Quick note...

WOW!! It's so hard for me to believe that it is December already...it just does not seem like it would be possible because there is no change in weather here to indicate seasons in the country! BUT...the exciting part of this is that I am coming home in only 11 days!! I am very anxious to get home and spend some much needed time with family and friends and being able to relax a little bit :-)

Things have been going well here, really just getting into the daily routine of school. Bible Study, tutoring, Spanish classes and trying to find some time to just enjoy life as well! I've found myself doing exactly what I said I was not going to do...get so busy! When I was in the States, I was always busy, having committments almost every night of the week and I swore not to do that here...well, so much for that plan!! However, I feel that it is good for me to be busy because it can keep my mind of realizing that I'm thousands of miles from home. I guess it will just make me appreciate my time at home even that much more! HOWEVER, I would love to be busy visiting with lots of you guys...seeing familiar faces will be so appreciated!

Just a few things I'd like to share for you to keep in prayer:

*I got a car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a whole new life for me here...I'm so thankful that I found a good car for a good price. I've already noticed a few things that the seller may have "forgot" to mention that may need fixed, but none of the issues seem to be too big of a deal. I've been so fortunate to meet a North American man who is a very honest mechanic :-) I'm hoping that he will keep my car while I'm home over Christmas and get the issue fixed without spending a lot of time and money going in to it. This is most exciting for me to think of the many other ministries that I have been wanting to get involved in, but haven't felt like I could committ to things without knowing if I would be able to get there, so I'm excited to see what else Managua has to offer :-)

*On that same note, pray for my roommate Emily. I have NEVER driven a stick before and lessons start today :-) Pray that I would pick it up quickly and that there are no major accidents to report :-)

*As I already mentioned, this is a very busy time of year (I'm sure for many of you as well). I just ask that you pray for things to get wrapped up around here so all of us that are traveling home for the Christmas season can truly relax and enjoy our time in our homes!

*I got my true taste of motherhood last week...Emily and I went at stayed with the 5 children at the orphanage...WOW!!! I can't think of a a time when I've been more exhausted than I was last Sunday. Pray for Leo, Frankie, Ophelia, Yulka, and Emily. They need so many things and have experienced so many things in their lives...pray that God would provide their daily needs in big ways.

*Thanks to God for a successful bike trip down the eastern coast of this beautiful country over the Thanksgiving weekend. Of course, I did not ride a bike...I was part of the "support team." I rode in a car and helped people with medical issues (thankfully there were not very many) and getting drinks and snacks as needed. We stayed in a NATURAL RESERVE. I think it's a good thing that I didn't know what that meant before they drove me almost down to Costa Rica and dropped us here...not a super fun experiece, however the beach was BEAUTIFUL and we got to see a sea turtle lay her eggs in the sand...what an amazing experience! The trip was to raise awareness and financial support for the Luke Society here in Nicaragua, a organization that is founded with CRWRC.

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you over Christmas. I am going to ATTEMPT to order my photos from my time here so they are waiting for me when I get back to the States so I can share them with you. I am also planning to share a small bit about my time here in church on January 2 so I hope to see many of you there.

Thanks for your support, both prayerfully and financially. I am one blessed girl! I pray that you all have a wonderful blessed Christmas season in light of the birth of our King!

Blessings~

Angie

Oh, and one more thing...just for those of you who will want to get in touch with me over Christmas (I would love to get together with as many of you as I can) I will be either at my parents house or Amy's and do plan to check e-mail regularly and will have my States cell phone if you need to contact me. That number is 641-780-2741.