Day with Jesus & Luis at Volcano Masaya

Last week I spent Friday with Jesus and his cousin Luis. We went to Volcano Masaya, as well as a few other places. We had a great time hanging out with one another and talking. Volcano Masaya was BEAUTIFUL!!! I have never seen anything like it. We drove up to as high as we could, then climbed 178 steps to the top. At the top is a huge cross that can be seen by all from far away. You get to the top and look down into the crater, with gases coming out of it. Amazing! The last time it erupted was just a small eruption and it was in 1991 or 2001 (or sometime in between). I read the signs, but don't remember off the top of my head! It was a great day though!!!

Random Stuff

The following pictures are just some random pictures that I wanted to share with you. The first one is of a guy that I don't even remember his name. He was the helper on one of the buses that I rode on from Diriamba to Managua with Al and Yordanka. I thought he had the prettiest eyes of any Nica I have ever seen! So needless to say, Al shared with him that I liked his eyes, and asked if I could have my picture taken with him. He agreed, although I'm sure he thought it was a little strange. He didn't mind having his picture taken with an American girl too much though!!! The next picture is of me and a friend of mine that comes into the Cyber. His name is Eliezer. Nice guy, used to be involved in a gang, and after getting shot twice, is now out. I don't not think that he is a believer is Christ, but I am praying that through me, he will one day come to know Christ. He speaks some English, so he likes to talk to me when he comes in. So, when you think about it, please pray for my new friend Eliezer!

This picture was taken outside of the circus that me and my friends went to one night. It wasn't the kind of circus with animals but the kind of cirucs with many people with many talents. There was a magician, jugglers, dancers, guys that did a bungee act from the ceiling, a girl that did a rope act, some muscle guys that did a balancing act type thing (they were asian), and much more. It was a lot of fun. We arrived though, and they didn't have enough seats for all of us together, so the next thing I know I'm being led by a girl by myself to a single seat....no one I was with was around me. I still had fun though!!!

This is a picture of me and two of my friends: Scarleth and Daysi. Daysi works at the Cyber, and Scarleth is my friend Eduardo's girlfriend. They are both very nice girls, I pray that I can be a witness to them too.

Thanksgiving in Nicaragua-2008

The plan was for me to cook dinner for me, Alvaro, and two other friends. As we were walking to Al's place, with all the groceries in hand, our friends called and said they were not going to be able to make it. Johnny's mom was sick and he needed to go where she was at. Yordanka went with him as well. So, it was down to just me and Alvaro. So, I cooked our dinner, and I must say...it was really good!!!! After we got done, Al said that our friend Dayse might come and eat too. I had leftovers so it was okay. She got done working at the cyber, and came over and ate some dinner. Alvaro then informed me that two other visitors had arrived and would love to try my food. At this point, I had a little bit of corn and mac n' cheese left, but no chicken (that was cooked). Since it was just Al and I, I had only cooked a little bit of the chicken. So, needless to say, I began to prepare the same meal, for the second time. I cooked more chicken, made more mac n' cheese, and corn. I also toasted bread. After they ate, Eduardo (my little brother) came back to take me home, and also enjoyed some of the dinner I had prepared. So, I was supposed to cook for 4, it got bumped down to 2, and in the end I ended up cooking for 6!!!! I was tired after it was done, but I really did like what I cooked, and so did everyone else. The meal was: Chicken with cooked onions and green peppers on top, corn, mac n' cheese, and toasted buttered bread. I loved the chicken with the onions and green peppers! I have to say, it was even my idea. So, sometime I am going to make dinner again for everyone, they all said they would love me to come and cook at their houses anytime!!!! Thanksgiving was a good one..I had to explain to everyone why we celebrate Thanksgiving in America though. It was a good time had by all! (Pictures: #1: The meal is finally finshed and ready to enter into our stomachs! #2: Alvaro making homemade Orange Juice. #3: Blanca, Raul, Alvaro, and Eduardo. #4: Blanca, Raul, Me, and my little brother Eduardo! The only person I did not get a picture of was Dayse..but she ate too!)

Here are a few other pictures that I have taken while I've been here in Nicaragua. I honestly have not taken that many pictures yet! I know, you all must be surprised! Don't worry, I'm sure I will catch up on my picture taking very soon. Tonight I am cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for me and three friends. As of right now, I have no idea what I am making! I guess I will just have to go to the store and look around, and see what looks good, and easy! Who knows! I will put up some pictures of my Thanksgiving within a few days. Happy Thanksgiving to all back in the states! I pray that you and your families are blessed and Thank God for all He has given each of you. (To be honest, it does not feel like Thanksgiving to me, they do not celebrate Thanksgiving here.) Enjoy all the turkey, dressing, pecan pies, pumpkin pies, and macaroni and cheese for me!!!! Over and Out!!!

A Day At The Masaya Zoo and TipTop

This past Sunday, me, Jesus, Alvaro, and Yordanka were able to take two boys from the Orphanage out for the day! The boys names are Panchito and Richard. We also had Yordanka's niece, Alexa, along with us. As you might be able to see from the pictures, we had a great time! At first the boys were a little sad because they were not with all their friends from the Orphanage. As soon as we got to the Zoo though, they were just fine. They started running and looking at everything right away, and kept pulling on our hands to come on! I must say, the Zoo was much different than any Zoo I have ever been to before, and the smallest! I guess being raised in MO. I expected it to be like the St. Louis Zoo...boy was I wrong! The areas for the animals were very small, and did not have much in them. No trees, grass, or anything like that. It was just a small area for the animals, with a cement floor, and walls....very plain. We were close to the animals though! There was a fence that we stood at, and about 3 feet from the was the cage that the animal was in. Some of them you could lean over hte fence and touch the cage (and animals) if you really wanted too. There were not too many animals at the Zoo either. Lots of Leopards! Even though it was small, and not the best Zoo ever, we all had a great time! The kids loved every min. of it, so it was well worth it! Afterwards we went to TipTop, a fast food resturant chain here in Nicaragua. The kids got kids meals with chicken and fries and a drink..as well as an ice cream cup at the end. I'm not sure how long it had been since the boys had eaten a meal like that, but it was nice to be able to give them that time! I loved watching them! All in all, the day was a huge success, and a blast! I hope to be able to take the boys again one day and do something else with them.

This is a video I took at a Church gathering that I went to along with some friends of mine. Many of the kids in the video were once in gangs, or dealt with drugs, alcohol, or many other issues. The Church held this gathering to invite more young people their age, so that hopefully some would come to know Christ. At the end of the night, 4 students went forward and accepted Christ. This video is of the celebration that took place after 4 new people entered God's family! What a great picture of what Heaven must be like when someone comes to the saving knowledge of Christ. Enjoy. I only wish it was a longer video. This celebration went on for 5 to 10 min.

These are a few pictures of me with my new friends here in Nicaragua. They are my "cyber" family. They all work at the internet cafe that Alvaro owns. The first picture is of me and Miguel. The second picture is of me and Juan Carlos. The third picture is me with Dayse. The fourth is of me and Alvaro. And the last one is of me and Eduardo. Meet my "cyber" family!

The Journey Begins:

Wow, only a few days into my journey and I am amazingly putting a post up already!!! Heather should be shocked and proud of me! (Are you?) Anyway, life in Nicaragua is good so far. I only wish that I could wake up tomorrow morning and know Spanish and be able to speak it well. But I also know, in reality, that will take time, and it will be a hard process. I am understand a lot, it's the responding back that I have a hard time with. So far, I'm doing ok though. Like yesterday, I locked my keys in the bathroom at my place, and had to find someone to let me in. So, I went and found the guard and had to try and explain to him that I had locked my keys in the bathroom. So using some Spanish that I knew, mixed in with a few motions, and a little English...he was able to understand me. He had to go and get the spare keys, but I was able to get in and get my keys, then catch my ride that had just arrived for me. So, I am learning...but I hate messing up and making mistakes, so I usually just don't try. I am working on getting over that...I will have to make mistakes to learn. Anyway, all is well. The weather is warm, like always. Coming from the cool weather there, to here is a big change for me. I will be fine though. It has not been unbearable thus far. It has been warm but not too bad. I'm sure I have lost 3 or so pounds already, if not more! When everyone sees me again, I should be looking a little better than when left, and much darker, except for my hair. I have made so many news friends already, and see some areas where God will hopefully use me. For example, my friend Alvaro introduced me to a friend of his, Maria Jose. She accepted Christ a while back, but so far has not shown any interest in attending church. Hopefully through my new friendship with her, I will be able to encourage her and she will begin to have a fire and passion for Christ, and if she was not really saved, God will deal with her about that. So, please be praying for my new friend Maria Jose. Also, I have met her family as well. Her brother has been picking me up each morning and bringing me to Al's place to spend the day with him, and Jesus. You will see a picture during my slideshow at some point of me on a motorcycle...that's my ride! The first time I got on, I was a little nervous. But Edquardo took it easy, and did a great job. About 5 min. into the ride, I was able to relax and just enjoy it all. I love the feel of the wind blowing through my hair, and being able to see all of Nicaragua in the open,not through a window. Please pray for Edquardo too. I have not yet had a chance to ask about his relationship with the Lord, or if he has one. So, hopefully with all my new friends they will see the love of Christ shining through me, and it will give them and desire and passion to know the Lord too. God has been so good to me since I arrived here. I have been able to spend time with good friends, I have been able to spend good time with my boyfriend, as well get to know one another better and learn to communicate better with one another, and I have already met so many new friends! Last night I was at Al's and had to get back to my place. He called a taxi for me....Al knew the driver. He spoke some English, allowed me to practice my poor Spanish, and in the process, I met someone know, was able to find out that he too is a Christian, and we were able to talk about God and what He has done for us. I got his name and number, and he has offered to be at my service if I need him. His name is Carlos...he said, my name is easy...your name is not so easy! He had a hard time trying to say my name. Please continue to pray for me, and all my new friends, as well as my "old" friends too. Thanks! I will update again sometime soon. (Wow, Heather...look how much I wrote!!! I'm like you now!)

Sight to Behold!

So, on our way home from Alabama my Aunt and I saw something that had us laughing! As we were driving down the highway, a motorcycle passed us on the right. Sitting on the motorcycle between the handle bars was a dog. The dog did not appear to be strapped down in any way, so he could have flown off at any moment. But as we really got a look at the dog we realized that he had on sunglasses and a beard! We were cracking up laughing! My Aunt was able to catch back up with them for me to try and snap a photo to share with everyone! As I took the picture I noticed that another dog was riding along as well. Sitting behind the guy was another dog. This one was on a leash that was attached to the motorcycle. At one point this dog had gotten up and put his paws up on the drivers shoulders, as the driver reached over his shoulder and petted the dog on the head. Then he just sat right back down. I had never seen anything like it before!

ROLL TIDE!!!!

This past weekend I traveled to Alabama to visit with family and friends before leaving for Nicaragua. My Uncle is a huge fan of Alabama, so over the years I have become a fan as well. Each year my Uncle buys season tickets for the Alabama Crimson Tide football season. I have only been to one other game, and this year was able to get to Alabama for another game. Alabama was playing against Kentucky. Alabama was 5-0 for the season. In the end, Alabama ended up beating Kentucky 17-14, putting them 2nd in the nation, and 6-0 for the season. It was tons of fun, and a good time with my Uncle Roger. It was a close game though!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition: St. Louis

September 6th and 7th me and my family went to the site where Extreme Makeover Home Edition was filming and building a new home for a deserving family. I have never seen anything quite like it! There were so many people in the area, not only to observe like myself, but all those you see in blue shirts volunteering their time and skills to help build a home in less than a week. On Saturday the 6th, we arrived and the floor was just beginning to be put down. Before leaving the first wall was being put up, and the second was just being lifted to be put up. During the first day we were able to see John Littlefield and Eduardo Xol. I got my picture taken with both of them, as well as getting their autographs on the back of a shirt I had bought. Heather wasn't quick enough to get John's autograph, but she did manage to get a picture with Eduardo. When we got back to the site on Sunday we couldn't believe what we saw. The whole house was up, painters were inside painting the walls, windows were being put in, and they were getting ready to start putting stones on the outside of the house. The second day were were also able to see Paige Hemmis, although she didn't have enough time to stop and sign any autographs or have pictures taken. Ed Sanders was also there but we never spotted him. Heather and I really wanted to see him though! Ty was also around part of the time, but the days we were there, he was in another city doing the next door knock. So sad! Overall it was a great time though! It's one thing to watch the show and know that a house had been built in such a short amount of time, but to actually see part of the process puts it's in perspective. It was amazing to watch and see. There are so many people out there who are still kind, and willing to give of themselves so that others may have more. It's an experience I will never forget!

North Carolina Part II

The rest of the story....the rest of our time was spent having even more fun with one another. We visited a town called New Bern...named after Bern, Switzerland. New Bern had many old homes that were absolutely beautiful! The first Governor's house was also built there, it's called Tryon Palace. It too was very nice. Today we visited the state Capital. I have been before, but Heather had not been. It's small compared to our capital building in MO. but it's nice. We are headed home tomorrow, I will be sad to leave...not knowing when I might see my friends again. I've included a slideshow to show you some more pictures.

Fun in NC

On Tuesday, August 5, 2008 Heather and I headed out for North Carolina by way of airplane. Our flights were at different times, but that didn't make any difference. We ended up at the same place! Here in NC we are visiting with good friends Jon & Jen Bart. They are actually more like family to me. We met Jon & Jen when we were in Taiwan on a mission trip in 2005. Right away I loved both of them! They came to visit us in St. Louis in 2006 and I visited them in NC last year. I will add more pictures later, but I wanted to share with you our adventures so far. We have visited the Bentonville Battlefield, Ron's Barn (a resturant), we have played Bocce Ball, picked blueberries, and endured a few bug bites! So far we are having a wonderful time and I'm enjoying myself. I'm so thankful and so blessed to have friends like Jon & Jen. They also have a 1 year old named Micah, and this was our first time meeting him. He's so adorable! Well, I will share much more about our trip later...but for now, sit back, relax, eat some popcorn, and enjoy the show!

Summer Job!

As many of you know, I work at First Baptist Christian Academy. I have been here for 9 years now. The last three summers I have been the elementary summer camp director. It's a hectic, crazy, job...but in the long run it's better money, and I have a lot of fun with it. I plan all the field trips and events. I also get to go on all the field trips...which I love to do. I try to pick different places each year, to give variety to the kids. We all have a lot of fun, and although it's a lot of work and keeps me busy, I really do enjoy the job. I thought I would post a few pictures of what my summer job is....hope you enjoy!

The Beginning!

Hello Everyone!!!! I've been told that I should start a blog...yipee!!! However, I know that when I'm gone, thousands of miles in between you and I, it will come in handy! So, no better time than the present to start this shin-dig (So Heather says anyway!) Hope you all enjoy reading what I actually do write, when I actually remember to get on here. Just kidding! After I move I will be sure to keep everyone updated and post lots of pictures for all to see what I'm up to. Over and out!