POST by JED: California Dreamin (Part 11)

Capital on the Edge, performing at Davis Christian Assembly

It’s always tops to start on a good note and that’s literally what happened for us at the beginning of Californian tour, week four.

Davis Christian Assembly PUT ON the RITZ for our troupe, measuring us from head to toe and later giving us gifts of brand new clothes and shoes. Quite necessary, and completely welcomed. In fact, as I type this post, I look down with fond memories at my fancy-pants, Jarman shoes – so comfy!

The Church made sure that every meal was a spread fit for royalty with pastries, fruit and coffee for breakfast, and every tantilising delight available in mountainous form, for din-dins. My mouth was watering, at all times, on account of savoury and sweet fumes wafting throughout the building.

They drove us around their gnarly little town, from east to west and north to south, without any concern for the cost of gasoline or their own time.

They cut our hair, gave us tips for our production, helped with marketing our tour, loaded us up with cash and counseled, BOY DID THEY COUNSEL us!

Liz was treated to day-spa appointments, our girls were taken out for ice cream, the Brien boys went on play-dates and this little compilation I’ve delivered now, doesn’t even scratch the surface of their nonstop give-a-thon!

They prayed over our boys one-by-one, wrote letters and spoke with immigration officials on our behalf, organised covert evangelism events in public schools, universities and secular places we shouldn’t have dared step foot in.

They showed us every Christian kindness, with grace, mercy, compassion and unity, and all out of a Jesus-heart for their world – they were love to us. We’d come to be a blessing and whaddayaknow? The tables had been ferociously overturned!

And so from the very start, we knew that Davis Christian Assembly had our backs. Sunday morning was a great way to start our week, with Church consisting of prayer in small groups, praise and worship that was not trying to go somewhere super-dooper, but rather just focused on praising Jesus, and touching God’s heart, and then we performed our street theatre production, "Created."

Capital on the Edge, performing at Davis Christian Assembly

Our troupe was magnificent: high energy, correct form, good acting, the works. The Church was very supportive and really gave the boys something to get excited about. There were small bloopers, there always are, but nobody made mention and all was simply groovy-baby.

Pastor Jonathan, you’ve never met anyone like him. Quirky/hilarious sense of humour, strong leadership ability, musically talented, gifted speaker, hands-on approach, Greek ancestory, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, a businessman, husband and father to a beautiful family, a true pastor’s heart – I s’pose he really was an all-round AWESOME bloke…

Pastor Jonathan, left, with the lads of Capital on the Edge

And Bensie – Darling Bentz! The girl who dances in your shadow, always making certain that EYES are permanently dotted and TEAS are forever dashed, never seeking the spotlight and so articulate. She makes everything beautiful and the wheels definitely go round, not on account of anyone’s great work, but because she’s there pushing that bandwagon with everything she’s got! (and possibly with her darling little kiddies watching on!)

Bentz, an incredible exemplification of the love of God! This gal was the BEST communicator for us, from the Church’s side, of our entire Californian trip. So much thanks goes to this Treasure Pot, for all she did to make our lives simply Heavenly…

Bensie, far left, with (mostly) Capital on the Edge

But, I’m still not doing this Church justice. And why? Well because it’s a bargain basement, two-for-one jobby! They have a Spanish arm, which is more like a foot!

Again you ask “Why?” Because, during the week the Spanish Church utilises every inch of that Davis Christian Assembly building, pacing up and down it’s corridors, and walking around and around that Church’s sanctuary room, praying into the Heavenlies and giving praise, worship and all glory to God.

So at 2pm we enjoyed the Spanish service.  The music had a gigantic wow-factor attachment (saxophone and all!), and the announcements almost sounded like a sermon - lots of gusto and fanfare, totally Latino – I was in smitten.

Spanish Church at the Davis Christian Assembly

Then once again we presented our street theatre production, though on this occasion we were down 3 people. No matter, the crew soldiered on...

In the evening the Spanish Pastors, from Guadalajara no less, cooked up a storm and we all ate lots of great food. I told the boys to savour every mouthful, unaware that these kinds of meals were to be the norm for the entire week.

After our feed, the Latino pastors graciously took us to their homes where we each were able to have a well needed shower – two performances in one day – peeeeeYOUUUU!

We were also prayed over for about the 10th time that day and what a hoot! The lads have experienced Spanish prayer meetings and English prayer meetings, but never the both together. In fact, some of the second generation Latinos from Davis, prayed in both languages within the confines of the one prayer – ha ha SENSATIONAL! We had a good laugh – it was TOPS!

More presents of lotions and bathing stuff, and we were then brought home for a great night of R&R.

Spanish Pastors (The Montoys)

Now my old childhood pal from YWAM, Laura Larson (then "Rediger"), did a bit of a brag about the Davis Christian Assembly before we came to the pretty inland town (she used to attend the Church in her husband’s masters days). However, I was like “yeah, yeah, I’m sure it’s probably the best Church in the World.” (not really believing her…)

But truly, it may not be the BEST Church in the World, but it’s most certainly in the top 10, and considering there has to be some 10,000,000,000,000 Churches on Planet Earth, I’d have to say, and I’m no mathematician - so correct me if I’m wrong, that Davis Christian Assembly is in the TOP 1 percentile band of Best Churches in the World. That being said, I’d also like to go so far as saying that I think they’d probably make the TOP 1 percentile band of the Best Churches in the entire UNIVERSE!!!

The following morning we were up at the crack of dawn and off to an elementary school in downtown Davis. The school we visited had implemented a Spanish Immersion program, which I thought meant that it was an educational institution for Mexican kids, desirous of acquiring the English language. Nuppo muchachos, incorrecto. Other way around.

The kids at this school were everyday American kids (African American, White, Asian, 3^rd/4^th generation Latinos) whose parents thought it would be beneficial for their children to learn in Spanish.

Jed & Capital on the Edge, in an American public school

Hence, the kids were being completely immersed in the Spanish language and learning it really quickly, suffering only a wee bit of English instruction per day. The kids at this school were fully bilingual!

Anyway, the point of my story is that we were able to perform for 50 minutes, in two assemblies, in a CALIFORNIAN PUBLIC SCHOOL! To-date, this has not been possible. But I’m here to tell you that con Dios, no hay nada impossible!!!

Capital on the Edge performing in a Californian public school

I had a ripper of a time, stepping back into an American School, and was able to freely share the Gospel message through our street theatre production. We had the kids and teachers singing praise songs, were able to invite kids to other venues to see the production again with their families, and generally had a hum-dinger of a good time!

The kids of an American public school, sat still, sang loudly, and applauded with all of their might

Of course there were a few tears, but only from tincy-wincy kids who were afraid of the Devil (Jonny, otherwise known as Bad Choices), and Stivey.

In our street theatre production, Stivey gets REALLY angry and taunts his audience. We hadn’t prepped Stivey, assuming he would not go up to 6 year old kids and eye-ball them, smacking his fist.

Stivey, eye-balling his audience

Funny thing to me is, he didn’t think the little preciouses would be scared! Most Nicaraguan kids would laugh, having already been exposed to all sorts of horror, gore and physical abuse, and from the earliest of ages.

Our boys were really touched too, being able to come in as “teachers” to American kids. The little darlings looked up to our big boys because of their excellent Spanish language skills and athletic ability. And so the relationships blossomed, as did the dialogue in Español.

The boys, with their adoring fans...

Every bit of thanks to Elaine, from Davis Christian Assembly. This woman was NOTHING SHORT of phenomenal. She organised the public school events, offered us her home, organised for us to meet the director of Acquire the Fire, and nearly matched the Church’s love offering! She knew we needed the help (and we did – thank you Elaine!).

And so, after the performances, Elaine hosted our boys at her house. They were blessed by being able to sit in a spa for two hours, and desperately needed it due to our mounting injury tally – by now we’d been on the road for three and a half weeks, and the boys were getting sore and injured, mostly because they didn’t warm up or cool down properly – there’s only a certain amount that caring benefactors can say/do. At some stage, the boys needed to take ownership of their own bodies! Bah, the youth of today… ha ha

Thank you Elaine for the spa... Relaxed bodies ALL around!

In the evening the Church facilitated a time of openness and brokenness with both the Spanish and English speaking Pastors. It was something else. They prayed for every one of our boys and even Lorenzy. Their words of prophecy were completely SPOT on!

Pastor Jonathan prayed that Lorenzy would be able to maintain her innocence. You have no idea how difficult it is as parents of teenage girls, to welcome teenage boys into your home. We do it, because we believe that God wants us to do this work for him.

However, pastor after pastor questioned us on this. “First God, then your family, then your ministry.” They all say the same thing. It’s not Biblical. It fits in with our selfish Western lives, but it isn’t Biblical. How would that philosophy have worked for Jesus? For Moses? For Abraham? No, serving the Lord is an honour, and we do it together. Our work is not a burden, it’s a privilege.

With God first, everything else will fall into the correct order. But, we do need to be wise. And this is where Elizabeth and I have fallen short, because we’re human – yet, that’s not an acceptable excuse, either. And therefore, it was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME to hear Pastor Jonathan pray over Lorenzy, speaking words of truth and encouragement into her heart. She’s a changed girl! And for the better…

Lorenzy LOVES to dance - and she does it with ALL of her heart

They prayed that Stivey would realise how precious he is to God. Stivey has about a hundred brothers. He is loved by his family, but he’s not special to anyone. He’s special to us, but he doesn’t know that. We try to show him and tell him, but he doesn’t hear us. He’s so used to not being special, that he’s sort of immuned to words or actions of specialness towards him. Stivey was touched, really touched.

Stivey, the special one... (of many)

They prayed that Rene would find his strength in God. Rene was sold by his parents. He’s ALWAYS had to fend for himself and fight in order to get ahead. Rene doesn’t trust anyone and is in a sense, “self-made.” This word was 100% spot-on.

They prayed that Yordy and Jonny would know that they are loved.

Yordy’s Dad left him at the moment he was born. He came back with a stack-load of presents when Yordy was eight years old – all the dads in Nicaragua do this. “I love you, I’m sorry…” They all say the same thing, like they’ve read it from the same script. Yordy started smoking Marijuana at this time – the hole in his heart just too great a magnitude...

Yordy’s mum, we believe, is a prostitute. She has lived with him for a total of 3 months in his entire life. She currently resides in Costa Rica.

Yordy’s first job, before he was ten years old, was to kill cows and cut off their heads.

We consider Yordy to be our son. Just a couple of weeks ago, Yordy cut himself. It all comes back to love. “Don’t you care that I have blood all over me?” he wrote to Liz, desperate for a display of affection from her.

Yordy has attempted suicide countless times. I have spoken thousands of words of love, have shown him fatherly physical love, have doted on him. It’s almost worthless. He needs to know his Heavenly Father’s love for him. Praise God for Pastor Jon’s words…

Jose, Elizabeth and Yordy

Jonny’s family lived in a seriously rough neighbourhood, dominated by gangs. His father was an alcoholic and ruled with an iron fist. Jonny has never touched any drugs or alcohol for fear of his father’s wrath.

When I first met Jonny’s father, I made him laugh, but even I could tell that his face nearly cracked. “Gosh” said Jonny when he got in the car, “I’ve never seen my dad smile before.” Jonny has a parent, but he lacks a father. Jonny’s father is now busy with another woman and a new adorable little bub – and so the cycle of poverty continues. Jonny doesn’t know love.

Sezni & Jonny performing

They prayed that Yader would keep chasing God. This was cool, because he’d been deeply impacted when the pastor’s of a Baptist Church in El Salvador had taken off our shoes and washed our feet. They’d prophesied over us. They gave Yader their own, very well used, Bible.

Yet, since arriving in the USA, we’d also somehow arrived in attitude city. We’d had several run-ins with Yader, he’s terribly proud and never admits fault – that’s quite an obstacle for a missionary. Breakthrough time for Yader!

Yader

They prayed that Beycker would know that he is not the answer to people’s problems. Beycker’s Dad is a terrible man. He is a lawyer and attends Nicaragua’s biggest church – an Assemblies of God Church. My very own denomination! However, Beycker’s Dad has two different sets of children, from who knows how many women (it’s not just 2 as previously though). He has a girlfriend, and brags to his son that his girlfriend is younger than Beycker! He visits prostitutes regularly.

Beycker’s Dad, as I write this, is trying to evict Beycker’s mother, the mother of his children, from her house. Beycker’s father charges his mother rent. I cannot, as a Christian fellow, tell you how cross Beycker’s Dad makes me.

Please pray for Liz, at the moment Beycker’s Dad is furious with us. Many reasons there, but the main thing is that we support his mother, and have gone to lengths to make sure that she is safe and cared for. Her, a mere woman, the garbage of Nicaraguan society…

Woops, lost the point of my story. Beycker is the go-between for everyone in his family and their problems with each other. Poor lad, he cannot shake the shackle.

I’m telling you, the Pastors of Davis Christian Assembly were SPOT ON with EVERY WORD that came out of their mouths. Lizzie and I sat there and just watched and laughed. INCREDIBLE! They were specific, without a word wasted. Usually I “oh yeah, sure” these types of moments. But as I knew, for a fact, that they had no idea about these lads, I could do nothing but sit there in stunned amazement. God, using Davis Christian Assembly, to affect the lives of nothing-people, who were somehow going places (and fast).

Then the food… Of course, the food… I thought I’d died and gone straight to Guadalajara… The Mexicans cooked up YET ANOTHER storm and the youth, intercessors and pastors just kept pouring into our boys, filling them up with food, prayers, wisdom, love, etc. It was INCREIBLE! I’m telling you, Davis Christian Assembly – remember that name. It mightn’t be in this life, but you’ll DEFINITELY be hearing about them again….

Please watch the following clip of a Davis Christian Assembly super-star. This kid was encouraged by our dance troupe and is going to do GREAT things for his Jesus. Just watch and see...

If you would like to learn more about our ministry, please watch our latest update,CLICK HERE

If you would like to learn more about who our Nica-Youths are, or to support them, please visit their page, SUPPORT Nica-Talent

To learn more about our street theatre production, "CREATED", please visit our page,NICAVANGELISTS: "CREATED", North American Tour (2013)

If you would like to see a video of some of our Nica-Youths practicing, please CLICK HERE

We are not up to budget, and travelling with 14 people is very expensive. We need an investment from Christian people for our next evangelism tour to the Midwest. To support us or make a once off donation, please visit our page, Contemplating SUPPORTING something significant?

To learn more about Davis Christian Assembly, please CLICK HERE

POST by LEIKI: Leiki's Life

Leiki, with a renewed hope in his heart

My name is Leiki and I am 12 years old.

I want to share about my life and my family’s situation. My parents are divorced and my dad is very bad. He wants to kick us out of our house and he never provides money, nor gives me clothes. Yet still, my mum gives us all love, clothes, money and food. Although my dad doesn’t give us anything, my family is still happy.

I am especially happy because I am traveling with my friend Yasser, and Elizabeth. I also want to go to see my friend Raffy. I'm really happy because I'm in a group that practices “Tricking” (like Parkour: utilises Gymnastics and Martial Arts) and “Bboy” (Breakdancing). I am a little bit sad because my brother will not travel with us this time and I will also really miss my family.

Now that Leiki lives at Capital on the Edge (with his mother), he attends school 5 days per week

When I go and visit my dad, he doesn’t want me to return to my mother. He says that he wants me to live in a house that has discipline. But I want to live with my mum and I really enjoy using the Play Station (at the Brien’s house). I love being with my brother, sisters and my mum, because my father doesn’t really want me. 

Leiki carrying his seat to class

At times I do not want to practice (Tricking & Bboy) because I am very tired. Yet I'm very happy as I have learnt how to do the “Crescent” and will also learn how to do the “Bolt” (Tricking techniques).

Leiki in his NEW classroom

In reality both I and my family are very sad, because my dad is very bad. When I go to my dad, I know he will not let me leave and then I have to escape, which is extremely difficult because my dad locks the doors.

If you would like to support this fellow on a monthly basis, please CLICK HERE

To learn more about our street theatre production, "CREATED", please visit our page,NICAVANGELISTS: "CREATED", North American Tour (2013)

If you would like to see a video of some of our Nica-Youths practicing, please CLICK HERE

We are not up to budget, and travelling with 14 people is very expensive. We need an investment from Christian people for our next evangelism tour to the Midwest. To support us or make a once off donation, please visit our page,ContemplatingSUPPORTINGsomething significant?

To learn more about our home Church in Australia, please CLICK HERE

This story was written by a Nicaraguan youth, and was voluntarily given to Capital on the Edge for publishing. The subject choice was his entirely. He has elected to write about his experiences for the glory of God and so that others may learn from his experiences. The translation of this work is performed voluntarily and not professionally, hence there may be some errors. Any decisive deviation from the text is in consultation with the author, and is done so to make clear the life events written about and to provide further information so that the story is more understandable. 

 

mi nombre es leiki jose machado y tengo 12 anos. realmente mi vida y de mi familia es asi: mis padres estan divorsidos y mi papa es muy malo poeque nos quiere

sacardela casa y el no meda dinero ni ropa, bueno mi mama si nosda todo amor, comidar ropa y dinero. y aunque mi papa no nosdanada soy feliz con mi familia.bueno yo estoy muy feliz porque voy a viajar con mi amigo yaser y con la elizabeth y tambien quiero ir aver a mi amigo rafi. realmente estoy muy alegre porque estoy en un grupo de tricking y bboy. estoy un poco triste porque no ira mi hermano y tambien estranare a mi familia.

cuando voy donde mi papa no quiere que regrese donde mi mama porque quiere que yo viva cin el a la fuersa. pero yo quiero vivir con mis mama y lo que me gustaria tener es un play station porque me gusta muchop y mis hermanos sime quieren y mi mama tambien pero mi papa no me quiere.

y aveses no quiero practicar por que estoy muy cansado, bueno estoy muy alegre porque me aprendi la media luna y tambien me aprendere la perno. bueno realmente la vida de mi y de mi familia es muy triste porque mi papa es muy malo. y tambien cuando voy donde mi papa no me deja venir y entonces yo me tengo que es capar y es muy difisil porque el sierra las puertas.

POST by NATALIE (GAP YEAR LEADER): A Collage of Blog Posts

Me & my new friends at Pochomil

When I arrived in Managua a few weeks ago, I was greeted by children riding piggy back, people running around and a car that was so full to the brim I was surprised that they could fit one more person in. I met Billy, an awesome little 4 year old who sat in my lap while we zig-zagged through the back streets of Managua. Most of the guys were quiet, but one of them, Rene, is a show-off.

All of a sudden, when stopped at one of the boyz’ house in a shady part of Managua, Rene began doing back flips. I watched in amazement as this group of unlikely fellows came alive. First they were super shy about greeting me, but one by one they grew out of it.

In the week to follow they went to El Salvador to perform, so it wasn't until this past week that I really started to get to know them. Along with Rene, there are seven other boys who each either break dance or do tricking (aka back flips to the extreme). Though most of them were injured in one way or another, I loved watching them perform. They are a super-talented group of guys.

Capital on the Edge is a mission located in a part of Managua that isn't as hot, because it isn't located in the city and also has a nice bit of breeze going through.

I also taught classes on my full first day in Managua at the Project in Barrio Loco. This was a surprise since I was handed the materials for class in the morning and was asked, "Do you mind?"

It was a good bit of fun though and the kids were great. I had a class of about eleven kids who were each about eleven years old. Our class consisted of english bingo, followed by a girls vs. guys spelling game and to finish we sang the itsy bitsy spider and hokey pokey!

The primary class I have, at Capital Edge Community School, consists of 4-6 year old kids and I have a second class that I will be taking over once the teacher goes back to the States.

Today was my first day in our new and improved convertible school bus! That's right! It was horse and cart! Previously I had been in the car when collecting the kiddos, but, since the horse is feeling better (it was bitten by a dog), we took it instead.

The kids were awesome, laughing at my attempts to speak in Spanish and also my constant complaining on how much the ride wore on your rear end. I was able to say a friendly hello to the parents of my awesome little students, see the country side and experience my own "Little House on the Prairie" episode. All I needed was Laura Ingles to come running down a hill with braids or pig tails and things would be set!

I am having a great time and little by little I am settling in.

Last Sunday, to have fun and kinda celebrate their trip to El Salvador, we took a trip to the beach. Now, I have to tell you, with my hair dyed a shade of red, my blue eyes and my light skin, I felt like the little mermaid (minus the fish tail and seashell bra).  The beach was full of amazing views and waves that seemed to never end. 

Anna, Ericson, Lorenzy & Natalie at Pochomil

Somehow though, I got into a mad sand war. People were making balls of sand and just pelting each other with them (I have the bruises to prove it). With both hands full of sand I charged, only to be met with at least four of the guys also with their hands loaded. Needless to say, I lost.

The day at the beach ended with a very different type of playing in the sand. Liz, the "director" of the ministry, decided to play a prank on her husband (Jed) by driving the car to the other side of the beach. We accidentally hit some very soft sand and sunk up to the axle on the car!

Thankfully, there were some very nice beach-going Nicaraguans to the rescue and one of them had a shovel! We eventually dug our way out. We were tired, sore and slightly sun burnt but it had been such a great day that even the car ride home (when Jed almost killed us) was enjoyable.

Now I mentioned there were eight guys that did tricking, but I only mentioned Rene. He was the only one I remembered from the first day because of the back flips, but now I have the pleasure of knowing the rest. Eliazer, Beycker, Jonny, Yordy, Ericson, Stivie, and Yader.

They will have to forgive me if I spelt their names wrong, but I think I got it right. These guys are so funny, always putting on gel and looking in the mirror to make sure that even if they don't go anywhere, that they are prepared to.

Now there are two gap year girls along with myself and they are Anna and Jocasta. There is a new girl coming, Monica, but she had to return to Mexico for a family emergency.

Right now there is a clinic going on so things have been pretty busy. This morning we were short staffed and I had a migraine and stomach issues... yeah I know, no fun. I am so thankful however that they pulled together so that they could march on without me. The people here are just that awesome!

Also today, the guys just got approved for their visa's and they will be touring California in the United States! They are super excited (as they should be!) and once I return to the United States I might have to take a road trip to see them perform and reconnect.

Things, though crazy, have been awesome and I cannot wait to see what God is going to do through me here. Being an English teacher is awesome, and teaching is definitely my passion, but I still want to know if I am making that deep impact to the people I am surrounded by.

Well, that's the short version from the past few weeks. I hope y'all keep me in your prayers! I will be returning to the states in June and after that I don't believe I will be returning to Nicaragua. It is all in the hands of God, but I hope to start helping people in the States in my own community.

POST by RENZ: Carried Away on the Carreton

Fran loving Nicaraguan hugs

Here in Nicaragua, the richer of the poor people use carretons to get around, get fire wood, transport crops, etc. We have a carreton and five horses and a foal. A carreton is a wooden cart pulled by a horse or a strong animal like that. We use ours to collect kids for the school. I go in the morning with Fran and Yader.

We pick up the kids that live too far to walk and the kids that their parents cannot drop them off at our center. Sometimes it takes longer than other times but it is fun and I like doing it.

At midday we take the kids that we collected back home. It is hard sometimes especially with the rain and the flooding. One girl´s house is up a big hill and the carreton cannot go up it because it’s really steep. So I am the one that usually has to walk up the hill, to her house, and see if she is ready.

Most of the time she is ready, sitting down, watching the tele, but other times I just wait outside awkwardly until she comes out. She is really dulcet and her name is Francesca like my sister. On the way to get the kids, it is a bumpy road. There are a lot of holes and hills. Sometimes it is hard to get around because of that.

One day when I was learning how to drive the carreton, we had a lot of kids with us. Francesca, the little girl, dropped her hair clip so Rene went and retrieved it. While we were waiting for Rene to come back, Moises, one of the boys in the school, was hitting the horse with a branch to make it go faster.

The horse & cart, with Yader driving

Suddenly the end of the rope got stuck in the wheel whilst we were going and it scraped my thigh. I felt my leg burn! It hurt! I had a big mark across my leg and some type of yellow, sticky liquid was coming out of it. We had just left the house and I could have gone back but I didn’t because I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.  So Yader took over the reins and we were off again.

Lorenzy's leg - YOUCH!

When we were going down the first hill, I went to get a drink at Yader´s house. Yader let Rene drive the cart down the hill for some reason. When I came back to where they were I saw that all the toddlers were off of the cart and some were crying. I asked them what had happened and they said that the carreton had gone too fast down the hill because of Rene´s driving and that is why they had jumped off and walked down the hill.

Lorenzy

We took them home and came back to the house as fast as we could. When I got home I showed my mum what had happened to me and she took care of it. The next day it hurt even more than when it had happened and I could barely walk. Now it is much better but it still hurts. Rene is now not allowed to drive the cart with passengers on it. He is psychotic.

Rene reading to Capital Edge kids

POST by RENZ: Nothin' like Nica-Neatness

You might not think it , but Nicaraguans are clean freaks. The women are always sorting and cleaning things, even when they are not at their own house! I guess they probably clean because it is so humid and there is a lot of dirt everywhere.

It is mainly the poorest people that look the best out of everybody for some strange reason. Probably because they do not like to look poor or something like that. They have like five showers a day at least and are always washing their belongings.

Now, because of them, I wash my shoes a lot more than I used to and wash my clothes by hand because for some reason I find it fun. That, and I also like washing mops and mopping the house and the porch. Every day, a mum of one of the kids in our school comes to help clean the "school areas".

Jonny & Lorenzy

I was talking with one of them one day whilst we were cleaning and I asked her if she liked cleaning. She said that she likes doing it and also especially at our house because we had tiled floors and it is more fun. The next day I asked another kid's mum and she said the same thing.

Jonny, one of the guys that teaches dance to the kids, my siblings, and I, is sick right now with a cold and  stuffy nose. The way he blows his nose is the most interesting way that I have ever seen anybody blow their nose. He does it two different ways. The first way is he blows with his fingers on his nose and then flicks his fingers it is really weird and I cannot even explain it.

The second way is with his shirt. He always carries another shirt with him and blows it like that, which I thought was really weird, because he is Nicaraguan and I thought blowing his nose with his shirt would be his last option but then again, I have never seen him blow his nose with toilet paper.