Be joyful always – 1 Thessalonians 5:16
My time in Nicaragua has been filled with joy. I am finding joy in the small, everyday things.
Our transportation here is in the back of a truck… perfect for these hot days!
A worship service on the streets of a village
Being able to spend time in the villages… meeting people and praying with people. This is Ernest. He has kidney problems due to exposure to chemicals in the sugar cane fields… this is very common here among the men working in the fields. It is so sad. Ernest is only 29 years old, has a wife and a 4 year old daughter. We had the opportunity to pray for him. The couple times I have been back to visit him, he has been doing better! Praise God!
Children… Enough said.
My family… This is a family I met on my first visit to the village of Bethel. I will share more about them in my next blog. I find such joy in just being with them… even when I can’t understand them. Their smiles are enough.
Baptisms: It was awesome to be able to witness some baptisms while we were here. Seeing the baptisms has probably been one of my favorite moments here so far.
I love how the whole community gets involved and turns the day into a day of fun spent together. After a short service and the baptisms, they all swim and visit for the rest of the day.
Christmas tree… we couldn’t get a real one, so some people got together and made this one. We had a lot of fun decorating it.
Killing my first tarantella
Freeing the family of mice… We saw a mouse run across the wall in the girl’s room one night and into a fan on the wall. We thought there were 2 mice that had made a nest in the fan, so we quickly came up with a game plan to get them out. We wrapped the area where they got in and out with duct tape and then unscrewed the fan off the wall, wrapped it in a bed sheet, and then took it to the boy’s room. The boy’s room was no help! So we decided to take care of it. We took them outside, unscrewed the motor case on the fan, and let the mice go… all 5 of them! Turns out, there was a whole family living in there. I am pretty sure they probably ended up right back in the building, but the boys wouldn’t take care of them so we let them go.
Hammock time with God in the morning.
My first time to the beach!
Connie… She is a riot! I absolutely love her and love chatting with her any chance I get! She has a big heart and a fun personality!
The soccer tournament we were able to be part of. An organization or company sponsored it. Four local villages had teams that played in it… I think the boys were between about 9 and 12ish. They each got a soccer ball for participating, and then they got prized based on where they finished… like new soccer cleats, jerseys, and so on. It was so fun to see these boys have such an opportunity and be able to cheer them on.
(One of the teams did not have a coach so Courtney and Dave stepped in)
Junior… He has quickly become a great friend to me this month through our many chats and fun adventures. He is a strong man of God that has challenged me to grow so much. I see the joy he brings to people here and it inspires me. His passion to help people and his big heart shine the love of God so brightly.
(this is also my first time planking… around a Christams tree at a grocery store.. with Junior and Jake)
The cooks! Estella and Antonia! I love spending time in the kitchen with these two! They are fun and their smiles make my day every time I see them! Oh… and their cooking… DELICIOUS!
Part of our ministry this month is putting a new roof on Antonia's house and starting the foundation and building process of a house for Estella on her new property! I am so excited to be able to give back to these amazing women who have blessed me so much this month!
Nicaragua is amazing! I absolutely love it here!
My heart is filled with Joy
