I now live in Nicaragua!

Well... I am here!

It is very odd to think that just one week ago I was in the U.S. And now, for the next three years Managua, Nicaragua will be my home.

I was excited to arrive at the airport in Miami and run into my sister-in-law´s grandma (Laina´s grandmother). Oddly enough we were both on our way to Managua. She, Grandma Pat that is, was on a tourist trip with about 20 others. It was nice to leave the states with family on board. :)

I arrived at the airport in Managua and was greeted by Doctor Mirtila, her two daughters Aura and Claudia, and another friend Omar. These are all people that I met on my previous trips. They are my Nicaragua family! I will hopefully have some pictures of them soon to post.

I arrived safely at my Nicaraguan families home last Sunday evening. I will be staying with the Campos family for two more weeks before I am placed with a more permanent family closer to my place of work. I have my own room, which also includes a television with cable.... I didn´t even have that in the states!

(Miriam, my host mom)

During the past week I have a pretty set schedule of meetings in the morning, tutoring with Gretel until lunch. I have lunch with my family and then head to Spanish school on the bus. I can manage getting to and from all those on my own with the bus system... which doesn´t sound like a big deal, but learning the bus routes without road names is quite interesting. I told my dad he would love it here because you must learn to use landmarks to function.

Today I went to Granada, south of Managua and took a boat tour of Lake Cosibolca with my tutor Gretel and her friend Linda. We saw three different volcanoes once of which is active and was smoking... pretty cool! We took a boat tour of just a few of the 365 islands in the lake. Apparently there is an island for every day of the year, or so they say.

(Linda and Gretel)

I am learning that, yes I am an adaptable person, but it does take time. When I first arrived I knew this was where I was supposed to be... it didn´t make it any easier to think about all I left behind and who I would miss. I was listening to a book on ipod -the more advanced version of book on tape :) - called ¨The Shack¨and was reminded that we do not know why we go through the things we do because really... how can we even try and understand a God who is so inexplicably good? Yes, we go through things that we THINK are bad or we cannot begin to fathom WHY a God that is good would allow us to experience pain or heartache. The question should be... How can WE even question His purpose!

Basically, I know that God has called me here and no matter what heartache I go through, how much I miss my friends and family, or how little I understand it ... none of that makes God and less good or His purpose in me being in Nicaragua any less important to His kingdom.

I love you all and miss you tons!

Bendiciones,
Beth Ann