A bus ride across town to fast!

And NO, I do not mean "too fast", as in "the bus went too fast". I mean "to fast", as in to not eat food. :)

So, I had the most incredible time this last weekend! I decided to go stay at Dra. Mirtila´s (Mir´s) house, which is about an hour bus ride to the other side of town. I have been there before, but typically I am picked up somewhere between my house and theirs. I WAS BRAVE this time and decided to take a bus to a place I had no idea which stop to get off at! Mir told me the stop and then my host mom, Miriam, told me just to ask the bus driver to give me a heads up when we got close. And off I went with my bag of cloths for the weekend. Praise God, I was able to sit right in the front seat, which happened to be right next to the wife or the driver. It was a good thing I asked for guidance, because I seriously would have gotten off the bus at least 2 miles too early! I would have been lost. When they got me to the correct stop I knew exactly where I was. Whew!

To some, this may seem like a boring story... sorry, but these are the little things that entertain me. Put yourself in my shoes: You know only some of the language, but the accent and quickness of speach here doesn´t allow for much understanding when you aren´t really sure what you are listening for, the streets don´t really have names and you (a white person) are stared at EVERYWHERE you go. I think you too would feel victorious after an adventure such as this!

Anyways, :) I stopped by Manos Que Curan, which is the pharmacy that Omar works at and Mir runs (maybe it´s Mir´s daughter Aura that runs it, I will find that out). Omar knows more English than I know of Spanish, so we actually make for a good team when it comes to learning each others language. That evening I went to church at Mir´s house. The next morning at 6:30 a.m. we started a fast- "ayuno" in Spanish. We had church activities from 6:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. when we broke the fast.

I feel like any words I try to put to the experience will not do it justice. It was beautiful! I have been doing so much prayer by myself that I forgot how refreshing and marvelous praying with others can be. The passion of those that prayed was more than I have seen in the months that I have been in Nicaragua (and there are A LOT of passionate people in Nicaragua). The Spirit of the Lord was present. I found myself caught between listening to the beauty of the language and resting in the peace of the Lord. Even though it was an early morning, the time passed quickly and I felt refreshed. I was blessed to be a part of it.

Onto another topic...

Here is an odd thing that I have been analyzing lately about myself and my response to the culture and language. I am more comfortable with people that are older than me than those my age. I feel they have a bit more grace for me when I make mistakes. Also, it is weird to feel self-conscious around people my age, it is like I have a small fear that they won´t "like me" if I can´t communicate well. (Back to the days of junior high... yuck!) For those of you who know me best, this is very odd, because I feel comfortable in just about any situation. It´s not that I don´t still communicate, but I´m a bit more sheepish than I would normally be.

And yet, another complete change of topic...

Man, for this blog you guys are really getting a briefing of some of the things that go on in my mind here in Nicaragua. This one is something that I actually would like you to consider taking some action on:

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (The "DREAM Act")
The DREAM Act "would create a pathway to lawful permanent residence and eventual earned citizenship for thousands of upstanding high school graduates who were brought to the United States as children years ago. These young people have grown up in our communities and include honor roll students, star athletes, talented artists, and aspiring teachers, doctors, and entrepreneurs."
(Quoted from the "MCC Action Alert: Urge Your Legislators to Cosponsor the DREAM Act")

Please read this story from the New York Times to get a glimpse of at least one of the faces, that has the of name Benita Veliz, who is one of the many that are affected by this policy. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/opinion/28sat4.html

I have many friends like this that live in the United States. I do understand the need for border control when it comes to the issues of drug trafficking and the illegal trafficking of children. These are things that need to be monitored and controlled, but what happened to the principles of which our country was founded upon! What happened to people being welcomed at Ellis Island. Did you know that over 40% of American´s can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island...over 12 million people!

Maybe this is something you are not passionate about, but then again, maybe it is. Please contact your local Senator to ask them to support the DREAM Act. Call the Capital switchboard operator at 1-202-224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your Senator and Representative. CLICK HERE to find out the name of your local Senator.

Also, for another US/Mexico border related story, please check out the MCC Washington Post Blog

I know, no pictures this time and such serious topics. People, this is what it´s about! This is part of the reason I am in Nicaragua. It´s not just about facilitating volunteer groups to help the Nicaraguan people. It is about educating those who are still in the US that can make an impact with votes or even just making a simple phone call to a Senator.

For those of you who read this far... thanks for pushing through this one. I appreciate you taking the time to read... even when there are not any pictures.

Besos y arbasos mis hermanos y hermanas.

Que Dios les bendiga.

Beth Ann