Friday was fun day for the team. Bethany and Kearsten went with team to zip line, shop and eat out. They all got back in the late evening. Mike and Sherry went out to dinner for a date. Mary, Beth and I kept Manuel company for the evening. I got the chance to work on receipts for a while. Beth downloaded some of my cds onto Manuel’s computer for his iPod and Mary relaxed. It was a good evening.
Saturday, I got up early and took a nice long, morning walk. The team left out for the airport right after breakfast. Beth and Kearsten went along so that they could shop a little between dropping off the team and picking up the next one later in the day.
Bethany, Mary, Mike and I crammed all our stuff in the van and delivered it back to the Team house first thing. Then we started helping the cleaning ladies clean up the mess left by the team. It was pretty extensive and took us most of the morning. We cleared away all the trash, empty water bottles and other stuff they left scattered everywhere. Fans and mattresses were put back in their proper places. Donated clothing (clean and dirty alike) was gathered to process for give-aways. Aracelys and Fatima worked very hard sweeping, mopping, dusting and cleaning bathrooms. The beginning of days of laundry (sheets and towels) was started. Bethany helped a lot by folding towels, putting the appropriate number of linens in each room, making sure there was handsoap and toilet paper in each room.
It took me a while to get my room back in shape. And then I started putting my clothes away that I had taken to the Hulsey’s for the week. I was thankful that I got to do laundry there the day before. By mid-afternoon, I had my room in order, a shower and was ready for a nap. Bethany hit the beach for a little while and Mary did her own thing. We all fixed whatever we could find for lunch and dinner, but Mary and I both were still a little queasy from our stomach issues and ate light. Bethany joked about being spoiled to Sherry’s cooking and the availability of leftovers at their house. I think she had peanut butter sandwiches and ramen noodles for her meals this day.
The team got in about 8:30pm and unloaded their bags and got a quick orientation. Then we all headed to bed.
It was a quick and busy turn around on the house. It felt good to see the transformation and be ready for our new guests. All in all, it was a good day.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
This week has went by fast. We've been staying at the Hulsey's house and sharing the internet cord with the team at the team house, so I haven't had a chance to post.
Sunday, we joined the team from Jacksonville FL for 8 church services. After morning church, we went by the team house to have lunch with the team, but the food wasn't ready yet, so we came on home to the Hulsey's house and had leftovers. It was strange to be at the house and not have a place to even put our Bibles or bags. The team has taken over the entire house. It was kind of nice to just come home to the Hulsey's and relax. We haven't shared a meal with the team all week due to logistics. We usually eat the left overs for our next meal. We've enjoyed the food very much.
It's been a different kind of week than usual. The team has been working in Nagarote this week, doing Fiestas, Conferences and Crusade services. We've only seen them a couple of times.
Beth arrived on Tuesday and we all met up in León at La Unión to buy the second round of groceries for the team. That's take a couple of hours. We rode into town with one of the van drivers and then rode home in ChinChin (our van) after Danilo dropped it and Beth off. We had ice cream and shopped a little bit at the Central Park. After we got to the team house and put the groceries away, we went to Suyapa for dinner. It was closed due to the holiday. So we went down the road to the Barco Oro restaurant in Las Peñitas (where I turn around on my morning walks) and had dinner. It was good, but not as good as Suyapa. We were tired when we got home.
Mary, Kearsten, Bethany and I have been working at the Sewer Pond neighborhood. Beth joined us on Wed and Thurs. We've done VBS and a quick class for the women. The team was coming by today to do a feeding there after we finished today.
A couple of us have had some tummy issues today and I stayed home this evening and copied some cds for one of the girls on the team. My stomach is doing a little better and I hope to be able to walk my 4.5 miles tomorrow morning.
There have been around 700 salvations so far this week. I don't have a total number yet. A lot of work has gone on. God has been praised and shared and glorified. It's been nice for our little VOH team to work together separate from the big team for a change, too.
Jeremy has been our driver and translator for our VOH team and has been so gracious to us. Of course he has had a much easier daytime schedule since we have only been out for half days. But then again, he has had to put up with us...
Sherry has worked so hard this week making sure that the meals come together and the house stays in one piece. This team is a challenge since they are so large and they treat the house more like a hotel than a ministry house. It will take some hard hours of work to turn it around for the next team that arrives on Sat (the same day that this team leaves). But we are up for the challenge!
Mike has worked extremely hard this week, too. He has been going out early with the team, working with them all day and then coming back late at night with them (and us when we go to the crusade services). I've probably only seen him a total of 2 hours all week long and we are living in the same house this week!
He and German are pretty much satisfied with the way things are going this week. The translators are working hard (even though on person on the team seems to think that she has the right to use her limited spanish skills to correct them when they are working). I have to say that our translators are wonderful. We feel that they are family and we appreciate them very much. They do a good job of making the teams feel special and they sometimes take a lot of aggravation when working with different personality types. They truly have servants' hearts.
We've been by our new team house a couple of times this week. They are making progress on cleaning it up. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it gets painted. I can't wait to move in and live there!
There are lots of little things about this week that I have wanted to remember to post, but I just can't think of them right now. Maybe one day, I'll sit and peruse them and God will allow them to come to mind. Until then, I guess I can at least say that I am so blessed to be serving here in Nica. Some days are hard and I'm often tired, but I'm always blessed.
Kearsten and Bethany are going on the Fun Day with the team tomorrow. We'll start packing up our stuff to go back to the team house on Saturday and start getting that place in order in short time. It will be a whirlwind on Saturday, so I think I'll try to get as much done tomorrow as possible and to rest a little, too.
It's hard to believe that we only have one more week and then it's back to the states for 2 months. I have lots to do there, but the time will fly by, too.
All of our days are fleeting, if you stop to think about it. We should do our best to be good stewards of our time. A precious gift from God.
Sunday, we joined the team from Jacksonville FL for 8 church services. After morning church, we went by the team house to have lunch with the team, but the food wasn't ready yet, so we came on home to the Hulsey's house and had leftovers. It was strange to be at the house and not have a place to even put our Bibles or bags. The team has taken over the entire house. It was kind of nice to just come home to the Hulsey's and relax. We haven't shared a meal with the team all week due to logistics. We usually eat the left overs for our next meal. We've enjoyed the food very much.
It's been a different kind of week than usual. The team has been working in Nagarote this week, doing Fiestas, Conferences and Crusade services. We've only seen them a couple of times.
Beth arrived on Tuesday and we all met up in León at La Unión to buy the second round of groceries for the team. That's take a couple of hours. We rode into town with one of the van drivers and then rode home in ChinChin (our van) after Danilo dropped it and Beth off. We had ice cream and shopped a little bit at the Central Park. After we got to the team house and put the groceries away, we went to Suyapa for dinner. It was closed due to the holiday. So we went down the road to the Barco Oro restaurant in Las Peñitas (where I turn around on my morning walks) and had dinner. It was good, but not as good as Suyapa. We were tired when we got home.
Mary, Kearsten, Bethany and I have been working at the Sewer Pond neighborhood. Beth joined us on Wed and Thurs. We've done VBS and a quick class for the women. The team was coming by today to do a feeding there after we finished today.
A couple of us have had some tummy issues today and I stayed home this evening and copied some cds for one of the girls on the team. My stomach is doing a little better and I hope to be able to walk my 4.5 miles tomorrow morning.
There have been around 700 salvations so far this week. I don't have a total number yet. A lot of work has gone on. God has been praised and shared and glorified. It's been nice for our little VOH team to work together separate from the big team for a change, too.
Jeremy has been our driver and translator for our VOH team and has been so gracious to us. Of course he has had a much easier daytime schedule since we have only been out for half days. But then again, he has had to put up with us...
Sherry has worked so hard this week making sure that the meals come together and the house stays in one piece. This team is a challenge since they are so large and they treat the house more like a hotel than a ministry house. It will take some hard hours of work to turn it around for the next team that arrives on Sat (the same day that this team leaves). But we are up for the challenge!
Mike has worked extremely hard this week, too. He has been going out early with the team, working with them all day and then coming back late at night with them (and us when we go to the crusade services). I've probably only seen him a total of 2 hours all week long and we are living in the same house this week!
He and German are pretty much satisfied with the way things are going this week. The translators are working hard (even though on person on the team seems to think that she has the right to use her limited spanish skills to correct them when they are working). I have to say that our translators are wonderful. We feel that they are family and we appreciate them very much. They do a good job of making the teams feel special and they sometimes take a lot of aggravation when working with different personality types. They truly have servants' hearts.
We've been by our new team house a couple of times this week. They are making progress on cleaning it up. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it gets painted. I can't wait to move in and live there!
There are lots of little things about this week that I have wanted to remember to post, but I just can't think of them right now. Maybe one day, I'll sit and peruse them and God will allow them to come to mind. Until then, I guess I can at least say that I am so blessed to be serving here in Nica. Some days are hard and I'm often tired, but I'm always blessed.
Kearsten and Bethany are going on the Fun Day with the team tomorrow. We'll start packing up our stuff to go back to the team house on Saturday and start getting that place in order in short time. It will be a whirlwind on Saturday, so I think I'll try to get as much done tomorrow as possible and to rest a little, too.
It's hard to believe that we only have one more week and then it's back to the states for 2 months. I have lots to do there, but the time will fly by, too.
All of our days are fleeting, if you stop to think about it. We should do our best to be good stewards of our time. A precious gift from God.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Saturday July 16, 2011
Finally have internet access! Now I don't remember what all has happened. ha
The team finished up their week with 1013 professions of faith. That included Fiestas, Conferences, feeding 5,000 people at a food distribution and 3 nights of crusade services. It was a good week of ministry.
The team left Friday morning at 3am for the airport. I said my goodbyes about 11pm. They all seem to have made it home safely. I'm sure they were ready to be back home to their families, friends and routines.
Yesterday, we worked around the house in the morning and early afternoon to get ready for the next team. Then we went into town to buy the first round of groceries for the this coming week. It took hours to gather and pay for the items. Grocery shopping here is not a fun thing to do and is not for the faint-hearted. We then went to Suyapa restaurant for dinner. Yum! I had my usual grilled fish. I really enjoyed it!
Mike told me while we were in town that I would be leaving at 7:30am for Managua airport. I wish I would have known that earlier in the day so that I could get my chores done before bedtime. But that's okay. I rushed around and got as much done before bed that I could.
I got up early this morning and started my laundry. Mary wasn't up yet so I couldn't get into the house to get washing powder. I found some travel size Tide in my stuff, and since the washing machine is outside, I was able to throw most of my dirty clothes from last week into one large load. It finished and I hung them out on the line. I had to call Mary and wake her up so that I could get inside to clean up some work stuff in one of the bedrooms. I got that taken care of and rushed around working on packing up my room a little more before Mike picked me up at 7:30am. I was sweaty, but ready.
Mike, Manuel and I rode into León to meet up with German and Danilo. We all switched around and got in the appropriate vans and took off to our duties. German, Mike and Manuel had meetings in Posoltega. Danilo and I headed to the airport to pick up the girls. On our way, we saw a large truck stuck in the middle of the incoming lane on the highway. Not a good thing. It had a flat tire and I guess it ended up in that lane. Later, we saw a body on the road and some people had stopped and someone was holding a tarp over the body to keep the rain off of them. There weren't any policemen or ambulances there yet. It must have just happened. Further into Managua, we were at a stoplight and the driver of a big truck next to us asked Danilo if he could pull out of the turning lane into our straight lane ahead of us. After he went by, we noticed that there was a huge hole in the road where the pavers had been pulled up. Later in the day, as we came home, we noticed that the body was gone, the whole was larger and still not marked well, and the truck was still in the wrong lane but with the whole wheel off of it.
The girl's plane was a little late, so I did a little shopping at the vendor stalls at the airport. I went to one spot twice, so the guy gave me a discount on a bag. It was good to see the girls when they got off of the plane. Danilo remembered Kearsten when he saw her. We grabbed their stuff and headed to Tip Top for lunch. Then we headed out of town. When we got to León, we ran past a store to pick up some Bibles, but the man was not there, so we hightailed it to the team house. Danilo had just enough time to run to the bathroom and then head back to Managua for the team. Poor guy!
The girl's helped me get my stuff packed for this week and to change sheets on the beds in my room. I packed away stuff that needed to stay in my room and hopefully will not be pilfered through while I'm gone. The room is ready for guests and we got the stuff packed into ChinChin to come to the Hulsey's house.
It's good to be all settled in. I'm going to sleep well. I hope, anyway. It will be cozy this week having 8 people in the Hulsey's little house. We'll have to try not to get on each other's nerves. God will cover us in blessings this week, I'm sure.
I'm very thankful to be here, even when I'm so tired. It will be a busy 2 weeks to come, but so good. I'm ready for a rest, but I don't think my 2 months in Rogers will be all that restful. I have so much to do before I come back for 3 months in October. But time is fleeting and I pray that I use my time appropriately, according to how God has it planned. I just want to be obedient to Him.
The team finished up their week with 1013 professions of faith. That included Fiestas, Conferences, feeding 5,000 people at a food distribution and 3 nights of crusade services. It was a good week of ministry.
The team left Friday morning at 3am for the airport. I said my goodbyes about 11pm. They all seem to have made it home safely. I'm sure they were ready to be back home to their families, friends and routines.
Yesterday, we worked around the house in the morning and early afternoon to get ready for the next team. Then we went into town to buy the first round of groceries for the this coming week. It took hours to gather and pay for the items. Grocery shopping here is not a fun thing to do and is not for the faint-hearted. We then went to Suyapa restaurant for dinner. Yum! I had my usual grilled fish. I really enjoyed it!
Mike told me while we were in town that I would be leaving at 7:30am for Managua airport. I wish I would have known that earlier in the day so that I could get my chores done before bedtime. But that's okay. I rushed around and got as much done before bed that I could.
I got up early this morning and started my laundry. Mary wasn't up yet so I couldn't get into the house to get washing powder. I found some travel size Tide in my stuff, and since the washing machine is outside, I was able to throw most of my dirty clothes from last week into one large load. It finished and I hung them out on the line. I had to call Mary and wake her up so that I could get inside to clean up some work stuff in one of the bedrooms. I got that taken care of and rushed around working on packing up my room a little more before Mike picked me up at 7:30am. I was sweaty, but ready.
Mike, Manuel and I rode into León to meet up with German and Danilo. We all switched around and got in the appropriate vans and took off to our duties. German, Mike and Manuel had meetings in Posoltega. Danilo and I headed to the airport to pick up the girls. On our way, we saw a large truck stuck in the middle of the incoming lane on the highway. Not a good thing. It had a flat tire and I guess it ended up in that lane. Later, we saw a body on the road and some people had stopped and someone was holding a tarp over the body to keep the rain off of them. There weren't any policemen or ambulances there yet. It must have just happened. Further into Managua, we were at a stoplight and the driver of a big truck next to us asked Danilo if he could pull out of the turning lane into our straight lane ahead of us. After he went by, we noticed that there was a huge hole in the road where the pavers had been pulled up. Later in the day, as we came home, we noticed that the body was gone, the whole was larger and still not marked well, and the truck was still in the wrong lane but with the whole wheel off of it.
The girl's plane was a little late, so I did a little shopping at the vendor stalls at the airport. I went to one spot twice, so the guy gave me a discount on a bag. It was good to see the girls when they got off of the plane. Danilo remembered Kearsten when he saw her. We grabbed their stuff and headed to Tip Top for lunch. Then we headed out of town. When we got to León, we ran past a store to pick up some Bibles, but the man was not there, so we hightailed it to the team house. Danilo had just enough time to run to the bathroom and then head back to Managua for the team. Poor guy!
The girl's helped me get my stuff packed for this week and to change sheets on the beds in my room. I packed away stuff that needed to stay in my room and hopefully will not be pilfered through while I'm gone. The room is ready for guests and we got the stuff packed into ChinChin to come to the Hulsey's house.
It's good to be all settled in. I'm going to sleep well. I hope, anyway. It will be cozy this week having 8 people in the Hulsey's little house. We'll have to try not to get on each other's nerves. God will cover us in blessings this week, I'm sure.
I'm very thankful to be here, even when I'm so tired. It will be a busy 2 weeks to come, but so good. I'm ready for a rest, but I don't think my 2 months in Rogers will be all that restful. I have so much to do before I come back for 3 months in October. But time is fleeting and I pray that I use my time appropriately, according to how God has it planned. I just want to be obedient to Him.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tuesday July 12, 2011 Nicaragua
We did 2 more Fiestas this morning. It was hot and the people were crowding in and would not back up. It became stifling. But they were so interested in what was going on that they would not back up one inch. They truly loved the games and songs and the drama. We had a total of 267 Professions of Faith today. That included kids and adults at the Fiestas, street witnessing and a few people that the Youth Conference workers spoke with. Quite a day of witnessing.
The Youth Conference was not advertised well by the churches for some reason, but the 5 people from the team who went to lead it went out on the streets and prayed with 3 construction workers, who accept Christ. They also were prayed over by a Christian woman who said that she gets up at 3am every morning and prays for the workers from North American who come to Nicaragua to share the Gospel. The team members were honored to have her pray over them.
Manuel, Mike and Sherry’s 9 year old son loves to ‘preach’. He shares the Gospel over and over again all day long. He gets excited at the Fiestas and is so happy to be here in Nicaragua when he can preach like his daddy. After the first Fiesta, we were in various levels of packing up and making our way back to the vans. Manuel was ‘preaching’ to a couple of kids on the roadside. A bunch more kids were gathering behind him to see what he was saying. Manuel knows that he needs a translator, so he had snagged one who was faithfully sharing what Manuel was saying. Some of the team came along and saw what was going on and turned Manuel around so that the crowd of boys could see and hear him. They helped him along by leading the boys in the prayer to accept Christ and 35 boys accepted Jesus because of Manuel starting to preach! It was awesome!
On our way home from Chichigalpa, where we are working all week, the air conditioner in the silver van died. We rolled down the windows and enjoyed the fresh (if hot) air. I loved it. I’d rather have a breeze or fan blowing than air conditioning myself. We made it back to the house to find the power was out again. We had a great lunch of grilled chicken breast, rice, beans, slaw and tortilla. So good! Some of the team took advantage to the 3 hours of down time to hit the beach. The rest of us found spots to rest.
I fell asleep in my room and slept hard in the stuffy air. I awoke not feeling great, so I stayed back tonight from the Crusade. I went to the house to pack for tomorrow’s Fiestas and the Women’s Conference and realized that the power was back on. I don’t know if it was on for a long time and I just didn’t know it, since my fans were turned off. How silly if I was in that stuffy room for no reason! Ha Anyway, I got my chores done and then took a much needed shower and got some Bible Study and work done this evening.
My stomach is still a little iffy, and supper won’t be served until the team gets back about 9pm, so I had a peanut butter sandwich and will call it a night.
As I am typing this, the power just went back off. I hope they get it back on before time for bed. The air is cooler because it rained earlier, but the mosquitoes like to come in the open windows at night and I hope not to have to sleep with my windows open. Oh well..
At least the cooks and work by flashlight and the oven is run on propane. I’m glad I got my shower earlier. Guess I’ll get off here for now and conserve computer battery power.
I’m sure the Crusade is going great and I can’t wait to hear all about it. God is really blessing here in Nicaragua and it’s so wonderful to be a part of it. He blesses my socks off!
The Youth Conference was not advertised well by the churches for some reason, but the 5 people from the team who went to lead it went out on the streets and prayed with 3 construction workers, who accept Christ. They also were prayed over by a Christian woman who said that she gets up at 3am every morning and prays for the workers from North American who come to Nicaragua to share the Gospel. The team members were honored to have her pray over them.
Manuel, Mike and Sherry’s 9 year old son loves to ‘preach’. He shares the Gospel over and over again all day long. He gets excited at the Fiestas and is so happy to be here in Nicaragua when he can preach like his daddy. After the first Fiesta, we were in various levels of packing up and making our way back to the vans. Manuel was ‘preaching’ to a couple of kids on the roadside. A bunch more kids were gathering behind him to see what he was saying. Manuel knows that he needs a translator, so he had snagged one who was faithfully sharing what Manuel was saying. Some of the team came along and saw what was going on and turned Manuel around so that the crowd of boys could see and hear him. They helped him along by leading the boys in the prayer to accept Christ and 35 boys accepted Jesus because of Manuel starting to preach! It was awesome!
On our way home from Chichigalpa, where we are working all week, the air conditioner in the silver van died. We rolled down the windows and enjoyed the fresh (if hot) air. I loved it. I’d rather have a breeze or fan blowing than air conditioning myself. We made it back to the house to find the power was out again. We had a great lunch of grilled chicken breast, rice, beans, slaw and tortilla. So good! Some of the team took advantage to the 3 hours of down time to hit the beach. The rest of us found spots to rest.
I fell asleep in my room and slept hard in the stuffy air. I awoke not feeling great, so I stayed back tonight from the Crusade. I went to the house to pack for tomorrow’s Fiestas and the Women’s Conference and realized that the power was back on. I don’t know if it was on for a long time and I just didn’t know it, since my fans were turned off. How silly if I was in that stuffy room for no reason! Ha Anyway, I got my chores done and then took a much needed shower and got some Bible Study and work done this evening.
My stomach is still a little iffy, and supper won’t be served until the team gets back about 9pm, so I had a peanut butter sandwich and will call it a night.
As I am typing this, the power just went back off. I hope they get it back on before time for bed. The air is cooler because it rained earlier, but the mosquitoes like to come in the open windows at night and I hope not to have to sleep with my windows open. Oh well..
At least the cooks and work by flashlight and the oven is run on propane. I’m glad I got my shower earlier. Guess I’ll get off here for now and conserve computer battery power.
I’m sure the Crusade is going great and I can’t wait to hear all about it. God is really blessing here in Nicaragua and it’s so wonderful to be a part of it. He blesses my socks off!
Monday, July 11, 2011 Nicaragua
The rest of the El Dorado AR team arrived Saturday afternoon. Everyone got settled and we had dinner and orientation. Sherry made lasagna, salad and cake for our dinner and we all enjoyed it very much!
Sunday was a blessed day with 4 church services in the morning and 4 in the evening. The services were full of worship and 8 people accepted the Lord. Most of the church bodies were filled with Christians. Everyone enjoyed the time with fellow Christians in each other’s languages.
We had a wonderful lunch of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. The mashed potatoes and plain corn kernels were something different for the cooks, but they did great. (they think we eat weird sometimes) We have finally convinced them that mashed potatoes are a huge side dish, like rice, and not something to serve by just a tablespoon amount. They made plenty of potatoes and we enjoyed them very much! I guess I talk a lot about the food, but it has improved so much since Sherry is here. Even the returning teams this summer have mentioned it. It’s an important thing for us!
The weather has been very hot and we’ve had some rain storms off and on. The rains wash streets and mud away and then it gets hot and humid again. Usually, when it storms, we lose electricity. Today we lost it a few times and when we got back from dinner, it’s still out. We really miss the fans during that time!
Today we did our first 2 Fiestas and 1 radio spot (advertising the Crusade). There were 109 salvations today at the Fiestas. The team did a good job with the drama and many of them got to go out street witnessing. It was really hot today. Not much of a breeze to speak of. We would get wringing wet just standing still. Our VOH team is pretty much used to it, and the visiting teams struggle with it, but they know that it is only temporary for them. It makes me think about the Nicaraguan people and how they live in tiny 1 or 2 room houses made of plastic or tin, or if they are lucky, concrete. There are few windows, if any, and very little ventilation. It must be stifling for their families to pile into those small, enclosed spaces with no fans. We are so spoiled. They are so strong.
This afternoon most of the team went into town for ice cream and shopping at the square. A couple of the guys and I stayed back at the team house. I was working on my Bible Study and they were just hanging out. When the power went out, it was too hot to stay in my room, so I went upstairs to set out on the veranda for the wonderful breeze. They guys had pulled mattresses out onto the floor and took naps. I settled into a rocker with my feet up on a chair and dozed off myself. I was facing right into the breeze from the ocean. It was a wonderful nap!
The team and all of VOH staff went to Suyapa for dinner. Everyone enjoyed it very much. Since this team is not going to have a Fun Day (they leave on Friday), this was a great time for them. They appreciated it very much.
We got home and the power is still off. We’re using flashlights to prepare for bed. I’ve got all the little windows and the big window by my bed open. I don’t get a breeze here in my room because of where it is situated in relation to the house, but it feels a little better getting the cooler air from after the rain. When I say cooler, I mean it’s still in the 70’s, but better than during the daytime.
Tomorrow we will have 2 more Fiestas, 1 radio spot, a Youth Conference during the morning and then the first night of the Crusade tomorrow night. It will be a pretty late night, since it takes over an hour to drive back home.
Wednesday will be the same, except for switching out a Woman’s Conference for the Youth Conference.
Then Thursday will be 2 Fiestas, 1 radio spot, Pastor/Leadership Conference, then feeding of 5,000 in afternoon and then the last night of the Crusade. That will be a very long day and then the team will get home late, pack their stuff and leave for the airport at 2:30am. They will be very tired! I told Haley that I would sleep for her. ☺
It’s only 8:20pm, but it’s dark and I think I’ll actually read and try to go to sleep early. Nothing else to do anyway. I can hear some of the team in the house singing. I’m sure that they are outside on the veranda where they can get a breeze. Hopefully, we’ll get power back on tonight so that we can have fans for sleeping later. But if not, we’ll make it. God keeps us humble and thankful for what He provides.
Sunday was a blessed day with 4 church services in the morning and 4 in the evening. The services were full of worship and 8 people accepted the Lord. Most of the church bodies were filled with Christians. Everyone enjoyed the time with fellow Christians in each other’s languages.
We had a wonderful lunch of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. The mashed potatoes and plain corn kernels were something different for the cooks, but they did great. (they think we eat weird sometimes) We have finally convinced them that mashed potatoes are a huge side dish, like rice, and not something to serve by just a tablespoon amount. They made plenty of potatoes and we enjoyed them very much! I guess I talk a lot about the food, but it has improved so much since Sherry is here. Even the returning teams this summer have mentioned it. It’s an important thing for us!
The weather has been very hot and we’ve had some rain storms off and on. The rains wash streets and mud away and then it gets hot and humid again. Usually, when it storms, we lose electricity. Today we lost it a few times and when we got back from dinner, it’s still out. We really miss the fans during that time!
Today we did our first 2 Fiestas and 1 radio spot (advertising the Crusade). There were 109 salvations today at the Fiestas. The team did a good job with the drama and many of them got to go out street witnessing. It was really hot today. Not much of a breeze to speak of. We would get wringing wet just standing still. Our VOH team is pretty much used to it, and the visiting teams struggle with it, but they know that it is only temporary for them. It makes me think about the Nicaraguan people and how they live in tiny 1 or 2 room houses made of plastic or tin, or if they are lucky, concrete. There are few windows, if any, and very little ventilation. It must be stifling for their families to pile into those small, enclosed spaces with no fans. We are so spoiled. They are so strong.
This afternoon most of the team went into town for ice cream and shopping at the square. A couple of the guys and I stayed back at the team house. I was working on my Bible Study and they were just hanging out. When the power went out, it was too hot to stay in my room, so I went upstairs to set out on the veranda for the wonderful breeze. They guys had pulled mattresses out onto the floor and took naps. I settled into a rocker with my feet up on a chair and dozed off myself. I was facing right into the breeze from the ocean. It was a wonderful nap!
The team and all of VOH staff went to Suyapa for dinner. Everyone enjoyed it very much. Since this team is not going to have a Fun Day (they leave on Friday), this was a great time for them. They appreciated it very much.
We got home and the power is still off. We’re using flashlights to prepare for bed. I’ve got all the little windows and the big window by my bed open. I don’t get a breeze here in my room because of where it is situated in relation to the house, but it feels a little better getting the cooler air from after the rain. When I say cooler, I mean it’s still in the 70’s, but better than during the daytime.
Tomorrow we will have 2 more Fiestas, 1 radio spot, a Youth Conference during the morning and then the first night of the Crusade tomorrow night. It will be a pretty late night, since it takes over an hour to drive back home.
Wednesday will be the same, except for switching out a Woman’s Conference for the Youth Conference.
Then Thursday will be 2 Fiestas, 1 radio spot, Pastor/Leadership Conference, then feeding of 5,000 in afternoon and then the last night of the Crusade. That will be a very long day and then the team will get home late, pack their stuff and leave for the airport at 2:30am. They will be very tired! I told Haley that I would sleep for her. ☺
It’s only 8:20pm, but it’s dark and I think I’ll actually read and try to go to sleep early. Nothing else to do anyway. I can hear some of the team in the house singing. I’m sure that they are outside on the veranda where they can get a breeze. Hopefully, we’ll get power back on tonight so that we can have fans for sleeping later. But if not, we’ll make it. God keeps us humble and thankful for what He provides.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011 Nicaragua
Had to walk barefoot on the beach this morning since I have a blister on my foot from walking in tennis shoes. I hope it heals quickly so I can get back to my good long walks in the morning before the team gets here. I won't have time to walk the whole 4.5 miles for the next 3 weeks, but I hope to get in a couple of miles each morning while they are eating breakfast.
I somewhat enjoyed the walk on the beach since I could be out in the fresh air and sunshine. I didn't enjoy that the sand is soft and it's very difficult to walk. Also, the beach is eroding so much that it's not possible to walk along the surf on flat beach like before. How sad.
I was looking out at the ocean and thinking of things this morning. There were clouds way in the distance (to the west) and I thought about how they could effect our weather today. The sea looked calm along the horizon and then as it came closer to the shore the waves and surf became very powerful. Fishing boats were out past the breaking waves doing their thing. A seagull was flying along the breaking waves to see if there was any fish snacks churching in the waves. Then there were the waves curling and crashing and coming on shore all foamy and unpredictable. Taking away bits of shoreline and changing the landscape at will. Each part of the ocean has it's own characteristics, but it's all part of the same ocean.
It reminds me of our lives. So many different parts that are all connected to each other. Some parts are calm, some tranquil, some strong, some building strength, some forceful, some helpful and giving, some dangerous and taking away. Always changing.
I need to remember all moments of my life and cherish the things that bring me joy and peace and comfort. Place them in my mind's eye and in my heart to remember for always. I also need to remember how forceful life can be and how helpless I can feel on my own.
And to remember that God is more powerful than anything in my life and that He is with me always. Through tranquil waters or crashing waves. He's there.
Just a few thoughts from my walk this morning. Had to jot them down or I would forget. Thank You Lord for giving me emotions and thoughts. And thank You for Your Love.
I somewhat enjoyed the walk on the beach since I could be out in the fresh air and sunshine. I didn't enjoy that the sand is soft and it's very difficult to walk. Also, the beach is eroding so much that it's not possible to walk along the surf on flat beach like before. How sad.
I was looking out at the ocean and thinking of things this morning. There were clouds way in the distance (to the west) and I thought about how they could effect our weather today. The sea looked calm along the horizon and then as it came closer to the shore the waves and surf became very powerful. Fishing boats were out past the breaking waves doing their thing. A seagull was flying along the breaking waves to see if there was any fish snacks churching in the waves. Then there were the waves curling and crashing and coming on shore all foamy and unpredictable. Taking away bits of shoreline and changing the landscape at will. Each part of the ocean has it's own characteristics, but it's all part of the same ocean.
It reminds me of our lives. So many different parts that are all connected to each other. Some parts are calm, some tranquil, some strong, some building strength, some forceful, some helpful and giving, some dangerous and taking away. Always changing.
I need to remember all moments of my life and cherish the things that bring me joy and peace and comfort. Place them in my mind's eye and in my heart to remember for always. I also need to remember how forceful life can be and how helpless I can feel on my own.
And to remember that God is more powerful than anything in my life and that He is with me always. Through tranquil waters or crashing waves. He's there.
Just a few thoughts from my walk this morning. Had to jot them down or I would forget. Thank You Lord for giving me emotions and thoughts. And thank You for Your Love.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011 Nicaragua
Wednesday night and the week is half over already! The next team comes in on Saturday. (a few guys come in on Friday night) Just another day and a half of resting and prepping for the next 3 weeks of teams back to back.
I’ve been walking 4.5 miles each morning that we don’t have a team and it’s not raining. I’ve got a blister inside a blister on my left heel. I didn’t even notice it except that for 2 days it kind of felt like I might have had a bit of sand rubbing my heel. I’m not sure I should walk in the morning if it’s still big, but I hate to miss a day unless I have to. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Today, I walked and then worked on moving the giveaway clothing upstairs so that I can keep it sorted and add to it this next week. Then I worked on burning cds for Mary and Haley. The cds will also be used to download onto Manuel’s iPod. I have lots of Spanish praise music on my computer and would like to get even more. It’s all I listen to. I love it and I hope by listening to it exclusively, it will help me learn more Spanish.
After a quick lunch of leftovers, I took a shower and rested for a couple of hours on my bed. It was heavenly! I dozed off for about a half hour, but the rest of the time I read my Kindle. I love that thing! So many books at my fingertips!
We all left the house about 3pm and met up with German and some Pastors/laypersons from Country Club church, who are trying to minister to a very rural area and start a new church. We were way out in the boonies. It was funny that every so often we would stop and pick up some more people. We filled the van. It was nice to hear their passion to reach this community. We are praying and discussing how VOH could be involved with them.
We had also gone by the proposed land for the new church plant near the sewer ponds. That is going to be a very awesome project. We are very attached to the people there. I’m excited about the future that God has planned for that area and the people.
We stopped and looked at a possible location for the VOH ministry to move to. It would be perfect for us and all the details seem to be God ordained. I’m so excited! We’ll see how things work out. More on that in the future!
We ran by Eskimo for an ice cream supper. I was just going to get a plain cone, but I saw that the ‘mini banana’ treat has a new type of plastic bowl. I had to get one so I could bring the bowl home! We made a bathroom stop and then went to service at Country Club church. Mike preached and it was very good. The Pastor there has a very good voice and I loved it when he led the closing medley of songs. German and his family joined us for church and German translated for Mike. I love to hear Mike preach and Mary especially loves it!
We got home and had a snack of peanut butter sandwiches. Then off to bed to blog, catch up on emails and facebook on my phone and get ready for bed. I may have to walk on the beach in the morning (barefoot) if I can’t wear my tennies. We’ll see. Anyway, I’m going to have a great sleep!
God is blessing the ministry so much. It’s an exciting time to be here working with VOH. I am so blessed.
I’ve been walking 4.5 miles each morning that we don’t have a team and it’s not raining. I’ve got a blister inside a blister on my left heel. I didn’t even notice it except that for 2 days it kind of felt like I might have had a bit of sand rubbing my heel. I’m not sure I should walk in the morning if it’s still big, but I hate to miss a day unless I have to. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
Today, I walked and then worked on moving the giveaway clothing upstairs so that I can keep it sorted and add to it this next week. Then I worked on burning cds for Mary and Haley. The cds will also be used to download onto Manuel’s iPod. I have lots of Spanish praise music on my computer and would like to get even more. It’s all I listen to. I love it and I hope by listening to it exclusively, it will help me learn more Spanish.
After a quick lunch of leftovers, I took a shower and rested for a couple of hours on my bed. It was heavenly! I dozed off for about a half hour, but the rest of the time I read my Kindle. I love that thing! So many books at my fingertips!
We all left the house about 3pm and met up with German and some Pastors/laypersons from Country Club church, who are trying to minister to a very rural area and start a new church. We were way out in the boonies. It was funny that every so often we would stop and pick up some more people. We filled the van. It was nice to hear their passion to reach this community. We are praying and discussing how VOH could be involved with them.
We had also gone by the proposed land for the new church plant near the sewer ponds. That is going to be a very awesome project. We are very attached to the people there. I’m excited about the future that God has planned for that area and the people.
We stopped and looked at a possible location for the VOH ministry to move to. It would be perfect for us and all the details seem to be God ordained. I’m so excited! We’ll see how things work out. More on that in the future!
We ran by Eskimo for an ice cream supper. I was just going to get a plain cone, but I saw that the ‘mini banana’ treat has a new type of plastic bowl. I had to get one so I could bring the bowl home! We made a bathroom stop and then went to service at Country Club church. Mike preached and it was very good. The Pastor there has a very good voice and I loved it when he led the closing medley of songs. German and his family joined us for church and German translated for Mike. I love to hear Mike preach and Mary especially loves it!
We got home and had a snack of peanut butter sandwiches. Then off to bed to blog, catch up on emails and facebook on my phone and get ready for bed. I may have to walk on the beach in the morning (barefoot) if I can’t wear my tennies. We’ll see. Anyway, I’m going to have a great sleep!
God is blessing the ministry so much. It’s an exciting time to be here working with VOH. I am so blessed.
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