BAKERY WORKSHOP

I have been working with the ladies in teaching them how to bake bread and cakes, for them to eat and to sell, to supplement their eager income. Usually between 20 and 30 women show up, but there was a mix-up on the date of this workshop, and so only about 7 arrived, which actually worked a little nicer. It was a bit more relaxed and the women could see what I was doing. Here, we are preparing the vegetables for the soup for lunch. A picture of the outside of Doña Julia’s house. Doña just means Missus. Her house is actually one of the nicer ones in the area; it is made of wood and is quite large, with 2 stoves in her kitchen (made with bricks and mud). Here is a picture of her outside clay ovencan see what I mean about the lack of temperature controls! She begins by putting wood inside the oven and setting them on fire. After an hour or so, she sweeps out the ashes and whatever is left of the wood, and then puts a piece of rusted steel over the doors to keep the heat in. When the cakes and bread are ready, we slide them in with a large, flat piece of wood, like the pizza workers in the States. Generally, the baking time is quite a bit shorter than called for in the recipe, but it usually turns out pretty good. Here, I am showing the women how to knead the coconut bread, and the women here are frying sweet bread twists. I plan to teach a few more workshops and am writing a small book of recipes, but then hope to turn it completely over to the ladies to organize and manage.

FRIENDS

We spent last Saturday with friends Roberto and his wife Candida. They have grandsons the same age as our boys, and we enjoy their company immensely. Here is a picture of Candida, in her kitchen, working hard in preparing a lunch of fried chicken, beans, rice and salad. We have decided that she is the best cook in all of Nicaragua, and are never disappointed when we eat at her place. Here is Zachariah with their grandson Evert, sitting on the rocking chairs, watching one of the VeggieTales movies that Zach brought over. Evert is about 5 months older than Zach, and they have a good time together. The other day, Zachariah whispered that he would like to sleep over at Evert’s house sometime. Sigh….already come the sleepovers, another sign that my babies are growing up!

GARDEN

I really enjoy our quaint, small garden, and the few flowers they produce. As I aimed and refocused my camera on the white flowers here, I remembered the words of Jesus in Matthew, “Even Solomon, with all his finery, was not dressed as beautiful as the flowers in the fields.” And then a poem that I read the other day, which was a conversation overheard by a bluebird and a robin. The bluebird says that he doesn’t understand these human beings that rush around, to and fro, with so much worry. The robin replies that he thinks humans must not have a heavenly Father such as they, to take care of them. It was such a good reminder for me, to remember that even in the midst of all our little stories and dramas, sicknesses and busyness, there is a Father in heaven is who is watching over us and every day is using our trials and circumstances to bring us closer to Him.

BUDDING ARTIST

Zachariah arrived home from school the other day and raced into the kitchen, with excited yelps of “Mommy! Come see what I made!” Quickly putting down the food I was preparing for lunch, I followed him back into the living room, where he quickly unzipped his school bag and pulled out his beautiful creation. He was so proud of it, and rapidly told me how he made it, step-by-step. Then we had to decide where to hang it, so all could see the work he had done. We decided to hang it above his bed, inside his mosquito netting, so he can see it while he goes to sleep at night. It is fun to imagine what our children will become when they grow up, as they explore different interests. Oh, and just had to put in a quick picture of Zachariah in his Red Sox shirt, courtesy of my dad and sister…go Red Sox!