Wooooord? WHAAATTT UPPPPP?! WADDUP WADDUP WADDUP?!??! I'm allliiiivvveeeee!!!! It's been a few days but, here I am! Tired and sore... but I'm here :D
I've laid ALL the floor in the church. Whew. I'm pooped. Theres still the face of the stage to do and there's an entryway they want tiled but we ran out of time. I laid ~2,000 sq ft in a week with minimal help. I think I did pretty well! Feel free to pat me on the back:P
Grouting in Nica is as much of an art as it is a pain in the butt. I got half of their stage grouted and it took FOREVER. Just nuts. It's like the grout is on steroids and has to harden as soon as you put it on the tile. Actually, all of the concrete here is that way. The tiles I laid were no joke dried in 30 seconds. That coupled with a floor that has 3 inch humps and dips in it and you've got a tile guys worst nightmare. The pastor is very appreciative and I am SO glad I had this opportunity. It's really something special to be able to take a church from bare concrete to glossy white tile. Quite the transformation, indeed.
On a more spiratual note...
We had a full blown worship service outside the Lopez house last night! Some of the guys from the Lakeland group just started jamming and it turned into us all passing around the guitar and singing for a while. We ended with Amazing Grace and a big prayer circle. It was an awesome experience to just have worship in the streets of Nagarote!
The Lakeland group flew out this morning and we carted a new group in. Well, Steve and Angela carted them in... I was laying floor. They did a VBS in Managua and things as such that I'll never know about because I was laying floor. I'm not bitter about laying the floor. At all. I'm just saying.
ANYWHATZIT! I'm living at the hotel this week so my roomie can split the cost and not have a hefty bill at the end of the week. It was heart breaking to leave the Lopez family because they ARE my family here. They told me their doors are always open for me to come stay. I'm so glad that God put them in our path and I'm sure they're getting their blessing for their courtesy and generousity to our groups and especially toward me. They are all angels in my opinion :)
Welllllp. That's all I have for tonight. Hope all is well back in the states!
Squirge,
Todd
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
More personal-ish kinda blog.
I know you guys have missed the blog dearly the last few days, so... Im baaaack!
We've been sooo busy here. There's a team building a wall over at a small church in town, another team building a small living quarters for the pastor's son and his family at Alfa y Omega, and I'm tiling the Tribe of Isreal church! That's a lot of irons in the fire, yeah?
I've been so encased in my tiling that I hadn't taken much time to get to know the group from Lakeland that we're hosting this week. That's not the kind of southern hospitality momma taught me! So, today I only worked on the floor til noon, took a quick shower, ate, and headed to Leon with the group.
Not TOO sure what Leon is in relation to capital cities and I don't want to google it right now... but it's kind of a big deal. There's market places there we browsed around and I talked with some of the younger people in the group on the drive there and back. All in all today was a good day!
OH! For those of you that knew about my leg wound that happened last month sometime...
It turned into some kind of blister type thing! Crazy right? Well one of the people who came over is a doctor and he looked at it and said to not worry unless it gets infected. Well, then it popped. YUCK. So gross. Beyond nasty. It's now been leaking, closing up, leaking, etc. for 3 days. All of my sisters at the Lopez house have taken an interest in seeing if itll ever heal. If they don't love me for just being Todd, at least they thing my scars are cool!
The Lopez family saw my tattoos, too. I knew this day would come, and I was prepared for it. I proudly displayed my ink and took their critisism in stride. I tried to explain the different cultures views on tattoos and how I view it as an art. It's like an expression of my inward self on an outward medium. Both of my tattoos are faith based. They didn't shun me so... I guess I'm still in their good graces. :D
I realize I'm terrible at organizing story lines. Sorry. :P Warning: the next part is icky.
The lady of the house, my Nica momma, wanted my dirty clothes to wash. She washed them last year no problem... buttttt this year is different. I'm POURING sweat alllll day. I can literally wring my shirt, shorts, and socks out at any time. I'm not trying to be gross, just honest.
The thought of this sweet lady who cooks, cleans, and sews all day having to wash my icky laundry BY HAND... I couldn't let that happen! But out of the kindness of her heart she let my clothes soak in soapy water allll night and hand washed them all today. I wish I knew enough spanish or had enough money to let her know how much I appreciate her doing that!
I guess that's enough rambling for tonight. All in all, we're doing great. Only a few people have gotten sick and that was only for one night. God's moving through our hard work and I'm excited to be a part of it.
Thank you all for reading and supporting!!!
Your momma,
Todd
We've been sooo busy here. There's a team building a wall over at a small church in town, another team building a small living quarters for the pastor's son and his family at Alfa y Omega, and I'm tiling the Tribe of Isreal church! That's a lot of irons in the fire, yeah?
I've been so encased in my tiling that I hadn't taken much time to get to know the group from Lakeland that we're hosting this week. That's not the kind of southern hospitality momma taught me! So, today I only worked on the floor til noon, took a quick shower, ate, and headed to Leon with the group.
Not TOO sure what Leon is in relation to capital cities and I don't want to google it right now... but it's kind of a big deal. There's market places there we browsed around and I talked with some of the younger people in the group on the drive there and back. All in all today was a good day!
OH! For those of you that knew about my leg wound that happened last month sometime...
It turned into some kind of blister type thing! Crazy right? Well one of the people who came over is a doctor and he looked at it and said to not worry unless it gets infected. Well, then it popped. YUCK. So gross. Beyond nasty. It's now been leaking, closing up, leaking, etc. for 3 days. All of my sisters at the Lopez house have taken an interest in seeing if itll ever heal. If they don't love me for just being Todd, at least they thing my scars are cool!
The Lopez family saw my tattoos, too. I knew this day would come, and I was prepared for it. I proudly displayed my ink and took their critisism in stride. I tried to explain the different cultures views on tattoos and how I view it as an art. It's like an expression of my inward self on an outward medium. Both of my tattoos are faith based. They didn't shun me so... I guess I'm still in their good graces. :D
I realize I'm terrible at organizing story lines. Sorry. :P Warning: the next part is icky.
The lady of the house, my Nica momma, wanted my dirty clothes to wash. She washed them last year no problem... buttttt this year is different. I'm POURING sweat alllll day. I can literally wring my shirt, shorts, and socks out at any time. I'm not trying to be gross, just honest.
The thought of this sweet lady who cooks, cleans, and sews all day having to wash my icky laundry BY HAND... I couldn't let that happen! But out of the kindness of her heart she let my clothes soak in soapy water allll night and hand washed them all today. I wish I knew enough spanish or had enough money to let her know how much I appreciate her doing that!
I guess that's enough rambling for tonight. All in all, we're doing great. Only a few people have gotten sick and that was only for one night. God's moving through our hard work and I'm excited to be a part of it.
Thank you all for reading and supporting!!!
Your momma,
Todd
Saturday, June 23, 2012
And It Begins!
Welp. We're here!! All the way from Alva, to Orlando, to Miami, to Managua, to Nagarote. I'm sure that sentence will make an English teacher FLIP.
Anyway. We got here Friday around 11 Nica time. I was STARVING! Never been that hungry before I'm sure of it. We had the usual drive from Managua to Nagarote. Beautiful views and lots of mountains! We even had the pleasure of seeing a guy go #1 off the back of a moving truck!!! How's that for a welcome back?
We came into town, dropped our bags off and went in search of food. We usually eat at the hotel we stay at but recently the mission leaders have been eating out at local restaurants and say its just as cost effective and there's more variety. We had a choice of beef, chicken, or pork. I went with the beef and I expected beef. I got: Chicken noodle soup, salad, fried plantains, some kinda squash/zuchinni amazing concoction, and steak with a creamy onion sauce on it. DEAR SWEET MOMMA, IM IN HEAVEN! Best Nica meal I've had yet.
After that we went to the finca(farm) that Steve and Angela(mission leaders) purchased and scouted out their land and buildings that are being erected. I picked the exact spot I want my house. Its on the highest point of the land overlooking 2 volcanos and a lake. How epic of a view can you get? I think thats pretty high up on the list.
I went back to the Lopez house and we all went to bed. Got a HARRRRD HAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRDDDDDD rain around 4 a.m. I've got a tin roof and decorative blocks for a window, so... I heard every drop.
Then I had this strange dream that someone was disrupting the church service by crowing like a rooster. I, of course, asked him to stop and when he refused I challenged him to a drum-off. I somehow managed to pull off an OK solo and he failed miserably yet continued to crow. It was at that moment I woke up, realized the sun was out, and there was an actual rooster in my window crowing. Gotta love Nicaragua, right?
But all that craziness aside, it's been a nice first two days. I'm sneezing up a storm from all of the plants in bloom but I'm going to the pharmacy Monday to remedy that. The meals that the Lopez family cook are delicious, I have a warm... WARM bed to sleep in, and I have the favor of God for this trip. I can't think of anything better to do over the summer :)
Tomorrow is a church/pick up the first group day then Monday I start my tiling project! Keep those prayers coming! I love and miss you all.
Peace,
Todd
Anyway. We got here Friday around 11 Nica time. I was STARVING! Never been that hungry before I'm sure of it. We had the usual drive from Managua to Nagarote. Beautiful views and lots of mountains! We even had the pleasure of seeing a guy go #1 off the back of a moving truck!!! How's that for a welcome back?
We came into town, dropped our bags off and went in search of food. We usually eat at the hotel we stay at but recently the mission leaders have been eating out at local restaurants and say its just as cost effective and there's more variety. We had a choice of beef, chicken, or pork. I went with the beef and I expected beef. I got: Chicken noodle soup, salad, fried plantains, some kinda squash/zuchinni amazing concoction, and steak with a creamy onion sauce on it. DEAR SWEET MOMMA, IM IN HEAVEN! Best Nica meal I've had yet.
After that we went to the finca(farm) that Steve and Angela(mission leaders) purchased and scouted out their land and buildings that are being erected. I picked the exact spot I want my house. Its on the highest point of the land overlooking 2 volcanos and a lake. How epic of a view can you get? I think thats pretty high up on the list.
I went back to the Lopez house and we all went to bed. Got a HARRRRD HAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRDDDDDD rain around 4 a.m. I've got a tin roof and decorative blocks for a window, so... I heard every drop.
Then I had this strange dream that someone was disrupting the church service by crowing like a rooster. I, of course, asked him to stop and when he refused I challenged him to a drum-off. I somehow managed to pull off an OK solo and he failed miserably yet continued to crow. It was at that moment I woke up, realized the sun was out, and there was an actual rooster in my window crowing. Gotta love Nicaragua, right?
But all that craziness aside, it's been a nice first two days. I'm sneezing up a storm from all of the plants in bloom but I'm going to the pharmacy Monday to remedy that. The meals that the Lopez family cook are delicious, I have a warm... WARM bed to sleep in, and I have the favor of God for this trip. I can't think of anything better to do over the summer :)
Tomorrow is a church/pick up the first group day then Monday I start my tiling project! Keep those prayers coming! I love and miss you all.
Peace,
Todd
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Does anyone read this line?
Hey everybody! Long time no blog!
We're all geared up for another riveting trip to Nagarote, Nicaragua! WOOO! Can you smell the excitement?! It's been too long since I've seen my brothers, sisters, and friends/family in Christ. I'm more than ready to go sow more seeds in Jesus name.
We have a very diverse group going this year. Ranging from toddler to elder our group has a lot to offer this year! With our wealth of spunk and wisdom, plus the connections we've made over the past few years, we will be able to do works in Gods name that many of us never dreamed of! With such a vast array of talents ranging from music, art, construction, and tons more we will make use of every day and show the love of Christ to the great people of Nagarote.
I'm no writing guru...believe me. If you'll be so kind as to wade through my wandering thoughts and hard to follow plots I'll do my best to transcript our experiences in Nicaragua. The blog was a huge hit with my home church of Alva, FL for the last trip so, God willing, I'll be able to continue to muster up the courage to share my deep thoughts about rocks in the middle of lakes and planking volcanoes.
Jokes aside, I'm SUPER excited and unbelievably blessed to be able to be going to Nicaragua for the FOURTH year in a row! It's an honor to be carrying out the Great Commission in such a hands on fashion. I stumbled on a verse at a company I worked for in Ft. Myers that spoke to me:
We're all geared up for another riveting trip to Nagarote, Nicaragua! WOOO! Can you smell the excitement?! It's been too long since I've seen my brothers, sisters, and friends/family in Christ. I'm more than ready to go sow more seeds in Jesus name.
We have a very diverse group going this year. Ranging from toddler to elder our group has a lot to offer this year! With our wealth of spunk and wisdom, plus the connections we've made over the past few years, we will be able to do works in Gods name that many of us never dreamed of! With such a vast array of talents ranging from music, art, construction, and tons more we will make use of every day and show the love of Christ to the great people of Nagarote.
I'm no writing guru...believe me. If you'll be so kind as to wade through my wandering thoughts and hard to follow plots I'll do my best to transcript our experiences in Nicaragua. The blog was a huge hit with my home church of Alva, FL for the last trip so, God willing, I'll be able to continue to muster up the courage to share my deep thoughts about rocks in the middle of lakes and planking volcanoes.
Jokes aside, I'm SUPER excited and unbelievably blessed to be able to be going to Nicaragua for the FOURTH year in a row! It's an honor to be carrying out the Great Commission in such a hands on fashion. I stumbled on a verse at a company I worked for in Ft. Myers that spoke to me:
" For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you
have worked for him and
how you have shown your love to
him by caring for other believers, as you still
do."
Hebrews 6:10 NLT
The owner of the company has done missions work for YEARS and is very serious about his walk with God. He's built his life, business, and ministry around doing God's will. I found that verse on a little plaque that was given to him by one of the local churches in recognition of his missions work and outreach in his own community. That verse has been eating away at me so much I can't WAIT to leave for Nagarote! I'm talkin' bout BRING. IT. ON!!!!
I'm sure my laptop is hating me for typing so furiously and your eyes hate me for typing such a long blog. You're probably grumbling and asking yourself why you're still reading. But, that's alright because I'm done. :)
In conclusion: I'm excited about going on this trip. Each year is a fresh opportunity to share the love of God to people who are in need of some good loving. I hope you will all pray for me, our group, and the people we will be ministering to. We need all the support we can get!
I'll be keeping you guys posted, so be looking for the blogs! :D
I don't know how I want to close out my blogs this year though.
T-t-t-t-that's all, folks! Yeah, that'll do!
-Todd
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)