The El Dorado AR team left early in the day and the Paragould AR team arrived later the same day. That’s how it works around the ministry most of the time. This was a team of 13 guys who came for the distinct purpose to finish the construction of the Aquaponics project and get it up and running.
The team worked so hard every day. They got to share testimonies and messages with the VOH churches and do a Fiesta during the week. But the most focus was put toward finishing the awesome Aquaponics system.
I loved watching it all come together. So much planning and work. Sam Henry is a marvelous head for this project. Hugo Rivas is the Nica staff person in charge of running the system. He got some good training and has been working very hard before the construction teams even arrived.
I kept taking pictures of the process and was happy to see it all. But I have to say, when I saw the baby fishies being counted and put in their tanks, I get very excited!!! The vegetation is starting to grow, the fish are hearty and growing. It’s so cool! I love that many people will be fed through this process.
I was happy to be able to teach the 2 Bible Studies during this week. We had wonderful conversation over the lessons. I learn so much in preparing for the classes and, also, when we all discuss what God is putting on our hearts during class. Lots ‘growing’ around here!!!
It was an awesome week and a great ending to the team participation for the ministry for the year. There was a total of 10,779 professions of faith for the year. So many other blessings shared. God has been so faithful to the ministry and to His Kingdom. It’s great to be focusing on Him.
The team left in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The Hulsey’s had left early on Thursday. Ray and Charlie, who had been here 2 weeks with both construction teams left with the last team on Saturday.
Mary and Nick (our 3 week intern) and I took advantage of the free Saturday morning and headed to our favorite breakfast restaurant, Desayunazo, for some good stuff. I love getting the waffles, Mary likes the English breakfast and Nick loves the fruit bowl and waffles. Yummy stuff!
Can’t believe that November is almost over, which means the year is almost over. Time flies when you are busy serving the Lord! I wouldn’t trade a minute of being in His will!
Friday, November 29, 2013
November 9-16, 2013 El Dorado AR Construction/Discipleship Team
After the last team left at 4am, the rooms were all ‘turned’ with cleaning and preparing beds for the El Dorado AR team.
Right when the bus got to the team house from the airport, it started POURING down rain! Everyone ran in the gate and up the steps to the rancho. I know that they were glad to get off the bus after riding a couple of hours and after traveling by plane all day. Everyone gathered for a quick orientation of the team house and then went to their assigned rooms for resting. It was so good to see some special faces. A few of the guys were here earlier in the year for a construction team and I enjoyed playing hostess for them. They worked so hard and were a pleasure to be around. Great memories!
The first thing that Henry did was give me money to buy him a bunch of coffee to take back with him. I was the personal shopper for the guys on the earlier team and Henry likes to get his stuff right up front so that he can enjoy the rest of the week. ☺ He also gave me some peanut m&ms. Yum!
The week was great. Sunday started with church visits, in which the team split into groups and gave their testimonies and shared messages from the Word in various churches. Sunday afternoon is a time of orientation as far as learning about the ministry, understanding the goals for the week and learning things like the Sinbox Sally drama and how to do a Fiesta. Then it’s time for more church service visits. Sundays are always great.
The week was filled with construction here at the team house to start the building of the Aquaponics system. The guys started work before church on Sunday morning and continued between services on Sunday and then worked every day all week.
There was also a Discipleship Training team that did an awesome job in different churches. Bible Study, Discipleship training and conferences are taken very seriously here and are very much valued. The team very much enjoyed teaching the sessions.
I was able to hold the Women’s Leader Bible Study class on Monday afternoon by finding an out of the way spot. I was glad for that. The Monday night English Bible Study Group was held at an individual’s house downtown. I was glad that we had a place to go to for the class.
I had some errands to run on Tuesday, so I took a teenager with me. She got to see a little bit of the city, ride in a Nica taxi, visit with a Missionary friend of mine, have a wonderful snack at the Pan y Paz French Bakery, stop by the grocery store and just soak up some local flavor. She took a picture of her chocolate filled croissant and tortured her mother with the picture! It was fun to have her along.
The week went by fast and everyone was very tired, hot, sweaty and happy! They really loved doing Fiestas!
Sherry and Manuel arrived about midnight on Thursday night. It was nice to see them on Friday morning. The team went out for Fun Day (shopping and sightseeing in León) and then chilling at the team house and then a visit to the beach and dinner at Suyapa restaurant on the beach.
The team left on Saturday and it was an awesome week of serving God.
Personally, I was blessed to get a lot of Bible Study curriculum written, translated, copied and prepared for the classes. I’m always thankful for Jaasiel’s help with the Spanish. I even got a few naps in the afternoons! What a great week!
Right when the bus got to the team house from the airport, it started POURING down rain! Everyone ran in the gate and up the steps to the rancho. I know that they were glad to get off the bus after riding a couple of hours and after traveling by plane all day. Everyone gathered for a quick orientation of the team house and then went to their assigned rooms for resting. It was so good to see some special faces. A few of the guys were here earlier in the year for a construction team and I enjoyed playing hostess for them. They worked so hard and were a pleasure to be around. Great memories!
The first thing that Henry did was give me money to buy him a bunch of coffee to take back with him. I was the personal shopper for the guys on the earlier team and Henry likes to get his stuff right up front so that he can enjoy the rest of the week. ☺ He also gave me some peanut m&ms. Yum!
The week was great. Sunday started with church visits, in which the team split into groups and gave their testimonies and shared messages from the Word in various churches. Sunday afternoon is a time of orientation as far as learning about the ministry, understanding the goals for the week and learning things like the Sinbox Sally drama and how to do a Fiesta. Then it’s time for more church service visits. Sundays are always great.
The week was filled with construction here at the team house to start the building of the Aquaponics system. The guys started work before church on Sunday morning and continued between services on Sunday and then worked every day all week.
There was also a Discipleship Training team that did an awesome job in different churches. Bible Study, Discipleship training and conferences are taken very seriously here and are very much valued. The team very much enjoyed teaching the sessions.
I was able to hold the Women’s Leader Bible Study class on Monday afternoon by finding an out of the way spot. I was glad for that. The Monday night English Bible Study Group was held at an individual’s house downtown. I was glad that we had a place to go to for the class.
I had some errands to run on Tuesday, so I took a teenager with me. She got to see a little bit of the city, ride in a Nica taxi, visit with a Missionary friend of mine, have a wonderful snack at the Pan y Paz French Bakery, stop by the grocery store and just soak up some local flavor. She took a picture of her chocolate filled croissant and tortured her mother with the picture! It was fun to have her along.
The week went by fast and everyone was very tired, hot, sweaty and happy! They really loved doing Fiestas!
Sherry and Manuel arrived about midnight on Thursday night. It was nice to see them on Friday morning. The team went out for Fun Day (shopping and sightseeing in León) and then chilling at the team house and then a visit to the beach and dinner at Suyapa restaurant on the beach.
The team left on Saturday and it was an awesome week of serving God.
Personally, I was blessed to get a lot of Bible Study curriculum written, translated, copied and prepared for the classes. I’m always thankful for Jaasiel’s help with the Spanish. I even got a few naps in the afternoons! What a great week!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
November 4-9, 2013 TX Dentist team
I got a lot accomplished in the week without a team. This week, we have a small team of 5 people here from Texas, who are doing a dental clinic for 3 days.
It was so good to see Pastor Jamie Hill and also to see Dr. Terry Driggers and his daughter Elyse again. The 2 new gals were so sweet and I loved getting to be around them this week. The time went by so quickly!
We set up the dental clinic here at the team house for a couple of days and brought patients from some of our church plant neighborhoods in by van for some TLC. It was quite the operation going on! Many people were blessed to have much needed work done on their teeth and everyone was blessed to hear the Gospel.
There were some worship services attended where the team shared testimonies and messages and did a lot of praying. A few Feeding Centers were visited and of course, we had a visit to the ice cream shop and dinner at Suyapa beach.
It was a lovely week of service and sharing. I was blessed to get to be with the team.
I also got the chance to teach some Bible Study classes! I was thrilled! I had missed everyone in the classes so much.
The lady leaders from the VOH church plants have all changed except for Lesbia at La Quimera church. It was great to get to meet the new ladies and Lesbia shared her experiences over the last year with them. Not only is the class on Monday afternoons a chance for the leaders to learn the lesson they will teach in their churches later in the week, it is a time to come together and encourage each other and pray for one another. I love the blessed time that we have together!
The team left at 4am on Saturday morning and I think we all have fond memories of the ministry week.
The next team came in at noon on Saturday, so Mary and I took advantage of getting breakfast out at one of our favorite restaurants. I had my usual waffles and eggs. Nick and Danilo were leaving for the Managua airport mid-morning, so they stopped in for breakfast, too, and joined us.
Mary and I then headed back to the photocopiadora to pick up the printed lessons for me to share with the ladies on the following Monday. Then we headed back to the team house to await the team.
I got some laundry done and took a short nap. It was a good day!
It was so good to see Pastor Jamie Hill and also to see Dr. Terry Driggers and his daughter Elyse again. The 2 new gals were so sweet and I loved getting to be around them this week. The time went by so quickly!
We set up the dental clinic here at the team house for a couple of days and brought patients from some of our church plant neighborhoods in by van for some TLC. It was quite the operation going on! Many people were blessed to have much needed work done on their teeth and everyone was blessed to hear the Gospel.
There were some worship services attended where the team shared testimonies and messages and did a lot of praying. A few Feeding Centers were visited and of course, we had a visit to the ice cream shop and dinner at Suyapa beach.
It was a lovely week of service and sharing. I was blessed to get to be with the team.
I also got the chance to teach some Bible Study classes! I was thrilled! I had missed everyone in the classes so much.
The lady leaders from the VOH church plants have all changed except for Lesbia at La Quimera church. It was great to get to meet the new ladies and Lesbia shared her experiences over the last year with them. Not only is the class on Monday afternoons a chance for the leaders to learn the lesson they will teach in their churches later in the week, it is a time to come together and encourage each other and pray for one another. I love the blessed time that we have together!
The team left at 4am on Saturday morning and I think we all have fond memories of the ministry week.
The next team came in at noon on Saturday, so Mary and I took advantage of getting breakfast out at one of our favorite restaurants. I had my usual waffles and eggs. Nick and Danilo were leaving for the Managua airport mid-morning, so they stopped in for breakfast, too, and joined us.
Mary and I then headed back to the photocopiadora to pick up the printed lessons for me to share with the ladies on the following Monday. Then we headed back to the team house to await the team.
I got some laundry done and took a short nap. It was a good day!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
October 27-November 3, 2013
This has been a week without a team at the mission house. I took advantage of getting time for resting, reading, studying and packing. I also tried to visit with a few friends, since I had flexible time.
I’m moving to a place of my own after the first of the year, so I’ve been sorting and purging and packing my stuff to get ready. Living in NYC for 2 years (missionary 2007-2009) in a one-room ‘sort-of’ apartment taught me a lot about space management. My room here in Nica is about the same size. I’ve packed a lot of stuff in this room. The main thing is to think vertical. Also, storing things under the bed and table, and using things for more than one purpose has come in handy. I’ve moved about 80% of my stuff to a friend’s house for storage. The rest (bed, fridge, rocker, clothes) will be moved a day or two before I leave for the states on Dec 3. My room feels so much bigger now! I’m enjoying the transition.
When I return to Nica in January, I’ll stay in a hostel owned by a friend while I am looking for a place of my own. A lot of decisions will depend on my support commitments for 2014 from my home church of FBC Rogers AR and from individual supporters who have been so wonderful to me over the past 6 years. I could not be here to serve without their love, prayers and support!
I have also gotten the chance this past week to meet with the Bible Study classes that had to be sidelined during our busy summer of teams and also my 7 weeks in the states. It was good to work on curriculum and prepare for the classes. I love to study God’s Word and share it!
We’ll be meeting in different places for the month of November, since we have 3 weeks of teams coming. After I return in January, we will start meeting in my place. I will also get the chance to start some other Bible Studies that I feel God leading me to do. I’m very excited for the future!
Some of my friends here in Nica have had babies this year. I’m looking forward to seeing those kiddos! How precious!
I’ve decided to start listening to Christmas music, now that it’s November. I want to be really in the mood for Christmas when I hit the states the first week of December. That season goes by so fast! It will be exciting, though!
I am so thankful for all of the ways that God has allowed me to serve and grow this year. He is always challenging me and is always with me. I trust Him totally with my future and every single minute of my life. He is faithful and I am thankful!!!
I’m moving to a place of my own after the first of the year, so I’ve been sorting and purging and packing my stuff to get ready. Living in NYC for 2 years (missionary 2007-2009) in a one-room ‘sort-of’ apartment taught me a lot about space management. My room here in Nica is about the same size. I’ve packed a lot of stuff in this room. The main thing is to think vertical. Also, storing things under the bed and table, and using things for more than one purpose has come in handy. I’ve moved about 80% of my stuff to a friend’s house for storage. The rest (bed, fridge, rocker, clothes) will be moved a day or two before I leave for the states on Dec 3. My room feels so much bigger now! I’m enjoying the transition.
When I return to Nica in January, I’ll stay in a hostel owned by a friend while I am looking for a place of my own. A lot of decisions will depend on my support commitments for 2014 from my home church of FBC Rogers AR and from individual supporters who have been so wonderful to me over the past 6 years. I could not be here to serve without their love, prayers and support!
I have also gotten the chance this past week to meet with the Bible Study classes that had to be sidelined during our busy summer of teams and also my 7 weeks in the states. It was good to work on curriculum and prepare for the classes. I love to study God’s Word and share it!
We’ll be meeting in different places for the month of November, since we have 3 weeks of teams coming. After I return in January, we will start meeting in my place. I will also get the chance to start some other Bible Studies that I feel God leading me to do. I’m very excited for the future!
Some of my friends here in Nica have had babies this year. I’m looking forward to seeing those kiddos! How precious!
I’ve decided to start listening to Christmas music, now that it’s November. I want to be really in the mood for Christmas when I hit the states the first week of December. That season goes by so fast! It will be exciting, though!
I am so thankful for all of the ways that God has allowed me to serve and grow this year. He is always challenging me and is always with me. I trust Him totally with my future and every single minute of my life. He is faithful and I am thankful!!!
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