A New Normal

It's been 5 months since the revolution started.  Over 500 people have lost their lives and thousands injured, some of them permanently disabled.   We, too, were affected by knowing someone who had died at the hands of the assassins.  One boy was a 15 year old neighbor and the other was a young man who had made decisions to change his life in positive ways. One was shot in the heart, the other in the head.  The last estimate is that 1500 are still unaccounted for and hundreds in jail.  The police everyday barge into homes and arrest people they know have either been involved guarding the tranques, nonparticipants providing food and drink to those at the tranques or the leaders of the freedom movement.  

Many laws have been established that forbids many types of activities including participating in marches, to being bystanders at the marches and any form of rejection towards the existing government.  Punishment for these crimes of treason is 15 - 20 years in prison.

We have seen videos of elderly people standing in parking lots watching the parades of the Sandinista governing body, while waving the national blue and white flag, be dragged along the concrete by masked police to waiting trucks to take them to jail.

In our city, a man who makes a living selling the national flag in his store, was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in prison for selling the blue and white cloth.  It is now mandatory to fly the black and red flag of the Sandinista government.

Those that have fled the country do not come back.  The owners of our house, are in the US and said it is not safe for them to return.   There are ads that promote tourism to the world stating that it is safe in Nicaragua, but tourists are not returning.   Medical personnel were threatened for helping the injured and more than 40 doctors eventually lost their jobs for violating government mandated restrictions to not help anyone brought into the public hospital.

An estimated 200,000 people are without jobs because of businesses closing.  The economy is suffering and almost $1 billion dollars lost in revenue.  The actual supply of the American dollar has dwindled and changes are being made in the banking system.  Our account in Nicaragua is in dollars to maintain its value, but if we are forced to change to córdobas it will diminish our buying power each month.

Students are no longer coming to carpentry class.  Attendance in the public schools and universities are also down because everyone in the home is needed to help earn money for the basic essentials.  More than ever, the home can NEVER be vacant because even your neighbor will try to rob from you.  So, family members take turns staying at home during the day to protect their belongings.

Everyone is learning to live with restrictions.  The people are more resolute than ever to not let those that gave their lives for change to be for naught.  There are leaders being raised up outside of Nicaragua.  They meet to discuss a plan, guidelines for change and devise a document for new governing when change finally does come to pass.

Preston continues in the cabinet shop with a helper, but there is no business.  We need to make a decision about it's future.   Each afternoon he spends time at the Restoration House for discipleship and counseling with the guys.   So much of our time is now being spent meeting the physical, emotional and mental needs of the people surrounding us.

We are keeping a low profile so as to not call attention to ourselves.  The government has accused  non-profit organizations for funding the revolution.  

We are all settling in to a new normal.  And yet, there is always the sense that we are on the verge of another upheaval.   I'm reminded of the verse over and over "Nothing is impossible with God".