Hello everyone!

We hope that your new year is off to a great start. It's hard to believe we're already getting close to February. These past few weeks have been so busy for us that we have not taken the time to sit down and write a new blog post, but we're finally making it happen. We already know how much we enjoy getting out our thoughts, feelings, and updates on this blog, and we're thankful that our close family and friends enjoy reading our updates. Thanks again for your support. It means a lot to us. With that said, here's what has made us so busy:

Mitch's parents came here for a long weekend on 3rd of January with the board of Fortress of Hope (CINAFE) to have their yearly meetings. We were so thankful to see family and to spend time with them just as the new year started. We enjoyed listening in on board meetings and giving just a taste of our Nicaraguan life to Mitch's parents. Our time with them went too quickly, but it always does when you're with family! Once his parents left on Wednesday, the 7th, we flew to Pennsylvania the next day, the 8th, for a quick trip home.

Back in November, we bought our plane tickets with the hope of seeing Lauren's family, and her sister Steph's baby! Knowing her due date was on the 8th, we knew we were taking a risk that Steph might not even have the baby while we were home in PA. THANKFULLY the Lord knew just how badly Lauren wanted to see her  niece as a newborn, rather than when she was a year old or so. Steph had her baby on Saturday morning, little Emily Grace Wilson. We got to spend lots of time with the family and enjoy holding our new little niece before we came back to Managua the following Wednesday, the 14th. (We know we've only been in Nicaragua for 3 months now, but it still felt strange to notice the differences between here and the states. And the cold weather is one of those differences. Oh, how we loved to sit by the warm fires Lauren's dad made for us and pull out our winter boots and coats to go outside! Lauren's mom also made so many of the great meals we had been missing. It was such a great time at home!)

Just this past weekend, the 17th, Mitch's aunt and uncle Gene & Gloria came to visit us, too! They are spending a couple of weeks down in Costa Rica and made the long trip up to see us. We enjoyed a short amount of time together, really just one full day, but it was so great to see them! They came at just the right time because we started our teacher workdays at NCA Nejapa yesterday. Their being here was a great distraction from thinking about all of the unknowns of starting a new job, at a new school, with a new language, and a completely new setting.

For those of you who don't know, Mitch will be the English coordinator at our school and Lauren will be a Kindergarten assistant. We're both so excited to learn a lot this year and help where we can. Right now, after only 2 days of listening to everything in Spanish - Spanish devotions, lectures, and conversations - it's safe to say we're already feeling a little tired. We'll be writing again soon to let you know how it's going once we know a little more :)

That's pretty much it from down here. Enjoy the new year and all it holds!

Make it a great day,
Lauren and Mitch

And a New Year arrives...

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and everything else that comes at this time of year. We haven't written anything for a while, but that doesn't mean we've been bored! We're glad to have a few days to relax and unwind as the new year is fast-approaching. Here's a quick run-down of what's been happening here in Nicaragua.

- Finished language classes. We might go back for a refresher before we start working, but for now we've learned all the grammar and skills we can. Now we have to practice, practice, practice. We start teaching in a month!

- Visited the city of Matagalpa. We didn't do much except enjoy the cooler weather. It was nice to get out of the heat of Managua.

- Finished teaching English classes at CINAFE. Hopefully we can continue those in January or February, but we'll have to see how full our schedules are once we begin teaching.

- Participated in the CINAFE Christmas party. It was great to see the children happy and loved, and the staff as well. The staff members told the kids how much they loved them, everyone opened presents, and then we ate a great meal. We are feeling blessed to be a part of the group. Sadly, we also said goodbye to a family of four who have lived at CINAFE for the last 6 years. They are now living with their mother again, and we are praying that everything works out well for them.

- Spent 3 days on the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. Lauren was hoping to see some freshwater sharks, but those live at the south of the lake so we missed out. We did manage to stay in a room right on the edge of the lake, and it was mighty pleasant to sleep with the waves crashing. Christmas was very different on the beach, especially since we didn't feel so great. Because..

- Contracted the Chikungunya virus! Thanks to our mosquito friends, we had solid fevers and chills for a day, then bone and joint pain, and now we just have some sweet itchy rashes across every square inch of skin. Truth be told, we are almost perfectly fine. It should run its course pretty soon. We are lucky we haven't had many commitments.

- Cared for a girl from Fortress of Hope for two days. The staff had meetings for two days this week and asked if we could care for one of the girls during the day. She stayed with us from 8 to 5 both days, and we got to visit the park, make brownies, color pictures, buy groceries, and dance and sing the songs from "Frozen," all in Spanish. We are so glad that the staff trusts us in that way and that we are capable of doing something like that.

And now, we are waiting for 2015! We can't wait to see what this year holds. There will be family visiting us here, trips to visit family and friends in the US, new jobs beginning, and nobody knows what else. We're sure God has things in store for us that will help us grow, and we're sure He has the same for you.

Make it a great day,

Mitch and Lauren