Hey everyone, so sorry that it has been a while since my last update. I have not been able to get onto blogspot.com in Nicaragua for a while, perhaps it is our connection here in the house. Who knows. I can't complain at any rate, as I have access to the internet everyday just by opening my computer. The house I live in is incredible, and we (the Manna group) are so blessed to have it.I just started my third week of programs, and am still trying to find my niche, but am feeling more comfortable in everything, especially my Spanish. I am currently teaching a Spanish literacy class to four girls between the ages of ten and fourteen at a place called El Farito (the lighthouse) for an hour and half every Monday and Wednesday. They are all very smart and eager to learn, and after visiting one of the public schools this morning, I see the merit in having a four person class with two teachers as opposed to a 30-35 person class with one teacher. We are about to start working on grammar and spelling, as the girls are already able to write creatively (something not taught in the schools, and the objective of their past Manna teacher, Marcela). Therefore, Nikki (the co-teacher) and I think that we should brush up their skills on punctuation, accents, etc.
I also teach a children's beginners English class every Monday and Wednesday at Chiquilistagua for kids between five and ten years old. There is a core group of six kids who come, and I love each one of them. Three of the kids - Fabiola (10), her brother William (5), and Natali (7) - always run up to me when I arrive at the land and hug me then hold my hand the entire way to the classroom. Today Natali brought me some flowers, it was such a lovely gift! Another little girl brought me the equivalent of an Apple for teachers in the United States, three little green fruits that look like long green grapes but are much harder and taste... well... I guess you have to acquire the taste! In any case, the first two weeks we learned vocabulary from the human body and today we began learning vocabulary of the house - furniture etc. And of course we end every day playing either Bingo or Pato, Pato, Ganzo (duck, duck, goose).
I am involved in helping my group members with some other classes - such as Advanced English on Tuesday and Thursday nights, serving food and watching little kids at a feeding program on Tuesdays, and every once in a while helping with the woman's health and exercise class (or rather participating in and offering support to my fellow teammates and instructors Nikki and Mose). My roommate Christina and I will soon be starting a woman's soccer practice twice a week to see the interest in the area, and perhaps have a team in the future. We'll see.
Another thing I am involved in and can't wait to become more heavily invested is the work we do with our Child Sponsorship program in La Chureca. I know that I had written of the terrors of Chureca in my last post/email, but God is showing me that there are also many 'treasures found in hidden places' there - the hug I receive from Jefrey each time we visit his home (the little boy in the picture)
, the little girls in their little dresses playing hide-and-seek with me during the weekly health talks with their mothers, the smiles, grace, and strength of the mothers as they strive to get the best for their children. I am just beginning to remember a few of the mother's and children's names, which has become much easier now that we (the Child Sponsorship team - Mose, Maddie, Christina, and me) have been visiting the homes. I have been feeling much more comfortable in the area as well, though the smoke still sticks in my throat for hours after leaving and some things we see are so heartbreaking that I feel I will never be the same. Compassion sometimes overwhelms me, though I am still not sure what I should think or feel about everything I see. As the optimistic person that I am - always hoping for the best - I want to see change in the lives of everyone I see. I know this is not realistic (somewhere in the back of my mind I must know this, though I am currently struggling with my right pinky finger, trying to force it to NOT hit the delete key). Perhaps we will see change, perhaps we will save someone's life, perhaps we will make a difference. It is my greatest wish.
In terms of our living situation, it is nice to live slightly outside the city of Managua. We are close enough that we can drive there on the weekends to pass time with our Nicaraguan friends (it is my mission to master the salsa), yet far enough away that our lungs thank us for the fresh air. The tranquil country atmosphere eases the stress of daily events and a crowded house. In our house, I have been appointed "The Veterinarian": that is, I care for our rottweilers (I adore them!) by feeding them, training them, grooming them, taking them to the vet when they are sick, and by disciplining them. In terms of the group living, we've all been getting along pretty well - no big fights yet (I hope we never have one!) - and we all have different interests and passions that I think go well together.
The new thing I learned this past week was to drive a stick-shift car. I love it. I don't think I'll want to go back to an automatic anytime soon...
In any case, I hope to be writing with more frequency in the future, but it depends on the internet connection. With luck, I should have another post up within a week! Hope to hear from y'all soon - just send an email my way :-)
Hello from Managua, Nicaragua!!! I have been here for a little over a week now, but it seems like so much longer with all the activities we have packed into everyday. I haven't felt like I've had time for much correspondence with all of you, therefore I thought one mass email was in order just to give a bit of an update on what I've been up to here, at least until my blog is set up. And feel free to send me individual emails, I am much better at those than these mass emails. Even better at personal letters :-) I'll include the address at the end of this email, no worries. So here is a rundown of what has been going on (for those of you sitting in an office or with nothing better to do) : Last Friday morning at 4am, I loaded all my bags into the car and headed to the airport with my mother - not knowing what to think, feel, or expect. A new adventure, a new country, new friends and people to serve and teach and learn from and be served by. From Grand Rapids to Houston my thoughts and emotions were jumbled and I didn't know what to think or expect. I met two girls in my group in Houston - Maddie and MaryRose - and some of my fears were eased as I realized what wonderful people I would be spending my year with. We continued into Managua, where we were greeted by the program directors whom we are replacing, and then driven to our amazing house where we met more program directors and set up until the others came to join us. The next day (Saturday) we headed to a beautiful lagoon created out of the crater of a volcano - still active and therefore the lake was warm and rather sulfuric - and absolutely gorgeous. Then on Sunday we were fortunate to attend a wedding for 12 different couples at a local church. Apparently weddings are very expensive here as well - and therefore the couples all waited to get married at the same time in order to cut down on costs. By the fifth or so couple the priest was just cruising through the vows and children began running up and down the aisles. It was a sight to see and really fun to witness. After we went to go play a little ultimate frisbee with some locals and missionaries in a park - they do it every Sunday! Monday we began to work with the programs - literacy, math, and english, as well as a group meeting and tours around the neighborhood - including the 35 minute walk to El Farito (the building where we teach most of our classes) from our house - through neighborhoods of shanties and small huts, people everywhere and dogs barking and running up to us until we waved sticks at them and scared them away from us. Walking through the community was so fun - everyone was very friendly and looked at us with interest (well, yes, a line of 6 gringas (white-American women) is a sight to see in this community). The kids and adults in the programs are amazing and very fun to teach - I can't believe that it will be my job for the rest of the year! So, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were a blur for me - full of lots of emotions, both good and bad. We went to La Chureca, the largest city dump in Latin America were 1300+ people actually live. It is from there that our child sponsorship program is done, and it was one of the most emotional experiences I have ever had - and I am at a loss of words on how to describe it. Suffice it to say that driving into Chureca was like driving into an apocalyptic movie - smoke everywhere; terrible smells erupting from the piles of trash and the dredges of some sort of liquid; dirty, malnourished and lost children as young as four pulling plastic and metals from heaps as fat middlemen sit at the entrance. And worse. Those days were so hard, as we worked in the medical clinic and made home visits to the families we help with our sponsorship program. I could not have gotten through it without the help of prayers and Jesus' love for me and for all who live there. In high school my Spanish teacher made us memorize Psalm 23 in Spanish, and the part "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil" repeated over and over in my mind (Aunque paso por el más oscuro de los valles, no tendré miedo, porque Tu Señor, estás conmigo). It was a strength to me. In addition, I have two wonderful friends here - Emily Lineberger (who many of you know well!) and another girl named Christina Colopy, who prayed with me before we went into the dump - asking God to give us strength and love for all whom we saw. After the dump we went to a feeding program and taught a women's exercise and health class as well as more literacy, math, and English classes. In addition, we had many fiestas -parties- of welcomes for the new PDs (program directors (me and the rest of the new group)) and goodbyes for the old PDs. Friday we had a party for the kids in the literacy program and went to a health talk for our women's health class. And then I slept. A lot. This weekend has been a good revival time, and later today I will be going to live in a native Nicaraguan's house for the next two weeks, in which I will be involved in language school (to relearn all the Spanish I have forgotten). Therefore, I will not be as able to email as I am at the Manna House (where we have wireless!). And when I get back, my blog should be set up and I will be posting pictures for y'all to look at - I know they are far more interesting than long emails anyway :-) I miss you all and continue to keep you in my prayers, please do the same for me! Love from Nica, Tressa Hoekstra
My address in Nica:
Tressa Hoekstrac/o Manna Project International
Apartado Postal P-150
Las Piedracitas
Managua, Nicaragua
it takes about 2 weeks... and sometimes longer, but it should get here :-)
, the little girls in their little dresses playing hide-and-seek with me during the weekly health talks with their mothers, the smiles, grace, and strength of the mothers as they strive to get the best for their children. I am just beginning to remember a few of the mother's and children's names, which has become much easier now that we (the Child Sponsorship team - Mose, Maddie, Christina, and me) have been visiting the homes. I have been feeling much more comfortable in the area as well, though the smoke still sticks in my throat for hours after leaving and some things we see are so heartbreaking that I feel I will never be the same. Compassion sometimes overwhelms me, though I am still not sure what I should think or feel about everything I see. As the optimistic person that I am - always hoping for the best - I want to see change in the lives of everyone I see. I know this is not realistic (somewhere in the back of my mind I must know this, though I am currently struggling with my right pinky finger, trying to force it to NOT hit the delete key). Perhaps we will see change, perhaps we will save someone's life, perhaps we will make a difference. It is my greatest wish.
