We have now been in Nicaragua a little over a month, and in many ways are still adjusting to the new rhythms of life here. On May 5th, we moved in to a new rental house that we will call home for the next year. We are so grateful for this place and love the fact that everything is so close. Our daily commute is a 3-block walk to the office, the grocery store is 5 blocks, and the soccer field is only 1 block away. These last few weeks have been a slow process of making it “our own”.
One thing that helps it feel more like home is getting to know our neighbors. While walking home on one of our first nights in our new house, we saw our neighbors sitting out in front of their house talking. We started talking and were quickly invited to come sit with them. Over the next hour and a half of conversation, they gave us bread, chocolate-covered bananas, and mangos. During our conversation, we mentioned that we both really love mangos. The next morning, we woke up to a stranger knocking on our door with a huge bag of mangos that our neighbors had paid for!
Brian has been busy with Spanish classes Mon/Wed/Fri for 4 hours each day, and studies on his own during his “off days”. I have started working 2 shifts per week at our team’s café (Beto’s Bistro) to get to know people there and have started working with the team on various projects, one of them being the One Egg program. Currently we are giving eggs to local schools each week to provide a nutritious breakfast for over 400 kids. I will be going to visit many of these schools in the coming weeks.
Earlier in the month, we hosted an outreach event for kids with disabilities at Beto’s Bistro in partnership with Pastor Vicente. He leads an organization here in Masatepe that serves and supports people with disabilities in the community. At the event, we played games, painted faces, and hung out with kids and their parents. The event set up as a carnival-like experience where the kids could play games, win candy prizes, get their faces painted, and more. It also included a message/Bible story from a local youth pastor named Engel (pronounced “Angel”). Our team strives to look for areas in Masatepe where the Lord is already working, and to come alongside and partner with people/organizations (like Pastor Vicente and Pastor Engel) who are already participating in that work.
Especially over the last few weeks, we have been encouraged by the relationships we are beginning to develop with people on our team and in the community here. Even in this short time, the Lord has opened so many doors for us to connect with non-believers. Thank you for your encouragement and support throughout our transition moving to Nicaragua. We definitely still miss home and would love to FaceTime and catch up with you individually if you have time! The best way to reach us is through WhatsApp, using our US numbers (Brian: 952-607-9113, Nique: 612-916-9753).