I’m writing for the whole month of September, since I haven’t updated this blog for so long. Time sure flies…
I spent a lot of time resting, taking care of myself and going through some medical tests. The tests on my heart were okay. My cardiologist still wants to see me, so I’ll have a visit with them in December.
I was glad that the ultrasound on my liver showed that the hemangioma has not changed. This is just a routine scan, so I wasn’t worried about it at all. I do still need to be working on my liver health, though, and I’m committing myself to eat healthier, get more rest and get more good exercise, and to lower my stress level. Looks like a job for the Lord to lead me in!
I was able to read some really good books to strengthen my Christian walk. I enjoyed a few short Bible Studies on my own, too. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful Christian friends that I have. They have helped me to step back and refocus on God and His plan for my life and the need for more obedience on my part.
I’m very excited about some of the changes that God is promising for my future. All I care about is what He is telling me to do and how it will glorify Him. I am eliminating unhealthy (and downright toxic) situations out of my life. I’m up for HIS challenges, because I know that He will guide me through and give me strength. I’m done with messing up His plans by trying to please everyone else and their agendas/perceptions/attitudes. God is so faithful to be right beside me always, even when I’m looking the wrong way.
I was so blessed to get to spend more time with the family of Cuerpo Vivo church, including getting to help one day on the painting project for their 2nd campus. I soaked up the love from all of them. I had fun speaking Spanish to them, too. We had some good laughs over my goof ups, but they were very encouraging about my progress. Pastors Jaime and Oliver are going to be my encouragers and accountability partners via email while I’m in Nica. They are very kind and wise and willing to tell me what God puts on their hearts for me to hear. I’m so thankful for them.
I couldn’t believe how much better I felt by the end of the month. I was still not 100%, but much better. The extra month in AR was very good for me in many ways. Now, I just have to pay off those silly medical bills! Hahaha! But God will provide for that. I’m not stressing over it.
I was in AR for 7 weeks (instead of the anticipated 3) and Deanna was not ready for me to leave for Nica. But I told her that I would be back in just 2 months, so it wouldn’t be as long as a usual trip south. I was really missing my Nica friends and students. I wish I could be in 2 places at once. But one of my new commitments is to spend more time on communicating with friends and loved ones via facebook, email, phone calls and personal visits. My focus is going to be more on relationships rather than tasks.
That reminds me of one of the good Bible Studies I did. It’s called “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World”. I thought it would just be like ‘quit being so busy and spend more time with Jesus’. But it actually was more than that and I enjoyed it so much. I recommend it highly and will share the book with friends here in Nica.
I could see God’s hand in everything that happened during the month of September and I trust His timing and His plans. He just needed to get my attention back on Him 100% and He did it in strong, but loving ways.
To everyone who shared meals with me, shared laughter and tears, listened to me ramble and share my heart, prayed for me and just plain loved on me during this month… Thank You for letting God use you in my life! I have been blessed!
Now on to October and what God has in store next!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
August 7-28, 2013
I was surprised at how exhausted my body was when I made it back to the states. The first few days I slept off and on most of the day. I didn’t even leave the house every other day the first week. As Deanna always says, I must have needed the rest!
I did get a lot of errands taken care of so that I could be ready to return to Nica on the 29th. I took my time in getting things done and paced my business. I also got the chance to have lunch or dinner about once a day (once I left the house) with friends. It’s been great to see people and enjoy time with them. I’m really blessed with lots of Christian friends.
God has continued to speak to me in surprising ways. Sometimes the lessons are hard and sometime the experiences are excitingly happy. I love the way that He is involved in my life. I know He is even more involved that I realize and I’m trying to learn how to be more aware of His hand in every moment.
I had some very difficult things to deal with emotionally in the past few months and it is such a blessing to be in my spot at Deanna’s, which is like a sanctuary to me sometimes. It has been a long time since I have felt this emotionally drained. But God has shown me that before He could fill me up with only Him, He had to empty me of all that is me. No matter what He allows me to go through, as long as it brings Him glory and draws me closer to Him, it’s okay with me.
I have loved getting to visit with friends. I’m way too busy many days to allow the time really enjoy from friends and loved ones. God is showing me how important those healthy relationships are. I’m going to honor them and enjoy them and nurture them.
I have also enjoyed getting to eat at some of my favorite restaurants while back in the states. That’s always fun. I’ve have gotten to cook a bit, too. I enjoy cooking, especially making healthy choices.
FBC Rogers started having services on Saturday evenings and I went to the first one. I absolutely loved it! The feeling was casual and open and I really felt that I could just relax and worship God just like when in Nica. Right after worship service was the time for Life Groups. I enjoyed the lesson and fellowship. I will continue to go to Saturday night church when here!
On Sunday mornings I continue to worship with my faith family at our Spanish church Cuerpo Vivo. It is rare that I don’t shed a tear or two (or many more) when I’m there. I just love the church family I have there. Even though there are many new families every time that I come back from Nica, I feel loved by everyone there. I love getting to hear the message and sing the songs in Spanish. Cuerpo Vivo church just celebrated their 10th anniversary. It was a great time together. I have been blessed to know both Pastors Jaime and Oliver for those 10 years and to also get to work along side them closely for a quite a few of those years. They are encouraging to me about learning Spanish and I love getting to spend time with these special families.
Well, the time came to leave for Nica and I was ready materially, but was just not feeling good physically. More things happened along the emotional problems and I just couldn’t get rid of some of the physical stress on my body. The day before I was supposed to fly out, I told Deanna that I just didn’t feel ‘right’ and needed to get checked out before I went off to Nica where there is not a very good medical system. She was in total agreement and said that she would feel better if I stayed and saw my doctor. So I called and got an appointment for that afternoon. Dr. Bob was wonderful to listen to me. It was hard to describe what ‘not feeling right’ means. He suggested that we check out my heart and also follow up on my liver issues. He doubled my blood pressure meds, which helped a lot by the next day, by the way. I called the airlines and had to change my ticket that day or lose it. I didn’t know when the medical tests would be scheduled, so I just picked the date of October 1. The rep that I spoke to got permission from her supervisor to waive the change fee since I was making the change due to medical issues. I was very thankful for that.
Soooo, I’m staying in Arkansas for a few more weeks for medical tests and relaxing and resting. I’m praying that everything checks out okay and at the least I get more recoup time from the past stress. I’m so thankful that God has allowed me a comfortable and loving place to stay (with Deanna) and many friends who want to love on me and pamper me while I’m here. I do miss my Nica friends and teaching my classes, but I’m blessed to get to keep in touch with them via internet.
More time to just rest in God’s love and teaching and soak up some love from friends. I’m so thankful and blessed!
I did get a lot of errands taken care of so that I could be ready to return to Nica on the 29th. I took my time in getting things done and paced my business. I also got the chance to have lunch or dinner about once a day (once I left the house) with friends. It’s been great to see people and enjoy time with them. I’m really blessed with lots of Christian friends.
God has continued to speak to me in surprising ways. Sometimes the lessons are hard and sometime the experiences are excitingly happy. I love the way that He is involved in my life. I know He is even more involved that I realize and I’m trying to learn how to be more aware of His hand in every moment.
I had some very difficult things to deal with emotionally in the past few months and it is such a blessing to be in my spot at Deanna’s, which is like a sanctuary to me sometimes. It has been a long time since I have felt this emotionally drained. But God has shown me that before He could fill me up with only Him, He had to empty me of all that is me. No matter what He allows me to go through, as long as it brings Him glory and draws me closer to Him, it’s okay with me.
I have loved getting to visit with friends. I’m way too busy many days to allow the time really enjoy from friends and loved ones. God is showing me how important those healthy relationships are. I’m going to honor them and enjoy them and nurture them.
I have also enjoyed getting to eat at some of my favorite restaurants while back in the states. That’s always fun. I’ve have gotten to cook a bit, too. I enjoy cooking, especially making healthy choices.
FBC Rogers started having services on Saturday evenings and I went to the first one. I absolutely loved it! The feeling was casual and open and I really felt that I could just relax and worship God just like when in Nica. Right after worship service was the time for Life Groups. I enjoyed the lesson and fellowship. I will continue to go to Saturday night church when here!
On Sunday mornings I continue to worship with my faith family at our Spanish church Cuerpo Vivo. It is rare that I don’t shed a tear or two (or many more) when I’m there. I just love the church family I have there. Even though there are many new families every time that I come back from Nica, I feel loved by everyone there. I love getting to hear the message and sing the songs in Spanish. Cuerpo Vivo church just celebrated their 10th anniversary. It was a great time together. I have been blessed to know both Pastors Jaime and Oliver for those 10 years and to also get to work along side them closely for a quite a few of those years. They are encouraging to me about learning Spanish and I love getting to spend time with these special families.
Well, the time came to leave for Nica and I was ready materially, but was just not feeling good physically. More things happened along the emotional problems and I just couldn’t get rid of some of the physical stress on my body. The day before I was supposed to fly out, I told Deanna that I just didn’t feel ‘right’ and needed to get checked out before I went off to Nica where there is not a very good medical system. She was in total agreement and said that she would feel better if I stayed and saw my doctor. So I called and got an appointment for that afternoon. Dr. Bob was wonderful to listen to me. It was hard to describe what ‘not feeling right’ means. He suggested that we check out my heart and also follow up on my liver issues. He doubled my blood pressure meds, which helped a lot by the next day, by the way. I called the airlines and had to change my ticket that day or lose it. I didn’t know when the medical tests would be scheduled, so I just picked the date of October 1. The rep that I spoke to got permission from her supervisor to waive the change fee since I was making the change due to medical issues. I was very thankful for that.
Soooo, I’m staying in Arkansas for a few more weeks for medical tests and relaxing and resting. I’m praying that everything checks out okay and at the least I get more recoup time from the past stress. I’m so thankful that God has allowed me a comfortable and loving place to stay (with Deanna) and many friends who want to love on me and pamper me while I’m here. I do miss my Nica friends and teaching my classes, but I’m blessed to get to keep in touch with them via internet.
More time to just rest in God’s love and teaching and soak up some love from friends. I’m so thankful and blessed!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
August 4-6, 2013
As I mentioned yesterday, the last team left on Saturday, the 3rd. The team house was put back to normal. The interns and I got the chance to run around town a little bit on Saturday morning. Other than that, we worked and rested a lot.
On Sunday morning, we all attended church there at the team house. It was nice. Then we rested and then went out for dinner.
On Monday morning, I rode to the Managua airport with the Interns at 3am for their return to the states. I get car sick easily, so I took a couple of ginger pills and ate a piece of bread and drank a fresca as preventative measures. After dropping the kids at the airport, we left for the drive back to León (about 1.5 hours). I was laying down on the second seat since Edmundo’s wife Dina was riding up front. We didn’t even get across the city before I got sick. I jumped up and tapped on Edmundo’s shoulder saying (in Spanish) that I was sick. He asked (in Spanish) if I wanted to go to the hospital. I told him (in Spanish) I needed to vomit. He understood that and very quickly pulled over! We were back on the road after about 15 minutes and I fell asleep on way home. I was soooo glad to get back to the team house a little before 6am. I laid on my bed and it felt so good that it wasn’t moving or vibrating or anything. Ahhhh. I slept until 8am and felt so much better. The bad thing, was remembering that I was going to have to make the same trip again in less than 24 hours!
I packed a few items to bring back with me and relaxed the rest of the day. Mary, Charlie and I went to eat dinner to kill some time. I went to bed early and caught a few hours sleep until 1am when I finally gave up and got my shower and got ready to leave. Buster was barking off and on all night, so a few hours I was awake.
We left for the airport at 3am and I gratefully rode in the front seat. We had Nelson as our driver and it was a breeze! I got checked in and stopped in the restroom. Charlie and Mary lost me. The airport is not big. Charlie posted on facebook that they had lost me. It was funny. They found me at our gate (there are only 5 or 6 gates in the whole airport). We had a few hours wait and by the time we flew off, I was ready for a little nap.
The travel all day was good. In Atlanta, Mary, Charlie and I split up, since I was going to NWA and they were going to Little Rock. I got through immigration, customs and security and went right to TGIFridays for lunch. I always eat there when at the Atlanta airport. I had a wonderful meal of steak, loaded mashed potatoes and broccoli. It was great!
When we got ready to board the plane to NWA, after many gate changes, we were told that the plane might need a tire change. But we weren’t delayed too bad. It was a good flight.
Michael and Vickie Brown picked me up at the airport and gave me their car to use while I’m in Rogers. They are such angels to me!
I got home and was greeted by LucyAlice the cat. She usually stays to herself and especially away from me. But she had been home by herself for 2 weeks while Deanna was in Las Vegas with her daughter and Jet the dog was staying with his doggie cousins. The first few days home was very quiet and I needed it so much!
Now it’s time for relaxing, renewing, refreshing and revelation. I’m looking forward to God showing me many things as I spend lots of quiet time with Him over the next 3 weeks.
He is faithful and I love Him so much!!
On Sunday morning, we all attended church there at the team house. It was nice. Then we rested and then went out for dinner.
On Monday morning, I rode to the Managua airport with the Interns at 3am for their return to the states. I get car sick easily, so I took a couple of ginger pills and ate a piece of bread and drank a fresca as preventative measures. After dropping the kids at the airport, we left for the drive back to León (about 1.5 hours). I was laying down on the second seat since Edmundo’s wife Dina was riding up front. We didn’t even get across the city before I got sick. I jumped up and tapped on Edmundo’s shoulder saying (in Spanish) that I was sick. He asked (in Spanish) if I wanted to go to the hospital. I told him (in Spanish) I needed to vomit. He understood that and very quickly pulled over! We were back on the road after about 15 minutes and I fell asleep on way home. I was soooo glad to get back to the team house a little before 6am. I laid on my bed and it felt so good that it wasn’t moving or vibrating or anything. Ahhhh. I slept until 8am and felt so much better. The bad thing, was remembering that I was going to have to make the same trip again in less than 24 hours!
I packed a few items to bring back with me and relaxed the rest of the day. Mary, Charlie and I went to eat dinner to kill some time. I went to bed early and caught a few hours sleep until 1am when I finally gave up and got my shower and got ready to leave. Buster was barking off and on all night, so a few hours I was awake.
We left for the airport at 3am and I gratefully rode in the front seat. We had Nelson as our driver and it was a breeze! I got checked in and stopped in the restroom. Charlie and Mary lost me. The airport is not big. Charlie posted on facebook that they had lost me. It was funny. They found me at our gate (there are only 5 or 6 gates in the whole airport). We had a few hours wait and by the time we flew off, I was ready for a little nap.
The travel all day was good. In Atlanta, Mary, Charlie and I split up, since I was going to NWA and they were going to Little Rock. I got through immigration, customs and security and went right to TGIFridays for lunch. I always eat there when at the Atlanta airport. I had a wonderful meal of steak, loaded mashed potatoes and broccoli. It was great!
When we got ready to board the plane to NWA, after many gate changes, we were told that the plane might need a tire change. But we weren’t delayed too bad. It was a good flight.
Michael and Vickie Brown picked me up at the airport and gave me their car to use while I’m in Rogers. They are such angels to me!
I got home and was greeted by LucyAlice the cat. She usually stays to herself and especially away from me. But she had been home by herself for 2 weeks while Deanna was in Las Vegas with her daughter and Jet the dog was staying with his doggie cousins. The first few days home was very quiet and I needed it so much!
Now it’s time for relaxing, renewing, refreshing and revelation. I’m looking forward to God showing me many things as I spend lots of quiet time with Him over the next 3 weeks.
He is faithful and I love Him so much!!
July 27 - August 3, 2013 Bethel BC & Trinity
This is a week for a new team. However, Teresa and Stewart have been here many times. It’s great to meet new people!
Trinity BC is still here until Wednesday, so they are getting to work with the Bethel team at the beginning of the week. The Trinity team also got to do some ministry work on Saturday and then joined the Bethel team for churches on Sunday.
This is the last week of back-to-back teams for the summer. There have been 9 weeks of teams! We are really getting tired, but love working with everyone. It was great to see Teresa and Stuart again. I hadn’t seen them for a couple of years. They are so sweet.
I ran a lot of errands, did some price research, met with friends and took care of some project prep at the team house. I stayed pretty busy while the teams were out working. I had a lot of computer work and was very happy to end a huge project. I got the chance to tie up some loose ends for the future. I gave away some clothes to some of the workers. I love getting things organized and planned. I loved being able to spend some time with friends since I was going to leave Nica on Aug 6 for 3 weeks in the states.
The team worked hard during the week. They served in 9 worship services, held 6 fiestas, made 2 school visits, held 4 days of VBS, 1 awesome women’s conference, 2 feeding center visits and 1 day of construction. There were a total of 508 salvations. Over the last 2 weeks, there were 2 visits to the jail and a few salvations were from there. Also, over the last 2 weeks, 2 of our pastors (Yadir and Saturnino) received motorcycles from sponsoring churches. What blessings for these guys! Now they are learning how ride them!
The Interns have worked hard and have gotten a lot of work done at the team house the last week. Zach was a crazy man when it came to organizing and setting up storage. It was awesome! All leftover prizes/gifts were processed and packed for the next teams in Oct and Nov. Everything in the 2 bodegas (storage units) were sorted and organized. It was beautiful! All towels and sheets were washed and put away. All donated clothes were washed and stored. A great end to the summer!
The last team members left early (3am) on Saturday the 3rd. It sure was quiet at the team house for the first time in 9 weeks! Buster laid around and slept all day long. He really misses the teams, though. He sure likes the attention from all of the visitors!
God was very busy in Nica this summer and we were very blessed to be able to be a part of it. He is faithful!
Trinity BC is still here until Wednesday, so they are getting to work with the Bethel team at the beginning of the week. The Trinity team also got to do some ministry work on Saturday and then joined the Bethel team for churches on Sunday.
This is the last week of back-to-back teams for the summer. There have been 9 weeks of teams! We are really getting tired, but love working with everyone. It was great to see Teresa and Stuart again. I hadn’t seen them for a couple of years. They are so sweet.
I ran a lot of errands, did some price research, met with friends and took care of some project prep at the team house. I stayed pretty busy while the teams were out working. I had a lot of computer work and was very happy to end a huge project. I got the chance to tie up some loose ends for the future. I gave away some clothes to some of the workers. I love getting things organized and planned. I loved being able to spend some time with friends since I was going to leave Nica on Aug 6 for 3 weeks in the states.
The team worked hard during the week. They served in 9 worship services, held 6 fiestas, made 2 school visits, held 4 days of VBS, 1 awesome women’s conference, 2 feeding center visits and 1 day of construction. There were a total of 508 salvations. Over the last 2 weeks, there were 2 visits to the jail and a few salvations were from there. Also, over the last 2 weeks, 2 of our pastors (Yadir and Saturnino) received motorcycles from sponsoring churches. What blessings for these guys! Now they are learning how ride them!
The Interns have worked hard and have gotten a lot of work done at the team house the last week. Zach was a crazy man when it came to organizing and setting up storage. It was awesome! All leftover prizes/gifts were processed and packed for the next teams in Oct and Nov. Everything in the 2 bodegas (storage units) were sorted and organized. It was beautiful! All towels and sheets were washed and put away. All donated clothes were washed and stored. A great end to the summer!
The last team members left early (3am) on Saturday the 3rd. It sure was quiet at the team house for the first time in 9 weeks! Buster laid around and slept all day long. He really misses the teams, though. He sure likes the attention from all of the visitors!
God was very busy in Nica this summer and we were very blessed to be able to be a part of it. He is faithful!
July 21-27, 2013 Eastside & Trinity
This week and next will be kind of strange in that we have a team from Trinity BC coming to serve half of this week with Eastside BC and half of next week with Bethel BC. It has really made the time go by fast, since instead of 7 days of normal schedule, everything changes after about 4 days and then again after 4 days, etc. It’s fun though. It does make it hard to remember who is on what team, however!
Mary’s daughter Teresa is here with the Trinity team. I know that Mary loves having her here. They look like twins and you rarely see one without the other following along. It’s very cute! Teresa is so sweet. I’m so glad to get to know her better.
We did the usual church service visits with teams. I know that the VOH church plants have loved having the teams come every week to share testimonies and messages.
Overall, this week the team did 6 church services, 9 fiestas, 1 conference, 4 feeding center visits and saw 464 people accept Christ. A couple of the team members stayed back for part of a day with illness, but were fine after a short while. The heat can take a toll on a body quickly.
I spent some quality time with the interns and we ate out a couple of times. I did a lot of emails and worked many hours on the feeding center sponsor tracking reports. I also got some time alone walking downtown and getting a haircut. It was a good week.
Everyone is getting tired as we have week after week. But it’s all good. We are happy to serve.
God has been talking to me in many ways and through many people. Some don’t even know that He is working through them at the time. He is faithful!
I’m excited to see what all He has planned for me in the near and far future. I love serving Him!!!
Mary’s daughter Teresa is here with the Trinity team. I know that Mary loves having her here. They look like twins and you rarely see one without the other following along. It’s very cute! Teresa is so sweet. I’m so glad to get to know her better.
We did the usual church service visits with teams. I know that the VOH church plants have loved having the teams come every week to share testimonies and messages.
Overall, this week the team did 6 church services, 9 fiestas, 1 conference, 4 feeding center visits and saw 464 people accept Christ. A couple of the team members stayed back for part of a day with illness, but were fine after a short while. The heat can take a toll on a body quickly.
I spent some quality time with the interns and we ate out a couple of times. I did a lot of emails and worked many hours on the feeding center sponsor tracking reports. I also got some time alone walking downtown and getting a haircut. It was a good week.
Everyone is getting tired as we have week after week. But it’s all good. We are happy to serve.
God has been talking to me in many ways and through many people. Some don’t even know that He is working through them at the time. He is faithful!
I’m excited to see what all He has planned for me in the near and far future. I love serving Him!!!
Monday, July 29, 2013
July 13-20, 2013 Charleston AR team
The day started with prayer with the interns and some work on the team house. I got the chance to get some computer work done. I love it when it’s quiet! I even got a morning nap in!
The girls and I ran around town for a little bit. I took them to Pan y Paz French Bakery. They fell in love! We stopped in at La Unión and then got back to the team house to welcome the team later in the day.
My sweet friend Estefanie came over with her cousin form Costa Rica. José is one of my favorite people, even though I have only gotten to spend a few days with him. I was so happy to get to see him again!
Sunday was a day of worship and work. I also got to spend time talking with some friends and emailing a lot. What would we do without technology??!!
The team of 25 had a busy week of 10 worship services, 8 fiestas/street evangelism, 4 days of VBS, 2 feeding center visits, 5 days of construction and 358 salvations!! It was hot and tiring, but the team was great and enjoyed it very much!
I did my usual thing of helping Johana with feeding center stuff, doing the feeding center tracking on the computer, working on plans for the October teams (who are focusing on Women’s Ministry), eating out when I got the chance, doing laundry and just having a blast being here.
I’m still doing the Believing God Bible Study and am almost to the end. It has been so wonderful. The timing of when I could actually spend time on it was perfect for what I was going through on any given day. God is so faithful!
I bought my plane tickets for my return to Nica on Aug 29 and departure to the US on Dec 3. That’s a big chunk of change, but it’s better now that I fly less often and stay here longer.
One exciting thing that happened during the week was a frog jumped into my room! I’m so glad that a team member saw it happen and got that stinker out! I would have had a heart attack (literally) if I would have found it on my own. Oh my!!! I hate those things!
One of our workers (and new Pastor) Saturnino has a daughter who is very, very sick. She has had a problem with bleeding from a hemangioma since she was 4 years old. She is now 12. She was in the hospital again and the doctors say they can’t do anything more for her. She has had surgeries in the past. The hospital ran out of blood for her. German’s wife, Johana went to the hospital to give blood. We all have been praying for a miracle for her. Saturnino’s wife is pregnant now and I worry about her being so stressed over Ivania’s sickness. We really want to keep that family in our prayers. Saturnino said she is doing a little better and the doctors let her go home for now. Praying for a miracle!
Saturday was a day of flipping the rooms for the next team and resting a bit. I did get the chance to take the interns out for dinner. We are exploring different restaurants. I want them to have a blast while they are here and to see all of León that they can.
I finally got the time to call Deanna and check in with her. She is ready for me to get back ‘home’ to her house. I have to say that I have missed her very much! I can’t wait to get back to that sanctuary of love that she provides for me. It will be a quick visit of only 3 weeks, but it will be wonderful!
God is so good to take care of me. He has shown me so many things these past 2 months. Some have been very hard to endure, but He is faithful and has been right beside me (and before me and behind me and supporting me…) all along. I love Him so much!!
The girls and I ran around town for a little bit. I took them to Pan y Paz French Bakery. They fell in love! We stopped in at La Unión and then got back to the team house to welcome the team later in the day.
My sweet friend Estefanie came over with her cousin form Costa Rica. José is one of my favorite people, even though I have only gotten to spend a few days with him. I was so happy to get to see him again!
Sunday was a day of worship and work. I also got to spend time talking with some friends and emailing a lot. What would we do without technology??!!
The team of 25 had a busy week of 10 worship services, 8 fiestas/street evangelism, 4 days of VBS, 2 feeding center visits, 5 days of construction and 358 salvations!! It was hot and tiring, but the team was great and enjoyed it very much!
I did my usual thing of helping Johana with feeding center stuff, doing the feeding center tracking on the computer, working on plans for the October teams (who are focusing on Women’s Ministry), eating out when I got the chance, doing laundry and just having a blast being here.
I’m still doing the Believing God Bible Study and am almost to the end. It has been so wonderful. The timing of when I could actually spend time on it was perfect for what I was going through on any given day. God is so faithful!
I bought my plane tickets for my return to Nica on Aug 29 and departure to the US on Dec 3. That’s a big chunk of change, but it’s better now that I fly less often and stay here longer.
One exciting thing that happened during the week was a frog jumped into my room! I’m so glad that a team member saw it happen and got that stinker out! I would have had a heart attack (literally) if I would have found it on my own. Oh my!!! I hate those things!
One of our workers (and new Pastor) Saturnino has a daughter who is very, very sick. She has had a problem with bleeding from a hemangioma since she was 4 years old. She is now 12. She was in the hospital again and the doctors say they can’t do anything more for her. She has had surgeries in the past. The hospital ran out of blood for her. German’s wife, Johana went to the hospital to give blood. We all have been praying for a miracle for her. Saturnino’s wife is pregnant now and I worry about her being so stressed over Ivania’s sickness. We really want to keep that family in our prayers. Saturnino said she is doing a little better and the doctors let her go home for now. Praying for a miracle!
Saturday was a day of flipping the rooms for the next team and resting a bit. I did get the chance to take the interns out for dinner. We are exploring different restaurants. I want them to have a blast while they are here and to see all of León that they can.
I finally got the time to call Deanna and check in with her. She is ready for me to get back ‘home’ to her house. I have to say that I have missed her very much! I can’t wait to get back to that sanctuary of love that she provides for me. It will be a quick visit of only 3 weeks, but it will be wonderful!
God is so good to take care of me. He has shown me so many things these past 2 months. Some have been very hard to endure, but He is faithful and has been right beside me (and before me and behind me and supporting me…) all along. I love Him so much!!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
July 7-12, 2013 special team
Special Team
This week was very special with a few people from different churches coming and going and overlapping. It was a great change of pace!
We had Ralph, Connie and their son Seth, Buddy, Ashley and their son Cody, Joni and Stan, Lynn & Rusty, Lindsey, and the 3 interns from FBC Rogers. Some people were scheduled on different days due to cost of flights, some missed their flights and had to come a day later, etc. Cody even extended his ticket to stay an extra week as an intern!
It was a low key week as far as fiestas and even having a schedule written in, well, written at all. Lol we had a lovely week of fellowship, 7 fiestas/street evangelism events, 5 worship services, 5 feeding center visits, 5 days of construction, 2 clothing giveaways and 205 salvations.
On Friday afternoon, we dedicated the new house for Aracely’s family. It was a beautiful time. She was in tears the whole time. It was a 8 year plan for them and they had been buying materials brick by brick and putting the walls up as they could afford over the last 7 years. It was a huge blessing for them to see it all finished. While we were at their house, there was a strong downpour of rain. We could confirm that the roof was watertight! We had ridden in our school bus, so there was a couple of guys who thought we were the public transportation (which is old school buses). They got on and we took them back into León with us. It was a father and son both named Marvin. Rusty shared the Gospel with them and they accepted Christ right there on the ride back into town!
We went to worship service at Agusto Cesar Sandino church, which has the new Pastor Saturnino. The rain had quit and we had lovely music a cappella and also with Buddy playing his guitar. I loved the service. Then it was back to the team house for dinner.
During the week, Lindsey got to go with Johana and I to one of the feeding centers and take lots of pictures of the kids and see the feeding center from cooking to serving. The kids loved her blonde hair. She is so pretty and they called her Barbie.
All in all, it was a wonderful week and we had lots of fun serving and being blessed by the crazy schedule and lovely atmosphere. I love it when God takes our plans and makes them His!!! After all, HE’s the one who has it all figured out! We just get in his way sometimes! But He is patient and forgiving. Love Him!!!
This week was very special with a few people from different churches coming and going and overlapping. It was a great change of pace!
We had Ralph, Connie and their son Seth, Buddy, Ashley and their son Cody, Joni and Stan, Lynn & Rusty, Lindsey, and the 3 interns from FBC Rogers. Some people were scheduled on different days due to cost of flights, some missed their flights and had to come a day later, etc. Cody even extended his ticket to stay an extra week as an intern!
It was a low key week as far as fiestas and even having a schedule written in, well, written at all. Lol we had a lovely week of fellowship, 7 fiestas/street evangelism events, 5 worship services, 5 feeding center visits, 5 days of construction, 2 clothing giveaways and 205 salvations.
On Friday afternoon, we dedicated the new house for Aracely’s family. It was a beautiful time. She was in tears the whole time. It was a 8 year plan for them and they had been buying materials brick by brick and putting the walls up as they could afford over the last 7 years. It was a huge blessing for them to see it all finished. While we were at their house, there was a strong downpour of rain. We could confirm that the roof was watertight! We had ridden in our school bus, so there was a couple of guys who thought we were the public transportation (which is old school buses). They got on and we took them back into León with us. It was a father and son both named Marvin. Rusty shared the Gospel with them and they accepted Christ right there on the ride back into town!
We went to worship service at Agusto Cesar Sandino church, which has the new Pastor Saturnino. The rain had quit and we had lovely music a cappella and also with Buddy playing his guitar. I loved the service. Then it was back to the team house for dinner.
During the week, Lindsey got to go with Johana and I to one of the feeding centers and take lots of pictures of the kids and see the feeding center from cooking to serving. The kids loved her blonde hair. She is so pretty and they called her Barbie.
All in all, it was a wonderful week and we had lots of fun serving and being blessed by the crazy schedule and lovely atmosphere. I love it when God takes our plans and makes them His!!! After all, HE’s the one who has it all figured out! We just get in his way sometimes! But He is patient and forgiving. Love Him!!!
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