La Vida Nica

Well, if you haven’t heard via Facebook or Instagram, WE MADE IT!!

We arrived in Managua a little after 11am on Monday, April 4th. All our flights (Eugene to San Fran to Houston to Managua) went well, and we even managed to get a little sleep on them, but upon arriving in Managua we realized three of our bags didn’t make it with us. We were a little disappointed by the inconvenience, but only because it was that. Inconvenient. The airport staff was very helpful, and apologetic, and told us that the totes should be in either that night or the following morning. So we filled out the paperwork, x-rayed our bags that did make it, and exited customs to meet up (and hug) Brinson and Mr. Buzbee. When we told them what had happened they explained that it wasn’t a big deal, we would just call the number the next morning to see if they had arrived yet. (The bags that did make it had our clothing and toiletries in them, so the only inconvenient part was driving out to the airport the next day.) The excitement for us and the Buzbees was palpable. And yet, the entire thing seemed so normal. Of course we live here now. Of course we want to eat Nica style lunch. Of course its hot and we are sweating. It all seemed so second nature, and really, like it was meant to be.

We stopped at a restaurant on the way back to the quinta for lunch, and it was a delicious plate of pinto gallo (rice and beans), maduros (fried sweet plantains) and grilled chicken. Even though the exhaustion of traveling was getting to me, the food was a welcomed respite after airplane/airport fare. As we sat around the table, I couldn’t keep from smiling. Mr. Buzbee and Landon were swapping cooking stories, with Brinson adding some here and there, and I just laughed. We are so excited to be able to do ministry and life, every day, with people who have become such dear and respected friends.

Since Monday we have ran errands, set up our phone numbers here in Nica, gone to the beach for an evening surf/fishing session, met the people we will rent from in June and July, swam in the pool, sweated and had beautiful conversations. We keep commenting that the fact that we live here hasn’t set in yet, but that is ok. Some day it will, but for now we are content to be full of excitement and expectation.

On Sunday we will drive to Granada to begin five weeks of language school. Please pray for us that the language learning goes smoothly, and that living with our host family does as well. (We will be doing a homestay with a Nicaraguan family for the duration of our time in Granada). Please also pray that we have safety as we travel from Managua to Granada, and around. Driving here is pretty crazy, and we don’t want to run into any problems.

We are almost there, literally. This dream we have had since we were dating, is coming true, and very soon. The past few weeks have been surreal.

I remember the day Landon and I started dating. I had come back from spending three months in East Africa around Thanksgiving of 2009, and we began to be romantically interested in one another very soon after that. But the day we officially started dating was also the day I got baptized. (I had been baptized as a young kid but knew that as an adult, living a redeemed life, I needed to symbolically start over). I had invited Landon to be there, along with one family member, but they were unable to come. The only person who was there ‘for me’ was Landon, and I knew it was because he was going to be with me on this new chapter of life. I knew that he was my husband. 

The day was cool but sunny, and after the baptism neither of us wanted to go home. So we went on a walk around the Willamette, a four mile loop I had done numerous times. As we walked and talked we began holding hands, and a little while later we expressed vocally that we each knew the other was going to be our spouse. [I’m serious. It went something like “I know I’m going to marry you.” “Well, that’s good, because I know the same thing.” No joke.] We began talking a lot about what sort of wedding we wanted, but we also began talking about what sort of life we wanted. And the most common theme, over and over again, was that somehow, somewhere, we wanted to serve the Lord overseas. 

Back then we didn’t have a lot of clarity about where or when. We would have liked to go right away, but thanks to the wise council of some close friends we realized we needed some time just being married. Time to be in a familiar place, to establish our life together. But that didn’t mean that we couldn’t make decisions along the way with this deep heart desire in mind. So that is what we did. And have done, for the past five years and ten months. We have made steps towards this move, both big and small, every day of our marriage. 

And now, it’s here. 

We are so amazed at how perfectly the timing of everything has happened, and how the Lord continues to orchestrate our steps. It truly has been miraculous. And I would love to write about it all, but have realized that right now I can’t do it justice. [I plan on revisiting this whole process in a little while, so stay tuned for that.] But I can say this: we are ready, we are packed (mostly) and we are so excited to board the plane on Sunday evening to go begin this adventure we have been dreaming about for years.

Two weeks from today we will be walking onto an airplane with one way tickets in our hands and most of our worldly possessions checked through to a place that will become our new home. It goes without saying that we are excited. We are expectant. And we are even a bit relieved.

If you have ever made a big move in your life, or had a big event happen, you know that there comes a time when you sort of just ‘want it to be here already.’ It is a sentiment that I have been cautious to share, because if I’m not careful it will convey something I don’t want it to. That I just want to leave, or get out of here. That I don’t take every minute here with friends and family as precious. Which is the exact opposite of how I feel. How we feel. We love our communities, but we are also ready. We are ready to be there. To be trying to learn Spanish. And the streets. And how our gifts and talents will fit into the team that is already in Nica. We both feel like we have been waiting for this for SO LONG that it’s like Christmas to a five year old: we just want it to be here already! 🙂

In the next two weeks quite a bit will be happening:

•Landon will travel to his parents one last time before we move

•I will finish out nearly 8 years of employment at Sacred Heart

•We will reorganize (for the third time) our bags and totes that we are moving with

•Our church, Westside Faith Center, will commission us to go

•We will celebrate Easter with our church and family, a day that holds immense meaning to us as Christians

•We will sell our truck

•Plus all kinds of random last minute details

We would appreciate  your prayers in the next two weeks. Please pray that the details come together, that we remember all the things that need to be done, and that our final times with friends and family would be sweet.

We are SO excited to annouce that we are not only fully funded to move to Nicaragua, but through NUMEROUS generous donations, we are able to leave with more financial support than we even knew to ask for. We are so excited for what this might mean for us, as we find a place to live, a faith community to be a part of, and our place in the Open Hearts team. To not have to worry about finances was our goal in raising support, and you all made it possible for us to be in this place. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

And I apologize for the lack of updates, but life has been a *little* crazy lately… I hope I can get some updates coming soon. Thank you for being patient with us/me.

Over the past few weeks this quote keeps coming back to my memory. I have found myself thinking about it for hours on end, letting it soak into the parts of my soul that feel anxious or nervous. The parts of myself that cling to (supposed) safety and a clear plan for our lives.

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” – Frederick Buechner

In the past few months since we announced that we are moving to Nicaragua I have had the opportunity to explain (multiple times) why we would move our lives to a foreign country, where we don’t speak the language or know the neighborhoods, when there are so many needy people right here in Eugene. This is subject I approach gently, because frankly, people seem to get offended at my answers sometimes. (I am sometimes a little abrupt. I’m working on it.) But generally, when the question comes up, I explain it something like this:

“I love Nicaragua. My husband and I LOVE being there. From the crazy driving to the tropical thunder and lightning storms to the beautiful people we have met there. We love it. We think about it on an HOURLY basis. And have ever since we visited there. And we want to move there. So we’re going to go and help the people there, and trust that our friends who LOVE Eugene and Oregon and being in the United States will have just as much opportunity to love and serve the needy here.”

We have friends who do not have passports, have no desire to board a plane and go to a foreign country, BUT they feel a distinct pull in their hearts and minds to the needy here in Oregon. Here in Eugene. Whether that looks like volunteering at the mission, continually opening their home up to youth, or fostering kids, they are living out the gospel here in Eugene. And that is maybe the most beautiful thing I’ve ever realized: that no matter where we are located geographically we are each called to serve others. And because each person is different, our service isn’t going to look the same, but that is the point.

So no matter where you are, in the world, go to the place where the world’s deep hunger and your deep gladness meet. And then go all in.

Wow! Wow! WOW!!!

My head is still spinning from the incredible turn out and support we experienced at our silent auction + wine social on Saturday night. With about 150 people in attendance, we auctioned off 68 items, had a $1000 pot for the 50/50 raffle (which the winner gave us 70% of) and we raised just over $7000!! We had gone into the evening hoping to make a little money, share amazing conversations with friends, and clearly articulate why we are moving to Nicaragua in just a few short weeks. What we got was a big chunk of money to put towards our one time cost, lots of hugs and HUGE encouragement from every person in attendance, and even those who couldn’t be there. I remember looking around the room at one point while we were sharing and feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Not only for the financial support but more so for what I saw before me. We had people there from every circle of our lives. Those who have known us our entire lives, and those who only met us last summer. We received messages and texts throughout the day of well-wishing and had people on different continents praying for the night. I’m in tears just thinking about that.

I hope if you are reading this, and you have followed our journey, and maybe you’re someone who was there on Saturday, I hope you know that your support and encouragement gives us hope. It makes us courageous and brave. The community behind us, who is blessing us by sending us off well, you make this whole thing so much richer. I hope you know that. We cannot do this on our own. The Lord goes before us, but we want and NEED a community behind us as well. And Saturday demonstrated that we have that, if we had ever had any doubt.

Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for trusting us. We are so very grateful to each and every one of you.

On a side note, after the weekend we are at 95% of our monthly support needs and 91% of our one time startup cost!!! You guys!! Thank you!!!

(I will be updating the thermometers soon!)

If you are wanting to donate to get us to 100% please let us know. We’re almost there!

Tomorrow is the day! We will be hosting our silent auction + wine and dessert social at Domaine Meriwether from 7-10pm. We are so excited for all the items we get to auction off and ALSO we are so excited to have an opportunity to share our heart for Nicaragua with our so many people we love and appreciate in our lives.

The cost to get in the door is $5 per person, which gets you in the door and all the dessert you can eat. Wine and beer will be available for purchase from the winery and we will have coffee and ice water available as well.

After the bidding closes we will share our story as the winners are being tallied up. If you win an item after bidding on it, we will be able to accept cash, checks and cards. There will also be 50/50 raffle tickets available for purchase throughout the night, but please plan on bringing cash for those. We will split the total amount of cash raised with the winner and will announce the winner after we share our story about Nicaragua.

All the proceeds from the auction will go towards our relocation costs to Nicaragua.

Please feel free to come, visit and ask us questions about our move. We are so excited to share with you all!

(Disclaimer: this is going to sound like it’s about the car. It’s not…)

In the past few weeks we have been having some car trouble. Our beloved Subaru must know that we will part with it soon, because it started acting up. There was this annoying, sporadic wobble thing it would do. We’ve had our mechanic fix things as they have come up on the car, because 1) we like the car, and 2) we don’t want a car payment. So when this wobble began we knew we needed to have them look at it. Plus we have a friend who is very excited about buying the car from us, and we want to sell him something worth having. We went through the hoops and were told it would cost over a grand to fix the problem at one place, and then told by another party that it was most likely a tire issue instead. The car has been close to needing a new set anyway, which we priced out at around $400. So on Saturday we spent part of our morning, and some money, on getting a set of new tires put on our Subaru. But let me back up and tell you about how we got to the tire store on Saturday.

I (Jamie) mostly drive the Subaru. Landon likes driving Leonard (our 1980 something full sized Ford pick-up) and even though I enjoy it too, my short legs get tired of dealing with the manual transmission. The two have sort of become mine and his, respectively. I have driven some doozies for vehicles in my life, and have learned that I really appreciate having one that is reliable. (In fact that is partly why our start up cost is what it is. We are hoping to be able to purchase something that will serve our needs well, and start up every time we turn the key.) So when the Subaru, which is my daily driver, began with this wobbling, I got frustrated. And then I got scared. And then I got panicky. Instead of remaining calm and in prayer, I let the long list of ‘what ifs’ get into my head and feed that anxious beast that tries to rule my life. All I could imagine when the wobble would happen was my tire seizing as I was cruising west on Beltline at 60 mph, slamming my car into the median, or worse, another car. And I work at the hospital. I know what that looks like. I know what that can result in. So as a wife, I naturally told my husband that I felt unsafe. That key word created in my husband an urgency. I would even say, in a way, a blind urgency. All of a sudden this went from a car problem, to something he needed to protect me from, which stirs in him a response he can not soon recover from. Quickly, this wobbling steering wheel became an overwhelming, suck-all-our-energy issue. We had multiple conversations (which were anything but calm) about it, and what to do about it. It ruled our lives for those few days.

When it was suggested to us that it could be a bad tire issue, we said, “Ok. Lets go buy tires.” We were referred to a good shop and the manager who helped us was great. He listened to everything we explained and assured us that yes, it could be the tires. We gave him the go ahead, and an hour or so later we were leaving the parking lot, very hopeful. But as soon as we got on Beltline, the wobble began again with a vengeance. Landon was pissed. And I laughed. Laughed. Hysterically. I could not hold it back. I thought Landon would lose it. I was infuriating him with my laughter, which is not what I meant to do, but I could not believe at what was happening. I honestly said, “I just don’t care anymore. I don’t know what is wrong and I don’t know what to do to fix it, but I am so over this. I do not want to give this problem any more of my energy. Because it won’t matter in a year.” Landon reminded me that it wouldn’t matter in two months, but also that we still had a problem to deal with. I knew that, but just couldn’t believe that this is what we had to put so much energy towards.

Two days went by, and we dropped the car at the mechanic, asking them to drive it and try to replicate the problem so they could understand what was happening. Long story short it ended up being a warped brake caliper, which was actually still under warranty from the work we had done two years ago, so we ended up just paying for the labor and some new brake fluid. But here was the bigger lesson we learned: as soon as we give space to what-ifs, fear enters. And then fear ushers in anxiety. And then anxiety ushers in anger. And anger divides us as husband and wife. It pits us against one another. As a wife I learned that I am just as responsible for my husband’s mental well-being as he is. By a single word I can send him into a place that is very difficult to recover from, and that is not something to take lightly. We also were very acutely reminded that we have an enemy, one that will not play by any rules. One that wants anything and everything to distract us from what the Lord has told us to do. Because what we are about to launch into is powerful. And life-changing. And makes Jesus famous. And that will not come without opposition.

About a week ago we had a first in our five and half years of marriage: we shared corporately at our church. Together. On stage. The whole sermon time.

The entire thing was amazing in a stressful kind of way, and we were incredibly encouraged by everyone’s comments afterwards. But as we were talking about things afterwards, we realized that maybe it would encourage people who weren’t at our church on Sunday. So here’s the recap:

• We grew up differently than one another, but in very generous families who taught us how to serve others well.
• God got a hold of our hearts, before we were ever married, and created in us a deep desire to serve overseas. To pour our lives out for the forgotten and vulnerable, those who had no means by which to ‘help themselves.’
• That desire only magnified when we got married.
• Living and serving overseas became our long term goal, a destination we measured every day to day decision against.
• We listened to the Lord’s voice in our lives and took Him at His word. And at His promises.
• Getting to where we are now took discipline and a lot of ‘pruning.’ The fruitless things got cut off and the fruitful things got pruned so that they could be more fruitful.
• We learned to live with less so that we could give more.
• A clear direction only comes from a distinct destination, and when you know what you’re supposed to do, you cut off the excess to get there quicker.

If you’d like to listen to the entire thing, you can follow this link on our church’s website.

We wanted to share this video on our blog as a way to maybe answer some questions of ‘who’ we will be serving in Nicaragua.

This video is sort of the year-end highlight reel for Open Hearts, but it is also the perfect snap shot of all the different aspects of the ministry. Right now we would tell you that we will be helping a lot at Ruby Ranch, with the development of the camp, but we are really open to helping however we can. Whether that is mentoring youth at Club Esperanza, investing in the lives of the girls at Casa Havilah, or taking the guys at Casa Robles camping, we are willing and able to do whatever is most needed on any given day. We like to tell people that we have very high hopes of what the work will look like, but very low expectations, so that we are ready and willing to do whatever is asked of us.

Anyway… We hope you enjoy this video!