It’s been a prayer request since before we left. That the Lord would help us find friends here in Nicaragua-both Nicaraguan and fellow foreigners too. I’ve already told you that the LWI staff here has been so sweet to us, so welcoming and so gracious in helping us out and showing us around.

And just last week we started Spanish school. Something I am  dreading and whining about like a cranky teenager. Of course I want to learn Spanish, and sooner than later, but four hours a day is torture. Anyway, at this school we are going to, there is a teacher that just had a baby a few months ago, and she loves that I’m pregnant. So she came to school one day with a gift for me, a little beenie/hat and matching booties. !!! She said that her sister makes them and sells them, and she wanted to give me these as a gift. They were so precious, so I of course told her I would buy a few more.  It was so sweet, so unexpected, and hello, a stranger loving on my baby girl already? The sweetest.

Then two nights ago when we went over to the guesthouse to have dinner with the team, Claudia had a little something for me. She is one of the ladies that works for LWI, at the guesthouse. She is Manette, here in Leon. I know you haven’t forgotten Manette-a dear friend and the cook for our teams. So, I immediately took to Claudia-not only was she so sweet to me-but I know how hard she works. Before we had Manette’s help, I did it all myself, and it’s a tough job. Claudia is adorable, and always rubs my belly when I see her. Which, I guess this freaks some women out, but not me. I mean, if you are some creepy dude I don’t know, yes, back the heck up. But when you are doing it cause you just can’t help but wanna touch a big ol’ belly of a pregnant woman, then fine by me. She always asks how she is, and this day, she had a gift for her too. Four of the cutest head bands. I don’t know how she knew I would love them! Maybe it’s because her 12 yr old daughter wears headbands all the time, and I tell her how cute she looks every time. I don’t know. But it was so sweet, and I just love them. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness, to me, someone she hardly knows!  It’s hard to be away from family and friends sometimes, especially during this fun time of being pregnant. So, I’m so thankful for these sweet ladies, who are loving on me in so many different ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who doesn’t love to explore a new place?

Okay, sometimes it can be frustrating when you can’t figure out where you are going, that is in fact very true. Especially when your handy dandy phone doesn’t work because there are no street names/signs, etc. We do have a GPS, but I am the worst navigator ever. I try to find excuses as to why I suck at this very important job, but all I can come up with is I was not wired to read maps. So that leaves my poor husband with the job of driving new roads, reading the map, not hitting pedestrians and obeying all new laws that he hasn’t learned yet. What’s my job you may wonder? Other front seat driver. This position is actually sanctioned by Brandon himself, only for when driving in a foreign country though, specifically the third world- For the betterment of our marriage, this position doesn’t exist in the US of A-for the safety and well being of ourselves, it’s a real title and important job in the third world. My job duties include: notifying him if he is A. about to hit a person or object, B. if he’s going the wrong way on a one way street (there are lots of them here, and not clearly labeled!!) C. Packing water and snacks. Since my husband is so task oriented that he would starve or thirst himself for an entire day , he does appreciate the snacks I come with, and is usually willing to overlook my navigating deficiencies when I keep him fed and happy.

But it’s fun to get out and see what there is to see. So far we have had just a little time to do that, not tons, but enough to make us excited about what fun places there are for us to discover! Our time is not our own because we started Spanish school last week(dramatic sigh). I feel like a rebellious teenager as I complain and trudge along for four hours of one on one Spanish, five days a week. It’s torture. Of course I’m loving that maybe perhaps I’ll be fluent, someday in the future, sooner than later if I can get through this. And to be honest, there is more motivation knowing we’ll be able to speak this language in other countries. I mean come on, what on earth are we going to do with all that learned Creole in our heads? For now, it just rolls of the tongue so naturally I don’t even know I’m speaking it and not Spanish. Until, that is, the person I think I’m speaking Spanish to looks at me like…??

Anyway, I took some pictures of Leon so you could see the area a bit. We are only a little over a mile from downtown, so we walk there to go explore. That, and we don’t have our own car yet (we are borrowing the LWI trucks when they are not in use) so we also walk to Spanish school. It’s easier to get familiar with the area on foot, so we are enjoying it. That, and it’s not too crazy hot yet, usually high 80’s every day, so walking is a sweaty endeavor but not miserable.

Today we went to Chinandega, a town about 30 minutes Northwest of us. It was pretty cute. We didn’t have tons of time, so we just made it to the beach (to check the surf for Brandon) and a grocery store (for me of course)  that we heard was better than ours in Leon. Who knew finding new grocery stores could be so exciting? This was was pretty great, but ours is nice too. This one had a few items the other did not, and that was fun. I even found bagels, chocolate chips, and a few other surprising finds.I can’t even begin to tell you how exciting it is to have a grocery store, a few in fact, packed with just about everything a woman could want!!

Oh, and lunch? We found a yummy pizza place. Yes, pizza. Turns out Nicaraguans love pizza-hello, we instantly have something in common! There are pizza place everywhere, now this is my kind of place.

Last week we got a chance to visit the lovely town of Granada. It’s old, real old. Like was founded in 1524 old. And it is right along Lake Nicaragua, which is supposed to be gorgeous. We were not traveling alone, so we didn’t get to decide how long we stayed and what did on this trip-so we didn’t get to see the lake this time. But we got to see a bit of this very old incredible city, and can’t wait to go back and explore more. It’s pretty far from us, about 3 hours or so. But Living Water has one of their programs running right next to the city, so we’ll be there more for sure. In addition, while we were out there, we got to meet some more LWI staff too. Jorge and his crew that have been working in the area for years-drilling and hosting teams. He was super nice, and had a sweet family. Four kids too, which meant he has some good contacts for us, knows some good doctors, and was so willing to help us figure things out being so new the country. We have been so thankful for the kindness that all the LWI staff has shown us along the way. It has made being in a new and foreign place so much easier-having co-workers and friends instantly! In fact, did I mention that the new place we are living in is just a few blocks from another LWI house? A house that they do pump repair out of, some teams, and the family that lives there is also so sweet. Hiro’s even taken us around town a few times, pointing us to the grocery stores, yummy restaurants, and the local markets too. Oh how thankful we are for instant connections and welcoming open arms!!

Here are some photos of Granada: