My last night here in Nicaragua until June. Every time I leave, it feels less and less sad, because I know I'll be back soon. I started out joking that I was just visiting the states and that this is home. But, as time goes on, God makes this more true.
Mary, Beth and I worked the last few days getting the house ready to shut down for a couple of months. I split my time between working on packing the house and also helping Beth with sorting and packing all the great ministry supplies that FBCR brought down with them. We're ready for the summer! It was a good chance to talk and catch up and find out more about each other, too. I've only gotten to work with Beth for 4 weeks last summer. This time of working without the demands of a team really help to solidify our relationships with each other.
I took a little nap today, while the electric was off again. It was pretty warm in the room, but I managed to fall asleep. I awoke when the power came back on and I could feel a wonderful breeze from the fans. German had just gotten here and we had a little meeting with Saturnino and Araceliz. We're working on some challenges to help the house and other aspects of the ministry run better. As we grow and get busier, it will be important to run as smoothly as possible so that the little hiccups that come from being in a third-world country will be manageable.
I finished up my bookkeeping duties tonight and got that emailed to German and Mike. I'm all set to go.
I'm sad that I didn't get to see all my friends here this trip. But I know I'll see them in a few months. I'm very blessed with wonderful people here in Nica.
Mary, Beth and I took our last sunset beach walk together tonight. We were down at the inlet, and the water was way out. We were standing there in ankle deep water looking for seashells and a strong surge (not quite a wave) came in and hit us at the top of our legs. It was so strong that it knocked Mary over. I grabbed one arm and Beth grabbed the other and we held on. A nearby fisherman had jumped up and was coming to our rescue, but we were okay. Mary was not hurt and we had a good laugh.
We got home and took showers and threw our clothes in the washer. We had a dinner of leftovers and I shared my last chocolate puddings with Beth. I've saved some instant oatmeal for breakfast in the morning. Beth will eat some of the other left overs while she stays another couple of days and then she'll share the rest with the workers.
We had some drinks and cookies left over from VBS, so we are sharing them with the kids who live on our street.
We're leaving for the airport at 7am tomorrow. We have to make a quick stop to meet with Manuel and pick up a watch that one of the team members left on his van. Beth will go with Manuel & Cecila to Granada for a few hours while German is getting his van worked on. Then she'll come back to the house for the next few days. The plane for me and Mary leaves at noon, so we have to be there by 10am. It takes about 1.5-2 hours to get to the airport, so we'll be doing good. I hope to grab a little sandwich at the airport before we board. It all depends on the line at check-in. It has taken up to 1.5 hours just to check in before.
I'll get home tomorrow night about 9pm. Becca is picking me up at the airport. It always seems weird to think I'll be in my own bed tomorrow night. Friday will be a very busy day and the rat-race will begin anew.
We have a big summer planned with VOH here in Nica. It will be exhausting at times, but wonderful. God is moving in mighty ways here and blessing the ministry as well as the people living here. I'm so blessed to be a part of it. I love Kingdom work!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, 3/29 in Nicaragua
Another short and sweet report.
I stayed here at the house all day today. Woke up early still feeling sick, but got some work done on sorting, organizing and packing. Beth is working on getting the toys packed and ready for fiestas for the summer teams. The clothes are all sorted and packed and ready for distribution this summer, too. Beth loves doing all that stuff and we let her have at it!
I laid down for a nap and Mary woke me up and scared me to death. I think I scared her, too, when I almost screeched. I didn't feel up for the bus ride into town. I hated that. I really wanted to go see my friends, but I'm glad that Mary and Beth got to go. They had a time trying to find the bus. It wasn't on it's schedule (which isn't saying much), but it was extremely hot today and they had to walk a ways to finally catch it. Mary said it was a good thing I didn't try to go. They had a good time and then German brought them home.
I ate a little bit off and on to test my stomach and started feeling a little better. I was finally able to get on internet and downloaded some commentary for my Bible study. I also caught up on emails for work. Then I spent a few hours posting receipts and expenses for the ministry money these past 2 weeks. It has come out pretty good. I was starting to lose sunlight working in the breezeway. Mary and Beth got home about then.
I had some soup for dinner and a snack pack pudding. Yum. My tummy questioned my choices, but cooperated. I think I'll feel almost back to normal tomorrow. yay!
Beth and Mary both got on internet for a while this evening, since it was back up and working. I usually get the USB connector back when they go to bed, since I get on here later at night. I worked on my Bible study a little more and then browsed through facebook. I'll be going to bed soon.
Tomorrow will be our last day here. I don't get sad anymore, since I know that I'll be back in a few months. This is home in my heart. I love my God and the way He allows me to serve. I will be plenty busy when I get back to Rogers. Time will fly by quickly. I pray that I will accomplish all that He has for me to do. I am blessed in so many ways. He is awesome in EVERY way.
I stayed here at the house all day today. Woke up early still feeling sick, but got some work done on sorting, organizing and packing. Beth is working on getting the toys packed and ready for fiestas for the summer teams. The clothes are all sorted and packed and ready for distribution this summer, too. Beth loves doing all that stuff and we let her have at it!
I laid down for a nap and Mary woke me up and scared me to death. I think I scared her, too, when I almost screeched. I didn't feel up for the bus ride into town. I hated that. I really wanted to go see my friends, but I'm glad that Mary and Beth got to go. They had a time trying to find the bus. It wasn't on it's schedule (which isn't saying much), but it was extremely hot today and they had to walk a ways to finally catch it. Mary said it was a good thing I didn't try to go. They had a good time and then German brought them home.
I ate a little bit off and on to test my stomach and started feeling a little better. I was finally able to get on internet and downloaded some commentary for my Bible study. I also caught up on emails for work. Then I spent a few hours posting receipts and expenses for the ministry money these past 2 weeks. It has come out pretty good. I was starting to lose sunlight working in the breezeway. Mary and Beth got home about then.
I had some soup for dinner and a snack pack pudding. Yum. My tummy questioned my choices, but cooperated. I think I'll feel almost back to normal tomorrow. yay!
Beth and Mary both got on internet for a while this evening, since it was back up and working. I usually get the USB connector back when they go to bed, since I get on here later at night. I worked on my Bible study a little more and then browsed through facebook. I'll be going to bed soon.
Tomorrow will be our last day here. I don't get sad anymore, since I know that I'll be back in a few months. This is home in my heart. I love my God and the way He allows me to serve. I will be plenty busy when I get back to Rogers. Time will fly by quickly. I pray that I will accomplish all that He has for me to do. I am blessed in so many ways. He is awesome in EVERY way.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, 3/28 in Nicaragua
Home and tucked in early after a long and uncomfortable day traveling. I hate that I get car sick so easily. Riding in the front seat seems to cause issues with some people and I tried a different seat today. I was sick before we hit León, and we still had 3 hours of driving to get to our destination. I ended up riding in the very back of the van so that I could lay down the whole way. But the trip was worth it.
We made it to Jinotega before 10am (we had left the house at 6:30am). We met a Pastor who will be instrumental in the crusade there in June. We toured a couple of hotels, just to see what was available. Then we went to the Young Life Camp, where we will probably be staying for that first week in June. It a pretty cool place, especially by Nica standards. We took pictures and video to send to Mike and Sherry. Beth is better videoing than I (who can only turn on and off and open the lens cover), so she did that part and I took still photos. The newer dorm rooms are livable, the dining room has a cute train track hanging from the ceiling, there is an auditorium for meetings, a game room, a baseball field, a rock climbing wall, a vertical 'play' apparatus, zip line, a maze, canoes and a basketball gym. Pretty cool.
We stopped for lunch at a nice place, but I was too nauseous to eat, so I stayed in the van and took a nap. It felt good to lay there without the van moving. I actually fell asleep for a little bit and when I woke up, I couldn't for the life of me figure out where I was. It took a few minutes. whew!
We made the curvy 3 hour drive back to León and I held on in the back seat. We stopped to pick up German's family and then ran some errands for the house, like getting a few groceries. Then we headed for home!
I was excited that La Unión had chocolate snack pack pudding. Just one package, but I bought it to save for when I feel better. I can't wait! I also got some soup and a 7UP. I only drink 7UP and Sprite when I have a sick tummy, so it's not really a splurge. I got home and made some soup and ate a piece of plain bread. It has stayed down, but my tummy is not too happy. But it will be good for me to skip a few meals. :)
I can't believe that we leave in a few days. Time just comes and goes. I still feel that I live here and my trips to the States are vacations. :)
I worked on the computer and some bookkeeping. Now I'm actually going to go to sleep before 9pm. I hope I wake up feeling good tomorrow. For now, I'll rest in God's cradling hands. No better place to be!
We made it to Jinotega before 10am (we had left the house at 6:30am). We met a Pastor who will be instrumental in the crusade there in June. We toured a couple of hotels, just to see what was available. Then we went to the Young Life Camp, where we will probably be staying for that first week in June. It a pretty cool place, especially by Nica standards. We took pictures and video to send to Mike and Sherry. Beth is better videoing than I (who can only turn on and off and open the lens cover), so she did that part and I took still photos. The newer dorm rooms are livable, the dining room has a cute train track hanging from the ceiling, there is an auditorium for meetings, a game room, a baseball field, a rock climbing wall, a vertical 'play' apparatus, zip line, a maze, canoes and a basketball gym. Pretty cool.
We stopped for lunch at a nice place, but I was too nauseous to eat, so I stayed in the van and took a nap. It felt good to lay there without the van moving. I actually fell asleep for a little bit and when I woke up, I couldn't for the life of me figure out where I was. It took a few minutes. whew!
We made the curvy 3 hour drive back to León and I held on in the back seat. We stopped to pick up German's family and then ran some errands for the house, like getting a few groceries. Then we headed for home!
I was excited that La Unión had chocolate snack pack pudding. Just one package, but I bought it to save for when I feel better. I can't wait! I also got some soup and a 7UP. I only drink 7UP and Sprite when I have a sick tummy, so it's not really a splurge. I got home and made some soup and ate a piece of plain bread. It has stayed down, but my tummy is not too happy. But it will be good for me to skip a few meals. :)
I can't believe that we leave in a few days. Time just comes and goes. I still feel that I live here and my trips to the States are vacations. :)
I worked on the computer and some bookkeeping. Now I'm actually going to go to sleep before 9pm. I hope I wake up feeling good tomorrow. For now, I'll rest in God's cradling hands. No better place to be!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, 3/27 in Nicaragua
A very lovely day. Resting in the Lord and other blessings.
I woke up a few times during the night when the electricity went out and the heat would wake me up and then when the power came back on the fans started up again. I think this happened about 3 times (6 wake ups). I finally stayed up at 7:30am and began my day with laundry and catching up on my Bible Study. It was a beautiful way to spend my last Sunday here. Seeing the ocean, feeling the breeze and sun and listening to the birds and geckos and reading God's Word.
I had 11 days of laundry to do and was happy to get the last of it on the clothesline. Then I started in on organizing and packing some ministry stuff in my (Mike and Sherry's) room. Then I helped Beth with sorting some of the 10 tubs/suitcases of clothes for give aways this summer. Mary washed a million sets of sheets today and worked around the house.
We all snacked for breakfast and mid-morning. Then we had grilled chicken dinners from Suyapa restaurant. Saturnino was so sweet to go pick up our meals on his bicycle. We tried to buy his lunch, but he said no. So Mary gave him a 'tip' for delivering our food. This way, he will take that money and get groceries for his family. He is so good to us when we are here, with or without a team.
I took a little nap before lunch. After lunch, we worked more on the house and ministry supplies. Then about 5pm, we took our sunset walk on the beach. There was quite a few people out today. But, we are never on the beach on Sundays, so we hadn't really thought about it. After our walk, we all got showers and settled in for the night. We have a 5am wake up call tomorrow, so we are going to hit the sack a little early.
German will pick us up at 6am to go to Jinotega, where we will be having a crusade in June. We will check out the camp that we will probably stay at during that week, and also check out the rest of the town. We're going to send Mike and Sherry a video of the excursion. It will be a long drive, so we are taking pillows to take naps on the way. I hope German is wide awake!!!
I'm enjoying being here with Mary and Beth and getting some prep work done for the summer teams. It's nice not to have to rush around right before the teams get here. And it's nice to have time to work together without the pressures of working with a team. These next few days are a blessing.
It's been great to be here these last 2 weeks. I really feel attached here and don't mind leaving when I know that I will soon be back. I'm thankful for the life that God has given me. I pray that I honor Him and follow His plans.
I woke up a few times during the night when the electricity went out and the heat would wake me up and then when the power came back on the fans started up again. I think this happened about 3 times (6 wake ups). I finally stayed up at 7:30am and began my day with laundry and catching up on my Bible Study. It was a beautiful way to spend my last Sunday here. Seeing the ocean, feeling the breeze and sun and listening to the birds and geckos and reading God's Word.
I had 11 days of laundry to do and was happy to get the last of it on the clothesline. Then I started in on organizing and packing some ministry stuff in my (Mike and Sherry's) room. Then I helped Beth with sorting some of the 10 tubs/suitcases of clothes for give aways this summer. Mary washed a million sets of sheets today and worked around the house.
We all snacked for breakfast and mid-morning. Then we had grilled chicken dinners from Suyapa restaurant. Saturnino was so sweet to go pick up our meals on his bicycle. We tried to buy his lunch, but he said no. So Mary gave him a 'tip' for delivering our food. This way, he will take that money and get groceries for his family. He is so good to us when we are here, with or without a team.
I took a little nap before lunch. After lunch, we worked more on the house and ministry supplies. Then about 5pm, we took our sunset walk on the beach. There was quite a few people out today. But, we are never on the beach on Sundays, so we hadn't really thought about it. After our walk, we all got showers and settled in for the night. We have a 5am wake up call tomorrow, so we are going to hit the sack a little early.
German will pick us up at 6am to go to Jinotega, where we will be having a crusade in June. We will check out the camp that we will probably stay at during that week, and also check out the rest of the town. We're going to send Mike and Sherry a video of the excursion. It will be a long drive, so we are taking pillows to take naps on the way. I hope German is wide awake!!!
I'm enjoying being here with Mary and Beth and getting some prep work done for the summer teams. It's nice not to have to rush around right before the teams get here. And it's nice to have time to work together without the pressures of working with a team. These next few days are a blessing.
It's been great to be here these last 2 weeks. I really feel attached here and don't mind leaving when I know that I will soon be back. I'm thankful for the life that God has given me. I pray that I honor Him and follow His plans.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday, 3/26 in Nicaragua
Well, this past week has just flown by! The team FBC Rogers AR left this morning on a 6am flight. We left the team house at 2:30am for the 2 hour drive to the airport. Hugs all around and then they disappeared into the building. They made it home fine this evening. We had a good week and I'm very happy with the blessings that God bestowed on us and the people of León and the surrounding areas.
We spoke, performed and gave testimonies in 13 churches, did VBS in 8 neighborhoods, provided feedings in 3 areas, provided materials for and helped lay cement blocks at one church, and tried to get a little relaxation and fun time in the last week. It's been action packed and we had great travel mercies and overall health. God took very good care of us.
After dropping the team at the airport, we took a van to get the A/C worked on. The guy agreed to meet us at 5:00am. Wow. German, Danilo, Manuel and I went to an On the Run for a breakfast sandwich and coffee combo. (I usually don't drink coffee, but I enjoyed this!). Manuel's wife and son met us and we had a great visit. We went back for the van and sat around and talked until it was ready.
I was so tired after only getting a couple of hours sleep at home (in my clothes), then about an hour off and on in the van. We needed to find somewhere to chill out while waiting for Beth's plane around noon, so we went to the parking lot at the mall and sat in the van and dozed off a little bit more. (I had packed my pillow!) We finally got into the mall when it opened about 10am. We sat at the food court where we could free wireless signal for German's new phone. He looks like a kid with a DS handheld game. About 11am we left for the airport. Beth's plane got in and then she had to wait to find her luggage. One of the pieces was ripped open and the other one was not found. It took quite a while to get squared away. And then we left for lunch. I sat in the first seat behind the driver, instead of the shotgun seat, so that I could put my swollen ankles up. I just got a little bit nauseas. Beth and I chatted a little bit and dozed a little bit. She had been traveling since 3:30am. Even German dozed in the front seat. We stopped by John and Vanessa's house to drop off some donated items from Beth's church. A quick hello and we were back on the road.
It was so good to get home. Mary had spent a relaxing day of doing a few loads of a million towels and sheets. She did get to work on her computer and check out facebook and read some. I'm sure she enjoyed it. She said she felt sorry for me when we all left this morning. If it hadn't been for the fact that this was my home church team, I would have probably stayed home. But I was glad to go with the team to say goodbye.
Beth got all settled in and went to bed. I grabbed a very much needed shower and changed my sheets. Mary and I ate some leftovers from the team meals and chatted a little bit. Then I just had to get my feet up. So I'm laying on the bed trying to stay awake long enough to type. It's not even 8pm here and I'm ready to call it a night.
It's been such a good week. And we got word on a couple of good teams to add to our schedule for the rest of the year. God is blessing Voice of Hope Ministry with many opportunities to share Jesus here in Nica. There are always struggles and challenges in the worldly realm of ministries, but being faithful to complete the work is the main thing. God will work all things out to His plans. He is faithful and sovereign.
I was just thinking earlier about the day that I met the Hulseys. It was at a Global Impact Celebration at FBC Rogers. I was in from NYC where I was serving with a church plant. I was placed next to the Hulseys in the missionary seating area and my heart was tweaked by the thought of possibly working with them in the future. At the time, I had no idea how much longer I would be in NYC. I remember when we were all on stage and then the congregation stood up and applauded for us. I was overcome with emotion and started crying. Sherry was a couple of steps in front of me and a little to the left. She happened to look back and I saw that she, too, was crying. I knew we had a connection then. It was a while before I came back to Rogers and really got to know them. God has worked it out for me to be a part of VOH ministry. I'm very humbled and honored to work with everyone with VOH. I'm glad that God had this in His plans for me.
I'm going to sign off for now and fall asleep listening to Spanish praise music and feeling the fans blowing over me and my clean sheets. Ahh, a little touch of Heaven.
We spoke, performed and gave testimonies in 13 churches, did VBS in 8 neighborhoods, provided feedings in 3 areas, provided materials for and helped lay cement blocks at one church, and tried to get a little relaxation and fun time in the last week. It's been action packed and we had great travel mercies and overall health. God took very good care of us.
After dropping the team at the airport, we took a van to get the A/C worked on. The guy agreed to meet us at 5:00am. Wow. German, Danilo, Manuel and I went to an On the Run for a breakfast sandwich and coffee combo. (I usually don't drink coffee, but I enjoyed this!). Manuel's wife and son met us and we had a great visit. We went back for the van and sat around and talked until it was ready.
I was so tired after only getting a couple of hours sleep at home (in my clothes), then about an hour off and on in the van. We needed to find somewhere to chill out while waiting for Beth's plane around noon, so we went to the parking lot at the mall and sat in the van and dozed off a little bit more. (I had packed my pillow!) We finally got into the mall when it opened about 10am. We sat at the food court where we could free wireless signal for German's new phone. He looks like a kid with a DS handheld game. About 11am we left for the airport. Beth's plane got in and then she had to wait to find her luggage. One of the pieces was ripped open and the other one was not found. It took quite a while to get squared away. And then we left for lunch. I sat in the first seat behind the driver, instead of the shotgun seat, so that I could put my swollen ankles up. I just got a little bit nauseas. Beth and I chatted a little bit and dozed a little bit. She had been traveling since 3:30am. Even German dozed in the front seat. We stopped by John and Vanessa's house to drop off some donated items from Beth's church. A quick hello and we were back on the road.
It was so good to get home. Mary had spent a relaxing day of doing a few loads of a million towels and sheets. She did get to work on her computer and check out facebook and read some. I'm sure she enjoyed it. She said she felt sorry for me when we all left this morning. If it hadn't been for the fact that this was my home church team, I would have probably stayed home. But I was glad to go with the team to say goodbye.
Beth got all settled in and went to bed. I grabbed a very much needed shower and changed my sheets. Mary and I ate some leftovers from the team meals and chatted a little bit. Then I just had to get my feet up. So I'm laying on the bed trying to stay awake long enough to type. It's not even 8pm here and I'm ready to call it a night.
It's been such a good week. And we got word on a couple of good teams to add to our schedule for the rest of the year. God is blessing Voice of Hope Ministry with many opportunities to share Jesus here in Nica. There are always struggles and challenges in the worldly realm of ministries, but being faithful to complete the work is the main thing. God will work all things out to His plans. He is faithful and sovereign.
I was just thinking earlier about the day that I met the Hulseys. It was at a Global Impact Celebration at FBC Rogers. I was in from NYC where I was serving with a church plant. I was placed next to the Hulseys in the missionary seating area and my heart was tweaked by the thought of possibly working with them in the future. At the time, I had no idea how much longer I would be in NYC. I remember when we were all on stage and then the congregation stood up and applauded for us. I was overcome with emotion and started crying. Sherry was a couple of steps in front of me and a little to the left. She happened to look back and I saw that she, too, was crying. I knew we had a connection then. It was a while before I came back to Rogers and really got to know them. God has worked it out for me to be a part of VOH ministry. I'm very humbled and honored to work with everyone with VOH. I'm glad that God had this in His plans for me.
I'm going to sign off for now and fall asleep listening to Spanish praise music and feeling the fans blowing over me and my clean sheets. Ahh, a little touch of Heaven.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, 3/25 in Nicaragua
Fun Day for the team. We got up early and had poptarts (which I brought from the states) for breakfast. Some of the team had bought some snacks for breakfast last night. We left the house at 6:30am and picked up 3 translators and headed east.
It's about 3 hours to the Canopy Tour (zip line) near Granada. We got there and were set up immediately for the adventure. 3 of the team chose not to 'zip' and settled down at comfy tables and chairs on the porch outside the office to read and rest while waiting for the zippers. Mary, Michael and I walked along some of the trails to get pics from the ground while the team was zipping by. Manuel's wife and son met us there and brought Tres Leches Cake for the VOH people. I shared bites of mine with the team. They really liked it.
We all headed over to Narcy's restaurant for lunch. The group got various meals including pizza and stuff from Papa John's and chicken dishes from Narcy's chicken portion of the restaurant. It was yummy. They are notorious for taking forever to process the check and payment process. So we ordered by table and the translators determines each person's total (except for one obstinate table). The speeded up the process very much. We were out of there in record time and on our way to shop!!
We spent an hour at the Gringo Market and everyone seemed to find all they needed and wanted within that time frame. I picked up a few more bags of various designs (I use bags for everything!) and a few gifts as well as a couple of tops to keep here to wear to church.
After the market, we went to the volcano. The sulphur was horrendous! We were coughing like crazy. Some of us chose to get back in the vans while others went up the steps to the cross to take pictures. We then stopped at the museum at the entrance to the national park and walked through the exhibits and made good use of the 'facilities' before the long ride home.
It was a great day with no stress about meeting the schedule (to make sure we could fit it all in) and enough time for everything. Manuel was tickled to death all day long. We stopped at On the Run so that everyone could purchase their dinner and then we headed home.
After a quick team meeting, everyone broke up to shower, sign the wall, download pictures, pack suitcases. The team hit the sack about 9:30pm. The drivers went to bed about 8pm. Everyone will be back up in just a few short hours and I'm not sure I'm going to try to sleep or not. Maybe a little nap...
Anyway, it's been a great week working with this team from my home church of FBC Rogers. I am blessed to be able to serve here in Nica and be with friends from home at the same time.
God is good. Everywhere!!
It's about 3 hours to the Canopy Tour (zip line) near Granada. We got there and were set up immediately for the adventure. 3 of the team chose not to 'zip' and settled down at comfy tables and chairs on the porch outside the office to read and rest while waiting for the zippers. Mary, Michael and I walked along some of the trails to get pics from the ground while the team was zipping by. Manuel's wife and son met us there and brought Tres Leches Cake for the VOH people. I shared bites of mine with the team. They really liked it.
We all headed over to Narcy's restaurant for lunch. The group got various meals including pizza and stuff from Papa John's and chicken dishes from Narcy's chicken portion of the restaurant. It was yummy. They are notorious for taking forever to process the check and payment process. So we ordered by table and the translators determines each person's total (except for one obstinate table). The speeded up the process very much. We were out of there in record time and on our way to shop!!
We spent an hour at the Gringo Market and everyone seemed to find all they needed and wanted within that time frame. I picked up a few more bags of various designs (I use bags for everything!) and a few gifts as well as a couple of tops to keep here to wear to church.
After the market, we went to the volcano. The sulphur was horrendous! We were coughing like crazy. Some of us chose to get back in the vans while others went up the steps to the cross to take pictures. We then stopped at the museum at the entrance to the national park and walked through the exhibits and made good use of the 'facilities' before the long ride home.
It was a great day with no stress about meeting the schedule (to make sure we could fit it all in) and enough time for everything. Manuel was tickled to death all day long. We stopped at On the Run so that everyone could purchase their dinner and then we headed home.
After a quick team meeting, everyone broke up to shower, sign the wall, download pictures, pack suitcases. The team hit the sack about 9:30pm. The drivers went to bed about 8pm. Everyone will be back up in just a few short hours and I'm not sure I'm going to try to sleep or not. Maybe a little nap...
Anyway, it's been a great week working with this team from my home church of FBC Rogers. I am blessed to be able to serve here in Nica and be with friends from home at the same time.
God is good. Everywhere!!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, 3/24 in Nicaragua
Ok, I'm back to being really tired again. But that's okay. We had a full day and many blessings.
We went to a site for VBS this morning and found out that one of the church members had died and the congregation would be going to the family's home tonight. German offered to change our plans, but they wanted us to come to their service anyway. While getting all the details, we were invited to a courtyard of someone's home and given wonderful fruit to eat. Very hospitable, and Yummy!
The VBS went well and the team had a great time with the kids. The street witnessing team was fruitful, too. I really enjoyed the Pastora. She is so friendly and we had a good connection from the start. We did the usual story, crafts, games, music and snacks. Jennifer shared with the women gathered, who were all Christians, and enjoyed hearing about Jennifer's testimony and life as a Christian woman in the US. Rydder came up with some great Bible trivia questions, for which, the prizes were the acrylic tags that Jerry had made, which said Jesús te Ama and Jesús Vive. I got to talk to a young man for a while (all in Spanish) and learned about where he lives, works, his family, etc. It turns out that he is a cook at the cool restaurant that Mary, German and I visited back in December. We've all made some neat connections this week.
Our next stop was Las Quimeras. The kids were all down the road at the school getting vaccinations for the first 1/2 hour, so we went out inviting kids to the VBS and doing street witnessing. Some of the team had come over earlier and started helping lay the blocks for the church building. We had a good time of VBS and sharing. It was a lot of fun. I met Sergio, who is the new Pastor of the church. He took over for Pastor Miguel who was going to be moving to Costa Rica. We were very blessed to be involved in purchasing the helping to lay the blocks. I'm sure the workers were glad when we left them alone to work more efficiently, but it was very special to be a part of that little church.
We got home for lunch, a quick team meeting and the last day of beach time for the team. I almost got a nap in, but alas, duty called in the form of team members needing Ms Vickie for various things. I did get to lay on the bed for about 20 minutes, so that was appreciated. I had the chance to call my sister Pam and she is feeling better all the time. I'm so thankful for that.
We went back to both VBS locations this evening for church services. I loved Pastora Patricia's words and her singing voice. We had church outside on the concrete slab where we had done VBS this morning. It's also where the neighborhood kids play games and such. At the beginning of our service, we had someone chase a ball across the front of the area. We also had various dogs walking through. Lights were attached to tree branches and a sound system was set up. It was nice worship and our drama keeps on getting better.
After service, we high-tailed it to On the Run to meet the other van and for all the team members to say goodbye to the translators. That's usually a hard thing to do for some people. I'm glad that I'm able to look at it like I'm living in Nic and just visiting the US when I leave. :)
We got back to the house and had dinner and a little bit of share time. We're getting up early in the morning to leave at 6:30am for the zip line, lunch, shopping and volcano. It will be a packed day, but it will be fun.
It's hard to believe the week is almost over, but I say that with every team. God blesses us with lots of work to do and people to see. It's always good serving with the teams. Especially, this one from my home church.
I'm falling asleep between sentences, so I'm signing off for tonight. God is so faithful. I love Him so.
We went to a site for VBS this morning and found out that one of the church members had died and the congregation would be going to the family's home tonight. German offered to change our plans, but they wanted us to come to their service anyway. While getting all the details, we were invited to a courtyard of someone's home and given wonderful fruit to eat. Very hospitable, and Yummy!
The VBS went well and the team had a great time with the kids. The street witnessing team was fruitful, too. I really enjoyed the Pastora. She is so friendly and we had a good connection from the start. We did the usual story, crafts, games, music and snacks. Jennifer shared with the women gathered, who were all Christians, and enjoyed hearing about Jennifer's testimony and life as a Christian woman in the US. Rydder came up with some great Bible trivia questions, for which, the prizes were the acrylic tags that Jerry had made, which said Jesús te Ama and Jesús Vive. I got to talk to a young man for a while (all in Spanish) and learned about where he lives, works, his family, etc. It turns out that he is a cook at the cool restaurant that Mary, German and I visited back in December. We've all made some neat connections this week.
Our next stop was Las Quimeras. The kids were all down the road at the school getting vaccinations for the first 1/2 hour, so we went out inviting kids to the VBS and doing street witnessing. Some of the team had come over earlier and started helping lay the blocks for the church building. We had a good time of VBS and sharing. It was a lot of fun. I met Sergio, who is the new Pastor of the church. He took over for Pastor Miguel who was going to be moving to Costa Rica. We were very blessed to be involved in purchasing the helping to lay the blocks. I'm sure the workers were glad when we left them alone to work more efficiently, but it was very special to be a part of that little church.
We got home for lunch, a quick team meeting and the last day of beach time for the team. I almost got a nap in, but alas, duty called in the form of team members needing Ms Vickie for various things. I did get to lay on the bed for about 20 minutes, so that was appreciated. I had the chance to call my sister Pam and she is feeling better all the time. I'm so thankful for that.
We went back to both VBS locations this evening for church services. I loved Pastora Patricia's words and her singing voice. We had church outside on the concrete slab where we had done VBS this morning. It's also where the neighborhood kids play games and such. At the beginning of our service, we had someone chase a ball across the front of the area. We also had various dogs walking through. Lights were attached to tree branches and a sound system was set up. It was nice worship and our drama keeps on getting better.
After service, we high-tailed it to On the Run to meet the other van and for all the team members to say goodbye to the translators. That's usually a hard thing to do for some people. I'm glad that I'm able to look at it like I'm living in Nic and just visiting the US when I leave. :)
We got back to the house and had dinner and a little bit of share time. We're getting up early in the morning to leave at 6:30am for the zip line, lunch, shopping and volcano. It will be a packed day, but it will be fun.
It's hard to believe the week is almost over, but I say that with every team. God blesses us with lots of work to do and people to see. It's always good serving with the teams. Especially, this one from my home church.
I'm falling asleep between sentences, so I'm signing off for tonight. God is so faithful. I love Him so.
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