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Here are our prayer letters that we write every three months. If you are not on our email list and would like to receive these letters, please sign up today. Enjoy reading!
December 2007
It has been three full months now , and a lot has happened in those months. I have met so many different people and learned so much. I have also been to at least three parties that were supposed to have happened before I came, but I arrived three weeks early and threw off everyone's plans. Even my Grandma Van Deman changed her flight to come and visit me because I came so early. That was such a great time cause when Mommy got too tired to stay up and hold me at night, Grandma would do it!!
I have been really busy helping Mommy work and have seen quite a bit of Managua as we go and pay scholarships, go to the bank, buy groceries, etc. I love seeing all the different people in the city, and everyone is always looking at me and saying how cute I am! Though many people think I am a boy at first because I don't have my ears pierced. A couple different times when we've been out somewhere Mommy has been able to cut to the front of the line because she has me with her - she really likes it when that happens. One of those times was when we went to get my Nicaraguan passport. There were fifty to sixty people in line, and we went right to the front; it was great! After all the paperwork Mommy and Daddy had to do, I now have two passports - a US one and a Nicaraguan one. Going for car rides is such an adventure though driving on the pot-holed roads usually ends up putting me to sleep. Lately Mommy and I have been going for walks around the sports center and meeting all of the kids that come there to play. Mommy says that when I am bigger I will get to play there too. I can't wait! For now though I am looking forward to meeting all the people that are coming on teams to work with us at the sports center in 2008. Mommy says that it is so much fun when teams are here.
My favorite day of the week is Sunday because we always go to Grandma Mari's house after church. Everybody fights over who gets to hold me, and I get so much attention. Mommy likes to go because she says the food is always so good, and Daddy likes to watch football since we don't have a TV at the house. We often go and visit other aunts, uncles and cousins of my Daddy's, and I am still learning who everybody is since Daddy's family is so big. I think Mommy still hasn't figured out who everyone is, and she's been around a lot longer than I have.
One of the most interesting things about Mommy and Daddy is that they speak different languages--to me that is. They actually both speak Spanish and English, but Mommy speaks to me in English and Daddy speaks to me in Spanish. Most of the people here speak Spanish so they find it funny that Mommy speaks to me in English. One lady was even amazed that I was going to be able to learn English at such a young age when often it is so hard for people here to learn to speak it at all. I cannot say any words yet so I just use my own language. It is funny to see Mommy and Daddy trying to imitate my sounds! Lately, Mommy seems so excited about the time when I will finally sleep through the night. I'm not sure what is so exciting about that since all it is is sleep, and you miss so much of what is going on, but I am working on sleeping longer hours at night.
In just a few weeks Christmas will be here. Mommy's family is coming to visit and be with us for Christmas. I can't wait to meet my Grandpa, my Uncle Luke and my Aunt Dana and her fiance, Sean. I hope it is an awesome first Christmas, and I hope for each of you reading this letter that you will enjoy a wonderful Christmas surrounded with God's peace and joy!
Merry Christmas,
If you would like to see more pictures of me, my Grandpa has been putting them up at this site: http://www.amandaythomas.com/samantha
"dale una luz a los que aman tanto vivir en Nicaragua."
~ Guardabarranco (Nicaraguan duo)