Ant Lessons

I moved this weekend.  I basically moved up one floor and over a hallway.  The place is bigger, with a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.  It was quite filthy when I went to take a look at it, but with the help of two ladies who work where I live we got it cleaned up pretty quick.  However, they discovered a bat family that lived in the ceiling above my closest and I think there is still something up there because every morning I find dirt from the ceiling space in my closet.  Also, my refigerator has become over run with ants and I don't think it is really working as none of my food was cold.  Oh well =).  I'm sure I will figure something out to take care of them.  I have used bleach, hairspray, water, instant death by smashing them, and yet they still persist. I had to throw away cheese and butter yesterday. It may be silly, but please pray the ants will leave me alone! It wouldn't be so bad, but since they are in my refigerator I don't know how to protect my food.  Really, in a lot of ways the place is nice with a sitting area and stove.  The bathroom sink is larger for washing my dishes, since I am still without a kitchen sink.  There are plans for redoing the apartment, but that won't happen until the end of my time here in Nicaragua.  I have two fans, lots of space, more utensils, plates and bowls.  The ants and bats are just adventures along the journey.  Frankly, it could be a lot worse.   I don't have any pictures yet of the new apartment, but I will try to post some soon. 

Ants are interesting creatures.  I think we have some lessons to learn from them.  They are incredibly persistent.  They just won't quit.  No matter how many I kill, they always return.  Their job is to find food and that is what they will do.  In many ways this is how we should live and work for God.  In persistence - without giving up.  We should be in constant prayer and lifting up our requests to God.  After all didn't the persistent widow finally get the judge to give her justice? Jesus's intended purpose for the parable was to show the importance of persistent, constant prayer and faith (Luke 1-6).

Ants work as a team.  Ants scout for food and once food is found they form a trail from the food to the nest.  They work together to get the job done.  They cooperate to support the whole.  Wikipedia, the oh so trusted internet source, says this: "The colonies are sometimes described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ants). I believe as Christians we should to operate as an unified entity. Not that we will always agree with each other, but that in the in the midst of the disagreement or difference in opinion that we still support each other and love each other as Christ loves us.  As 1 Thessalonians 5:13 says "Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part" (The Message Version).  

One thing that ants don't seem to do very well is to learn from their mistakes.  While, persistence is a good thing, to never learn that maybe their is another more effective way to do something is not a positive trait.  You would think after realizing that so many of their ants friends are dead they would find a new food source.  One, which would still feed the colony, but would spare the lives of others in their community.  As Christians, we should learn and grow.  We shouldn't keep doing the same things that hurt us or hurt others around us.  We should even be willing to change our ministry programs or how we minister if the current method keeps failing.  We should have confidence in God to be able to say "I messed up" and then begin to fix or change things.  This can be a sin or this can be simple a methodolgy or way of doing things. Again in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 when discussing the time and hour of Christ return, "He won't call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would.  About the time everybody's walking around complacently, congratulating each other - 'We've sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!' - suiddenly everything will fall apart.  It's going to come as suddenly and iescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman".  So, we should be on our toes, aware, never status qou, constantly learning from our mistakes and mistakes of others. 

Enough said on lessons from ants for today.  "May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together - spirit, soul and body - and keep you fit for the coming of our Master Jesus Christ.  The One who called you is completely dependable.  If he said it, he'll do it! 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.    

(The pictures are all from a google search for ants, mistake and dependable.) 

Life in Nicaragua =)

Goodmorning!  After a few days back in the states, I have arrived again in Nicaragua.  Actually, I arrived last Tuesday night.  The time in the states was fun and I had a good visit. I visited with family, saw my sister and brother in-law graduate from college, took a road trip from Missouri to California and along the way saw both the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, and most importantly Derek made our engagement official with a ring.  My mom threw a wonderful party for us and then I was off again...well almost. I missed my Monday morning flight, so I had to pay a hefty sum and then I left on the same flight, but on Tuesday morning.

Ahorita (Now), I am back in Nicaragua.  Since, I have been back, I have been working on spreadsheets that contains the data of the nutritional states of the children in the seven feeding programs they have here in Nicaragua.  On Saturday, I was also able to particiapte in two food distributions.  On Sundays, I attend a start up church.  Currently, we meet in the home of a missionary, but in the next few weeks I believe we will be moving to a different building.  I enjoy the church and being part of something new.   

I live in a training center owned by Assemblies of God World Missions.  It is a school during the day, a place for teams to stay, a place for nationals to have bibical training and spiritual growth, and a place for MAP workers and Missionary Assocates to live, while they are working here.  Currently, I live in a dorm converted into a studio, but next weekend I will move into one of the apartments in the facility.  Today, mostly I wanted to share with you a little about life here and some pictures.  Below, I have pictures of me playing soccer with kids, children eating during a feeding program, pictures of the distribution and some pictures of my living quarters.  

This is my kitchen.  It consist of a refigerator, water dispenser, toaster, coffee maker and an electric skillet.  Last time I cooked on it I cooked in the hall, so my whole room wouldn't smell like egg.  I learned my lesson from the first time I cooked on the electric skillet =).  The kitchen does the job for a me, since I usually don't need to cook much.  It is a nice little set up they created for me!

My kitchen sink is also my bathroom sink.  So, here I am last night cleaning my spinach.  I also cleaned some apples, lettuce, mangos and so on.  For the first time ever I cleaned my vegetables with some bleach water.  I usually just use water or dish soap.  I guess I like to live on the edge sometimes... =)

The hardest decision I have to make every day - What shower to shower in?  I have so many options =). 

Here I am playing soccer with some children at a school in Nicaragua.  I love the grimace on my face in this picture =). 








The following pictures are from the distribution on Saturday. 

This picture I just wanted to share - This is right after Derek proposed. It was a little dark, but I played around with the photo a little bit and I think it works. 

Lastly, I took this picture of my Dad at the Grand Canyon and I just think it is a cool shot.