Remember, Remember the 17th of October

Well, it is now official.  On Wednesday October 17th, Eva and I will be moving to our 3rd country in less than two years of being married.  We will be moving to the United States, now that Eva has been granted her Visa.

There are so many emotions going on for both of us that it is very difficult to explain through words on a page.  We are super excited to see and reconnect with family and friends that we haven´t seen in years!  We are also very excited to start a new chapter of our journey together with God in the States.  Since we know that this is what is next, we are very anxious to see what is in store for us and will continue to follow Jesus in God´s calling for us.

On the other hand, it is very difficult and sad because we love Nicaragua and love living here.  But we have peace knowing that this is in God´s timing and we have seen confirmation after confirmation in the direction we have taken since getting married.  In any case, we just want to ask you for your prayers during this transition again.  Prayers for us and for Eva´s family as we make this move.

Back At Home

Eva and I have just returned from an amazing trip!  We spent a few days in a small farming community called La Danta, in the country/hills near the border with Honduras.  We went with our friends from Between Cultures, who were hosting a team from the states.  They have had a relationship with this tiny community for years and have a "sister church" relationship with the church from Damascus, Maryland (where the group was from).

It was so refreshing to be away from the faster, louder, more complicated pace of the city.  The simplicity of life in a farming community really makes you reanalyze and just think about your priorities in day-to-day life.  It's not that one way of life is more correct or better, but it just makes you see how much you can and can not live with.

Each person, or group of 2 people, stayed in a families house from La Danta.  Our "mother for the week" Digna treated us as part of the family.  We woke up at 5:30 every morning (an hour and a half later than the family) and went to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 at night.  They wake up so early so that they can milk their cows and get to the fields where they grow their crops before it gets too hot out.

Every day Eva and I would talk to Digna and others in the community about their daily lives.  A good number of them have been to Managua and most of them say that they prefer living in the country than being in the city.  A man asked us if we have to buy everything in Managua (meaning beans, rice, corn, all types of food).  After telling him that is what we do, he said...and I quote..."I would die in the city."  He then told us that they grow their food, they rely on the land and the animals for their food and if he had to buy everything he wouldn't know where to begin.  I would assume that most people who visit a small community such as La Danta would think "aw poor guys, they don't have the things we do in the city" but in reality, they are so much happier relying on the land then they would be in a city.  It was very inspiring to see their daily faith and hope, especially for God to provide them with rain.

While we were there, besides building relationships with new friends, we worked on a playground area next to their recently constructed church.  The playground is built from used car, truck, and motorcycle tires as well as leftover wood from the community.  We also gathered rocks from a dried up river bed to build a retaining wall so that the ground from the playground would not erode during rainy season.  It was a beautiful experience to work side by side with the people of La Danta to accomplish a mutual goal.

The first time I came to Nicaragua I was on a similar type of trip to build a lunchroom for a school in a tiny town near Rio Blanco in the mountains of Matagalpa.  It was refreshing and re-motivating to connect to a small community in Nicaragua again.  Eva and I have been discussing and plotting on how this ties into the purpose of our lives.  We feel like we were privileged to be a part of this trip and to see ways that God can use us here in Nicaragua.

We also had the opportunity to visit an orphanage here in Managua.  As some of you already know, I have worked for a few months in Haiti taking care of an orphanage, which is now doing great, as well as working with kids in Guatemala.  So it was great to go to this orphanage to spend some time with the kids.  The organization is great!  There are about 80 kids or so there and are split into smaller family units.  This was also amazing to see how such a large operation was so well organized and planned with such structure built into the orphanage.  Granted they have been around for 50 years or so, but are doing a great job to take care of the children and provide opportunities for them when they get older.

All in all, the last week of our lives has been not only a great experience for us, but we feel like God has been whispering into our ears, giving us hints and advice on the path we need to follow, and continue to follow, to where he is leading us to.

Robinson Crusoe Vs. The Longs

Wow, it has been awhile since our last update.  A lot has happened since then.  We have journeyed to Costa Rica for my mandatory 72 hours outside of the Central American Union (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua) to extend my visa, our 1st year anniversary of our marriage, and we celebrated Semana Santa (Holy Week...the week before Easter...which also happened to be the hottest week of the year).

A lot of people have been asking us about the status of our papers for Eva to be able to come to the states and we are still waiting for the next step to be taken to come in the mail.  Supposedly it should be coming soon...then after that, we can start to estimate how long it will be yet.

We have also been asked a lot about how we have been feeling being in this "holding pattern" with our papers.  The only thing I can think of to explain it is sort of a Robinson Crusoe-type feeling...let me explain...If you have read the book or know anything about him, Tom Hanks in Castaway, or even Gilligan's Island for that matter, there is this aspect of uncertainty that is always hovering over them.  Should they stay on the beach or should they go deeper into the island to set up their life and let their roots dig in?  That aspect is something that Eva and I have been having to deal with for a few months now.  It has been difficult that we never really know when we will be told that it's time to go to the embassy and start the end of this "paper process"....which sometimes can be a burden that really discourages you from moving forward.

This has been a constant battle of ours while we look for ministry opportunities, because we can't promise anything super long term right now, because we know our next step is to head to the States.  We have to keep reminding ourselves that this time right now is for beginnings...possible seeds being planted for the future...relationships being made that may have to be put on hold or exist only through long distance...and a country that we love being left only in hopes that we will be able to help in the future.

It's all very confusing for me to even try to explain, but I hope this gives a little insight into what we have been experiencing.  Most of the time that I have "stepped out in faith" has been related to another country and their needs.  I have never experienced "stepping out in faith" by returning to my home country...totally alien concept for my mind...I can only imagine how someone like Robinson Crusoe would have felt when he saw a ship on the horizon and had to mentally wrestle with the idea of leaving behind what was his life...to return to a life that he once knew...odd...like upside-down palm trees...

Roads?...Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads

Well...it has been just about 120 days since I renewed my Central American Visa, so you know what that means.  If you don't, it means that Eva and I have to leave the Central American Union countries for 72 hours to reset my Visa here in Nicaragua.  Costa Rica is the closest of the countries we can travel to to accomplish this, so this Friday we head off again by bus on a forced vacation.  This time we are going to be getting dropped off only 2 hours from the border so we don't have to ride the full 10 hours to the Costa Rican capital San Jose.

March 5th is our 1st wedding anniversary so we will be celebrating it somewhere in some town.  To be honest, we are excited to spend our 1st anniversary on a trip, but to be even more honest, we just wish it was on our own terms and to a destination we both wanted to go.  While Costa Rica is a pretty place, it is very touristy, which makes it more expensive to travel to than other places in Central America...which might not be bad for people with steady paychecks, but for the likes of us who need to be masters of budgeting, its a little stressful.

But alas, we will only be gone for the legal required amount of time that I need to be gone, while making the best of our little adventure.

We have had an interesting month.  We had the opportunity to watch our friends' house while they were on a trip for a week which was nice to experience living in more than just one room :)  Also, Eva starting baking cookies and started selling them to some businesses around Managua.  On Valentines Day we had a busy day of public transportation and delivering to various places.  We are hoping we can continue this venture a little bit more to help supplement our support.  The pictures above are of Eva's Valentine's Day cookie package and me hand washing clothing.  I was never good at using a washing machine and now look at me, I am a washing machine :)

New Years, New Tiers

Well it's 2012...I think its going to be a better year then most "end of the world-ists" believe.  I mean, its even a good sounding number (in english and spanish).  A lot has happened in our lives in the last year and it is almost too much to even wrap our heads around.  But here we are, living in Managua, Nicaragua, trying to keep moving our lives in the direction that God wants us to be heading.

We have been stressing and worrying about what we should be focusing on here in Nicaragua, while opportunities keep opening up for us.  Making friends is never easy when you move (especially from country to country) but we have been blessed with new friends, new relationships, and new doors that we can begin to see open up.

I will have an opportunity this year driving a friend of ours outside of Managua to an english class that he started a month or two ago.  I am excited to be a part of this and who knows where it could lead.  We consider this friend and his family close friends and are excited to continue to support them and their ministry while they are here to serve the people of Nicaragua.

Meanwhile, we are waiting to hear from the states so that we can schedule an interview with the US Embassy before we are allowed to travel there.  This time we are in is like a holding-pattern purgatory that can at times be frustrating and disheartening, especially while trying to live our everyday lives.  We need to raise new financial support because our support ran dry through Lemonade and we need to have enough money for food and general day-to-day living expenses.  I created a Paypal account that is linked to this blog and if you feel led to help us financially, you can do so securely through the Donate button in the top right of this blog.

We want to thank all of you for words of encouragement, prayers, financial support, and "pokes" on Facebook that have kept us going and moving forward!  If anyone has any questions about how we are doing or what we are involved in please feel free to email us and we would love to keep in touch personally.

Oh yeah, the picture above on the left is us with Eva's mom on Christmas and the right is "an old man" made out of old clothing, paper, cardboard, and firecrackers that we lit on fire at midnight of New Years to signify the old year leaving and the new year coming.

Two Turtle Doves

The last month has gone by so fast.  We spent some time moving our things (yet again) to an apartment on the 2nd floor...its a little bigger and gives us a little more privacy...oh yeah, and it has a balcony which is great for just about everything balconies are great for!

There are 2 pigeons that sit on the rafter that supports the roof over our balcony...one is black and one is white.  They are there religiously every single day...in fact, it is where they live, just sitting on that rafter.  Sometimes they get scared and fly away for a little but they come back within minutes, and at night they just sleep next to each other like best buds.

Eva and I were thinking (ok maybe this will sound a little extreme/over the top symbolic/weird) but those 2 pigeons are kind of representative of us right now.  They live in a 'borrowed' living space.  If something were to happen where that rafter is right now, they would be homeless.  They only have each other.  At the end of the day, whatever decisions they make they have to live and die by, but they always have the other one to sleep next to for warmth and comfort.  They seem content.

We have been wrestling with what we are supposed to be doing right now...how can we be productive...lets worry about money, lets worry about jobs, lets worry about (fill in the blank)...just like how we are taught to think/worry.  But shouldn't we just be content...shouldn't we be happy and thankful for our little apartment, food we can still afford to buy, and the support of friends and family that we have.  We are finding our contentedness among the confusion of which direction to go.

The other week we reconnected with a friend that I worked with on a trip to El Salvador and Nicaragua over 2 years ago.  He still has a strong desire to help the people of his country, especially in the area where we built a lunchroom for a small school in the mountains of Rio Blanco, Nicaragua.  He also has good connections in the government (who provided 2 trucks for free when we needed to haul concrete block and other construction materials up to the mountains on that trip two years ago).

So Eva and I have been looking and praying for a way to start working to help the poor of Nicaragua while we are here.  We don't have anything concrete but at least our heads have been spinning with ideas and prayers and thoughts for possibilities to work on while we are here.  And who knows...could there be something for the future in these small thoughts...?

We contacted a medical friend who was on that trip I mentioned before and he is pondering the idea of coming down soon to bring some medical supplies and do a small clinic work with us in some areas.  Again, nothing is concrete but we are excited about these small interactions and ideas that have been occurring.

All I know is that we want to be content...we don't want to worry ourselves with anything that is out of our hands...and we want to be happy with what is in front of us everyday...just like those two crazy pigeons!

The Ride To The Bottom Of The Hill

The last month since we have moved from our tiny apartment in Guatemala to Nicaragua has been insane!  We packed 5 oversized and overweight suitcases with everything that we owned (we didn't think it was a lot until we started packing) and we boarded a bus to travel and relocate to Nicaragua to live with Eva's family.  Two weeks later, we were on another international bus to Costa Rica because my Central American Visa was about to expire and the easiest way to renew it was to travel to Costa Rica for 3 days.

After returning from that adventure we celebrated my 30th birthday...and it was the first time I ever celebrated my birthday on a beach (see above for a picture of our lunch).  It was a great time that Eva and I spent taking a few buses to and from the beach.  When we returned home some family and friends came over to celebrate and eat some of Eva's amazing grilled chicken!

We have been making new friends here in Managua, spending time with old friends, and meeting up with friends who just happened to be traveling to this country.  We also have been reconnecting with Eva's old church and just looking and praying for new doors and relationships to open.  It has been a very very busy month of constant readjustments, but we finally feel like we are settled in.

Besides the moving we have assembled and sent various documents and 'evidence of our relationship' to begin the process of getting us to the States.  We are praying for doors and opportunities to continue to present themselves to us so we can continue in our ministry.  In the meantime we have been continuing to work from afar on various things from translating to web site updating for Lemonade International.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers while we enter into this time of uncertainty.  We love hearing from you all!

By the way, I love being 30!

Time To Roll

Sooooo...it's been a long time since we have written anything here, but we have some good excuses! :)

We just got finished hosting and taking care of the last team from the states.  It was a very tiring but awesomely rewarding time!  We have been able to see people experience our schools in La Limonada and just see how so many people in this world live in extreme poverty.  It has been a great time being able to facilitate their experiences and help connect them to ways that they can directly help...and also working directly with the kids everyday is an amazing and priceless experience!

My Visa in Central America expires shortly and I need to go to Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, or Panama to renew, so we have figured that this is a good time to go to Nicaragua (close to Costa Rica and Panama) to start working on the papers and legal-work to be able to come to the states with Eva.

We will be spending time there with Eva's family while exploring possible opportunities to continue our work with Lemonade International.

Check back for the latest updates !!!

Hearing and There-ing

I just wanted to write a little something because it has been so long since our last post.  I have been recovering from a pretty bad throat and ear infection and still can't hear in my left ear, but the doctor I saw today gave me some new medical candy to take to help my ear to drain.  Hopefully everything will be back to normal in a few days.

My sickness came just in time to host a team from Michigan.  We had a great time with this team and loved being a part of the activities that they brought to share with the children in the schools.  We really love and miss that team!

The Last Two Weeks

These last 2 weeks have gone by so fast.  We had the privilege of working with 2 small teams who helped alot.  The first team consisted of Matt and Joey, spanish teacher and student respectively...oh yeah, and Pepe (the penguin son of Matt who helps teach the kids)  They brought school supplies and helped teach...and also were willing to just be a part of the ministry and learn.  It was a great time getting to know them more and was awesome to see a creative outside-of-the-box way to connect with kids...aka Pepe.

The last week and a half, a good friend by the name of Vince was here to work on a film project that he wants to use to educate people in the States about the situation of La Limonada.  So we worked closely with him interviewing people to try to find the stories that are really going to work for this project.  It was great to be a part of this process and we were able to learn about some people's stories that are just so powerful.  We can't wait to move forward with this!

And now, we have a little bit of downtime to finish unpacking and getting settled in...but we miss you guys for sure!

Las últimas semanas se han ido muy rápido.  Tuvimos el provilegio de trabajar con 2 pequeños grupos quienes ayudaron muchisimo.  El primero fue Matt y Joey, profesor de español y su estudiante respectivamente...oh si, y Pepe (el pinguino, hijo de Matt quien ayuda a enseñar a los niños)  Ellos trajeron útiles escolares y ayudaron a dar clases, tambien estuvieron dispuestos a ser parte del ministerio y a aprender.  Fue muy bueno tener la oportunidad de conocerlos más y fue grandioso ver la originalidad y creatividad para conectarse con los niños...Pepe.

La última semana y media, un buen amigo llamado Vince estuvo aqui trabajando en un proyecto de filmación que él quiere utilizar para educar a las personas en los Estados Unidos acerca de la situación de  La Limonada.  Asi que trabajamos muy cerca de él entrevistando a personas para tratar de encontrar historias que en realidad van a funcionar mucho con este proyecto.  Fue grandioso ser parte de este proceso y tener la oportunidad de conocer acerca de las historias de estas personas que son simplemente poderosas.  Estamos muy entusiasmados por continuar con este proyecto.

Y ahora, tenemos un poco de tiempo libre para seguir desempacando y estableciendonos!  Los extraños mucho de verdad!

The Real Deal Holyfield

So here we are…Guatemala…married…crazy…amazing.  We got married March 5^th in Managua, Nicaragua and celebrated with friends and family from all over the world!  The wedding was amazing and we were able to spend time the week before the wedding with family and friends doing touristy stuff…it was awesome!  After the wedding, thanks to some very special friends of ours, we were able to have our honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico.  It was amazing to just relax and enjoy time to do absolutely nothing!

We arrived in Guatemala 1 week ago and barely had any time until we jumped right into things.  We are both going to be working together to coordinate, host and facilitate the teams that come from the States to work.  Along with taking care of the teams I will continue with my previous responsibilities of taking care of the Lemonade House and all that goes into it (finances, bills, toilet paper, etc.)

Now that we are here you can expect to hear more from us more consistently!  We still need a lot of help with our financial support and prayers as we begin this new phase of our lives!

Aqui estamos!...en Guatemala...casados...es increíble.  Nos casamos el 5 de marzo en Managua, Nicaragua y celebramos con nuestra familia y amigos de todas partes del mundo!  La boda fue maravillosa y tuvimos la oportunidad de pasar una semana antes de la boda con nuestra familia y amigos haciendo actividades turísticas en Nicaragua, fue increíble!  Despues de la boda, gracias a unos amigos muy especiales pasamos nuestra luna de miel en Cancun, Mexico.  Fue muy bueno sentirnos relajados y disfrutar el tiempo haciendo absolutamente nada!

Llegamos a Guatemala hace una semana y no paso mucho tiempo cuando ya empezamos a hacer muchas cosas.  Ambos estaremos trabajando juntos para coordinar, acoger y facilitar el trabajo que hacen los grupos que vienen de los Estados Unidos.  Ademas de seguir con mis responsabilidades anteriores como tener al cuidado la casa de Lemonade International y todo lo que implica (finanzas, deudas, papel higienico...etc.)

Ahora que estamos aqui, podrán escuchar de nosotros constantemente.  Aun necesitamos mucha ayuda y soporte financiero asi como de sus oraciones en lo que empezamos esta nueva etapa de nuestras vidas!

Getting Back and Moving Forward

So after spending 3 weeks together in the States, Eva and I have returned to our respective countries (for now), Eva to Nicaragua and me to Guatemala.  We are taking care of the final details to get married in less than 2 months.  I have been busy moving our intern/team house to another location and also looking for a place for Eva and I to live immediately after the wedding.  We are really excited for everything to work out and hopefully it all does.  Amazing friends of ours have helped us to be able to have a great honeymoon directly after the wedding, something that we have been scared we weren't going to be able to afford!  Now, if only this new house I'm in had internet....

Tryin This Out

So this is going to be the blog of me and my wife-to-be Eva so that it is easier for friends and family to keep up with what and where in the world our work together is taking us while giving people the opportunity to help support us in the process.  I'm not into blogs at all so lets see how this goes.