Thank you!

We cannot successfully put into words the wonderful experience of worshiping yesterday in the bi-lingual service. God was praised, our families were encouraged and Sheila and I were blessed. The expressions of good-will and promises of continued prayers are timely and greatly appreciated. Please take time to check out the links listed below and use the information to keep in touch with us. At this stage in this transition your communication is vital. We continue to seek partners both spiritually through prayer and financial support through your generosity.

God bless you all,

"Coach" Jonathan & Sheila Holland

Electronically

Sheila: coachandsheila@gmail.com

Jonathan: bikercoach@gmail.com or EmailCoachInNica@yahoo.com

Blog: SFSE-CommuNICA.blogspot.com

Website: SFSEInc.org

Telephone

512.963.6363 (Skype phone number, free from Central Texas)

Personal Postal in Nicaragua:

Mision Para Cristo

att: Jonathan Holland

Rotonda Petronic 11/2 Cuadras al Este

Jinotega , Jinotega, Nicaragua

Personal Postal in US:

1015 Segundo Dr., Georgetown, TX  78628

Foundation/Donation Postal in US:

PO BOX 903, Georgetown, TX  78627

A family reunion

This weekend much of my extended family gathered in New Mexico to support each other in the difficult passing of my Uncle. I struggled with my inability to make that trip to join them--and my thoughts have been there heavily. The death of a follower of Christ is at once beautiful and sorrowful. The gathering of loved ones in those times is equally bittersweet. I'm sure you've been in that room. Friends and family who have been somehow out of touch, now sit together eating various casseroles relating current events and stories of long ago. The accomplishments of a life well lived are recounted and celebrated. One end of the table is full of tears even as another part of the room erupts in laughter--all the while little kids weave in and out, picked up and passed around by everyone.

I was part of a very similar reunion today with my spiritual family. Georgetown Church of Christ hosted a bilingual service and potluck in honor of the Christians from Riverside. It was so special to see people sitting at a table, eating various casseroles and remembering the physical transformation of that very nasty trailer. Listening to people making plans together, and telling stories from years ago. The powerful work God is accomplishing in people's lives being recounted and celebrated--and watching little kids get passed around.

The theme of the bilingual service was that we are all one unified family of believers regardless of location, language, or circumstance. That what we have in common in Christ is bigger than any differences of culture or communication.

I kept thinking of how many family gatherings I have been to, both happy and sad, where a pile of cousins who have never met are observed playing together and someone comments something like, "Well, you can tell they are family." That's what I saw today. I was watching as a group of toddlers, too young to speak English or Spanish jumped down the stairs giggling with each other, and moms who couldn't share words, shared that glance between each other that meant: "You can tell we are family."

Respeten a todos y amen a sus hermanos en Cristo...1 Peter 2:17 

Bar B Que

It's so great to have Jonathan back in Texas with me for a few weeks. First of all, I like him and enjoy actually being around him. Second, he is a handy sort of fellow with getting all the jobs of work done that I have not completed in preparation for my part of the move. So while he is here, I am doing my best to spoil him rotten with any indulgence I can think of.
For a Texan, of course, that means Bar B Que.
So yesterday we made a special trip to a famous Bar B Que joint to celebrate the wonder of stacks of meat slow cooked over an open pit. As we sat there among crowds of folks waiting in line for this special treat--we couldn't help but wonder what a Nicaraguan would think of the scene around us. Obviously--the volume of food in general, and meat specifically, would be remarkable. But what of the "special" cooking method? All these people lined up to pay extra for the food to be cooked over open flame...when each of the people in line have an electric/gas oven inside their house? I am amazed at how my perceptions are already changing--and I haven't even left town yet.

indoor kitchen--Nicaragua

traditional stove--Nicaragua

Things I kinda forgot about

So I have been back in Central Texas for just more than 24 hours now and have started to notice some things I had kind of forgotten about. This list is comprised of some of those items. This is not to say items listed here fall under a heading of “good things” or “bad things,” just things that I had forgotten about or mentally misplaced in regards to their function while away for 10 weeks in my developing country of choice.

Without further ado:

Air conditioning, humidity, smooth roads, watching TV without reading subtitles, Mexican food, water pressure, really hot water, the microwave oven, short pants, where I was originally taught the toilet paper goes, Diet Coke instead of Coca Light, automatic transmission, meals without rice & beans, “The Office,” lawns/grass, quiet, feet/miles/pounds and Fahrenheit, use of the letter “S”, Colby-Jack cheese, ESPN with news other than soccer, drinking from the tap, items without a layer of dust, Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

These are solely observations. I can’t imagine how any of them have any profound impact on what I do or where I am. People keep asking me what I’ve missed while away—and as I review, alter and edit the list, I am struck by the fact that there is nothing on the list that I missed to the level of being homesick for doing without. I expected to be uncomfortable and missing out on these creature comfort items.

But in Jinotega I found it so much easier to focus on how much I HAVE, that it never occurred to me notice what I was “missing”.

an MPC project house--before

Jinotega, as is the case with much of Nicaragua and Central America, is a much simpler place. I know many families who live in places the size of our closets. As I write this I am sitting in my living room that is equal to the size of a home where a mother, 15-year old daughter, 14 year-old son and 7-year old daughter live. They are thrilled because they have that much. They have never had more, only less, so they are content with their modest home. This kind of gratitude is contagious!  I notice that in my home in Jinotega, which is a three-room apartment, I feel so blessed. I have running water in the house. I have electricity- (more than just one bulb!) and I do not have to go to the market everyday to get food to prepare because I have a refrigerator.

an MPC project house--after

Simpler is not bad. I have been blessed by many “things” in the past. Things I believe God provided to make my ministry life simpler and more effective. Now, He continues to provide for me and open my eyes to parts of life that I could not see with so many “things” in my way. Now I have a simple life. God is good all the time. This time He is demonstrating that to me in very subtle ways.