Click here for photos!

Day 7 & 8

Hola!
Sorry I haven’t written for a few days.

God has truly poured out his blessings thus far and hopefully will continue to do so. Two days ago we spent our morning visiting Pastor Florres old house and neighborhood, at the base of Mombacho Volcano, which is about a forty minute trip of walking and taking the chicken bus (down here it’s called a goose). They want to start a feeding program in this area, so please pray for all their efforts taking place. We walked around the neighborhood and met some of the people living there, including this one truly amazing girl. She had a deformity on her back, and an abounding love for the lord. She also had a beautiful singing voice, and she graced us by performing a few songs.
Some of the local boys got us to try a strange fruit that had the flavor of a lemon mixed with an under ripe avocado. It wasn’t that good. Actually I think Amy was the only one who enjoyed them, because I believe she had two or three.
After that adventure we returned to the house to prepare for the night. Since it was Friday, it was the beginning of the youth conference. Several churches and youth groups in the area joined together from Friday night to this (Sunday) morning. It was amazing time. Several sessions were given, games were played, and a lot of time was devoted to worshiping the lord! We even had a scavenger hunt where the Nicaraguan youth made us run all over the city of Granada, in extreme heat, to take pictures various landmarks. Lindsay and Tiehl had quite an adventure on the hunt with our crazy friend Ezekiel who ran through the streets yelling about his baby.

There was a short program for really small children where we performed Kirstyn’s skit, they truly enjoyed it. Chris also contributed greatly, teaching several sessions and performing several illustrations.  It touched the hearts of all the youth there. One of his sessions gave way to an awe inspiring time of worship, where a few came to know the lord.

It was a great time, and I don’t think I could ever write enough to explain how God worked this weekend. Please ask any of us when we return our experiences. God truly blessed the conference.

Tonight we have all returned from church. It was hard to leave since we had so many goodbyes to say, and hugs to give. We also sang happy birthday to Jeremy, to which he seemed really embarrassed, but everyone else enjoyed it.

We’ll leave tomorrow morning. Please pray for or safety as we travel. We will see all of you soon! Hasta luego!

In Christ,

Laura

Day 5 & 6

Hola!

After I last wrote to you the rain cleared up enough for us to go out to Fortin. Everyone used their bicycles to reach the area of ministry except for Shaylee, Morgan, Jill, Betty, Pastor, and I. The six of us rode in the back of our translators pickup truck with all the ministry items. It was an adventure driving down the dirt roads in the outskirts of Granada.

When we reached the outreach we set up tables of crafts for the kids. The youth group from Torre Fuerte came with us again, and they were a great help. As we helped the kids with their crafts the youth group shared the gospel with them. It was a great time. We left just before the rains came in, and the roads became muddy again. The ride back was just as much as an adventure as the ride out, I especially felt bad for the bicyclist who traveled through a herd of cattle and an off roading school bus. Chris thought it was a blast though!

Yesterday we didn’t go quite as far. The barrio nearby has a feeding program run by members of Torre Fuerte, and sponsored by Calvary Chapel Central Bucks. There we helped chop vegetables for chicken and rice soup, which we also handed out to the children. Part of the deal of getting the food is that the children must attend the bible teaching on Saturday. There they are given tickets to hand in when they pick up their soup. The spiritual and physical food is really a necessity for all the children living in the barrio. The women also insisted that we taste the soup, which everyone did. Justin and Brianna even finished their bowls. It was really good!

After the program we had a bit of down time, and Jake was able to get our interpreter Roberto to take him into the town square- for some reason he really wanted a coconut. He returned happily that day, coconut in hand.

During the evening we went to the ‘DEATH ZONE’ behind our house. Now don’t let the name alarm you, it is actually a very friendly neighborhood no different than the rest of Granada. That is the area Francisco is from, another one of our interpreters. Francisco holds a bible study there once a week, and is doing an amazing outreach in his own back yard.

We worked with the children in that neighborhood as well, painting the girls nails and doing a few crafts. One of the little girls attached herself to me, she was so cute! Morgan said she had a similar experience, where the children just wanted to hug her. They were all very sweet kids.

Chris performed an illustration which all the kids seemed to love. After that it was time to leave, and they wanted to know when we would be coming back. The boys stayed out for an hour or so longer playing soccer with the locals. Apparently they kept sticking Jeremy in the goal and blaming him if a point was scored. It was actually pretty funny.

This morning we walked to a preschool and again did more crafts with the children there. A couple of the kids really attached to Lindsay, and a few more looked up in awe of Justin because he is so tall. When we finished crafts we provided colored pencils to the school children, which they seemed very grateful for. I think we have down time for the rest of today, and we’ll be starting the youth retreat tomorrow.

Please pray that the retreat will be a blessing to this neighborhood, and that the time off today will refresh us for tomorrow. Dios te bendiga!

In Christ,

Laura

Day 3 & 4

Hola everyone!

It is the morning of our fourth day of the trip. Unfortunately our plans for this morning were rained out, but fortunately this has given me an opportunity to write to you all. We have had quite a few adventures the past few days.

Sunday was a day of tourism for us. We visited Masaya market, where Jeremy proceeded to purchase half the merchandise of the few kiosks we stopped at. And the boys held us up shopping, since Justin and Mr. McRoberts had to haggle for fifty cents off the original price of a deal. We didn’t spend too long at the market, and once we finished we went to the bank of a large crater filled with water to swim. It was amazing! Just to see the crater was phenomenal, and the water was warm and clear for a long ways down.  We were told it was six hundred feet in the center though, so swimming out towards the center it became dark.

Monday was a very different experience than Sunday. Early in the morning we rode on rented bikes with the local youth group to a place called Fortin (pronounced fourteen). It was a small development of government built houses, and a couple smaller homes in the country outside of Granada. We stopped at one house to leave our bikes, and divide into 6 teams of 5. Each team consisted of some of us, and some of the local Torre Fuerte  youth. We went around to the houses and ministered by doing chores, washing the lice out of hair, and by sharing the word.

Tiehl, Brianna, Shaylee, Kirstyn and Lindsay encountered thousands of knits and attempted to wash them out of people’s hair. They said the experience was sort of traumatizing, but very rewarding because the people desperately needed it. We also spent some time sweeping people’s yards and homes, doing dishes, and mowing the lawn with a machete. After about four hours of serving we rode home on our bikes to prepare for later that evening.

At about 5 o’clock we left to do some street ministry. We set up some tables for coloring and crafts for neighborhood children to do. They loved it! Lindsay again shared the gospel through silly bands, and we performed the skit that Kirstyn worked so diligently on. Torre Fuerte youth group also performed a few dances for the kids. When we finished the kids excitedly asked Betty when we would be back.

Today we’re headed out to Fortin again. Please pray for the safety and wellness of our team down here. Many of us have experienced fire ant bites, and Tiehl had a small migraine yesterday. Thank you for all your love and support!

In Christ,

Laura

______________________________________________

Day #1 & 2

Hola!
I hope to find you all doing alright while we are away. You’ll be happy to hear that we landed safely in Managua Nicaragua at about 3am our time, do to about a five hour delay during our layover flights. During the delay God opened a door. While we were grumbling and complaining at the thought of spending eight hours in the terminal, a few of our fellow travels noticed our shirts and approached us with questions. We informed them of our ministry and outreach which would take place. They enjoyed listening and thanked us – one woman even offered to help!
After we landed it was only a short van ride to the city of Granada, and more specifically to The Bohemian paradise hotel where our cozy beds awaited us. The hotel is beautiful and a wonderful place to stay. I was grateful to get to bed at what would be about 4am our time. It was an exhausting day.

Yesterday morning after devotions and breakfast, we headed to the dump with Ezekiel, Oscar, and Juan our interpreter. Now while the prospect of hiking through mounds of garbage does not sound thrilling to me it was actually a pleasant time for ministry to the people there.

We began our journey by walking through a busy market to the local transportation, a crammed school bus filled with all the locals and a few salesmen from the market. The bus dropped us off at the opening of a dirt road, which we would walk another two miles in order to reach the mountains of garbage. Before that though there were houses spread out along the roadway. Our friend Ezekiel stopped at all the houses, and the children from there would follow us down to the dump for our ministry.

Once we reached the main concentration of garbage we encountered a large group of people. It was a little shocking to see, but they smiled when they saw us. We stopped and chatted with them as Juan interpreted. Lindsay shared the gospel with them, and even recited John 3:16 in Spanish. They applauded when she had finished and we closed in prayer. After that we sang songs with the children and explained to the gospel through silly bracelets (if you don’t know what that is you can ask Lindsay when we return).

We returned by backtracking the way we came, and prepared for dinner that night. We ate with a local youth group. Kirstyn and the McRoberts said hi to their friends, and all of us new to Nicaragua got bombarded with smiles, handshakes, and hugs. Their English speaking ability was only slightly better than our Spanish speaking ability – which isn’t saying much. We managed to learn a bit about them, and they asked us some questions about us.  The night was fun despite the communication barrier and we truly felt welcomed among them.

Today will be a day of tourism. We’ll be going to Masaya market and to the Laguna, which is a giant crater of clear water.  Please continue to pray for our safety, and for our language problems. We shall be fluent in spanglish by the time we return home.

In Christ,

Laura

Click here for photos!

July 30, 2010: Hi Everyone, I just wanted to thank you all for your prayers… my dad came home from the hospital today.  His pace maker is just fine and his heart is ticking away.  I am so grateful and amazed … thanks for praying.  We are all doing well… the group rode bikes out to Fortin, the village where the new feeding program is.  They had a wonderful time and some of the guys started to build the new kitchen.  It’s a little different than what we might build at home, but they are extremely happy to have a kitchen not completely filled with smoke  and a fire pit that burns well.   Take care,  Love  Betty & Doug

Wednesday July 27th, 2010: God has blessed us with another great day. The guys continued to do construction work at Torre Fuerte.  They worked on upgrading the electrical system to better supply the churches outlets, fans, and sound system.  A few wooden shutters are needed on the front of the church for keeping out dirt from the road and security reasons, so work on them has also begun.  The new roof on the back of the church is coming along and the upgraded electric supply to the church should help with the welder that the guys use for that.  Keep in prayer the man mentioned from yesterday’s update who has shown up to work with the guys everyday.

The rest of the group did visitation with Pastor Flores.  They visited and prayed with two families in need of encouragement.   One woman requires a surgery costing somewhere close to two thousand dollars that she does not have.  The second family the group prayed with has a teenage son who has fallen away from church and been hanging out with the wrong crowd.

There was a drenching rain shower this afternoon that worked out better for some then the rest.  A few of us were caught out in the sudden thunderstorm and sought shelter under a metal bus stop. The rain feels nice as it cools off the heated temperatures everyday and we thank the Lord for it.  Thus far the heavy rain has not effected our ministry and we know God’s hand is in that and we praise him for it.

Tuesday July 27th, 2010: It is our 2^nd day of ministry here in Nicaragua. God has been doing some amazing things these last 2 days and will no doubt continue to do so the rest of the week. We split into 2 groups this morning, with 4 of the guys going to Torre Fuerte to continue with the construction work from yesterday. The church has begun building a roof over an exposed area behind the church, for a Sunday school classroom (their only one). The guys also finished making some tables for the feeding program and a bench for the kids. The guys had help from a man named who came in off the street and they invited him back for a much needed lunch.  The rest of the group traveled this morning to the local dump to minister to the people who sift through the trash. It was a humbling and sobering experience but we had the opportunity to sing songs with the people and serve them lunch.  Later in the afternoon, we did ministry outreach to the neighborhood. The guys got a soccer game going, and the girls set up tables and did crafts and a bible story with local children, (about 30 showed up!). We look forward to seeing how God is going to use us tomorrow. Kate

Monday July 26th, 2010

The team was up early, and by 7AM they were eating breakfast at Casa Somervilla (Doug and Betty’s rented home).  Food, fellowship, worship and prayer set the morning off to a great start.

Pastor Flores from the Torre Feurte Church arrive with his construction crew and before we knew it, Jim, Matt, Rick and Gerry were off building tables for the feeding programs and helping with the steel beams for the new partition at the TF church.

The rest of the team prayer walked, visited families who needed encouragement and prayer.  We ended the day with an out reach to about 15 children in Jessica’s neighborhood.  Jessica a lovely young mom, has 3 young boys, 9, 6 and 4.  Her youngest child, Armando was born with out limbs.  Armando is an extremely happy child and seems to enjoy his surroundings, we have noticed that his family makes sure he gets to experience every part of life that any other 4 year old child would.

Once again it has been a blessed day!  Thanks for your prayers, Adios – Betty

Sunday July 25th, 2010: After a fun filled day of travel, the July Team from Calvary arrived in Managua at 8:05PM.  When they got to Granada, they were greeted with an authentic Nicaraguan meal cooked by our dear friend Roberto. They were able to enjoy their comfortable hotel for a good nights rest in preparation for Monday as they anticipated their first day on the ground in Granada.  What a blessing to have willing hearts to do whatever the Lord may have for them.

Saturday July 24th, 2010: As we closed out our week of preparation for the July team to arrive, we decided to take a trip out to the dump with Ezekiel, an 18 year old who has committed himself to the Lord’s service and has a special place in his heart for the children and adults who live out by the city dump.  The families, who live close to the dump, work there as well.

What could have been a 10 minute taxi ride became a jam-packed city bus adventure for us “gringos”.  About an hour later we finally arrived in the most beautiful place with lush plants and trees, there was a quiet serenity that seemed to hush over this rolling country side compared to the busy hubbub of Granada.  Basically, it seemed like we were out in a jungle.  The bus dropped us off, we started our mile walk to the dump and Ezekiel would stop and gather the children for the activities that he planned for the gathering at the dump site.  On his way, he would stop and visit people, pray for them and at one point Ezekiel took time to teach a deaf and mute teenager some sign language.  I have to say my heart was overwhelmed with the sense of love I saw Ezekiel pour out on the individuals he encountered.

Twenty children joined in our mile trek and finally we got to the dump.  What once seemed lush and green suddenly became acres and acres of stench and garbage. The women were bagging up the recyclables and the men were going thru the garbage as the trucks unloaded the garbage.  I have been told that the long days of work will gain them one day of food and many of the workers feel that they must have done something wrong to deserve this kind of living.

As we spent time with the children and shared the Story of David and Goliath, I have to say, I was extremely grateful. Even though we could not change the living conditions, we could share something that had eternal value.  We could share our eternal hope with them.  We could have confidence that “yes, God will give strength, he will give it to even the smallest person who chooses to follow Him and yes, God will never leave you nor forsake you, and yes if you know Jesus as your Savior, someday we will all see each other again in a place where there will be no pain nor sorrow.”

As we walk out of the dump, I reflected that I no longer smelled the dump, but instead enjoyed the fragrance of the gentle kind eyes and the look of gratitude and joy I saw in those little brown eyes, my heart was filled with joy to overflowing.

Our mile trek out of the dump was cut short as a kind man pick us up and we all got to ride in the bed of the garbage truck with the children and workers. (Believe it or not, this was one of our highs for the day, and a first for all of us). We must have been quite a sight, a bunch of gringo’s riding in the back of a city garbage truck! It was a blessed day, one we will never forget.

While we are here in Granada we hope to continue these Saturday outings with Ezekiel and share these special moments with the teams from Calvary Chapel.

Thanks for your prayers. Addios ~ Betty

Friday July 23, 2010: We are coming to a close of our first week here in Granada, it has gone by so fast. We were able to enjoy a few days of much needed rest in preparation for the next phase of the trip. We know it has been a gift from our Lord.

Our first team will be here Sunday and while we may not be building a “new church building” at the new feeding program, Pastor Flores is thrilled to have skilled handimen and women be able to minister to church and family needs concerning the physical structure of the church, feeding program kitchen, a larger roof for the children and some church families who have next to nothing and are in desparate need of something.  We find it an honor to be able to minister in this way, as it is humbling for Pastor to ask us to help in this way.

As  I ( Betty) sat back and had a few days to observed the culture here in Granada, I began to sense more and more of the spiritual darkness that is trying to take over this city and nation.  In my own understanding, I don’t see how a corrupted nation could turn it’s ways to the Lord.  But then I am reminded that is it not my understanding or wisdom, but that the Lord has a plan, and He has asked us to trust Him and step in obedience to His will.

Once again I am humbled by this understanding; the Lord has shown me that he is doing a work, he is changing hearts and transformation is happening.  Five days ago, a good friend of ours from Granada, who walked away from the Lord and struggles with addictions,  knocked on our door to see Pastor Doug. Since then, he has been coming everyday at 7AM to meet with Doug for a Bible study, and he has humbled himself and walked back to church. He desires to be freed from his bondage,  this is only through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.  We are humbled to watch this transformation, we know our friend has a long road ahead of him, our prayer is that you would pray for us to have mercy and grace as we foresee a cycle of bondage desiring to ensnare this man.

It is our desire that we, Doug and Betty, will never forget that it is only through the blood shed for us that we are able to be “workmen” for the Lord.  It is our prayer that we would extend grace and mercy as our Lord has poured it out for us.

Oh and one last prayer request would be for my dad in NJ.  He’s back in the hospital with pneumonia, it came up as a real surprise as his health was improving and his strength was gaining.  It looks like a simple case, but one never knows at 89.  Take care and thanks again for your prayers and love and have a wonderful week.   Blessings and Love,  Betty & Doug

July 18, 2010: We wanted to let you know we arrived safely in Nicaragua.  We were blessed every step concerning transportation, housing etc. So many things were up in the air, yet the Lord gave us peace; we moved forward, and now we are in our home at Casa Somervilla. We look back over our travels and thank the Lord for the miracles he did to make everything work out the way it did.  We have a lovely home with 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a large area for feeding the teams and our friends from the church. An extra blessing includes a small pool and yes Shaylee (our 13 yr old) has enjoyed it even in the rain. It is rainy season here, and it truly is rainy.

We are praying that in between showers we can still do out reaches with the children.  I was also told that the farmers are praying for a month of dryness so they can plant the seeds for the next crop.  They usually get 2 crops in a year during their winter (our summer).  But the fields have been so wet and they haven’t had the opportunity to plant. We will let you know how things progress.

Some other prayers for this week include:

• travel  safety for our daughters Bri and Tiehl, they are coming in tomorrow night
• for the July Team from CCCB that will be coming down next Sunday
• for the Lord’s leading with the scheduling of the ministry He wants us to do while the teams are down here.
  We will be working with Pastor Flores from the Torre Feurte church and it is our desire to bless him and the ministry that is going on here.
• for good health, apparently the flu has really taken a toll on the city of Grenada and many people have been sick; Pastor said many adults and children from his church have been sick.  The Lord provided us with lots of medicine for the teams to take down… we are beginning to understand why!

We thank the Lord for your love and prayers and will keep updating for the next month.  With Love and blessings, Betty & Doug