POST by JED: Morning Has Broken (Me!)

My eyes spring open! What is going on today? I know life is presenting me with an enormous opportunity but, what is it? Instead of functioning, my brain decides to reboot or hibernate, and I´m unable to work out which.  I am left to lie in bed pondering the events of the last few days.

We´ve been busy with the Christmas Hullabaloo; Christmas lights/trees/music, Carols by Candle Light Concert, Christmas Shopping, Christmas Chooks, Christmas Presents, Christmas Drive, Christmas Eve Family Time (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas – MY FAVOURITE MOVIE OF AAAAAAALL TIME! Especially the bit when Betty-Lou says “Did I have a crush on the Grinch? Ha ha Well of course not” and then the little girl says “I didn´t ask you that…” I laugh hysterically EVERY time, it´s soooo funny!!!), Christmas Day Celebrations at the Church, Christmas Night Parties, and the list goes on… I´m pooped.

I´m happily drifting in and out of la-la-land when BINGO, I remember, today is the day for school ENROLMENTS at the Church, and I´m the dude that´s in-charge! I try to do what Liz does with ease, and fly through the shower whilst ironing my clothes, eat breakfast whilst clipping my toe nails, and Wax my upper lip whilst tying my shoe laces, but alas – I´m only a man!

I arrive 20 minutes late. There is now only 10 minutes until the parents of potential students start rolling through the doors. The Church is already open. Ivania is cleaning the Church and warmly welcomes me in. I have arrived on my moto, and hence I´m sporting a care-free athletic look, which is SO me. Besides that, I´m wearing linen pants and a black, long sleeved T. I feel especially Latino. Francesca is with me, showered, hair/teeth brushed, looking completely alive and into life – WHY DIDN´T SHE WAKE ME?!

I had thought I´d just “wing” the session. However, due to a surplus of time on my hands with nothing really for me to do (Ivania had the sweeping and dusting under control), I determined to jump on the ol´ happy-lappy and plug in a plan, so as to look active and official when people came in. I opened up my laptop and well, once I started, there was no stopping me. What was I thinking? Ha! I could “wing” an information session about a school that could potentially help solve some of these childrens´ chronic socio-economic problems? The madness…

At 10am I began to sweat. I had so much more to plan and no time at my disposal! Relax, I said to myself – they´re Latin American and bound to be late. I kept typing. Ten minutes later - still not a soul in sight. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. I had Fran go door knocking, begging people to come, even if just for the numbers. I was about to tear the shirt from my back and walk blind folded home when a lady from around the corner, the one with 5 children, stammered through the door.

She was dressed in a dungaree jean outfit, and looked more presentable than I´d ever seen her look. I warmly welcomed her in. Immediately, another mother approached the door. She hesitated, then stepped up to and then through the entrance. She was tired, shabbily dressed, and had a baby attached to her. I went in for the meet-and-greet. Yes a bit awkward, but hey - I´m Australian, we shake hands! Seconds later another lady approached. My heart started pounding… Success, we´d have at least 5 kids in our school!!! She had a small child and a suit jacket on. Not something I´ve ever seen in these parts, but at this point I would have been thrilled with an overweight baboon bringing in her young.

I decided, now that the Church was simply bursting with activity (the ladies did not acknowledge each other.  They merely stared at EVERYTHING I did. “Oh, he just dropped his pen. Now he´s picking it up. And woops, he shouldn´t have tried to do that – a bit silly if you ask me”), that I would go in for the kill.

I started my presentation, which took me thirty minutes to get through. Even I was bored by the end… Upon fielding questions from my audience, a miraculous thing happened, a FLOOD of parents started entering the building. “It´s okay, we´ll do a second session”, I say to myself.

At this point I decided to take my first three parents outside for an interview. The idea was to have moments of laughter, so as to make the other parents jealous (“what´s he doing now?”), and to reward the “punctual parents” (what´s an hour between friends?) for being on-time. Of course, everyone, including the mass that had just arrive, followed us outside.

I sat with the first lady, the second to arrive in the morning, and started to chat with her. I proceeded to ask her questions of a personal nature. Everyone leaned in because I had lowered my voice (I know right? Me, lowering my voice! Ha!). I lowered it again.  At this point even I couldn´t hear myself. I asked her who she wanted to enroll in our school. She told me that she wanted to enroll her two sons. Laughter erupted from the crowd surrounding us. It was almost deafening.

Something you mightn´t understand about our ministry is that although we have good intentions about getting in there and finishing a task, it is almost impossible with my Nicaraguan amigos. They have heaps of love for us, and curiosity is stacked to the limit. They follow us everywhere and watch every gesture, every moment, every hesitation. It´s all quite amusing and fascinating to them, even better than television! My point is, nothing happens quickly. Everything we try to accomplish takes 10 times longer, because everything we do has an audience (there are days that I feel like Oprah)

I already knew that the 2 boys she was wanting to enroll are both too old. I met them during our Christmas Gift Drive.  So I asked her why, “Why  do you want to enroll your two sons?” She responded by explaining that she desires for them to have an education. The sound of scoffing, from onlookers, is almost deafening. She knowingly looked at me with tears in her eyes.

In our small community, this strong woman clings to the bottom rung of the social network with all of her might. She is exceedingly poor, lives outside of the barrio, her husband is unemployed… Whatever they eat is either hunted or stolen. Their entertainment is watching, from on top of a wall, people walk by their house. More times than not I have driven by and high-fived the boys, whilst their parents have watched, smiling, grateful for every gesture of kindness offered.

 She would not be moved. I relented, knowing that God has called us to Nicaragua for people just like this. I was deeply moved. Her children have not been enrolled in school before because her husband is an alcoholic and they have little money for clothes and hygiene products. They live in a shambles of a hut and they are despised by their community.

I asked for the boys´ date of birth. She was unable to give them to me. More tutting from the gallery. I looked around, but this time with fire in my eyes. “That´s okay” is my response. “We would be honoured if you would consider sending your children to our school.” I thanked her for her time, shook her hand and, well you know, went in for the greet, and then we said our goodbyes.

I have been back to visit this precious family several times. They have offered me beverages, I have drunk them. They have offered me a seat, I have sat. They have offered me food, but due to stomach ailments beyond my control, which I cannot get a decent prescription for, I have been forced to decline.

God has put an array of wonderful, but very needy people in our path. They´re always there. You probably have them too. Sometimes we see them and sometimes we don´t. All He asks is that we serve them as he served us. Our desire is to look after the orphan and the widow in their distress, to meet people where they are at, to love, unconditionally, EVERYONE, every time…

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:34-36