hey guys!sorry our communication has been hit or miss; we have barely been home this week. we spent it doing medical work in El Sauce (pronounced saw-say). we departed at seven o’clock each morning and were usually home by six-thirty to seven p.m.- and it was unbeliavably busy. on wednesday alone we saw over 470 patients. our clinic there included everything from doctors and pharmaceutical work to full-blown dentistry. before each group was treated, they were preached the gospel and during the day, and over the course of the week, everyone went out to witness in the villages. all told, there were more than 500 confessions of faith this week. the work was wearying, but rewarding.
today shanna and i took the canopy tour of the cloudforest on the Mombacha volcanoe. it consisted of fifteen ziplines networked through the treetops, over sixty feet in the air. i had reservations as to their safety regulations, but everyone lived and it was pretty awesome. the best part was the literal drive through the clouds during our ascent up the volcanoe. in the morning (saturday), we depart for Honduras. we can’t be sure what the work will be like there, but i’m sure it will be interesting: i hear that the driving in Honduras is even worse than in Nicaragua. anyway, we'’ll keep you guys updated. if you have any questions or anything, write us.
love you all, dallas & shanna
P.S. the bugs are basically just giant versions of the ones back home. everything looks a little like Jurassic Park. every animal we’ve seen so far has had very visible rib cages and there are stray everythings, from roosters and goats to horses and dogs. sleep is hard to come by, especially when the roosters next door crow long into the night and long before morning. the guard (and i use the term guard loosely. basically a guy that sits by his bicycle in front of the house) announces that all is well every hour on the hour after dark by - get this - blowing his extraordinarily loud whistle three times right below our window, which simply must stay open for ventilation if we wish to sleep at all.
these are just a few of the “quirks” about this curious country. but, i must say, they make it sound worse than it is; we’re really enjoying ourselves.
hey guys
as i said before, this is a busy week so i’ll keep it brief. mom, we’re still in nicaragua, and will be all week (i will try to call you as the week is over). this morning we were up at six and ot home around seven thirty. we saw around 350 patients today, with two doctors and three or four nurses only. we also had close to 50 salvations. tomorrow is another busy day, so i need to head towards bed. made friends with a little girl today while playing optometrist and translator (i must say, i have developed in on-demand spanish speaking). from what i could understand her name was magdalena- she was three or four and reminded me a lot of little jaley at portland. i worry about her alot since it will be another month before i see her. anyway, love you all. more later!S & D
ps- we have been able to receive all of your emails, and they have been very encouraging. keep ‘em coming!
So here’s one tip for any of you who may consider a trip to Nicaragua at any time in the future (Terry, I’ve no doubt that you can attest to this): do not expect for anything to go as planned. I wrote to you that we would be assisting in a medical mission this week. Well, as of this morning, that plan changed to all of the interns leaving to Honduras on Monday morning instead. Then, tonight, while meeting with the team to share, one of us eluded to our travels planned for tomorrow, and we were informed that, in fact, we would be helping the team this week. Needless to say, being the control freak that you all know me (Shanna) to be, I’ve nearly fainted from the constant lack of knowledge as to where I will find myself the next fifteen minutes.
Tonight we hosted a youth rally at a church in Managua- about 200 or 250 were present, and 11 were saved, adding to a total of about fifty for yesterday and today. God has prepared this place for us, and his word was true: the fields are white. We stopped at McDonalds when we were leaving Managua- it is the last sign for anything familiar- to drive the hour and a half back to Leon. When we were loading into the van, a little street boy (probably seven or so) came out from behind one of the cars, and asked another of the girls for her drink (obviously, germs don’t even cross their minds). We were able to take him inside to buy him a Happy Meal. He had to be coaxed to go inside, and even then, April had to hold his hand- he had been told by the staff to stay out, but they were not going to tell us to leave, so they all just looked disgusted when she walked inside, holding his hand, to buy a meal for him. Anyway, all of that just to give you a little taste of the culture here.
As I mentioned, we will be very busy this week. We’ll write as often as we can! Hope you all enjoyed the pictures, and remember that you are welcome to write us anytime at this address - just put our names in the subject lines.
We love you and appreciate your prayers and support!Shanna & Dallas
Hey guys,
Here are the pictures we promised. The old building is La Catedral Del Asuncion (Cathedral of the Ascension). It was an incredible building, but the “tomb” of Jesus was a bit much. The kids were those I spoke about from Las Tias (the orphanage/community center aimed at reaching kids often addicted to glue or gasoline- yes, gasoline).
Will send more pictures as soon as we are able, but next week will be very busy, I hear.Love you guys
S & D
for terry: in the catedral del asuncion there is a white lion that sits on the remains of the nicaraguan poet - you guessed it - ruben dario. the lion in the picture with me is the very same as in the lorca/neruda tribute. neat, don’t you find?
Hi everyoneSorry for the lack of communication for the past two days; we moved yesterday from one house to another (and are told it will not be the last move of our trip) and the computer was not set up at this house until today. Also, the internet has not been very reliable, so don’t be too surprised if it happens again..all part of being in a third-world country, I suspect.
On Thursday we went to Las Tias (The Aunts) a sort of orphanage/community center. We sang and had a lesson for the children there, and really enjoyed spending some time ATTEMPTING to talk to them (children are great practice with the language, since they are closer to our level linguistically). I have some pictures that I promise to send, but I’ve had some touble trying to get the camera connected to the computer. I’ll send them as soon as I can figure it out.
Today we walked in a parade to kick of the start of the first Christian soccer league in town, started by Open Eyes ministries, with whom we are working. Tomorrow we will (along with a few of the other interns– there are eight of us total right now, two of which are still in Honduras) be doing some of the music at the Celebration Church, a plant of Open Eyes.
Tonight a group is arriving, and we will be working with them in a medical clinic all of this coming week. It will be very busy- we have to be there at eight thirty, and it is a couple hours from here. We will work all day, until four or five, with only fifteen minutes in between for lunch. Pray for endurance, and maybe a little more mild weather. It is winter here, if you can call it that, and it is still 90 degrees by ten in the morning. Also pray for openness, as we will be spending much of our time evangelizing while the clinic is in session.
Besides that, not much else has been going on. I don’t remember if I mentioned that I (Shanna) saw my first volcanos- if I did, sorry. Also, geckos sound like loud crickets (Mom asked). I went to sleep last night listening to Dallas and the other guy interns squeezing this rubber chicken, and woke up to the sound of a real rooster crowing (also a first). Somehow, I didn’t expect Nicaragua to be the place where I would be greeted in the morning with farm sounds, but sure enough, there are chickens, turkeys, cows, and horses right across the street. And stay dogs everywhere. We probably see a hundred a day (no exaggeration).
I expect I’ve begun to babble, so I’ll be off for now. Feel free to write at this address- we love to receive notes of encouragement from you all. Keep us in your prayers, and you will be in ours. We love you all and miss you!
Shanna & Dallas
Dallas Steiden and Shanna Eisert have arrived in Nicaragua to begin their summer internship with Terry and Arlene Dupont.
As we get emails and pictures from them, I’ll post them here as a blog. Check back often and add comments as you like to the entries - they will enjoy reading what you have to say.
Here’s day one:
Wed 7/20/2005 1:10 AM
Hey everyone
Just wanted to let you know that we’re here! When we landed in Managua, things didn’t seem so different from the states: Texaco, McDonalds, etc.. But as we began to drive the hour and a half to Leon, where we will be staying, it quickly became clear that we’re not in Kentucky anymore : ). For one, we arrived on a “holiday” because there was a Sandinista (the communist party) rally today in Managua. For two, I saw my first volcanos (yes active, Mom don’t freak out). Because it was so dark, we didn’t get to see much as we travelled, but I’m sure that things will really reveal themselves with daylight tomorrow. Anyway, we love you all and will send more e-mails and pictures as soon as we can. Also, don’t send e-mails yet- let me make sure where you should send them, and I will let everyone know later. More soon!Shanna and Dallas
and then:
Wed 7/20/2005 6:52 PM
Hi everyone
We went to sleep last night to the sounds of the very plentiful geckos, and awoke refreshed. Today we got to rest and relax a little in preparation for Saturday, when a group is coming to do a medical clinic. I experienced my first shower with absolutely no hot, or even warm, water, and I survived- you can atcually shave your legs in cold water, I found! We visited the supermarket (comparable to Kroger in the States) and the Leon market (not comparable to anything I know of). After touring the meat part of the market, and observing the local offerings of iguana, armadillo, and rat, Dallas and I quickly understood why our food consumption is to be limited. However, we have Lay’s chips, Oreos (!), and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, so we’re by no means going hungry. Also, the cook at the house where we are staying now cooked us homemade fried tilapia for lunch today– I think my taste for seafood may expand while I am here: batter and fry nearly anything, and I’ll eat it.
Tomorrow we are going to a school/orphanage, and will do a little skit and sing some songs, and help with a lesson for the kids. I would tell you what the skit is about, but I don’t think it’s even written yet. But we’re really excited, and can feel the Lord’s presence tremendously here. The neighborhood where we are staying is upperclass for the city, and the home is beautiful. Very tropical- the doors and windows stay open all the time, and there are coconut, banana, and sour orange trees in the back yard, and birds of paradise growing in the front. We’ll send pictures soon.
Feel free to write us back at this address, but make sure to put our names in the subject line. When we move to the other missionaries’ house on Friday or Saturday (they are in Honduras right now with the other six interns, and will be back Friday), your messages can be forwarded to us there. We love you all and think of you often. We’ll send pictures once we are at the other house!Shanna and Dallas
PS- last night when I took my Bible out of my suitcase to do my devotions, I found one of those notices from the U.S. Department of Security saying that my bag had been searched. It was in my Bible with a note that read “Psalm 103″. Isn’t that cool?
more later
Our September mission has revised dates! The new dates are - September 3 through 11. That’s right, an extra day at no extra charge!!!! This makes our trip Saturday through Sunday.
Deadline for deposits is this coming Sunday, July 10th, then ticket money must be in 2 weeks after that (total of $750).
The town where we will build is called Cruz de Zapata or “Cross of Zapata”. There is no other protestant church in the town now - only a Roman Catholic.
This is about where we will be building the church. *CLICK*
Zoom out to get a better idea of where this is in relation to the rest of the country. If you click the “map” tab, you’ll see the borders of Nicaragua and the rest of central America
There are plenty of opportunities for evangelism also for those not actually working on the building.
There is still time to get in on this trip if you sign up right away.
