A Home Connection

Back in the ol’ days, the ones that scarcely anyone can remember any more, traveling and living abroad looked very different from what we see today.  Travel itself was slower paced—days and weeks were dedicated to crossing the country, even longer if you were visiting family or taking a vacation.  People enjoyed a more sedentary lifestyle simply because moving took a lot of work (even more than it does nowadays!).  Then came the invention of all things technological and BOOM! we find ourselves in the midst of a day and age that we only dreamed of when Star Trek was first on TV.  We are living it, folks.

FaceTime with the bro

To provide a very obvious example, I happen to currently be a missionary living in a country 3,200 miles from my hometown.  And yet, this week I’ve been able to talk to my friends and loved ones “face-to-face” through the beautiful convenience of FaceTime and Skype.  I can text regularly with people all over the world.  I can worship live with fellow believers back home in Michigan via the internet.  And this past week, I was given the extra special opportunity to check in everyday with my church’s VBS kids! 

In case you didn’t make it to the daily VBS pow-wow held at Wayland this week, I’ve included below the short and sweet messages I sent my kids this week.  I hope you enjoy them as much as they did!

Day 1:

“Buenos días everyone! This is a little shout out from Kelsey Davies from sunny Nicaragua. Each day this week I'll be checking in and saying hi. I'll also try to leave you with a fun fact about Nicaragua as well as a favorite bible verse of mine. So here it goes: here in Nicaragua, we are known as the land of lakes and volcanoes--we have two huge fresh water lakes (think Lake Michigan) and 27 volcanos! Quite a bit different from Wayland huh? And the verse I'd like to share with you today is Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Well, that's it for today. Dios les bendiga! Hasta mañana :)”

Day 2:

“Hola VBS-ers! I hope you had a really great first day yesterday.

I am currently sitting in my office in the capital city of Managua, catching up with work and having meetings. Managua is about an hour and a half from my home in Leon. Normally I come here on Mondays on a bus that looks like a school bus. But these school buses are a bit different from the ones you might be used to--these buses are painted bright colors on the outside and many have streamers and other colorful decorations. With loud music playing and waaaay too many people crammed in there, riding the bus here is always an adventure! Many times, there's so many people, the only way I can get off the bus is through the emergency door in the back!

The Bible verse I'd like to share with you guys today is another one of my favorites: Psalm 150:

1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

4 praise him with timbre and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,

5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Have a great day guys and I'll check in again tomorrow!”

A pic of the kids listening to my daily hi-hello-there

Day 3:

“Hola everyone again! Hope you’re having a fantastic week! Today I want to share with you a bit more about Nicaragua, but especially about the family. Family here is SUPER important. You'll often see extended family all living together in one house: think grandparents, your mom and dad, your siblings, maybe even a cousin or two. Sometimes even your uncle or aunt might live with you for a while. That's a lot of people all living in the same house! Birthday parties, weddings, and funerals are all huge family gatherings and can sometimes last for a couple of days. Let's just say here, you're never without family!

The verse I'd like to share with you today is from Psalm 103: “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.” Psalm 103:17-18 NIV

Dios les bendiga and I'll chat with you tomorrow!”

Day 4:

“Bienvenidos to the last day of VBS! What a week, huh? I hope everyone has had a great time!

I don't know how many of you have been on soccer teams or at least kicked around a soccer ball in P.E. Probably a lot! Did you know that soccer is the most famous sport in many of the countries around the world? Including in Latin America? Well, it's popular here in Nicaragua too, but do you know what sport is even more popular? Baseball. Several decades ago, the U.S. Marines spent a good amount of time in Nicaragua and brought with them the well-liked American sport, and it's been a favorite ever since. In fact, several Nicaraguans play on professional American teams (Google it if you don't believe me). Kids and parents play catch in the streets here, and pick-up games are played everywhere. I live right by a stadium and boy are game-days crazy! So, if you enjoy baseball, then you have to visit Nicaragua someday! 

Ok, so today is the last day of VBS so I'd like to share with you a verse that has been used as a benediction for centuries, even before Jesus was born! You've probably heard it in church too. It's Numbers 6: 24-26: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Have a blast at Fun Fest tomorrow!

Un abrazo fuerte (a big hug), 

Kelsey”

A shout-out of thank you to everyone who made VBS a fun time last week.  And thanks Dana for contacting me!  Miss you guys.

Stay tuned!

10...9...8...7...

We are almost ready for blast off, folks.  In 10 days, my next batch of students will arrive bright-eyed and travel-weary to the small airport of Augusto Sandino.  A greeting of humid air and my smiling face and waving hands is the extent of their grand welcoming party to the city of Managua.  And so will begin their journey from naïve and curious students to savvy cross-cultural vagabonds.  Their mission: survive the next 3 ½ months of classes, trips, language acquisition, homestays, foreign foods and power-sapping heat.  My mission: make it the best experience they’ve ever had.

Now, I’m not boasting in my extraordinary skills at accommodating “greenies” to the international playground I currently play in.  Nor am I touting my refined skills at teaching and providing inspiring guidance to those caught in the murky whirlpools of cross-cultural living.  What I’m saying is that I enjoy setting for myself such lofty goals so as to push myself to go the extra mile and do it even better than last time.  I know what I’m capable of, but I also know how easy it is to become cozy in the arms of “excellence”.  So, there will be none of that here.  I will celebrate, yes, by patting myself on the back and eating my favorite ice cream (pitahaya) BUT then I put my game face back on and jump back into the arena.  My goals are high, but my determination is even higher.

Thinking of my new students, I can’t help but put myself into their shoes and remember what it was like for me.  I can’t forget those first few steps I took into a bright and scary new world known as Costa Rica and then later in Nicaragua.  I may have played it off as cool, but on the inside I was terrified.  I had absolutely no idea what to expect, which makes it incredibly difficult to properly prepare yourself for anything.  Essentially, I lived those first few months on the tips of my toes, agilely and clumsily dodging and weaving and fighting any obstacle that suddenly found its way onto my path.  I could only react to the world around me, never predict.  But then, slowly and after many a sleepless night, a miracle happened.  I was no longer afraid.  The next day no longer was such a scary monster to me; instead, it presented itself as a semi-known challenge that I would (and could) face. 

So, in these past few months but most especially in these past few days, I have been doing my best to prepare my corner of Nicaragua for these 8 students.  I haven’t fallen for the lie that I can take away the scary mystery of living here, but I can set up ways to provide support for the students when they face those moments of unsureness and fear.  I can’t write up a list of “Things to Do in Nicaragua so that You Never Have a Bad Day”, but I can provide a list of resources to provide more insight into the culture and life here.  I can’t de-bug and de-parasite the entire nation so that no student will ever get sick, but I can teach host families and students to be aware of hygiene and to use caution in food and beverage consumption.  I can’t make the world perfect, but I can be there when you fall down.

I’m excited.  I’ll admit it.  I can’t wait to meet these 8 students in person (finally!).  I’ve only been thinking about them since they signed up way back in April.  I know their profiles by heart.  I can guess at their personality and sense of humor through the emails I have had with them.  I know what they look like and who will stick out here in a crowd and who will blend right in.  I know them, and yet I am so very aware that they are still a complete mystery to me.  I’m antsy and I simply cannot wait to finally meet the person behind the name and to have the privilege of walking alongside of them during their journey this semester.

Please pray for these students.  Pray that they come open-hearted, open-minded, and open-eyed.  Pray that they will be touched by the Nicaraguans here and that they will in turn touch the lives of those they come to know.  Pray for our faculty and staff.  Pray for perseverance and energy and joy, even when the number of papers to grade seems just too many.  Pray for our host families.  Pray for patience and guidance and wisdom, especially when they just can’t understand their student’s broken Spanish.  And finally, please pray for me.  Pray for wisdom and perseverance and joy, especially as this semester will be my last here in Nicaragua (and you know I hate goodbyes).

Stay tuned!