On Friday, the coco-palm roof will be woven into place
Meeting (again) with the beneficiaries of the chicken business
Paying loans and buying more supplies (happily so)
Diane and Kathleen help the ladies make earrings
Diane and Kathleen make earrings (before and after) the trip to La Ceiba
Two weeks ago, our friends (YiTing from NYC, and Karla from Managua) accompanied us on our weekly visit – to help the women refine their skills at making earrings. After this very long day, Freddy stayed behind to survey the people and therefore better understand the place called La Ceiba. He gathered demographics and other important/interesting facts. His stay was a God-send and remarkable. He stayed in their homes, ate with them, slept in an extra bed that was no doubt evacuated just for him, and rode a borrowed bicycle with them to visit the families, interview and photograph them. Through this effort, we learned more about the area and their services and industry (I have to laugh at both of those words when it comes to this area).
Of interest is that “La Ceiba” is really a collection of over 20 “villages” – one of which also bears the name “La Ceiba.” The name of the small village we’re currently working in is El Convento (the Convent). La Ceiba is actually at the ‘end of the road’ … and we didn’t make it that far. But we now know more about the people, where they came from (all are refugees from the mudslide from Las Casitas), what services they have and don’t have, how they “eek out” a living, etc. The information he gathered enables us to see where the current project IS - and where it can spread when the loan begins to be repaid and expansion to the next project nears.
Right now, the wood used as “trusses” has been attached to the chicken coop, and as I write this – the palm branches for the “roof” are being delivered. They will be woven into place on these trusses on Friday. It’s an art / a trade – and one man from each of the involved churches knows how to do this. As you look UP from under the palm branches, you can see a woven work of art.
Our dear friends, Diane and Kathleen, spent the last eight days with us – oh joy. They went to La Ceiba to see it (as words are not sufficient), to offer help to the ladies in refining their “loop closing” skills, and simply get to know the ladies. Before the meetings started, we walked to a nearby neighbor and had a conversation (well, sort of) about the big pregnant pig in the yard and simply to say “hi” to Marbale and of course to laugh! The women of La Ceiba then gathered for jewelry making and conversation. Some gave back half the proceeds of the earrings given to them (as seed money), and then used the other half to purchase more beads and supplies to make more … to sell more … and so on. Through this process, those who have the talent and the willingness to “do business” (not just enjoy the craft) will begin to emerge. We’re looking to identify "who fits where" and are confident time will reveal this. For now, a) the jewelry-making tools are kept at the church (to be checked out like a library book), b) they purchase beads/supplies to make more, and c) then they sit together and (hopefully) help and encourage and correct each other – for the common good. Some people naturally have an eye for design, and some are better technicians at doing the work, and some are better suited for sales – so we’ve asked them (and will continue to talk about this) to find their place, encourage each other to their places, and work together for a product that can be taken and sold in the marketplace. And we’ve asked them what else they believe will sell … and when they think of what they think will work, we'll put our hands and minds to it, and "give it a go."
One thing lacking in this area (that is ridiculous – MANY things are lacking!) is a community center for people to meet and connect in ways that would benefit them. They would have a place to associate and pool their talents and resources. What comes to our mind is to purchase a plot of land ($2,400) next to the church … where people from all the villages could come … have a community garden … have a “rancho” or some other shelter to meet and make jewelry (or other projects they pick) … to have classes to learn to read, etc. Help us think this through … and help us with this if you desire.
Our “other” (very real) life:
On a personal note, the boys are doing WELL. When we look back on 9+ months, we can definitely see two young lads who speak the language better, have table manners, are willing and able to take a bus (to go to the movies) by themselves, who have made new friends in school and in the neighborhood, who ride their bicycles to visit friends, and who do their own laundry and the household chores they’re assigned. They’re having their next to last ‘bloque’ of exams now, and will be out of school toward the end of November.
Raisa’s blood platelet count is back within normal limits and she’s prancing around with her squeaky ball. But she has a raging rash on her muzzle that several topical ointments haven’t touched. She scratches her muzzle by rubbing it on her leg, and now the leg has a “break out” on it. She’s going to the vet today (again). And then there's Louie who is fine fine fine. And fun.
We’re still meeting and making friends – which makes living here all the better. Freddy feels like family - we talk daily and often see each other too. There are also many people we know from church that make life richer. The pastor and his wife “think in Spanish” but are North Americans – we love them a lot – and appreciate all they do and how they do it. We recently met a man named Mike (while in church) who was visiting from the U.S., and we had lunch with him yesterday and talked about microbusinesses. He has experience, interest and connections here ... and he's returning to Managua in a couple of months, at which time he will go to La Ceiba to see it up close and personal.
If you haven’t heard through another source, Nicaragua has a new plan for children in the orphanages: close the orphanages and return the children to their families (if it is for poverty they gave them up in the first place). If it is because they're true orphans, they will have state-run places or perhaps more of a foster family type situation. So ... no more adoptions, except in cases where there is no family. For those who belong to the same political party, the families will be given a pig, a chicken and a cow (they have to make payments to purchase the cow, which is valued at C$9,000 or close to USD$450). This is the information published in the newspapers here, and then thoroughly discussed at our dinner table – with the help of Isidro who read the paper daily and knows details. Though our boys are not ‘adopted’ – they understand they just dodged a bullet. They know that if we would have waited a year to come, they’d be back in the mountains in a mud hut scrounging for beans and being as poor as the people they see in La Ceiba. They don’t understand many things yet – unable to really think ‘in the future’ – but they understand this topic more than most, for they lived in the orphanage for 5 years (and are ashamed and loathe to admit that fact). Now they hopefully are praying for the kids there. They’re certainly concerned for each of them, and many names were mentioned at the table last night, “Well, what about Jordan … he doesn’t HAVE parents?” “What about Maria Jose? “ (the orphanage’s director and a strong figure in their lives).
Again … we cannot say it enough: Thank you to all who support us in all the ways you do … who communicate … and show care/concern in many ways … and who join with us to get His work done. May God richly bless you all.
