Upon returning to home, each of us were faced with the reality of the blessings which God had poured into our lives through our new friends in Nicaragua.  We were thankful for every thing we had and even found that we had too much.  Our lives were changed, and we wept for those who we had to leave behind.  I have been on 4 mission trips, and this trip was the best beyond any thing that I have ever experienced.

It is hard to be back.  In America, there are so distractions, that it is easy to forget what is really important.  In Nicaragua, we went over to bless them, and in exchanged they blessed us way more than what we gave them.

For me, it is like I found my long-lost family, and then had to leave them.

I pray for them almost every morning, that God will keep them safe and bless them with provisions and that we will see each other again.

Thank you everyone who helped us go on this trip, it was truly a blessing and one that I will never forget.

All 4 His Glory!

Got to sleep in an hour this morning, which was nice! Especially after the emotions and experiences of yesterday!  Church went amazing last night!!  Pastor Steve preached the message, and at the end, called the team up to be available to pray for anyone needing prayer…many came up for prayer, and the love of God and the Spirit of God were so evident…the team laid hands on everyone and prayed and interceded and worshipped, and it did not matter that the languages were different…we were in unity, worshipping the same God!  It was incredible to experience that unity, and to fully realize that the same God we talk to & hear from, is present and active half a world away!

Anyway, this morning we got up and traveled to Masaya where we visited an active volcano!!  We climbed up to the rim of it and were able to look down into the crater, seeing the different layers of lava rock that had formed, and climb thru the smoke coming from the volcano.  It was so very cool!!  (parents, don’t worry…the last eruption was 300 years ago! and as I’m writing this, we got home ok!!)   After lunch at Tip Top (see reference in last blogpost)…went to a marketplace that was located on the edge of a crater lake.  Not sure what caused the crater, tho…will have to ask!  They had some great vendors, spent about an hour taking pictures and looking around.  After which, we went back to the market we went to on Thursday, as we didn’t have much time there before.  Tonight after devotions, we’ll be celebrating Doris’s 15th Birthday…Happy Birthday Doris!!

Tomorrow there are 7 couples who will be getting married in church!!  Our drama team will be performing in both the morning and evening services, with more singing (which we understand very little of, but try to join in with, just the same!)  Will try to upload photos tomorrow, if at all possible!  Until then, much love from Nicaragua!!

(ps-to Brendan’s family, he says “I’m having a great time!  Love you all & miss you…will see you soon!”)

…to sufficiently convey our experience at the dump….heart-breaking, shocking, dirty, overwhelming…I can hardly begin.  Our team will share with you their impressions, I am sure…for I know that all were touched and changed.  Two instances for me that stand out from the images that topple over each other in my mind…The first are of the tents and homes (both terms used loosely) that are actually built IN the dump (like our landfill, but much worse!)…on TOP of the mountains of garbage…one man’s dwelling actually had rain runoff that ran thru his home! The other was a little boy, probably not more than 6 yrs old, running around in all that trash, barefoot.  These people have absolutely nothing, in our terms of “having”…they dig in the trash, scrambling as each truck brings a new load, collecting plastic to take for recycling, working all day…to earn perhaps $2.00…a DAY.  For perspective, a combo meal at Tip Top Chicken is about $4.  And yet, everyone we met was so friendly, so genuinely joyful, that it really touched our team that we have NOTHING to complain about…these people truly have the joy of the Lord, and it is their strength. There is a church in the midst of the dump community, and when we arrived on Friday afternoon, there were children singing “Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord” (in Spanish, of course!)….this song has kinda become the theme song of our journey, a prayer that God would open our heart’s eyes, that we may see as He sees.  And may that continue….

Viernes! (Friday!) Another full day today, filled with new places and people and experiences!  Went to an elementary school this morning…there were four classes, ages preschool (prescholar) & elem.  When we got there, they released their classes into the center yard (which was brushed hardpacked dirt), where we could play soccer & dodgeball & London Bridge & other games…there was much laughter when the kids decided to “dog-pile” some of our team members, after an enthusiastic race around the buildings!  We explained to a lot of the kids what our shirts meant, about Jesus being the Bread of Life, and our provision for everything.  I think  because they have so few material possesions, and do not have the ability to look to their circumstances to meet their needs, they are more open to the knowledge that Jesus supplies all they need!  Found out today that the organization we are here with has over 50 feeding centers, in Managua alone…began with the vision of one man (Poppa Perry, whom we’ve met this week!).  It is truly amazing to see how these lives are touched, not just thru physical nourishment, but spiritual also.  We brought some Spanish New Testaments with us, and one of the teachers at the school said she had been praying for Bibles, because they do not have many books, and she wants the children to learn how to read, and she can get them to read the Bible to learn.  How much different from America!

This afternoon we will be visiting the dump.  There are families who make their home at the dump, so we will be visiting them, and sharing the love of Christ with them.  I suspect this will probably be the most difficult part of our trip so far….

Will update with pictures later, Lord willing (and cooperative internet!) Love to you all; we feel your prayers surrounding us!  Much love from Nicaragua….

(ps-Pastor Ken & Paula, Lee sends his love to you!  And a big shout-out to Nick Baker!!)

Greetings loved ones!  It’s hard to believe it’s Thursday!  This morning we went to a school in Managua.  The children were preschool & elementary age.  We got there early (around 9am?), and played with the children for about an hour and a half.  They would stand off to the side of us until we noticed them and said “hola”….then their faces glowed with a smile and would give us hugs and start chattering away.  It did not matter that we did not understand them…and they did not understand us…it was enough for them to know that we were there just for them! There was a large open yard between the preschool & the elementary school that had some swings & teeter-totters.  We played soccer & taught them “duck-duck-goose”, which I think led to the World’s Largest game of Duck-Duck-Goose!  After playing with them for a while, we were able to go into the classrooms (each a small room with perhaps 25-30 kids, and one or two large windows with bars…no screens, no a/c, no fans) and talk with the class thru a translator.  Many of our team gave their testimony, and shared with them the love of God and Jesucristo (Jesus).  Afterwards, we helped feed them lunch.  They have to bring their own plates or bowls in order to get food, and some of them do not have anything.  They wait until a classmate is done, and then borrow their plate.  There is no impatience in this, no complaining, just patience & a child’s joy.  We had some styrofoam plates to give some of them…and I watched once everyone was done, the ones we gave them to packed those styrofoam plates away in their bags to take home, to use again the next day.  There is so much we take for granted!!

This afternoon, we will be going to a marketplace…will be interesting to see how well we do with Latin American negotiations!!  Will try to post some pictures tonight, if the connection is good.  The Senior Pastor & his wife, George & Monica, are gracious and let us use their computer in their home.  Thank you for your continued prayers.  It has been amazing so far!!  Will write later and tell you about the worship service we had last night!  Until then….love & God’s blessings from Nicaragua!

Internet connection has been a challenge, but with the help of the locals and our team, I am online.  There is so much we have to share with you, we don’t know where to begin!  Today, we got another early start after breakfast (which the wonderful ladies cook for us here….the fresh-blended tropical juices are amazing!)…we headed for a small town about 1.5 hrs outside of Managua.   When we got to the center, things weren’t quite prepared, as it’s a more recent center….so we took a couple of teams into the surrounding community to invite the children (& parents) to join us for games and food.  As you can see by the pictures, we had a good turnout!  The children are so loving, and so friendly & open.  As we were inviting people, one lady invited us into her home, took out & cleaned off 4 chairs for us, and invited us to sit for a while…so we had a nice chat with her and her friends, and later they came to the Center for lunch & to watch the kids play.  Soccer is so huge here, but they enjoy baseball & volleyball too!  Some got into a rousing game of dodgeball…all in all, a very heart-touching time.  After the feeding center, we loaded up the bus and went to the coastline (Pacific), where we ate lunch at an open-air restaurant with the sound of crashing waves in the background.  It was delicioso!  Then it was time to come back to the Compound (where we are staying) as there was a baseball game set up with some of the locals…which is going on now, in the midst of a beautiful, gentle rain.  We have been blessed with beautiful weather so far, and this helps cool things off!  The team is doing great, having a fabulous time, making incredible memories, and most of all, sowing seeds in the Kingdom!!

(ps-Christy, Paul sends his love & says “hola!”  To all the other parents, I know each of your kids send their love, too…when we give them the time to rest!!)   Keep checking back…more updates to come as time & internet connection allow!

Our flights were smooth, no problems and some of those who flew, it was their first times.  By the time we took our 2nd flight, they decided that they enjoyed flying.   We arrived in Managua around 7pm, however it was already dark.   Due to the location of the sun, revolving around the northern hemisphere, the sun sets earlier and rises eariler, too.  It gets dark earlier around 6:00pm and becomes light around 4:30am.  There is a rooster who thinks he’s our alarm clock!  This morning we traveled about an hour outside of Managua to a feeding center, where we helped prepare lunch for the children who come to hear about God and be fed…some this is their only meal each day. They sing & dance, and we played some soccer with them before lunch. After the soccer games, we helped feed them lunch.  Our hearts were touched by many of the children…the pictures speak for themselves.  This evening we played soccer & baseball & games with the children…they are very friendly & loving.  We’ll be adding photos after dinner…so check back soon!

Hi Everyone:

We understand that our mission team arrived yesterday in Miami at 3:30 p.m. and departed for Nicaragua at 6:30 p.m.  They arrived in Managua Nicaragua at 8:45 p.m. EST.

They have limited internet connection with which to update the blog.  However they will make connection and do so when possible.

God Bless,