Political: Another Report on Election Fraud

From the United Kingdom, yet another report indicating a fraudulent election process in Nicaragua, with commentary from the European Union. This article points to the probability of a self-imposed dictatorship, similar to that of Venezuela´s Hugo Chavez. Folks, please fasten your seatbelt cause we´re in for a bumpy ride... 

To see this Open Democracy Report, please click on this link

POST by LIZ: Billyboy knows best

Billy, repeat after me: eye -- eye, ear -- ear, eyebrow --eye bow, chin -- in, belly button -- billy button... no... b-ELL-y button, b-ILL-y button, b-ELL - b-ILL, BELL - BILL, B-E-L-L- no, it BILLYBUTTON Mom.

Political: Election Reporting in Nicaragua

A recent article published in the Christian Science Monitor talks specifically  about the voting irregularities in Nicaragua´s 2011 elections and the deception that most likely occurred in the process. There were several problems in the electoral process:

1. The stalling of official documentation for election observers, resulting in their delayed admission to polling stations, especially those which historically voted for the liberals (opposition party);

2. International and local observers being denied access at key polling stations, even though these observers possessed appropriate documentation;

3. The non-existence of government reporting data on official results.

Click here for Christian Science Monitor´s Article on Nicaragua´s 2011 Election Results

Social: Abortion in Nicaragua

Abortion is an extremely difficult topic to front, and it is no easier a task in Nicaragua. The issue has everybody divided. I´m not an advocate for abortion and I´m certainly not standing up for the conservatives. It´s a tough one.

In Nicaragua all forms of abortion are illegal, no matter what the circumstances - there are no exceptions. This puts doctors in a tricky  spot.

The following video highlights the inhumanity of anit-abortion legislation, yet it seems that Nicaraguan women use abortion, for the most part, as a solution to rape and family planning. Why aren´t all the left-wing protesters from around the World, featured in this video, here in Nicaragua protesting rape and educating men in appropriate family planning practices?  Why aren´t right-wing conservatives from the USA praising socialist, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, for his stand on pro-life issues?

POST by JED

Today´s post is a hard one for me. As a parent, to a beautiful young lady, who is always working so diligently for the cause to which we´ve committed, it is difficult to broach the subject of loss. 

Francesca is a special girl, with a big heart. I know she is a pretty lass, people always tell me that. Yet I am more focused on what makes her tick. After all, our looks come-and-go with such force, that it is no wonder to me we become wrinkled in old age (beauty really is only skin deep). As my Gran says “it takes 18 years to get to 18, 5 years to get to 30, and 5 minutes to get to 100”.

I love Francesca´s compassion for those around her, which is evidenced to me by the way in which she prays. She is committed to Christ, and values his efforts for humanity, when he gave himself on the cross so that those he loved, us, could be reunited with him forever, in eternity.

Living on the other-side-of-the-World is no easy task for a 14 year old and presents multiple challenges. Some of you may have experienced the effort and struggle that loving from-a-distance takes. It can be hard at times.

Franesca has family members in Bristol (UK), Rochester (New York, USA), Brisbane and Canberra (Australia). She rarely gets to visit with them, to drop-in and say hello, to plan dinner dates, have people come for special occasions, and so-forth.

In some ways it is easier for Rafael. He doesn´t remember having access to extended family members. But Francesca does, and it is a factor of life that can be heartbreaking at times to discuss with a teenage daughter, who is so often filled with emotions that I never knew existed (or thought possible! I mean, even Liz is speechless at times! And that really is something!!!).

To ease the burden, when we arrived in Guadalajara, Mexico, (some three and a half years ago) we bought Francesca a puppy. Francesca is a glass half-full kind of girl (my brother always says, cheeky rat-bag that he is, that he “didn´t ask for a glass of anything, (he) I asked for something to eat…”), who just loves living life. And so, she called her puppy, “Lucky”.

The name was completely her choice, and trust me, she had all sorts of suggestions. Lorenzy wanted to call the dog “Betsy”. Rafael wanted to call the dog “Spot” (the dear dog didn´t even have one, but there is the brain of a 4 year old). Sezni wanted to call the dog “Dinner”. I usually lovingly referred to her as “bitch” (for she was one, and everybody knew it).

Francesca felt completely lucky to have this gorgeous beast of a new family member (if you´ve ever seen a Basset Hound, you´ll know that they´re not known for their “good lookingness”, but rather for their loyalty). The dog really was the one who was Lucky, because Francesca was the best owner a dog could ever desire. She transferred all of her love, affection and devotion onto that dear little puppy, ugly as she was (just my opinion), and it was all returned, and then some.  

We immediately knew that we had a “Brien” on our hands (no, not because she was ugly). Lucky would cry as soon as we left the house for school in the morning and would still be crying (howling) when we returned in the evening.

Basset Hounds become clinically depressed when separated from their family and Lucky was no exception. Our neighbours became clinically psychotic (not something new for us, you only had to have visited us in our house in Australia to know this) and would often throw hot water on Lucky, or hard objects at her, just to shut the dear up. It never worked… (much like trying to stop Liz from talking at times... NOTHING WORKS!!!)

We had hundreds of beautiful moments with Lucky. We went for many walks together in the park. We took her regularly to buy grocery items at the shops. We flew with the poppit from Mexico City, to Miami and then on to Managua. (Which is an adventure for yet another post, but LET ME TELL YOU!!! I was the one stuck with Lucky throughout this voyage. We spent the night together in Miami International Airport and I wanted to drive my foot lovingly up her behind – for she whined ALL NIGHT LOOOOOONG!!!)

I think Fran will agree with me when I say that the most beautiful time together was when Lucky had pups. (though not the conception part… That was not beautiful… That time involved me, a big overweight Mexican man, his drooling dog, the rooftop, and 20 minutes of holding Lucky down whilst she was being “serviced”. And the face she gave me, OH THE FACE!!! Think “Basset Hound”… Trust me, I´m still having therapy…)

We arrived home to one of the pups already having been born. The house flew into a commotion, with the female teachers from next-door racing in to help. Out the pups popped, one after the other. I think there were five in total. Black and white little balls of fluff! There´s nothing more special than a wee-little pup… Though one must put emphasis on the wee part. For wee they did. The kids had promised me they´d keep mopping the floor, but you know who always ends up holding the mop!

And so, Lucky... We have been so very lucky… We shared a beautiful life together. 

From the outset lucky had not been overly strong. She was the runt of the pack. The smallest dog. She had needed surgery at only a couple of months old for a hernia. Lucky was always tired, always skinny. She had been very sick as a pup and never really seemed to fully pull through…

Today Francesca found Lucky dead. At just three and a half years old Lucky was unable to keep going. She had no puff left. She was exhausted and sick and tired. And so, she just had to go…

There are just no words that can be said for this kind of a moment. No paternal words of wisdom. Anything I try to conjure up just seems fake. Oh sure, the tears flow and there is an acceptance of what has happened. But what can you say? You can´t say anything. Fran is completely heart broken, not ever really having experienced such a loss. 

And so today we mourn the loss of our best friend, Lucky. She is more than just a beautiful dog, she is a part of our family. 

PS.. And no Liz, you cannot replace man´s best friend, with dog´s worst enemy. We HAVE to get another dog...


Click here to view a video of Lucky with her Family...

Social: Amazingly Gifted Kid

Check this kid out and tell me that he shouldn´t be bound for the Olympics!!! I´m going to hunt him down and recruit him for our "Watoto Choir"...

Social: The Miskito Coast (Billy´s people)

Watch the following documentaries to learn a little about where Billy comes from and the problems that his people are currently facing.

POST by LIZ: Driving Blindly

Yesterday our guard told me that his brother had just passed away - It was tipping down with rain so I gave him a ride home. I met his family and close friends, I hugged and kissed everyone in sight, and said how deeply sorry i was for their loss. I then returned to the car still feeling for their pain... then suddenly the WHOLE family jumped into (and onto) the car, even 90 year old granny was t...rying to open the door with her crooked stick - the rain did not hold back, and invited its friends; lightening and thunder.. Well, at least the weather made sense, coz I had NO idea what was going on... uncles and aunts were either crammed into my car like sardines, or hanging off the sides of the car like icicles on a winters day. Not wanting to offend the grieving family (that were now in the shape of my car) I asked in a nonchalant tone, "¿A donde van?" which I received the response "Derecho"

Drenched to the bone, ducking the thunder bolts from the heavens, and deaf from the noise of the storm, I do what any normal human being would do.. I tell Francesca Brien to dig her fingernails into the side of the car and hold on tight (Grandma made it perfectly clear with her stick that there was no room in the movable inn), and then I drive, windscreen wipes to the max, through the muddy, potholed calle, which is now more like a river, to the destination unknown!

The car sputtered into action, and I´m so sure I could hear the car saying “I think I can, I think I can” as we chugged through the muddy, narrow, no-named back streets of the slummy neighborhood.  By this time it was pitch black, no street lights, and rain attacked the windscreen. It was impossible to avoid the pot-holed roads, and the car´s suspension was non-existent due to the taco-lovers weighing it down.  Nestor, our faithful, trustworthy guard, was in the passenger seat directing the way.  All I knew was “a la derecho” but when that “derecho” was no more, I asked, “¿A que lado?” Nestor had pulled the chair so far forward – I wasn´t sure if it was out of courtesy   for his many family members crammed in the back, or whether it was out of fear of being whacked by the crooked stick his grandmother held firmly in her hand like it was some nunchuck.  

Here I have to interject and explain a cultural tradition. In Nicaragua, the people think it´s rude to point with their fingers, so they point with their lips – like they are puckering up to give you a big, juicy kiss! Actually, this took me a while to figure out that this was a cultural sign of indicating the way, and when I used to ask for directions, I´d think the person responding in this manner was “coming on” to me, so I would retort in an offended, indigent tone, “I´m married”, stick up my ring finger at them, and put my foot to the accelerator.  Anyhoos, back to the story… So I asked Nestor which way to turn and he tried pointing with his lips, but the windscreen put a stop to my understanding, so I asked him to use his words, he turned to me and said to the left, at that moment I decided to make a mental note to buy him toothpaste for his Christmas hamper.

After 5 mins of bouncing along the slippery roads, carrying a truck load of arms and legs, I hear Francesca Brien yell out.. “Slow down Mom, you almost made Nestor´s mother´s brother´s cousin´s sister fall off!”  heeding my wise daughter´s advice, we finally made it out onto the freeway.. surely not I thought.. but the lips and grandma´s stick directed me otherwise. My prayer life certainly soared higher than it had ever been before, and I blindly joined the other traffic on the road.

After 30 mins driving at 10 kms per hour, we exited the freeway, while I added to my mental note about ensuring I included a toothbrush to accompany the toothpaste.  More winding, pot-holed, narrow, swamp-like off roads, when suddenly I hear a THUD from the outside of the car… Nestor stuck his head (and lips) out of the window and then some dialogue in native nigaraguan occurred – I say this, because I had no clue what they were saying, then Nestor points his lips forward, so I advance... BANG BANG BANG… I stop again. Fran yells out, “Mom, you almost drove over Nestor´s Uncle´s Mother´s Cousin´s Nephew.  Didn´t you see he´s trying to get down!”  I started to yell out a piece of my mind, but the body that was gripping on to my side door muffled my words   “It´s all clear now” so we continued.

We arrived at the steepest hill I have ever seen.  Nestor´s lips protruded as far as they could pointing high. I started to question his decision with my limited Spanish, but the lips remained stiffly pointed in the direction of the hill.. I made the sign of the cross across my body (heard an array of AMENS), then urged the car up up and beyond.. sliding all over the place but remaining fixed on the mission, As the car struggled upwards, I started to feel quite proud of its efforts, thinking maybe I should buy the car something special for Christmas, when all of a sudden, mid way up the mudslide-waiting-to-happen hill, there was a broken down pick up truck with chairs piled up in the back.  It was stuck in the mud! I stopped.. of course! There was no way to get around.  Suddenly, my car rolls backward, “stop stop STOOOOOOOP” Franny commands, as many pound on the outside of the car!

I push my brakes as far to the floor as they will go and with a sweaty hand, pull up the hand brake– as the sweat pours down my face - which I´m handless to wipe off -without word, EVERYONE disperses off the car, and hoards of faces battle through the wound -down window, to kiss my cheeks, left and right, which are now turning purple from the strain of keeping the car from rolling.  Just when I think I can´t hold the car from sliding for one more second, I see Grandma waving her stick at me and pointing her lips down the hill, and I know my job is complete. I call for Fran, who is still clinging to the side of the car, she jumps into the front seat.  I release the brakes, and we slide down to the bottom of the hill.  Nestor´s and his family look like little ants climbing their ant hill. To where they were going? Well, that remains a complete mystery to me!       

Social: Nicaraguans Beat Criminals to Decrease Criminal Behaviour

Nicaragua is one of the safest countries within the Americas, much safer than the USA (physical safety). However, it wasn´t always this way. How did Nicaragua arrive at this place? They beat their criminals. Legally, Nicaraguans are allowed to restrain criminals, but not inflict bodily harm. Yet this does not always occur. Check out this video to learn more.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=5be_1192722890

Social: La Chureca - Managua´s Dump...

Please pray for the people of La Chureca. There are international aide workers assisting these people. However, poverty in Nicaragua is such a huge problem, that it is difficult to know where to begin. The thing that impacts me is that families sell their daughters to the city´s truck drivers for sex, not necessarily for money, just for the right to be first to sift through the trash.

http://vimeo.com/1054619

Political: The US is Angry, the EU and Canada Remain Silent, and North Korea, Syria and Venezuela Congratulate Ortega on His Win

With Daniel Ortega winning a consecutive term in office, nations from around the World now question the electoral process and validity of Ortega's administration. Fears of an authoritarian government are increasing, though nobody will do anything about it. Except, of course, for North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela, who congratulate Ortega on his victorious return to the Presidency.
http://www.nicaraguadispatch.com/politics/us-nicaragua%e2%80%99s-democracy-is-%e2%80%98sad-news%e2%80%99/1369

Political: Nicaragua is Moving Towards a Dictatorship, Similar to that of Venezuela

Read this article which clearly states the future for Nicaragua. European governments are beginning to turn their backs on "Socialitst Nicaragua".

http://www.economist.com/node/12607338

Billy Drops in to Say Hello...

POST by SEZNI

Hi, it´s me, Sezni. I am in Fourth Grade. I’m going to tell you a story called the two little piggy’s and the big bad wolf.

In Third Grade Ana and Andrea and I were going to make a play. Ana and Andrea were going to be my classmates. We were going to have a play called The Two Little Piggy’s And The Big Bad Wolf. We were going to have a list how were going to say it in the play. 

Once Upon a time there was two little piggy’s and they had to make their house. When they were done they had a nap , but I came to the little piggy’s house I was going to eat the first piggy. 

Ana ran away from me she woke up Andrea they went in there house. I was going to Huff and Puff and I was going to blow their house in. So I Huffed and Puff and blew, but it didn´t work it was strong. 

So I went to the top of the house the little piggy’s was putting a pot in the fire place. When I came in I ,  said Dinner Time. I landed, but I sat on the pot and I yelled loud and went to the hospital because I was painful on my back.             

The end

POST by RAFFY

Hello, remember me? Yea that’s rite I´m Rafael Brien. 

Now all what I´m going to do is read you a story girls and boys. The characters in the story are Billy my brother, and my family how are trying to get BILLY. Read carefully. Here we go.

    

On one exiting day my family was going to the shops. It needed to be super-duper fast. So my dad said get pasta Lorenzy, get yogurt Sez .And my dad said to Fran what is this? What is that? Because he didn´t know what it was. 

And after two minutes Billy ran to find cars because he liked cars. And Fran said to Renzy race to Billy I´ll go with you so they did. 

Ten seconds past and Billy did it again. Aye aye aye…  Then Billy didn’t do anything bad. The end. Thanks for reading. Good bye.

Culture: Nicaragua´s Ben Hur Chariot Race!

Watch this fascinating video to learn about some of Nicaragua´s poor, hoping to strike it rich, in Nicaragua´s only Ben Hur Chariot Race. The race promises a new home to the winner, and many of Nicaragua´s poor scramble to be a part of the competition...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0cCCyK4U8o

POST by RENZY

Hello everyone! It’s Lorenzy reporting in. I am here to write about a small moment that happened to me here in Nicaragua.

Before I start telling you my story, I have to tell you something about my family. At almost every dinner my family has, we have our own little routine. The boys always wash up, Billy always helps clear the table, Fran (and sometimes me) cook dinner, and Fran and I wash all the clothes. After we all do our jobs, we all go back to the table and do some devotions and then do some times tables, addition and subtraction.

So my whole family and I (not including my dad) were sitting at the dinner table eating dinner. After every one was finished eating we did our little routine and sat back down to do the math’s part. So mum was going along with the math. It was Sezni vs. Fran vs. me, and Rafael vs. Billy (well not so much Billy). 

Sezni was beating me by five cards and Sezni and I were beating Fran by A LOT. Rafael was going so so by himself but we were getting tired of him being so slow. 

So anyway, it was Rafael’s (and Billy) turn. The problem was four minus two and Rafael was about to answer when Billy yells out ¨Two¨ We were all so surprised that we all just started to laugh.  Even Billy started to laugh (but I don’t think he knew what we were laughing about). 

When everyone stopped laughing, Billy thought it was still funny but the rest of us didn’t think it was that funny anymore.

Next time it was Rafael and Billy’s turn, billy did it again. We all found out his trick, his trick was he just copied the last number my mum had said because the problem was six minus one and Billy said  “one”.

Political: How a grandmother and aspiring nun became Nicaragua's top cop

This interesting article tells of a small woman who has stood by principle, to achieve results, in the face of corruption. She has taken on the likes of the Samoza Family, Daniel Ortega, Tomas Borge, drug lords, and others, to become one of the most capable and renouned police chiefs in Nicaragua's history.  

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2011/1116/How-a-grandmother-and-aspiring-nun-became-Nicaragua-s-top-cop

Praying in Managua's Children's Hospital...

POST by FRANNY

Hello there people - this is Francesca posting in - I’m the first one of us, children, to be posting.

Anyway… my story happened on Saturday, 12^th of November, my birthday. Nicaragua Christian Academy (the school that I was enrolled in last year) has a youth group thing called “Ignite”. We get together on every other Saturday morning around 9 A.M and go until midday. We go to a little community that we call “Tent City”, it is called “Tent City” because when we first went there the people lived in tents (well more like under a tarp!!!) now they live in very small houses that the government made for them.

On this particular Saturday we were handing out food to the community (rice and beans, sugar and oil) because they don’t have anything, no money, no food, only a bed to share and a wardrobe. Well it was about time to go when an elderly lady asked some friends that were with me “were we supposed to get sugar?” (but in Spanish of course). A friend of mine went with me to ask if these people had received sugar and oil and most of them hadn’t, even when we looked in their small houses we didn’t see the bag of sugar and the two liters of oil, but they were told to share with their neighbor. Well that’s when we realized that that whole line of houses didn’t receive any of these items or didn’t get any of that stuff. We were so frustrated! That meant that we had to go back to where all the food was at least 50 million times or more and walk back to give a bag of sugar to the needy!

We found out that one of our leaders thought that each building would receive one bag of rice, beans, sugar and oil, not each house… (there were two small houses attached to one building). So when my friends and I were going to get the sugar and oil we were all thinking “if only the leader had gotten the DIRECTIONS right, we would be back at school by now!!!!!” (That’s what teachers say a lot… I know, my mum’s a teacher) We were all hot, sweaty and bothered, but HEY it’s Nicaragua! I think God wanted to see if we were still up to helping out… well by the time we got back to school it was 1:30!!!! WHAT A DAY!!!

Well we usually get back at 12ish and that day we got back at 1:30ish! We were so thirsty, we thought we might die!!!! And everyone’s parents were there waiting.

Social: Children Used as a Source of Labour...

In Nicaragua many children are viewed as a cheap source of labour. Watch the following video to learn more:

Political: Nicaragua is Possibly Going Back to Years of Dictatorship...

Whilst Daniel Ortega was a critical member of the union who overthrew the Samoza family (former dictators of Nicaragua), he is now fast becoming the animal he used to loathe.

The following link discusses the current political crisis in Nicaragua and questions the political future of this beautiful country.

http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/10/nicaraguas-slip-back-to-authoritarianism/

POST by JED

Okay one-and-all… For those of you in the know, this will come as no surprise… I am now home schooling ALL of our children. (Please fall to your knees and start interceding immediately! I’m not the most organised of folk and my wife discerns this best…) So I thought rather than just prattling on and boring everyone to tears (myself included), I thought I’d give you all the chance to hear from our children, in terms of their daily experiences, and what makes life on the mission field in Nicaragua, go tick, tick, boom…

I would like to ask one favour from you our reader. This blog entry is an activity that is a part of their schooling. We´d love to hear what you think about their writing, both in terms of the content they are writing about, their style as writers, and their technical ability. If you have a suggestion or constructive feedback, please ALWAYS mention something you liked about their writing as well. 

So here we go. I shall lead by example and complete the first posting…

Today is Saturday and what a day! I’ve spent most of it trying to recover from our slew of festivities. You see, yesterday was Rafael’s 8^th birthday and today is Francesca’s 14^th. It shouldn’t bother me of course, but for some reason it does. Francesca is our eldest child and it seems like just yesterday she was born. I understand this to be the penultimate in clichés, the ultimate being that my wedding day was the best day of my life, yet I just cannot believe that my beautiful little baby girl is now, well mostly, a young lady. Next year will be her quince años, whereby in Latin cultures, she is considered to be a woman. Rafael will always be a boy, because in Latin cultures, not unlike most other cultures, boys never really become men.

So I’m too tired. I’ve slept in too late.  I’ve drunk too much coffee and eaten too much left-over cake. But the youth of our local Church have promised quite the night. So I round up the children and encourage them into the car, my lungs are exhausted after that delicate little manoeuvre. “Thank Heavens the locals didn’t hear that blessed pint-sized moment” I think to myself.  I’m hoarse. I hear a “ding dong” coming from the house. That means there’s someone at the gate. It’s Liz! She’s back! I’m SAVED!!! Now it’s an interesting time for our family because over the years Liz has played Mum, then I’ve been Mr. Mum, then it’s gone back to dear Liz, and then I’ve had another shot, and then Liz has come back to restore order, we’ve handed it over to Francesca, then on to Aunty Bindi, then over to Gran, and back to me and pooh-wee, it can get confusing…

We jump in the car. It’s hot. It’s Nicaragua. There are seven of us and we’re all tired. The chit-chat consists of drawing invisible lines down seats between children, their fingers straying “by accident”, and sweet, gentle, parental admonishment , much like the initial cajoling  into the car. It´s a bumpy ride, like any street in Nicaragua, and we nearly butt-heads as we round the bend. And then, through the haze, we make out their figures, dark bodies against dark skies. “Hola” we call out. “Hola” is the response we receive. Our friends are Nicaraguans who don´t speak English and reside in the countryside, just outside of Managua. They´re polite, punctual, and wear high heels to Church, even if it means walking through a flood to get there.

We pull ourselves from the car and begin to talk seating/car arrangements, like all adults do, wherever they may reside in this World. But of course by the time we’re out, they’re all in. Some 25 Nicaraguans or so. And by “in” you must believe that I mean in, and around, and above, and behind. I dare not retrieve chewing gum from the glove compartment for fear of a toddler popping forth from his “seating assignment”. Liz and I look at the car, hustling and bustling like an ant heap in harvest mode.

The car creaks and sways. It creaks some more and sways some more. It moans and creeks and then rolls. Did my eyes just deceive me? Did I really just see what I saw? It couldn´t be… Of course, at a time like this you merely stand there hypothesizing, rather than taking the ten steps it would take to just make sure. But of course the car IS rolling. The locals shriek with delight! What a fun ride this will be. Of course we´re in the mountains of Nicaragua and the bottom of this monstrosity, they call a hill, is nowhere in sight. Liz does what any superhero would do. She races to the back of the car and turns her body, so that her back is adjacent to the bumper. She grips and heaves, pulling all the faces I see at the gym, especially when too much weight has been added. “What a fighter” I think to myself, as the car rolls to within one meter of where I stand. The Lord himself only knows why I was paralysed. You won´t admit it, but you would have been too.

She then spanks the bumper, like she´d spank one of her children, “naughty car” I imagine her saying. You´ve been bad, very, VERY bad… The car ignores her admonishment and continues to roll. Liz twirls around in a circle twice, seemingly unable to find the end of the car, and being pushed like a dancer being made to spin by her partner. She dashes around the corner and with another superhero-like effort flies through the window of the runaway car, still dancing, with legs kicking out through the window - the car comes to a sudden halt. “One of the locals released the handbrake not knowing it´s function.” “Oh I see…” is my response.

And that is the beauty of marriage! The ability to know that your spouse will return, to accept failure and success as a part of your union, to enjoy the small moments that together produce a lifetime of memories, and to watch your partner turn from a road raging radicle, into a tenacious tour guide, and then a saving superhero, come bashful ballerina, come psycho superhero, and all in a blink of the eye…

Did we make it to Church? Why yes we did, and thanks for asking. We LOVE Church here, though they could use some help in two areas:

1.     Get their services down to under three and a half hours (Rafael ALWAYS falls asleep, without fail) and;

2.  Music training (please see attached clip - the guy has a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL heart...).

T

Political: A Video History of Nicaragua and the Current Leadership Regime... (Euro perspective)

Please pray for Nicaragua...

Hello there,

Please pray for Nicaragua today. It seems that the worst is over since the elections, which were held a week ago. People have been killed and many injured, through protests over vote rigging.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15675644

It seems that the broader population does want Daniel Ortega, a Sandanista man claiming to be socialist and a Christian, to return to office. However many want a fresh start with a new leader.

Daniel Ortega is now a multi-millionaire who has gained his wealth by stealing from the Nicaraguan people (wealth redistribution) and lying (Venezuela gives Nicaragua oil at-cost, and Daniel resells it to the domestic market, taking the profits for himself... The people believe that this is a government initiative, with profits being pumped back into community projects for the poor). He has also been accused, by his step-daughter, of molestation (when she was eleven years old).

Although Daniel Ortega appears to have his demons, opposition members aren´t much of an option (for similar reasons).

Please pray for these people, who are desperately poor and have been used and abused by dictators, the Church, the West (specifically the USA and the former USSR) and individuals (child prostitution, slave labour, etc.).

Many thanks for reading,

Jed

Our Visit to the Preschool in Cedro Galan

Seeking Sponsorship...

Hello there everyone!

I am just writing to broach the subject of financial support for the Brien family and their ministry in Managua, Nicaragua (Central America). It is not something that we, as Australians, are very good at (we don´t like to do it...). Please do not leave our group if you fear that we will be doing this on a regular basis, because we won´t - we don´t see ourselves as Spammers (...ha ha). However, I just want to let everyone know that we are stepping out in faith, to look after the orphans and the widows in their distress and to bless the poor and provide a helping hand in addition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We left Australia to serve as missionaries and were sent out by our Church, Capital Edge Community Church http://www.capitaledge.org.au/. We are still under the covering of our Church and our Pastor, Jon Cathie. The Church has been an amazing support to us, praying for us often and supporting our work financially. However, we used teaching in Latin American schools as an avenue to support our ministry, and this is something that Liz and I both feel is coming to an end. We both believe that now is the time for us to step out in faith. Jed has just left his post at the American School, to pursue the setting up of our School (for the poor and orphaned children of outer-Managua, commecing in February 2012. We already have 2 enrolments!!!) and our orphanage. We envisage Liz will leave at the end of this school year (June 2012).

Immeditately, Jed and the children are visiting with the poor in Cedro Galan (rural poor, just outside of Managua), offering to pray with community members and assist in any way. We are also visiting the local schools (very poor) and praying with the children, singing with them, teaching them some English and reading to them. Our kids have been resilient in serving the poor, we are amazed at how intensely they have taken to their new roles. We are planning to set up a school in February of 2012 (for local children in poverty and orphans) and as soon as we are able to purchase the property we are living in, we plan on taking in more orphans. The house we are living in is huge, and we believe that it can double as our living quarters, a school, an orphanage and a community centre (with a Church, youth group, mother´s group, feeding centre, etc. There is plenty of land to build on...).

Our desire in the longer term is to start a ¨Watoto¨ like children´s choir, touring to raise awareness for the plight of the Latin American poor and orphaned. We would also like to have an impact on the sex trafficking industry, hopefully pulling these kids out of their dire circumstances. The Watoto Children´s Choir is from Uganda, but we believe that there is room for a Latin American group with a similar purpose... www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfiE4Icpz0Q

And so, whilst we are committed to staying under the banner of our Church, we are seeking partnership with other Churches, other bigger sponsors and from individuals. If you believe that God would have you support us an individual, please visit our blog page to see if there is a payment method that will work for you or e-mail us at lizandjed@yahoo.com.au:
http://capital-on-the-edge.blogspot.com/p/so-you-want-to-support-us-aye.html

If your Church might be interested in supporting us, then please contact us so that we can open dialogue with your Church, and visit you in the US summer (for North Americans and Europeans). lizandjed@yahoo.com.au. For Aussies, please contact us if you believe that your Church would be interested in supporting our work and we can discuss options for communication, whether it be a visit, Skype conversations, e-mail, etc.

Our goal is to raise monthly support of $1,500. This will cover our ministry and living expenses.

We are really opening ourselves up to any thoughts you also might have in terms of how we can fund ourselves. If you have ideas that you think might be of benefit to us, then please contact us.

Many thanks for praying for us and reading/watching our story. Your support is absolutely necessary for the work we do here.

Many blessings upon you and yours...

Jed, Elizabeth, Francesca, Lorenzy-Ella, Sezni, Rafael & Billy Brien xoxoxoxoxoxo

The Brien´s of Capital on the EDGE... Post-Election Blues....

The Brien´s of Capital on the Edge - Billy´s Story...

The Brien´s of Capital on the EDGE... Our First Day Out in Cedro Galan, praying with the locals...

Election Day...

Heya!!! Today is the day that Nicaragua goes to the polls. The 2 main options are:
Daniel Ortega: He is the current (83rd) President of Nicaragua, having served since 10 January 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 10 January 1985, and 25 April 1990. For much of his life, he has been a leader in the Sandinista National Liberation Front (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional... or FSLN).

After a popular rebellion resulted in the overthrow and exile of dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle (who was supported by the US) in 1979, Ortega became a member of the ruling multipartisan Junta of National Reconstruction (supported by Fidel Castro of Cuba) and was later elected president, serving from 1985 to 1990. His first period in office was characterised by a controversial program of land reform and wealth redistribution, literacy programs, hostility from the United States' Reagan administration, and armed attacks by US-backed Contras.

Ortega was defeated by Violeta Barrios de Chamorro in the 1990 presidential election, but he remained an important figure in Nicaraguan opposition politics. He was an unsuccessful candidate for president in 1996 and 2001 before winning the 2006 presidential election.

Fabio Gadea Mantilla: He is a Nicaraguan radio journalist, writer, and politician. He is owner and co-founder of the news radio station Radio Corporación. He also represents Nicaragua as deputy to the Central American Parliament and was President of that body in 2004–2005, as well as having been a member of its Commission of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology from 2007 onward.

In 2010, he was nominated to run as a candidate for President of Nicaragua in the general election of November 2011.

It seems that there is heaps of corruption in Nicaragua. I have interviewed many who don´t seem to think that an elected leader will make any difference for them, in terms of ongoing poverty.

However, should the results of a "close call" in the voting process occur, then there could be rioting and instability in the country, as each nominee grapplés for power. The US are not invited into the country as election observers, though I have seen several European Election Observer trucks around the town.

Please pray for Nicaragua at this time...

Jeddo
PS.. Facts about the candidates were taken from Wikipedia (I know it´s not a credible source, but I know about the candidates and the information is valid).

We´ve started home schooling...

Hiya!!!

In order to get cracking with the school/orphanage we´ve started home schooling. Check out day 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsI4y9By-LQ

Jeddoxoxoxo

Celebrate the Nations Video...

Well,

Today is our 15th Wedding Anniversary. A very BIG milestone (NO, not millstone - ha ha!) for us and we are very excited about celebrating our love and our future together, both as a couple, as a family, and as a part of our great, BIG Church family, Capital Edge Community Church, in Canberra Australia.

Today, in Canberra, they are celebrating the nations, which is a celebration our Church holds every year. I am thrilled to be a part of a Church that takes the mandate of spreading God´s love to a sick and dying World, very literally and with concerted effort.

Please take a moment to look at our video, which merely holds some snapshots of our lives, both in Mexico and here in Nicaragua, our permanent home. We love the people of Nicaragua and are excited about the life that God has called us to, living radically for HIS glory, so that we can touch the lives of the orphaned and widowed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYxHg6fGs5g

God bless you in your walk today, may HIS favour be constantly upon you as you do your bit in your corner of the World...

Love, love, and more love...

Jeddioxoxoxox

Billy´s going to school =)

Sporting the new NCA grey PE shirt and blue shorts

Billy has seen this NCA badge worn by all his brothers and sisters, he knows where they go when they wear it,  many times he would put on Rafi´s school shirt and ask to come with us, but the answer had to be "no Billy, you have to stay home!"  So, when I gave him the shirt and told him it was his very own, he was extremely excited. He knows that the time has come and he can go to the place where he has ALWAYS wanted to go... NCA.

Happiness means twirling around in circles...

...and then jumping for JOY.

The World Keeps on Spinning!!!

Hello one-and-all!!!

Well, life is tricky… We set out, to do our best, and we find that we are often in a battle field even before we´ve had round 2 of coffee!!! Please pray for us at this time... We are a tad bit overwhelmed... I am excited about the change (me going to ANS, opening a foster home, trying to build on our Watoto Choir dreams) however, at times we do feel like we´re fighting a tidal wave (in terms of the amount that can be done, and what we/our family, is capable of doing).

I, the great Jeddo, have a tendency to take on too much! Many of you, my friends, know this to be true... Elizabeth and I are stretched and tired and really need your prayers. We have been working very hard on the preparation of our Foster Home/Protection Centre (government paperwork/meetings, trying to sell our house in Australia, organising a bank loan for the purchase of a property to begin our school/orphanage, etc), and in trying to liaise with the board of CINAFE (we are still waiting on word as to our direct involvement. The board, as yet, are undecided as to what our job responsibilities should be...). We really feel a strong calling to Nicaragua and thank you for your prayers at this time!!!

And still the World keeps turning… Would really love to hear what God is doing in your lives. Would love to hear stories from you about HIS victory, in your life, over circumstances. Would love to hear from you!!! Ha ha…

Thanks for reading,

Jeddoxoxox
PS.. I´m out of creativity… Calling Mums and teachers… Please help me with ideas for décorations in my classroom… Want to blow the lids on my students´ expectations. I get my first students on Tuesday…

Vacations?

So Francesca and Lorenzy have been using their vacation to help out the school´s summer camp program.  Francesca is assisting with the older kids and also translating, and Lorenzy is assisting with the younger kids.  It is a huge commitment, yet they are enjoying the work and it is neat to see them become more responsible and so willing to be apart of the program.