Homework

It is such a bummer when I have to spend lots of time doing homework here in Nicaragua. I just spent the past three days straight trying to decide if I was an Arminian or a Calvinist. Theology is cool, but sometimes it just makes your head hurt. Especially when it is a debate like this one is. I want to be a Calvinist because I like all of their dead people, and I like a lot of living authors who are strong Calvinists. I just can't disagree with Piper, he is the man! Maybe someone can help me make sense of unconditional election, but at this point I just can't wrap my head around it. So I guess I'm an Arminian, or maybe a 3 point Calvinist. Anyways I'm really tired of trying to figure out if a triangle is yellow or blue so I'm going to take a little rest from it.

This is what it looks like when I am sitting down at the computer trying to do work or add a new blog.



If you want a little sample of some of the work I am doing for school and feel like taking some time to read a long paper you can check out a paper I wrote that stemmed from a Nicaragua porch time: Secret of the Poor


Tim

Nicaraguan Disneyland

The answer to the question: What exactly is Hertylandia?



Off to Hertylandia for the day! Adios!

Rainy Afternoon

Nicaraguan Rain


The rhythm of the pouring rain

in waves its force makes power known.

A power which comes hither by

a sovereign King upon His throne.


To quench his land of mighty thirst,

a well dug deep in to hard ground

yields baths and drinks and healthy crops.

The rain sings praise; a glorious sound.

Placticando

Like everyone else, I have officially become a bad blogger. I guess my only excuse is that time is precious and I haven't had much to spend blogging.

OrphaNetwork just got some of these sweet little video cameras so this is my first attempt at a video. It's not great, but it gives a little insight into what some of our downtime around here looks like. Living at an orphanage is actually a really cool experience. By no means is it living with a normal family, but it is an opportunity to have many brothers and sisters and a staff of people who love you and want to take care of you.

These are some awesome kids, and hopefully as time goes on I can get some more of their stories on here for you all to see.

"He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18: 2-4

Bluefields!

pictures from Cole Bingham

Scary Stuff

I don't even know where to begin. In the past week this is the first minute I have had a breath to even think about posting on my blog. The first trip I lead was just plain crazy. 100 high school students, paired up with 1oo kids from around managua just about every day. There is no way of describing it so I will just give you some fun moments.

Going to a foreign country means stepping out of your comfort zone, and every once in a while it is a little bit scary. Here are some of my scariest moments in Nica thus far rated from 1-10 with 10 being the scariest.

Scary Rating 3 - For me to get internet I have to walk from one place on the orphanage farm to the office about 1/4 of a mile away. It is pitch dark and it feels like you are in a jungle in the middle of nowhere. Walking by yourself gets a scary rating of 3.

Scary Rating 6 - I lead us into one of the most epic Onet fails ever. Nicaragua always wins. We tried to take a trip to hike a volcano with a caravan of 4 school busses and 200 kids. When we got near the volcano we had a guide to tell us where to go, and well our guide was awful. We had to take a detour and before you know it we are pretty much stuck in a jungle. The trees were so thick in the road that the busses couldn't pass. So what did we do? We bought a machete off of a farmer for two bucks and went to work. Fast forward half an hour of machete cutting and we have barely gone any farther when a group of locals walk towards us. There were about 8 of them. All had machetes, one had a chainsaw, and at least two others had machine guns slung over their shoulders. They walk straight past me without saying a word and start cutting down trees in front of us. But for those few minutes while they walked toward me and by me without saying a word, I had visions of bad movies and I was freaking out.

Scary Rating 4 - Lightning striking less than a football field away.

Scary Rating 3 - Home alone in a giant cement house without any real doors or walls in a city I have only been in for a day. Power is out, its storming, and its night time. Lots of people hollering in the streets, no idea when my host will return.

Scary Rating 2 - Flying on the smallest commercial plane I've ever ridden on. Pastor Ed told me I came in on the biggest airplane the airport uses. Can't wait for the ride home...

I feel like those are rated pretty low because with this country I'm sure I can do better. More serious updates to come. Love and miss you all.