I am a little frustrated with computers right now because my blog that i spent a good bit of time writing and talking about what i learned this week was just erased and now i am willing myself to write another one...i guess that is another example this week of how Nicaragua always wins! I hope everyones Thanksgiving was good! Our team had a pretty good one. We tried to make it as Americanized as possible and im not sure the Nicaraguans that ate the meal with us really enjoyed it. It was funny how surprised some of us were that they could not like sweet potato suffle or green been casserole but then again we have turned our noses up at some interesting things we have had to eat here also so i guess it just all comes down to the different culture:)...oh well. Thank goodness for neighbors! Our electircity went out Thursday and didnt come on until Saturday and we didnt have water Wednesday and Thursday but our neighbors were nice enough to let us cook our turkey at their house and use the bathroom when some of us got locked out of the house on Saturday. Sometimes i would really like to know what they really think about their crazy gringo neighbors! Anyway the week was good but pretty busy. We had a great childrens ministry on Wednesday. I really love doing that ministry and working with those kids and am trying to think of a way i could keep doing something with those same kids after we come back from Christmas when our ministries will look pretty different. I really dont want to lose those relationships with those kids becuase it has been so great getting to know them the past several weeks. Saturday we all went to Mosatepe( a mountain with a huge cross on it) to have a day of solitude. It really was a challenge. Being quiet all day was pretty hard but i enjoyed the time to just read and think about some things. We have been reading this book called Celebration of Discipline and we started another one this week by Donald Miller called Searching for God Knows What. I like the second one better but the first one had a great chapter in it about solitude. It talked about how solitude is more of a state of mind and heart rather than a place and that silence and solitude are different.

This is going to be our last week of regular ministry here before we leave for Christmas because next week we are going to Montepepe for one week to work at an orphanage there and then we come home for Christmas!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Jenn