The Hamburger

It’s hard to get a good hamburger here in Nicaragua. We have been to Burger King in the capital city of Managua and have been told that “we are out of burger patties.” That gives you an idea of how it goes here. Where we live, an hour from Managua, there is only one Hamburger place, Terry’s Diner. Terry is an American from California. He married a Nicaraguan lady and when they retired, they moved to Jinotepe and opened an American style restaurant. He is a nice guy and offers free Wi-Fi to attract folks to the spot.
I have a Nicaragua friend, Elias, who is a really zealous Christian. He loves to share the greatness of God. One day a couple months ago, Elias and I were evangelizing in the square in Jinotepe. We had a few guys with us, sort of discipling them. After the tracts were all passed out and we were getting a bit hungry, I decided to treat the guys to a burger. Terry’s was the only option. Elias is old school Nicaragua. He is a rice and beans kind of guy. I could tell right away he was out of place. He watched intently as we dressed our burger. He was mimicking our every move. Lettuce, tomato, mustard, onion, then we put on the top bun.
Every thing changed at that moment. Elias dropped his head in disappointment. He shook his head slowly and methodically. He was acting so strange. He had all of our attention. “What’s wrong?” I asked in Spanish. Elias looked up and slowly gestured to his burger. “I ate the top piece first!” He had eaten the top piece of the bun thinking it was a roll. It was then I realized that I was sitting at the table with people who had never had a sandwich of any kind. We roared and laughed and made fun, because we enjoy our time together. I am sure one day Elias will help me experience something from his culture and I will draw the laugh. Thanks for your Prayers, The Gass Family