Everything's Magic

I titled this blog because today I thought of a song by a band called Angels and Airwaves.  Not a Christian group and I'm not marketing them to be a Christian group at all, but, a song of theirs, 'Everything's Magic', came to mind while doing a VBS.  The song's first verse starts out,

"And do you ever feel like you're alone?
And do you ever wish you'd be unknown?
I can say that I have..
I can say that I have..

And do you ever feel things here aren't right?
And do you ever feel the time slip by?
I can say that I have
I can say that I have"

The reason I thought of this was because we did our VBS in Managua today, a 45 minute drive from Nagarote, at an orphanage for mentally and physically disabled people who were abandoned because of their condition. Have you ever felt alone, helpless, scared?  Try being them.  It really hit me hard when I realized that someone could be as heartless to just leave a disabled person to fend for themselves.  The people we saw were mainly an older group... at least teens to young adults.  They were all very sweet and kind.  I got a hug from just about everyone that I talked to, and they would try to give me things that they had made at other craft stations. Just the nicest group of people ever!

I think it's amazing that an orphanage was set up for disabled people, especially in Nicaragua where funding might not be so readily available.  They had two helpers that were from other countries.  One I'm sure was German as she was formally introduced and also spoke to us a little.  She spoke German, Latin, Spanish, and pretty good English.  I wish I could have spoken with her more but she was busy wrangling up the group to get ready for the VBS to start.  The other girl I'm not completely sure where she was from. I heard someone say USA but, again, I'm not sure one bit.  I got caught up in making balloon animals and didn't have a chance to speak with her.

All that aside, today was an eventful day! We ate at the "world famous" restaurant in Nagarote famous for Quesillos. "Well what's that, Todd?"  A Quesillo is a corn tortilla with cheese, sour cream, and grilled onions.  The cheese is native to Nagarote and has a very mild flavor much like mozzarella. I can't speak for the sour cream and onions as I ordered mine "plain".  The restaurant also had desserts and dessert drinks.  Cacao is a chocolate drink, but they were out of the mix(which is home made) so we couldn't try it.  Reposteria is a cake, much like soda cake.  Its very moist and has a swirl of sweet pineapple jelly in the middle.  The outside is covered with sugar and it is absolutely delicious!  Tiste is also a chocolate drink which I did have the pleasure of trying.  As far as I kow, they take a chocolate powder(also home made) and mix it with water.  Put some ice in it and enjoy.  For such a simple concept it really is a fantastic idea.  It has a somewhat chalky taste/texture but it's scrumptious either way.  I'm going to start writing these recipes down and start my own dessert business back in the states! It'll be a huge hit.

We had a long downtime this afternoon as we were supposed to pass out food today but that was moved to yesterday.  I got to go to the tile store today and meet with the pastor of the Alfa y Omega church, Juan Bautista.  This is the church I've adopted as my "home church" in Nicaragua.  They're very penticostal and love to worship Jesus with songs and hand clapping. It's this sense of "home" that led me to commit to installing a floor for them. I made good on my promise I made last year today and bought 70 square meters of tile.  That makes 754 square feet of tile!  Let's review this in American terms.

Tile - $1/sq. ft.  $754
Thinset - 17 bags  $250
Grout  - 8 bags $120
Installation - $2/sq. ft(or more!)  $1,508

Grand total: $2,632 (and $1 a foot tiles are sometimes low end)

So, how much did all of this cost me?  A whopping $711. I also bought 2 trowels, 2 grout floats, 2 pencils, and a chalk line.  The total cost of everything came to $735. It would take the pastor of the church about 2 years to buy the flooring supplies I bought today on his salary.

I rode a bixi to the store with Krista and went in to meet the pastor.  Our fellow missionary and translator, Blanca, told me he said he had a tile picked out but I could pick out whatever I wanted.  I told him it's his church, pick the floor you would say is perfect for your needs.  He chose a green, large tile with a design.  I was told later that he almost strayed away from that tile because it cost more than some of the other tile. I'm so glad he had the opportunity to chose something that was beautiful in his eyes and he will be happy to see each time he goes into his church. Every time he opens those doors he'll see that floor and remember the work he, our team, and I put into it.

I wish everyone could have seen the pure excitement he had when the transaction was over.  He's bursting at the seams to help me lay this floor.  The lady behind the counter said the supplies will be delivered by 3 tomorrow if not sooner, and thats going to be like looking at a Christmas present he can't open yet!  We'll start installation on Monday and it'll take 2-3 days for a project of that size with the tools I have handy.  Plus the heat will slow me down, they'll probably run circles around me. 

I want to extend a special thank you to everyone who donated their time, money, prayers, anything for this missions trip to happen. My grandfather was my hugest supporter from the get go.  All he wanted to talk about was the church down here, the floor I was going to set, the costs, anything!  He took the time to read up about Nicaragua, learn about it's population, cultural beliefs, and how much the gospel was spreading down here. He had suggested a special offering be taken up to aid me with the costs of the flooring and other needs, he has given me his time, wisdom, and full fledged backing to make this trip not only a success but absolutely what I imagined it to be. It's a true statement to say that I would not be here if it were not for him, or anyone who has done something as simple as say a prayer for me. Thank you all for your support!  There will be a porcelin diamond in all of your crowns in heaven. 

Tomorrow is our rest and relaxing day so we're heading off to do some 'retail therapy' and explore a volcano. I'll be up early and get back late so don't expect many updates tomorrow, if any at all. You'll have to wait for the blog to be posted like everyone else!

Thanks for reading and your continued prayer.  Jesus te ama!

Todd