Greetings friends and family:

 

Our family was amazed at the coverage and interest the US presidential election had here in Nicaragua.  Daily tracking polls and attack ads were watched with incredible interest by people who probably have very little connection to the United States.  Although more now than ever we see that each country is in one way or another affected by the decisions another country makes.  While the election did not turn out the way I may have hoped, I still have confidence in our newly elected leaders to do what’s best for our country.  It is customary that shortly after the final states have turned blue or red, determining who the winner is, a phone call is made to congratulate the new President elect.  With all the attack ads, heated debates, and arguments you wouldn’t think this would be possible.  It’s truly a great thing.

 

Although very much overshadowed by the US election, the Nicaraguan election for congressional seats recently took place.  It was a very important election for the Sandinista party (FSLN) and Liberal party (PLC) to determine who will gain control of the National Assembly.  On November 10, a little over a week ago, the Sandinista party announced victory in 91 of the 146 seats, however soon after many voter irregularities were found, including missing ballots which were found in the garbage, and final vote tallies withheld in certain regions.  Independent election observers from outside countries were not allowed to monitor voting stations, with the ruling Sandinista party overseeing the counting leaving very little transparency.  Road blocks and protests soon followed, with some becoming violent as confrontations occurred in the streets.  Over a week has gone by and the road blocks and confrontations continue, forcing us to avoid areas of town and stay home at night.   Many Nicaraguan are nervous because they have seen this before from Ortega and the Sandinista party when they took power in the 80’s leading to a brutal civil war.  The circumstances are different now and many feel that these confrontations will eventually die down.  However the reality is that Nicaraguans are seeing their democracy start to slip away. 

 

We ask that you pray for Nicaragua and its people.  Pray that justice will be brought forward from the elections and the people will not loose their voice.  Our family decided with the current problems and unrest in Nicaragua that this would be a good time make a quick trip to the States, giving us the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with friends and family.  Tiffany, Ashlyn, and Elizabeth flew out on Monday and I will join them on Saturday.  Our hope is that things will have calmed down when we return the first week of December. 

 

I ask as you look back this Thanksgiving on the ways you’ve been blessed over the last year, to remember to be thankful for the opportunities and freedom you have because of where you live.  Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

 

For recent pictures of HANDS teams and school projects follow the link below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rtpostmafamily

 

Blessings,

Ryan, Tiffany, Ashlyn, Elizabeth Postma