Our second month in Nicaragua has come and gone! We’ve officially settled in, now thinking it is normal for chickens to run around during activities. I thought it would be nice to explain more about why we moved to Granada, and what we plan to do here. Think of this as an insider’s guide to our life.

First up, El Puente aka The Bridge. This is our home base in Granada and the vision of Charles and Sarah Kaye. It’s a big complex dedicated to disciple making. Everything from Vida Joven (Young Life) to Men’s Bible Study (that women attend) is held there. Frank has fondly named the base “El Peezy.” The base is the center of all of our activities, from the dump feedings to literacy programs.

Much of our life is lived on one street, Santa Lucia. The base, our house, and the houses of the people we know are all within five blocks of each other. This has made us very familiar with the neighborhood. After two months, we can carry on stilted conversations with several of our neighbors. Which is our purpose in coming to Granada. To experience another culture, to equip Nicaraguans to make disciples, and to reproduce what we’ve learned in this beautiful colonial city.

So what do we do here? Here’s a list of programs and activities:

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About a year and a half ago while we still lived in Birmingham, God began to show us what true community looked liked. The friends we made and the things we shared helped us to look beyond ourselves to a deeper understanding of what that looks like day to day. When the time came for us to board a plane and head to Nicaragua, it was tough to leave our community. Just before we left, there was a new baby added to the group – Ethan (mascot #2) and we will miss watching him grow up like we had the opportunity to with Josiah (mascot #1). It was tough to think (and still is) about how much we would miss.

But thanks to God – he has blessed us with an amazing community also here in Granada. The most beautiful part of our community here is the diversity of it. The community is made up not only of Nicaraguans from all walks of life but also Gringos (NOTE: if you have white skin you are a Gringo) from all walks of life. It has been a true glimpse of the body of Christ, serving and loving one another and through that infecting the community around them with the Gospel.

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You know you live in Central America when a drumline randomly performs on your street, for no reason.

Vida Joven is the Young Life community located in Central America. I (Frank) had the amazing opportunity to go to the Vida Joven camp in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. The Matagalpa camp is different because they grow coffee in order to help support the ministry. We went to the cold and moist mountains with the objective of learning about the ministry in order to help brand and market the coffee to help further the ministry. It is truly an amazing place.

Click here to see some pictures.

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Seven of our 52 committed weeks have already passed. I am reminded of a post from our friends in Italy who wrote “the days may be long, but the years are short.” In our case, it is weeks. Each day dawns with hope and a sense of peace, and each hour is enjoyed fully. But by the end of the week, I’m not sure where it’s gone. Fridays are my “key” days. I plan ahead for them (teaching two small groups) and by the time the next day rolls around, I am unsure where the rest of the days went.

So what does daily life here look like? To be honest, it seems really slow to an American used to a fast paced lifestyle, but each week ends with a lot of work accomplished. We have a combined total of seven small group meetings, community dinners (sometimes twice a week), craft and literacy programs (more to come later), personal study and reflection, and discipling one on one.

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Last week I met a guy that we’ll called Adam, this is part of his story.

Adam grew up in a wealthy family by Nicaraguan standards. His father owns two pharmacies here in Granada. Growing up Adam had an older brother that he looked up to and admired. In his late teens his brother began to use drugs and when his father found out he was using, he kicked him out of the house. Adam remembers letting his brother come in at night to borrow clothes and sleep under his bed. Things began to look up for Adam’s brother when he met a girl. He stopped using as much and was beginning to build back the trust and love that his father once had for him.

This all changed when Adam’s brother found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him. He began to use heavier than before and within 20 days he hung himself. After this happened Adam was devastated and a “friend” offered him some drugs with the promise that it would make him “forget what had happened”. Adam’s using became more and more out of control and he begun to steal from the cash register while working at his father’s store. When his father found out he kicked Adam out of the house.

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