End of Hardin Week... Welcome CAK

These past few days have been extremely busy with long days and nights. But we were able to accomplish a lot with this team. In the past two weeks this team has built a 132 foot wall for the school, told 850 students the gospel through 6 different stories, feed around 800 people at the beach, gave all the students at the school new uniforms, but above all showed Christ every day in the communities of San Judas and Pochomil. Many seeds have been planted and I know the Lord is growing them into beautiful stories to share one day.

Jesus Loves You

I want to share a story from today. I will say first off it is very sad but opened my eyes to the others in this world that are hurting. At the orphanage there is a little girl named Idis. She is a cute little girl with a huge smile and very curly hair. She is one of "mi amigas." But today, she really opened my eyes to the pain she was experiencing in her life and from her past. She is around 3 or 4 years old. It came time for the group and I to leave the orphanage and head back to the mission house. At this time, she was laying down for her afternoon nap. I was watching from a distance as Miriam helped translate for one of the ladies in the group. I could tell it was a very heavy conversation and there was a lot of emotion involved. After the finished talking we walked back to the bus and I noticed Miriam was crying, but I was unsure as to why.

Here is the story I soon found out. As the lady from the group was walking out and telling Idis bye through the window. She said "Jesus loves you!"

Idis replied, "Why? Will he hurt me? Where is my mom?"

So young but has experienced so much at the same time. Sometimes we see the smile on a person's face but do not realize how much they have gone through and are suffering. It is easy to just say, "Jesus loves you" and move on with our Christian walk. It is easy to stay in our bubbles and not get our hands dirty in ministry. But the thing is there are still hurting people, people that need hope, people that need to hear the gospel!

I am not sure what is going through Idis young little mind right now. But I pray that she is finding joy and hope in Jesus and knowing that he truly loves her and wants an eternal relationship with her.

But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." - Matthew 9:12

This is what it is all about...

Jose praying and accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior.

This is what the sweat, handwork, conflicting schedules, sunburns, late night, early mornings, spanish words, beans and rices, wall building, painting, sermons in spanish, money, time, heat, headaches, dehydration, water bottle refills, cold showers, sweat rags, bible verses, crafts, coloring, puppets, soccer balls, volley balls, bus rides, meetings, devotionals, prayers, priorities, ham and cheese lunches, piggy back rides, sore bodies, fans, and numerous other things are all for; seeing the Lord use us to change a child's life. How great is our God!?

The Sand Dollar

There's a pretty little legend

That I would like to tell
Of the birth and death of Jesus
Found in this lowly shell.

If you examine closely,
You'll see that you find here
Four nail holes and a fifth one
Made by a Roman's spear.

On one side the Easter lily,
Its center is the star
That appeared unto the shepherds
And led them from afar.

The Christmas poinsettia,
Etched on the other side
Reminds us of His birthday,
Our happy Christmastide.

Now break the center open,

And here you will release
The five white doves awaiting
To spread Good will and peace.

This simple little symbol,
Christ left for you and me
To help us spread His Gospel
Through all eternity.

Beach Day and Beans Multiplied

Today the team and I went down to the beach in Pochomil, Nicaragua. When we first got there we walked the community and invited them to the "God Party" at 12:30 at a local pavilion the team rented out. At the God Party the team did acted out the Prodigal son story and Kory presented the gospel to the attendees. We estimated that there were 350 locals in the pavilion this afternoon.

Following the drama and message we got the opportunity to serve a meal to all the people that came from the community. The meal consisted of beans, rice, and a hot dog. The locals were very excited and smiling from ear to ear when they received each plate. I had the opportunity to pass out the beans for each plate. At first, I was giving out rather large portions to find out that the pot I had was the only pot we brought so I sized the portions down some. I did not think there was any way possible that I would be able to get beans out to everyone left in the line. But God took care of our need and when the last person went through I passed out the last spoon full of beans! Not one scoop left nor a hungry person!

After the meal, we did a few crafts with the kids from the bible stories about Noah and Abraham. Following the craft time the team had the opportunity to enjoy the beach for an hour. This consisted of swimming in the Pacific Ocean and horseback riding on the beach. Grayson and I rented some four wheelers and I ramped a few sand dunes during our ride! The Nicaraguan four wheeler couldn't quite handle this Kentucky boy.

We are finishing the day off with a bible study and some worship here at the house. A praise to end this post, following the drama a girl came and spoke with Kory and Jay and told them through tears that she was the prodigal son. She had been involved in sin and did not think she could come back to God but the drama opened her eyes to that today and became my and your sister in Christ this afternoon! Praise the Lord!

La Panama School are National Champions

We have been very hard at work this week and wrapped up our final day at the school today. I played all morning with the kids on the soccer field and basketball court. In between games, I had a really good conversation with the gym teacher at the school. He told me that he was so happy for the group and I to be there. He was really excited that we had brought soccer balls for the school because the school competes in a national soccer tournament and in years past had not had any soccer balls to use to practice. But when Hardin brought soccer balls two years ago they started practicing and in the last two years they have won the national championship with both the girls and boys teams. The coach was really excited and said that the school is both a great school in academics and extracurricular activities.

Tonight, we are heading to a church the group has worked with in the past. We were able to invite many of the families and kids from the school to the church tonight. I am hoping to see Nahi and his family there tonight. Nahi and I have been talking a lot this week and I have been teaching him some stuff in basketball and other things. I invited him and his entire family at the end of the school day and gave the directions to the church tonight. I am praying that they are able to attend the service tonight!

Wall and School Update

The team has done a great job this week and completed tons of work at La Panama school. The wall is nearly complete, new nets on the soccer goals, swept and then cleaned the entire campus.

Today is our last day serving at the school. It's amazing how God has opened the door here for us to share with the students. At a public school. They have shared a 40 minute bible story/lesson with the kids in every classroom about Noah, Abraham, and David today. Please be praying for the students at the school and energy for us as we finish out this week!

The House is Packed!

We picked up a group of twenty from Hardin Baptist late Saturday night and we have hit the ground running with them. I really like the amount of energy this group has brought and the desire to accomplish a lot in their few days here. 

Yesterday, we visited a church in the community of San Judas. This is a very big church for Nicaragua, approximately 300 to 400 members. The pastor has been leading this church for 37 years and originally started with only 15 members. He is truly enjoying the fruits of his labor. Also, I believe he is a great example of fully trusting God's calling and seeing how the Lord uses the faithful in mighty ways. The church is very involved in reaching out to the community and inviting the lost and unchurched in. A great example for American churches.

A story I heard, a guy that attends the church has lost his job and was just working at the church and evangelizing in the community until the Lord provided him with a new job. He said he has not missed a single meal and the Lord has provided every thing they have needed along the way. Truly living by faith!

Today, was a very busy day working at the school in San Judas. I am very worn out as is the team! We were carrying stones that weighed about 115 pounds a piece and also concrete wall slats that were about the same in weight.

During the morning, three of the men on the team and myself carried the stones while the team were doing bible lessons with the kids about Noah. It was very difficult and my arms got pretty beat up in doing so. But it was so encouraging to be carrying a stone and see a seventeen year old student praying with a kid from the school as they gave their life to Christ! That is what it is all about!! And this occurred multiple times throughout the morning. Praise the Lord!

After a lunch at the mission house we headed back to the school to do more stone moving and cleaning up of the school. I got to try mowing here in Nicaragua for the first time aka using a machete. It was pretty awesome and I felt pretty manly to say the least. 

We are back at the house tonight and resting up before heading to El Canon tomorrow morning. I hope everyone is doing great back at home. Please be in prayer for Nigeria. There was a suicide bomber that bombed some churches there recently. Remember how blessed we are to live in America and worship freely.

Visit 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFnQaWS_QIg&list=UUU47b7FMDN4yc7sgTNiDR_A&index=1&feature=plcp

To see a video from our day today!

Been Busy... Hardin Arrives Tomorrow!

Hey sorry for not getting around to this the past couple of day but we have been very busy getting things prepped for the Hardin Baptist's team out of Murray, Kentucky arrival on Saturday night. This is going to be a very exciting next two weeks with A LOT of projects to do.

Hardin will be doing the biggest project of their trips here at a local school. They as a church have really poured into this school the last few years. Their teams are full of teenagers each year and they accomplish a lot! The big project for this year is building a 132 foot wall for the school. The school is completely surrounded by walls except for this final section which is only fenced in.

We have been running around Managua the last few days gathering all the wood, sand, stone, posts, gravel, and more to have at the school before the team arrives, so they can get to work and not wait on materials. It was awesome to watch truck after truck roll in the school yesterday knowing it is going to help build a wall and give more security to the teachers, principals and more importantly the students there.

Also another project that Hardin is going to be doing this week is giving every student at the school a new school uniform. Every student will receive a shirt, pants or skirt depending on sex, and a pair of shoes. This is excited and a neat idea that I am sure all 800 of the students will enjoy. Especially the poorer kids that can not always afford a full uniform set.

Today, we are heading to the grocery stores to load up on food for the 20 person team coming tomorrow night. I am excited to get the house full again and get to work with the team.

Please be praying for safe travels for the team tomorrow and also for energy as we will be doing a lot of tough work for the next two weeks.

Have a great day! God bless!

Pictures of supplies arriving:

Patience...

Patience. Such a simple word, yet at the same time so complex in many ways. I personally struggle with patience. I would not call myself a waiter. Not because I don't work in a restaurant, but because I tend to rush things in life and not be patient.

Americans schedule out everything. We have schedules, meetings, appointments, and deadlines. We can get nearly any type of information from our smartphone in a matter of seconds. Just tell JG Wentworth, "it's my money and I want it now." and you don't even have to wait for your money. That's pretty nice! But with that said, I think it sets us up as Americans to struggle with patience. It is important for us to have and I feel most people would say it is a good and desirable thing to have also.

In Galatians, we see that patience is a fruit of the spirit. As Christians, we are called to have fruit of the spirit. This is not like an apple, an orange, or a banana. It is specifically singular, meaning we are to have and possess them all. Not only love, joy, and peace. It is ALL of them.

Being in Nicaragua, I have in a way been forced to learn patience. In Nicaragua, there is not a big emphasis on time or being in a rush. Yes, in the city of Managua it has the typical big city feel but still people are never too busy. They value conversation and spending time together with never a feel of rushing onto the next thing. I really appreciate this and hope to learn it better and apply it more in my life.

If I truly trust and believe the Lord has the best in store for me I will be able to do better with patience. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus speaks in Luke 8:15, “… As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

Farming is an occupation and lifestyle that I wish I could understand and know more about. But farmers have to live a lifestyle of patience. We can learn very much from farmers. They plant their crops and work on them every day, without knowing what will come in the harvest. It is not a plant and reap the following day type of job. I feel it explains Luke 8:15 very well though.


First they plant their seeds in good soil. This is very important if they do not plant them in good soil they will not grow nor bear fruit. They have heard the word or in this case, they know the way to plant the seed, work the land, and properly care for the plants. They hold fast to it honestly and with a good attitude knowing it will be worth the wait when the harvest comes. There will be days when the tractor doesn't start or the rain doesn't come. But they hold fast to it. And with their patience they bear fruit. As we all should do in our lives. 

Girls Day! y Blanca Nieves!

Today, was a very busy yet restful day at the same time. Let's say eventful! I was able to sleep in a little bit today and woke up around 8:00 and got ready for the day. We then loaded up in the truck and headed down to El Canon to pick up two of the girls that would be spending the day with us, Franci and Yaritza.

After picking them up from school we came back to the house and had some lunch prepared by our wonderful cook, Maria. After lunch, we headed out to La Galeria. This a huge mall here in Managua, puts some of the American malls to shame. This an eye opening trip for me though. We went to the food court because the girls were hungry. They wanted to get Sbarro pizza! Of course, me taking things for granted I assumed they were excited about the pizza because like most of America, "it's their favorite food." But I was incorrect. Franci had never had pizza before, and Yaritza had never had pizza in Nicaragua (she visited the U.S. with the Alfords).

These two girls are six (Franci) and seven years old (Yaritza) and hadn't had pizza before. Mind blown! But at the same time very excited because I got to spend this time with them today. Franci nearly bounced herself out the window of the truck with excitement trying to see everything in Managua today. This just goes to show you how blessed we are to live in America. I hope you don't take it for granted!

When we got back to the house we hung out and threw and kicked the soccer ball around. Franci would intentionally throw it over Yaritza's head so she could run over to me and jump and give me a huge hug after I caught her (multiple times). After dinner he girls made Jennifer, Grayson, and I cards. They were complete with flower, hearts, etc.

I finished the night reading Blanca Nieves aka Snow White to Franci. Might I add this was in Spanish but I did a well enough job where she understood it. And like every other girl, we had to read the part where the prince gave her a kiss to the end twice! Girls will be girls!

Here are some pictures from Girls Day that Jennifer took:

Franci on the train!

When Nicaraguan girls discover the iPad

Grayson on the train

Jennifer and Yari

Playing in the fountain before they got caught!

Yari on the train

Franci and I on the train

Two Languages One God

Today I had the opportunity to go to the Verbo Christian Church here in Nicaragua. It is very different from the baptist churches we typically work with here in Nicaragua. But I really enjoyed the service this morning there. It was a church with contemporary music similar to BridgePointe and Southeast Christian in Louisville that I attend.

The part I enjoyed the most was singing the song, You Never Let Go. It was incredible and a short glimpse of Heaven, as it says, "every tribe, every tongue, and every nation." I was singing in English and everyone else in Spanish. Though the words of the song were different the message and worship was the same and to the same great God.

I then had lunch with Grayson, Jennifer, and 7 other girls from the transition house and church today. We ate at pizza hut and then hung out and took pictures with all of the girls. I think they really enjoyed going out to eat and practicing their English with us. It was a good restful day after sending the FBC Concord team off this morning at 4:00 am. We accomplished a lot and really helped many churches and communities here in Nicaragua. Our next team will arrive on Saturday it is Hardin Baptist Church, from good ol' Kentucky!

Soccer Tournament Championship

To say God did not have his hands all over this day would be robbing him of His work and power that was displayed mightily today. At this time of the year, rain comes very randomly and when it rains, it RAINS! Today was one of those days. 

The morning started out great. All but one of the eight teams were on time and ready to start the devotionals at 8:30. The kids were paying attention very well during this time and really listening to our team members and translators present the gospel. We are praying God works in miraculous ways tonight when we attend a service with all of the teams and players. It is a rare opportunity to have this many young men attend a church service here in Nicaragua. Please be praying for the service that begins in about an hour. 

The games were very competitive and exciting today with all but one ending in penalty shootouts. As we were finishing up the semi final round of games a store began to come rolling in. But God held off the rains until our lunch break began. It rained the entire time we were eating, nearly sideways at times. As we were finishing up I glanced quickly outside to see what I was going to be running through to the truck. BLUE SKIES AND NO RAIN! 

How amazing is that? But it doesn't stop there. We head back to the field to finish up the championship game between two very good teams. Also, this one ended in a penalty shootout on a very muddy and puddle filled soccer field.

And yet again the storm decided to come roll in much bigger and darker clouds this time. Praise the Lord there is rarely ever tornados in Nicaragua because at times I was pretty convinced there would be one with this storm:

But God was answering our prayers and held it off until the final shot of the shootout went through the goal and even allowed the team to celebrate before the rains can down and the thunder sounded. I thank God for all he has done today so far and I know he has greater things left to do tonight! The rains have ceased for this afternoon and the team is about to head back to the church for the service and final tournament ceremony.

Check back soon for an update on the service tonight! God is good... Always!

Soccer Tournament Day 1

Well the first day of the soccer tournament is in the books. Today was a round robin style of play to get the seedings for the tournament tomorrow. Each of our 16 teams played 3 games today, yes a lot of soccer! We started at about 8:30 and did not finish up until around 3:00. I don't know how those kids keep going in the heat for so long but somehow they do!

The devotions went really well it seemed the kids were very engaged and attentive to us when we were speaking to them. Today we explained how God wants a relationship with us and the problem we all have with sin. Tomorrow morning we will share how Jesus is the solution to that problem and give the players an opportunity to respond following the devotion. Please be in prayer for tomorrow, as it is the reason we are here!

I am feeling much better now. I believe I was just dehydrated from playing too hard with the kids and not taking time to drink water while doing so. I appreciate the prayers and support I got from everyone. Prayer does work! So thank you!

Prayers needed...

Hey guys if you could pray for me please. I have been laying in bed all day due to a stomach flu or dehydration. I am feeling a little bit better now with Gatorades and medicine in me. But I really hate not being on the field working with them teams. Today was the team's R&R day so I was ok missing that but tomorrow is the big soccer tournament in Sandino!

Jaselle Has a Family!!

If some of you remember from my blog posts last year, I had a little buddy at the orphanage name Jaselle. Long story short, I could not go anywhere without him being right beside me holding my hand or me carrying him. One day in a church service here the pastor was talking about how God is our Father and during that Jaselle looked at me and told me "tu es mi padre" which means you are my father. This broke my heart and if I were in any position to adopt him that day I would have started the process. But I found out yesterday that he HAS been adopted by a family! I am so excited for him because he is such a sweet little boy. I have been praying for him, Lord willing for him to be adopted into a loving family. He was the only kid in the orphanage last year that did not have any relatives in his life.

It is so encouraging to hear about how he has been adopted and know that us at the same time are fatherless until we are adopted by the Lord. Adoption is a beautiful thing and I am so blessed that my God loves me enough to adopt me into His family forever! And I praise God for giving Jaselle the opportunity to experience the love and joy of being in a family here on earth!

"It Was a Very Taxing Day..." - Paul Rosas

Well as I had mentioned before Paul and Jay spent the morning attempting to retrieve our soccer balls back from customs. We did get them back from customs all 175 of them BUT they charged us $360 total to bring them into the country. The reason they did this is because they thought we were bringing them into the country to sell and make a profit so they charged us basically a taxation. They valued each soccer ball at $5.88 and taxed each soccer ball 29%. As a ministry here in Nicaragua they shouldn't have done this but we can't control what the government does. But at the same time the team had just enough extra money to cover this cost, down to 13 cordobas (less than $1.00). God did take care of that need and gave us more than enough to cover the cost!

We spent the day in El Canon with Pastor Josue at the orphanage and in the community. We visited people in the community that previously attended church but no longer did and invited them back and caught up with the family. Pastor Josue was very excited to have us there and he took pictures of Mandi, Paul, and I with each family we visited.

We also visited with the children of the orphanage and local school and had a worship service this afternoon. Tonight we got to meet with the boys and girls of the orphanage and discuss what godly relationships look like and how it is important to wait and pursue the correct type of person.

Church Planting...

For a missions major, this is a really cool week for me to be a part of and work with church plants and also the "mother-church" this week.

The first day we visited the church that has planted these other smaller churches. This church by American standards is a "mega-church." It has probably 150-200 members that consistently attend the church and is pastored by the president of the national seminary, Pastor Orlando. He is a very strong and animated pastor and big into missions. In this past Sunday night service, he spoke a very convicting sermon on missions. He is very close to his church members and even "stepped on some toes" by calling them out saying, "You bought this or that, but you can't give $3 a month to missions." $3 a month is what he asks his members to give. He believes Nicaraguans should also be sending missionaries out but instead they have the mentality, at times, to just receive. But I also believe we as Americans have the same mentality. We can buy new clothes or iPhones but still do not give to the church or missions. Take a moment to think about that. I'll get off mine and Pastor Orlando's soap box after this example.

Say, a church with 200 faithfully attending members. If they each gave $3 a month to missions. That would be $600 a month and $7,200 a year! Let's just say on average a trip here to Nicaragua costs $900, that same church could send a team of 8 each year to the mission field with no out of pocket expenses for those wanting to go! And that is only $3 a month... (one meal at McDonald's is double that)

Throughout the rest of this week we will be working with church plants of Bethany Baptist. And we will finish off the week with Bethany and hosting a soccer tournament with 16 teams and at least 175 teenage boys from 15-20 years old. Please be praying for this tournament and our time at the church plants. It is hard to reach this age group here in Nicaragua, but they flock to this soccer tournament. Pray for energy on Friday and Saturday as we have about 6 hours straight of nonstop soccer games! I know God is good and will bless this time. Thank you all for your support. It is encouraging to talk to mom and hear her mention how people have been reading and interested in the things happening here in Nicaragua.

A Look Into Our Community Today...

Today we worked with a church plant about an hour away from the mission house in Jinotepe. This is a very small church with about 14 members but recently seeing growth in visitors. This past Sunday they had 40 adult visitors and 50 children. Praise the Lord! But the community is divided by a river and up in the mountainous area of Nicaragua. I originally wanted to post the video on here but was having technical difficulties, so I had to upload the video to my Facebook account. So feel free to view it on there or add me if we aren't friends on there.

This link also may work: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10151808327660637&saved

Please be in prayer as people come across this area because I found out while talking to the pastor today that this can be a very dangerous area for the Nicaraguans to cross to attend the church. Also just remember how they are willing to travel to church and sometimes we won't drive our cars down a flat road because "it's raining..." Finally, I want to add that one of the Sunday School teachers walks this trail plus about a half mile carrying a stack of chairs to lead a Sunday School class on the other side, because the church only has the one room for the sanctuary.

"He Just Wants to be With and Around You..."

First off, we welcomed another American to the house today. Jennifer Alford arrived safely and will be with us for the next 11 days or so. She is the wife of Garland, he was one of the men that helped start up Partners in Christ. So Garland she is here and we will take care of her! :) 

After Jennifer came we dropped her off in El Canon so she could visit with Yaritza for the afternoon while Jay, Grayson, Maria and I went to the store to buy the food and supplies for the team coming on Sunday. But as we were driving down the canyon I saw my little buddy Carlos walking down the street and he yelled, "Hola Kegan!" With a huge smile on his face and it put one on mine also.

We continued on to do our shopping and then headed back to pick Mrs. Jennifer up. I saw Carlos again and we did our greetings as we were driving past again and he then jumped in the back of the truck. Jay said, "he just wants to be with and around you." After seeing a few more familiar faces in the area and picking up a few more boys in the back with Carlos. We took them to their house and dropped them off for the night. I told Carlos that I will be back on Tuesday he was very excited!

But this short interaction got me thinking on the ride back to the mission house. "He just wants to be with and around you." If only we had this excitement every day with Christ. Just wanting to be with and around him. It would change our world and every one else's that came into contact with us. I think some times we take it for granted in America how lucky we have it to have the freedom to worship God freely. We only tend to do it when it is convenient. I don't know if Carlos had anything else to go do at that moment when he jumped in the truck. But if he did, he dropped his plans and went with us in the truck. I believe when we become followers of Christ this is what we are to do. Drop our plans and follow Christ in ALL things, not when it is just convenient or "the right thing to do."

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

The road in El Canon where I saw Carlos today.