I got up early and folded the last load of towels and started the washing of the sheets. The workers got here (Saturnino, Aracelys, Juana, Erika, Lesly, Jaasiel, Jorge) and Bryan and his wife, Marcela came for Feeding Center stuff. Pastor Eddy came to say that his father (and Auxiliodoro’s brother) had passed away last night. He had been sick and in the hospital. I felt so bad for Eddy and Auxiliordoro.
German had a meeting with the workers and invited me and Charlie to sit in. Everyone got to work putting the team house back together to be ready for the next team in early January.
I worked on Feeding Center stuff and computer stuff. I had requested that Erika make arroz aguado for lunch and she did. We were all in heaven! I love Nica food and since I’m the only North American here, I’m enjoying eating with the rest of the workers!
Erika wanted to treat me to a paintjob on my toes. She made some pretty flowers on them, too. She loves doing this and gives full pedicures, so I’m going to bring back from the states some items for her to use. I will hire her to give me a pedicure once a month. It will be money well spent!
German came over to get some info from Charlie for one of the January teams and to say goodbye to Charlie. We chatted a little while. Then Charlie and I went to Al Carbón for dinner. Mike said he doesn’t like to eat there, but I’ve been there about 8 times and I have loved it each time. Everyone who has went with me has liked it very much, too, with the exception of Mary, who said it’s just okay. Charlie is looking forward to bringing his wife there when they come back here next time.
After we got home, Charlie and both were on our computers for a while. I usually would have been in my room by sundown, but I felt that I should spend some time with him since he would be leaving very early in the morning.
I did practice my guitar for a while and then hit the bed early to read.
It’s been a great day!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
November 25, 2012
It’s Sunday morning and I started on the laundry of donated clothing again bright and early. I had left 2 washers full and 2 dryers full over night and Alberto was afraid that the missing clothing was stolen or something. Poor guy was so worried!
I listened to a few chapters in Matthew in Spanish as I read it in my Spanish Bible. Charlie woke up and we went to Tip Top for lunch. We also made a quick trip into La Unión to buy some laundry soap! When we got back, Charlie volunteered to strip the rooms of towels and sheets so we could wash them after the donated clothes were finished. He found another mound of donated clothes in a couple of the rooms. It was after my bedtime by the time the clothes finished, but they were all washed and folded and sorted and ready for Lesly to work on in the morning.
Charlie started washing towels next. He did that until about midnight. He said not to tell his wife that he stripped sheets from beds and gathered laundry. He didn’t want her to expect it at home. Oooops! I just told it! Sorry, Charlie!
I worked more on blogposts and computer stuff in the afternoon. Then Charlie and I got a hankering for some ice cream. We jumped into the car and headed downtown. It was yummy.
I needed to get a hold of Pacheco to tell him that I couldn’t come to Monday’s English class, but the phone calls weren’t going through. Charlie said he thought he knew which house was his, so we drove over. It was a happy surprise to see Nia Elliott from Jacksonville FL there visiting. She and I got to visit a little bit. I enjoyed it!
Charlie and I got back home and worked on more towels. I ordered some things from Amazon.com to bring back with me in January. That was the extent of my cybershopping. I practiced my guitar and then went to bed early again. It feels so good to lay on that bed and read myself to sleep! God is good!
I listened to a few chapters in Matthew in Spanish as I read it in my Spanish Bible. Charlie woke up and we went to Tip Top for lunch. We also made a quick trip into La Unión to buy some laundry soap! When we got back, Charlie volunteered to strip the rooms of towels and sheets so we could wash them after the donated clothes were finished. He found another mound of donated clothes in a couple of the rooms. It was after my bedtime by the time the clothes finished, but they were all washed and folded and sorted and ready for Lesly to work on in the morning.
Charlie started washing towels next. He did that until about midnight. He said not to tell his wife that he stripped sheets from beds and gathered laundry. He didn’t want her to expect it at home. Oooops! I just told it! Sorry, Charlie!
I worked more on blogposts and computer stuff in the afternoon. Then Charlie and I got a hankering for some ice cream. We jumped into the car and headed downtown. It was yummy.
I needed to get a hold of Pacheco to tell him that I couldn’t come to Monday’s English class, but the phone calls weren’t going through. Charlie said he thought he knew which house was his, so we drove over. It was a happy surprise to see Nia Elliott from Jacksonville FL there visiting. She and I got to visit a little bit. I enjoyed it!
Charlie and I got back home and worked on more towels. I ordered some things from Amazon.com to bring back with me in January. That was the extent of my cybershopping. I practiced my guitar and then went to bed early again. It feels so good to lay on that bed and read myself to sleep! God is good!
November 24, 2012
The team left at 3am. I was asleep, but do vaguely remember hearing them. Jaime and Oliver left at 6am. I got up to say goodbye. I actually had enough time to make Oliver some oatmeal. I gave Jaime some cheese crackers and oreos. I stayed up and piddled around in my room for a while. Then I spent some time talking with Mary. She and Mike left the team house at 9am for the airport. That just left me here until Charlie made it back from escorting the 3am bunch to the airport.
I did 6 loads of my personal laundry so that I could start on washing the donated clothing. I had a lot of my own clothes because I wore a skirt each morning for conferences and then changed into ‘house’ clothes for the afternoon and then dressed for the crusade at night. I’m very thankful for the 2 washers and 2 dryers to get the loads done quickly. I always feel guilty about using a washing machine when I know that our workers do not have them at their homes. I wish they did.
While the washers and dryers were going, I caught up on some blogposts and computer stuff. When Charlie got up from his day long nap, I was in my room already. He was up late doing some stuff. We had opposite schedules for the day.
I got my shower and watched a video on my computer. I practiced the guitar and then went to bed really early. It felt good to know that I didn’t have to get up and go anywhere early the next morning. And it is very peaceful here after having 42 extra people here.
I can’t believe how many clothes and shoes the team left for us to give away. It’s awesome. It looks like a garage sale! It’s going to take most of 2 days to get it all washed, sorted and packed. What an awesome blessing!
God is so good. All the time!
I did 6 loads of my personal laundry so that I could start on washing the donated clothing. I had a lot of my own clothes because I wore a skirt each morning for conferences and then changed into ‘house’ clothes for the afternoon and then dressed for the crusade at night. I’m very thankful for the 2 washers and 2 dryers to get the loads done quickly. I always feel guilty about using a washing machine when I know that our workers do not have them at their homes. I wish they did.
While the washers and dryers were going, I caught up on some blogposts and computer stuff. When Charlie got up from his day long nap, I was in my room already. He was up late doing some stuff. We had opposite schedules for the day.
I got my shower and watched a video on my computer. I practiced the guitar and then went to bed really early. It felt good to know that I didn’t have to get up and go anywhere early the next morning. And it is very peaceful here after having 42 extra people here.
I can’t believe how many clothes and shoes the team left for us to give away. It’s awesome. It looks like a garage sale! It’s going to take most of 2 days to get it all washed, sorted and packed. What an awesome blessing!
God is so good. All the time!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
November 23, 2012
I was awakened at 3:15am by Alberto who was looking for the guys leaving for the airport. They were not up and ready yet. I didn’t know which room they were in, but it had to be one of the ‘guys’ rooms. I figured that I didn’t need to be poking my head in their rooms, so I told Alberto to go and knock and find them. I went back to sleep pretty easily, though.
The team got up and had breakfast and then left for Fun Day here around León. Jaime and Oliver and I had plans to run around town on our own. I wanted to share some of my favorite places and food with them. We didn’t leave the team house until after 11am. Mike had given me the key to the KIA, so we were on our own schedule. I had planned on using a taxi, but having our own wheels was great!
The city is resurfacing some of the streets, so we had to take a detour and that means a LOT of time sitting in traffic. We got to La Unión Supermarket and parked there. We could walk to everything from there. We walked about 6 blocks to the El Callejon restaurant and had a delicious lunch of Nica food! It was a good time of chatting, too. Then we walked back towards downtown and stopped to shop a little on the way. We stopped in at Eskimo for some ice cream, which was yummy. I introduced Jaime and Oliver to some of my favorite souvenir vendors. They got stuff for their families back home. We went to the ‘1,2,3 dollar store’ and we found some Toms shoes (knock-offs, I’m sure) for $16. They guys bought some for their women folk and I got a pair to be my official airport shoes. Now, no matter what time of year I travel back and forth, my feet will be warm or cool as needed. And they are slip-on and light weight. Best $16 I every spent! Ha
We made it back to the team house a little after 4pm. Mike has said that Danilo was coming to drive us to the church for the special service that Oliver and Jaime were invited to preach at. Danilo was supposed to arrive at 5:15. At 5:20, I called Danilo to see if he was on his way, since he is usually early. He was with Mike and the rest of the team at Suyapa restaurant at the beach. I called Mike back and said that Danilo was in fact with HIM. Haha German got on the phone and gave me driving directions to the church. No problem!
It was a great service. It was a church that the Women’s team from FBCR visited a few weeks ago. The congregation is small, but very worshipful. We had an awesome service. Then the church prayed over me and VOH and Jaime and Oliver. It was very sweet and humbling. We loved it.
We ran by Tip Top Chicken for one final meal together and talked a lot about how God was going to use them and their US church, Cuerpo Vivo, in the future. We also talked about what I would be doing this coming June and July with them while I’m in the states. I can’t wait to work with them again. I love Cuerpo Vivo.
We got back to the team house and most of the team was in their rooms trying to get a little sleep before leaving at 3am. I chatted with a few youth who were still up on facebook.
I went to bed and slept pretty well. I heard everyone up at 3am and then they were gone. I got up about 5:30 so that I could say goodbye to Jaime and Oliver as they left for their flight. I will be seeing them in just a couple of weeks back in AR, so it wasn’t hard to say goodbye for now. I am so happy that I got to have this time with them and show them my city and my friends.
I am truly blessed!!!
The team got up and had breakfast and then left for Fun Day here around León. Jaime and Oliver and I had plans to run around town on our own. I wanted to share some of my favorite places and food with them. We didn’t leave the team house until after 11am. Mike had given me the key to the KIA, so we were on our own schedule. I had planned on using a taxi, but having our own wheels was great!
The city is resurfacing some of the streets, so we had to take a detour and that means a LOT of time sitting in traffic. We got to La Unión Supermarket and parked there. We could walk to everything from there. We walked about 6 blocks to the El Callejon restaurant and had a delicious lunch of Nica food! It was a good time of chatting, too. Then we walked back towards downtown and stopped to shop a little on the way. We stopped in at Eskimo for some ice cream, which was yummy. I introduced Jaime and Oliver to some of my favorite souvenir vendors. They got stuff for their families back home. We went to the ‘1,2,3 dollar store’ and we found some Toms shoes (knock-offs, I’m sure) for $16. They guys bought some for their women folk and I got a pair to be my official airport shoes. Now, no matter what time of year I travel back and forth, my feet will be warm or cool as needed. And they are slip-on and light weight. Best $16 I every spent! Ha
We made it back to the team house a little after 4pm. Mike has said that Danilo was coming to drive us to the church for the special service that Oliver and Jaime were invited to preach at. Danilo was supposed to arrive at 5:15. At 5:20, I called Danilo to see if he was on his way, since he is usually early. He was with Mike and the rest of the team at Suyapa restaurant at the beach. I called Mike back and said that Danilo was in fact with HIM. Haha German got on the phone and gave me driving directions to the church. No problem!
It was a great service. It was a church that the Women’s team from FBCR visited a few weeks ago. The congregation is small, but very worshipful. We had an awesome service. Then the church prayed over me and VOH and Jaime and Oliver. It was very sweet and humbling. We loved it.
We ran by Tip Top Chicken for one final meal together and talked a lot about how God was going to use them and their US church, Cuerpo Vivo, in the future. We also talked about what I would be doing this coming June and July with them while I’m in the states. I can’t wait to work with them again. I love Cuerpo Vivo.
We got back to the team house and most of the team was in their rooms trying to get a little sleep before leaving at 3am. I chatted with a few youth who were still up on facebook.
I went to bed and slept pretty well. I heard everyone up at 3am and then they were gone. I got up about 5:30 so that I could say goodbye to Jaime and Oliver as they left for their flight. I will be seeing them in just a couple of weeks back in AR, so it wasn’t hard to say goodbye for now. I am so happy that I got to have this time with them and show them my city and my friends.
I am truly blessed!!!
November 22, 2012
I’m very excited! Today is the big Pastors & Leaders Conference. I can’t wait to see God at work. Jaime and Oliver had a very good presentation ready and our booklets are printed and ready. I love being a part of the conferences!
We arrived at the church via taxi. It was a nice medium sized building and fairly cool (80s again). Being in the shade makes a huge difference. We took names of the Pastors coming in and gave them booklets. They were very excited to hear what Jaime and Oliver had to say. We got the projector set up with my computer so the guys could do the powerpoint presentation. It all worked great. The microphone was cutting in and out, so Jaime just talked loudly for his part of the first session. Soon someone arrived on motorcycle with another mic and everyone could hear well again.
One of the team members wanted to experience the conference. We didn’t have translators since Jaime and Oliver were going to teach in Spanish. I don’t know enough Spanish to translate, so Brandon had to sit and try to understand. Then Santiago, a guy from a church we visited on Sunday, came in and I asked him to sit with Brandon and translate. That worked out great! Thank you Lord for figuring this out in advance!
I asked the Pastor’s wife if someone could go for refreshments if I paid for them. She went with another person from the church and they came back with sweet bread and sodas. That was a big hit. We served everyone in their seats and kept on going with the conference. It was a long morning (4 hours of speaking) but everyone loved it and were very happy with all the info that they received.
There was a little guy about 7 years old named Jose who had come with his mother. He was getting bored and I had given him a couple pieces of paper and a pen. He drew for a while and then made a paper airplane. He was throwing it in the back of the room. I started throwing it with him. Then we stepped outside on the porch and threw it some more. He made me my own airplane and we started throwing them at the same time. It was fun. Then another little guy named Rafael about 4 years old was getting bored and we played together. I made videos on my phone of them goofing off. They loved watching themselves. We got a little loud with our giggles and Rafael’s mom took him home. Oops. It was a good time anyway!
Once the conference was over, I helped the guys to pack up. Over half of the people came up to Jaime and Oliver to thank them and to get their email addresses. Some wanted to have the presentation downloaded on their flash drives. It was a big hit!
We got back to the team house for a late lunch (2pm) and then rested a bit. I got on the computer and made some phone calls.
The team came back for taco salad dinner, but I was too full from lunch to partake. Erika gave me some to put in my fridge in my room for later. She always takes very good care of me!
We went to the crusade and there were lots of people. The music was fantastic. There was a guy there as a charro, a singer dressed in the big sombrero and fancy suit. He was good. I got my picture made with him. I hung out with Lesly and Jaasiel and Lesly’s husband Jorge. The girls didn’t bring their sons and I missed them. I saw lots of pastors from the conference and many came over to say hello to me. The sought out Jaime and Oliver to talk more.
I got to see German’s family, mom & dad, mother-in-law and father-in-law (who drives for us). I also got to see a friend Michael who has been very ill. It was good to see them all. Darling, from La Quimera church and her daughter and another teenager came over to say hi. I also saw Claudia, the lady at the Monday conference that I talked to for a very long time (in Spanish, I might add) and who wants some materials to learn and teach women’s Bible study. It was so fun to see everyone.
The crusade ended well and a lot of people accepted Christ this week. Some items were raffled off. If you came to the crusade, you got a ticket. Soccer balls and other things were given out first. Then the big item of the night… a motorcycle! The person who won it is actually disabled and cannot walk. But his family members can ride it and take him places. He was thrilled! A salvation came out of that encounter, also!
It has been a great week of ministry. After the crusade, we all went to On the Run again and everyone was having fun.
We arrived at the church via taxi. It was a nice medium sized building and fairly cool (80s again). Being in the shade makes a huge difference. We took names of the Pastors coming in and gave them booklets. They were very excited to hear what Jaime and Oliver had to say. We got the projector set up with my computer so the guys could do the powerpoint presentation. It all worked great. The microphone was cutting in and out, so Jaime just talked loudly for his part of the first session. Soon someone arrived on motorcycle with another mic and everyone could hear well again.
One of the team members wanted to experience the conference. We didn’t have translators since Jaime and Oliver were going to teach in Spanish. I don’t know enough Spanish to translate, so Brandon had to sit and try to understand. Then Santiago, a guy from a church we visited on Sunday, came in and I asked him to sit with Brandon and translate. That worked out great! Thank you Lord for figuring this out in advance!
I asked the Pastor’s wife if someone could go for refreshments if I paid for them. She went with another person from the church and they came back with sweet bread and sodas. That was a big hit. We served everyone in their seats and kept on going with the conference. It was a long morning (4 hours of speaking) but everyone loved it and were very happy with all the info that they received.
There was a little guy about 7 years old named Jose who had come with his mother. He was getting bored and I had given him a couple pieces of paper and a pen. He drew for a while and then made a paper airplane. He was throwing it in the back of the room. I started throwing it with him. Then we stepped outside on the porch and threw it some more. He made me my own airplane and we started throwing them at the same time. It was fun. Then another little guy named Rafael about 4 years old was getting bored and we played together. I made videos on my phone of them goofing off. They loved watching themselves. We got a little loud with our giggles and Rafael’s mom took him home. Oops. It was a good time anyway!
Once the conference was over, I helped the guys to pack up. Over half of the people came up to Jaime and Oliver to thank them and to get their email addresses. Some wanted to have the presentation downloaded on their flash drives. It was a big hit!
We got back to the team house for a late lunch (2pm) and then rested a bit. I got on the computer and made some phone calls.
The team came back for taco salad dinner, but I was too full from lunch to partake. Erika gave me some to put in my fridge in my room for later. She always takes very good care of me!
We went to the crusade and there were lots of people. The music was fantastic. There was a guy there as a charro, a singer dressed in the big sombrero and fancy suit. He was good. I got my picture made with him. I hung out with Lesly and Jaasiel and Lesly’s husband Jorge. The girls didn’t bring their sons and I missed them. I saw lots of pastors from the conference and many came over to say hello to me. The sought out Jaime and Oliver to talk more.
I got to see German’s family, mom & dad, mother-in-law and father-in-law (who drives for us). I also got to see a friend Michael who has been very ill. It was good to see them all. Darling, from La Quimera church and her daughter and another teenager came over to say hi. I also saw Claudia, the lady at the Monday conference that I talked to for a very long time (in Spanish, I might add) and who wants some materials to learn and teach women’s Bible study. It was so fun to see everyone.
The crusade ended well and a lot of people accepted Christ this week. Some items were raffled off. If you came to the crusade, you got a ticket. Soccer balls and other things were given out first. Then the big item of the night… a motorcycle! The person who won it is actually disabled and cannot walk. But his family members can ride it and take him places. He was thrilled! A salvation came out of that encounter, also!
It has been a great week of ministry. After the crusade, we all went to On the Run again and everyone was having fun.
November 21, 2012
The team is up and ready to head out for more fiestas, feeding centers and evangelism. 5 of the women are coming with me to the Women’s Conference this morning. My pal Edwin is lining up a second taxi driver to take us all to and from the conference. We don’t know how many ladies will be attending, but we know that God has some important things for us to share with each other.
We got to the church and I really like the building. It was large and cement block and relatively cool (80’s). It is on the corner of the square where I get my haircut. I like that square.
We were greeted and treated very well by some women leaders. I think we ended up having about 37 ladies attend. We started out with prayer and some music. We played the food toss game and everyone had a hoot! I spoke a little from my Bible study lesson I taught on Eve and how God has created us all special and with a purpose. Then we had a few testimonies. Then we played the life-saver game and had more testimonies. It was really fun.
The testimonies really hit home with some of the women. Our group of speakers had very diverse stories to tell and it all came together great. There was laughter and tears and lots of AMENs. At the end, the ladies anointed each of us and prayed over us. It was very humbling and wonderful. The ladies took up a collection for us and we felt that we couldn’t turn it down (even though VOH doesn’t normally accept offerings). So we decided to put the money towards feeding a child at the feeding center. The ladies also gave us each a painted plaque of Nica as a gift. It was really sweet. All the ladies came up and gave us hugs. One girl wanted a picture of us. It was a very fun morning.
We all jumped in the taxis and headed back to the team house. We got back in time for lunch and for the ladies to get ready to go out with the teams in the afternoon.
I worked on computer files some more and then the teams came back in. We had dinner and then went to night 2 of the crusade. There were a few more people at the crusade tonight. The music is so wonderful. Different praise bands from around León are leading worship. I love all of the songs. One of these days I’m actually going to memorize the lyrics!!
It’s been a great day of ministry and everyone is tired, but pumped up with what God is doing. We are all blessed to be here!
We got to the church and I really like the building. It was large and cement block and relatively cool (80’s). It is on the corner of the square where I get my haircut. I like that square.
We were greeted and treated very well by some women leaders. I think we ended up having about 37 ladies attend. We started out with prayer and some music. We played the food toss game and everyone had a hoot! I spoke a little from my Bible study lesson I taught on Eve and how God has created us all special and with a purpose. Then we had a few testimonies. Then we played the life-saver game and had more testimonies. It was really fun.
The testimonies really hit home with some of the women. Our group of speakers had very diverse stories to tell and it all came together great. There was laughter and tears and lots of AMENs. At the end, the ladies anointed each of us and prayed over us. It was very humbling and wonderful. The ladies took up a collection for us and we felt that we couldn’t turn it down (even though VOH doesn’t normally accept offerings). So we decided to put the money towards feeding a child at the feeding center. The ladies also gave us each a painted plaque of Nica as a gift. It was really sweet. All the ladies came up and gave us hugs. One girl wanted a picture of us. It was a very fun morning.
We all jumped in the taxis and headed back to the team house. We got back in time for lunch and for the ladies to get ready to go out with the teams in the afternoon.
I worked on computer files some more and then the teams came back in. We had dinner and then went to night 2 of the crusade. There were a few more people at the crusade tonight. The music is so wonderful. Different praise bands from around León are leading worship. I love all of the songs. One of these days I’m actually going to memorize the lyrics!!
It’s been a great day of ministry and everyone is tired, but pumped up with what God is doing. We are all blessed to be here!
November 20, 2012
The team headed out for more fiestas, school visits, feeding center visits and radio spots. I took about 8 of the youth from the team to a Youth conference. The church is down at the end of our road, where it meets the highway, so we walked there and back.
We had about 15 people show up and we had a really good time. We started with a song in Spanish that the team knew in English, so they stood in front and taught hand motions. Then they did another song. It was neat to see their faces (North Americans and Nicas) as they realized that they could worship together even in different languages. It all came together through the motions (and the Holy Spirit, of course). We had a few funny games, that helped to break the ice a little. Testimonies were shared and then they all sat in a circle and told about themselves and asked questions of each other. There were some laughs and many tears. It was awesome!
I had taken some ‘door prizes’ and one special thing happened that made me very happy. I had brought 2 Bibles in Spanish, that had been donated by the last team. There was a young man at the conference who is deaf and mute, but he can read. He won one of the Bibles. I was soooo excited to share that with him! I also gave away some praise cds in English, which were a big hit with those who are learning English. It was wonderful and I am very grateful to Shannon on the previous team for obeying God’s call to bring those items and to donate them to the ministry!
We walked back to the team house and had lunch. Everyone went back out to do more fiestas. I downloaded pics from the conference and did some computer work. Then I went to the printer to get booklets made for the Pastors & Leaders Conference on Thursday. I had Lesly go with me to make sure I got them ordered correctly, since there were so many. I rode in the taxi (with Edwin) to take Lesly home and then we returned to the printer to get the booklets. We had to wait about an hour for them to finish, so I told Edwin I would pay his time for waiting with me. I sat in a chair by an open window (floor to ceiling) and had a pretty view of the street corner and the people. It had a great breeze, too! I was very happy to wait there. I also met a lady named Delmi, who works there. She speaks English and asked where I’m from. She I from here, but lived in Maryland for 17 years and has been back to Nica for 7 years. I use this printer a lot, so I’m looking forward to seeing her again.
I got back to the team house just after the team arrived. We all had dinner and then went to the first night of the Crusade.
There was some excitement at the Crusade. Our VOH praise band only played half of a set of music, since they had to share the spotlight with a band from another church. But I enjoyed them very much. I hope they will continue to practice here at the team house in the future, even when we don’t have a crusade coming up.
We had fun seeing people from some of the different churches that we had been visiting this week. I have to stay away from the front of the HUGE speakers, so I stayed over to the side of the crowd and watched with Jaasiel and Lesly and their sons. It was so much fun watching the boys (around 2 years old) dancing and playing. I took some videos and pics of them. They are precious!!
The team walked around the outskirts of the ball field, where the crusade was being held. They got the chance to witness to those standing around. There were some salvations from those encounters. Most of the people at the crusade were Christians coming to worship with us. It was a good night.
Everyone was hungry after the crusade, so all the buses went to On the Run for snacks or chicken. We finally made it home and everyone was fired up. The team had share time and I opted for retiring to my room to get some computer stuff done and get ready for the Women’s Conference for tomorrow.
It’s been a great day!
We had about 15 people show up and we had a really good time. We started with a song in Spanish that the team knew in English, so they stood in front and taught hand motions. Then they did another song. It was neat to see their faces (North Americans and Nicas) as they realized that they could worship together even in different languages. It all came together through the motions (and the Holy Spirit, of course). We had a few funny games, that helped to break the ice a little. Testimonies were shared and then they all sat in a circle and told about themselves and asked questions of each other. There were some laughs and many tears. It was awesome!
I had taken some ‘door prizes’ and one special thing happened that made me very happy. I had brought 2 Bibles in Spanish, that had been donated by the last team. There was a young man at the conference who is deaf and mute, but he can read. He won one of the Bibles. I was soooo excited to share that with him! I also gave away some praise cds in English, which were a big hit with those who are learning English. It was wonderful and I am very grateful to Shannon on the previous team for obeying God’s call to bring those items and to donate them to the ministry!
We walked back to the team house and had lunch. Everyone went back out to do more fiestas. I downloaded pics from the conference and did some computer work. Then I went to the printer to get booklets made for the Pastors & Leaders Conference on Thursday. I had Lesly go with me to make sure I got them ordered correctly, since there were so many. I rode in the taxi (with Edwin) to take Lesly home and then we returned to the printer to get the booklets. We had to wait about an hour for them to finish, so I told Edwin I would pay his time for waiting with me. I sat in a chair by an open window (floor to ceiling) and had a pretty view of the street corner and the people. It had a great breeze, too! I was very happy to wait there. I also met a lady named Delmi, who works there. She speaks English and asked where I’m from. She I from here, but lived in Maryland for 17 years and has been back to Nica for 7 years. I use this printer a lot, so I’m looking forward to seeing her again.
I got back to the team house just after the team arrived. We all had dinner and then went to the first night of the Crusade.
There was some excitement at the Crusade. Our VOH praise band only played half of a set of music, since they had to share the spotlight with a band from another church. But I enjoyed them very much. I hope they will continue to practice here at the team house in the future, even when we don’t have a crusade coming up.
We had fun seeing people from some of the different churches that we had been visiting this week. I have to stay away from the front of the HUGE speakers, so I stayed over to the side of the crowd and watched with Jaasiel and Lesly and their sons. It was so much fun watching the boys (around 2 years old) dancing and playing. I took some videos and pics of them. They are precious!!
The team walked around the outskirts of the ball field, where the crusade was being held. They got the chance to witness to those standing around. There were some salvations from those encounters. Most of the people at the crusade were Christians coming to worship with us. It was a good night.
Everyone was hungry after the crusade, so all the buses went to On the Run for snacks or chicken. We finally made it home and everyone was fired up. The team had share time and I opted for retiring to my room to get some computer stuff done and get ready for the Women’s Conference for tomorrow.
It’s been a great day!
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