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!!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
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!!!
June 29- July 6, 2013 Highland BC
Highland Baptist Church, New Iberia LA
This is one of my all time favorite teams. I just love this church. You can feel such a peace and unity in the teams when they come here. I can only imagine how sweet the atmosphere is at their church in LA.
One of the friends I met through NYC is the Youth Pastor and it’s always so wonderful to see him. God has networked people and churches through all of us and it’s fun to see how connected we all are when we get a glimpse of the big picture of God’s plans. How enormous His plans are and how they would blow our minds if we are shown too much at a time! Lol
This week was fun. There were 30 on the team plus Nick as an intern. Tori came on Monday to be an intern for 2 weeks, so she joined the mix starting on Tues. There were 11 church services, 8 fiestas/street evangelism events, 4 days of VBS, a pastor’s conference, 3 feeding center visits and 4 days of construction. There were a total of 602 salvations for the week.
Everyone had a great time serving together and there was a lot of sharing and worshiping at the team house at night. The team went to the volcano to zip line for their fun day. They got back in time for a late dinner of pizza after shopping.
I was busy going with Johana to work on cleaning up some files for the feeding centers and also helped Lesly with team grocery shopping and errands. I had a ton of computer work to do and kept very busy myself.
It was hard to say goodbye to Nick. He did get to meet the 3 new interns coming from FBC Rogers AR (my home church) and he was sad not to get to stay and work with them. But after 5 weeks, he needed to get back home. He is really missed, though!
It was a lovely week and I was very blessed.
This is one of my all time favorite teams. I just love this church. You can feel such a peace and unity in the teams when they come here. I can only imagine how sweet the atmosphere is at their church in LA.
One of the friends I met through NYC is the Youth Pastor and it’s always so wonderful to see him. God has networked people and churches through all of us and it’s fun to see how connected we all are when we get a glimpse of the big picture of God’s plans. How enormous His plans are and how they would blow our minds if we are shown too much at a time! Lol
This week was fun. There were 30 on the team plus Nick as an intern. Tori came on Monday to be an intern for 2 weeks, so she joined the mix starting on Tues. There were 11 church services, 8 fiestas/street evangelism events, 4 days of VBS, a pastor’s conference, 3 feeding center visits and 4 days of construction. There were a total of 602 salvations for the week.
Everyone had a great time serving together and there was a lot of sharing and worshiping at the team house at night. The team went to the volcano to zip line for their fun day. They got back in time for a late dinner of pizza after shopping.
I was busy going with Johana to work on cleaning up some files for the feeding centers and also helped Lesly with team grocery shopping and errands. I had a ton of computer work to do and kept very busy myself.
It was hard to say goodbye to Nick. He did get to meet the 3 new interns coming from FBC Rogers AR (my home church) and he was sad not to get to stay and work with them. But after 5 weeks, he needed to get back home. He is really missed, though!
It was a lovely week and I was very blessed.
June 22-28, 2013 Crosslife Church
Crosslife Church from El Dorado AR is one of our long-time supporters. They brought the biggest team that we have had so far. 59 people came and we were busting at the seams, but we made it work! Building 5 new showers, toilet, sink units helped with the extra people. We had people everywhere!
Counting the interns, VOH staff, translators, drivers, etc., the ladies were cooking for over 120 servings per meal. It was crazy! The washing dishes seemed never ending. Refilling the freezer with water bottles was a 3 time a day chore. Keeping the large water bottles on the dispensers was a multiple times a day event, too. It was a challenge, but it was great!
There were 12 church services, 15 fiestas/street evangelism events, 4 school visits, 2 days of VBS, 5 feeding center visits, 3 days of dentistry for 74 people and 5 days of construction (the support poles and roof were put on the church at ACS). There were 1,356 salvations that week! It was a very busy and fruitful week!
The interns were hustling like crazy, but it was good to be back at the team house for every meal. We snuck away a couple of times for some free time and devotions and sharing. I so enjoyed this group of interns! While the team went on a fun day, I took the interns downtown and we had a blast. We hit the coffee shop a lot. I don’t usually drink coffee, even though I love it, but I think I had 3 mochaccinos that week! Lol
It was fun and a wonderful blessing to have this team here. It’s always fun to see people who have been here before, especially when they are friends on facebook!
6 of the interns left with the team on Saturday. Only Nick is left for one more week to work with his home church who arrived Saturday night. I started missing Calen, Fred, Rachel, Adam, Kyle and Morgan before they even got out of León! I pray for them and wish them the very best that God has in store for them!
God blesses me with friends from all over the place! He is so sweet to me!
Counting the interns, VOH staff, translators, drivers, etc., the ladies were cooking for over 120 servings per meal. It was crazy! The washing dishes seemed never ending. Refilling the freezer with water bottles was a 3 time a day chore. Keeping the large water bottles on the dispensers was a multiple times a day event, too. It was a challenge, but it was great!
There were 12 church services, 15 fiestas/street evangelism events, 4 school visits, 2 days of VBS, 5 feeding center visits, 3 days of dentistry for 74 people and 5 days of construction (the support poles and roof were put on the church at ACS). There were 1,356 salvations that week! It was a very busy and fruitful week!
The interns were hustling like crazy, but it was good to be back at the team house for every meal. We snuck away a couple of times for some free time and devotions and sharing. I so enjoyed this group of interns! While the team went on a fun day, I took the interns downtown and we had a blast. We hit the coffee shop a lot. I don’t usually drink coffee, even though I love it, but I think I had 3 mochaccinos that week! Lol
It was fun and a wonderful blessing to have this team here. It’s always fun to see people who have been here before, especially when they are friends on facebook!
6 of the interns left with the team on Saturday. Only Nick is left for one more week to work with his home church who arrived Saturday night. I started missing Calen, Fred, Rachel, Adam, Kyle and Morgan before they even got out of León! I pray for them and wish them the very best that God has in store for them!
God blesses me with friends from all over the place! He is so sweet to me!
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