I'm back!

I have now been in Nicaragua for about a week and a half and it is just as crazy as ever.  When I landed in Managua there were a bunch of loco people waiting for me and waving at me one the other side of the window.  Something that is just heart wrenching when you land is that once you get to baggage there is a wall made on windows...and for me I usually have at least one friend waiting on the other side.  This time I had five.  What a sweet blessing it was to be greeted by friends in the airport.  They then watched as I struggled with my four bags ((mostly not things for me)) to customs.  We ate dinner in the airport and headed to drop the guys off and as we rode in the car I was serenaded with the songs we use to teach the younger grades English.  "Its a rainbow, its a rainbow, a beautiful rainbow in the sky" in a Nicaraguan accent of course!  hahaha!  I so missed my family here.

What have I been doing since I've been here??
If you have been following my journey you might know that while I was here I taught English to preschool through 6th grade.  I am still doing that along with helping Pastor Marcelo start his church in Pochocuape.  I love being part of this brand new ministry.  It comes with its own set of struggles but it has been so awesome to see how God works in so many different ways. Wednesday I got to just sit and talk with a couple of the girls on the soccer team and get to know them a bit.  It was really a cool time because it was just me and them, no translator to rely on so instead I looked to for something better, someone better.  And man did He show up.  I don't know about you...but for me one of the biggest ways I see God in my life is when He makes my ears to hear a language I don't fully understand and makes my mouth to speak words I'm not even sure I know.  THAT is cool.  That is God! 

The second day I was hear I got pretty sick...and midway through the day as I am lying in bed one of the two people who I am living with texted me and let me know that they had both been checked for lice and had it.  So I promptly got up and showered and started washing everything.  I then spent the rest of my day and good portions of the next three to follow picking lice out of their hair.  But you know what?  That is ministry.  It isn't always pretty and it isn't always fun, but when we are called to ministry it means taking the good with the bad.  It means getting lice because the kids you spend almost every day with have it and they need love.. they need to be hugged and picked up and tickled and danced with and to play with your hair.  So you might just end up with lice.  I did not this time ((thank you Lord!)) but I had it just months ago. 

I almost forgot to mention that I have had my first hospital experience here in Nicaragua.  The story goes like this...I was playing soccer because on of the girls we are really pouring into is trying to learn how to play.  So I went to be goalie so that Dawn (who has knowledge about the sport) could watch and coach Sinai.  I was playing for all of about ten minutes when I am going to the ball and all of the sudden my knee is going left and my body is going right and I hear snap crackle pop and I somehow end up sumber salting trying to save myself.  Well I didn't hahaha!  So I started icing it because I was not able to bend it or fully straighten it. We went to the doctor just to make sure I hadn't torn my acl or something but they said all is good and just to rest it. They shot me up with some pain killers and sent me on my way.  My whole visit costing less than $100 with xrays, consult, and drugs.  Only took two hours as well!   :)

I have been able to see a lot of my friends and spend time with a few of them.  I know it might shock you but.....I just love it here.  This place, these people, the creation, the food....oh my goodness the food, life.  I cannot explain it to you in words but there is just a feeling I have when I am here that is so sweet and so distinct and so God.  When I am gone I yearn to be back, when I am here I miss my family and friends but there is no place I would rather be here on earth. 

Will you pray with me?  Pray for the pastors I work with here, that they would be refreshed in new ways and given a new excitement for their church and the ministries within it.  For the upcoming pastors who are getting ready to take their own churches.  For the missionaries I work with that they would receive wisdom and guidance from our heavenly Father that is unmistakably clear.  And for me that I could be and encouragement to those around me and shine the light of Christ in the darkness that looms.  Pray this week for us as we have a medical team in three areas (same team that will be moving around).  That we would all be filled with the Spirit and are ready to pour it out for the sake of God's Kingdom here on earth.  That those who will visit would have hearts softened and ready to receive the good news of Jesus Christ.  And that God would receive all the glory and honor and fame!  Amen!!!    He is a good good good God!  I stand in awe of Who he is and all that He has done.  May we never loose our wonder!  
 

 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

What am I doing?

Okay, so i realize it has been way too long since my last post.  I am sorry that I have not been better about posting and keeping you all updated on what I am doing.

I have been back in the states for a little over a month and a half.  What am I doing now you might ask?  To that I say...great question!  Right now I am trying to figure out what avenue best fits my life and God's plan for me as I follow His call into full time missions.  Obviously I need to continue studying Spanish and that is one thing that I have been able to continue doing since I have been back.  Other than that I am working part time as a nanny for some of my close friends, filling in for some others at the church when they need ((which really has only been two days)), and spending a whole lot of time with my mom and the rest of my family.  God has blessed me with time, time to spend with those I love, time to dig into His word and who He is, time to grow, time to minister, time to pray, time to support, time to learn, time to rest ((this one is hard for me)), time to allow the Spirit to lead me.

As I have been seeking God and His will for my life I discovered that He was allowing me to go back to Nicaragua for a short trip.  I will be leaving Tuesday the 25th to go back for about a month.  I will be doing a lot of the same things I was doing over the summer.  Teaching English, helping with the church in Pochocuape, working with a medical team, and just getting to build relationships with people.  A couple of my friends will be graduation from seminary while I am there so I will get to be there to support them as they do that as well!  I could not be more excited to go back and see some of the growth that has happened since I left.  This trip is a huge HUGE gift that God has given me and I plan to glorify Him in it to the best of my ability.  Will you join me in praising Him for this amazing gift?!

What an awesome God we have that not only does He meet our  needs, but He also fulfills the desires and passions of our hearts!  You see I believe that if He puts something in our hearts to do He will bring it to fruition.  It may not be how we would plan, it may not be how we had hoped, and it may not be in our timing, but someday in the day of His divine choosing God will fulfill the thing that He has given you to hope for.  In the process of waiting be intentional.  Use the time He has given you to grow so that in the time that God has appointed you will be more prepared for the thing He has designed for you.  You see sometimes I think when we don't have the thing we hoped for we say "well it is up to God now and there is nothing I can do" while it may be true that we cannot make something happen, we can be preparing ourselves for when it does.  And I think the most important thing we can do in preparation is drawing close to God.  Because when the time comes it is Him we are going to need and it is Him who we need right now.  Good and bad, happy and sad, we must look to Him!  We must trust in Him.  We must rely on Him!

 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Pochocuape Ministry

I want to share with you about some of the ministry I got to be part of while I was in Nicaragua.  There is a neighborhood in Managua called Pochocuape.  My friend, Marcelo, was looking for some land to start a youth camp on and while he was doing so he caught a vision for this community.  God planted a passion in his heart for these people and this place.  Marcelo answered God's call to start a church in this neighborhood and so he started by having Bible study and from that it has grown.  Now we meet three times a week.  We have a Sunday morning service, Bible study on Tuesday, and youth group in Saturday.  There is also a soccer league, school ministry, and discipleship going on in Pochocuape. Almost every week we have teens, kids, and adults find that Christ is what they are missing and accept Him as their Lord and Savior!  Can we just shout out some praise for that?!?!?!?!?! 

I got the privilege of serving along side Marcelo and his team, Geovanny, Chris, and Donna.  They became my family.  On Sundays I was in charge of worship for the kids, which means a whole lot of moving around.  Most of the songs I do resemble zumba. Haha.  I do not usually enjoy working with young kids, you can say what you want but nothing you say makes it less true.  But God gave me a deep love for these kids and even though I couldn't always understanding everything they said He gave me the ability to communicate with them.  God is so so so faithful.  This was something I was so worried about before I went and as I think about it now being with them (the kids in Pochocuape) was not scary at all.

Not only did I work with kids in Sunday school, but I also worked in the school five days a week.  Me and Donna would spend every morning teaching character lessons and English to preschool-6th graders.  Being in the school almost everyday and then at the church on the weekends gave me the opportunity to see some of these kids every day of the week.  God was building relationships and bonds that only He could.  Some days in the school were harder than others but I believe that He used each and every day we were in those rooms to plant some seeds and sow some love into these lives that we got the chance to touch.  Donna is still working in the school and I cannot wait to go back and see what God has done there.  

These kids that I worked with, they are desperate for love, they are desperate for someone to hug them, for someone to tell them they are beautiful, for someone to dance with them.  They want someone to notice them and love them, this is what I did.  I got to love to these kids, I got to share God's love with them.  I know I am repeating myself a lot here, but do you understand what kind of a blessing it is to love those who feel unlovable? Do you know what kind of impact that has? You know that even though I got on to these kids over and over and over again, at the end of the day they had to hug me and kiss me goodbye. There is no thing in this earth that is greater than love.  Love that sits with kids in the dirt, love that lets them braid your hair (even though you hate it what people touch your hair), love that shows up, love that makes sounds and motions to try and communicate, love that holds on tight and never lets go, love that gave it all.  This love is what they need.  They need the love of Jesus.  I am so blessed to have been able to be part of giving that love to them.

Will you pray with me that they would receive this love?  The kind of love that reaches down into our brokenness and starts to heal us.  The love that we are all missing until we find it and accept it.  Will you pray for my friends as they lead, teach, disciple, and love the people of Pochocuape?  That their lives would reflect Christs light and love so clearly that those who see wonder what they have that is different!  Praise God with me for the work that He has begun and promises to fulfill in this neighborhood with such great need for it!  God you are so amazing and I am humbled each day that you have chosen me to be a light unto this dark world!  Would you show me how I can be light and love to others around me today and every day?  I pray for my friends in Nicaragua as they minister to these people who are searching for something, God that you would show them that it is found in you and you alone?  Thank you for the way you have worked and thank you for how you continue to work!  You are so so good!

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

A day in the life

Oh hey!  It has been a while...and I am sorry about that.  I didn't realize how hard it would be to keep up with sharing what all I am doing here.  We are always on the move and when we are not..well I honestly just like to sleep haha!  One of my friends here will always without fail text me the moment I lay down and then get on to me for always being in my bed or in the hammock.  And I always like to remind him that although I am laying in my bed at the moment I was EXTREMELY busy today!  haha! 

Let me give you a look into a day in my life.  No two days are the same, I do not have a weekly schedule that is always the same.  Literally every single day is different.  So I will tell you about yesterday.  First thing on the list was school, we teach preschool on Wednesdays.  They are a tough class to teach, I am not really great with little kids so that makes it just a little bit harder for me.  The longer we are in the school the better idea we have of how to teach the kids in each of the different grades.  We discovered that singing songs helps the preschoolers so we have tweaked a few songs to make them what we need for the class.  After class we were going to meet with a girl from church to start discipleship, but the train got derailed at 8:30 when Donna got a phone call saying something needed her attention immediately.  Okay.  We are on the way.  Got to the church and Donna went to deal with the problem and I..well I sat and read a book and chatted with a few friends who happened to walk past.  ((Sometimes I get to read or talk with people when Donna is dealing with things I cannot help with))  Then we went to grab some coffee and something to eat quick.  Once we finished there it was back to talk with a couple more people to figure out some solutions.  Then time for some discipleship with two of the girls from Pochocuape.  After that we had one more stop to make so Donna could work this all out and hopefully be done with it.  While she did that I talked with Jose Rene (he is in his last semester of seminary) and we got to know each other a little better. I have been so blessed to have time to just sit and talk with some of the Nicas who work in this organization.  They have become some of my best friends and I am so very thankful for that.  Then we finally got to head towards home, we stopped to grab some food on the way and got home around 9pm.  Oh and I think we made it home at some point in the day to switch out of our nice clothes from school..

Something I have learned is that ministry doesn't always look like what we think it will.  It isn't always this beautifully put together group of people who always get along and never choose to sin.  Sometimes ministry is coming alongside those who make some bad decisions and working through it with them.  Sometimes ministry means dropping all the plans you made for the day, good plans, plans that edify God, so that you could go help someone else with their mess.  And maybe then end up with one of your own because you now have to figure out how the things you needed to do will get done.  Sometimes ministry means you get to sit with some girls and talk about the wonderful gift of salvation and what that means for our lives now that we have received it.  Sometimes ministry means staring in the face of someone who has so much need and is following God's calling on their life and telling them that they have to trust God to provide.  Sometimes ministry means you are who God is providing through...but sometimes it doesn't... because we are not meant to try and fill every need we see, we cant, and we are not asked to.  Sometimes ministry means you get to have fellowship with friends and just talk and laugh and enjoy life together.  And sometimes it means showing up to be with them after their dad passes away.. There will always be good and exciting parts of ministry, but along with the good comes the hard and broken and just down right ugly.  And usually they walk hand in hand...because as soon as God is getting hold of hearts and moving in lives the devil gets pretty upset and takes every inch he can find and does his best to make them miles. 

These months have been extremely stretching for me in so many ways and I am thankful for every one of them.  I am so incredibly blessed that God chose me and gave me this life and this love for this country.  I would not trade one day of it...well maybe the few I was sick..  God has blessed me by showing me so many different sides of the ministry and what the true cost of living a life fully surrendered to Him looks like.  These are the people I have worked with, people who have left their homes and their families because they knew God had to be greater in their lives, people who have handed God their children, people who have moved to some place without anyone so that they could share the good news of Jesus Christ with a community that so needs Him.  This is ministry.  This is radical faith. 

Will you pray for me?  This is my last week here for now and it is incredibly hard for me to think about leaving.  I know that God has a plan and he is in control, but this place and these people hold my heart like never before.  Pray that I would be able to take each day as the gift that it is and use it to glorify God in whatever way He has asked of me.  Pray for my friends who are struggling with many different things.  Praise God for being sovereign over every situation!  Thank you so much for your prayers and your love and support! 

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Pueblo Nuevo

Pueblo Nuevo is different, just like any of the communities I have been in.  The people there are not like most people.  They all care for one another.  They work hard and love hard.  Pueblo Nuevo literally means New Town...which is exactly what it was to me.  But they all opened their arms to me and made me feel like family.  Like I had simply just been gone for a while.  Some of them welcomed me into their home and took care of me while I was there.  As we came into town we went to the home we would be staying in.  Irma welcomed us in and we got to sit and talk with her for a while that afternoon.  After that we went to youth group where I got to meet the youth pastor (who is in his last semester of seminary) and some of the other leaders of the church.  Then we had practice for Sunday.. :)

My friend Enmanuel had invited us for the anniversary celebration.  He had asked me if I would like to be part of the children's music portion of the night.  I innocently believed that meant we would just be in the kids class....weeeeeell I was wrong.  I found out just two weeks before the celebration that this would be happening in front of the whole church.  We did two of the songs I have brought with me in the past few years and we did two songs from their music.  It was really fun getting to be part of the anniversary!  Getting to serve alongside some of the people of the church was a huge blessing and I am so thankful for all of the opportunities I get to do that while I am here. 
 

This church is full of passion.  One of the biggest areas I saw this was in the worship they had.  Just watching some of them worship was one of the most beautiful things I've seen.  It is so passionate and so genuine.  Not only those leading from the stage, but also those who dance and sing the kids songs, and those who are worshiping in the congregation.  If you know me at all you would know that worship is what my soul longs for.  Worship in music but also in life.  Being able to see others do that as well is so encouraging and so sweet to me!  I just love worshiping with someone who is abandoned for God.  Someone who is ready to give of themselves and to pour it out so that God may be blessed.   So many times in life I think we get caught up in the technical portion of it that the reason we do it and beauty behind it gets lost.  It gets overwhelmed by flashing lights and fancy guitars.  The best, most humbling moments of worship are the ones you forget about all that stuff.  Whether the piano is tuned correctly and if I am singing the right harmony.  These are some of the times I feel closest to God.  They are the times I truly love music and where it leads me. 

I am so thankful for the time I got to spend in Pueblo Nuevo and the people I met while I was there.  I pray it won't be too long until I get to go back and see what God has done since.  They truly touched my heart and blessed my life.  Praise God for people who surrender to Him with their whole lives.  Thank Him for the working He has done in Pueblo Nuevo and for what He is continuing to do.  Pray for the church family that they would continue to do what the church is called to do, love one another.  Thank you so much for your prayer and support!  I would really appreciate some extra prayers as my time here is coming to an end waaayyyy too fast.  Pray that God would give me at least one step to take next.  That is all I ask for, one step. 

My good friends Luz...

and Enmanuel

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Strangers in the airport.

The rest of our time in Jalapa was spent doing a soccer tournament, helping with youth group, some of us putting on Sunday school for the kids, and the rest sharing testimonies and music in church service. We also spent a bit of time in Pochocuape.  Some of the team did class with us one day and the rest went visiting with Marcelo.  They played soccer with some of the teens from the church and we did bible study there as well.  To finish of the week we spent a day to relax a bit and reflect on what God had done that week.  And of course did a little touring, first to the Masaya volcano that is active right now, then to do a bit of shopping, and off to the volcano crater that is now filled with water creating a fantastic place to swim and chill and just have fun.  Every morning we had a time of devotion to fill ourselves up and be ready to pour ourselves out that day.

God really used this team to encourage and strengthen the Pastor and his family, to bring love, joy, and peace.  It was so awesome to see how God simply used the testimonies and lives of those who came to lift up this church.  Something I think we tend to forget is the importance of every single story, every life saved, every moment that God used to bring people to Him.  They are all important because they tell to story of the One who gave it all so we could have these lives.  Lets all remember that even if you don't have the "huge come to faith moment" God's work in your life is just as amazing and praise worthy as those who do.  Because no matter what He deserves the glory for what He has done in all lives.

This team was such an encouragement to me personally as well.  We became a family and I am so grateful that God gave me this blessing.  Being away from my family is hard, and I was really missing them before this team came.  Don't get me wrong, I still very much miss my family...but having this group here who treated me like a sister and joked with me and made fun of me was exactly what I needed.  Hahaha!  They have become some sweet sweet friends that I didn't know I needed, but am so so blessed to have.  Growing up in a big family who spends a lot of time together and then all of the sudden not having anything like that around is something I hadn't even put thought into as I came.  I had thought of how I would miss them all individually just not as a unit. It is one of those things I didn't know I took for granted.  I have been blessed to make some really great friends here and I so love my Nicas and they truly do feel like family to me...but I have to be careful not to cross lines and I cannot fully communicate with them. So having people I could just let loose and be silly and rude (in the nicest way) to and just straight up sassy with was super refreshing. I don't know why I felt so comfortable with them but I just went with it and it made for some really awesome relationships.

When we picked them up from the airport all I knew was that this group was a bunch of weirdos.  People who I would consider strangers, I mean the way they identified me was by the sign I held in my hand with their church name on it. So it was bound to be a little awkward at first.. Little did I know that these weird strangers would become my family.  It is crazy to me that at the beginning of the week we didn't know each other at all.  By the end of the week we had shared stories, ones of great times and those of some not as great times.  We found out what kind of people we all are. Went from wondering where boundaries are to taking selfies on each others phones and sharing waaayyyy too much information about many things. haha! We had shared jokes and tears, we played games, had some sweet times of devotions, we prayed, and we worshiped together.  Although we all came from different backgrounds, with different stories, with different opinions and talents we were able to be unified by one thing.  One person.  Jesus Christ.  He brought us together and holds us together still. I think that is why the bonds we built were so strong, because they were built in Christ!  In Him we can become one family and one Church.  It is truly a beautiful thing to love and be loved in Christ.

Thanks guys!

 Will you continue to pray with me for the church, Pastor, and school in Jalapa?  That they would lean into God and what He is doing there.  For strength to be able to do all the things they are called to.  For wisdom to know what those things are.  For encouragement and joy in all times.  And for an unmistakable love for Christ that shines so bright those who try to refuse to see it will fail because it is just that powerful.  God is so good!  Always!

 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Prayer and trust.

While in Jalapa one day our plan was to have a prayer walk to pray over the property of the church and the school and those who are running them and the people who would come.  For anything God had put in our hearts to pray for.  After that we would have a pop up VBS in a park.  So we got to the church and all took some time to walk around and pray and ask these things of the Lord, and then we all met up on a hill that overlooked the whole property and you could see a good amount of the city from there.  I could feel the power in that moment, when we were all seeking God together even when we were not all praying together.  As we all walked in different directions and areas of the property the presence of God was there.  These moments brought such encouragement and joy to me.  Just to know that as we asked He was there listening and caring for what we care for. We read some scripture and took some time to pray together.  Then we went back to go get ready and head out for vbs.

As soon as we got to the church it started down pouring for about ten minutes.  Usually it only rains for about ten minutes and is done for the rest of the day so we waited a while to make sure the rain was going to be done and it started raining again.  This time we just decided to eat lunch and then head out after, but as soon as we were about to walk out the gate the officials we had been praying would come showed up.  So Pastor Porfirio met with them and we all waited anxiously to see what would happen.  It started raining again after they left so at that point it was almost three and we decided it was best to just cancel the vbs for that day.  And we had some team building time and some time that the Pastor shared his testimony.  He shared about how him and his wife had to make a very real and difficult decision to give God everything, including their son, in order to follow Him.  Because of that God has blessed them and their son is a bright and silly twelve year old.  These people are a true picture of what it looks like to completely abandon worldly things to follow God.  They are some of the sweetest, most humble, caring people I have ever met.  Blanca (Pastor Porfirio's wife) has the biggest heart and uses it to love anyone she meets!  This family has Christ pouring out of every word they speak.

 

After Porfirio shared his story we were all, of course, eager to hear what happened with the officials who came so we asked him to share what happened.  He said that they had told him as soon as they walked on to the property they knew they were going to approve this permit and one of them even asked him to save a spot for her daughter.  Another offered to take the papers to Managua to put them through.  When he shared this we were all crying, and I mean all of us.  It was so so cool to see God answer our prayers right in front of us just hours after we had asked this of Him.  There is so much power in prayer, power in the Body of Christ coming together and unifying in one purpose, power in love being poured out, power in humility, power in trust, power in hope, power in faith, most of all there is power in the name of Jesus. 

We got to then spend some time just in some sweet sweet fellowship and worship of our God! This day was special.  I don't think there was ever a day that I was so happy our plans were ruined. He is truly in control and sovereign over everything in our lives!  Praise Him for working in the unplanned days!  Pray with me for the school as they continue to take the last steps to opening in February!

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Restoration, Metro, and Jalapa!

This week I have been with a team that is two different churches.  One from D.C. and another from Detroit.  We picked them up from the airport at some different times and headed north for Jalapa.  Jalapa is in the mountains right on the border of Honduras.  We arrived right in time to hop into bed and rest up for our first day.  We went into this week not really knowing what this team had planned for the week and it started a little stressful but God has made it beautiful.

Alex giving out invitations in the school

Our first day we spent some time in different groups and walked around the city to invite kids out to a VBS event we would be having later in the afternoon.  It was really fun to walk around and go into the school to talk with them and invite them.  For me it was also a good time to get to know some of the people I would be doing ministry with for the week.  Once we finished with that we all met back up at the church and got to hear a little bit about the school that will (Lord willing) open in February.  We were told that they have been waiting on some permits that they need before they can officially say they are opening.  The officials who needed to approve these permits were supposed to come that day...but never showed up.

Pastor Porfirio leading games at snack time

We had lunch and got ready for the kids to arrive.  VBS was really fun and we had about 175 kids show up.  We had some music, games, activities and of course snack!  Someone read the story of Joseph and then Marcelo gave an invitation.  Five children gave their lives to Christ that afternoon!  Can we just praise God for this??!!! It is so beautiful and so humbling to be part of others coming to know Christ as their Savior.  After we wrapped up the VBS we headed to our home for the week to clean up a bit and have dinner and devotions.  This was such a sweet time that we got to have every day, sharing what God had done in our lives as we had poured out for Him.

Thursday we had another VBS in a school and saw 2 more kids receive Christ as their Savior!  We got a bit of time to relax and get ready and then we headed to church.  Three of the people from our team shared their testimonies, some of the group lead a couple songs, and one of the guys gave a short message.  It was great to see them jump in and get involved and really invest themselves in the church here.  We made some new friends at church that night and just had a good time getting to know some of our other friends.  And again we came back and had some dinner and devotions.  The Pastor shared with us later in the week how much the testimonies had truly touched his and his wife's heart and the hearts of those in his church.

Jacquelyn reading the story of Joseph

I'm sorry I have missed more than a week of sharing...just means I have some catching up to do!  God really worked this week and to just be there in the presence of what He was doing was extremely powerful.  Will you praise Him with me for those who gave their hearts to God through the working of this team?  Pray for them as they begin to understand more of who He is and how that should change their life for the better.  Pray for those who will disciple them and lead them.  Thank you so much for your prayers!  They are important and truly impacting what God is doing here!

Coloring with the kids

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Sagebrush and a little push.

 On Monday we headed up to La Esmeralda with the team from Sagebrush church from New Mexico.  The trip took a little longer than expected and we did not get there until about 2pm.  We ate a quick lunch and had a short day in the clinic. This was a good way for the team to get their feet wet and get an idea of how things run in the clinic.  I started at the check in point, which is taking temperature, weight and height, basic complaint, and blood pressure (my sweet friend Rosalinda did this).  Then I ended up helping in the pharmacy a bit as well.  Last time we were in La Esmeralda I had been at the check in part a couple of days....but I was helping my friend Tania who speaks English.  This time it was me and two Spanish speakers which was really scary to me at first but as we got going I realized I could do this; well not me but Christ in me.  Working in the pharmacy was something I did not feel qualified for either, but I got to work with Jim (from Sagebrush) and Kim (from Managua) and the pharmacist and we all got it done together!  This week I was pushed out of my comfort zone.  This was just the beginning of how God worked this last week.

Tuesday we gathered together to eat breakfast and then have some time of devotions.  Then we waited out the rain....and waited...and waited hahaha!  It was a national holiday here in Nicaragua so we had to close the clinic that day.  Once the rain let up we headed out to a community about an hour drive from the clinic to hand out some hygiene packs and share God's love with the people.  The packs we were giving out were the ones that Fox River had funded but we didn't have enough time to give out.  I saw God's plan in this because as we were walking around the team from Sagebrush was really impacted by being able to bless these people and pray for them and see how they live.  One of them shared at dinner that night that they felt like having seen where the people live and what they have she would be able to better treat them and have a better understanding of why they were struggling with the things that they did.  For some it was a realization of where to truly seek for joy. A humbling experience for everyone in one way or another, one that I pray we will not forget and will be a point of change.

We also got to visit the waterfall on our way back to the clinic.  It is so beautiful and so powerful.  It reminds me of God's grace.  He pours it out on us and it just overflows into such a beautiful thing. This week His grace was evident, His power was evident.  My friend, Betsaida, wanted to go across to the other side (something I usually refrain from because I am already clumsy enough) but didn't want to go alone so we made our way across....with some help from our very loving Pastor Denis, Dixon and William.  None of them know our to swim and all of them soaked themselves so that we would not have to.  I ended up falling in anyway hahaha!  Once we got to the other side William told us that we were missing out on the best part and so he took us (Bet, Kim, and myself) on a short hike.  We ended up going to to top of the waterfall and looking down from the overflow.  It was so beautiful. 

 

This week was a really cool experience for me for a lot of reasons.  One of them being that I got to see the impact Fox River has on this community and those around it even after they are gone.  I got to see the clinic in action in many capacities throughout the week.  We got to show more love with the hygiene packs, and I got to see some of the different ways things work when a team from Fox River isn't there.  God is truly using this clinic and this church to bring His Kingdom here on earth and it is one of my favorite things to be part of.  I really enjoy all of the ministries I get to be part of here in Nicaragua, but when I get to be in La Esmeralda and serve with some of my best friends it is just different.  I so so so love that community and the people in it. 

 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Keep the Focus

It has been a crazy week here.  We started a new ministry in a school in Pochocuape, we go in to a class or two every morning and talk about morals a bit and then we teach some very basic english.  It has been fun getting to know some of the kids and get to see what it looks like for their schooling.  Two of the days we were there I had some of the kids braiding my hair.  They love it because it is so much different than theirs.  Not only is my hair a different color, but it also feels different.  If you know me very well you would know that I don't exactly love when people touch my hair....but these kids just really love being able to be with me and sit and talk a little while they play with my hair.

We have also been getting ready for a team that got here last night.  This morning we leave for La Esmeralda and will be there through Friday.  I am really excited to get to know these people and get to see what it looks like when I am on a mission team with another church, something I have never done before. This week I will be a translator...so if you would keep that in yours prayers I would truly appreciate it! 

Saturday we had a great time at youth group! We got to hang out and mess around a bit and then Marcelo spoke a great message. We only had seven at group that night, and two of them accepted Christ! I truly love being part of the ministry in Pochocuape. Getting to be there as God brings up this church and these people is one of the biggest blessings I have here.

As we have been doing life this week we have had some challenges.  I got really sick last week and was stuck in bed for three days, brakes went out on the truck, finding out there is a holiday while we are with the medical team and have to close the clinic for a day, and on and on it went.  It has been an exhausting week in every way.  I feel strongly that all the things that continue to happen are part of some serious spiritual warfare waging right now.  Me and Donna were talking a bit about this the other night and she said "it just means we must be doing something right" and I just love that.  Isn't it the truth?!  The devil doesn't need to attack when we aren't doing anything, when we are ignoring God's call or we are simply just not even open to hear the ring.  The bible promises us that when we are on God's side and doing things in His name that we will be attacked, by the world and by the devil.  

This week I have been forced to rely on God. There is nothing that is certain in this life but Him. No people, ministry, place, or thing will truly be there always and when its time to let one go I have to be okay with that. God has taught me that this week. A hard lesson to learn but also one that I am sure he will use to his glory in my future. As I look at all the circumstances of this week I am awed by the faithfulness of God. He is the only constant in this ever changing world. The hope in this darkness around me. But as Gods love breaks through the darkness and grabs the hearts and lives it starts to change. Hope comes to the hopeless. Dark isn't as dark anymore.

Pray for me this week as I am being stretched. For the medical team with us. That they would allow God to use us His way and not our own. For him to receive all the glory as we do His Kingdom work here in Nicaragua. Praise Him for how he is working in Pochocuape!


 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Speak to me

I apologize for the short interruption for my update on the girls day.  This is my last post on the trip with Fox River.

We had a couple of team members that wanted to get baptized so one of the days after we had finished up at the clinic and at VBS we headed down to the waterfall.  I love watching people make this public declaration of their faith and taking that next step into what God is calling them.  As I watched Kevin and Brittany get baptized I remember thinking about the power in saying "yes" to God in whatever it is He might be calling of us.  It is hard sometimes to do the things He asks. I love the song "In the River" by Jesus Culture.  This day, when they got baptized it really felt like life was all around.  God was bringing new energy and new excitement into these lives, all of our lives as we allowed it! 

Fox River always takes a day to reflect and remember what God has done in the week.  We take some time to just hang out and have some fun with our friends and ministry partners.  This year we went to the beach!  It was so fun and so painful at the same time!! haha!  The waves were brutal that day.  It was most of the Nicas first time at the beach and sharing in that experience with them was super fun!  As we ventured out into the water we clung to each other, hoping that we would not be taken down by the waves.  We stood our ground some of the time...and other times our feet were swept out from under us! As I write this now I think that is a perfect depiction of how the Church is supposed to be.  United against the waves in this life, but also in times of struggle when we are knocked down and being there with those who are to help them back up. But I digress, it was refreshing to be able to take these moments of time together.

After lunch we had some time of sharing what God had done in our own lives, and what He was asking of us coming out of the week.  This is one of my very favorite times of the entire week because we get to come around each other and lift each other up.  We get to share some of our struggles and know that we will not be judged, but that those we share with will be praying for us.  It is such a sweet time of trust and love.  These are the moments I truly feel like we are one in the body of Christ.  After our time of sharing we took some time to look upward.  To talk with God about what He has asked of us.

As I listened for what God would say to me I stood on the beach and watched the waves.  They would roll in and crash together creating something so beautiful and fierce.  The longer I looked out on the ocean the smaller I felt.  I thought about how big our God is and how detailed He is in creation, I thought about how intricately placed all things are.  And I wondered why He chose me.  In all of the world and all of the people...why me?  And I couldn't stand anymore.  The longer I thought about it the more humbled I became.  God revealed to me that though I had given myself to Him, there were still things I was holding onto that I needed to let go of.  If I was going to truly serve Him to the extent  He has called me I needed to let it all go.  God asked me a long time ago to follow Him into the unknown, the deep, the dark, the scary.  Where the wind and waves threaten to take me over.  Where I can't see whats in front of me, or where I am going.  Where I don't know what is out there with me... and I thought I had, maybe I did at the time.  But I have picked up new fears and struggles along the way and have begun holding on to these things. Some things that may not be bad but because I put them above Him have become a hurdle for me. I struggled with God for I don't know how long that day.  I know it has become really cliche in the christian realm, but the song that kept rolling through my head was Oceans, by Hillsong, "Spirit lead me where my trust is without boarders". As I watched the waves build and roll and diminish I decided it was time I stopped letting them push me around.  I would step out in confidence of what my Father has told me. There is no place I can go where He won't find me. When I keep my eyes locked on Him my steps become clearer and I don't have to fear what I can't see because He sees.  I have to keep my focus on Him.

Choosing to focus on Him is a daily choice.  It is sometimes an hourly choice.  To say no to whatever threatens to distract and keep looking to God.  Some people might think that spending the summer serving Him would make this easier...but I am here to tell you that no matter the amount of ministry you do there will always be something that is trying to take your focus.  We have to stand strong and fight together against the distractions of this world.  God has given us everything we need and it starts with prayer.  Prayer for ourselves and prayer for each other.

Would you pray, that my focus would be continually on God and what He is asking of me?  For the moments I let my focus stray that I would be brought back to Him.  Praise Him for the people He has placed in my life to remind me to let the little things go and remain in Him!

 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Ella Es...Pochocuape Edition

Yesterday I had my first young women's event at the church in Pochocuape.  I was blessed to have a great group of ladies to help me make this day possible.  The five of us were able to speak and show and be Christs love to thirty-five girls and it is our prayer that they felt it.  It is my desire that these girls are able to understand that they are so much more than this world tells them.  Some of them are starting to have children at the extremely young age of twelve and are told that if they aren't married and starting a family by 18 that they are worthless.  They are told they are useless and ugly and unwanted, the list could go on and on.  That is why I chose to take a day and try to help them they are loved, chosen, and blessed.  I pray that they would be defined by that instead of the worldly standards! 

We broke the day up into three different sessions.  A session contained worship, a message, and some small group time to discuss. We played some games to start the day.  Between the sessions we had some activities for them to do.  They got to paint a canvas, we painted their nails for them, and we did a photo shoot.  They all really enjoyed painting the canvas and getting to make it their own, we had written "Loved, Chosen, and Blessed" on all of them so that they would have a daily reminder of these truths.  Nobody here really has many pictures of themselves so we took some single shots and some group shots for them.  And who doesn't love to be pampered a little?!  They really like bright colors so most of them left with neon nails!  We had a great lunch made by a woman named Kathy, she is a fantastic cook! 

God blessed the day and gave it to us without rain!  We don't have a building in Pochocuape yet so rain would have given us some great difficulty.  They seemed to really enjoy the day and I pray they did.  Not everything went as planned, but nothing ever does and I learned from it!  I will have two more days in different communities with the same goal of showing them they are loved.  I ask that you would start praying now for those days.  For the girls who will come, for the women who will help, for the churches they will be held in.  Pray that God would start softening hearts and opening ears.  I know that God will use these days.  Thank you in advance!  Will you praise God with me for what He did yesterday??!!  And is doing each and everyday of our lives!  

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Kids and Clinics

On Monday we had our first VBS in the church.  It was a rainy day and that always means a smaller crowd, but we had so much fun.  Music, games, craft, story, and snack who wouldn't have fun?!  This year we did the story of Jonah and played it out with the kids which was pretty funny because we literally swallowed someone up in a whale. The kids all left the day laughing and smiling. 

The medical group had clinic all day.  We always eat lunch together and after lunch we take some time to do devotional.  This year we read through Mark and discussed what God was teaching each of us through it.  This is such a sweet time of sharing and learning and worshiping together. Later that day we were supposed to have a field day...but the rains came and decided not to stop!  So we played some card games under the pavilion and got to have some fun that way.  It was nice to have some down time with our friends and just sit and chat and play some games.

Tuesday we had VBS all day and the medical team had clinic all day.  When we got to the place we were doing our first VBS of the day everyone got off the bus and I was the last on off.  As I was stepping down the first step of the bus I slipped and ended up falling hard down the rest of the steps and hitting my back pretty hard.  Which meant I was unable to do much at the VBS and had to hand over the lead roll with the music to Marissa ((who did awesome)).  Since I was a little unable to move my back I didn't get to do very much this day.  But I took it as a gift, I love to sometimes just step back and watch.  Because when I do that it is almost like you can see God's hand in it all.  As we sing the songs and do the silly dances and then as we share the story and play the games and make the craft, God is there in the midst of it all.  He always is and I think it is important to make sure we don't miss that, even in the small seemingly insignificant things.  He is using it all, our failure and our successes, our joy and our sadness, our little bits of silliness and our times of seriousness,  there is never a moment that God is not at work. 

This boy is almost completely deaf and has captured my heart

Later that day and Wednesday morning I got to work in the medical clinic and help with the check in and taking height, weight, blood pressure ((not me)), and then get a general idea of why they came.  It was so so cool getting to see how this part of our ministry works.  I have had a lot of opportunity to see the community and do the outreach there but I have never been able to really see what we do in the clinic.  It was a powerful feeling in there those days, knowing that once they got checked in they were headed to the back to hear the Gospel and hopefully be able understand what Christ had done for them.  Then to be treated for their physical ailments.  God was at work this week in the clinic moving in the hearts of those who came to be treated.  When they came that day they had no idea how much their life was going to be impacted.  SEVENTY-FOUR people received salvation while at the clinic!!!!  That is just while Fox River was there. We saw 649 patients.  Gave out 1703 prescriptions and de-parasited 246 people. There is no greater gift in life than to know the love of Christ Jesus.  To understand what He has done for you and to receive the freedom that he brings.

Do you ever have a hard time seeing God at work in your own life?  If so I challenge you to take some time and slow down and take a look at the thingss in your life.  Are there moments when you just haven't seen Him?  Are there some things that are maybe hindering you from seeing what God is doing, or being able to experience it?  Something that I have been learning while I am here is taking the time to slow down.  Take a beat and just rest in knowing that God has it under control and I don't always have to.

 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."                                                                                                                                  1 Corinthians 13:1-3