Career Student

Well, I have been taking Spanish classes as a student now for over a week every MWF. It was a little difficult for me to fork over the money for the 4 hour credit class, but I believe it will pay off. I now have full access to the university and can start private tutoring. I have a tutoring session tonight at 8pm. I need to refresh myself on Statistics, though. Here at the university I have already made a ton of friends. Though, of course, I stand out a little bit and everyone wants to know who the new gringo on campus is.

I also sent my resume to the university and sat down with the Dean of Students. As we talked, I shared about my interests and my work in the ministry and at K-Wet, but I said that finding a water sports ministry here in Nicaragua might be hard to do. The dean quickly responded saying that interestingly enough just a week ago the board of directors at Ave Maria had mentioned wanting to start a "group" or "club" that was focused on such excursions like water sports, surfing, kayaking, hiking and mountain climbing. He found that to be quite a coincidence that I arrived in his office just a week after that meeting. So, opportunities are opening up. I just need to keep praying a see which direction God really wants me to go.

I am also helping with the football team both as a coach and quarterback. It is a lot of fun but very difficult to keep the students disciplined. Not everyone shows up at practice everyday. In the States they would be cut from the team immediately, but here we wouldn't have a team if that were the case. We'll really find out how good we are during our first game. We were supposed to have one this past Saturday, but it was cancelled. Rain is constantly falling here. I guess a lot of it is from the tropical storms.

I miss you all.

I decided to at least put some photos on this blog. These are from La Boquita, the closest beach to where I am staying. I went one Sunday afternoon to check it out. There wasn't much to do because the water was so dirty from the tremendous amount of rain we have been having. I didn't have any desire to swim in mud.

Feliz Dia de Independencia

It is amazing how quickly time flies here. I have already been in Nicaragua for a week. Most of this week I have been trying to get access to the university, Ave Maria, whether as a student or a tutor. From talking with Cesar who works here, most likely I will become a student first and then work on becoming a paid tutor. As I was walking around the university, I noticed they were starting football practices (American football that is). So, I thought I would check it out and maybe see if I could help out in any way. I went to the field at the scheduled practice time and no one was there. I spoke with a few students nearby and they said the team was working out in the gym. Therefore, I checked the gym, and there weren't too many guys in there. Not much of a team, I thought. But I asked around and spoke with a guy about the football team. He said that a lot of the guys had graduated and they were starting fresh, but they didn't have a coach. I told them that I might be interested in helping and they seemed pretty excited about it. They even asked if I wanted to play. I guess I still have some eligibility left, right? I'm sure the collegiate league here in Nicaragua is just a little less competitive than the SEC. Maybe, like the WAC. Well, we'll see what happens with that.

This week the country has been celebrating their independence. (I believe some of the celebration is of their independence from the U.S.) So, there have been a lot of parades and activities. On Tuesday, the children of MQV marched with about 10 other schools down the middle of the main road in El Crucero. This road is actually part of the Central American Highway, and it was shut down for about 2 hours because of the parade. I found that humorous. I would hate to have been the first car stopped. You know that guys was killing himself for drinking that extra cup of coffee.

Then on Wednesday they had more activities just at MQV with some skits, dances, and songs. It was very entertaining. I enjoy seeing the kids get all excited to dress up and be a part of something formal. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Mi Habitacion

Well... I am in San Marcos, Nicaragua. So the blogs are going to start rolling again.

I was a little anxious when I first arrived, because I had no idea where I was going to stay or what my situation was going to be like. My friend Cesar picked me up from the airport. Unfortunately my plane was an hour late because as we were about to take off, the pilot said that we were having trouble with one of the engine's computers. That's not something you want to hear before taking an international flight, but at least they caught it before we were in the air. Once in Nicaragua, I got to visit with my friends at MQV, and so much has changed at the orphan home. They have so many more little children who love to be held. They simply walk up to you and hold their cute little arms up. It is impossible to resist. So every day since I have arrived, I take two buses from San Marcos to El Crucero (about 75 cents and 40 minutes) to spend time with the children. It has been wonderful getting back involved where I have spent so much time in the past.

News from San Marcos: Every night when I return from El Crucero I try to get out and meet some of the students from the university here named Ave Maria. One night as I was sitting at a pizza stand just outside the gates of the university, I met 3 students. We started talking and eventually I found out that they are having trouble with their math classes. So I said, ¨I love math and am looking to start tutoring.¨ Immediately one of the girls said, ¨When can you start.¨ So, all three of them want to be tutored, and we are going to start next Thursday. It was such an answered prayer because just that morning I had asked God to provide opportunity soon, and He did just that.

One of the pictures I provided is of mi habitacion (my room). It is only $100 a month and right across the street from the university. A perfect location! The woman who runs the place is very sweet and already invited me to church with her. We went this past Wednesday.

More to come soon. I miss you all.

Here I Go Again

It's time again to update this blog since I am about to start traveling again. It seems that I can only write on here when I am out of the country.

I am about to leave this Tuesday (Sept. 7th) for my 4th visit to the great land called Nicaragua. This trip will be a little different from the others before since I will not be staying with New Hope, the organization that runs the orphanage and school and opened my eyes to the beautiful people of the country. This time I plan to work mainly with another Nicaraguan friend of mine as we explore the possibility of starting some sort of camp ministry.

This friend, Cesar, whom you read about in a previous blog about driving around in his little VW Bug, says that no such ministry exists in his country. The first time we met he spoke of wanting to start a camp even before he knew my heart and passion for the same ministry. It seems that from the beginning God was leading us to work together. At the beginning of this summer, before I left for K-Wet, he emailed me saying that he had found 36 acres of land and wanted me to come check it out. So, this trip is just that. I am going to check out what might happen and pray and see what God might be doing. I am a little anxious since I don't really know what to expect, but I do know that while I am searching I plan to live in a little town called San Marcos. There is a university on the outskirts, and I want to start working with the college students immediately: leading bible studies and starting worship nights. I am also really excited about working on my Spanish, and hopefully I will become a lot more conversational in the 10 weeks I will be there.

Garth Brooks Should've Written Another Song Called "Answered Prayers!"

I don't think I have mentioned that I am staying with a guy named Pan. He really lives up to his name, because he has a worse "Peter Pan" syndrome than I do. (Never grow up!) He is in his early 40s, I think, but he looks to be in his late 20s. On the third night I was here in Culebra, after a long day of surfing, we were sitting in the common area, and he was sharing some of his opinions and thoughts about life. And boy does he have some strong opinions. All you can really do is just sit there and listen. At one point he stopped and asked me, "Before I bash Christians, I should probably ask if you are one."
My response was a little more lengthy, but it basically was something like this, "The term 'Christian' has so many negative stereotypes, so I just like to say that I love Jesus."
Pan went on to share his views, and I was able to get a few thoughts in myself when I could, but once again that is not the main point of this blog. Since that night I have been hoping a praying for another opportunity to share more deeply what I believe. But I knew from the things that he had shared that "Christians" in the past had rubbed him the wrong way, and I wanted to be a different example. One that was loving like Christ and not condemning.
Today is Tuesday, and yesterday Pan and I spent 4 hours digging and planting trees with two other guys on the island (which helps pay my rent). The night before I had prayed again that God would give me a chance to share more with Pan. After much digging and sweating over our 4th hole in rocky soil, Pan started talking about the Earth and the Apocalypse. He asked me, "Well, you read the Bible, what do you think?"
Wow, this is perfect, I thought. I didn't share too much about my thoughts on the book of Revelation, because it's not much, and then led the conversation to the fact that Jesus was coming back for His people, people who love and follow Him.

(Side note: In my first conversation with Pan, he said something about Jesus, and then added, "Well...if He really existed." This time I was able to share that most other religions acknowledge Jesus as a great man or prophet, but there are really only 3 options for Him: a lunatic, a liar, or our Lord and Savior. I choose option 3!)

That eventually led to Pan saying, "If you are good and take care of the Creation" (he is a very earthy kind of guy), "then I'm sure this God will let you in to His heaven."
"Well, what do you think is the standard for good?" I asked.
To keep this blog short, because our conversation lasted probably 30 minutes, I was able to share the complete gospel message that we can't get to Heaven on our own works, but that Jesus had to come and be that perfect sacrifice for our mess-ups. I was so thrilled to have been given this opportunity, and it was a wonderfully-easy conversation (not dispute or debate) filled with love and not condemnation just like John 3:17, which I was able to quote to them. Plus, the other two guys who were helping dig overheard the entire gospel message as well!

Praise God for answered prayers! I don't know why He is so good to me, but I am glad to be used for Him.

By the way, in the picture above my two friends from Pan's Camp (that's what we call it) and I are standing beside Pan's van as we wait to leave the beach.

Angel in One Pocket; Demon in the Other

I am currently on the island of Culebra, P.R., and it is gorgeous. I have met some really cool people at the place I am staying, and I have done a ton of surfing. The guy who runs the establishment likes to have a surfing buddy, so I am more than happy to oblige. The picture is our little surf shack where we keep our stuff when we hit the waves.
However, once again I am not writing to share about these things but to share an experience I had on the way to the island.

It was Saturday, and I was traveling from San Juan to Culebra with four friends. We were currently waiting at a bus stop when this middle-age man comes walking/stumbling down the sidewalk. He and I make eye contact, and I can tell he is thinking about sitting for a while. I say to myself, "Please just keep walking." But of course, he asks to sit next to me. He starts talking to me, and I can tell he is either a little hungover or drunk. We discuss that basics of "where are you from?" and "what do you do?" stuff. His name is Jason. He tells me he is a police chief at the airport and that his wife is there too. He said it was love at first sight when he saw her. I somehow got the impression that it was just love for him and that he hadn't told her yet that he wanted her to be his wife.
Then, for some reason, Jason wants to start sharing from his heart. I can't remember all the stuff he said because it really didn't make sense, but he did say that the people at the airport didn't like him because they thought he drank too much.
"Do you think you drink too much?" I asked.
He procedes to pull out a bottle of rum from his right pocket (it's 8:00 in the morning), and says, "Maybe so."
Then he get this deep-philosophical look and says that he "lives to die, and dies to live." I had no clue what that meant, but I responded by saying, "Why don't you live to live?"
Jason said, "Yea, that sounds cool." At this time my other friends say that a bus is coming and we have to leave soon.
In the short time left, I say that true living can only come from Jesus. Amazingly, Jason says, "Well, I have a Bible," and pulls a small Bible out of his left pocket! Unbelievable! Rum in one pocket and a Bible in the other.
I ask to share with him one of my favorite verses, and he hands me the Bible. I flip to John 14:6 and read it to him.
Now the bus has arrived, and as I am putting on my backpack I tell him to read John 10:10 also. He seemed a little confused how to find the verse. So I said it's just a few pages earlier in chapter 10, verse 10.
We say our goodbyes and I walk to the bus. I turn around to wave, and he is staring at me yet kind of looking through me with this very interesting look on his face. It was a mixture of astonishment and grief yet joyful, because he had a big, goofy smile on his face.

Once again, God blesses me with unforgetable encounters like these even when I am not at all looking for them. I hope this story touches or inspires you, because it sure did to me.

Two Roads Diverged...

So far I have done and experienced some pretty cool things during my time here in Puerto Rico. However, even though the beauty of the islands is surreal, my favorite experiences have come from interacting with the locals. Therefore, the highlight of my trip happened the other day when I ran across this old Puerto Rican man fishing.
I had just finished a nice swim to a secluded island and back (about 6 minutes one way, not too far) and was walking back to the little town nearby. That is when I saw the old man fishing at the end of this old, rundown pier. At first I thought I would just keep walking and not bother him, or go sit and meet these two girls that were sitting on another pier to make more connections. After a short debate, I decided to hang out with the old man. He was fishing through a hole in the pier with just a string and hook. He immediately greeted me, and I sat down to chat. Of course, it was all in Spanish, but that made it even better because I want to improve my bilingual skills. The man, whom I discovered his name to be Juan, was generous to speak slowly because he knew I was learning. We covered the basics of family, age, where we have lived and travel, other stuff, but then I asked what he thought of the tourists. At first he said that we are all the same because we all end up in the same place, the earth. Then he said that some foreigners are crazy because they don't realize the dangers of the island, especially the sharks and barracudas in the water.
"For example", he said, "I see many "gringos" swim from island to island, and that is crazy."
(I am sure he had just watched me doing that but did not realize it had been me. I found that a bit funny, but I didn't tell him that was probably me he was referring to.)
He then went on to say more about the fact that we all end up in the dirt. I then asked if he thought there was life after that. He said no, not really. I proceeded to say that I believed it is true that we end up in the dirt, but if we have Jesus living in us then we will live forever. We talked a little more about that subject, and I just loved that fact that God gave me the opportunity to talk about Him with this old Puerto Rican man named Juan.
I am not really sure, but I think our conversation lasted about 30 minutes. I am glad that I made the right choice to go sit with the man over my other options. It was such a rewarding experience.