Praise and Prep!

Sunday was the second official Sunday at the new Pochocuape church.  I lead the children's class along side Donna and Ashley.  My responsibility is the music, we worship to a few songs by singing and dancing!  We are training some of the young men of the church so that they can take it over at the end of the summer.  I am so excited to be part of the beginnings of this church!  It is so cool to see something new be born in Jesus' name!  I can already see God working in this church and in the hearts of some of the people there.  There is no doubt in my mind that this church will do great things  in the name of Jesus.
 

Childrens

Pastor Marcelo leading on Sunday

After church we went to lunch with Pastor Marcelo, Luis, and a missionary couple that are joining Familia Avance in the next year or so.  It was a really sweet time of fellowship and laughter.  The food was good too ;)  We had a bit of time to rest and then we headed to church in Masaya.  I really enjoyed being in Masaya and getting to meet most of the people in that church. The people there really welcome you with open arms and want to know you!  It was so good to be able to talk with some of them and share a bit about ourselves with each other, I truly feel like I have some new friends.  God is working in this church as well, they have had 6 men give their lives to Christ over the last few weeks in their homeless ministry.

Enjoying some time to sit in Gods creation

Today we did some more shopping and preparing for the group to get here on Wednesday. As we only have a day left til they get here there are a bunch of last minute details that we are ironing out and picking up! We bought some Bibles for one of the churches which was fun to do, we are literally putting the Word into peoples hands!  I had some time to work on some planning for the girls event that I will be having on July 8th and I got a little help from my friend Angel on some graphics for it!  Hahaha. It has been a busy week since I have gotten here but I couldn't be happier. The way I feel while I am here is not explainable, I believe it is a result of living in obedience to what God is asking of me.  I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my so loved kiddos....but there is no place I would rather be!  Oh! And I went to Walmart today!  It looks a lot like Walmart's in the States, just a bit smaller and some different offerings.

The invitation for the girls day. ((Thank you, Angel))

Pray that God would continue to work in Pochocuape and that we would get to see the evidence of His power.  For my continued focus on why I am here and who I am here with.  That as I am immersed in spanish it would become more clear to me each day.  Pray for the Nicas as they are busy and hard at work getting ready for Fox River to come and the clinic celebration on Sunday.  That they would have a clear focus on who all the glory belongs and who they are serving as they are preparing. Praise God for the working in Pochocuape and Masaya!  Praise Him for the breeze He brings in just the right moment, what a sweet gift that is! 

"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

Go(o)d Gifts

The last two days have been amazing!  Yesterday we got up at 4:30 to leave the house at 5am.  We ran around picking up the things we had bought the day before and buy a few more things at the market.  Then we started our journey to La Esmeralda.  We got there and unloaded the truck and then loaded the fridge. One of the bests parts of the day for me was being able to see me friends up there.  My heart just about jumped out of my chest when I saw them, I hadn't realized just how much I had missed them.  I cannot explain the joy of seeing these sweet sweet friends that God has given me and created the bonds within them.  I got to spend some time catching up with them and hug them and just be with them, it was such a blessing to me!

 After we were finished getting some things together and having some conversations in La Esmeralda we headed to Jinotega.  Where Donna, Denis, and myself went to the lawyers office to sign some documents.  There were two pieces of land that they were there to sign; one for the land the Las Nubes church will be built on and the other is for some land that Fox river has bought for Denis and Karen.  The Las Nubes land is important because the church there is growing in strides and ready for a building so they can really establish what God is doing there.  For Denis and Karen to have this land means that they can start providing for themselves for the future and for right now as well.  Both of these things are just more proof of God's working in this community!  I cannot wait to see what God does with this!  It was really cool to sit in on the end of this process and get to hear the hearts of these guys who are selling their land.  We didn't get back to the house until almost 9.  Needless to say we were all exhausted, but God had blessed the day.

Today we went to the oriental market, which is the largest open air market in Central America and it is two miles long, getting children chairs for the new church in Pochocaupe.  That was a fun experience and we took along with us Sergio who had driven with us to La Esmeralda.  Then we headed up to have youth group there, in Pochocuape.  We had a lot of fun and laughs!  As always in ministry things don't go as planned sometimes and tonight was one of those, but God knows what He is doing and He is able to work in ways we don't understand! 

Pray that God would do a work in the church tomorrow morning!  Pray that as we continue to prepare for Fox River that our focus would not be taken off of God.  For continued understand of the language and boldness to use what I do know!  Praise God for the joy He brings to us, for His love that translates through language and cultural barriers, for how He gives us just what we need exactly when we need it.  He is a good good Father!  He loves us!  Amen! 

"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

Settle, Shop, and Sleep

I made it safe!  On my way here God blessed me big time and gave me a few brothers and sisters (in Christ) to talk with.  Being able to have them helped me to focus on the excitement and not my nerves.  God is so so good!   I have had time to unpack and get settled.  There were some men working on our house yesterday and today putting bars on the windows…”had to add bars since the jewel of Fox River is here” –Donna hahaha!  Laughter is good for the soul…I am going to have a very healthy soul this summer if that is true! 

We have mango and avocado trees just outside the house and we get to enjoy lots of other fresh fruits and vegetables.  It is so beautiful here.  Our home is on the mountain side of Managua so it is a little cooler here than in the real city like side of it.  Praise the Lord!  

Today we went shopping to prepare for Fox River next week.  Buying food for 50 people and enough for a week was an interesting/fun experience.  We had a lot of help at the stores from the workers and I am sure we amused a lot of people by the amount of food we bought.  It has been so cool to be part of preparing for this trip and seeing what goes on being the scenes of things here.  That was most of our day today, running around to different stores buying food and things for the mission team.  We had a bit of time to cool off and then church in Managua.  One of the things I am so looking forward to is experiencing all the different churches and areas of ministries that God is allowing me to do.

It has been an exhausting couple of days, but in the best ways.  The heat takes energy right out of me, thankfully God has given us time to take a beat and chill a little bit.  Coming to a country that does not speak the language I am used to has been hard.  Not always being able to understand people and what they are asking is so difficult for me.  I think the hardest thing is that I so desire to know them but I just don’t have it down enough to really ask the questions that build relationships.  I have studied Spanish enough to understand some, but not in the busy chaotic environment that has been my life the last few days.  My brain is on overload a little bit.  New things to see and new people to meet is exciting and also a little bit taxing.  But God is good!  I know that He is stretching me and giving me the strength that I need for right now and sometimes that just means being able to say “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that” or a nice breeze while standing in the hot sun.  He is so faithful!  

Pray for me that I would be bold to speak even if I am not totally certain in my own brain.  That He would open my ears to hear and understand. That God will continue to provide me with energy and alertness when need be and to help my brain turn off when it is time to rest.  Praise Him for His faithfulness thus far and how He will continue to be as we move forward.  Praise Him for the beautiful weather that Nicaragua has welcomed me with!  Praise Him because He is who He is and that is more than enough for this little heart of mine.  I am excited for my day tomorrow and cannot wait to share more about 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

Here we go with God!

There are no words to explain to you how I feel today.  There are so many emotions coursing through me all at once.  Today, in just one hour, I set flight on the most exciting and scary adventure I have ever been on.  Traveling alone is not something that I am in love with, especially the waiting for flights.  Praise God that my five hour layover turned into only two!  Today I remember that I am not alone because God is always with me.  Carrying me when I cannot walk and in today’s case when I cannot fly.  He is right here with me surrounding me as I write this.  I feel Him.  As I was on my way to the airport God gave me a rainbow.   It reminded me that He will always fulfill His promises to me, He is a good Father and takes care of me in ways I could never have even wished for. 

I am feeling so very loved today.  With so many people praying for me and so many people loving me from wherever they are, my cup is just overflowing.  So instead of the worry and the nervousness and fear that seems to loom over me I will focus on what God is doing.  Can I tell you about the last couple of weeks?  

These last days I have had at my Wisconsin home I have felt more loved and covered than ever in my life.  I have such a wonderful church family that has lifted me up, laid hands on me, prayed over me, loved me, shared Gods Word with me, cried with me, ect.  As I was being prayed over a couple weeks ago God was working in my life, but also in the lives of someone who doesn’t really even know me.  He used some of the things I have gone through to bring hope to someone else.  Someone who doesn’t feel loved very much and doesn’t know how to find joy.  I got the opportunity to talk with her and share a bit of my heart as she shared hers.  Who am I that He would use me like that?! 

A couple of days after that I got a text from a friend saying that my prayer card and the fact that I am even going is giving her opportunity to talk with people about Jesus!!!  This is just so exciting to me.  I am seriously not even there yet and God is moving.  To be used by Him is the best feeling in the world.  To be loved by Him is the greatest gift I have received and continue receiving.  HE IS SO GOOD!!!!!  

Pray for me as I travel today that God would give me opportunity to shine His light.   Whether it be in conversation or just in the way I go about things.  Pray that God would do a new working in me.  That I keep my eyes on Jesus and not on my feet as the road I walk is uncertain!  Praise Him with me because of the working He has done and will do!  Praise Him because He is so faithful, so good, so loving, and always with us!   

 "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