Oh my, how fast the time goes!

Lauren here.

A couple of weeks ago we passed the one year mark when we traveled down here to Nicaragua for the first time together and began this whole journey. When we came here last year on our spring break, we didn't even imagine the idea of moving down here just a half year later. It's amazing what we've seen God doing and how He's been working in our lives. Now, I'm sitting in a hammock writing this on the front porch of my home in Nicaragua, our dog Emre is walking around the house with his little football ready to play inside the house, Mitch is working on his lesson plans, we've got the fan blowing at full speed in this almost 100 degree weather, and I'm wondering how time goes so quickly.

In the past 6 months, almost 7 now, we've experienced so much that it's hard to put it all down on paper, but to name a few - we've explored surrounding cities, climbed volcanoes, eaten lots of Nicaraguan dishes, spent time with different family members who came to visit us, learned how to ride the Managua buses, swam in the Pacific, flown home to PA in January, and experienced both the rainy/humid and dry/hot season. But along with the fun things also comes the things that are difficult and challenging as well - the language, cultural differences, worship differences, the lack of nearby family and friends, and how to make relationships with the people around us here; these just skim the surface of the things we're learning daily.

Upon moving here, it didn't take us long to feel comfortable in Nicaragua. I'd say once we got off the plane, things basically just took off and we settled into a routine. Our jobs continue to go well at NCA Nejapa. We are both learning a lot. Every day. In no way are our jobs easy, but I think we're both up for the challenges that we face. At times, the tasks we see in front of us can feel daunting, but I know we were placed there for a reason and I find peace in that. As for life at Fortress of Hope, CINAFE, things continue to get better as time goes on. We see CINAFE as a place where we feel rejuvenated each day. This past weekend we didn't go to CINAFE on Friday or Saturday, and by the time Sunday morning came around, we were already missing the kids. We're investing a lot of time there, and we both feel so happy to spend each second, minute, and hour at a place where we feel at home. With no kids of our own, we feel like we've got 20 kids that we get to love and call "hijo/hija" (son/daughter) each day.

I will leave you with 2 things:
1. Some pictures of us this past weekend at the beach. After being here for half a year, we finally made it to the Pacific.
2. Song lyrics from a group that I've just recently gotten into, I Am They. Their song, "Make a Way" is one that is no doubt a comfort to me here. --
"Wherever you lead me, I know you won't leave me. Where you call me, you will make a way. Wherever we're going, I will be holding to the promise you have made. You will make a way."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uc8XTZSqso (they don't have a music video, so just listen and ignore the strange lion picture)

The Pacific!! This weekend was our first trip to the beach! Just an hour drive to Pochomil.

Here we are :)

Our hotel was right on the water!

Hammock time at the hotel!

Relaxing by the hotel pool!

Mitch reading on his kindle.



Beautiful beach!

Sunset time.

We walked right out from our hotel onto the beach to see the sunset over the water; it was beautiful.

The next morning, we rode horses along the beach and then spent some time in the sun before heading back to Managua!

Simple March Update

Hello family and friends,

Lauren here. In our last post, we said that we would post some pictures of our school to show you all where we're spending a lot of our time. As promised, below are some pictures. So if you're not going to read the post that follows, you at least have some photos to check out! :) Take a look.

Anyways, Mitch and I really do want to keep you all, the people we care for most, updated. I also thought that writing this post would be a good way to relax, therefore, I'm writing to you all today. I don't have much to say, but thought I could fill you in on recent happenings here in Managua.

This week marks the middle of March, which means we've been working at our school for two months now, since the middle of January. I know I've said it before, but I really can't believe how fast the time is going. Somehow, even without close friends and family nearby, without The Walking Roots Band practices and gigs, Eastside events and worship practices, school work in the evenings, we're still managing to fill our time right up. If not to the brim, pretty close.

Though we have lots of time to relax in our home in the evenings, our mornings and afternoons are busy each day and we're enjoying the different places we get to be. School has been great for the both of us - challenging and new, yet comfortably familiar. We are learning so much every day and I'm beginning to see how far we've already come in our Spanish abilities. Just this past Friday, we were in a meeting after school with a few teachers who are visiting from the states and are at NCA Nejapa to offer some advice to the teachers here. I was asked to translate in a small group setting for a lady who only spoke English. I wasn't sure how it would go but I gave it a shot and I was able to translate everything, save for a few words! It was a good test of my Spanish abilities and when the meeting was over, I couldn't believe what I'd just accomplished!

Our time at Fortress of hope, CINAFE, is also so great. We're busy in school until 3pm, but then head over to FOH until 5pm or so. Soon, we're going to take on leading devotions for the children 2 nights a week, which we're both nervous and excited about. This time will also be another good test of our Spanish language abilities, for that, I am nervous. However, we're going to be able to develop relationships with the kids at FOH in a different and deeper capacity, for that, we are excited.

We love each of the kids in our work at NCA Nejapa and at FOH and are loving every minute spent there. We would love for you to see pictures of the kids that we're working with at FOH, so visit the FOH's website: www.fortressofhope.org and head to "meet us", then "children", and you'll find our recently posted pictures of each beautiful child.

That's all for now. Enjoy the few pictures of our school below!
Much love,
Lauren, and Mitch


Here I am, excited to receive my first work uniform!

Us together after the first day of school.

This is a teacher work room, where Mitch spends a lot of his time with the English department teachers.

NCA Nejapa is completely open-air. The outdoor hallway on the left, leads to my classroom, and the open-air hallway on the right lead to the teacher workroom as well as other classrooms.

This is the Preschool/Kindergarten team celebrating my birthday together with a traditional Nicaraguan snack.

My colorful kindergarten classroom.

The outside right is the playground area where we spend our recess time. The area in the far back is the open-air gym.

Update on teaching

Hello and happy almost Friday,

We've been teaching for three weeks now. Our days go very quickly and time seems to be flying here. We are still so thankful to be living here and continue to soak up each day. We were actually just talking the other day about living here, right where we feel called to be. Mitch brought up the fact that we need to remember to continue to seek God's will, even now when we feel we are where we need to be. He mentioned that moving to Managua was only the first step, not the final step. Now that we are here, we need to continue asking God what He has in store for us. That was a good reminder for both of us as we are starting this new phase of teaching.

We're both settling in to our new teaching roles. Lauren is enjoying being an assistant, with all that that brings - free evenings, extra time to cook, time to read, more time to write blogs, and do all the other things that she often put to the side during her teaching days in Virginia. Although Lauren doesn't have work to bring home, she sees the work ahead of her this year in working with the teacher of her kindergarten classroom. Right now, she's helping a lot with classroom behavior management and will begin this next week with implementing small group times in the classroom. Every teacher at NCA has, or is working toward, a degree in teacher education; however, the methodology taught here is much different from what we were taught in our courses. The techniques we learned at EMU are not often seen in the majority of the classrooms, and we are adapting every day.

Speaking of classrooms, Mitch is in a lot of them each day. While he's figuring out his role and responsibilities at the school, he also has to oversee the other 4 teachers in the English department. Since he is the coordinator, he spends half of his time teaching and half of his time advising. He teaches 3 classes each morning: 5-6th grade advanced, 7-8th grade advanced, and 9-11th grade advanced. In his afternoons, he observes the other teachers and offers feedback. Though his work comes home with him after a long day at school, he doesn't seem to be overwhelmed at all. We both feel so encouraged by our school community, and it's a great place to be.

The past 2 weeks, we've also made more of a point to get over to CINAFE, Fortress of Hope, after school almost every day of the work week. We walk Emre over and sometimes stay for 15 minutes, sometimes an hour. We get to help the kids with homework and just hang out with them. Without the obligation of teaching English each afternoon there, we are really relishing the time we have to continue building relationships outside of a "classroom" setting.

This past weekend we enjoyed such a great, short trip to Granada with some new friends that we are making here in Managua. It's definitely different not having a close friend group nearby, but we're comforted by our little family of 2, and a dog, as well as our family at CINAFE and our school community at NCA Nejapa.

Thanks for thinking of and praying for us continually, we'll write again soon! And next time, we'll try to attach some good pictures of our school :)

School Days

Hello, everyone! Is it really already February? Spring is just around the corner for most of you. The seasons and weather all run together here. To us, it's just hot. Always. Hot. Although the weather doesn't seem to be changing much, our daily schedules down here in Managua have become quite different in the past few weeks. Students start school this Monday, February 9th! We're excited to get started and meet all of our students! It feels like it's been a while since we've been in a classroom and we miss it!

We began our teacher work days at NCA Nejapa (Nicaragua Christian Academy) 3 weeks ago. Just to recap, Mitch is the English coordinator and will teach 20 hours a week and advise the other members of the English department the other 20 hours a week. We anticipate that he'll get to speak some Spanish, but mostly English. Lauren is a kindergarten sssistant and will spend each day in a Spanish speaking classroom. We're excited for these different roles and all that we'll learn in the year to come.

What a difference it is to be in this Christian school system, instead of the public system we were used to. We've been adjusting well to all of the changes and are enjoying the Christian atmosphere. Our first week our principal reminded everyone of the importance of academic learning, but more importantly, of the importance of teaching about Christ and being models of Christ in our classrooms. We talked about it at home later than night and how we never had the freedom to share those things before now. It was always academics above all else. We are grateful that we're getting the opportunity to experience both sides of the coin in these early stages of our careers!

Speaking of things being said, all directions that we're given, all staff/teacher work days, all workshops, and devotions are all done in Spanish. We decided we probably get about 35-40% of what's being said at school. Directions are given, and we miss them. Tasks are divided out, and we miss them. Jokes are said and all the staff laughs, while we look at each other with blank stares. Depending on who is speaking, how clearly and how slowly, we can either pick up most all of what's being said, or we miss almost every word. We are learning to be gracious with ourselves in acknowledging that we've only been here for 4 months and there's a learning curve to learning a new language.

The first week of teacher work days, we skipped the morning session to go to a funeral of a staff member whose father passed away. Somehow we didn't catch that when it was explained to us all in the morning announcements. Lauren found out when someone came up to her and told us in English, "So you two will get to experience your first Nicaraguan funeral today!" Lauren said, "What?" She then went and told Mitch and somehow he missed the memo as well. Since then we've been careful to clarify everything that we hear in Spanish. There are several staff members who speak English very well. All of the staff in Mitch's English department speak English and help us out when we need it.

We've been trying to figure out our schedules and get into a routine so we can find intentional times to go to Fortress of Hope in the evenings. Today, we went to Fortress of Hope to begin English classes again. This was our first English class in 2 months! We decided to teach English there only on Saturdays for now and we'll hopefully add a day or two during the week once we're a little more settled in to our school schedules.

We'd love your continued prayers, especially now as we're adjusting to a new school in a different culture. Thanks for your love. We feel it all the way down where it's 90 degrees :)

Make it a great week,
Lauren & Mitchell

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

Sledding

Happy holidays! While you all are enjoying the cold, snowy weather [most of you, anyway], we've been basking in the sun. Although, basking makes it sound downright enjoyable. More accurate phrases might be 'sweltering in the sun,' or 'suffocating in the heat.' Now that's probably an exaggeration. Suffice it to say, we miss the comfort of a warm house when it's cold outside. Our James Taylor Christmas album doesn't sound the same at 90 degrees! When we heard about the early snowstorms and saw pictures of children and animals frolicking in the snow, we decided we needed to do something about this lack of winter activities in our lives. So we went sledding. Here in Nicaragua. More on that later.

We're continuing to learn Spanish every day. Right now we need practice, practice, practice. One way we've been practicing is by taking advantage of our flexibility and traveling! It's been nice to get out of Managua and see some of the other cities. Taking a bus is very inexpensive, so we're able to move easily through Nicaragua, and we're hoping to continue traveling as much as possible before our jobs begin!

After spending Thanksgiving with other North Americans who understood the holiday, the next day we caught a bus to León, an old city to the northwest of Managua. We stayed for two nights, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Lauren now has a favorite city in Nicaragua :) The city has a much different feel than Managua, and it was nice to walk the streets comfortably after dark without much fear. There were many families, tourists, and students taking in the sights. One of the coolest parts of the city is the cathedrals. We went touring on Sunday morning and attended 4 different masses [a portion of each]. It was pretty cool to be in buildings that were so incredibly old, yet still filled with people seeking the Lord.

But the most unique part of the weekend was our Saturday morning activity, volcano boarding. Much to Mitch's surprise, Lauren wanted to sled down a volcano. So we signed up and joined a group that took us to Cerro Negro, a volcano 30 minutes from León. We hiked to the top, battling some serious winds while holding our boards, which acted like extremely heavy kites. After turning the corner on one of the switchbacks, Mitch's sunglasses were blown right off his face and down into the crater! Managing the boards and traversing a narrow path with steep drops on either side caused a few moments of angst for Lauren, but no harm befell us.

When we reached the top, our guide told us to sweep aside the top layer of sand and feel the ground underneath. It was extremely hot! Cerro Negro is an active volcano, and there was clearly action under the surface. After catching our breath and calming Lauren's nerves, we prepared to slip over the edge. There's no denying that the hill was steep, and quite a few people were feeling less than brave. The guide showed us how to ride the boards and how to control our speed. Knowing she could slow herself down if she wanted made Lauren feel much better about the whole situation.

Finally people started the descent on two separate tracks. The boards zipped right over the volcanic sand and kicked plenty up of dust. Mitch waited at the top until Lauren went so she had a little extra moral support. After she started, Mitch took off on the second track. Even though Lauren had a 30 second headstart, Mitch arrived at the bottom and had time to take quite a few pictures and a couple of videos of her descent. Let's just say she didn't break any speed records.

Nevertheless, it was an exciting ride down, though once was enough for Lauren. We got the chance to go a second time, and Lauren chose to run down while Mitch boarded. Doubt we'll ever do it again as a couple, but if you're looking for something to do while you're here, Mitch would gladly go with you!

That's the most recent news from us. We'll probably post something soon about how we're fitting in to a daily rhythm, but we wanted to share our trip to León because it was a great time for us to get out of Managua and relax for a bit. If you do come visit, León would be a good candidate for us all to explore together! Below you'll find a few pictures of our sledding adventure, plus a video of Lauren tearing up the mountainside. Below that is a sampling of the beautiful cathedrals we visited. If you're sitting in the snow and cold, enjoy the sun in our pictures! We'd gladly trade a little bit of sun for a little bit of cold :)

Make it a great day,

Mitch and Lauren

Before making the climb

At the top with our gear

Lauren blazing down the mountainside

At the bottom, feeling joy at our safe arrival