A letter from Doug Orbaker in Nicaragua
July 2011
Moving
Inside Doug’s new house.
Moving is always a pain in the neck. At best it's a nuisance, at worst a nightmare. I know; last month I moved from one part of Managua to another.
I really didn't want to move. I like the house where we have lived for the past seven years. I was the third Presbyterian mission co-worker to live in that house. It has been occupied by mission workers for more than 20 years. But the neighborhood has changed and become more dangerous. About three weeks before the move, our housekeeper (Rosita) was alone in the house at lunchtime when she heard a noise at the front gate—someone was beginning to open the gate with a crowbar. There were four of them, and a van with the back doors open. We were going to be robbed. Again!
When Rosita screamed at the men, one of them pulled out his pistol and threatened her. She slammed the door and began screaming to the neighbors through the side door. The robbers left. I arrived as quickly as possible, soon followed by Rosita's whole family. That afternoon the decision was made to move. Our house has been broken into before, and we believe that the house has been marked by people who were coming back to do it again. This time the house will be empty.
I don't believe it is that robberies like this are growing as much as it is that the neighborhood has changed. There are now a lot of businesses on the street, so unfamiliar cars are there all day long. There is a business across the street that sells cleaning supplies and there are often vans parked there with the back doors open. Nobody notices! Even with Rosita's screams and yells, no one took enough notice of the vehicle to get a license plate number.
The police came, looked around, and told us to go to the police station to fill out a report. We did, but I already know that this type of crime is so random that it is almost impossible to solve, whether it is in Nicaragua or in the United States.
With help from friends we soon found another house. It isn't quite as nice or as large, but it suits my needs just fine and is $150 per month less expensive. (Trying to stretch the PC(USA) budget a little further.) The most attractive part of the area is a 24-hour on-street security that is very careful.
The move itself was amazing, with two pickup trucks (mine and one from the office) and the help of friends, we emptied the old house and put everything into the new house in half a day! I think it is pretty amazing since I had been gone for a week with a group and not everything was packed when people started arriving to help. I give great thanks for the friends, both from CEPAD and others, who made that possible.
Nicaraguan sunset.
Rosita is now traveling farther to come to work each day, but she and her whole family have been a wonderful help. The day of the move I knew that I not only have good Nicaraguan friends, but also a real Nicaraguan family. Rosita's grandsons helped with the packing, carrying, cleaning, etc. They were really here for me when I needed the help.
Of course the process of unpacking and finding a place for everything took a bit longer—in fact, there are still a few things in one corner because I'm not quite sure where I should put them. (The photo only shows the part that is finished, except for the moving dolly by the door.)
I hope each of you will keep Nicaragua in your prayers. As economic problems grow, crime like this becomes more and more of a problem. I had the option of moving to a more secure place, but most Nicaraguans don't have that option. Please pray for them and for their safety. This point was driven home to me very clearly this week—one of my co-workers, who lives about four blocks from where I used to live, has had two break-in attempts in the last month. As I said, I have the option of moving. He doesn't.
The whole experience has made me more aware of the complexity of my relationships here. Yes, I have good friends who act as my Nicaraguan family and we do everything we can to help each other. But at the same time, I am reminded of the distance that our respective economic situations puts between us. Sure, I have the friends and family, but I also enjoy options that they don't. This inequality is really very clear to me right now, and I'm not happy with it.
So, in all of this mess, I find things for which I give thanks, and things that I hope you all will keep in your prayers. I give great thanks that Rosita was not harmed in the robbery attempt—I find that possibility much more frightening than having all of our things stolen. The PC(USA) has a good self-insurance program for mission workers to replace stolen things, but there is no replacement for her life. So I find my feelings very mixed as I think about the move. I'm glad that I moved to a safer neighborhood, both for myself and for Rosita. But it has also made me even more aware of the injustice that is so commonplace here. I just took it for granted that I could move. My friends can't.
Doug Orbaker
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 289
