A Day in the Capital-Managua

October 4, 2018February 2, 2020 / Nicalady / Leave a comment

I treated myself to a haircut and pedicure today. My taxi driver friend picked me up and is escorting me wherever I want to go.

It is a strange atmosphere here in Managua. I would call it SOBER .
The hair shop where i go is usually very busy and I always have to wait. Today it was different. Hardly anyone there and nobody was joking and laughing like before. SOBER. I mean, the stylists were friendly and as always, did a great job. But no smiles. There was a tension.

As I rode with my Taxi friend, I noticed something – how could I not. There were non-smiling police everywhere. EVERYWHERE; Lined down the roads.

I still have a dentist appt but there was a gap of 2 hours between appointments (due to the less time required for my first appt). What to do? I got dropped off at the big, popular Mall – Galeria. (I had already resolved to shop in only particular stores.) The atmosphere here is so SOBER.

I am hungry so I came to the restaurant part. Well, maybe I won’t take photos but it is empty. So empty.
And not even music playing. Que triste.

Please understand that, by nature, the Nica people are a welcoming people. I always feel like they ‘See’ me. But today people are introspective.

What effect has this experience had on me? Am I tempted to find another country to experience? NO WAY. These are my people and I am theirs.

My heart is heavy but I will hold on tight to HOPE and the FAITH that there is still the amazing Divine Presence that has guided me here for so many years and also has given me so many stories to share. We here are NOT abandoned. The future is still coming and the Nica smiles will once again shine, and when they do, so will mine.

unfolding nicaragua 2016 (Adri and Lilly)

July 6, 2016July 6, 2016 / Nicalady / 2 Comments

I had the extreme privilege of traveling to my beloved Nicaragua with my two oldest granddaughters. My oldest daughter will be married on July 9th on the beach here and we came a few weeks earlier than the rest of the clan. Adri (11yrs in the blue cap) lived here when she was younger, but Lilly (9 yrs- yellow cap) has only been here once when she was 2 years old.

I love to travel on buses, walk the dusty roads, eat fritanga on the curbside, stay with friends in tiny pueblos and even bathe out of a bucket if necessary. I was curious how my girls would handle the extreme differences from their lives in San Antonio, Texas. So many differences, especially very limited access to the internet on their phones and Nana’s (that’s me) Nica lifestyle. I was honored that both set of parents gave their blessings for my plans of adventure. 🙂

We stayed at a beach house without running water and the necessity of mosquito netting and thank God for FANS. We walked a long way on a beautiful empty beach (Guasacate) and discovered great shells for them to carry home. I was most excited to take them to my dear friend, Martita Romero’s home in a tiny pueblo to spend the night. The wonderful Nicaraguan hospitality reigned and the gallo pinto, queso and fresco was delicious. Lilly saw Martita hand sewing a pillow when we arrived and whispered to me that she wanted to learn how to do that. The next morning she managed to communicate this desire (even though she is just learning Spanish). Before I knew it, the ladies of the house cleared their entire day for us and even brought the sewing machine from next door. Adri and Lilly will never forget that day, I promise.

We went home, riding buses and taxis, dirty clothes and all, but tired and very happy. My granddaughters passed the test and cannot wait for me to take them further remote next summer. They pried many stories out of me during our adventure but no worries, I have plenty more!

If you ever have the desire to join us on our unique adventures, just let me know!

KILLING THE WHAT IFS

November 22, 2015November 22, 2015 / Nicalady / Leave a comment

Around the table in Masatepe, Nicargua (Most of my children)

I was not afraid of moving my large family to a foreign country (Nicaragua) with no money and not even able to speak the language.

6 days and many buses to travel to Texas from Nicaragua

I was not afraid to take my 9 children by myself to Texas, traveling by public buses and crossing 5 countries.

I remember when my kids were small and we were living in Texas, I was a homeschooling mom. I discovered this great hands-on curriculum called Konos. I was so excited and I talked about it to all my friends. This was going to make such a difference. And then it sat and it sat. Months went by. What the heck! I was intimidated. I had no idea how to really use it, nor even how to begin. I think the big issue was one of those Stupid What ifs. Do you ever entertain those in your mind?? What if I fail? What if it doesn’t work? What if it proves to be a waste of time….WHO CARES!!

Flash forward hmmm say 20 years. I want to be a writer. I have it all figured out in my head. For years people have said to me, ‘you should be a writer’. I would answer them, ‘not yet, I don’t have time. But later…’ And now is the time. But I have a few ‘KONOS’ in my life. Like this blog – should I only write personal stuff? Should it just be about my travels? Maybe my family life? But what about Missions of Grace (MOG) and the amazing projects I am involved in? But can I mix the two? UGHHH WHO CARES?

I got to ride in a military Chinook to take disaster relief aid to remote Nicaragua

Did I fight fear of success or failure when I was invited to ride in the jump seat and deliver Hurricane Mitch relief supplies to the Rio Coco area of Nicaragua?? NO WAY! I jumped in without hesitation. It was amazing!

The other KONOS in my life is the ‘marketing’ or ‘public relations’ or ‘relationship building’ for MOG. I see it in my mind – I know I want it to be build on relationships. Amanda Palmer’s book “The Art of Asking” was such an inspiration to me. BUT, what if people don’t respond? What if people don’t take the time to even read my letters” What if I fail. ohhhh, there it is. What if I fail…

Javier Baldovinos and Great dog Shaka

What about you? Do you fight those awful ‘What ifs’ in your mind? Do you ever fret about success vs failure?

How about if we encourage each other??

JUST GET IN THE WATER!!

Have a great day!

TOUCHING THE SKY – LEAPING OVER FIRE

November 7, 2015 / Nicalady / 1 Comment

It is not often that I feel like I might actually be able to reach high enough to touch the sky, or jump carefully enough to not get burned over the fire. So when this does come, I say, GRAB IT, EMBRACE IT and RUN WITH IT!!

I have been traveling and sleeping on couches, floors and foreign beds for 2 1/2 months now. I have a dream, I have a vision, but my heart has a limp, therefore chasing my passions bring on pain, discomfort and in-my-face struggles. Today, I am in my beloved Nicaragua and yes, today, my fingers are close to those clouds and my feet are not burned, just very hot.

Please let me encourage you to keep on, follow your passions. So what if it requires sacrifice and loneliness and the same clothes forever and hand me down things. Life is so much more than the normal – Live! Jump! Reach! Take Risks.

Each human being must keep alight within him the sacred flame of madness.

And must behave like a normal person. Paulo Coehlo

WHY DID I GIVE UP MY HOME?

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 / Nicalady / 4 Comments

My heart is driving me. If giving up comforts can possibly equal helping even one precious family…

La Paz de Cristo – Rebuilding homes

I have skills, I have energy, I have desire and I want to believe in myself. I was born in the 50’s, I grew up in the 60’s, so it was natural to question the ‘status quo’. Did I want that? Will that give me satisfaction?

Then in the 90’s I became a missionary. Did that give me satisfaction? I discovered that I did not fit that mold either.

But where I did find satisfaction was ‘with the people’. Riding my horse, carrying medicine into the hills, helping rebuild homes after a devastating hurricane in Nicaragua (see photo above). The days I was ‘out there’, involved, bringing hope and love, that is where I fit. Have I changed the world? Not much, but I think I have helped change some lives, helped people begin to believe in themselves again, improved their quality of life at least a bit, and that is better than the remote control of my big TV, even better than a nice comfortable big bed (oh, but that is sooooo nice and I love it).

Sometimes when I am sitting in my Wagon, wondering where to go to work on my laptop, or wondering where to get a good cup of coffee without paying five dollars, or hesitating to humbly ask one of my kids for a space on their couch, again..I pause and think maybe I am just crazy. But I believe. Not yet enough in myself, but I believe that there is a God and He has called me, He has trained me and that I have work to do, work set aside for me. If I do not step out and jump off this cliff of faith, the work will get done, but I will miss out, greatly.

I believe in people. I very hesitantly believe that when I ask, the resources will be given and I can GO and DO and maybe some others will come with me and then they will begin to believe in themselves and they too will bring hope and they too will bring along others…

Just like when I used to have all my babies born at home – when people asked me about it, I always tried to be quick to say, ‘it is not for everyone’. This too, is not for everyone. But sometimes I get lonely, doing my thing, and maybe by writing about my journey, I can encourage you and then maybe you can encourage me! I would love to receive feedback, I would love to hear what gives you satisfaction and i would even invite questions about what the heck I am doing….maybe this is a new way to have pen pals! (oh, did that show my age??)

DARING TO LIVE MY WAY

September 5, 2015September 5, 2015 / Nicalady / 1 Comment

I HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE A MOBILE LIFE. WHY NOT? My children are grown and have their own homes, I have no partner to consider and I constantly am seeking more depth and satisfaction with this journey of life. I thrive with the breeze blowing in my hair and the sun feeding my face. When I crawl, groaning, out of my one-man tent and look up at the brightening sky and reach up in a big stretch to touch the new sun, I feel peace. My spirit is content as I hike in the woods and up and down hills and I have an ongoing prayer in my heart. I stop to wipe the sweat off my face with my trusty bandana and lift my face to receive the caress of the wind. Then to end the morning routine with a campstove breakfast and a cleansing dip in the lake…

I moved out of the fantastic Austin condo where I resided for the summer on my birthday, August 22^nd. I have no plans at this time for living arrangements other than to live mobile.

Minimal stuff and minimal monthly costs = freedom to chase my dreams.

What about you? How do you manage to chase your dreams?

I Write Or I Starve

My Journey of Vulnerablity

#daringtolive