a basketball court on its way

We started pouring concrete on our first basketball court for the sport center! We have a team from USC here this week that have taken on the basketball court project. Some of Thomas' cousins that are welders are welding the beams for the basketball hoop and hopefully by April we will have a court ready to play on.

Here are a couple of pictures of what of all we've been up to.



Also in building the big Ranchon, we decided to put in two small ones that are right between where the basketball court is going and where the volleyball court will be. St. Pauls, do you recognize that beautiful block wall? We just had a road grater here the other day and it smoothed out the volleyball court area and put more dirt at the end of the soccer field.



It's exciting to see things coming to life!

could you do this?

This is just a cool cultural picture!

This is a common way to carry things here especially for folks that go through various neighborhoods selling theirs wares.

moved in

Well Thomas and I are officially in our new apartment! It feels great to have our own place and have the freedom to live as a couple. Just the other day though I ran into a friend here in Managua who asked where we were living. I told him we had just moved into an apartment. "You're living be yourselves?" he asked. I explained to him that although so many couples here live with their families or relatives for quite awhile after they are married, that we needed our own place. Most of Thomas' cousins who are married still live with family because they can't afford to buy land and build or rent anyplace. And for many people its just the culture, people are used to living in big families and at times are fearful of living on their own.

Living in a different culture and now married into it makes for some interesting frustrations as well as funny moments. At times though I have to stop and think about how much the culture I grew up in affects the way I think, judge, make decisions and carry things through. There is no end to how our cultures affect us - something both Thomas and I are finding out more and more!

Therefore, patience and communication have become even more important. And for me thinking through issues and trying to understand where my culture has affected me. The best part is to know that our God is an international God. He understands all cultures because He created all of them. Therefore He understands me even when I don't and He understands you.

So things are going well for us at our new place. The curtains are made and hung, the gas stove is finally connected, we managed to fit everything in our small kitchen and Benz is absolutely loving the privilege of being an inside dog.