Only in Nicaragua

Last week the faucet on the outside of the house broke off. The pipe was old and when the dogs bumped into it and it fell off. Having a Dad that taught me how to fix things like this Mary and I went to the hardware store and bought the necessary supplies for $1.50. We went home and fixed it right away so that we could fill our water tank before the city water was turned off. We went to bed that night thinking we had fixed the problem. Unfortunately that was not the case. We have spent all weekend without water and with multiple trips to the hardware store and still no resolution. This seems to be the way things go here in Nicaragua. Even the most simple repairs are not simple. We are now waiting on a plumber to come and fix the problem. (we hope)
Here I am adding another coat of PVC glue in hopes that this would hold it.

Visitors

On top of all the teams we have had this summer we have also had a number of special visitors. Michaella from our home office in Omaha, NE USA and Sonia from the base in El Salvador were here last week. They had the opportunity to learn a little about the history of Nicaragua and CFCI here. They were fun to hang out with for the two short days they were with us.

God of Details

So I know it has been a week since the Kirk of the Hills team left but I have had trouble accessing my blog so I am sorry this is later than I had hoped.

The week with the Kirk was great! God totally reminded me of His greatness and that no matter how hard I try I can't plan for everything and that is ok. Before the team even arrived there were details that I couldn't have expected. One of the adult team members was going to arrive 3 days after the team. I had made arrangements for him to stay with one of the families from the church. Later on he had to pull out of the trip all together. The same day I found out that he was no longer coming was the same day that the grandmother of the Nicaraguan family got really sick. It was a relief for the family to be able to focus on caring for their grandmother and not worry about a guest in their home. During the week that we were in Popoyoapa, Rivas the grandmother passed away. God knew the plans for that week and He took care of all the details before we even knew what was going to happen.

It was marvelous to see the youth from the team working together with the youth from the church during the week. We had the opportunity to clean up, paint and repair desks at a little two room school in the community. Everyone worked together joyfully. Even the kids from the school were out helping clean up their school. Thankfully not too much blue paint ended up in places that it shouldn't be. :-)

Take a moment to check out the pics from the week. I didn't post all of them but there are a few here. Hopefully I'll have the Kirk video linked up soon too.

Home Sweet Home

Yes, that's right. I am home (my house in Managua) now for at least a few weeks. Last night was the first night of many to sleep in my own bed and wake up and not have to dig through my backpack for my toothbrush. :-)

The summer has been downright BUSY! We just finished up with a Tsunami of teams for the summer. Praise the Lord we saw lots of amazing things happen during the past few weeks with three different teams all here at the same time. Grace Church sent a medical team and spent the week sleeping in hammocks and running a clinic in Villa del Carmen. Seacoast Youth spent the week in Madroñal working with the youth there and ended with a weekend retreat with youth leaders from around the area.
Kirk of the Hills youth spent the week in Popoyoapa working and playing with the youth of the community. Now there is one more team on the way this Friday.

As we take time to finish up with this last team and regroup after a busy time I'll write more with specific stories if how God is working and has worked through the summer.

TRUCK UPDATE
Still waiting on the final police report and court decision. They keep telling us to come back. Hopefully this week we'll know more. Meanwhile, the truck sits and waits for the mechanic to do an estimate of repairs. I still can't touch it until we get the final ruling.

Only on a Mission Trip

So in my line of work I see a lot of people come to Nicaragua for the first time. They are amazed at so many things and often times have lots of questions. They are faced with a language barrier, cultural differences and lots of new foods to try. Gumby is known as a pretty flexible guy right! So we have a Gumby Award that is given each day to team members who show flexibility.

Well with the Emmanuel Team a week and a half ago Gumby went on a little adventure. There was some pranking that went on during the week between the boys and the girls. Watch the video all the way through and you'll see who won. :-)

So I know that some of you have been waiting on an update from the court ruling on the accident. On Wednesday we went to the police station and in true nica form we were joined by about 15 other people who had appointments at the same time. As we waited I had the opportunity to chat with a few other people I knew in line that had been hit in accidents recently. Finally, we made it to the front of the line and the verdict was given. Jason was declared at fault for the accident. He has decided to continue on with the appeals process. Until the final verdict is rendered I can't do anything more with my truck to find out how much the damage is going to cost to fix.
It is all a waiting game now. It has been hard this week to face all the work that I have to do in the midst of now many more time consuming things to add to the list. God is gracious and He has surrounded me with good friends here who have been so understanding, offered me rides, let me cry on their shoulder and give me lots of hugs. Pray with me for God's provision in all of this as I wait. My my actions and my responses reflect the love of my Savior.

Close Call

I just got back from a great week with a youth team from Omaha, Nebraska. I have lots of stories and funny things to share and I hope to have time to write them up for you this next week.

Last night we had a very close call to having a really bad accident. Lori had a flat tire so a friend borrowed my truck to go up and help her out. On the way he had an accident and ran into a big truck that had no tail lights. Below are some pictures. Basically the truck is out of commission until we get the final police ruling on Wednesday. Praise the Lord NO one was hurt and everyone was able to walk away safely. The damage to the other truck was minimal.
Please pray for me as I deal with all that this involves. Currently I am feeling overwhelmed and in need of the Father's strength to get through this one. I appreciate your prayers for wisdom and God's provision for another vehicle soon.