have to go back, I’m going to cherish each day of our 2 month’s vacation!

Other ministry opportunities…We have been inundated recently with so many people’s needs being brought before us. Besides what we do on a regular basis for Kenneth, his family, Miguel and Elizabeth, we have been able to help quite a few families in various ways…from a family who was literally without any food left in their house to a family who needed medicine for their little boy who was diagnosed with severe anemia…the second such child we’ve recently been able to help with that same diagnosis.

We have bought diapers and shoes, canned milk and medicine, Bibles and bags of rice. One of the things that we were able to do a few weeks ago was to buy two mattresses and some food for a family whose house burned down. They lost everything except for the clothes they had on their backs. The fire department, although called, never responded…it was just another poor house in another poor neighborhood and they felt it was too dangerous and would take too long to get there. Chances are good they knew it was just a small tin shack with a dirt floor and that there was probably nothing of any value to be saved. The problem is that was this family’s home and it was all they owned.

When Felix first told us about the situation, the day after the fire, we knew God was calling us to get involved. The immediate need was for food. We donated enough money that they could get a couple of weeks’ worth of staples. The family of six lives in the same barrio as does Freddy and Felix and attends their church. Felix and a few others from the church managed to make them a temporary shelter under a tree with tree branches and salvaged tin the night of the fire. The church has rallied around them with various members giving from their own meager possessions. After they found enough tin and scraps of wood to build a new house of sorts, they then collected enough money to buy the family a mattress but two more were just more than they could do. We were glad to help with that and so thankful we were able to do so…again, we could do that only because of your giving.

Xander, the Wonder Dog… Well, our “guard dog” is scared of the neighborhood dogs, the cats, the cows that walk down our street and a squirt bottle but he loves to do a run by and bite us! He barks, jumps and snaps his jaws when it suits his mood. True, he is still just a puppy, but his little 4 month old brain is quick to devise ways to annoy, pester and destroy. Look at him here...he was such a cute puppy - fat, fluffy and he just seemed so sweet. We found out shortly after buying him at two months of age (for $10…we overpaid!) that the man who sold him to us was mean to his animals. I don’t know if that can imprint a puppy that young or not, but he’s one of the most difficult animals Jim or I have ever had.

He’s supposed to be half German Shepherd…I think that’s an exaggeration..although, one of his ears does seem to have the Shepherd stand-up characteristic. His coat has changed from mainly black to mostly brown…which is such a Nica dog color. He has a dime-size spot on his side that is a tad bit darker which gives the appearance of a moth-eaten place. His tail is one of the ugliest dog tails I’ve ever seen. It has a stripe on it and the end of it looks like a cheap paint brush that a child has smooshed down one too many times.

He has knobby ankles (I guess that's what those big bumps are on his legs?) that turn in and huge paws that seem to be drawn to splashing in his water bowl and spilling it all over the kitchen…numerous times a day. Watching him walk away from me, he reminds me of a Nica bus, his rear end noticeably tracking to one side as he moves forward. He usually has something hanging out of his mouth that he’s not supposed to have. He is intent on doing whatever it is that he shouldn’t be doing and totally ignores the word “no”, racing around and barking wildly at any move towards discipline…he reminds me of one of the fifth grade boys! Sometimes I wonder if the pigs that Jesus cast the demons into acted like Xander when he’s wound up!

Nicaraguan dogs have a certain look to them…I don’t know how to describe them but somehow, they all look as they’ve come from the same litter. You just don’t see a pretty Nica dog. We have laughed and said that most people have pure-bred dogs…we have a poor-bred dog.

We have read numerous articles on-line, trying to find an effective training method for this possessed little pooch. About now, we’re wishing the Dog Whisperer guy would make a house call to Managua! I have taught Xander to sit, stay and lay down but that works only if I have a treat in my hand and he’s smart enough to know when I do and when I don’t. The dog’s not stupid but I’m certainly beginning to question the intelligence of his owners!