Prayer Letters
Sept 1, 2004
Dear Friends and Family,
Nobody tells you when you begin to learn Spanish that some words have very different meanings in other countries. Some of those meanings can be offensive or vulgar in one country and completely normal in another causing some very embarrassing or confusing situations if you are not careful. Some meanings though are just different like the verb “regalar” which means to give freely or to gift. In Costa Rica, though, where I learned this verb first, “regalar” is often used as the polite way to ask for something at a restaurant or when getting gas in your car (it’s all full serve down here). In crossing the border in moving to Nicaragua about 2 ½ years ago I learned quickly that “regalar” is only used when you are asking for something for free. It happened one day when I was ordering at a restaurant that I used the phrase “Regalame un pollo asado?” In my Costa Rican Spanish I was saying “Please may I have the grilled chicken?” however in this new culture what they heard was “Give me a grilled chicken for free.” The waitress’ response was “Aqui no regalamos nada.” (Here we don’t give anything away for free.) That phrase became significant as I began living in a world where nothing seemed to be free; everyone was looking for a way to make some money in order to survive.
A couple of months ago Noe was helping uswith some welding work and ended up teaching some of us how to weld. He gave about 3-4 days of welding time for free and has offered to help do some painting next week. And just the other day I returned and found that some of my friends had washed my car for free. Over the past couple of months a youth group has been up to the sports center a number of times donating their time and work for free. When asked by a local community member how much they were being paid, their response was “nothing, we are doing this out of our love for God.” In a society of survival, everything has its cost, yet I have discovered the greatest secret …. within true friendship, many things are still free!
At El Salero sports center the fence is almost finished and we are hoping that within the next couple of weeks the soccer field will be plowed and planted! The baseball field has been mowed and there are new fences up to keep the foul balls from going into the stands. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are getting there little by little. Many thanks to the Menlo team that was here in July as well as to the Ambassador group and the Beldner boys for all your hard work and for the fun times! We look forward to having more teams in the future.
As for me, the last couple months have been a time of transition. In July I decided to leave Christ for the City Intl and join the NEO Foundation in order to have more freedom in working with the sports center ministry. It was not an easy decision since I have very much enjoyed my time with CFCI, however, there had been a growing tension in trying to work with two different ministries and I felt that I needed to make a decision about where my passions lie and where I feel God has called me to be working.
Intl Shop Fundraiser
I have 3 Nicaraguan wood salad
bowl sets for sale at $40 (plus shipping if needed – they are in CA).
All proceeds go to the sports center. Let me know if you are interested.
Thank you to all of you who have supported me through this time of change. I really appreciate all of your prayers! May God bless each one of you abundantly with peace and joy!
Seeking Him for life,
Amanda Van Deman
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"dale una luz a los que aman tanto vivir en Nicaragua."
~ Guardabarranco (Nicaraguan duo)