Nicaragua - Spring 2013

Why hello there!  It already feels like ages since we were in Nicaragua, as we really hit the ground running upon returning home just a couple weeks ago.

In a nutshell, the trip was fruitful and full of fellowship with old friends.

Some quick points about our time in Nicaragua (almost 4 weeks):

• Stayed for a few weeks with a family 
• Ian learned tons of Spanish (he went from vocab words to full sentences)
• Jacinda & Emily joined us for a few days 
• We visited several churches (including where we taught literacy)
• We visited several old students, co-workers in literacy work, and friends (people always seem so pleased that we actually come back to see them!)
• Two trainings took place
• A new leader was equipped and trained
• There were important meetings and discussions
• And to top it all off our pastor came to visit us!

And now for the good part....roll footage....

Guatemala Spring 2013

Tomorrow marks the start of our fourth week in Central America as a family of four.  It's definitely been more challenging than ever, but, at the same time, there's been more joy and more blessing than ever before as we share our lives with the folks here.  Children overseas are like food - they transcend culture and provide a basis of common ground that connects people all over the world at a heart level.  So we're deeply grateful to God for these two little miracles he's entrusted us with and for the ways that he's already incorporating them into the work He's given us to do.

Tedd & Ian share watermelon between meetings

Taking a time out to play with baby Nors

Ready to go to market with the kiddos; Folks literally giggled out loud when they saw Nora & Ian with their sunglasses.

Goin' to town

Market Day in Comitancillo

Nora receives much attention wherever we go!

For the first week and a half of our trip overseas, we stayed in Comitancillo, Guatemala meeting with our new sister organization "LAMP."  The LAMP workers have been doing an amazing work among their people - the Mam - to teach them to read and write so that the Bibles translated in their language will be useful to them.  Our co-worker Jacinda (Short Term Teams Coordinator) and our sister in Christ, Emily, joined us.

Jacinda & Emily joined us for part of the trip.  They were such a blessing!

Mam Literacy Class

The exciting goal that we have formed in our new partnership with LAMP is to reach beyond the Mam language and form literacy works in multiple languages found all over Guatemala.  LAMP will be expanding their vision with us to reach out to several people groups that lack access to the Bible in their language because of illiteracy.

Reading from the Bibles

Practicing writing

Mam literacy teachers

LAMP worker, Maria, reads the Bible along with her students

Byron, LAMP director, smiling with his mom and wife and daughter

After returning to the capital from Comitancillo, we enjoyed a fun-filled day with friends who purchased a piñata for Ian's birthday and the gals made a chocolate cake (with ingredients brought from the US).  We enjoyed our time with them so much!

Our last night in Guatemala was a blast!

Ian and his Mickey Mouse piñata 

After the first two weeks in Guatemala, we were on our way to our beloved Nicaragua!

"Ian Wanna See the Teeny-Tiny Cars!"

That's what Ian said to me in the airport in Guatemala City as we waited for our bags at the carousel.  This was Ian's 4th time to travel by airplane, but his 1st time to be old enough to care, and we had a blast looking out the window together at all the "teeny tiny cars."  What he didn't really grasp, however, is that the cars were teeny because we were high off the ground.  All he could talk about after landing was going outside to see all of the tiny cars!

Getting our bags in Guatemala City

Day one of our adventure overseas as a family of four was challenging.  It's tough to keep a two-year-old well-behaved on long plane rides and during layovers, especially, when you've started his day at 4AM and he's all out of sorts.  I think he did really well, all things considered, but it was still mentally exhausting.

Reading an airplane book, about airports and flying, to Ian

Physically exhausting was the hauling of bags and carrying a baby and wrangling a toddler and trying to stay awake on the humming plane to entertain and nurse and feed and discipline, etc, with very little sleep under your belt.  BUT, we made it!  We survived and we still had tons to be thankful for - no ear issues, funny Ian moments (like when he exclaimed "one, two, three - BLAST OFF" as soon as we sat down on the plane), and the closeness that Tedd and I experience when we have the opportunity to come together as a team - to name a few.

Nora flashes smiles at Daddy on the plane

Ian makes fast friends!

Ian got right to work making friends and played hard after we arrived our first day.  After that, he had a bit of a breakdown due to exhaustion.  It gave me a bit of an inward emotional breakdown as a flood of worry washed over me about our kids' health - emotionally, physically, spiritually.  Lord, I thought, am I nuts?! Oh, God, I'm scared out of my mind!  I'm so intimidated, I feel so vulnerable, I worry so much that this will negatively impact Ian, or what if they get sick?  I feel so desperate for Your protection and Your peace.  Father, please take care of my children. 

Even as the word "my" parted my lips, I felt the Holy Spirit reminding me that God created them in the first place and gave them to me as a precious gift.  They are really His, and I can trust that He loves them (even more than I do, though it's hard to fathom), so I can trust that they're in His care.

Day 2: We got more rest and now we have an 8 hour bus ride ahead of us!!  I couldn't even imagine how that would go with a toddler and infant, but I figured we'd survive.  The babies slept a lot and while Ian was awake, he played in our laps or by our feet (SILLY PUTTY is AMAZING, by the way!), and Nora would look around and enjoy the sights (and suck on her fists - a current hobby of hers).

Ian enjoys a juicy mango while waiting at the bus terminal

Some crazy moments included a blowout by Nora during a curvy part of the bus trip (and when I say curvy, I mean hold-on-to-your-seats curvy)...so we managed to strip her down, carefully stow away the soiled clothing, wipe her all clean, somewhat maintain her privacy, give her a clean diaper, and give her fresh clothes all while zooming down the winding highway.  Just imagine changing a blowout diaper while riding a roller coaster and take it down one slight notch and you'll get the picture.

The further out of the capital we go, the more the children become the center of attention wherever we roam.  Ian doesn't mind the attention a bit.  When the old indigenous women sweet-talk him and squeeze his cheeks, he squeals with delight while flashing a shy grin.  They've both been hugged and kissed on the cheeks by random ladies who spontaneously emerge from their store posts to see the white kids.  They've had their photos taken on cell phones.  While this may come across a little disconcerting to some, it's really quite sweet how warm the culture is.

On the bus...we're gonna make it somehow!

After a very successful day of constant bus-travel, I felt so encouraged by the babies' stamina and flexibility; they had done incredibly well, and were still in a great mood.  Ian was able to walk and hold Tedd's hand down the cobblestone street, and he got to hold a flashlight to illuminate the way.  We arrived at the apartment we would stay in for this leg of the trip and Ian walked right in and said "wow! Ian yike dat place!" (translation: wow, I like this place), he went on to say "my yove dis place" ("I love this place;" he's experimenting between 3rd person, "my," and "I" lately).  Then he asked to see the cows who reside nearby, so we walked out to greet the cows, when suddenly Ian looked up and said "wow!!"  Ian was taking in the starry sky.  It blessed my heart.  My heart couldn't take any more when I asked him "Ian, who made the stars?" and he said "God made da stars."  Then the Lord just topped it all off with a big fat shooting star.  Sigh.  We're gonna be okay.  The children are content.  We're safe.  God is real and He cares.

Starting Monday, Tedd will begin meetings with the LAMP staff here to talk about how to further develop our partnership.  Should be a productive week.  We also look forward to meeting up here with some missionary friends...more on that later! 

Blankets for India - Part II

Hi there; Emily here.  I want to take a second to share with you a little follow-up on the Blankets for India "event" that has taken place this month.  Thanks to the combined efforts of both believers in India and in the US, over 300 blankets are already being distributed among the poor in Bihar to help them get through the cold winter nights.  

Not only is our pal MK and his team meeting a practical need through the sharing of warm blankets, but also a spiritual need by sharing their sincere and genuine testimonies about how their faith in Christ has saved their souls and transformed their lives.  They are entering some of the poorest villages in their region and reaching out to India's "untouchables," including widows and orphans.

Here are some recent photos of MK and his team distributing blankets...

MK (center) joyfully hands out blankets to a crowd of eager recipients

widows and their children receiving their blankets

praying for a blind man

Thank you to all of you who have participated in this cause!  May your donations have eternal value, and please take a second to pray for MK and those who received blankets this week.

Blankets For India

Atypical cold weather in Northern India has caused over 100 deaths.  See here and here for news articles.

Photo borrowed from The Guardian Express

Our friend MK (seen in several of the photos from Tedd's recent post about his trip to N.India) and several of his co-workers are responding to the need to provide blankets to the poor.

Dozens of Indian house churches are raising money to buy blankets, as well as dozens of believers abroad.  If you would like to join in the effort, please see details for how to get in involved over at our Facebook event "Blankets for India."

Because of donations made over the past week, 600 blankets have already been ordered for distributing among some of India's most destitute.  Please join us in praying for the families who will receive blankets - for both their physical & spiritual needs to be met!  The following update is an excerpt from the Facebook page:

AN EXCITING UPDATE! I want to say thanks again to all of you for your generous response to India's need. The original goal of this "event" was to raise enough money to buy 200 blankets. Because of your concern and generosity, an order has already been placed for 600 BLANKETS!! That will be 600 families who will receive a blanket this month. That's a really big deal, guys! THANK YOU for reaching out!! 

We don't have to stop here. Please continue to invite others who may be interested, and for those who haven't already, please consider making a donation for a few, or few dozen, blankets. 

I spoke with MK this morning and he shared with me the goals and plans that he and his ministry teams have put together as a result of receiving so many blankets to hand out; I think you will be encouraged to read about it!

Because of this opportunity that God has placed in their hands to help the poor, they have created a strategy that will allow them to visit over 40 of the poorest of the poor villages in the states of Uttar Pradesh & Bihar. MK said that in each of these villages, there are about 30-40 families residing, and many of those families live under trees or in shack-like structures. The goal of MK & his ministry teams is to share their sincere Christian faith among these families as they distribute the blankets, praying that as new believers emerge, one house church will be planted in each village.

This may sound like a lofty goal to many of us, but remember that MK and his co-workers will be reaching out to the poorest of the poor in his area - literally the "untouchables" of India. Many are spiritually hungry - starving!- and have never heard the story of Jesus. The field is "ripe for harvest." MK & his teams all have very personal testimonies about how the one true God has transformed their lives in very real and tangible ways. Already this group of Gospel workers has planted hundreds and hundreds of Christ-following house churches. By God's power and provision, this goal is very attainable!!

We've gotten behind our Indian brothers & sisters with our checkbooks, now let's get behind them in prayer! Blankets to cover the poor is wonderful and God-honoring, but your donations toward blankets can be so much more - it can have eternal value, so let's pray for that in faith.

Nora Elizabeth Lodes

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. (1 Samuel 1:27)

Thank you God for answering our prayers for this child. We dedicate her to you.

Bhojpuri Primer Construction

Here's a pictorial walk through the past 3 weeks of the first ever Bhojpuri literacy primer and LEI Teacher Training Workshop:

Bro MK teaching his wife lesson 1 of the Bhojpuri primer

MK's son goes to town on the Dholak

Spinach curry prep

obligatory asian toilet shot

Vindyachal

adding the coriander powder

Raj Lotus

trying not to smile

MK and kids

rough draft of a lesson

lively discussion

Gyan working to input the stories in the computer

Gyan speaks like 8 languages and was the lead LEI consultant

Rajesh didn't want to wear that metal plate on his head.  This brother is a church planter par excellence 

goofing around

new words from each new lesson go on the wall

Lesson 21 from the Bhojpuri primer

portable ladder

cows may be gods here but they don't eat like they are

india's famous (or infamous) auto-rickshaw

starting everyday with worship

showing off the Bhojpuri N.T.

chow time

eating with hands is tastier

my favorite - Chotelal - great cook who started to read and write while we were there. 

so much smarter than tracking dirt into buildings

LEI consultants

MK & Chystella lead first ever Bhojpuri teacher training workshop with the new primer 

Chrystella helps coach new volunteer trainers at Teacher Training Workshop 

the famous water buffalo

this brother on the left was learning to write for the first time! 

Chotelal taking a break from cooking to come practice his writing 

making wordcard holders at the teacher training workshop

master tabla/dholak player

the newly trained teachers

chotelal's wife sporting one of her many colorful sarees

deep in thought or snoozing? you decide.

one of the things I admire about India is how nothing goes to waste. This is cow poo that is packed together and slapped on the wall (while still fresh).....when it dries, it's great fuel for burning. 

close-up (notice the hand print)