A Nicaraguan Christmas

This is the same post from our missionary blog at . If you've already read that, you don't have to also read this post. Thank you to all of you who keep up with us via our blogs. Okay, so here's what's been going on around our household for the past couple weeks...First of all the mother board went out on our computer so I'm not able to upload any pics at the moment. Our pastor let us borrow a computer, but it also hasn't worked since we brought it home :( Computers here seem to be very expensive and we can't really afford one right now, but trying to homeschool our children without internet, when all the programs we use are online, is really setting us back and frustrating me. Nevertheless, God has always provided for us so if we have to do school into the summer, then that's just what we're going to have to do. Right now in Nicaragua the Christmas season has officially started. It's quite weird to go into the mall in October and hear Christmas music playing and see the Christmas tree going up complete with an area for Santa. We've discovered that things are done a little different here when it comes to Christmas, so here's to a season of all sorts of new and exciting tradition! December 24th is really the day of celebration here. So, everybody gets new clothes for Christmas Eve and wears their new outfit all day. They spend time with family and have time together all day. At midnight the kids open their presents and dinner is served...yes I did say MIDNIGHT! Also at midnight fireworks/bombs go off...kinda' like New Years. We already let the kids know, to make it all the way around the world in one night, Santa brings presents a day early here in Nicaragua...they seem to be ok with that. Then at around 3 am we head off to the beach to spend Christmas day. We've been invited to go to the beach and join in this tradition, so Christmas is going to be much different this year, but we're excited about it. Christmas is more about family here, and a lot less about presents...from what we understand at this point, so we've been preparing the kiddos for the shock of Christmas morning having about 2 gifts each under the tree...plus we are working with sponsorships here, so I think that is sufficient. Also, they each brought 1 toy when we moved here, so anything other than a cardboard box, at this point, I think they would be happy with. Although we have gotten a lot of great use out of that cardboard box and suitcases...we've got three incredible imaginations here.

Comments

  1. lindsey brookeDecember 18, 2011 at 5:33 PM

    so weird... thanksgiving/christmas in another country. i hear ya. but the little way you celebrate it, in this new way, will be good memories forever when you get to the other side of it. so as different as it feels, and as many things that seem to be missing, don't forget to enjoy the moment... the funny way of life, the quaintness, the christmasness that you do have. it is all worthwhile. :)

    extra grace to you guys in this holiday season!

    and love from texas!

    lindsey&brian

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bluefields

Image
The partnership sent us to Bluefields Friday so we could secure reservations for the pastors conference in August and handle some business. Preston and I left the kids with Sam, Sarah, Nathan, and Keyla from Isaiah House and flew to Bluefields. It was the first time in 7 months that we went somewhere without our kids and it was AMAZING! When we arrived in Bluefields we went to a hotel that Glenn Schroeder told us about. Unfortunately they were full, so they told us to go to another hotel. This one had no a/c and LOTS of mosquitos...lol...but it was a night without children so I am definitely NOT complaining. We were able to get most of the business done right away and then went to visit with Pastor Norman and his wife Marta. These are some of the most amazing people I have EVER had the pleasure of meeting. We hadn't called them to let them know we were coming, but due to the fact that they wake up every morning at 3am to pray, the Lord had told them to be expecting some une
Read more

All-in-One

Image
WOW...these past couple of weeks have been quite eventful...sometimes it seems like the week is over before it even begins! I have so much to talk about that this really is an "all-in-one" kind of blog post. And the heat...OOOHHHHHHHH the heat! it's been pretty dang hot here, and I hear next month will be worse. You know when you walk outside in Texas this time of year...and you walk straight into a swarm of gnats? Or fly season when they seem to be everywhere? That's what it's like with the mosquitoes here right now. I mean they've always been here, but I will sit down and they fly up like dust particles...I'm not joking. I light coils, plug in raid and spray...still our skin is looking quite lumpy from the many bites we've gotten. I've been sick for the past 3 or 4 days...I'm pretty sure it was a parasite because when I started taking the medication, I started feeling better...parasite medication is disgusting...yuck! On the up si
Read more

A Change in Tradition

Image
"Jesus is the reason for the season", raise your hand if you remember this phrase (okay, you can put your hand down now...I can't really see it). It's so funny how much I actually think about Him being the reason for the season these days. When I think of how much I'm missing family this time of year and just the traditions we have in the States, I often have to step back and think about how much about me this season isn't. It just seems like I got it stuck in my head that Christmas, and even Thanksgiving for that matter, are supposed to look a certain way...and if they don't...it's not really the Holiday Season. It is though, no matter what is going on in my life, Christ was born and that should be celebrated with complete joy and happiness. Last year it was so hard for me to enjoy the season. On Christmas morning I didn't even put on makeup (which, if you know me, means I'm depressed)...I just sat on the couch in my pajamas all day and
Read more