.heart stories.

.bigger.healing. .I. feel so full-up..and for now let's just say that's a word ok? .Right. now thinking about how to sum up what this past week was for me is a little overwhelming..humbling..happy..sad..joyful..etc. God has just been GOOD. No words really to describe what it's like to be in community with my family again...to serve shoulder to shoulder with them..to share what God is doing in us..just to go deep and love each other and God well. .For. me this week was really neat for me personally just to see some changes in me or in my thinking that God has been doing over the past two months. Not really being able to see or feel the changes because I've just been taking those steps towards God..but being with my Jesus family for two weeks them seeing the changes and me seeing myself be different with them in ways that only God can do! Was neat to experience..and live out..some major things that God is doing in me and ultimately through me. .And...

I must apologize from the depths of my heart that this blog will be for the actual readers  and not just the lookers ...no pictures to go along with the stories from this past week. I must confess that my apology isn't super sincere..the lack of pictures is due to the fact of teams from Blueridge coming and going. :) This week has been on of a lot of tears and hugs and just love. Tears of joy and being able to talk with friends and family...hugs for everyone...and love for my Jesus family! I've been overwhelmed with how God has loved me well with timing the team to arrive just when I would need a physical "pick-me-up" and to set me on my feet and get me going again. He is so good...in the small and in the big. Being a small part of the teams has been a neat experience for me..being on the other side so to speak. I was able to sit in on one of the "debrief" sessions with the first team and it was just what I needed. Hearing what God was doing in each pe...

.peace.out.forever. The above is one of the favorite sayings of this beautiful young lady...along with "Get outta here and never come back!" followed by a loud laugh. This lady is always there for a smile which is great when life in Nica gets a little rough. Last week was one of those weeks for me...along with this week. Just part of the process I guess. Settling into life here...the business of hosting teams that come and tending to the women and girls who live here on a daily basis. The work is not for the fait of heart. It's amazing to me how tired I can feel at the end of a day that all  I did is hang out with 24 girls. One of the girls called me grandmother the other day...mainly due to my age as in comparison to the other interns...but I think it was partly because I was super tired. These past couple of weeks have been busy on so many levels. Teams from all four corners of the States were here at any given day...girls needing to get off to school...jewe...

.danger.is.everywhere. This week has been a week of learning how to ward of tropical "pests" and the local "wildlife". Pests being scorpions and tarantulas and wildlife being wild dogs that chase this gringa while running. I've learned I need to run with rocks in my hands to throw at the wild dogs that enjoy chasing me. I'm also learning how to take care of house guests.  Last Saturday I had a scorpion visit me two days in a row. For my own peace of mind I'm telling myself it was the same one both times. I was a chicken and was too afraid to kill it. I have no previous experience you see killing such pests. I wanted to watch it be done first before I can feel confident in being able to defeat one myself. I called a friend over who bravely smashed him into bits and pieces...as I screamed like a little girl. Then Friday I had a HUGE tarantula in my room! Legit. I quickly did what anyone would do in the situation...pick up my cell phone and...

.working.on.week.three. In just a few days I will have been in Nica for three weeks. In some ways it’s hard to believe that three weeks have gone by but in other ways it’s very believable that three weeks have passed. This week was physically exhausting to say the least. It’s my week to attend to the dorm girls while getting ready for school. Which meant a 4:00am wake up call and 25 girls missing socks and not wanting to get out of bed. We also had a medical team here from all over the globe care for the women and children here at Casa Esperanza as well as people from the community. In one room there were teeth being pulled and in another room minor surgeries were happening. It was amazing to see what could be done with so little. Doctors with time and equipment…generators…add people and miracles happened. It was neat to be a very small part of caring in a practical manner to the people of Managua. The doctors worked tirelessly from 8:00am until 4:00pm or after. Amazing...

.ten.days.in. It’s been ten full days now living in Nica and in full Nica style I might add. This week has been one of adventure and growth in many ways for me personally. Last Sunday evening me and the other two gringas went to the local grocery store called La Union and upon our return we were met by a rushing river where the road to the House of Hope once was. This road is called simply 13 but it was no longer a road. It was evening and quickly getting dark as in Nica there are not many street lamps…so here we were…three gringas sitting in a big truck waiting for a river to become a road once again. After a couple of hours the waters slowed and we decided to be brave and attempt to drive to the HOH. Once we tried to start the engine of the truck it would turn over. Again…three gringas on the side of the road now truly stuck. We called Oscar the on campus director of HOH. He came in boots and a motorcycle. We discovered it was the spark plugs. He asked us to flag a truck down t...