Prayer Letters
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!
June 5, 2004
Dear Friends and Family,
Having decided to take the 9 PM all-night bus from Managua to Nueva Guinea, I was sure that there would be plenty of seats, so Kathy and I arrived at about 8:40 PM to buy our tickets since one cannot reserve tickets beforehand. However, much to my surprise the bus was packed! The guy selling the tickets told me that he had one seat left and that was it. At this point we had to make a decision. I was going to Nueva Guinea to give out scholarships to about 60 kids, and Kathy had agreed to accompany me so that she could also visit an orphanage. I had already made all the arrangements for our time there and really did not want to put it off another weekend, but I was also glad that Kathy had agreed to come with me because I was not crazy about going by myself. As we tried to figure out what made the most sense, the guy selling tickets realized that we really needed or wanted to go. He interrupted our discussion to offer me the best solution he could come up with – a plastic bucket. “This is all I have,” he said “you could sit on this and at least you would have a seat.” That was all we needed. We bought the tickets, got on board to one of the most packed buses that I have ever ridden, and I sat on a bucket in the middle of the aisle!
It is solutions like those that amaze me. When it comes down to it, you make do with whatever you have and you do so without complaining. Just like the Mother’s Day celebration during the month of May. Here Mother’s Day is almost a holiday, and all the churches celebrate it by doing something special for the moms in their congregation. I had the privilege to serve in one of those services in a small church out in the country. There is no electricity in that community, and the day of the celebration it down poured to the point that the roof was leaking. But we managed to serve cake and Pepsi to all of the church members, and special mugs were given as gifts to the mothers. By the end of the service, I was soaking wet, my shoes were covered in mud and I was actually cold! Yet, what I could not believe was that no one was complaining. Everyone from the community walked home in the dark and in the rain, and we returned to Managua. I guess I am just constantly amazed at the strength of life the people have here.
And then there are my new friends… the boys of Chiquilistaqua. That’s the name of the neighborhood where I now live and the same area where the sports center is being developed. Soccer has been the key and all I have is a soft, well-used soccer ball but that does not seem to matter. Some come barefoot, others play in slip-on plastic sandals, but however they play, they definitely enjoy a good competitive game among friends. And it has been the best way to get to know them since conversation does not come easy. It makes me look forward to when we have a real soccer field and other sports arenas. We are hoping within the next two months to build the fence around the property and put the grass in for the soccer field, and if funds come in we will start one of the basketball courts.
Just want
to say to each one of you – thanks for your
prayers and support! I appreciate them greatly!
Seeking Him for life,
Amanda Van Deman
"dale una luz a los que aman tanto vivir en Nicaragua."
~ Guardabarranco (Nicaraguan duo)