One of the House of Hope employees, Laura, is from Dallas and I wanted to hear more of her story: how'd she end up working there? What's it like? She came to our hotel and ended up hanging out all evening. She and I got to talk for quite a long time and it was really cool to hear her story.
Most of us were going out that night. Our Nica guy friends were taking us to a disco! Y'all, we showed up to this outdoor mall situation with lots of shops and restaurants and bars - it felt like you were in the States. We were there before the disco opened so we wondered around until it was time. Here's the thing: we couldn't get in because we were dressed too conservatively!
Seeing as how I mainly packed t-shirts, I was thankful to have a dress that I'd worn to church earlier in the week. That meant most of the girls were in cotton dresses and flip flops; apparently the dress code requires stilettos, tight jeans, and barely there tops. I tried out some of my dance moves for the bouncer to persuade him to let us in. Sadly, that didn't help. Off we went to another disco...and yet again: rejected! They had a sign of rules out front that seriously included, "no loose tops. No loose pants." Sheesh!
But, the third time was the right time. This place was classy and fun. A beautiful outdoor restaurant with dance floor and live band. There were white lights strung about the place. If I lived in Managua, I'd want that to be my place - where I went to celebrate and relax. I wish I had pictures because it was gorgeous but Drew Miller, our photographer, didn't venture out with us. I got on stage for a brief bit and attempted to play some kind of funky instrument. We all had a great time and danced until we were hot and sweaty. So hot and sweaty, in fact, that I went to get a water from the bar. It was ice cold and complete with a lime. Tasted so good! After I'd gulped it down, someone questioned if we should drink the water there or not. Oh well.*
We stopped for ice cream at the gas station on the way home. I ate about two ice creams a day on our trip; not so healthy but oh so tasty! The real cream and fewer preservatives makes it so much more delicious. It's an odd thing to be the fish out of water. To be engrossed in something totally different, yet knowing you're not in it forever. Among the poverty, we get to play. We go to buy ice cream and I'm paralyzed at the mom and two tiny children begging for money. I've seen beggars countless times in countless places, but what gripped me was that I couldn't escape reality. For our team, we could go from poverty to luxury. But that's a rare thing; most of the world can't. There's still much to process and consider...there's still much to trust the Lord with...
* Oh well, until Monday when the water thing caught up with me and my stomach. Luckily I was out of town at a work conference -- because that wasn't awkward at all.
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