Living Grace Update Jan-June 2014

Newsletter for June 2014

This is a recap of the first 6 months of Living Grace Ministry.  It’s hard to believe that it has been 6 months already.  God has been so busy putting this ministry together and orchestrating His plan.  We have done our best to be obedient and follow Him, as well as, try not to get in His way!  All Glory and Honor goes to Him for Who He is and for furthering His Kingdom!

January:            God revealed the plan for an actual ministry born out of the classes and mentoring opportunities that He had begun here in León over the past few years.  This new journey was officially named Living Grace Ministry. 

                        A house was made available for the Ministry to work from.  A lot of prayer was said over the landlord and negotiations, and God moved in a mighty way for the perfect place and His perfect choice in a leasing situation.  This all took place within weeks, not months like was anticipated. (Watch for the update for Living Grace House, coming soon.)

                        God provided the volunteer services of a ‘consultant’ (whom He placed in the right place at the right time) to get the vision on paper in an appropriate way to communicate the purpose of the mission.  Introductory documents were sent to key people for prayer and support.

February:            Vickie and Sofia (teenage, part-time housekeeper) moved into ‘Living Grace House’ on Feb 17^th!  We started addressing the beginning of a mountain of details to prepare the house for ministry.  (EVERYTHING needed to be touched in one way or another.)

                        Support to transform the ministry house began to pour in.  Material items began to be available.  (Even a sewing machine was delivered from the states!)  Furniture and appliances (some new and some used) for the house were starting to be purchased.

                        English Bible Study Group officially began weekly classes and carried on throughout all of the renovations.  (We had been meeting for devotions and prayer time until we moved into the house.)  Classes were held 3 times per week.

                        Many friends and acquaintances stopped by to welcome us here, learn about the ministry, give encouragement, to receive prayer and share about Jesus.

March:            Laborers began work on the house.  All walls (and most ceilings) inside and outside needed repair and prep for painting.  Plumbing issues were addressed and electrical work was begun. 

                        A missionary friend moved in for a couple of months.  We met many more of our neighbors.  The mother of our landlord passed away.

                        English classes were added twice a week.  And we had many visitors come by to learn more about the Ministry and to ask for prayer.

                        One of the rooms was prepared for a sweet translator friend who lives in Estelí and travels often to work in León throughout the year, and will be able to take advantage of God’s hospitality here at Living Grace House.

April:            Renovation work on the house continued daily for the most part of the month.  (quite a challenge in a third world country)

                        Vickie visited the States for 4 weeks to share the vision of Living Grace Ministry.  During that time, there were many earthquakes in this part of Nicaragua.  It was a difficult time for everyone.  Many businesses suffered, schools were closed for up to 6 weeks, and people were very frightened.  The government declared the cities on the Westside of the country to be in emergency status for weeks.  It was a difficult time to be away from the Ministry.

May:            Vickie returned to Nica on May 8^th.  A trip to PriceSmart (like Sam’s Club) helped to stock up on things needed at the house for the next few months.

The kitchen was renovated!  (What an undertaking!!!)  A used stove and used refrigerator were installed.  The smaller details of work throughout the house were completed.

                        A group of Pastors used the Ministry House for classes taught by a Korean missionary from Costa Rica.  (how’s that for international ministry!!)

                        Bible Study classes continued three times a week, English classes continued twice a week.  People continued to stop in for talks and prayer.

June:            The last day of the renovation was June 7^th!  Halleluah!  (In all, there were 8 different workmen, approx 800 man hours, 70 gallons of paint/ primer/ varnish, 140+ yards of fabric, 4 ceiling fans and 25 light fixtures, 2 kitchen sinks and 84sf of ceramic countertops were installed.  God had provided all we needed to get the house into as good of shape as possible.

Sewing Classes were started on June 10^th.   The Workroom is a wonderful blessing to the house!

Another missionary friend, Jalisa, moved in to one of the guest rooms for a season.

We welcomed a new part-time housekeeper, Regina, to take Sofia’s place.

It has been a very busy 6 months!  God has been so faithful in His direction and provision.  There have been many ups and downs, tears and joy, challenges and blessings.  Through it all we see His hand at work and want more than anything to remain obedient. 

All of the above details are just part of our Praise list.  Here are a few more Praises:

v Redeeming relationship with God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit

v Opportunities to serve and minister here in León

v Provision of the ministry house and all material blessings to make it work

v Teachers and Students interested and called to the classes

v Prayer partners and Support partners to lift up the ministry

v Network of ministries and missionaries in León to work with and encourage

Here are a few Prayer Requests to keep in mind for us:

v Protection from earthquakes, floods and mosquitoes (it’s the rainy season)

v Discernment in adding classes and scheduling the use of the ministry house

v Health and safety for all staff, volunteers, students and guests

v Continued financial provision to keep running month to month

v Resources for the sewing classes and Sources for marketing the goods

v Response of all who are called by God to be a part, in everyway, with the ministry

v Health and safety for Celina Undernehr, 2 week intern from FBCR serving in July

v Smart decisions for all regarding time management, health (spiritual & physical)

v Always watchful for opportunities to share the Gospel in anyway possible

v Blessings over the many ‘team members’ who support us in prayer and finances

If you would like more information about the ministry, please contact Vickie at vickiejocline@yahoo.com.  You can also follow us on Vickie’s blog:  vickiemir.blogspot.com

Donations may be made:

Ø  by mail or in person at FBC Rogers Church, 3364 W Pleasant Grove Rd, Rogers AR 72758 

Ø  on-line at fbcrogers.org. 

Be sure to note the donation is for Vickie Cline at Living Grace Ministry. 

(You will receive a tax report at the end of the year)

Be sure to watch for the update on Living Grace House, coming soon!  There will be lots of pictures to share!

¡Dios le Bendiga!

Vickie

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”  1 Peter 4:10

June 16 - July 13, 2014

As usual, time has gotten away from me.  I’m trying to keep Sunday afternoons my day for communication catch-up, but that doesn’t always happen.

Since the last post, Regina has started working and is doing a great job getting the house ready each morning for classes.  There is not as much work for her as most households ask (I don’t ask her to do laundry, ironing, cooking, etc.), so she gets done way before noon.  With the new classes starting on Saturdays, I’ll be asking her to come by on Saturday morning to do the dusting and floors before classes.  But that should only take an hour or so.  She’s still getting a good wage for the amount of work she is asked to do.  She’s been a blessing.

Looking back over my planner/journal, I see so many visits with people mixed amongst the scheduled class times.  It’s never a dull moment around here and I feel blessed to get to interact with so many wonderful people.

The classes are going well.  English Bible Study Group has pretty much concentrated on Fridays, morning and evening.  We’ll reserve the Monday evening slot for a new study starting in August.  We have about 10-15 students weekly in the Friday English Bible Study class.  It’s been very good.  I love having lots of discussion.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are sewing days.  We have had 2 ladies coming in the mornings.  We will add a new lady to the class this week.  Regina is staying after her work is finished to work on some things, too.  I have had a couple of other requests for sewing times.  Keeping Tuesdays and Thursdays slotted for sewing helps keep the week more organized.  It also keeps me from feeling guilty if I sew (and craft) all day on those days.  I love it. 

Currently, we are making lots of aprons and tote bags to be taken back to the states at the end of July.  These items will be part of a display at a friend’s shop and also will serve as inventory for future sales.  Enia is such a professional!  She has only been using an electric machine for about 5 weeks and she is very detailed oriented and she doesn’t skip a step, even pressing the seams.  (I skip many steps because I get in a hurry)  All of her aprons look so perfect!  I can’t wait to see them and give her the money!  She is going to save some of it to buy her very own machine!  Woohoo!  Zenelia is doing well with her style of aprons.  She is doing somewhat easier styles.  They are just as pretty.  Pilar will start class this week.  She knows how to sew on a machine, but doesn’t really know how to use a pattern and how to make changes and such.  It will be fun to work with her, too!

English classes are going well.  You never know who will be showing up at each class.  Everyone is hungry to learn, but schedules get in the way sometimes.  We adapt the lessons to whoever is here for the day.  Jacqueline and David are the teachers (David will be starting this week and will concentrate on more of the very beginning students.)  They will cover for each other when one cannot be here, and I will fill in when they both are absent.  We have a lot of fun with the English students.  It’s a great experience to get to work with people who are dedicated to learn.

We have a teenage intern named Celina coming this week.  She will stay for 2 weeks.  She will get to do a variety of things and get to see first hand what it is like to live here in Nica and be a fulltime missionary on a daily basis.  The house will be filled with girls (Jalisa, Sofia, Celina and me), so there will be lots of fun.  Jasmina could not be with us this week because of sickness.  She will be missed and I’m praying for her speedy recovery.  I hate that she will be missing a whole week of work.  Her jobs are seasonal and the season of teams coming from the US is almost over.

The fridge was repaired (the problem was not under the so-called warranty, of course).  Now it seems to run all of the time.  It freezes the stuff in the back and the front is not as cold.  I priced new fridges and they are so high here.  Oh well…  we’ll see what God has in store for us.  I hate to see the next electric bill!  But God has it under control and I’ll trust Him and look for His plan.

We haven’t had a lot of rain yet.  It is not good for the crops.  Even though rains cause problems with flooding the streets and leaks in the houses and such, we need rain.  I wish we could get some days of slow steady rain to soak up in the ground. 

Right now it is harvest time and the peanut fields are being harvested.  It creates so much dust in the air.  You can see huge dust clouds and the sky looks tan.  Soot and dust gets on EVERYTHING.  Since our houses are open to the outdoors, it’s impossible to keep them clean.  We clean the floors sometimes twice a day and that still is not enough.  Everything here is kept in plastic containers if possible.  It’s much easier to clean the lid of a plastic container than to wash fabrics, books, clothes, etc all of the time. 

I thank God every time I get to use the washing machine and I love being able to hang up clothes on the back patio since Wil poured the concrete floor.  What a blessing that is!  One of Celina’s jobs (along with the sons of a missionary friend) is to paint the walls surrounding the back patio.  Then I’ll have a friend paint a mural on the back wall.  I will enjoy seeing Jesus on the wall every time I’m doing laundry. 

I’m trying to behave myself with what I eat and getting exercise.  As always, it is easier to fit all that in on some days than others.  But I’m making a little progress.  We are not making as many heavy meals as before.  Sometimes we just snack.  There are veggies and fruits available.  They are expensive, but usually available.  I’ve been cooking meat in the crockpot and it is delicious and chewable! 

Well, I think that covers the last few weeks.  Each week seems the same (classes, prep for classes, visiting with people), but each week is different.  I love getting to live here and serve in this way.  It gets hard sometimes and I grow weary often, but my God is everything to me and I get my strength from Him.    I’m a lucky girl!