Read more: How to Add Meta Tags to a Blogger Blog | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4432068_add-meta-tags-blogger-blog.html#ixzz1dedpEYPR - Capital on the Edge -: January 2012

Monday, January 30, 2012

POST by JED: My Culture es tu Cultura...

A week ago we became the proud owners of a grandiose 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house, with a casita (2 bedrooms and a bathroom), a pool, room for a pony (yes, we have a pony… We´re trying to replace our car!), and an orchard full of lush fruit trees. Wow!

We have since turned the house into a community centre, school and foster home. We’re believing that God is calling us into a relationship with our community and local Church, so that we can bless them and see this barrio transformed from a semi-insignificant semi-rural pueblo, into an army of Nica-vangelists. That is the vision.

The road we travelled on whilst in the process of buying this house was a killer. We once owned a house in Australia and to be honest the process of buying and selling, even from overseas, was so easy I´m sure a child could have done it.

We looked online and narrowed our search. Then we went shopping for our dream house. Once we realised that our dream house was unobtainable we slid down the ladder of affordability and reality, until we found what was potentially ours.

The cheapest house in the cheapest suburb, on the wrong street, in a neighborhood of hookers, drug addicts and criminals (sorry Mark & Rach, Karl & Trudes, and everyone else who lives in Gordon… You know where we lived! Gordon really is a splendiferous suburb, I´m just usin you-mer).

We sought info through our broker (thanks Craigie), and he put us in touch with all the appropriate people. Selling was similarly easy. Someone wants to buy, our lawyer takes care of the rest. (you just hand over a kidney and half of your liver for payment…)

Well, that´s not how things work in Nicalandia! We found our dream house. And then we found about 100 more. Everything´s for sale in Central America, it´s the bargain basement for would-be home owners… 
Come one, come all, there’s a small hacienda with your name on it!  I think we could have negotiated for parliament house if our search criteria had included “historic” and “central location”.

But no, we found our dream home and settled on a price in record time.

The owners, a Kiwi-Yanky combo, were helpful, resourceful, supportive and timely. The lawyer, a Peruvian chap, was honest and heartfelt. The government officials, typically bureaucratic, were slow, obstructive, slathered in red tape and closed for public holidays, election days, inauguration days, Islamic religious days, ufo sighting days, and the like. The bankers, hooooo the bankers - a couple of “Nicas”, were true-blue, capitalist money laundering tyrants. (unfortunately for us, I adored them both…) White lies to-boot (I can relate!) and plenty of nose tapping, ear tugging action for all involved.   

And so it was - the day we were to sign our contracts. I was stoked about the progress that had been made since the owner flew into town. I had been working on this deal for the past 4 months solid, and within a matter of 2 weeks he´d been able to slap everyone into shape and organise us to the place where we were sitting down to sign contracts.

I had been instructed by the bank we were borrowing money from that I needed to deposit $6,000USD ($600AUD these days) into our bank account. When working in my previous job, I had been forced to open another bank account, and it was in this account that we now had our money. 

And so, as per instructions from the bank, all I had to do was withdraw money from one bank’s account and deposit it into another.  

However, the transfer of funds had to be completed by 10am or the contract signing would need to be postponed until the following week – something I simply couldn’t allow (every day of waiting, has meant a little more gray…).

I went to the bank. Up until this moment, and for the past few weeks, I’ve been on such a missionary “high” it wouldn´t have surprised me if I’d received an invitation from Joyce Meyers to come and preach to a packed stadium of fem-bot-penti-red-headed-preacher-types… I was that on fire…

I sauntered into the bank. Performed my usual “high five” routine with the security guards, wink winks at the customer service people who don´t really do anything, a dignified nod to the manager – who pretended not to see me, and then I joined the que.

Now in Nicaragua, ques in banks are like ques in Australia, but in the 80s. I looked at my watch. I took a step forward. I leaned on a pole, only to accidently release the 2 inch wide isle divider which whizzed past me slapping the large lady (she, as a side note, was waaaay too adorned with exotic perfume and make-up), who is subsequently facing the other direction, on the rear-end. I started to point at someone, but everyone was staring at me. Red-faced I decided NOT to lean on anything else and switched from leg, to leg, to leg, to leg… I sighed. I sighed again. I sighed again and again and again and again.

I started to day dream. Then I started talking to myself. People looked at me once more but this time I didn’t point at anyone. From the colour of my skin people could tell that it was me who was muttering on about my mother-inlaw (in English)… My stomach growled and again, everyone looked on. I looked back at my watch. It had only been 30 seconds since the last time I had looked. Then I began the hideous cycle of similar actions, over similar time periods - I swear I have adult ADHD!!!

“Yay”, I’m at the front of the que. “Hello friendly bank teller. How are you today?” I asked… He gave me a look like “I´m a banker. I don´t have feelings. You saw the que you were in. Now shut-up and give me your ding-dang bank card.” I smiled uneasily. 

I asked for my money and he asked for my card. I handed it to him. He asked for my cedula and I hand him my expired passport. He asked for valid id. I didn´t have anything else to give. The only id I had on me was my bank card from his bank, my bank card from my other bank, my credit card from Australia, my expired passport, a photocopy of my current cedula (residency card – our current passports and cedulas were at the office of immigration for renewal), my Mexican visa (kind of like a passport), my marriage certificate, birth certificate, driver´s license, frequent flyer card, old American School ID, Pricemart card (a shop here in Nicaragua), hair dressing discount card, atm receipts, chewing gum wrappers and so on, and so forth… I handed it all to him, though nothing was good enough.

After 30 minutes of waiting in the que, my transaction was over (after only 30 seconds). This fellow wouldn´t help me.  I hadn´t had breakfast and was feeling weak. I started to shake. I couldn´t control myself. My feet wouldn´t move. I tried to talk but the wee-bit of Spanish that swirls around my brain, drained… I felt like God slipped out the front doors, quietly, not high-fiving nobody, no winks nor nods, and he left me, left me to deal with this dreadful situation.

The teller looked at me and I looked at him…

He asked me if he could help me in any other way. I just stared at him. My brain was either blocked or had ceased to function, either way I had successfully gone to la-la-land…

And so, this is how we progressed. I will translate into English so that you can fully appreciate the events that transpired...

Me: Want-money-now! Have-card-you-bank! Give me!

Teller: No, it´s not possible.

Me: Give me!

Teller: No sir, it´s just not possible. If you go and get your current cedula or your current passport then I will be happy to serve you.

Me: Give me now!

I look around and notice that all eyes are once again on me. The only person smiling is the lady who had been smacked on the bot-bot with the isle divider. The security guard who I usually “high five” is now standing next to me with his hand on his gun ready to cuff or shoot…

The bank teller continued, now smirking…

Teller: Sir, as I have explained, it´s just not possible. If you go and get your current cedula or your current passport then I will be happy to serve you.

Me: Oh, thanks. Me passport and cedula in government immigration office. Them-slow. Them-not-gave-me-documents. Need money now! You have! Money mine. Not-is-yours. Me give now!

Now when I used to work for Qantas Airways - the Spirit of Australia, I used to be the kind of person who looked for solutions for customers. There is generally ALWAYS a way to help someone, even if you´re only meeting them in the middle. I was in one of two groups. At Qantas, there were two types of people. The “helpers” and those people who got off on some kind of sick high by not helping. They would get an element of satisfaction knowing that they had completely ruined somebody´s day. It was difficult to work alongside people like this. Definitely not the “Spirit of Australia” in my opinion.

I love Nicaraguans, and find them to be more similar to Aussies than Gringos (people from the USA). They tend to be more relaxed, fun, and friendly, just like Aussies. However, there isn´t too much room for “taking initiative” in their culture. They have their rules and rarely step outside of the boundaries to get things moving. 
Usually, that´s where the bribe becomes necessary. However, as Westerners, we find it repulsive to bribe someone when we believe that what we´re asking of them is within their role and inherent responsibilities.

So to me, this chap could have helped me if he had have popped on his “thinking cap”, but because he is Nica, his culture, team mates, rules of the bank, wouldn´t allow him to do so. He gestured for me to visit the customer service people who don´t really do anything. I have been tricked by this tactic before. Once you leave the que and visit with one of “them”, they inevitably send you back to the teller, and not via the front of the que, but by the rear…

Me: No. I sleep here.

The fellow then began to type nothing into his computer. I knew this is what he was doing because at Qantas Airways – the Spirit of Australia, in my ticketing office at the airport, I used to always be typing “nothing” into my computer with a strained look on my face. The objective when typing “nothing” is to think of the next play in your game plan.

Yet in this situation, I was the one being played. At this precise moment I think Jesus might have slipped back through the door and started to give me a gentle “you-who”, whilst simultaneously waving his white flag in a discrete manner. I think he might have been suggesting that I start thinking of my next play. But I can be stubborn. No! I´m too tired! I´d rather just fight this bloke and lose my house!!! I imagine Jesus, at this point, calling in a placid voice “oh right… Well whilst your destroying your life and your future, I´ll just be next door looking at shoes. Pop over when you´re finished here…”

I thought of my next step... I´ll become a person from the Northern Hemishpere!. They´re used to that… I´ll just demand to speak with the manager! That´ll get me a solution.

Me: Me want you boss!

The smirk changed into a chuckle… He walked away and got his supervisor, a beefy bloke who wreaked of attitude. I explained the situation again and he gave me the same story. I demanded his boss, the polar opposite of him – tall and slender, so slim I began to visualise them as extremely different characters in a comic strip. The same story again. However this time, a group of comedians had formed, behind the counter, and they were laughing about me, IN FRONT OF ME! (In Spanish, I can´t speak much, but I understand a fair bit…)

Me: YOU RUDE SHOULDERS! I AM THE RUDEST SHOULDER I HAVE EVER SEEN! HOW RUDE! LOOK ME… ME DESPERATE SHOULDER! ASSIST ME! NOT IS JOKE! IS SERIOUSLY!!!

I demanded the bank manager. She wasn´t to start until 12 midday, waaaaaaay after I needed to have the money deposited in the bank. In desperation I turned to my audience. I wanted to break into song at this point “Shut up, just shut-up shut-up! Shut up, just shut-up shut-up! If you want to lose control…” (the Black Eyed Peas do it so well…) But no, I pleaded: Does anyone, ANYONE here speak English.

A gentleman stepped forward. I had a freakish thought – this man has either lost his place in the que FOREVER, or is using MY LANGUAGE to gain my position. I didn´t know whether to slug ´im in the guts or embrace him with arms open wide. Luckily, I decided neither option would be appropriate. And so I twitched a little and tried to smile a lot!

Him: They´re trying to tell you that… (blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…)

Well thank you. At this point something inside of me just broke. I looked at this man, whose words were in my language but to which I no longer understood. I could go to the ATM and be charged $50 for taking out the funds over-and-over again, I thought. (which, is rather hilarious, because this same day, but in the evening, I was so exhausted I left my card in the ATM and had $300 stolen – the machine gives cash first and doesn´t ask for the pin number again – 6 transactions later…)

I waited for another 10 minutes. The man who had assisted me in English went back to his place in the que (the cheeky rat-bag proving that Nica´s are gentlemen). The people behind the counter chatted quietly or stared at me. I stared at them. I didn´t say anything to them and they didn´t say anything to me. I waited and waited and waited…

Then, I picked up my things and walked out the doors. I drove to another branch of the same bank in the city and handed the female bank teller my card and expired passport. I tried to make friendly small talk.

Me: Oh, you are a big bank. A lot big and many handsomes. I like you bank!

Pretty Female Teller: Oh thank you, you´re too kind…

She giggled and then asked me how I wanted it. I was so overjoyed I nearly leapt over the counter and kissed her. But that would have been inappropriate in any culture.

I spent the rest of the day going from bank to bank, from meeting to meeting, and from machine to person, to machine again. For the rest of the day I succumbed to local requirements and did as I was told.

I believe that after nearly 4 years of living in Latin America I am beginning to settle in. I really think culture is the most amazing phenomenon. It´s a true gift from God and can either make you feel so at home, or so displaced. (Different when you´re a tourist “oh nice”, “how interesting”, “so fun”, etc…)

Some things in my mind will never gel with the Latin culture. (It doesn´t feel normal for me that the bank manager leaves her office, says “hello”, kisses me and then returns to her office) I want to change them and show them “the way”. Yet that will never happen and neither should it. Other things feel so right. It´s like I´m at home…

Please pray for us. We are taking JUMBO sized steps in our mission here. The locals are in love with us and we truly believe our “Jesus” impact is tremendous and permanent.

However, we tread a precarious line between trying to change culture and radically affecting our community so that they learn to “walk in the way” (to quote my Dad) - embracing the things that matter to our Father in Heaven, and rejecting the things that don´t draw them in to Him.

Friday, January 27, 2012

POST by SEZ: My New Pup

Buddy, Sezni and Ciela
One day Raf wanted to go to bed . At twelve o clock  Billy took a nap . Billy and Raf were sleeping in the day.


My sisters were at a friends house. They were having fun with there friend. They were having fun playing a lot of fun like worms.



I was getting a new dog at my house in the morning. It was cute and its so adorable. It is going to be my adorable pup.


When my sisters came back they saw my pup. When my brothers woke up they saw my pup to. My brothers and sisters loved my pup but, in a few hours my pup gets tired. I named my pup “Buddy”.


My Pup Is Very Cute

Thursday, January 26, 2012

POST by RENZY: Amen! Gloria a Dios!!!

Raffy & Billy Praisin´ the Lord
Now that we are home schooled again we have new routines. We get up as early as we want to but we have to be awake before nine o’clock because that is when we start schooling. At nine we all have to sit at the table and then we start our routine.

We read from the Bible, pray, and then start school stuff like math, reading, and writing. A few days ago we were sitting at the table waiting for my Dad to come to the table because we went and sat at the table early.

Billy is my adopted brother. He is not adopted yet but we are in the process of it. He is probably the plumpest three year old kid in the whole World. He absolutely loves food. Sometimes he will be your best friend and other times he will be your worst enemy. 

When he is being your best friend he will copy everything you do and say, and always want to be with you. When he is being your worst enemy he will do the opposite of what I just said. He will not want to talk to you and he will scream at you.
Today Rafael and Billy were best friends. Like I said before they were doing everything together. Billy would copy everything Rafael would do and Rafi loves attention so he was laughing and doing weird things so that Billy would copy him. They were using weird things like Rafi would grab brooms, mops, sticks, chairs, anything that he could get his hands on.

So Rafi and Billy were doing that whilst Sezni, Fran, and I were sitting and waiting. When my Dad came out he said “Okay, we are going to start by reading the Bible.” At that very moment Rafi said “Praise the Lord!” and then Billy said “Amen!” Whilst he said it he had a stick thingy and held it in the air.

We were all surprised by that because Billy can’t speak very well and when he does speak you can hardly understand him. When he said “Amen”, he said it so clearly that it sounded like a preacher had said it but with a high pitched voice. We all sort of started to laugh, who knows why, and then we started our routine. 

Monday, January 23, 2012

POST by FRANNY: Playin Hard Ball!!!

SPOONS is a card game where players have a maximum of four cards in their hand. There is a dealer that has the pack of cards to his/her right. Everyone passes one, two or three cards to the left, face down on the table, and the person to the left will picks up the card from their right. If they want the card they will swap it with another card that they don’t want. And players discard any card they choose.

Once players get four matches they have to snatch a spoon that is on the table in order to win. Once someone has grabbed a spoon everyone else has to grab a spoon before there are none left! There is one spoon less than there are people. So if there are twelve people there will be eleven spoons.

If you are the person without a spoon once everyone else has already grabbed one you become an S. The way you lose and get out is when you fully spell the word SPOONS. Then you are out!

One night a family from our local church, Lirio de los valles, came to our house for dinner. Ivania and Juan Pablo are the youth group leaders. Their kids are Juan Pablo, he is 15 years old, David, he’s 14, Marcelo, he’s 12, and Nicole and she’s 8.

I made spicy chicken and rice with vegetables for dinner. Everyone enjoyed it! We were all sitting in the dining room at the round, wooden table. After dinner mum brought out the cards and declared in her broken Spanish “Jugemos SPOONS!” (let’s play spoons).

After almost an hour of mum explaining the game the best as she could, I finished it off by explaining the whole game in thirty seconds! Mum finally got around to asking “Quien jugar?” (Who will play?). She received the two eldest boys from their family: Juan Pablo and David, she also got Lorenzy, Sezni, and me, Fran.


We played a few practice rounds to get started and by the 14th practice round Dad came running around the corner (from the bathroom) and into the dining room saying “I’m playing, make way!” He obviously forgot that the boys couldn’t speak English!

It’s never a good idea to put my Mum and Dad next to each other during a game, especially a game like Spoons! One time we played in Mexico with a bunch of single teachers. Mum got dragged halfway across the room and not to mention across the table as well! And guess who was dragging her… DAD!

Well a similar action was made on this occasion, but they were sitting next to each other! Let me explain… Mum and Dad don’t like to lose, they both want to win and in Spoons that is possible, but not when they are fighting for the same spoon! And only one can win when you are fighting to the death for the last spoon!

It soon turned into the Brien game. Since all the other boys (Juan Pablo, David and Sezni) lost. The only people left playing were my Mum, my dad, my sister and me.


Lorenzy and I stopped as soon as Mum lost a huge chunk of hair from her head! My parents almost kill each other just to get their hands on a spoon! It’s funny watching my parents play Spoons although it’s not funny being in between them when they play! Well in the end Dad won because mum just quit and said “there’s other games of Spoons to play”

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Second Child Receives a Supporter (Thanks to a Sparkling Jewel in NYC!)

Statistics on Nicaragua

Below are some statistics on Nicaragua. Many people have asked us why we serve here in Nicaragua. God has a heart for this sick and dying World, we have a vision for what Nicaragua could be. Please read the following statistics to learn about Nicaragua's current economic circumstances:

  • Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, behind Haiti
  • 17% of the population lives in extreme poverty, on less than a dollar a day
  • Four million Nicaraguans earn less than $2 per day; the total population is 5.4 million
  • Three out of four children suffer from malnutrition
  • 1.1 million Nicaraguans do not have a home
  • Two thirds of the population does not have access to adequate sewer services
  • 33.2% of Nicaraguans are illiterate
  • More than 15% of the population (800,000 boys and girls) do not attend school.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Culture: Bluefields During Carnivale!

Environment: Nicaragua's Renewable Energy Revolution Underway

Nicaragua is setting a new course towards energy security, reducing its dependence on foreign oil from 80% to 6% within a decade, becoming an international leader in renewable technologies by 2016.


CLICK here to read article

POST by RAFFY: Chocollos (Cho - kor - yohs)

I love chocollos because there a type of bird in Nicaragua. They love to bite, they have a lot of green. Endways I am going to tell you a story about four chocollos.

One day I woke up. I had a stomach ache when I first woke up because I fell of my bed. Then Billy the fattest, heavyest, smallest brother woke up. He wanted to play a game. So we played hide and seek outside.

After the game Billy saw tow chocollos in one tree. Billy telled me about the two chocollos and I telled sezni, sezni telled lorenzy. Lorenzy had a story about two more chocollos and she telled sez about it.




Thursday, January 19, 2012

Education: Nicaragua Christian Academy (the school where Elizabeth works)

Political: Bishops Seek Better Communication with Nicaraguan Government

The church has been pressuring the government to tackle issues including unemployment, public safety and access to health care and education. Also, a week after the balloting in November in which Ortega won re-election in a landslide, the Roman Catholic Council of Bishops cast doubts on the integrity of the election process, criticizing the "lack of transparency and honesty with which the elections were administered," and accusing the Supreme Electoral Council of "not being capable of performing their function with responsibility and honesty," according to The Nicaragua Dispatch. 


CLICK here to read article

Economy: Nicaraguan Government Addresses Food Price Rise

Prices of food basket items are on an upward trend following a 9-percent rise in electricity rates, which was a state-cushioned increase, as it would take an over 20 percent increase, in line with world hydrocarbon prices.


CLICK here to read more

Social: Nicaraguan Government to Deliver 2,016 Property Titles

The government of Nicaragua will deliver a total of 2,016 property titles on Thursday to families to make them owners of the lands where they live and work.


CLICK here to read more

Political: Nicaragua, Russia to Strengthen Co-op, Friendship

The Russia-Nicaragua Joint Commission in its first working session will discuss all outstanding issues to continue making progress in and strengthening friendly and fraternal relations, as well as solidarity between the two countries, said the official.


CLICK here to read more

POST by SEZ: Swimming at the Beach

Yee-haa!
Bill, me and the Crabs
My best friend FRED
Shamyr and Dad acting like GOOSES!
Fred and I like to sit in the ham-things
Dad and Me in the Surf
One day me and my family were going to Playa Hermosa. We swam in the Giant waves and it was fun. We went to the rock pools to and it was fun too.

Billy as a Sand Angel, with Renz, Fran and Dory
We saw small crabs and big crabs with claws and had white spots and slow and fast and hiding very quicker. Fred my best friend and Hector were fighting the crabs with sand balls. We were climbing on the mountain pools and we saw more crabs and we saw waves.

Dad, Shamyr and Angelica
At night we were living on a beach house. It had straw and sticks on the top.It had cleaners that lived there, shelter for us, food and water for the Hermit crabs.

Fran, Lorenzy and Raf
At night we had dinner with Fred’s family and Hector’s family . In the beach house we played hide in seek. In a few hours hungry and I was getting tired. It’s nice to go to the beach.


Billy with his Texan Girlfriend
Me Relaxing
I get my Fashionable Beach Sock Trends from Uncle Timmy

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Capital on the Edge - First Child Receives a Sponsor (Thanks to a Beautiful Family in NY!)

POST by RENZY: When the Bee Stings... When I´m Feeling SAAAAD!

My family love to climb trees. At our house we have a bunch of trees. Most of the trees at our house are fruit trees. There is one tree at the back which is our favorite tree to hang out in because it is really close to the house and it has a lot of firm branches on it.

Also, when it is dark outside and you are playing hide and seek you can go up and hide, and no one will find you for a long time unless they are used to people hiding up there.

Also at our house we have two paddocks. On one side we have the house and play area but on the other side we have a bunch of trees.  On the side with the bunch of trees there is a wide tree which is tall and if you want to climb it you would need a ladder.

Now I shall tell you my story and it is about the big tree and my brother and I.

It was November 3rd and we were going to the thirty hour famine at our school to eat and we brought a plate of food to share. Sezni and I were waiting outside for everyone when Sezni said “Come on Renz, let’s go and climb the big tree on the other side.” So we went over to the other paddock and to the big tree.

When we got there it already had a ladder there so Sezni climbed up. Once he was up he told me to climb up to where he was. As soon as I got up he said “Watch this. One time I was up here with one of my friends and we crawled across this branch then we jumped off.”  It was sort of a long drop but Sezni is tough so I don’t think he really minded jumping off.

He told me he would do an example to show me. He was crawling along and then I got bored and looked away. All of a sudden I heard my brother sort of moan and hit himself and then he fell out of the tree.

I climbed down as fast as I could and ran to him. I thought he was hurt from the fall so I took him inside.  He was moaning, walking weird, and hitting himself. When I took him inside I set him down on the couch and called my mum to come and look. His face started to get swollen as well as his arm and leg.

When she came, Sezni had started to cry. My mum asked him what was wrong but he was crying too much that he could not speak. I thought I knew why he was crying so I said “We were in the big tree in the other paddock and he fell off of the branch that is why he is crying but I don’t know why he is swollen.”

He started to calm down and said “No, what Renz said is wrong. I am not crying because of that. I am crying because a lot of bees stung me.” Then he started to cry again. We examined him and saw that he had gotten stung eight times! That’s when my mum started to panic a little. She told us to get icepacks. So we got them and put them on him.

She got out some cream and put it on his face, leg, and arm. Then she told us to get in the car and we left. First we went to the store and bought my brother a drink of pepsi and some ice cream and some food for the thirty hour famine.

Once we got to the thirty hour famine he just sat on the computer playing games. Every time someone walked by they would say “what happened to Sezni’s face?”  He would say “I got stung by eight bees.” When he said it, he would not take his eyes off of the screen. 

He looked like someone from the Simpsons and when he smiled he looked adorable.

Political: Iranian President Visiting Latin America

Iran now has observer status in the economic community - Alba. (Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Ecuador, just to name a few) The West believes that economic sanctions against Iran will stop them in their tracks, in terms of halting their nuclear program.

However, socialist, communist and Islamic countries are moving towards cooperation, as opposed to the West´s beloved "competition - market forces", and so we will begin to see trade between countries that have been pushed out of traditional trade networks, working together. This phenomenon will not help either party. We need to pray.

Culture: Reggae, Rasta and Revolution in Nicaragua

Agriculture: Solar-Powered Irrigation in Nicaragua

Health: Drink People Water

Political: WikiLeaks Reveals U.S. Fears of Nicaraguan-Iranian Rapprochement

As part of its charm offensive in Latin America, Iran has opened an embassy in Nicaragua and says it will invest $1 billion in agriculture projects in addition to building a deep water port in the small Central American nation. In addition, the Islamic Republic will grant a loan for a hydroelectric plant. Nicaragua belongs to ChƔvez's left-leaning ALBA alliance in Latin America, and currently Iran enjoys "observer status" in the group.


To read article click here



Political: Nicaraguans Worry about Ortega's Foreign Friends

We're abandoning God for the Devil," said Larry Ferrey, a 38-year-old hotel worker in Managua.
Nicaraguan newspapers also noted that on his visit last week, Ahmadinejad did not answer Nicaragua's requests to write off debts to the Islamic Republic of over $160 million.
During his speech Tuesday, Ortega hailed Iran as a great civilization and urged Israel, which Ahmadinejad once said should be wiped off the map, to destroy its nuclear weapons, saying they were blocking peace in the Middle East.
That display came just days after the U.S. government said it was making it "absolutely clear to countries around the world that now is not the time to be deepening ties, not security ties, not economic ties, with Iran."

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

POST by JED: The Faithfulness of God

The faithfulness of God is something I haven’t really comprehended until now - and even now, I know I’m just getting a wee peek of the tinciest little spectrum. I have often listened as people have said that God will never let us go hungry, he won’t allow us to be without a roof over our head, he’ll always make sure we have clothes on our backs, etc, etc, etc. But I just don’t believe it to be true. I do not believe that the faithfulness of God is tied to our safety and comforts.

A pastor and his family we know of in Uganda, who live for and love the Lord, often go hungry. Their kids fall asleep crying because their tummy’s are suffering from the pain of hunger. They are pastors of a vibrant, God fearing Church.

In Thailand, we know people who run a children’s orphanage. Babies are born with the aids virus, even though they have done nothing personally to contract the evil disease. Still, they suffer, and in the arms of people who love the Lord and who pray for them constantly.

Nicaragua is very well Churched. Really, I want to go as far as saying that they are more Churched than modern-day-America. We know Christian people both at the high end of society and at the low end. Neither chose to be born into their circumstances. However, the poor suffer whilst the rich live their lives in complete luxury. Both worship God and serve him faithfully.

Now whilst I cannot claim to have had my leg blown off due to a landmine, I can testify to having had nothing in the cupboard for dinner, dressing children in clothes waaaaaaaay too small for them, having to walk because I don’t have a car, not having the money needed to pay entrance into a country upon arrival, and so forth. 

Have my basic needs always been met? Yes! In a timely manner that suits me? No! Yet I have always claimed the faithfulness of God to be my own.

Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.(Psalm 26: 2-3)

The last few years have had definite highs and lows. Honestly, this last year we’ve either been celebrating success or bawling our eyes out because of various human failures. It’s been really hard. Even at the American School, to give an example of a “low”, after class - I was trapped in my classroom with Lorenzy and my own red, cry-stained eyes (before school had been let out). 

It had been that way for the entire day (between classes). I hadn’t eaten. My colleague had come in and asked me how I was and I had been unable to control the tears. (I know, I know, very manly…)

After my last class I had tried to escape. Run to this pole, pretend to be looking at a plant. “Oh my, a Chrysanthemum, and at this time of year (sniff), well - how utterly marvelous…” Run to that trash can, pretend to be a homeless man searching for food. “Delicious, half a pretzel, three cheezels, a thoroughly gnawed hot dog and a chocolate milk/coca cola comboooooh no, it’s my student!” 

Run to the bathroom and pretend to be suffering from bulimia. (too much, especially considering the size of my tum-tums) Now to that tree, pretend to be a Koala… “Lorenzy push my fat bot-bot harder! I´m sure I can make it to the first limb!” It was exhausting!

So a few months ago I (though it was a “we” decision, “I” had to personally make the commitment) really determined it was time for me to have more faith. Terrifying! Though I can´t say anything too much here - because the content on this page can be viewed by anyone, it took enormous sacrifices and cost us greatly. 

We’re now completely trusting that the Lord will provide And Enter from Stage Left, the faithfulness of God…

So today I´d just like to share that, in terms of our vision, God is providing great things for us, too much to detail here, and leading us EVERY step of the way (some doors are being flung open so wide that they´re falling off their hinges, whilst others are being slammed so hard that we´re receiving broken/bloody noses!) 

The faithfulness of God is not limited to our material comfort. The faithfulness of God is about the keeping of His promises to us.

He said “go” and we obeyed. He gave us visions and dreams and we have clung to those. And now we´re continuing the great journey he has for us, and truly, ruly, things are just falling into place. Gloria-a-Dios!

Por ejemplo…

So we are starting this school in a small community, just outside of Managua, Nicaragua, Central America, Planet Earth (and if you need more of an education on location, then YOU NEED TO ENROL IN OUR SCHOOL!!! Capital Edge Community School, just in case you didn´t know…). 

We have 30 kids enrolled, and they range in age from 2 – 3 years old (half of the kids), to 4 – 8 years (the other half). Many of the older children have never been to school before.


Currently, we are in the process of becoming accredited with the Ministry of Education. In Nicaragua, like lots of other countries, beurocracy is everything, with efficiency sometimes taking a back seat. In this instance, it´s a train and I´m in the driver´s seat, whilst my objective went into the toilet bowl and was flushed onto the track when we left our point of origin… 

It´s possibly going to take a while for us to get our license to educate.  But still, GOD IS FAITHFUL and we have government coverage whilst we´re in the process!

My pastor here in Nicaragua is over-the-moon about our plans for the school. At this point, the school will operate out of the Church of God building where we meet 4 nights per week to worship God.

And so we´ve been having many meetings about our school. First we met with Juan Pablo and Ivania, the Church´s youth group leaders. We´ve become almost best friends with “Juanpi” and Ivania. Then we met with the Pastora, a beautiful older lady, with a strong, STRONG voice (especially when praying… And the endurance of it all! The woman can pray, without ceasing, at the top of her lungs, for 10 minutes straight – I KID YOU NOT!)  She loves us, but she´s a tough woman who has literally lived through war, drought and famine.

We were then taken by our Pastora and the youth group leaders to meet with the District Pastor.
He´s a good looking fella, with a bit of a gut (most Nica men are strapping lads, with well built bods cause they do a lot of manual labour. Most Nica pastors eat like most Nica men, but then sit in lots of Nica meetings and develop lots of Nica fat cells in their Nica bellies. Anyway, pot or no pot, the man loves the Lord and loves us, so it was all “go” with him.

But that wasn´t enough... We needed to meet the Church of God director for Nicaragua. Now for those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook, and for any of you who read my post of a few days ago, you´ll note that I said I went to meet the Church of God director for Managua. That was incorrect. The Pastora has advised that we needed approval from the top, down.

Well on Monday morning we went to meet with the head honcho and have to admit that we had a pretty terrific time. The top dude is thrilled with what we're currently doing at our local Church and is pleased with what we are planning to do. Basically, the Church of God in Nicaragua is RIGHT behind us.

So the Senior Pastor of this denomination invited me to stay for the Pastor's Service. I was pleased to have the invitation, though a little apprehensive as I´d left 4 of my 5 children at home in the care of Monica (our magnificent domestic lady). 

We casually sat in the back row, Franny and I, mostly so that we could get out if we needed to (Nicaraguan Churches do not ever take the short-cut), but also because we felt a little out-of-place. (We´re not pastors after all… We didn´t have the uniform on – either checkered or striped shirts from the 70s…)

Now the Church of God are known for their passionate love of God and to me, for their passionate, but eclectic choice in building dĆ©cor. Hideous doesn´t go the distance. Lots of old lacy table cloths adorn the temples, coupled with beautiful apricot coloured bed sheets up on the wall. 

Cream tiles, with maroon patterns titivate the stage area and beige linoleum is tastefully spread out over the rest of the floor in the building. The room contains are about a million fake flowers in large plastic jars, that were previously (in another decade) used to pickle chilies.

I could go on, but I´m feeling like I´m losing my spirit of faithfulness, and definitely don´t want to lose it while I´ve got it! (but to make a long story short, just visualise lots of dull shapes and colours from the grooving era…)

Now at the height of the meeting there are about 100 pastors in the auditorium. I'm loving the inclusion but am nearly asleep. (remember, Spanish isn´t even close to being my second language…)

I am well and truly in “that special place” when I hear my name mentioned. I look up. “Oh”, I think to myself. “They´re Welcoming me. How kind. I was only here to talk about our school, we ran out of time, and HEY PRESTO! They´ve made a special mention.” 

I wave. Fran says, “Dad, get up!” “Yes, I think to myself. Quite right, quite right. I´m with pastors after all, I should stand and wave like HRH. Pastors in Nicaragua are reverential to say the least… I stand and wave, not quite getting the wave right, but pretty close.

The pastor continues to talk about me and then the applauding starts. “Yes, yes… You in your small corner and I in mine…” I say to myself. I start to sit down and Fran pushes me back up. “Dad, you´re today´s speaker…” I´d say that a lump began to develop in my throat, but it was bigger than that – it was the size of a big boulder. 

I love to talk, don´t get me wrong, but I’ve never really sermonised before, and so I was a little shocked and rather nervous.

I strolled to the front, and considering that this guy had only just met me, he certainly raved on about how terrific I am. (and rather accurately I must admit)

I look at Fran. She’s fidgeting. This only makes me more nervous. “Oh gosh…” I look around. “Why all the pastel colourations?! Why are there no fans?! Why am I up here?!” I turn to leave, but Fran looks at me uncomfortably. I turn in the other direction and the pastor takes me in his embrace. He´s hot and sweaty…  

He pushes the microphone amongst my pulsating fingers. “Gracias” is my auto-pilot response. I don´t really mean it though…

I turn and look at the 70s crew. These pastors are excited! Eyes are twinkling, faces are smiling, and posture is erect and attentive.  Nobody moves – not even me! I raise the microphone to my mouth. And then it happens - A supernatural, totally awesome, positively electric experience. 

I feel the power of God and I can barely shut-up I´m so going-for-it. Fran jumps in and also speaks with volume and excitement. This is what I´m made for, this is the faithfulness of God. He´s doing what he said he´d do, he´s using me to help change a nation. I rally the support of the pastors and share my vision for the future.

Nicaragua has an immense potential in God, and the time for this small but great country is now. I really don´t think the West comprehends the strategic importance Nicaragua has. 

Politically, the two are becoming more and more separate. 

Economically, the gap is widening. 

Spiritually, Nicaragua is coming along in leaps and bounds, whilst the West continues to turn their backs on God. Nicaragua is not going to be constrained by other nations in reaching for greatness in God. We're going to be sending missionaries to the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, Australia, NZ, etc. The people were nearly on their feet with excitement. (plenty of pastors screaming GLORIA A DIOS)

When it couldn´t get any better I decided to stop. Gothard taught me that once you´ve said everything you´ve come to say, then shut-it and sit down. But only 6 minutes… So… I sung a song, but with my eyes closed.  Franny was a bit shocked by this tactic.

I really wasn´t thinking, as I´d been up all night the night before, completing one of our school´s videos. I was zonked and clearly, by this point, under the power of (I want to say) the Holy Spirit. Whilst people may have thought I was drunk in the Holy Spirit, it was more of a combo of being under the anointing, being over tired, very nervous and rather keyed up. (Franny told me after that every single pastor was filming the song with their mobile phones)


I opened my eyes and there was a thunderous applause. Whilst I felt a wee-bit like Michael W. Smith at this point, I decided to end on a high and take my seat. (even forgetting to say “Gloria a Dios”, which potentially made me look like a selfish snob, mental note to self…)

So that is that. God is faithful and we´re running after him. We´re starting this school and having a ripper of a time in the process. Thanks a todo for praying and e-mailing us. We can tangibly feel the support and it´s to-die-for… Have a great week one-and-all, Jeddoxoxo


POST by FRAN: Billy Boy (Oh Boy!)

Billy playing with his Christmas Presents

Every Christmas my Grandparents in Australia, Nanny and Grampy, send us presents in the post. This past Christmas of 2011 was Billy’s first Christmas with us, the Brien family. Billy is a cute, chubby, stubborn, three-year-old who is in love with cars. Billy is from the northwest side of Nicaragua, from RAAN, Waspam and he is my foster brother. So he also got a gift from our Grandparents.  

Raf & Billy
By the time Billy had got to Nanny and Grampy’s gift, he had just finished playing with Granny and Grandad’s (England) present, he had already got the idea on how to tear open presents. We had to teach him how to do it because he was so mad when we gave him a wrapped up present, he didn’t know what to do with it, but he soon got the hang of it! I didn’t like the clean-up time after, there was wrapping-paper everywhere!

He received an instrument: a recorder, a book about race cars plus race cars and a race car track, and a stripy t’shirt. These were from Nanny and Grampy. 

All the Brien kids were sitting on the lounge room floor next to the Christmas tree in the living room. Billy was in between Lorenzy and sezni. Dad was lying on the couch and Mum was in the kitchen making pancakes for our Christmas breakfast. We were watching happy feet on the T.V. (Billy’s choice).
  
Billy played with the race cars ALL day, he loves his cars! But when it came to music practice, Billy wanted to join in, so Mum had to tell him not to play the recorder or he had to play it in his room. Music practice is always in the front room where the front door is. He was playing it just to be a nuisance. He was playing his recorder without changing the note at all! It was really annoying.

Billy gets some Jox. Thanks Family...
Now we have a puppy named Chela. Chela is a very curious puppy, she is 5 months old, and she is a golden Labrador. I named her Chela because she is a light golden colour, and Chela is a Spanish word meaning “White girl”.

Fran & Billy, sitting by the tree
Billy was having a great time with his race cars, until Chela snatched only ONE of his race cars! He suddenly jumped into a two-year-old fit, you know throwing himself down to the floor and screaming for his car! He practically was swimming in his own tears!

We all told Billy to go to his room if he was going to be a baby, so he took the rest of his cars to his bedroom, lined them all up on the pillow in colour order. Then he ran as fast as he could (which wasn’t that fast) outside and hunted Chela down. When he finally caught her he retrieved the chewed up car. He sat on Chela for a minute or two. Then he ran back to his room crying! And these tears lasted for the rest of the day!

This little child needs to learn how to share! He doesn’t like to share anything with anyone! He gets very annoyed at Rafael when he sits on the same chair as Billy. He screams like crazy and runs to his room. He likes to eat my food but he won’t let me eat his! He especially doesn’t like to share with little annoying Labrador puppies!

The cars even get invited to breakfast
He really loved the presents Nanny and Grampy sent, and especially the race cars. This was probably the best Christmas Billy had ever had!