Emily's Team in Tipitapa...

Two weeks ago, we had a terrific Saturday at Tipitapa…I’m just now getting time to finish this blog that I had started that night! That was a fun day from beginning to end, in spite of the rain which tried to dampen our spirits! We had the privilege of taking 4 teens (Kari, Eva, Andrea & Abbey) and 3 young women (Emily, Rhonda & Rachel) to Tipitapa with us to minister to the kids at Rayitas de Luz. Most of the girls on this team are members of various Mennonite churches who connected right before coming to Nicaragua to meet their team leader, Emily and a friend of hers from church, Rhonda. They have a full schedule with and we were so excited that they chose to include meeting the kids in Tipitapa as one of their days’ activities.
Our day started out with us dropping some things off at CINAFE before heading over to Huembes market to meet up with the girls. They wanted to get some shopping in first and it was a good location for us to meet them at to go on to Tipitapa. We were able to re-connect with some of our favorite vendors there as we hadn’t seen them for several months and at the same time, we were saddened to learn that Anna, our Christian friend who worked there, had left and no one seemed to know where she had gone. I was glad that I had gotten to pray with her before we had left for the States in March and I know that if we don’t get to see her again here, we will see her again someday in heaven.
Because we could only take 3 of the girls with us in our car, Emily hired Oscar for the day to transport the other 4 in the group. He is one of our Nica friends that we had met through Karen and CINAFE and is a taxi driver. Oscar is a little more expensive than taking a public taxi but he is worth the extra money as he is a safe and honest man and that peace of mind is well worth the additional cordobas.
We arrived at Danelia’s house shortly after 1:00 and stepped in to her small living room to be met by 30 children all packed in like sardines!!! Many of the kids were sharing little plastic chairs and stools that had been borrowed from various friends. After introductions were made and the welcome greeting issued, the kids sang several songs for us and then showed off their English skills. It wasn’t long before the smell of something yummy began to whet everyone’s appetite. We knew that Emily’s team had wanted to pay for lunch for all the kids, so we advanced the money to Danelia last week and she and several of her friends had been cooking over a wood fire since early morning in order to feed all of us some really delicious chicken, vegetables, rice and platanos.
All the kids were so excited and I’m sure it was the combination of having visitors and coupled with the anticipation of also having a great lunch. Plus, it was the 6th birthday of one of the children, a little girl named Wendy. So the mood was definitely celebratory. Danelia asked me to pray so that we could get started on lunch. We were so packed in the living room that we couldn’t even join hands but our hearts were definitely linked together.
I wish there was a way to adequately describe how close the quarters were there. Danelia had set up a cloth covered wooden prep table between the already bulging living area (ultimately holding 30 kids plus 10 adults including Danelia (a number I can’t even imagine ‘tho I was one of the 10) and their unbelievably cramped bedroom. They had moved their small television stand & tv plus one of the regular school tables in to their bedroom which greatly diminished the area of maneuverability in that room, as well.
Arturo was in charge of dispensing the drinks (Rojita – a red, syrupy sweet drink and Orange Fanta) and their neighbor lady, Myrna, was in charge of filling the small paper plates with food. They stood on one side of the table and I stood on the other. Abbey went around to the back of the house to put ice in the cups and then handed them to Arturo to fill. Arturo would hand me two cups at a time and I would then hand them to one of the several girls standing behind me. They would pass them on down the line making sure each child had a drink. We then repeated the “bucket brigade” move with the plates of food. It was so crowded that there was no other way to do it. We could barely turn around to hand the plates to the person behind us. But it was fun, nonetheless, to see the kids’ faces as they received their plates of piled-high food.
By the time everyone had finished their lunch, it had pretty much quit raining. Usually, the ground dries pretty quickly but there had been several days of heavy rains so the ground around Danelia’s house was saturated which created a slippery, mucky mud that would suck your shoes right off your feet. We had, for the briefest of moments, wondered how the team was going to be able to play with the kids with it being so muddy out. Silly us! A little mud never stopped any of these kids and it wasn’t going to do so that day, either.
The girls were amazing and so good-natured about just going along with playing games in the muddy mire. Several of the girls are members of a very conservative branch of the Mennonite church and so they always wear skirts or dresses and head coverings. I was concerned how they would fare with all the mud…they did fine! Their flip-flopped feet and legs were coated with the slimy stuff but it didn’t seem to bother any of them. If laughter was the gauge for a good time, there’s no question that the team and the kids all had a great time!
After about an hour and a half of bubbles, balloons, Frisbee, tag, hide and seek, etc., it was time for us to go. We had another time of prayer and then lots of hugs and some organized picture taking and then loaded up in Oscar’s taxi and our car and we headed back to Managua. If the conversation of the girls in our car was any indication of how good of a time they all had, I think the day was pretty successful in terms of encouragement and intercessory prayer.
There were lots of questions and we had the opportunity to share some of the ways we had been seeing God work. Just being able to share those stories with someone face-to-face is a faith-strengthener in itself. I think we all can sometimes be guilty of forgetting God’s faithfulness and focus instead on the challenges we are facing.
I’ve told you before that this is a very oral society and it is not at all uncommon for stories, directions or explanations to be repeated several times over. This is done to ensure that the teller and the listener are perfectly clear on all points. I used to find that a bit annoying…but now…I can see such great value in doing that. We need to tell and re-tell what Jesus has done for us. We need to be free in repeating how and where we have seen God move. It is of great benefit to those who are listening…but it is also of great benefit to the one who is doing the telling. Remember the hymn, “I Love to Tell the Story”? It’s true…I do.

I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
because I know 'tis true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else can do.

I love to tell the story,
'twill be my theme in glory,
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story;
more wonderful it seems
than all the golden fancies
of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story,
it did so much for me;
and that is just the reason
I tell it now to thee.

I love to tell the story;
'tis pleasant to repeat
what seems, each time I tell it,
more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story,
for some have never heard
the message of salvation
from God's own holy Word.

I love to tell the story,
for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting
to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
'twill be the old, old story
that I have loved so long.

Yamuleith is dancing tonight...

We received a call a little bit ago from Erika, the woman who had been Yamuleith's foster mother, and the news that I've selfishly not been wanting to hear finally came - Yamuleith went home to be with Jesus tonight.
After my initial meltdown, God comforted me with a detailed image in my mind of Yamuleith, healthy, strong and dancing gracefully with her beautifully delicate face glowing as her once-blind eyes behold the unimaginable beauty of her Wonderful, Merciful Savior. That picture alone brings me more comfort than I can express. She is safe and can no longer be harmed. She once was blind but now she sees. She once was lame but now she dances. She once was lost but now she is found. She is completely healed in every way and she is seeing and experiencing the wonders at this very moment that "our hearts always hunger for."
I thought at first my tears were because of all she had to endure and suffer through in her brief life but I realized a little bit ago, after watching Yamuleith dance in worship to our King through the window of my imagination that my tears tonight are not for her but are for myself.

Wonderful, merciful Savior
Precious Redeemer and friend
Who would have thought that a lamb could
Rescue the souls of men
Oh, You rescue the souls of men

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper
Spirit we long to embrace
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost the way
Oh, we hopelessly lost the way

You are the one that we praise
You are the one we adore
You give the healing and grace
Our hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for

Almighty, infinite Father
Faithfully loving Your own
Here in our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne
Oh, we're falling before Your throne

You are the one that we praise
You are the one we adore
You give the healing and grace
Our hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for

Our CINAFE Kids...

No, we haven’t dropped off the face of the earth…but sometimes, it feels like we’re hanging on for all we’re worth to the edge of it! I find that when I get the time to actually sit down and write a blog, that I’m apologizing for allowing so much time to lapse between writings…this time is no different…I’m sorry!!! Remember when I used to bore you to tears with my musings on the incessant crazy Managua drivers or the simple beauty of the ox-pulled carts going to market in the early morning hours? I don’t know about you…but I miss those days! Life now is too hectic and too filled with worries and problems. My prayers of late have been that God would help me open my eyes again to the wonder that this place held for me when first we came to be aliens and strangers in this land.
So, you may be wondering what we’ve been doing lately. A lot. We are now the “official” overseers of CINAFE, the child’s protection center where we’ve been spending the majority of our time since the beginning of the year. This is also known as Fortress of Hope and if you are interested in knowing a bit more about our new “home away from home”, you can read their latest newsletter at www.fortressofhope.org.
There are so many changes taking place right now there…some we are implementing and some we are trying to maneuver through. The CINAFE board made some necessary changes in personnel at the beginning of the year, before we came on board, and as a result, some of the new people who were put in place have discovered that they are not necessarily a good fit with CINAFE. Because we are a government approved child protection center, we are also accountable to the Ministry of Families. With the ideas and the values of the current presidential administration being executed, the stress level of facilities like ours goes up incrementally. Working with these government agencies is not for the faint of heart! Consequently, we are once again, going through some personnel changes. This means our stress level is going up incrementally!!!
And talk about stress…right now, we are currently looking for a new physician, a new social worker and a new director! I have recently been speaking with other Americans who run facilities similar to ours and have found out that this kind of turnover is not unusual. Maybe not. But it is discouraging. We are a ministry-run facility and all of CINAFE’s financial support comes from donations just like most ministries. That means that we operate on faith and a shoestring budget. It also means that those who come there to work professing they want to be involved in growing God’s Kingdom but leave because they can make twice as much money at a call center makes us the rest of us scratch our head, try to somehow lengthen the shoestrings and remember our faith is what holds those shoestrings together!
The kids though are amazing! We still have fifteen children, ages 2 ½ to 16. I say “still” because that could change at any moment. There is now a government program that is designed to remove all children in child protection centers and reunite them with their families by the end of 2011, based on “the rights of the child”. In theory, this sounds great…but our fear is that these kids are going to be put back in to the same situations from which they had to be removed.
We’ve already received word that at least two and maybe another 4 might be leaving us soon. I just can’t even imagine what CINAFE will be like without them there…and I can’t imagine what their lives will be like if they’re not. For all the toils and troubles that we’re working through at CINAFE, it’s still a haven for these kids.
Let me tell you a little about these tough little survivors. Erika is our oldest…she just turned 16 and there is a possibility she might be leaving us soon to return to her family in El Salvador. She’s a quiet girl and is most comfortable when she’s got her friends around her. She is always watching and observing and she doesn’t easily trust but she has a great affection for Karen and Dwane, the couple in Ohio who were instrumental in starting CINAFE. I think she is torn about returning to her family and although she will miss the other kids at CINAFE, I truly believe she will miss seeing Karen and Dwane when they come back here for visits. When I first met Erika, I asked her what she thought she would like to be when she grew up and she told me a car mechanic. I was surprised at that answer and asked her why and she told me it was because they made a lot of money. I reminded her of that the other day and we both laughed about it.
Francela is also a pretty girl and a very smart girl when it comes to reading people. She is very sociable and does not like being alone. She will be 15 this year although she looks older than that. She has a beautiful smile and a determination to live a life different than the one she came from. That determination can work for her or as it sometimes now does, against her.
Selena is 13 and is also a girl who looks older than she is. She has such a friendly personality and there is no pretense with her. What you see is what you get with Selena. She has a head for business and already knows how to negotiate to get what she wants. I think one of the things I really enjoy about Selena is her ready smile. She is very childlike in so many ways and still loves to play games.
Sugeyling has to be one of the prettiest Nica girls I’ve ever seen. She is a natural beauty but she doesn’t see herself that way. She is a very quick learner and I’ve found she has an aptitude for English. She wants to travel to Russia some day. Sugeyling’s favorite color is black and she loves rock music. She is always polite and helpful and I love to be around her…but she doesn’t know Jesus and every time one of us try to talk to her about Him, she becomes very hard and quiet. She’s one I worry about a lot.
Minerva just turned 13. She’s entering that awkward stage and is not comfortable in her own skin. She’s very shy at times and yet she craves attention. She often seems much younger than her years and is struggling to find her place in this world. Sometimes, she does not do well with authority figures or her peers and yet she will bond very quickly to someone she is drawn to knowing.
Aida is 12 and is one who has a special place in my heart. She informed me the other day she wants to now be known as Elizabeth! When we first began at CINAFE, she was hard and closed off and refused to let me even put my hand on her shoulder. What a long way we’ve come in these few short months. Today, when she saw me after being gone to her grandmother’s for a week’s visit, she threw her arms around me and hugged me like it had been years since we had seen one another. Aida is very smart but she treats her school subjects like she does everything and everyone else…she does/accepts them on her own terms. She can quote numerous scriptures and has memorized long portions of Psalms.
Those girls all live together in one house called the Estrellas…the Stars…and they are.
Mariana is 11 and is another one who always seems to have a smile on her face. She is much lighter in complexion than the other children there. She even has freckles. She is another one who is quick to help and just beams when given words of praise. She has an ear for English and tries to mimic my words as closely as she can.
Wendy turns 10 this week. She loves to tease and is always up to something. She’s definitely a creative thinker and if not kept in check, can quickly find herself in some kind of mischief. She is always in motion and loves to participate in any kind of activity that involves movement of some kind.
Esmerelda is another one who is a very pretty young girl. She is 12 and is most comfortable in the role of tomboy. She can hold her own playing soccer and is tough as nails when she gets hurt. She’s just now starting to realize that it’s okay for her to enjoy nail polish and wearing dresses and she’s acquired a real affinity for cute earrings. I think we may be losing our “tomboy”! One of the most remarkable things about Esmerelda is her voice. She has a gravely low voice which is always a surprise to anyone who first hears her speak.
Fernando has only been with us since the beginning of the year. He’s a lovebug and is usually one of the first to come give us a hug when we arrive at CINAFE. He, too, always has a smile on his face which belies his quick temper that often gets him in hot water with others. But just as quickly as his temper flares, it’s gone and he’s back to his sweet smiling self. Fernando is 11.
Those four share a casita and are called the Delfines or the Dolphins. We just recently had a team in who helped us do some remodeling on one of the casitas so that Fernando could have his own room and the girls are sharing another room. I know they all are more comfortable with their new privacy.
Our last casita is called the Arco Iris…the Rainbow house. Reyna is 10 and loves to play games. She is the mancala champion and delights when she wins. She is another one who loves to be hugged but like the others, it’s taken us time to get to that point with her. Sometimes she’s all smiles and other times, a smile is hard to coax but either way, if the opportunity presents itself, she has her arms wrapped around me…sometimes making it difficult to even walk. Reyna and Esmerelda are sisters.
Daniella is bright eyed and as curious as they come. We don’t know exactly how old she is as she was found abandoned when she was smaller. We are guessing she is around 5 or 6 years old and her birthday is celebrated on the day she came to CINAFE…that really was a new “birth”day for her. She is another one who likes to tease and is often laughing and giggling. She also has a stubborn streak a mile long and the challenge lies in teaching her when it’s appropriate to use it and when it’s not.
Reynaldo is 9 years old and has such a great smile. He loves to jump out and scare us, laughing hysterically if he thinks he’s accomplished his goal. He is a typical little boy, scooping up bugs, playing with cars and just making noise for the sake of making noise. His glasses make him appear much more studious than he actually is. He is Reyna and Esmerelda’s brother and is often a favorite with teams as he’s just got such a great little personality.
Milagros is a child that everyone is drawn to as she has big beautiful brown eyes and is so petite and fragile looking. She often has a very serious look on her face and it can take her a very long time to warm up to someone. Once she has made that decision to be friends, she also loves to tease. It’s just that she is another one who communicates on her terms only. If Milagros is unhappy, everyone within earshot knows it. It’s amazing how someone so little can have such big lungs! Milagros is 6 and is Reyna’s, Esmerelda’s and Reynaldo’s sister.
Belen is last but not least…but she is the youngest. Again, we are guessing at her age and we estimate her to be about 2 ½ years old. She has the best little smile and pretty much runs the place. She really misses the kids while they’re at school and is always excited when they come home each day. She is Daniella’s sister and so we celebrate Belen’s birthday at the same time as Daniella.
So, now you know just a bit about the kids who help brighten our days here. I watch them play, study, do chores and fuss and I marvel at how well they function for the most part. I won’t share their individual stories but I will tell you that each one of these children has good cause not to laugh or to trust anyone and yet, almost every one of them is quick to flash their smiles and to hug and be hugged. Some may attribute that to the therapy they receive from the psychologist at CINAFE but I believe the reason they are flourishing there is because Jesus touches them through those who work there and who truly love these precious ones.
One of our daily prayers is that God would bind the enemy and keep him far from the children at CINAFE. We pray protection and healing for them. We pray that they will learn how to act and react in appropriate ways to the situations they will face in this life. We pray that when we talk to them about Jesus that He will soften their hearts and open their ears and most of all, we pray that there will come a time when we know these children not just as “our CINAFE kids” but also as our brothers and sisters in Christ.