Day 2 of trip. Sunday.
Woke up early and had continental breakfast at hotel before leaving for the airport. Turned in the rental cars and checked in for our flight. Went upstairs to wait. Things were going pretty smoothly. Everyone was tired, but excited to get on the plane and arrive in Nicaragua.
There weren't many people on the plane, so we got to spread out and get comfortable. We had breakfast and naps. We filled out visa info and customs forms on the plane. Some of the girls asked for my forms to copy. I was hoping that they didn't copy my personal info, too. I doubt the customs agents in Nicaragua would find it funny that we all had the same birthday. :) As we flew over the area near Managua, we saw some volcanoes from the air. It was beautiful. It was great to arrive at the airport. I was so happy to be in Nic.
We were met at the airport by Mike, the Director of Voice of Hope Ministries (who we were there to work with) and a couple of guys who work for the ministry. We got our luggage and went to the vans and started the 2 hour drive to the team house, after a quick stop at a convenience store for something to drink. Herman offered us his phone in case we wanted to call home to let anyone know that we had made it. I told Herman that I am learning Spanish and want to practice all I can. I also found out that one of the team members, Logan, was in his 5th year of Spanish and taking AP Spanish lessons. I told him that I had better be hearing Spanish coming out of his mouth! Don't waste that gift, buddy! The weather was sunny, hot and dry. The ride between Managua and Poneloya was interesting with various vehicles, people walking or on bikes, horse carts and ox carts, etc. I liked what I saw and felt very comfortable being there.
The Team house is on the beach and hearing the roar of the waves and feeling the breeze was very powerful to me. It made me think about God's creation of this world and His power over all things. I was very grateful to be there.
We met Miss Mary, a retired lady from Mike's former church, who comes down to run the team house and work with teams. She is a hoot! You never have to wonder where you stand with her. She can be a great encourager. (and drill sergeant when needed)
We had lunch and a quick orientation about the week and training for doing the Fiestas. Then we took off to church. We split up into 2 groups and attended 2 different churches. My group went to a little church called Gobernadores del Rey. It was in a small room with huge speakers and very loud music. We were given seats of honor up front. Chris shared his testimony and Mike preached. The Youth of the church did a drama about dealing with the type of sin that kids are confronted with these days. A young man was saved during the invitation and tears flowed as he and his mother wept in each others arms. It was awesome to be near the Lord working. I don't remember where the other part of the team went for church. Then we all gathered together at Rosa de Saron church for a very happy worship time. There was a great Praise team of young musicians (who one of the team said was like a whole band of Durgan Maxeys), a group of dancers and some flag performers. It was awesome! Everyone was so happy to be at church and worshipping our Lord. We all enjoyed it very much! Ricki shared her testimony and Mike preached again. The Pasor was very powerful in a quiet manner. You could tell that he loves the Lord very much. His church is very moving. (Mike said that churches have services up to 6 nights a week. They love singing to the Lord and hearing the Word.) There were a total of 10 Professions of Faith in those 3 services. Even when you don't understand the language, you can sense the feeling when another brother or sister comes to Christ. Hallelulah!
We got back to the Team house late and had dinner, then share time. After that it was time for bed. The city was turning water off around 5pm each night during the week we were there, so we washed up with towelettes and hit the sack. Floor fans made it possible to sleep, except for when the electricity kept going off. But it was all good. God gave us good rest. I was still grateful to be there.
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