Hola, Nicaragua!

Finally was able to speak with Sariah this evening.  She had told us last week that she would be headed from Guatemala to Nicaragua on Tuesday (May 28) and to expect a call from the airport between 4-6 a.m.  Each of us slept with one of the cordless phones by our beds to make sure we didn't miss the call.  No call.  We hoped we had gotten the day wrong and that she would call on Wednesday and still no call.  Tonight she surprised us by calling out of the blue at 8 p.m.  Luckily we all happened to be home.  Apparently a concerned mom had called the mission home to say that she hadn't heard from her missionary on Mother's Day or from the airport and she was worried.  The mission secretary called each of the missionaries to tell them the happy news - they could call home tonight!!

Here are the updates:

• She is in Buena Vista - just north of Costa Rica (don't try to look it up, we did and you just see a blob)
• She is 2.5 hours from any big city
• Its VERY hot.
• She fears she will never be dry again.  She saw rain in Guatemala like she had never seen before and now she has seen even worse in her short time in Nicaragua.  She will be buying a new umbrella.
• She has a shower but is still not dry.Or clean
• Her apartment is one of the nicest in the mission - hence the shower.  it is the size of our family room and has a tin room and no insulation in the walls so they hear everything that goes on next door. (Let's hope they aren't party animals next door!).
• There are wild dogs everywhere.  (Uncle Chris - would these be Skater Dogs?)
• There are cows everywhere.
• People ride horses or use horse and buggies.
• Women are the breadwinners 
• People dress nicely for a poor country and have smartphones
• This is how she pictured Africa - so poor, so undeveloped, but happy
• Her companion is a native and she is friendly and happy and patient with Sariah's Spanish struggles (she got on the phone for a second and told us - in Spanish - that we have a friendly, adorable, and wonderful ''hija"). Sariah LOVES her.
• They will eat lunch daily with a member family.  
• Today Sariah felt the full weight of not understanding a word anyone was saying and the frustration of being unable to communicate in the way she would like.  (In other words, she's a perfectly NORMAL missionary!).  The funny thing is, she couldn't remember the word "appointment" and kept trying to get us to understand "cita".  

It was great to talk to her.  She sounded tired but happy.  She loves emails and any words of encouragement.