Down to the Sea!

This weekend we have started what what we hope to become a new Thanksgiving tradition; a Bike Trip!

Mark Vanderwees the mastermind behind the Sea to Sea ride we did in December came up with this little two-day ride. It was a great fundraiser for an organization called Fundación San Lucas. It is a small organization that works out in the small rural communities helping to establish seed and land banks. The people who run it are super friendly and did a great job organizing the support staff and logistics for the trip.

Aimee, Mary and I along with 23 other riders left from a small town about 45 minutes south of Managua and went down to the sea 52 kilometers. We stayed the night at a nature preserve. This is the time of year when the sea turtles come ashore and lay their eggs on the beaches. Chacocente is the name of the nature preserve and is one of the protected beaches for the turtles so we got to see turtles laying eggs on the beach. We also say baby turtles hatching and heading out to see.

All in all the weekend was super fun. Now to top it off we are going to play glow in the dark frisbee as a final hurrah for Mary before she heads back to the States.

pictures to come soon!

Thankful

Today I am thankful for so much. Not just because it is a special day set aside to reflect on all that we have been blessed with but because it is a wonderful priveliage that God has granted us with each and every day of the year.

I am thankful for my family. I was able to see them twice this summer which was a wonderful treat. My family has grown with new nephews this year which is exciting and a blessing in itself.

From Don's Wedding 09

From Don's Wedding 09

I am thankful for all 16 of my students in first grade. They are full of energy, life and a simpleness that I admire and appreciate.

From NCA 2009

I am thankful for great friends and roommates that challenge and encourage, laugh and cry with me through life's journey.

From Roast

I am thankful for my Christ for the City family that has grown stronger and deeper over the years. You guys ROCK!

I am thankful for health. I have been able to be out and enjoy God's beautiful creation here in Nicaragua more in the past year as I've biked, run and hiked all over. Our Creator is astounding.

From Corn Island 2009

I am thankful for all the extra families that I have here in Nicaragua too. They hold a very special place in my heart.

From CAREY'N ON

Peace

Praise the Lord the marches on Saturday were the most peaceful that I have seen during my time here in Nicaragua. I know that it largely due to the number of people and churches that have been praying for this dear country.

Thank you for continually lifting us up in prayer.

Here's a little funny first grade story that happened today.

One of my little girls asked me while we waited for her parents to pick her up after school, "Miss Franklin, do you sleep?". I replied, "Well Mariana do your mom and dad sleep?" She answered, "Yes!". I asked her, "Do you think that I need sleep just like your parents?" She said, "Yes." Then she sweetly asked "when and where?". I told her that I sleep at night just like she does and in my own bet at home. It was so cute because she genuinely wanted to know if I really did sleep and where. So I hope I was able to clear up a little first grade myth that teachers sleep in their classrooms and rarely ever leave school. ;-)

With that being said it is time for me to get some sleep. I guess I'll grab a good book and stretch out on my desk using my student's journals as my pillow and turn in for the night. Sweet Dreams!

Pray for Nicaragua

This weekend will prove to be an interesting one in Managua. There are two marches planned for downtown. One in opposition to the government and another for in pro of the government.

A few weeks ago the six members of the National Assembly approved the potential reelection of Daniel Ortega in 2010. According the the constitution he can only hold office two nonconsecutative times.

Pray for peace between the two parties as well as wisdom for the government on all levels.

Fun Rides

Aimee and I are planning to participate in another fundraiser bike ride to help a small foundation near Managua. The ride is Thanksgiving weekend. We are excited about it as we help with some of the logistics.

We decided that it would be great if we could make it out to see the 52 kilometer course in order to help ourselves and others train for the event. We asked our friends Dave and Joel to take us out on their motos. The graciously agreed. We spent a nice Sunday afternoon riding around on the motos. We ended up not even coming close to the course due to some miscommunication. :-) Oops we'll just have to plan another ride.



Here's Doze and I as we head out on our trip

We encountered some rather muddy spots. Here we are taking a look at the map after we took a little spill on one of the bikes. The question was will the road get better or worse if we continue? We ended up turning around at this point and heading back to higher ground.

Here is Aimee and Dave suited up for the wet, rainy ride home.

Dengue.....

Dengue Fever seems to be running rampant through Managua these days. It is a mosquito borne illness that can turn into a dangerous version pretty quickly.

Morgan a great friend from Iowa is down in Nica visiting and traveling around. When she is in Managua she has been staying with us. On Sunday she started feeling really sick and had a high fever. By Wednesday she hadn't improved and was getting dehydrated so I took her to the hospital. She has now been there for 3 days as we wait for her platelet levels to begin to rise. She is starting to go a little stir crazy. :-) She says that this is the longest she has ever been confined within four walls in her life.

Please pray for Morgan. We pray that her platelet levels would rise today for her blood test in the morning. Also pray that no one else gets this nasty sickness. The count of people I know that have had it in the past 6 wees is over 10.

Thank you!

Thanks for praying this week. We have been able to reach some decisions for one of my students. God has been faithful and has been gracious to not only give us peace about the decision but also grace when talking to the parents too.

It has been decided that NCA is not able to provide the services that my little guy needed so he is looking for a new school. Please continue to pray for the family as they seek out the best options for the little guy. Also, his twin sister is staying in my class which is a great thing. Pray for her she experiences this school day separation. I am thankful that I will continue to see the family and hopefully my little guy too. :-)

God is so faithful.