Loco bus

I decided to start thinking about my favorite memories and things about Nicaragua to share with everyone who reads my blog or has contributed to my time here in Nicaragua. The memories are not in chronological nor are specific to the program that I'm working with...just funny things that have happened.

If you've ever been out of the country, maybe to place like Nicaragua then you might know what I'm talking about when I say that buses here are crazy. And unless you live here and know how they work, you hate it. Luckily for me I love it and you have to have sense of humor to take the system lightly. Imagine an old school bus, like a bus that in the US would be in an old junk yard, then shove as many people as you can on the bus, add 100 degree weather and a fat money collecting man weaving through the crowd to get his 20 cordobas from everyone, add going 20 mph and a sound system that probably cost more than the bus and blasting discotheque music. That's how we travel.

The memory that sticks out the most though was the time that Kelly (my co-worker who has been with me the whole time here in Nica) and I wanted to go to Ometepe, an Island in Lake Nicaragua that has 2 huge volcanoes on it...the lake here by the way is like an ocean. We only have time to travel from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning, so it doesn't leave much time to go places but we decided to make the long trek anyways. We walk to the bus station that is in the back of the market in Granada and ask a guy if we can get to Rivas at this time (it was maybe 4pm) he was like no way, now how. So we asked another guy, because that's what you do here until you get the answer you want to hear. The second guy says, yep take this bus to Naindaime and then there will be a bus to Rivas on the way. Yes! We thought, sounds great. Hop on the bus and off we go. We are riding along and Kelly falls asleep, the girl can sleep anywhere and I'm just sitting waiting around to see where we get off to catch the bus to Rivas. All the sudden we pull over on the side of the road in no particular place where there's a bus stop but another bus behind us and the bus guy yells "RIVAS, RIVAS, RIVAS" and I thought, "huh? Rivas, oh Rivas, oh! That's us!" I turn to Kelly shake her up and am like "KELLY, RIVAS!" She looks at me and says "Yup, I'm up, I'm up." and we run off the bus to catch the bus behind us to Rivas.

If you ever have the chance to come to Nicaragua, do it and then ride the buses and you will understand when I say that the experience is much like what I imagine Harry Potter felt like when riding the "Night Express" bus. :)

Home S T R E T C H

Hola everyone! 

This post is in effort to raise $400 to keep me alive until I return home June 10, 2013. I think that it's incredible that I've been blessed to raise over $5,000 in living and program support, all which could have never been done without the support of family and friends. 

I want to tell you what these next 2 months look like for me so if you decide to donate towards my last couple of months you'll know what it's going towards :). 

Recently FSF Granada started doing workshops with all 4 teams, the theme is Sano yo, Sano mundo (healthy me, healthy world). The series will be done with the help of community organizations who will come to our activity time and teach the girls the importance of respecting ourselves (and others) and respecting the environment (and how the two can overlap). Our first workshop last week focused on nutrition, a local Saul, came from the Opportunity International School in Diriomo to get the girls thinking and energized about nutrition. This was followed by an activity where the girls did trivia, filled the food pyramid with paper food, saw presentations on different types of foods and planted a bean seed. All this toped off with a field trip to a mirador (view point) and a small hike (big for some!) to enjoy nature and time together.

Some of the efforts that I will be making along side my co-coach Hassell are trying to establish little girls teams with in the school system. We've only had the chance play one game, which was a miracle, but at the least I hope to leave the program with lasting relationships that will move the Mariposa Jr. team in a direction where they have games regularly. So the next two months will be serious community outreach, leading gym classes and taking the girls to schools during recess time to get them moving! 

My second half of the year in Granada has been much different than the first in both good and bad ways but overall this year has taught me so many valuable things. One of which being that community outreach is so fun! And that if I lead in Spanish than I can certainly lead in English...that building strong relationships is the key to community and encouraging others...that encouragement is priceless... that you can dream big and achieve big...that things like poverty, abuse, discrimination and depression are things that are so real but so are things like love, encouragement, justice and kindness...that you don't really know how strong your faith is in God until you are put in a place where you know no one and nothing of that place...that a group of 7-9 yr. olds can teach you many things about your character that help you change... and lastly you never know where you'll end up so stop stressing about where you're going and just live. 

I'm excited to see where the next two months leads Hassell, the Mariposa Jrs and I as well as looking forward to going home. Some days are great and others can be draining, living in a different culture now for almost a year but everyday I'm thankful that I get to be here. I have a new adventure all set for the summer, in Portland, OR with a family I worked for prior to coming to Nicaragua and the prospect of graduate school in the fall at UW Tacoma for Social Work. Many things to be excited about and I don't think it will hit me until my last day here how much I'll miss Nicaragua but I know God's already preparing my heart. 

Thank a thousand times over for those who have supported me throughout this journey, financially, prayers, thoughts and encouragement. If you have more questions about what I've been doing here in Nicaragua over the past year you can call me at (206) 792-9771 or Skype me :) Madymoo1 or email me madeliene.hernandez@gmail.com your donations are appreciated, too! 

Abrazos,

Mady 

El Jardín

This is sort of a follow up on my last post, in a way, because these are the women I met in Costa Rica who happened to be in Managua, Nicaragua this week. Managua is a short trip north for me and so how could I not go see them?! (left to right) Bleu, April, Sarah, Ashley, Hannah and me. These women are the ones who are working on developing a program in Jacó to help women victims of the prostitution industry of Costa Rica. Maybe I said this before but this is the first time in my life that I've seen the type of pain and hurt that is in the world. 

I met them at a place called El Jardín which is a ministry that teaches women about Christ and also teaches them a skill like jewelry making or sewing. The ministry leads a 90 to 120 day program and I happened to go on the day of a group's graduation...

There were 12 women this particular day that had completed the program. Each woman receives enough money for 1 month to start their own business using the skills that they had gained. I was told that some of these women are victims of abuse, some have sold themselves on the streets, others were addicts or alcoholics or have sold their own children to the streets. What they focused on this day though, that it's not their past that we focus on but that they are made new through Christ. I was so blessed to be there because His spirit was radiating out of each and every one of these women. I couldn't help but shed some tears as I heard them pour out their hearts...one of those moments where I was thinking, "Sometimes I wish I didn't understand Spanish." but immediately thought, "How lucky that I do, so I can hear the most moving things from these women!" And so cool to see families there supporting these women as they step into the world, in the hard situations of life and chose to live for God everyday. How empowering is that?! 

What's even crazier is that this program has only been in Nicaragua for 8 months! I didn't have a chance to talk to the directors at all, he and his wife were of course spending time with the women, celebrating but he's worked with women in Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica. Nicaragua being the most successful program he's done because it's not a safe house but a day program that gives these women the tools and they have to decide when they go home daily to choose what to do. 

Hannah, Bleu, April and Sarah came to El Jardín to do research on the program as they move forward to start their program in Jacó. It's a dangerous endeavor because they will be dealing with pimps and sex trafficking operations. Sometimes when I hear them talking it sounds like a movie...but in the the past weeks God has been opening my eyes to the deepest, darkest things of this world...it makes it so hard not stay and immediately start working with them in Jacó (which they have asked me countless times to do, in the week that I've known them!) 

So cool how the opportunity to live in Nicaragua has revealed all the opportunities to help others here in Central America. Please pray for the women of El Jardín as they step out into the world with their new hearts and for the group of women from Jacó as they start their ministry! All these experiences again, just show the importance of human relationships and listening to the Lord as He plants things in your heart...such an incredible feeling.  

Solo travels and changed perspectives

Welcome to the Christian Surfers property in Jacó, Puntarenas, Costa Rica where my perspective on life totally took a 180. Before I left for Costa Rica I knew that God would change my heart in the biggest way. I think it can be easy sometimes for people to go to places like Nicaragua or even Costa Rica and miss the fact that behind the mask of tourism, fancy restaurants and street vendors that there are families hurting, struggling day to day. In Jacó I met Hannah Fletcher, her family and a myriad of different extranjeros (foreigners from the U.S.) who have given up the comfort of life in the U.S. to serve others  and share the gospel. 

Hannah has now lived in Jacó for 10 years, she went down there when she was my age and hasn't left since. It was amazing to see what her working alongside ministries in Jacó to build up the youth of Jacó in the name of Christ. Currently they are working on a project to help young girls in prostitution by identifying their spiritual gifts and encourage them to use these gifts in alternative options for work and life. To denounce their lives in prostitution and live a life where they have self-worth and respect for their bodies. 

I have noticed prostitution in Nicaragua but not to extent that there is in Costa Rica. On the bus ride down to Jacó I sat next girl who was 21 and had a 3 yr. old girl. She was so nice and we had good conversation all the way down...she made me laugh because she told her daughter that I couldn't speak Spanish but really I just couldn't understand the Costa Rican accent! They sound Italian. She sensed my preoccupations of where I was going, I had no phone to call Hannah and no real direction of where I was staying. She offered to let me use the phone of her daughter's babysitter once we got into town. I accepted but thought it was odd that she was dropping her daughter off at a sitter because she had things to do at 8pm at night. We got to the house, called Hannah and walked to the place where I was being picked up. The girl waited with me and I ask her if she had a job there in Jacó her reply was "más o menos" It was at that moment that I realized that the sweet girl that helped me navigate was a victim of the prostitution industry. 

This experience alone made me decide that in whatever I end up doing in the future needs to be done for the glory of God, to serve and love people who believe they have no existence, that have no self-worth. Can you imagine how different your life would be if your family sold you into prostitution? Or if you were "just another mouth to feed?" The experiences that I have while being in Central America is that my life is not about the amount of money I make or the career that I have, for me it's about glorifying God who created me, to use the gifts and passions He's given me to help others. 

One thing that I love most about working for Soccer Without Borders is that I get to work with the youngest group of girls who are less likely to have been exposed to these sorts of discriminations. I try my best to not be naive, there are definitely cases of unimaginable things happening to very young girls here but my focus is always to encourage my girls and to love on them, so that they know they always have a place of refuge at Soccer Without Borders and it's fun! 

The changed perspective that I have is that my mind is set on how everything can be turned outwards to help others instead of inwards to help ourselves. I want to thank everyone who has helped me love and encourage others! Two and 1/2 more months of Nica life, although I believe God has many more years down here planned for me! 

Life changers in Jinotega, Matagalpa, Nicaragua

View from the mountains

Just when I thought Nicaragua couldn't get anymore beautiful I traveled with a friend to Jinotega, an incredible mountainous city outside of Matagalpa, 3 hours North of Granada (depending on what bus you end up on!) Everyone at Soccer Without Borders in Granada gets a week long spring break and it has been the most meaningful spring break I've ever had so far. 

My friend Kylie had heard of a girl named Melissa Hartwick who lives in Jinotega running a home for foster kids in Nicaragua. We decided it would be a) awesome to check out Matagalpa and b) amazing to talk meet Melissa and check out what she is doing. Amazing is an understatement describing Matagalpa AND all that Melissa has accomplished in her time here in Nicaragua. I'll tell you what she's doing now and her hope for the future. 

Me, Rebecca, Darling and Melissa just before I headed out to meet Kylie and before a motorcycle adventure! 

She's a 25 yr. old energetic, passionate person who makes you realize that no dream is too big. Not to mention totally took on the Nicaraguan hospitality mentality and invited Kylie and I to stay with her for the night. She moved into a 8 room home and started fostering Nicaraguan children and is in the process of adopting her daughter named Darling. Lots of room for lots of people! 

Darling (Left), Melissa (Right)

When Kylie and I arrived there was only her, Darling, Melissa's friend Rebecca (who is also incredible, doing unreal things in Ghana and also in the process of adopting) and a couple from Slovania, Beatrice and Tomaz (who cycled down to Nicaragua from Mexico) whom Melissa had met while in a car accident. I've never had so much fun with a group of strangers and it was so refreshing to meet people doing things to serve others. The couple from Slovania came to visit Melissa to help clean up the property and the house she lives in for their last few weeks in Nicaragua. Hearing this was outstanding, given that there is a disconnect between tourist in Nicaragua and the understanding of the level of poverty and need for service in Nicaragua. 


Melissa told us about how she has been working with the Nicaraguan family services hosting foster kids for short periods of times until they are reunited with their families. Darling, her daughter was not one that was reunited with family and became up for adoption. Melissa knew right away that Darling would be her daughter, that she needed a home and a loving person and her life and Melissa said yes. So beautiful. Darling is a spunky, sassy 8 yr. old who loves to hug and play and is clearly very creative, a true blessing in my eyes for Melissa to be able to adopt her. 

Their home in Jinotega set in the mountains with a beautiful view, waiting to be filled with people in need.

The home seemed filled with people when Kylie and I arrived and Melissa seemed thankful for all the company. It had been a rough month for Melissa because no foster children had come through for sometime and when they do it's for a short period of time. She hopes that it will soon be filled with children and is also working on developing it to be a home for women in rehabilitation. I loved getting to hear her story, that she truly let her faith lead her to where she is now. It's clear that there are always times of doubt and uncertainty but it is so encouraging to meet someone like Melissa who is daring to be different and is using her time and talents to serve Nicaragua. 

I think what is most special about this week and my time in Nicaragua working with Soccer Without Borders is that my perspective is changing on the way I dream where life will take me. It's meeting people like Rebecca, Melissa, Darling, Beatrice and Tomaz that encourage me to reach higher and learn to love and serve others in my daily life not just when it seems necessary. I wanted to write about this experience because I'm learning that experiences like these make an impact and I hope you'll visit Melissa's blog at http://blog.alltheskies.org and Rebecca's website at together-we-are.com enjoy! 

Joy, joy, joy

Here's maybe the only picture I took from all the magic that happened this past week. So I'll just have to tell you about it instead. This was our first (and maybe only) Mariposa Junior game. It was awesome to see our girls be excited and nervous to play and that every field was occupied with FSF teams. Even more special of a moment was when our girl Andy scored the only goal of the game and watching all the Mariposa Juniors run and up cheering and screaming for her. 

The week though in general was incredible. It was the week of celebrating FSF's 5 year mark in Granada. Several past interns came down and people who started FSF, the people who went door to door, school to school to start the wonderful program that FSF offers today...to see all them was like spending time with family. Each person has such a special story of their connection to Nicaragua and this community. And I found such peace spending time with all of them. 

On Saturday we had our final event with the girls, a mother, daughter event at a local school called Carlos A. Bravo. It was such a surprise to see many of the girls mom's enough to make me wish my mom was there! I think what made it most incredible is the music literally blasting though the courtyard of this school and all the dancing! Woo, my girls have moves! More and more things that happen in my daily life here make me want to stay longer, the culture, friendship, community, the way people are so welcoming here. This is a once in a lifetime experience and I know that where ever I end up next, Nicaragua will always have a huge place in my heart.

Other than this, I look forward to my next four months moving in with a different Nicaraguan family, to dive deeper into the community and really focus on the girls and the program goals. I hope to leave Nicaragua filling up the people the way they have filled up my heart! I also applied to grad school for social work at the University of Washington. Please pray for this and for the next steps in life I'm taking. Miss and think about all those who are listening and supporting.

xo, 

Mady  

How you can support

Dear friends and family,

You may have seen that I still need support to finish the last 4 months of my commitment with Soccer Without Borders. If you would like to make a donation the best way to do so is by purchasing a SWB T-shirt by donating $28 (link on the right side bar) and emailing (madeliene.hernandez@gmail.com) me your address, preferred T-shirt and size (S,M,L,XL) and it will be mailed to you shortly. 

If you don't feel like you need a Tshirt but would like to make a donation amount of your choice you can do so through the same link on the right side bar. 

Thank you so much for all the support I have received throughout the year. It has blessed so many lives and I'm excited to come home in June to share this journey with you all.

Love, 

Mady 

Nueva Familia

Meet Monica (left) and Doña Leticia (right) my two beautiful host family members who have graciously let me move in with them. Monica is Doña Leticia's daughter and is quirky, fun and is always complaining about her aches and pains (with a smile) and is always making me laugh. The best way to describe Doña Leticia is lovely and hard working also funny and has so much faith. A little saying they have here is "Si los Dios quieren..." "If God wants it..." and she always says it when she tells me goodnight. Such a faithful saying, that we aren't in control. 

They have been nothing short of welcoming, feeding me various types of traditional Nicaraguan foods and always greeting me as I come and go during the day. 

Their family comes over everyday which is Doña Leticia son with his kids Pedro (8) and Arianna (10) who love to play and are always asking when I'm coming back to the house. His wife comes in the evenings, the family sits in their rocking chairs and spends time talking before they head home, only to start their day again at 5am.

The funniest best things that have happened is one day Doña Leticia knocked on my bedroom door one morning holding 5 mangoes from their garden and offered to me...they know how much I love fruit.

Another day I set my laundry to soak in a bucket (no washer, be thankful for yours!) I told Doña Leticia, you DON'T have to do my laundry, I'll be back in an hour. I came home and while we were talking I looked up and thought "those look like my shorts...oh wait, they are." She had done ALL of my laundry, she said it was just there...haha. 

Every Friday Monica and Doña Leticia makes Nactamales which is masa (corn meal) with meat, tomato, chile, mint, potato and bacon fat cooked, tied up in a banana leaf for 6 hours...these women are incredible cooks. Last week I helped them tie 200 Nactamales for a birthday party. It was so fun to get to help them (and that they let me) because it's such an experience to be able to live and see how differently Nicaraguans live day to day.

They also have a mini farm in their backyard that includes 20 pigs, some ducks, a parrot, some other little birds, chickens, roosters, 4 dogs and apparently have a farm elsewhere, too. I didn't know about the pigs until after being there a week and after having a conversation with Doña Leticia about their farm. I was doing laundry and I heard "oink, oink." I walked to the back only to find Doña Leticia watering the pigs off. It's a noisy place but I think I've gotten used to it and can now sleep...finally. 

Amongst this I've seen a fried Iguana in the fridge which was after Monica asked why I like beef and I opened the fridge and was like, "and you like Iguana?" haha As well has chicken feet in a pot of rice. Needless to say things are certainly different.

Living with Doña Leticia and Monica has been a blessing and I'm thankful for their hospitality and friendship. I'm only planned to be living with them until mid-March but I've already been asking to stay with them longer! :) 

Back to this

It's been a few weeks now since I came and went to the states and now back in Granada. I'm so blessed to have been able to go home and I had a wonderful time spending time with friends and family. Coming back to Nicaragua was a surreal feeling, it has a place in my heart and has become a second home to me. I was somewhat surprised at how much love I received from the girls and their families and to have one of my girls Ana say "Please don't leave, you have to stay for 9 years." She made me melt a little, thinking why wouldn't I?! Alas, there are other realities to life. After having time to reflect on my first six months while I was home, I came back having a deeper meaning of how this experience is affecting me. While the first half of my internship was no walk in the park, I came back feeling refreshed, that even in the hardest of circumstances God's got me and that gives me joy. We just finished up intern training for Allie and Rebecca (our new interns, who are great!) and our January camp. Camp was such a blast and it was awesome to see the girls engaged, having a good time. It gave me a lot of energy, too, going into this next season because I was where I thought I would never be 7 months ago. I was leading activities in Spanish, I worry less and slowly but surely owning this experience as one that God has put in my life to be alone with him and to grow. All these things help me become a better leader for my girls, if you have noticed, kids notice everything, it's so important to exude confidence, love, kindness and respect. The return is a blessing. I'm excited to see where this season takes me, putting all my faith in God that even the most stressful situations will have fruit. Wish me luck as a move in with my new family today, they're two women, Monica and Doña Leticia with tons of extended family that come in and out. Lastly, thank you to all of you who came to my Nicaraguan dinner, listened to my stories, donated and have believed in what God has me doing. Love, Mady

Coming home

It unbelievable that 5 1/2 months have flew by and I'm heading home tomorrow morning. It's a sweet feeling, even though somehow I'm a little nervous at the same time. I've become so adjusted to living here in Nicaragua, to drinking sugary drinks out of plastic bags, eating food my fingers out of banana leaves to walking down the street knowing that I wouldn't be in Nicaragua without someone saying "Adios, mi amor" or "I love you." Let's just say I'm used to its quirks and I feel like going home tomorrow will be sort of a shock, like going into the future...you're gonna tell me I can't walk two doors down and get a coke? Or that goats won't be aimlessly walking around? AND I won't be sweating profusely all day? It's going to be unreal. I had a chance today to say good-bye to some of my girls and gather up some recipes for the dinner I will be putting on while I'm home and ran around sweating per usual. It's incredible what you can become adjusted to if you just put your mind to it and as I'm preparing to go home I'm reflecting on what I've learned, how I've grown, who has touched my heart and who I hope I've reached. And above all praising the Lord for guiding me and helping me through this experience...I'd be lying if it weren't tear free! I'm so blessed that I'm able to be here and to be coming back in January, it's such an invaluable experience that I think will shape the rest of my life. Sometimes I think I need these girls more than they need me, they've taught me so much about my strengths and weaknesses and have loved on me beyond measure. I do believe that youth development is my passion and continue to reflect on my initial reasoning for wanting to be an intern for the program...I previously worked with immigrant and refugee kids in Seattle and when I return in June from Nicaragua I would like to continue that work. I chose to apply to Soccer Without Borders so I could develop an understanding of Latin American culture and how youth may feel immigrating to the U.S. So far my research shows that it would be there scariest thing ever! But I want this time in Nicaragua to be useful and in that I want to help youth and their families transition into U.S. life. This may mean more school for me, possibly social work, possibly starting a international social work non-profit in the future. Who knows, but as I go home, I'm listening to what God is putting on my heart no matter how frightening it may seem. Pray for safe travels tomorrow!

Kelly, I'll never forget our first phone call and how awkward it felt. I'm so glad that you are an awesome person and we can have normal conversations now :) haha. You've been such a blessing to have as a co-intern and friend, helping me through hard situations, encouraging me when I didn't always understand and just in general you are an amazing person to work with. Can't wait till we come back and crush again! Love you girl!

Hassell, eres mi amiga mejor de Nicaragua. No pude hacer las cosas que hacemos sin tú y no puedo esperar por enero y hacerlo de nuevo :) Siempre estabas aquí para ayudarme con español (y todavía necesito aprender más hehe), también eres una buena persona, un líder increíble y una inspiración en mi vida. ¡Te quiero mucho mi amiga!

Larkin, You need to know that we couldn't have finished this season without you. You are an amazing director, leader and person. I'm so excited that I get to work with you again, to soak up your ideas, your energy and general awesomeness. Thank you so much for your help, encouragement and for making this program stay happening. Like I said to Kelly can't wait to crush with you all over again! Love ya!

Cesar, gracias por todo tu ayuda en esta temporada. No pude hacer muchas cosas sin tú y espero qué trabajamos juntos de nuevo en enero..sería una temporada buenísima. Eres chistoso, amable y fuerte. Nos vemos pronto hombre :)

A las mariposas...son chicas amables, increíbles y pueden hacer cualquier cosa quisieren. Recuerden que son bonitas, son listas son futbolistas y son mujeres y por eso el mundo es suyas. Estoy orgulloso a decir que soy sus líder y estoy muy emocionada para regresar de nuevo en Enero para jugar, dar abrazos y sonríe porque están en mi vida.