Turning 30!

When I was younger I used to think that thirty was kind of old. Now that I have just turned 30 it doesn't seem that old at all. As I reflect on my thirty years here so far I revel in all the things that I have been able to do and see in such a short time. While any other year I may have felt the old bug a little more but this year I think I have done more "living life" things than ever before, biking across Nicaragua, training for a marathon, celebrating my mom and brother's weddings etc. I feel very much alive!

From Sep 19, 2009

From Sep 19, 2009

Last Saturday started out like any other day. Some of the girls from the missionary community and I have joined a city volleyball league that plays downtown. We had two games that morning. We thought we were just going to be there for 2-3 hours but it turned into 5 hours. Rightly so our team name is the Sunburns. After 5 hours in the hot Nica sun we were all a little rosy. We lost both of our games but went to a third set in both of the matches. We hope to do better this coming week.

From Sep 19, 2009

That evening we went out to Nagarote the home of the delicious quesillos. Quesillos are a corn tortilla with a form on Nicaraguan cheese, onions soaked in vinegar, sour cream and salt. All of the ingredients are rolled up and put into a bag. You tie a knot in the bag and bite a small hole in the other end and eat the quesillo out of the little hole. They are amazing and only cost about $1 US. Afterwards some wonderful friends planned a birthday party for me. I received gifts of 30 things that I might use. Some examples were 30 coffee filters, 30 Q-tips, 30 craisins, 30 pieces of stationary, 30 piggy banks. (yeah that's right I guess that I should start saving up for my retirement, one piggy bank full for the next 30 years.) It was lots of fun and I felt so blessed to have such great friends and family.

Freedom

Freedom carries different significance for so many. Freedom for a prisoner of war is different than freedom for an average person who has never been physically held captive. While I have never been held physically captive by someone or something in my life I have been held captive by a selfish attitude and sin in my life. Thankfully, through the blood of Jesus Christ shed for me on the cross at Calvary I can experience freedom from these captors. These verses have captured my attention today and I want to share them with you.

Romans 8:1-4
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

In Nicaragua this week we celebrated Nicaragua’s Independence. The freedom from Spain oh so many years ago. We are free to do so many things in this beautiful country. There is freedom of religion here. Many believers gathered all over the country this week to celebrate and praise God for the freedoms He has granted us here. Believers also gathered to pray for this country that all Nicaraguans would be able to experience the freedom that comes from a life hid with Christ on high. During days, months, and years that see difficult economic hardships, lack of employment, food shortages, small harvest years and so on it can seem overwhelmingly hopeless. Join me in praying for HOPE to return to the hopeless here in Nicaragua. I look forward to the day when we can celebrate HOPE alive and freely abounding in the lives of all Nicaraguans.

At NCA every year there is a gigantic Independence day celebration. All of the elementary classes learn a folkore dance as well as the teachers. It is a beautiful celebration of culture every year. My first graders did an awesome job. They were so cute and really made their parents proud. Here is the only pic I have so far from the special day. Felix stole the show. He did an awesome job and was adorable as you can see.