¡Viva la Vida!

Language lesson

Interesting fact... the word for handcuff in spanish is esposa, and the word for wife is esposa. How should that make us feel? What does that say about the role of wifehood and matrimony here in Nicaragua?

The emerging participatory church

Tim Bednar of www.e-church.com posted on Andrew Jones' site tallskinnykiwi.com concerning the emerging participatory church:

What I have come to understand is the blogging is an aspect of what I am calling the emerging participatory church--one that basically interpretes the Cluetrain Manefesto to create new church systems. Like:

:: Sermons are conversation
:: Pastors co-create the church with their congregations
:: Congregations are networks
:: Congregations/networks get smarter faster than pastors/leaders

This is just some of what I'm thinking about.

And brad says:

there is a parallel parachurch universe to what tim talked about with congregations as learning (or non-learning) communities, and it's relevant to the topic of blogging. having worked in and around the christian publishing and conference industry for nearly 20 years, i believe blogs give people opportunities to "self-publish" quickly what would at best take 3 to 6 months for a christian magazine to print, and 12 to 18 months for a book. at worst, editors would not "get it," or be looking for last year's "success stories" to shape next year's leaders. anyway, by the time all this happens, the culture and insider thought leaders and questioners have all moved on. looking forward to checking out the links ... thanx ...

Profesor Goyo

So here is the handsome long-haired professor of truth! He finished his three day teacher's seminar with a teaching and discussion about effective discipline. This is as much a problem and puzzle here as in the USA!

Planning & Purchasing

Next Monday, the 26th, we have two American girls coming to live with us for three months. We are looking forward to sharing the Nica experience with them. Today we went and bought a double bed to put in their room. The price of the bed was really good, only 700 cords, or $46. It is lovely! Now we get foam mattresses made here in Masatepe, and the whole price will turn out to be about $100 with bedding and everything. We couldn't even get such a deal in the US! I don't want to leave any of this furniture here if we get called back to the US, as we have never had such nice things in our home!
Tonight the men's group is having an evangelistic meeting at church. They call it "La pesca", which means the fishing time... Greg was a little disappointed when he found out they weren't REALLY taking a trip to the river to go fishing. This event could prove to be a bit more exciting than an actual fishing trip, though! We'll update on that later.

Nude Woman Strikes

The other night, I (Jan) was at a meeting when I received a phone call from Greg to not come home alone as there was a drunk naked woman outside our gate. The ladies in my meeting called our church to get someone to walk me home, but curiosity got the best of all the guys, so they all trooped over to the house to check out the situation. A truck pulls up with six guys who were ready to subdue said subject and a terrifying dog to assist if necessary. The woman had been dancing topless on the sidewalk in front of our house, but by the time the guys arrived she was clothed again. She told our pastor she had a mission, which appears to have been to marry a handsome American man. She even attempted to climb the gate and she nuzzled up to Greg as he spoke to his friends from the safety of our gate. Upon seeing me approaching the house, the scary wife that I am, she ran and hid in our neighbor's bushes. Sad situation in truth, as she lives on the streets and was abandoned by her husband, but definitely will provide much entertainment for all our nica friends as they ceaselessly rib Greg about his Nicaraguan admirer and her particular manner of attracting him.
For obvious reasons, there will be no posting of pictures of this event!

U2: Prophets of a New Century?

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Here's a great review of a new book, Get Up Off Your Knees - Preaching the U2 Catalog, edited by Raewynne J. Whiteley and Beth Maynard. It's a collection of sermons based on and inspired by U2 songs. I participated in a forum discussion with the editors back in 2002 on The Ooze so it's cool to see their book finally in print. Unfortunately (or, for some, fortunately!) I didn't contribute any "sermons" based on U2 songs becasue of the simple fact that I didn't have any.

This particular review is pretty interesting, as the reviewer, Rabab T. Ahmed, writes:

"No matter how one defines a prophet, at its basest understanding is an individual bent on purporting the message of faith, whichever faith that may be, whichever God may be supplicated to. The prophet brings people into realization, and that is the most important aspect in such a person--he or she is able to bring others into a realization of life, reality, religion, and probably most importantly, of our need to be better human beings, to live a peaceful life in tranquility alongside our brothers and sisters, both those of the same and of differing faiths. Whether or not we categorize one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands as prophets, their works can be listed as something deserving of due praise. The messages that U2 sets forth, the examples they portray, and the words that they preach, are just as valuable."

"Faced with the assignment of reviewing this book, I had a few moments of uncertainty as, being a Muslim, I was not sure how perceptive I would be in dealing with sermons regarding the Christian faith. However, I took the assignment, confident that if nothing else, this would prove to be a learning opportunity for me that would doubtless benefit me in the times we find ourselves in today. Halfway through the introduction, I was sold, not on the Christian faith but on the belief in oneness, the belief in a better world, the belief in peace on earth, the beliefs in the words of U2 and the affect they have on simple human beings."

"Essentially, "Get Up Off Your Knees" is a book about hope, a hope that things will be different, a hope that one can make a difference in this world, a hope that the strength of Christianity will prevail for these people."

Could it be said that my writings would be as hope portraying?

Back to Work

Our summer vacation ended today, as the staff of New Generation School began planning for the upcoming school year. It was great to spend time together once again, laughing and playing around as we worked.
Nana and Papaw left yesterday, we were all so sad! It was pretty depressing to leave the airport without them. All three of the boys shed some tears, along with all four adults I am sure!
One sad fact we learned today was out of 38 high schoolers last year, only 46% passed their grade! Discouraging to say the least! This was not the fault of our teachers or curriculum, but poor study habits, laziness, and uninvolved parents. We will be working hard this week to develop a plan to help the students in the upcoming year.
Our neighbor across the street is really reaching out to us. Her husband of 23 years left her in November, and she wants our "community" praying for her and her family. We have felt for a while that we will have favor with the "rich" people of our city, and this family is a family of influence. It will be interesting to see this pan out!
We go for our Nicaraguan drivers' licenses this week. Greg was pulled over three times last week, and we were warned that we are way beyond the limit of 30 days to be driving on our NC licenses. So, we will venture to the DMV of Nicaragua sometime this week. The joys of government agencies!
(One more thing... GO PANTHERS! We were able to watch the game last night and to cheer for Carolina! Can't wait to see them in the Super Bowl!)

Buena vista!

And here are our intrepid tourists enjoying the cool breezes acoss Laguna Apoyo in Catarina. This is a volcanic lake of unknown depth - all attempts to measure how deep it is have been unsuccessful. On the plain beyond the laguna is the colonial gem of Granada, which we toured yesterday. We're having a great time with mom and dad. I only wish they had more time here!

Residency process started!

Good news! Today we went to the Office of Migration in Manauga to get another extension on our visas and, quite unexpectedly, ended up getting our residency process started. The last time we tried to get the residency process started we were put on hold because we had somehow lost Jan's birth certificate. So today we went to Managua with a friend from church who said he knew someone in the Office of Migration. It turned out that yesterday our friend went to the president's house to ask for help on our behalf and was directed to one of the directors of the residency department. So when we went to the Office of Migration today there were hundreds of people there and we were escorted to an air-conditioned upstairs office where we waited for less than five minutes with a couple of Nicaraguan army officers. We were whisked into the director's office and after reviewing what we are doing he said (in polite English) "No problem!" And so two months of beating our head against the wall were resolved in one visit. Now we are "in process" with our residency - we are awaiting the arrival of Jan's birth certificate and then we'll be legal. God is good!

Nana & Papaw Arrive!

Yesterday we picked up Mom and Dad (henceforth known as Nana and Papaw) at the airport in Managua. Were we glad to see them? Don't the smiles say it all?