Looking Back, Looking Ahead

(Final Post for the July 2012 trip)

Friends of Chinandega Clay Symbol

Following vacation Bible school and a tropical shower, we create a circle of chairs in the Nazarene Church courtyard. A woman sweeps leaves and VBS debris from the newly laid cement that surrounds us. In an adjacent corner sound the scraping shovels of four men mixing stones and mortar to lay another section.

This humid Nicaraguan late afternoon we are meeting with leaders from the five Chinandega churches to discuss our ongoing partnership. Nicaraguan pastor Henry Cruz distributes sticks of colored clay and tells us to separate into a North American and Nicaraguan team and construct a symbol of our relationship.

Our team talks and molds, talks and molds—and what emerges has a cross, two stick figures, and a globe.  The cross is three winding strands, representing our two nationalities and our Creator. Two people kneel before it, holding joining one hand at the cross and touching the globe with the other. Where their hands touch the globe, it is a verdant green—springing to life and spreading down to over the globe’s black underside.

When we join our Nicaraguan friends we are surprised by the similarities in our clay creations. Their model, too, has a cross. And it tops two touching hands. One flows from a US flag and the other from the flag of Nicaragua.

Nicaraguan churches’ clay symbol

In the conversation that follows this and our reading of the story of Ruth’s commitment to Naomi, we all talk about our learning from our cross cultural interaction, our unity in Christ, and our desire for an ongoing, long-term relationship.

We will pray for each other. We want to learn more about each other, perhaps even each other’s languages. And we want to meet again.

We do not set the date for that or make specific plans. That is still to come.

But this much we know: In the power of the cross of Christ we want to continue hand-in-hand for Him.

Travel Sites and Scenes

Today (Saturday) we returned to Managua from Chinandega. We think it’s a good day to share with you memorable sights and scenes from the week.

We detoured to Masaya Volcano on our way from Managua to Chinandega

Our first day in Chinandega, we drove to see the Leon Cathedral, a major Nicaraguan attraction.

We toured the flat Leon Cathedral roof, stepping carefully around its domed shapes.

One day we took a break from VBS sessions to visit a basilica in the tiny town of El Viejo, just a few miles from Chinandega. It is Nicaragua’s only basilica, a cathedral named by a pope.

One attraction of El Viejo’s basilica is a several-hundred-year-old statue of Mary, complete with real gems.

On July 19, the Nicaraguan holiday celebrating the Sandinista Revoluion, we toured the seaside town of El Corinto. Above is a plaza near the open air market.

Our waiters at El Corinto’s thatched-roof seaside restaurant told us it was owned by Dutch people living in Nicaragua.

Colorful canoes were parked in a seaside inlet near El Corinto.

Almost every city we have visited has an open air market.

The road between Managua and Chinandega is line by a row of volcanoes, know as the Ring of Fire.

Nicaragua: Land of Tropical Trees and Flowers

Nicaragua has tropical beauty year-round, but now—toward the end of the rainy season—the vegetation is especially lush and rich. Below is a small sampling.

A coconut tree stands on the Hernandez lawn in Managua, and many others are sprinkled throughout the country.

Bright orange flowers glow from shrubs.

A large shrub with delicate pink blossoms stands along the roadside in many towns.

A smaller shrub reminds us of a hybiscus, but we donot know its name.

A delicate white flower blooms near an El Corinto museum.

An El Corinto tree trunk is covered with intricate root shapes.

City trees are trimmed to careful shapes with machetes.

A Week of VBS in Five Different Churches

In our week in Chinandega we helped five churches with a day of vacation Bible School. Each church planned its day, and we helped them in the roles they asked us to do. In some churches we told a story of three trees that became a manger, a boat, and a cross for Jesus. In other churches we helped with crafts. And sometimes we helped to serve lunch.

The programs varied, but often included songs, Bible stories, crafts, outdoor activities, snacks, and lunch. After completed today at the fifth church, we have worked with 300-350 children.

Below is the story in photos and captions.

At Manantial de Cristo several groups of children sang Bible songs without accompaniment.

At Assembly of God church, children made a picture frame, a basket and a folder.

We told the story of three trees at several churches.

At the Nazarene Church, children participated in a poster contest.

Children at Living Love church made a mobile that says Jesus loves them.

The Church of God blocked a street with desks for outdoor games.

At every church, the children enjoyed hamming it up in front of the camera.

Tulips and a Dike

This post is especially for our U.S. friends in tulip towns. We have stumbled across tulips in two churches–and today a dike. Photos are below.

Next to the pulpit at Manantial de Cristo, we found a bouquet of red tulips.

In the ceramic floor of El Viejo Basilica we spotted a tulip design.

Today from our ocean-side restaurant at El Corinto, we over looked a sea wall that, according to our Nicaraguan waiter, was built by the Dutch.

Kathy and Larry Groenenboom found a windmill on a Chinandega mural.

Our Visit by the Numbers

This week we have:

• Met wonderful Nicaraguan pastors and staff and members from 5 churches
• Worked with 4 vacation Bible schools, and will work with 1 more on Friday
• Helped Chinandega churches teach 250-300 children
• Attended 3  energetic Chinandega worship services
• Eaten  18 Nicaraguan meals
• Acquired 3 cases of mild diarrhea (That’s too much information, we know…)
• Said good-bye to 1 couple from our team (Harley and Jessica Janssen) who were scheduled to return home early.
• Had 4 VERY USEFUL translators, who also helped lead Bible school as needed.
• Said goodbye to 1 translator who has another assignment
• Had 2 lodging locations—1 in  Managua and 1 in Chinandega.
• Been transported in 7 different modes: airplane, taxi, public transportation bus, microbus, re-purposed school bus, and on our very own feet. We have not used the bicycle-powered taxis that are popular in Chinandega.
• Drunk 36  gallons of water and miscellaneous other soft drinks  (4 gallons per day per person) and lost every one of those gallons through our sweat pores.
• Taken 162 cold showers (2 per day)
• Said “Hola, gracias, Dios le bendiga, and adios” 354 times (OK, we confess—we made up that number.)
• Were awakened at 5 am  2 times by amplified Nicaraguan band music
• Have eaten 20 servings of Eskimo, Nicaragua-made ice cream.

Piñata Party

Manantial de Cristo is a smaller, younger church than the previous day’s. Twenty children and a half dozen adults greet us. They lead singing. Then with the help of interpreters we read a story and supervise crafts.

Manantial’s teachers hand several members of our

team the stick and blindfold us. The children laugh and shout Spanish directions to us: arriba (above), abajo (below), and detras (behind) above the high-energy music that echoes from the cement block walls and aluminum roof.

Eventually, the kangaroo is just half a torso and a head. They give the stick to Sandy Palmer—and, without a blindfold, she finishes the job.Pastor Sergio’s son rescues piñata pieces and transforms them into a sleeve, hat, and monocle. He wears them through the lunch of vigoron, pork rinds, cassava, and shredded cabbage.

For food safety, for North American guests our hosts substitute cooked carrots and beets for the raw

Kangaroo pinata, re-purposed as a costume.

cabbage.

A trip to a basilica and rosquilla factory follow. The basilica is beautiful, the rosquillas—doughnut shaped cornbread cookies—are tasty.

As we ride the re-purposed school bus toward the Don Mario hotel, we agree:  This, too, has been a good day.

El Viejo Basilica

Rosquillas

New Grandchildren

Geovani shows off the folder he has decorated.

Saturday evening we talked about questions that had come to mind during that day, Larry Groenenboom said, “My question is: As a 60-year old, what can I do with a bunch of kids who speak Spanish?” He—and others—had some fears as we faced a day of unknowns.

The next morning, with instructions from the Nicaraguan teachers they made  file folder, picture frames, and paper baskets. We guided their hands and papers as they cut, glued, and applied stickers. We used our limited Spanish to say “hello,” and “that’s pretty” and “good job.” We shook hands, smiled, patted shoulders, and returned hugs. . At the kids’ request, we signed our names to some of these items.

After lunch we laughed with them as they competed in outdoor games. And at the end of the afternoon activities, when we thanked the group, Larry told them, “When I came here I had 8 grandkids. And now I think I have about 50!”

Despite his misgivings, he had a good day. So did the rest of us.

But it wasn’t over.

We returned for evening worship, and participated by sharing stories of God’s faithfulness in our lives. They surprised with a warm “Amen” or “Gloria” at triumphant or poignant moments.

Mid-service, the electricity failed and lights went out. The preacher simply doubled his volume to make-up for a powerless microphone and kept preaching. A flashlight appeared, candles were lit and fixed in each window with a few drops of wax from the burning candle. After their warm glow, we were almost disappointed when the cool fluorescents blinked back on.

With the rest of the congregation, we were invited to the front of the sanctuary for Santa Cena (Holy Supper) of crackers and juice. We stood in straight rows as the elders served us. Then we all ate and drank at the same time.

It was a thin place, where we trembled at one truth: In that moment across borders and cultures and languages, we knew in our deepest centers that we were one in Christ.

Group Photo

Back row, Palmer Rhoades, Sandy Shalin Rhoades, Larry Groenenboom, Kathy Groenenboom, Harley Janssen. Front row: Claude Zylstra, Marlo Van Klompenburg, Carol Van Klompenburg, Jessica Janssen (standing).

Storms and Clearings

Huggage of Luggage

We’ve had a few minor storms since our last post. The three missing pieces of luggage were not at the airport for us noon Friday and did not arrive in Chinandega at 2 Saturday as indicated. Last evening, the hired bus driver arrived 45 minutes late and we therefore missed the worship singing at Amor Viviente. The previous day, when a bus from the same company was two hours late for transporting us from Managua to Chinandega, our coordinator Alma Hernandez hired other transportation. Harley Janssen, who travels south of the border, frequently quipped to his wife Jessica, “Welcome to Latin America.”

When the bus arrived at our hotel, we toted our stuff outside of our hotel, including a cooler for the ice and drinks we planned to purchase. We accepted a young man’s offer to help put the cooler in the back of the bus. Long story short, our bus driver thought he was with us; we thought he was with the driver—and the cooler vanished.

As by-the-clock North Americans we are working on flexibility. Sometimes we fail. We don’t want the storms to go to waste, but we do not yet see their usefulness.

There have been clearings in the clouds as well.

The stolen cooler was empty, and we still have our cameras and computers.

Later yesterday, sitting with our circle at Don Mario Hotel in Chinandega, Yvette Gauffreau, a Christian Agent of Transformation for Nehemiah Center,  told us about teaching Biblical world view to leaders in churches and schools. Her passion for her teaching, and for children, inspires us.

The Amor Viviende congregation welcomed us warmly to its worship service. Next week we will return to this church to help the congregation with a day of VBS.

And, at six last night, the three pieces of missing luggage arrived at last, delivered to our hotel by the airlines. Their owners cheered. One even greeted it with a kiss.

They promptly disappeared into their rooms for a change of clothes.