Rest, Revive, Renew These are three words that I have come to associate with my month here in Nicaragua. Sure, we have plenty of activities to occupy our time, but the schedule is much more relaxed than last month. Our time in Guatemala was amazing, but it has awesome to enter a season of renewal. There has been so much spiritual growth for the team this month and our relationships in our community have grown and flourished as well. I have never been so hungry to read the Word as I am here. I can’t wait to go to bed each night thinking that the earlier I do, the earlier I can wake up, and the more time I will have to read before breakfast. Each morning I climb up this water tower behind our house and revel in the peace and solitude . It is my special spot just to be alone with the Lord and I just hope that I can find a “water tower� in each country we go to. On a more serious note, it has been tough to hear some of the stories of the kids. Some of the kids who are currently living with us at La Quinta, have come from difficult and tragic backgrounds. Many of them came out of gangs, sexual abuse (from family members), drugs, alcohol, etc. I heard the story of one of the younger children the other day, who was subjected to drugs and alcohol starting around 5 years old. By the time he came to the ministry around age ten, he was a drug addict and alcoholic and had issues stemming from his own sexual abuse. It is always tough when new kids come to the ministry and are detoxing from the issues of their pasts. It is only through love and the grace of God that they are able to make it through. When I initially heard some of the kids’ stories I could hardly believe it, knowing the people they are today. I know they still struggle with the effects of their pasts, but there has been so much healing. I only wish there were more homes (more like havens) for children such as these, whose futures could be filled with hope and security. I praise God for the relationships we have been able to form with the kids at the Quinta and for all the beautiful children in the barrios that we have gotten to know and love this month. Just know that your prayers and your support of this ministry are bringing smiles to the sweet little faces of children all the way over in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. 1. We are currently praying about our next ministry in Costa Rica. We have a list of contacts, but we really want to follow what the Lord has in store for us next month in spite of our own desires and comfort levels with the specific ministries. Pray for discernment and guidance J 2. I am in charge of finances for our team and my Macbook just stopped working. It won’t even turn on! Pray that it will miraculously work again or there will be some kind of solution. I lost all the data for our finances this month and have a limited amount of time to do it all. Plus my computer is the way I am able to communicate with my family and write updates. 3. Continued spiritual growth and good health for my team. In our squad, one girl had to have her appendix removed, another has kidney stones, and there are plenty of parasites. 4. I have been blessed with so much financial support so far, but I am $3,000 short of my next deadline on December 31st. Please pray that God provides in this area and that I will trust Him throughout the process. 5. The Hotel Casa Mateo, which is a big part of our ministry here is struggling financially at this time, and we found out today that unless financial support comes in, they will have to cut off the lights.
We are working with Ministerio Mateo this month, which consists of many things. There is a hotel which is used to house missions teams that come down to Nicaragua to do work. There is also a youth center about a mile away , a feeding center, and a children’s home (5 miles away), where my team lives and spends most of its time. The children’s home is located on a compound “off the beaten path� (but really you should see the road to get there…), and is referred to as La Quinta. There is a church on the property as well as a preschool, a sewing school, a team house, and of course the children’s home. About 13 kids live there ranging from ages 7-20ish. The main purpose of the ministry is to train up the youth who live there to be ministers. We work with them during the week doing VBS, children’s church, and children’s ministries. We also join another one of the World Race teams doing ministry at the youth center sometimes. It has been incredible to visit the different barrios all around the area and love on the kids who live there. A lot of them come from really tough backgrounds and they thrive on the attention and love we are able to offer each week. My Spanish is extremely limited (though my French somehow helps), but it is both fun and humbling to struggle through the process of “conversations� with the kids. Today I successfully taught a group of about 12 to play “red light green light� and “duck, duck, goose� using the respective Spanish words. So fun!
Prayer Requests:
