Day 104 May 12,2009 (Tues)

In my journeys, I've seen such beauty and such destruction. I've seen such joy and such pain in people. I've eaten meals with the poor and the rich in spirit and pocket. I've taken my last Nica bus and walked my last Nica paths. I've studied. I've interned. I've met great people and lived in what will now be just brilliant memories. I feel like I've seen so much yet I realize I've seen so little. Regardless, the beauty of God's creation and people continues to astound. Thank you for all who've read about my journey abroad. I've been plenty busy with ups and downs like a rollercoaster sometimes...but I made it. We all made it through yet another experience. Gracias a Dios!

Nos Vemos,

Dilaun

Day 102 May 10, 2009 (Sun)

A FUTURE NOT OUR OWN

It helps now and then to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a small fraction

of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete,

which is another way of saying

that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection...

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:

We plant the seeds that will one day grow.

We water seeds already planted,

knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything,

and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,

and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete but it is a beginning, a step along the way,

an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results...
We are prophets of a future not our own.

-Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who was assasinated for speaking up for God's Kingdom and justice in 1980

Day 100 May 8, 2009 (Fri)

On Friday and Saturday, we stayed at Laguna de Apoyo. It is a volcano with a gigantic crater that has been filled with water. People swim and kayak in it. There have been hotels built all along the land. It is absolutely beautiful and really relaxing. I basically laid on a hammock the whole weekend.

We met some interesting backpackers as well. One girl from San Francisco is a financial analyst or advisor but her company just closed. She decided to take the next two months and travel. Another girl from Germany got unpaid vacation for a year. Yes a whole year. She had been saving up money and now she is traveling the world by herself for this year. She's only about one month in but she already been to a few different countries. She knows 4 languages, lived in the Sudan when she was a kid, super impressive stories. By the time the year vacation is over, she will have visited every continent. Another guy and his son are traveling around Nicaragua for 3 weeks trying to find land to build a house on. I think they were from Iowa. The dad can buy land on an island and build a house all for like $50, ooo or something ridiculously cheap like that. It's just cool how you meet people that inspire adventure.

Day 99 May 7, 2009 (Thurs)

I'm in the last few days before I pack up all of my things and go home. I realize I have accumulated way too many items on this trip. Today we presented our finals projects from our internships for the past few weeks. I have written a lot of PR/Communication pieces to be used by the Nehemiah Center. The other two boys I came with produced video projects. It was very interesting. All the families came out to support our work then we went out to dinner at this really nice restuarant. The waitresses have on traditional Nicaragua dresses and there is live music playing.

Afterwards, my host parents Alex & Maria took me and Dan to a movie. We were interested in seeing Wolverine so first we went to this mall called Galerias. We had the wrong times so we got there late. The next showing wouldn't be for an hour. Then we saw the movie was also playing at another mall called Metro Centro. It's across town but we drove there and even arrived in perfect time. The problem was that the movie was playing only in Spanish without subtitles at all. Dan and I would have been lots on all the details except the killing basically so we decided not to buy tickets for that movie. By this time, even though we were all tired, Alex was really determined to see the movie so we drove back across town to Galerias because by this time, an hour had passed. We got there just in time, bought tickets and good thing it was a great movie because otherwise all of that would not have been worth. Dan said, It's just one more good story we've got to tell about our adventures in Nicaragua.

Day 79 April 17, 2009 (Fri)

I know I haven't posted in a while because not too much has been going on but I just found out something kind of serious and it's been confirmed that the Tennessee friends I made on their trip to Nicaragua were hit by tornadoes on Good Friday. No one that I know was seriously injured but there have been deaths and many homes were destroyed and now they are trying to pick up some of the broken pieces in their lives at the moment. I pray that God gives you the strength and courage to move forward as well as the resources to do so. Dios Bendiga!

Above is a picture of the tornado. It was taken by one of those friends. Pretty scary so please keep them in your prayers as they try to recover.

Day 63 April 2, 2009 (Thurs)

To basically break down what we did this week: We visited a number of different farmers and their families. Really remote places where they don't always have running water or food to eat. We learned about their lives a little and used the afternoons to play with their children. The group would do a craft with the kids then play sports with them. Sometimes it was soccer or baseball or duck, duck, goose. It was a lot of fun. The faces of those kids lit up light Christmas. It was the best.

Towards the end of the week, I wasn't feeling so good. I don't know what it was but I felt queasy all the time. I think it was a combination of food and the really bumpy car rides on unfinished roads with huge pot holes. A lot of ups and downs but I eventually got over it.

All in all, I enjoyed my time this week with the group from Washington. It was a lot of fun seeing different parts of this country with them. Next week begins Holy Week (Semana Santa) and we'll be busy in my house with a lot of ministry trips to different neighborhoods to teach kids about the story of Jesus. It will be busy but I'm excited for what's to come. Stay tuned.

Day 63 April 1, 2009 (Wed)

We were all eating breakfast at a restaurant down the street from our hotel when one of our leaders runs in and says, "There was a fire in one of the hotel rooms, every body needs to hurry to go run and grab their stuff." A quick shuffling of panicked folks and everyone starts to reach for their purses, backpacks and water bottles then...APRIL FOOLS'! How dare she do such a thing. She was actually quite surprised that anyone believed her but yes we did. Then afterwards someone said, well it was kind of stupid for us all to running back toward the fire but that person was just as foolish for taking off toward the door as well.

Day 62 March 31, 2009 (Tues)

The more I travel in the country, the more land I see that has remained untouched by the hand of man. You could not imagine something more beautiful. I've climbed to the very tops of mountains, arriving tired and out-of-breath then once I get my heart rate back to normal, my breath is taken away again by the sight. Mountains as far as the eye can see and they countinue existing even beyond that, like a never-ending story. Changing from dark blue to light based on dimension and depth. Rows and rows of trees stacked on the mountainsides. It's difficult to find the horizon out here. It is hard to believe such natural beauty can even still exist and yet it does. Every now and then, a tin shack is raised to reside a poor family in the valley of the mountains. Somebody said it perfectly, a $10 house with a $1 million view. It's amazing to think of how many contractors or businesses would lose their minds over such prime property. I hope these places remain unseen and untouched by machinery.

Day 61 March 30, 2009 (Mon)

Another day. Another journey.

Today, I left to go on a week-long trip with a group from the state of Washington. Odd thing, many of them didn't know where Chicago was. Anyways, it was a youth group team with a few leaders, a translator, a couple from the organization we worked with and myself. I did not know a single person. The first night, we stayed in this German hotel in Selva Negra. It was really pretty. We took some long tours around the property and saw all the work they do to remain a self-sustaining business. It was quite impressive. Oh yeah, and the picure above is women washing clothes..it's kind of like the town laudromat so to speak.

Day 60 March 29, 2009 (Sun)

Tonight after church, I saw a family of four leave our house and get on a motorcycle to go home. I am amazed. I've seen outrageous numbers of people get on bicycles, motorcycles and in buses. Basically any method of travel. I wondered how and now I've seen it first hand.

Day 60 March 29, 2009 (Sun)

I just uploaded some photos on facebook:

Vida Joven Uno: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017480&id=119300697&l=0cb764b3fe

Vida Joven Dos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017487&id=119300697&l=93c29d4d8d

Day 58 March 27, 2009 (Fri)

"Solo Soy Un Lapiz en Mano de Dios" (I am only a pen in the hand of God)

-Vida Joven Nicaragua-

Boy do I hate good-byes. Today I was just saying how it felt like a lifetime had passed since last weekend when we arrived and yet time has flown by. It's very odd how that works. So I had to say good-bye to my friends from Matagalpa. That was really sad for me because they are all such awesome people and it felt like family, brothers and sisters. I do go back to Matagalpa next week though so maybe I can link up with some of them again. I also had to say goodbye to my new friends from Tennessee. I will miss all of you and I hope to see you again as well. As you read my blog, remember that you have impacted my life with your kindness and I will never forget any of you. David I won't forget that amazingly beautiful voice and I look forward to you being #1 on American Idol someday :-). Rob I won't forget your J. Crew ad face and style. Keep swinging piks and someday you'll be just like Walter as we all hope to be. Tyler I won't forget your randomness which I treasure. To all the John Hinkels, I won't forget your uniqueness in 3 generations. Keep singing "Aisha" Tripp. Eric keep working hard on that S.Q.U.A.T. team. haha To all the doctors and nurses, thank you for your time here making a difference. David Sevier - keep enjoying life, it can certainly be a bear but it's worth it! Mr. Richard - thanks for bringing the New York Times for me to read and tell your wife I send my greetings. To Lexi - Try to stay awake and Mr. Perkins - Thanks for the snacks you've made my days really sweet. Michelle - Keep getting those kids outta trouble, there will be a big reward in your future for your patience. To Alexandra -Thanks for the picture, it hangs in my room just like I promised.

To my Matagalpa friends - You have made my life rich. Te extranare! I love you all

"Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts (2 Timotheo 2:22)" -Thanks Juanillo

Day 57 March 26, 2009 (Thurs)

"I hope I can see with Christ's eyes and feel with Christ's heart."


At midnight, early this Thursday morning, Rosibel, Kate, Byron, Miguel, Arnoldo, Juanillo and myself woke from our sweet sleep and surprised Luis Carlos with "Happy Birthday" wishes in song. Even though I could barely open my eyes, it was fun tradition. I will be really sad to leave my friends tomorrow. I just think it's been such a great week and these people will be good friends in my life for years to come. Knowing people all over the world is something I want in my life but not just anybody, quality people. My North American friends and Nicaraguan friends from Matagalpa will forever be in my heart. We have all grown closer during this week and though it will be tough to let go tomorrow, hopefully it will not be goodbye forever.

Tonight during devotions, we meditated on Matthew Chapter 6. It's about giving to the needy without trying to receive public recognition for it, the importance of prayer & fasting in private vs public and lastly about making sure not to store up treasure on earth where it won't do you much good and worrying that doesn't make life easier. All good things to remember and practice. Muy importante para mi vida. I must say that during this semester, I have felt myself worrying less and less about things that used to seem like such a big deal. It's a blessing to feel at peace and this week has brought a lot of that together.

I have been listening to a lot of Spanish worship songs that Miguel got me hooked on. It's amazing how many different ways God can be experienced. I now want to travel the world after this trip because I want to see more faces that will make up the Kingdom of God. I hope God does "Bless America" but every where else needs just as much. In every language and every barrio all over the world, we need more of God. Just like the quote I heard from Arnoldo during his testimony, "I hope I can see with Christ's eyes and feel with Christ's heart."

Day 56 March 25, 2009 (Wed)

I love working hard. I do not love freezing cold showers. Cold has taken on a new dimension here. Mountain water that makes you just want to stay dirty all week long but that's gross entonces I will suck it up and shower quick just like if I were in the military. I love the freshness of this air though. There are so many trees and much more untainted oxygen. If I could spend a few weeks living in Matagalpa or something, I would be delighted.

So yesterday morning, I was cold and wore a hoodie I got from my track days in high school. On the back of that hoodie is my middle name "Aisha". Little did I know, that would be the only name people would remember me by this week. Haha. My Nica friends Byron and Juanillo started calling me Aisha and now it's caught on like wildfire for everybody else. One person says it then everybody else yells "Aisha." Oh good times. They worked in the coffee fields across camp while I was working on the road and every once in a while they would just scream out AISHA! No one even knows who Dilaun is. It's solely Aisha now

Last memory of the day: Byron taught me, David and Tyler a worship song called "La Unica Razon" which means "The Only Reason" and part of the chorus says, "Eres Todo Poderoso" which means "You are all-powerful". We sang it about seventy million times yesterday during work but Tyler, my buddy who I miss a ton, kept singing "Mi Esposa...plus other random words" which means "My Wife...plus other random or made-up words." I am not making fun of you Tyler but I will expect that when I see you again in this life or the next, that the first thing out of your mouth will be the correct lyrics to this song. One Love to Tennessee!!

Day 55 March 24, 2009 (Tues)

"I am amazed by the ability of the human brain to learn another language."

So today, we began our work for the week. Basically in the morning there were three groups, one group would help build a road for the camp, another group would pick coffee and the last group was for the clinic. The primary purpose for this group of people was to help at the clinic and see patients all day. I believe there were 2 doctors and 2 or 3 nurses that came from Tennessee to assist in this project. That's really awesome because so many people are without proper healthcare here. So many things go undectected, undiscovered and undiagnosed. You did a good thing here.

I decided to be on the road building crew. Actually, Juanillo handed me a shovel and told me that I had to work with him and Byron. Ha, oh this will be a lot of fun! A group of about 11 of us did road crew. Our translator was this guy from TN named Robert. He has done a lot of traveling, written books and is really interesting. He also has autism which made it challenging at times for the group because he would wander off or get really focused on something and be zoned into that thing. The intriguing thing to me was that he knew more Spanish than anybody else in their group. He goes to live in Mexico for a month or two every year. He works when he needs to and goes where he wants to. I want courage like that.

In the afternoon, we would do Vacation Bible School for the kids in the community. They came into camp and would get divided by age into different activity areas. Everyday, the number of kids just grew and grew. It was a lot of work haha but fun.

I must say that I really love it here. Since I've been hanging out with Kate and my new Nica friends from Matagalpa: Rosibel, Arnoldo, Luis Carlos, Juanillo, Miguel and Byron, I have just enjoyed myself more and more. I am learning so much more Spanish and I am having a lot of fun doing it. These people help me relax and I know in a couple days, I will never want to leave.

Day 54 March 23, 2009 (Mon)

So I've heard that water and electricity don't mix and yet those two things often go hand-in-hand inside of this country and many others. There is this device attached to the top of many showerheads that sends an electric current to the water so it is heated up before it hits your body. You can see the wires right above your head and although the water is good and warm or even hot, I find it especially terrifying that if my hand accidentally touches the shower head, I will feel electric shocks in my body. I love warm showers at times but life seems like an awfully large sacrifice for such a thing! haha okay I'm kidding a little, it is not that dangerous but still...

Today, we spent some time in the morning with the Vida Joven staff learning how to make corn tortillas. It was pretty cool. I took some time to talk to more people from the team and tell them about myself. Most people are just trying to figure out what I am doing so far from home...I guess my courage to uproot from what's comfortable and move here to Nicaragua is pretty confusing.

Later, we got on the Vida Joven school bus and took the ride up to the camp. On the way, we picked up a few Nicaraguan leaders for Vida Joven: Juanillo, Byron, Rosibel, Arnoldo and Luis. Luis I had met the night before at dinner and if the rest of these people are as chill as he is, it's going to be a great week. The ride up to camp was absolutely beautiful. The mountains line the horizon in every direction. Camp is much colder than even Matagalpa was but it was still beautiful. A lot of land and plenty to do. No television and no internet for us was probably the best thing that could have happened. That's the best thing about team trips, even in as little as a week, you can develop friends for life.

Day 53 March 22, 2009 (Sun)

On Sunday we went to the airport after church to pick up the group from the states. It was kind of wierd for me because I haven't been back to the airport since I arrived here over 2 months ago. So we picked up the team and I must say that it felt odd to be on the other side of a mission trip. Here I was welcoming people to help me help a country that's not even my own. Everybody was so excited and energetic though so I looked forward to the week to come. The group came from Murfreesboro, TN. On our way there, we drove part of the way on the Pan American Highway. I think that's pretty cool so I figured it would be important to add to the blog. It's one of those well-known things in the world like Route 66 or something.

When we got to Matagalpa, it was much more tranquil and relaxed than Managua. I really liked it. It was basically a small town and Kate used to live there so she knew a few people when we would just walk along the street. We went out for dinner with a couple of her friends and though I didn't understand most of the conversation, it was fun. Oh, by the way Kate is basically fluent so it's good because she challenges me to learn and practice more.

At night, we went to Vida Joven which is Young Life for Central America. It was a lot of fun. They sang for us and did skits just to show us what they normally do during "club" which is a weekly gathering for young people in the community. The way it was explained to me, it's basically a christian group for non-christians. It's a really neat concept and is doing wonders all over the world as far as I know.

I'm excited for what's to come when we go to camp tomorrow.

Day 52 March 21, 2009 (Sat)

Spring Break!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes friends, it's finally here. My last spring break ever!! ... well unless I decide to become a teacher which I'm not expecting to happen....sorry Mr. BC. Anyways, another thing I will never have to do, at least not for a while is class. I have officially completed my last formal classes and finals. I aced everything and I am so happy I'm done. Whoo-hoo! Graduation is slowly but surely becoming reality.

In the past 3 days, I have taken three major Spanish exams. Pretty brutal but it's done. The funny thing is for spring break I'll be spending time in the mountains with my friend Kate, possibly doing a bit of Spanish to English translating for a missions team that's coming from Tennessee. I can honestly say I never thought this day would happen.

Last night, we went to a movie at this huge mall called Galerias. It's basically the American version of a mall aqui (here) in Nicaragua. We went to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." I'm still undecided whether I liked it or not. The movie was pretty trippy and super long but I think I liked it but then again I don't know. I gotta digest it a bit more. I don't know if it's still at the theater in the States but if you decide to see it, let me know what you think. An awesome thing though, for 6 of us to see a movie, it was about $20. That's only a ticket and a half back home. Crazy! After the movie, we went to a Mexican restuarant in the mall and the food was delicious. I had something called Pechuga de Pollo and it was chicken cut into smaller pieces and covered with melted mozzerrella cheese. It came with these tortillas and a bean dip. It was quite phenomenal.

Like I said, spring break has begun and I'm very excited for the week to come. By the time I return, you'll hear more stories but the next few weeks will be incredibly busy. After I come back at the end of the week from spring break, I move very rapidly into the second section of the semester which is my internships. I will be doing 3 projects in 6 weeks. Very crazy busy but I will let you guys know more details as they come along.

It's almost April! Yikes, how dare time more so fast. I'm also in the middle of job searching among everything else. If everybody can be on the lookout for me, I would appreciate it very much. It's challenging but I'm persistent and determined! I have a resume ready to send to anyone who would like to check up on what I've done. I want to work in the Health care industry doing public relations. That is my passion..to merge what I know about media and communication with my desire to work with people who are both making a difference and looking to have a difference made on their behalf. I think a hospital is a great place to mix both the needs of an institution with the heart and needs of a people. Public relations is the bridge connecting the two. So if you know of any open opportunities or connections to people I can contact on my own, please email me at dilaunwhite@gmail.com Or if you just want to drop me a line to say hello, I welcome all and I would love to hear from you. I am also on Skype and my username is dilaun518.

Also I keep hearing that more and more people are reading my blog and I thank you for taking the time to hear about my adventures. For those who are not on Facebook and have not yet seen my photos, I'm going to post the public links to the facebook albums I've made so far in Central America:

"Hable Despacio, Por Favor" (Speak Slowly, Please): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016764&id=119300697&l=9ab0eba082

"God of This City": http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016845&id=119300697&l=b847657533

"Santa Maria y Leon": http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016981&id=119300697&l=0fb888c088

"Entiende mas y mas" (You understand more and more): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016943&id=119300697&l=14afd1c51a

"La Playa" (The Beach) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017043&id=119300697&l=fecdc4279d

"Costa Rica - Viva La Vida" (Costa Rica- Live the Life): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017089&id=119300697&l=7f7d063d82

"Entonces..." (So...): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017091&id=119300697&l=c649413c4c

"Es muy caliente" (It's very hot): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017127&id=119300697&l=e049525236

"No hay falla" (No worries): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017197&id=119300697&l=c901b45e4f

Okay that's it!! For now....

Nos Vemos (See you Later)!