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.shaky.grounds.




.This. week has been a pretty crazy week. It’s flown by. Honestly I can’t believe it’s already Sunday…and already September 9th! Craziness. There were also some earthquakes on Monday, which caused three volcanoes to erupt about an hour from Managua. That’s fun right? This was my second earthquake in my life…much shakier than the one in Lynchburg though. My friend who lived in Cali def prepared me for Nicaraguan earthquakes.



.This. is Jenny. She is a Tuesday woman that I've grown a friendship with. She is new(ish) to HOH and sometimes come drunk or high...but she's coming...and she hears the gospel. How we met is a super funny story. You see...she is living in the gay lifestyle. One of my first Tuesday's here in June she came up to me and asked if I was gay. (Some of you who know my story know that if someone would have asked me this a couple years ago it would have shaken me to the core.) It was because of my nose ring she was asking...but I think it was God that prompted her to ask. That began our friendship. I'm hoping to get to share that part of my story with her and her partner that also comes on Tuesday. Please join me in praying for Jenny! 





.This. past Tuesday was payday for the women who work here for the production of jewelry and cards on Tuesdays.  Which meant a small break from counting out beads…but a busy morning helping the women get their correct amount of money and being security so that no money goes missing. Afterwards April and the other on campus leaders had a luncheon for the table heads of the Tuesday production. Vilma had made a FABULOUS lunch for everyone! Vilma is Oscar’s wife. Oscar is the on campus director here at HOH. He’s the one who helps life run smoothly here at HOH for the women and the dorm girls. April, Vilma, and Yahiria shared with the women…encouraging them and teaching them how to follow God.



.Just. yesterday a new woman, 16 years old, named Anna moved in with her 4 month old baby girl. She used to live here at HOH as a dorm girl for a few years. Also another dorm girl returned to the dorm. Her name is Luvy. She was here when the group I was with in January came down. She ran away a few months ago and has since decided to return to HOH! Now…I know I said this a couple of weeks ago…but we are officially maxed out. At least with houses for the women…for the dorm girls there is always room. It’s amazing to me to see these women choose to leave their lifestyle of prostitution one day and choose to live here at HOH. It’s even more amazing to have women returning after running away from HOH.



.It’s. no different from you and me when we know what’s best for us and we tip-toe into it then we run as fast as we can away…because we are scared or think we aren’t ready. Some day we will return by the grace of God.








.I’ve. so enjoyed connecting more and more with the women who live here. Getting to know them a little bit more each day. Especially the new ones. I absolutely LOVE that I get to say good night to one who lives right on the other side of a partition from my room. We chat each night about our day and her exams…and just life in general. I love that about living with the women. I’m humbled to know such brave and powerful women. As I get to know these precious women I fall even more in love with God and who he is. I love seeing how God is working and moving.

.I. am just in awe of my God.



.I. love how God is shaping and forming me to look more like him each minute of being here in Nicaragua. Even though sometimes it’s a bit painful to have layers of who I thought I was stripped away…what God puts in it’s place is even more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed up.

.I. love that I was SO VERY WRONG about who I thought God was. I love that God is who he says he is.

.He’s. so good. 



P.S.  Also this week I discovered a colony of lice in my hair. Apparently I’ve had them for quite some time because they were HUGE! I guess I just got so used to my itchy scalp due to the cold-water showers that I didn’t notice a little extra itchiness. I’ve always felt gipped as a little kid because I missed out on the “coolness” of getting lice in childhood. I am now proud to say that I had lice…at the ripe ol’ age of 27! I’m a pro at finding them and killing them now too.  Let’s hope I can keep them away for the next three months. Some how I think this may just be the beginning for making up for lost time in childhood. J



Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2012 at 1:05 PM

    I love the pictures !! Can't wait till you come back

    ReplyDelete

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