a little of this and a little of that

Wow!  It is hard to believe that I have been back in Nicaragua for over a month now.   Where has the time gone...and to think that I always talk about how things are slower in Nicaragua. :-)

Well here is a little recap of the last 4 weeks.

CFCI board with the Nicaragua team

The day after I arrived Christ for the City's International Board meeting was hosted in Managua.  This was a great time meeting all of the board members and their wives.   We traveled all over introducing them to some of the churches and people we work with here.  Our CFCI team of 3 drivers had a rigorous schedule of airport pick ups and drop offs as well as bus station trips too.    Overall it was a great week and everyone had a great time.  I got to see some old friends and make some new ones.

The next week I attempted to gather my belongings from the various placed they were being "stored" for me.  I'm staying with an awesome missionary family, the Robinson's  who have been so gracious to take me in until the end of may when I go to house sit for another family.

Here is our team Pollo Verde "Green Chicken"  I think we did really smell like green chicken too!

Ultimate Frisbee is something I have enjoyed playing since moving to Nicaragua.   This year the guys organized a trip to Costa Rica to play in a tournament there.  So Friday after noon 13 of us piled into a 15 passenger van and drove 6+ hours to Arenal, Costa Rica.   We played well as a team and learned a lot more about competitive frisbee.  I was the only girl from our  team in Nicaragua that could go so we picked up a few more at the tournament.  They were great to have on the team.   The Green Chickens won 3rd place.

Next we had a team from Grace Church come to work in Rivas and do pastor training.   We had a terrific week with about 45 pastors sharing different topics with the men and the women.   I was with the women for the week and the teachers shared about a Biblical view of femininity.  We had lively discussions and a great time encouraging and loving on these women throughout the week.  

As a bonus my good friend Mary Ezzell was also a part of the team and we had lots of opportunity to catch up on life.  God also provided an wonderful opportunity for us to share how He has restored our relationship after several very difficult years.  It was a great testimony of God's faithfulness.

In between all of this great stuff I have also started a Masters program online.   Part of the requirements for my new position with NCA is that I get my Masters degree.   So far it has been a great jump back into the learning and school environment.  I definitely a little rusty in the paper writing area but I'm slowly getting the hang of it once again.   This is a giant leap of faith as I wait to see how God will provide for me to continue studying.   However I know that He is always faithful.

Things are moving along for the school in Matagalpa.   We just developed a job description for me and are beginning to make connections to other organizations that are working in education.  Our biggest need is for a director.   Please pray that God would lead us to the right person for this position soon. 

Ken, Mary, Julie, Jimmy and Rafa 

***This blog post was written about 3 times as the power kept going on and off and erasing my entries.   I guess this means welcome back to Nicaragua and sorry if it is not the most detailed version. :-) ***

Relationships

If I were to sum up 2009 in one word it would be relationships. God has blessed me with so many great friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances. A perk of living in a "warm" culture is that people tend to be more people oriented rather than task oriented. The longer I am here in Nicaragua the more I long for those long afternoon conversations with others over coffee or a cup of Rojita (for all those cough syrup tasting soda lovers).

Since I stayed in Nicaragua this Christmas my primary objective was to visit and catch up with all of the friends I've hardly seen since the school year started. The past two weeks have been RICH in fellowship, heart to heart talks, laughter, tears and yes... coffee.

I love and cherish every moment that has been spent over my break with people. I feel refreshed and revived. What an exciting way to start out 2010.

Today I took my truck to my mechanic. Bismark is a brother from one of the churches that we work with and has been a true blessing to our base not only with his mechanic skills but also with his amazing testimony.

Last Spring Bismark's wife died suddenly. It is customary in Nicaragua that there is an all night visitation that starts pretty much right away. Family, friends, church members etc come and comfort and pray with the family and then a burial service is generally the following day. As we heard the news last year our hearts sank as we mourned the loss of a dear sister. Our prayers went out to Bismark and his sons as they grieved. As I went to the "vela" visitation and talked with Bismark I was left speechless at he gave testimony to God's power, purpose, peace and provision in the midst of this difficult challenge. I thought that I was going to give words of comfort and encouragement to a hurting brother but in turn left awestruck by the power of our great God and His testimony through Bismark's trust in Him.

Back to today... Bismark and I were chatting and I asked him how his holidays were know that they were very different for him and his boys this year. He shared that it has been difficult and that he has felt strange these past few weeks without his wife around. As we both shared tears and a prayer together Bismark gave praise to the Lord for providing a moment to talk and share what he is experiencing. He is taking comfort from the words of David in the Psalms during these days.
Psalm 77
11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12 I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?

14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.

Please pray for God's peace and comfort to reign in Bismark's life and home.

God I thank you that you have made us relational people and that you provide people to talk to when we need it most. Thank you for always being our Rock and Provider.

Pray for Nicaragua

This weekend will prove to be an interesting one in Managua. There are two marches planned for downtown. One in opposition to the government and another for in pro of the government.

A few weeks ago the six members of the National Assembly approved the potential reelection of Daniel Ortega in 2010. According the the constitution he can only hold office two nonconsecutative times.

Pray for peace between the two parties as well as wisdom for the government on all levels.

Thank you!

Thanks for praying this week. We have been able to reach some decisions for one of my students. God has been faithful and has been gracious to not only give us peace about the decision but also grace when talking to the parents too.

It has been decided that NCA is not able to provide the services that my little guy needed so he is looking for a new school. Please continue to pray for the family as they seek out the best options for the little guy. Also, his twin sister is staying in my class which is a great thing. Pray for her she experiences this school day separation. I am thankful that I will continue to see the family and hopefully my little guy too. :-)

God is so faithful.

Prayer Request

I have shared with some of you that I have had some kids with special needs in my class this year. It has been a challenge to meet their needs and still help the rest of the class move forward. A decision is being made this week for one of these special need students. I ask for prayer for all those involved in the decision. Also for the students, parents and teachers. May God's grace fill our mouths and thoughts as we sort out this issue. Thank you!

Coming Soon! Mouse Tales!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth....at least not yet!

School has started. Grading papers, reminding students to turn in homework, tying shoes, buttoning pants, lesson plans, early mornings and late nights are what the last three weeks have been filled with. It is fun, rewarding, fulfilling and exhausting all at the same time.

I've got plans to tell you some stories with a future update, perhaps this weekend of the first few weeks of adventure and laughter in first grade. For now I wanted to ask for your prayers for energy, patience and consistency with my class. One by one we are remembering the rules and learning new things. It is 10 o'clock on Wednesday night and I am feeling ready for the weekend already. Lord please grant me the patience I need to love my students like you do.

The coming Tsunami

In our office we jokingly refer to the summer flurry of teams as the summer Tsunami. Well it is almost upon us and has already sucked a few of us into a rapid pace.

First of all I give thanks to God for a very productive and relatively peaceful few weeks of work in the office. It could only be the hand of God as many of you who have been here know how quickly and crazy things get. I have been able to get lots of things organized for the Short Term Missions department as well as make lots of plans for the upcoming teams that I will be working with.

On Sunday the first team arrives. Nathan and I will be working with the Seacoast 20 somethings team for a week in Villa El Carmen. It will be a week full of sports, sun and making new friends.

Please pray for the following:

• New relationships to be formed between the church members and new believers in the community

• Safety in planes, buses and cars

• Health (we'll be staying with families at the church Estrella de Belen)
• Energy
• A teacher training that I will be leading right after the team leaves
• Financial support- may the Lord continue to provide all that is needed
  

Thanks for following along with me on this journey!

Rules and Routines

What a whirlwind week this has been. So many things are happening all at the same time and it leaves me not knowing where to begin. I'll start with the most recent and work my way back. :-)

On Friday Julie and I after a month of preparation, hours of prayer and gallons of sweat held our our first teacher training session with the teachers at Hosanna Sur. We had a great time talking with the teachers about positive rules and routines. We played quite a few games and learned some behavior management techniques that I hope will serve the teachers well. Once the workshop was over we stayed at the school for another hour just talking with some of the teachers. It was an amazing time of fellowship.

In the past week we have seen that our time investment in the teachers at Hosanna Sur has been worth every minute. This week several teachers shared personal things with us and also were more open in sharing what God is doing in their lives. When we started this whole thing my prayer has always been that we would build friendships and relationships first. God has answered that prayer in so many ways.

I praise God for the time that He gave Julie and I to be with the teachers on Friday. Opportunities to encourage the teachers and for the language barrier to not be an issue in sharing the info we wanted to share were answers to prayer. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for the work here.

Please continue to pray for the work in the schools as we continue to help and encourage the teachers at Hosanna Sur.

Nicaragua Needs Your Prayers

On November 9th Nicaragua held its mayoral elections. The Sandanista (Leftist Party) supposedly won the election. The Liberal Party has contested the results of the elections because there have been widespread inconsistencies reported from many districts. Ballots for the liberal party have been found in trash cans and id cards found in fields that were not distributed on order to keep people from voting.
Therefore the election has not been officially called and the Sandanista party has claimed victory while the Liberal party has commissioned a march against fraud and has requested that the election be nullified. Meanwhile people have taken to the streets with machetes, sticks, rocks and everything else to create disorder in the capital city of Managua. As of yet the president has not stepped up to tell the peole to carry on with life nor has he asked them to stop the violence.
We serve a God who is living and active we know that He knows all the details of the situation in Nicaragua and we pray for His peace to come over this city and allow the leaders of this country to make decisions and take action where it is needed and in a way that will honor Him.

Please join me in praying for Nicaragua's current political situation. Pray that there would be resolution and peace soon. Pray that both sides of the situation will see a way that they can unite behind a solution and work towards peace and not with anger, hate and resentment.

Amazing Answer

Romans 5:3-5
"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

I can say that these surely have been trying times in my life. Praise the Lord for His hope, for it truly does not disappoint.

On Monday afternoon God answered a huge prayer on mine and many of yours. I bought a truck. I had looked at it several times and taken it to the mechanic to have it checked out the week before. I had prayed for the remaining cash to come in so that I could move forward and place an offer on the table. Money came in from all kinds of people and places many of which I still don't know. (Thank you to all those anonymous donors and friends)
So here it is after almost 3 months of biking, walking, catching rides, taxis and buses a gift from God: 1999 Nissan, like a Frontier but not quite, double cab, diesel, 4x4 truck!

From Truck

I am blown away by it all and stand grateful for all that God has taught me through this time. I hope to not forget what travel and transportation is like for most of the people that I work with around the country. Also, the wonderful, visual reminder of God's protection the night of the accident all the way through to His provision of the new truck today.

From Truck

From Truck

Updates

I've updated the prayer requests and praises!

Showers from Above

From blog photos

Here are puddles outside our front door

As most of you already know the rainy season is upon us here in Nicaragua. October generally is the rainiest month of the year. Alcides just told me that according to records October 2008 has been the rainiest in 64 years. Now while the rain cools things off a bit it also causes a lot of problems too.

The roads and drainage systems are not designed for so much rain and have been flooding. The drainage ditches get clogged up with so much trash and debris that the roads become rivers with hidden craters for potholes.

Rains of this type cause already leaky roofs to become even leakier. Mold, mosquitos and many other things grow substantially making life difficult for many Nicaraguans. Pray for the many Nicaraguans that are facing hard times this rainy season. May the Lord protect them as they go to and from work in crazy flooding. May He also protect their homes from flooding.

Coming Full Circle

Pastor Franlym, Myrna and Julia

Something amazing happened last week that I want to share with you. As the news spread among friends that we were robbed I felt an overwhelming amount of love and support from so many both here and in the States. By the time I got to the house after receiving the news of the break in there were already 5 friends at the house being supportive in whatever way they could.
Alcides was in Rivas when he heard the news and must have shared it with a Pastor I know and have worked with lots this year. Pastor Franlym is an amazing pastor that I have enjoyed working with. He is a dreamer and has lots of vision for his church and his community. God has graciously allowed us to partner with his church for two teams this year.
Franlym upon hearing about my situation sent me an email that same afternoon. His email was filled with encouragement and love. He gave several verses to remind me of God’s care for His children. While I didn’t actually read it until several days later God was saving it for a moment when I needed it most. The most amazing thing that I walk away with from all this is that God is so faithful. We have worked to build a relationship with Pastor Franlym and his church. We have provided training, brought supplies and all kinds of encouragement and discipleship tools to the church and now the relationship has moved to another level. The relationship is a recipricol one. In a moment of need Franlym stepped up and used his God-given gifts to bless the people and ministry of Christ for the City.
This is fruit of the seeds that God has planted through you, and me and many others. What a beautiful picture this is of God’s faithfulness played out in the growth, challenges and lives of His children.

Here is a link to pictures from the week that The Kirk was working with Pastor Franlym's church El Nazareno in Popoyoapa.