Amy Vogt - Because of Love...

"Just Because..."

Fri, 1 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

You walk into a gift card store looking for the perfect birthday card. Wandering down the aisle, you come across the card that has a funny cat picture or silly cartoon on the front and nothing written inside. Now these cards are always labled as "empty" or "just because" cards. You can use them for anything and the card can be changed into multiple things- a condolence, a "catch up" card, birthday greetings... (I know, you're wondering where I'm going with this)

What if you were to receive one of those cards from God? What would that look like and would He even do that?

Is it possible He shows us stuff or gives us things "just because"? Because He wants to and because He can?

I received a "just because" moment from God earlier this week. I can't really explain it or place any reasoning behind it. I simply felt like God wanted me to enjoy it and see Him.

I was in the backyard of El Puente and I looked up at the moon. It was beautiful and Tana and I had both noticed it ealier that night. But when I looked at it this time, it was slightly more yellow and smaller. I thought it was somewhat odd and brought it to the attention of a couple of people. They commented that "yes it was the moon" and I decided I was seeing things.

I went to "my spot" (which happens to be two old columns on their sides) and sat with our new cat Jerry. I looked back up at the sky and sure enough, something was going on with the moon. But I didn't really know what. Over the next ten minutes, I saw the moon change from yellow-ish, to yellow, to orange, to red gold... and then disappear. I thought I was seeing things. Until I saw it reappear and disappear again. (I called Carlos over to have at least one other witness) I stood there and tried to figure out what it could mean, going over bible verses in my mind to see if I could remember a prophecy about the moon disappearing.

All I could come up with was... that God is amazing. And it's His world, His creation. He does strange and weird things sometimes that we don't understand. And sometimes they're for a reason that we can see--- sometimes they're just because. Because He's God. Because He loves us.

I Don't Know

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I love it when this happens. I come to a problem, I feel like I'm at the end of my rope... and I end up in the Bible, reading a verse that specifically speaks to my situation.

(Okay, I'll admit there are times when this actually annoys me. Example: being frustrated with someone and wanting to find a verse on righteous anger- which I did not find. What I came across instead was the verse in James that says "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" and then it later goes on to say "do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." That was obviously what I needed to hear at the time but it wasn't what I wanted to hear.)

But today, I love it. I've been thinking and praying and thinking and praying some more about the future and I can't seem to make heads or tails of it. I have no idea what I'm going to do. There are different options and ideas- some of them are even kindof working out. But I'm still so confused about if they are the options I'm supposed to be pursing. Or if they are just options that just happen to be available.

I have been talking to friends and family about the options and if anything it's made everything more complicated. Not to say that they aren't helping- they for sure are. Yet, since we are all our own person, everyone has their own idea and view on things. One thing that stays constant is my constant statement of "I don't know." It's one of my main responses when I'm asked what I'm thinking or feeling. But another thing that is constant is that everyone is telling me and I know that I need to go to the Lord with this.

I was reading in Jeremiah (I'm working my way through the book) and I came to chapter 33 vs.3 which says "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." I read this verse about 5 minutes after telling my sister "I don't know" again and her replying "it's okay to not know." And I realized, that yet again God had answered my unspoken question of "do I need to know right now?" and i learned- no, I don't need to know. God's got it all under control. He will show me what I need to know. My brother and I were chatting and he stated that I shouldn't try to force what I think is best... and to know that God will direct me. And also just the reality that whatever I choose, God will use.

So right now, I'm just resting in this reality:

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. I don't know. But that's okay. And God will use me in whatever I do. It's not something that can push me away from God. He's always there. And as long as I keep Him number 1, that's all that I need to know.

Top 10

Thu, 9 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Where to start?

#1- Sorry for not blogging lately. I wish I could say I had a good reason for it. The reality is that I'm simply trying to live as much as I can down here these last few weeks and so that means that my time on the internet has lessened.

#2- It is getting hard to realize that in about 5 weeks I will be leaving this country that I have fallen in love with. It's especially hard to not know when I might return but know that I'm going to be leaving part of my heart here. I have never felt so "right" in a place. I pray that God will bring me back and soon.

#3- Corazon Contento is going really great. Actually, if I could come back down and work with the school more I would love to! Paloma has such a heart to change this country and each of the professors put in 8 hour work days (twice as much as my 4 hours- which can be exhausting). We are starting to get some new students but at the same time some of the students who have been there are starting to not come. I don't really understand why: Corazon watches their children for basically 9 hours a day for free but yet some still don't bring their children.

#4- This week is Semana Santa which means that there is no school. Most people just go to the beach. Therefore, I do not have Corazon this week and I had the ability to go back to the nursing home that I wrote about a while ago. Annie and I washed pots for 2 hours that were covered with black on the bottom and stained our hands and clothes. (Actually, Annie still can't get all the black off of her arms). It was alot of fun and we were able to help them. Although, we did find a spider in one of the pots--- I have gotten used to bugs being down here. But I wil never get used to spiders. Ever. And this one was huge! We thought it was dead... it wasn't. Annie tried drowning it: didn't work. So we ended smashing it with a piece of lumber.

#5- I also helped out with the children's ministry yesterday afternoon which was alot of fun. Painted some nails hot pink.

#6- I've been so blessed with some great Nicaraguan girlfriends down here. We get together and they paint my nails, making them art- flowers, colors, dots... and they're so selfless. We love to sit around and listen to music, maybe dance, talk... For a long time, I wondered if I was going to leave Nicaragua with any real relationships with Nicaraguan girls: they can tend to be more shy than the guys. I'm going to miss them alot.

#7- The past weekend, I did have a hard time with wanting to be alone. I've always been an introvert, just sometimes I am able to act like I'm not. And after 7 months of living with 15 people all the time and never being able to truly get away from people... it finally caught up with me. I was able to take Tuesday morning off and just allow myself time to sit and be alone. It helped alot and I'm happy to say I'm feeling alot better now.

#8- In reading the Bible lately, I have come across some verses that I have never read before. And I don't know why. And of course, as I write this blog, I can't remember them all or even their references. Be back in one second after looking online for one of the verses... Finally found it. 1 Corinthians 15: 10a - "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect." I'm not going to go into a whole long explanation of why I like this verse or what I think it means. I simply like it and I wonder why I have never heard it before.

#9- April is supposedly the hottest month of the year here. It has been a little hotter but not unbearable. And then we're told that the first day of May, it pours. And it rains every day in May. So it's possible that we will get get continual rainfall in May til we come home.

#10- Above all, God is really great. He gives me what I need daily and manifests Himself to me in many ways. There is no place I can go here without seeing Him and being reminded of His intense love for me. And I only hope that I have been able to show a part of that love to everyone I have come in contact with here...

Granada Prayer House

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

God is so good! The prayer house that was started in the backyard of El Puente is growing and going through many constructional changes. This is a video that my amazing teammates made to raise support for the house. Check it out!

All Around

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I'm lying on a grass mat, in the middle of the backyard of El Puente, with a sea of endless stars stretching above me. And, a bug just flew in my mouth... It's been windy today and the wind is whistling through the trees that are scattered around the landscape.

I've learned to love the wind more on this trip; it used to just annoy me. It would always start up after I had just put chapstick on and would blow my hair in my face. Or it'd kick up when I was walking by a dirt field and scatter the dirt in my direction. However, there have been times on this trip when I just want to sit in it.

You know that feeling, when the wind is surrounding you? It's not coming from the left, the right, front or back; it's encompassing you somehow. When I feel that, I simply think of God wrapping His mighty arms around me and caressing me. Because, the wind isn't rough when it surrounds me, it is gentle yet firm. Like being held tenderly yet tightly in someone's embrace. I know God can use other people to touch me and show me His love but I feel like sometimes, He just wants to touch me Himself.

I can't help but want to feel God in a more physical way sometimes. Actually climb up into His lap, feel His arms fold me in His safe embrace. Sometimes, I am able to feel this with Him, feel like I am physically with Him.

However, if there are times that I don't, I am able to see Him in this world He has placed us in- and one of the easiest ways is in nature. I love looking around and seeing how God expresses Himself to us in nature: seeing His solidity and strength in the mountains, His gracefulness in the waves, His creativity in the sky...

And so, even though I sometimes can't feel like I'm with God physically, I cannot deny that He still chooses to show Himself to me through the physical world.

Psalm 62

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Over Christmas, I received a Spanish/ English Bible as one of my Christmas gifts. I was so excited- sometimes there are passages in the Bible that make more sense to me when I read them in Spanish. However, something that I considered a downside to receiving this new Bible is that I was not able to open to a page, see the notes or underlining I had previously done and relive what God had already taught me. Yet, on the other side of that, it meant I was able to approach it as "unknown"... each lesson would be brand new, each discovery exciting. I'm currently going through Psalms- and I'm loving reading passages that I had underlined in my last Bible, remembering what they mean to me, and also encountering other verses that are speaking to me right now. One of my favorite verses I have it painted on my wall in my room back in Colorado is Psalms 62:8 "Trust in the Lord at all times, O people. Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge"

Quick God story: When we were down here over the fall, we were having a women's bible study on Esther. One day, Heather had a pile of paper, each which had a verse on it. She went around the circle, handing each of us one randomly. When she came to my place, she handed the slip of paper to me; I opened it to find Psalms 62:8. God knew I needed to remember this verse and chose to remind me of it through Heather. Needless to say, that was a good day.

The other day, I came across Psalm 62 as a whole- and I realized that it's not just verse 8 that I like, the entire chapter grabbed my attention. The chapter talks about our rest coming from God and how He is our salvation, our rock, our fortress, our refuge, that He is loving and strong. I love seeing who God is and how He manifests Himself my life. It gives me courage and peace to know that He is always there for me when I need Him and that He has everything and anything I need. Also, in just one chapter in the Bible, He is seen in more than 6 ways- to realize that He shows Himself in that many ways in just one chapter, it makes me think of how many more ways He is able to show Himself to us in the rest of the Bible. I love finding out more ways to see my Lord and also seeing how He chooses to show Himself to us: whether it be in the form of a cloud, fire, a donkey... I really do love discovering new things about Him. Or at least, being reminded of how creative and multi-faceted our God is.

A Little Update

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The past couple of weeks have flown by- starting ministry every morning during the week at 8 and then Saturdays filled with running to the internet cafe, the library to help out and hanging out with some friends down here, followed by "family day" Sundays... ya, it flies by. Our spring break is coming up on the 7th; spring break is the half way point for this part of the trip so once we get back, we're on the down slope to the end. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I truly love it down here. It's become a home, a place where I'm so comfortable and I can't imagine not seeing some of these people again. But I keep telling myself that God knows what is coming next and therefore I don't need to worry.

My main ministry, Corazon Contento, is going well. They just hired a new specialist teacher named Cindy. She's been bringing some more structure to the school and the classes which is good. I tend to either have really good days or hard days. The hard days usually end up me trying to handle a situation that is difficult and getting frutrated, realizing that I'm not trained at all to work in a school like this, but God gives me patience to make it another day. I've realized each day is new, so therefore God will give me what I need for that day.

My other main ministry, the jewelry ministry, is... well, it's taking longer to get up-and-running than we thought it would. A proposal has been turned in... but that's about it. We're hoping it will start soon.

Besides those, I've been able to help with grocery shopping (which is always an adventure- when you're shopping for 16 people, it's alot of food).

The house of prayer that was started down here is gradually growing and it is encouraging to see how many people come and dedicate part of their day to pray. The time spent in the house of prayer can look however you feel led: prayer, singing, playing instruments, drawing, dancing... However you worship and pray and praise God.

We just had a poetry festival come through town which brought crowds of people and lots of vendors. We were able to go out a couple of times and listen to the poets but it's hard to understand a spanish poem... even harder to understand a taiwanese poem!

God Is Still Good.

Sun, 8 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I've been amazed that this past week, even though it has been one of the most frustrating weeks I've had down here, that it's been the week that I've felt God the most. I've had to rely on Him so much this past week, praying to him and calling to Him. I was forced to realize how much I trust in Him and I was suprisingly encouraged with how much I do. I think I could have lost my sanity maybe an exaggeration although at times I felt like it was possible if it wasn't for having Him always with me. There's just something about feeling at the end of your rope in a place in life and realizing even if this situation doesn't work out how I think it should, God is still good. And I know He's going to work things out according to His will and that's what I want for my life.

Finally, a Schedule...

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As this week has gone by, I've been able to figure out what my schedule for these next few months will (probably) be. And I'm getting very very excited to start!
What it's looking like is:

Working at Corazon Contenta

Monday thru Thursday- 8 am to noon or 1 pm. They need assistants for the educational area which is in the morning... and one of the things Paloma, the director stressed was the desire for consistency. So I figured if I could basically come every day at the same time I would try to. I'm excited to be going daily and continue to grow the relationships and pour more into the people.
Fridays- 9:30 to noon or 1pm. The reason that Friday is different is because we have women's bible study for our team in the morning from 7:30 to 9.

Working with the jewelry making ministry:

Now, we just found out a couple of days ago about this ministry finally- and it's such an exciting opportunity. One of Younglife's sponsors down here is Opportunity International and this ministry would be sponsored/ financed by them. The idea is to provide Younglife with a means of an income so that they can slightly support themselves. Also, the jewelers would get an income- and they want to take this project into rural areas to so that they can provide the kids there (whose schooling ends at age 11) with a trade. Another aspect of the ministry is to teach a few kids how to lead and handle the project so that when we leave in May the ministry doesn't fall apart.
The class times of actually making the jewelry would be in the mornings (since the older kids usually go to class in the afternoon) and as you can see, my mornings are full. I'm probably going to be involved in the more "administrative" side of the project: research, brainstorming, budgeting and training the next leaders. This project still is in the planning part- we have to draw up a proposal and give it to Opportunity International and then start figuring out how to get information out there about the class, go shopping for tools and supplies, figure out what would be a good starting project... plus more. So, it's going to be a little while before the ministry is up and running totally. But I'm so excited to see where God takes this ministry and who He raises up to take over in the end.

Those are the two main ministries I'll be helping out with and... can you tell I'm excited?? They are two ministries that are, well, totally different that what I thought I was going to do when I left in December.

I would encourage you to maybe go check out my teammates blogs- they are all also involved in incredible ministries and it would take a long time to describe and talk about them all.

My Confession

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So... I don't know if you know, but we're not really supposed to get into a relationship during this trip. And I'll admit, that's pretty good advice- it takes your attention from the trip and the reason for being down here, which is God. But, I have a confession- I'm in love. (for those that don't like love stories, maybe stop here cause it'll probably get a little mushy)

Here's the story:

Now our relationship has been a difficult one... He has been pursuing me for awhile. At first, I was nave and thought "Not me. I'm not that great. Other girls sure... but me? Makes no sense." Then, once I realized that He was serious about pursuing and started telling me how much I meant to Him, I got swept away as most girls are when first pursued and desired. But then, after I began to believe that this amazing love was for me, I began to wonder what His intentions were. Why me? What did He want from me? Whenever I asked Him all He would say is "I want you. All of you. Your past, your future. Your hurts, your joys, your desires. I want you to want me. I want your entire heart." Now, when someone tells you they want your heart, there's a choice. You can either give it to them or not. And at first, I wanted to just be in a partial relationship- sometimes those relationships are called "friendships with benefits"; like, I could go to Him when I needed comfort or maybe if He needed me for something, I could be there for Him. But I was really iffy about giving Him my heart. It's something that is so precious and so easily broken. However, all He kept saying was "Trust me." [which is a struggle for me] He continued to bring it up to me and ask me, slowly and deliberately how much of myself I would give Him. I would try to avoid the question at first, cause I knew that my answer would disappoint. And I knew each time I couldn't say "Yes" to Him, I hurt Him a little more. But His love was evident in the fact that He continued to pursue me... when others would have stopped. His obvious love and desire for me- this warrior Prince- finally captured me. I've finally realized that I have no reason to doubt Him. He's always been trustworthy, I've never felt alone, and His love for me is evident. And I am head-over-heels in love. And I don't care who knows.

For those of you that might not have caught on, I'm talking about God. Don't worry, I'm not breaking the rules ;-)

So that basically concludes my story. Ummm...ya

The End

I'm Just a Girl

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

"I don't know what I want
So don't ask me
Cause I'm still trying to figure it out

Don't know what's down this road

I'm just walking

Trying to see thru the rain falling down

Even tho I'm not the only one who feels
The way I do

I'm alone...

... I'm just a girl
trying to find a place

in this world"

(Taylor Swift)

This song basically encompasses how I'm feeling right now... except for the alone part cause I know that I'm not alone. But as for the rest of the song, it fits me to a "T". I don't know what's going to occur on this trip. What ministry is actually going to look like, which ones I'll actually work with... I have no clear idea what I'm doing after this trip (there are many ideas swirling around in my head but one hasn't stuck out yet)... heck, I don't even know what today holds.
But that doesn't stop me from walking down the "road" I'm on or dreaming about what I might encounter. If anything, my excitement goes higher and my dreams crazier- cause I know that no matter what is down this road, God is with me. And when I look at God's plans on one hand and my plans... whenever I've gone with God's plans, something amazing always occurs. However, when I choose my own plan, I usually end up less than impressed and I end up going with God's plan after all. So, with the record being God's plans- infinity times good vs. my plans- never works... it kinda makes sense that I'd go with God's plans for me in this world.

I want to find my place in the world but in God's timing and in His place. I've read in "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldridge, that as women, we don't want to be the adventure- we want to be a part of the adventure. SO TRUE- this was mainly in reference to men and how sometimes they make us the adventure. However, the reality is simply that as women, we want something incredible to be involved in.We also just started this new bible study by Beth Moore "Believing God" and in the first session Beth Moore stated that God wants to take us to a promise land here on earth. I can't wait to see where God leads me and what adventures I happen to have...

New Ministry Opportunity

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Since last week, we've been able to hear more about ministries we can be involved in and have been even able to visit a new ministry site (which I'm very excited about getting involved in). First, let me say that some of you might have picked up on the fact that my feelings have not been too "positive" since being back here... I think that had to do partly with spiritual warfare. Whatever it was, I'll just let ya'll know that it didn't mean I didn't want to be down here or that I didn't love the country. And I can tell you now that I'm feeling more myself... I'm so excited to be back down here and I can't wait to see what comes from this semester down here. God is mighty and is working down here :-)

Now, this ministry that we visited- I wish everyone could hear Paloma speak about her vision of the school... Her passion for this project is evident on her face, it lights up as she speaks. I wish you could see the smiles that are created on the faces when you simply smile at the students... simply being with them for a couple of hours Thursday and just making clay objects with them meant the world to them.

The ministry is a school that just started up for people with disabilities. Down here, there's a problem with people being ashamed of have a person with a disability in their family and they sometimes will simply hide them away. The group of people we met at the school were from ages 6 to 30(ish) and some of them didn't even know simple colors and numbers- they aren't even sent to school. Paloma came to visit from Spain for 2 months... 5 years ago. And she hasn't left. Something here called to her. She started working with this project simply over a month ago and she has a huge vision for it. They are going to start on February 2^nd to have school from 8 to 12 in the morning and then activities and "projects" from 1 to 5.

So now that you have a basic idea of what the program is... I'm so excited to work with this ministry! I really hope that I'll be able to devote 3 or more afternoons a week to hanging out with, loving on, and helping the people who will be there. God really answered a prayer with bringing a new ministry that tugs at my heart.

If you could be praying for the rest of the time until ministry starts up full-time, that God will draw the people He wants to each specific ministry and we would all be wise enough to listen...

Screwtape Letters

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I've been reading through C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters, which is a book of letters that a demon writes to his nephew. The uncle (Screwtape) is giving his nephew (Wormwood) tips on how to tempt a human and explaining to him why some forms of temptation are better and helping him with situations that come up with his "hairless biped." It's been interesting to see temptation from a different point of view- instead of always on the defensive side and just knowing we need to resist it, it shows how the mind of a demon (might) work and the possible reasoning behind the temptation.

In chapter 13, a situation arises that causes Screwtape to give Wormwood this advice-"It remains to be seen how we can retrieve this disaster. The great thing is to prevent his [meaning the human] doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into any action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance...(more of the quote to be added here) AS one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened. The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able to ever act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."(pg61)

It's interesting that he would not tell his nephew to simply distract the man from thinking about this feeling. Rather, he tells him to let him think about it (a lot) and if the man so desires to even write a book. All he says is to not let the man actually act on that feeling- and in the end he will simply stop feeling.

The reality is that this is brilliant. It's simple logic and is easy to do. EXAMPLE TIMEIt's like in working out- you can think about it all the time, even talk to people about your desire to do it or the positive aspects of it. But unless you get up off your bum and actually go out and do it... what good does it do? Just talking about something or even thinking about it and how great it is doesn't do diddly squat to actually doing something about it. (This example came to mind pretty easily cause it's one that occurs in my life) And the reality is that the longer we just think about it and don't do anything, we'll start telling ourselves that there's no point in starting because "we won't follow thru" or "that's just how I am."

Also, Screwtape states the fact that "active habits are strengthened... but passive ones are weakened." When I first read this, I thought it meant that the more you do a habit the stronger that habit and vice versa (the less you do a habit the weaker it is). But the more I look at it, I see that it doesn't make a difference depending on repetition or a lack of repetition. It says, as an active habit is repeated, it is strengthened; yet, as a passive habit is repeated, it is weakened. I would see active and passive habits as just that- a habit that you actively do and a habit that you passively do. It's easy to figure out what an active habit would be- like running or writing or reading or smoking. You have to actively participate in the habit and over time it will become a stronger habit. Now the passive one is where it gets a little fuzzy (at least for me). So bear with me as I try to make a bridge-

One of the things that comes to mind is being passive aggressive (which is what I happen to be). It's not one of my better traits. Take the example of my parents telling me to pick up my room. They would tell me time and time again to pick up my room and it's not that I would put up a huge fight about it; I would just calmly NOT do it. Or in a fight, I would sit there quietly, not really saying a lot and then at one point put in a slight jab (very calmly) and know that the fight would start up again. With being passive, until someone points it out in you, you don't even realize it is an aspect of your personality. (There are other ways you can interpret active and passive actions- if you have any ideas please let me know :-)

I'm gonna wrap this blog up since it's getting pretty long. These are just my thoughts and I'm sure more will come from this book (I suggest everybody reads it).

Back Down Here...

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So we're continuing to get settled in our new house. Side tables and rocking chairs are being painted daily. Everyone is still figuring out what's the best way to have things in their room. At our old house, you could easily guess what would happen that night and who would be involved with those activities (depending on the night). Some people would be playing cards, there might be a guitar lesson going on and you could always count on the fact that some of us were outside on the porch. Here, we're still figuring out what the nights will look like- some games, maybe reading, or discussion time. When we step out of our house, we see our lovely new bathroom area and we're still in the backyard of El Puente- to actually get out on the street we have to walk thru El Puente.

It's been good to back down here. I know we all are enjoying being together again and continuing to get to know each other more over these next 4(ish) months. We have also been able to run into some of the friends we've made down here and catch up with them some. I know we're all ready to start up with ministry down here (I definitely am) but it'll come in God's timing. And I think we've all realized to not have any expectations of what we think the ministry will look like- one of our largest lessons we all learned during the first 3 months is that it is pretty pointless to have expectations since things do not occur depending on how you think they should, they go by God's plan. Also, just realizing that since we are the first long term team down here, we are guinea pigs in a sense. Rules for trips and teams following us might be different from our rules, ministries might look different. And I have to realize I'm not going to be here for forever. And so I want to leave things behind so that when the next team comes in, they can pick up where we left off.

And with that reality check (that in May we are leaving) there comes the question "What am I going to do after the trip?" And the only answer I have for that question is "I don't know and I'm okay with that." Cause I don't want to go about making my own plans and realize in May that I spent 4 months figuring out MY plans, when it's all up to God. So I'm just waiting til He opens some doors or closes some or just puts an intense desire in my heart for something.

I want to thank everyone for supporting me on this trip! Your prayers are a constant blessing and everyone has been so faithful and generous in supporting me- I am so grateful to be able to say that I am FULLY SUPPORTED monetarily. So thank to everyone who has supported with prayers and/or monetary support.

Unity

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

     I'm sitting in a hammock on the porch of our new house as I type this, surrounded by (almost) darkness, hearing a neighbor's stereo blast a Spanish song. I can tip my head back and see a sliver of the sky with the moon, reminding me that no matter where I am, the moon is always the same. I was told by my parents when I was a kid that the moon I saw (and fondly called "Mimaw's Moon") was the same moon that overlooked my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. There's a unity that comes from realizing we all find rest and comfort in the same moon.
      But, there's something that binds us all together more than seeing the same moon or sun or even living on the same planet. And that's the fact that, male or female, young or old, whatever color our skin might be or where we happen to live in this world, we are all made in the image of God. How can we not feel unified with people across the world- the neighbors down the street, the family in another country- when we realize that we were all made by the same loving Creator.
      There are universities that, once you go there, you are always considered from that university. Some people even define themselves by this connection. Other people who go/went to that same university will automatically be your friend and you will have an eternal bond. I heard of a guy who was in Europe and (having gone to Texas A&M) recognized a mutual "Aggie" while sightseeing. Stating that he too was an "Aggie", the two guys immediately felt a bond and a new friendship was born.
      It amazes me that, even though we are all made in God's image, we sometimes go to huge lengths to prove that we are better than the next guy (or girl). We all have something in common yet we so easily overlook it and even forget it... and this happens to be that we are all made and loved by an all powerful, fully merciful God. How is it that something this important, this vital to life, is ignored? As Christians, this is one of our points of where we find our identity, but it's not just Christians. It's everyone. However, how can we find such comfort in the fact that we are made in His image and loved by Him, but then choose to base other people's value on money, looks, and position. And we look down on people who we deem "unworthy" or "less than desirable". Obviously, this isn't everyone who does this. But it's something our culture teaches us- people find their worth/value from what they do. Sometimes they just don't realize that our worth comes from the fact that a loving, mighty Creator cared enough to make us.

That love surrounds us all and creates a bond that can never be broken because God will never stop loving us. We all can look around us and realize this bond and also see the image of God in each person we meet.

The Next Part...

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So the first part of this trip is coming to an end. It was definitely one of those things where at the beginning of the trip it seemed like December would never come; now looking back on it I cant believe how fast it went by. We are heading to Omatepe, an island nearby, on Tuesday for a week to help out at an orphanage there. Then, once my team comes back to Granada on the 17th and then they are all flying home on the 19th. I am heading home 4 days earlier than everyone else because my best friend is getting married on the 20th and I wanted a few more days with her before she becomes a married woman :) So, I am heading back from Omatepe on the 14th to fly back on Monday the 15th. I have loved being down here so much and I am so glad that we are coming back in January- however, I am also very excited to see my family and friends and be able to spend Christmas and New Years with them.

The second part of this trip starts in January. When we move back, things are going to be different, starting with where we live. During the past 3 months, the 10 girls lived on a house on El Marterio and the boys lived around the corner on Santa Lucia. Now in January, we are all going to be living in the back of El Puente in a house that they are currently building (it is beautiful and we are so excited to live there!). Also, instead spending a majority of the day all together, we will be going to help out with ministries God has place on our hearts- a school, hospital, feeding program... I am very excited to come back and see where God calls me.

This will probably be my last blog before being home. If everyone could just pray for us while we are in Omatepe and for safe travels for everyone going home over Christmas and that there are no problems that would be great :)

There's a Saying...

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One of the first weeks of being down here, Rebecca told us a saying that she and her friends use when things just don't go how you think they should or how you expected. "Nicaragua always wins." And that has been so true these past few days.

Let's start with Thanksgiving, a day that our leaders so lovingly gave us off. We were so excited for this meal and time to be together as a group and celebrate Thanksgiving Day. We had a turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread... we were also making some "pumpkin like" pies, as well as stuffing, vegetables, apple crisp, and deviled eggs. While Tana and I headed off to get some extra potatoes from Pali (the grocery store), the turkey was starting to cook in our oven and people were hard at work getting all the food ready. Then, Tana gets about 5 phone calls and one of those happens to be Roberto telling us that men were at our house threatening to cut our electricity. They claimed we hadn't paid the bill which Tana knew we had. We hurried through Pali and got home to find our house without electricity. Not what you want on Thanksgiving, especially when you need the oven to cook a huge bird. So, my teammates, being ever so resourceful, went to our neighbors and asked to use their oven which then started off the process of how do we get the bird into the other oven without burning their hands and wondering if the turkey was even going to fit... Anyways, long story short, the turkey fit and we're very grateful to our neighbors for helping us. What happened with the electricity was the company had never given us a bill for October and because of that we didn't pay the bill (go figure) so they cut our electricity. Well, Tana gives money to Roberto to go pay the bill because we really wanted our electricity back. After he pays the bill though, he informs Tana that they will probably be at the house in 24 hours to reconnect the electricity. (This is about 11 oclock or noon on Thursday) However, he says that if we bribe the electricians they will come by sooner. So, we bribe them- it's just a fact of life down here. So, we all go finish cooking our food at different places, somewhat calmer because we're going to get our electricity back...

Fast Forward

So now, it's Saturday. Still no electricity. No electricians. Nothing.

Roberto has gone and tracked the workers down about 3 or 4 times I think and they say they're coming over but they never show up. It's obviously not that big of a deal in the day time, we don't need light. But at night, we all pull out our handy little head lamps and wander around in our pitch black house. Plus, we always have to have someone at the house now, waiting to see if maybe they feel like showing up. Last night, we stayed up til 11, hoping that they would come by. Our friends down here have been helping so much, calling people, trying to figure out what's up. Last night, Roberto actually called the electricity company and stated our situation as an "emergency". But still no one has come.

I'll admit it's frustrating. Without electricity we can't use the washing machine, the lights, any electronics that we have are dying cause we can't charge them, and the fans don't work. I know for me the fans are what I miss the most. They keep us cool at night as well as keep the mosquitos and other bugs off of us while we sleep. Also, arriving back to the house on Thursday with a bunch of leftovers and having the fridge and freezer not work was kinda frustrating. Sometimes, we just have to laugh about it though so that we don't get too frustrated. So we're hoping today that they'll come- but it is the weekend and actually right now everyone is celebrating the Virgin Mary (there was a parade at 4 oclock this morning). So who knows.

Nicaragua, you win this round.

Enough and Then Some...

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

"You're going to carry this thing around with you everywhere. You're going to eat with it, sleep with it, do ministry with it..."

On Tuesday in class, I looked at Charles Kaye with an astounded look on my face. REALLY? Sleep with a backpack filled with 4 rocks larger than my fist? I thought maybe he was joking at first... but no. So from Tuesday til Friday, these backpacks became our constant companions. We had them with us when we woke up til we went to sleep. Some of my teammates teach a couple of soccer teams down here as a ministry and they had to go to soccer practice with rocks on their backs. A couple of our ministries down here are with children and we had to chase them and play them with uncomfortable backpacks on. It became normal to walk into our kitchen and see everyone sitting around with backpacks, looking like they were planning to go somewhere. The first day especially we all caught ourselves asking each other "Where are you going?" when the person simply walked past us with their backpack on. It really frustrated us at first. However, after awhile, I'll admit that the backpack became more comfortable, more easy to work with, less annoying. And that was what hit me the most about the exercise:

Sin, when it first enters your life, is uncomfortable. You struggle with it alot, it's always on your mind, it seems to be this weight that just buries you. However, as time goes on, if that sin isn't dealt with and gotten rid of, it will become more and more a part of your life. You will find a way to make it comfortable, to make it not as bothersome. And that's the problem- when the sin becomes comfortable. And I know that the sins I had in my backpack, the ones I had been carrying around for 4 days were those sins that I had let become comfortable in my life. It made me stop and think about each of those sins and really wonder why they were in my life in the first place. We found that sins come back to a lack of trust in God. We don't really trust Him to take care of us, even though He promises to in the Bible. (Actually, one of my rocks was "trust". I knew that I struggle with trusting people and so to realize that it is the root of most sins was interesting.)

So we're lugging these rocks around for 4 days. And there were times where we got really frustrated, annoyed and even mad about it. But in the end it was totally worth it. On Friday in class, Charles told us that we could give up these sins whenever we felt we had dealt with them. Whenever we felt it was time. During the last song, I took my backpack off and then once the song was over we all went outside and got rid of the rocks however we wanted to. I threw mine down an old well that has a cover over it- it would be impossible for me to go get those rocks now and that's how I feel about my sin. Not that I'll never struggle with them again, simply that I refuse to let them control me. And again, I was reminded that God's grace is enough and then some :-)

A Time For Everything... Now Is My Time To Learn

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

1. Missionary

2. Wisdom

3. Exhortation

4. Mercy

This past week we read Discover Your Spiritual Gifts by C. Peter Wagner. As you can guess, the book deals with spiritual gifts- what they are, where they are mentioned in the Bible, different beliefs on spiritual gifts and then at the end we completed a "quiz" to help us narrow down what our possible dominate spiritual gifts are. My top four are listed above. Obviously, this quiz was to simply help us and so the answers are not set in stone- however, it was interesting to come together and notice what everyone's dominate traits were. The top three out of our group are actually my top three:

Missionary (we ARE on a missions trip but that does not mean that everyone's dominate gift in our group is being a missionary)
Wisdom
Exhortation (one thing you will never run short of in our group is encouragement- you can always find someone who has something encouraging to say)

Obviously, each person has different gifts in different amounts and there are people who would state that their gift was leadership or hospitality and we all nodded our heads in agreement. However, there were also those times when a gift would be stated that hasn't been as obvious and it's shown us different parts of each other. I've learned there is a person gifted with intercession (the ability to pray about specific things and see specific/ frequent answers to those prayers), one with miracles, a couple with the possible gift of celibacy, a few with the gift of teaching, one with the gift of discernment of spirits... Again, this test was simply to give us an idea of what gifts we could have. The book suggests that we basically "try the gifts out" and see if God uses them. The book talks about roles vs. gifts and how they can be confused and so there is a need to test the gift out. (I could talk more about this book and explain it but this blog would be ALOT longer- if you have any questions, maybe pick up the book or email me and I can try to answer it the best way I can).

Another thing that I found in the Bible a couple of weeks ago (found is probably the wrong word since it has always been there and I've read and heard this verse many, many times) is the verse in Philippians 4:6-7 which says:

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When I had read these verses in the past, I concentrated on the parts about not being anxious, with thanksgiving, presenting our requests to God, the peace that transcends all understanding and it guarding my mind. For some reason, I had never noticed the part "will guard your heart." Now that I've noticed it, I can't believe I ever overlooked that part of the verse; it mentions in Proverbs 4:23 to guard the heart for it is the wellspring of life. Also, being a woman, we've been taught our entire lives to watch over our hearts, keep it safe. This part of the verse means so much to me because for me, when I'm struggling with something or I become anxious about something, I feel it more in my heart than in my head. Generally it seems that if you tell someone you are anxious or worried about something, people assume that you're simply thinking a lot about that thing, which is true for me as well but again, I feel things more in my heart- that's how I can tell when something really bothers me. And to read that verse and realize that God understands, that He knows that, yes we do think about our problems more and we need to give the problem to Him but at the same time He knows that the problem can affect our hearts- simply makes me love Him even more and lose any worries I might have had.

As The Week Went By...

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This post is going to be kinda short but I wanted to give everyone a view of my past week.
Monday- We had class in the morning over Celebration of Discipline and studied a chapter on studying (ya, try to figure that one out). We then had ESL in the afternoon and I helped Fatima, another girl at Sisters of Charity, with her English homework and forced her to speak some English. Then, we had a team meeting with Don and Connie Rock, a couple with AIM, and were able to tell them stories about living down here and how God is working. We finished the night off with some tutti frutti helado (frozen fruit juice in a bag... delicious and only 1 cordoba!).
Tuesday- Let's see... woke up in the morning sick and went to bed better. That's basically it :-)
Wednesday- We had the 2nd part of a 3 day seminar down here. I missed the first one on Tuesday. It was about bringing development, not neccesarily relief, into a community. Jenn, Laura and I went to TelePizza for lunch. And then we had a meeting about our trash picking up ministry and the possibility of changing how we handle it... We're still praying about it and where God might want to take it. Then had ATLs in the afternoon and a Younglife leader meeting at night.
Thursday- We started out the morning with another ATL and my group decided to go find some girls to invite to Younglife since the guy to girl ratio there is about 5 to 1. We invited about 10 girls (but we're still not sure if any of them showed up since we watched a movie and it was dark and pretty crowded).And then we had the last session of the seminar. And then at night we had Younglife where we watched Journey to the Center of the Earth...
Friday- Yesterday morning we went to Sisters of Charity to help with the daycare again but I was not feeling well by the time we got there so I simply sat with Natalia (one of our translators) and got to know her better. And then we had class in the afternoon (more on studying) and actually we were given an assignment to study something in nature. I studied the rain, other people studied a tree, wind, the sky and a spider... A couple of poems were written :-) And then last night was the movie night down the street and somme of us went down to watch it. I ended up only seeing the first 5 minutes and then talking to people, painting nails, playing games... friday nights are one of my favorites!
So that's my week :-) I will plan on writing more next week! Please pray for good health in my team; alot of people are coming down with sicknesses, sometimes just simple colds but a couple of people have gone to the hospital for help.

I've Never Been a Youth Group Person

Sat, 1 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I never really enjoyed youth group when I was younger. I would rather go to the "big person service" than to be in a group of peers and play games, sing and hear stories from the Bible. But down here, one of my favorite times of the week is going to Younglife. I went on a walk with the Younglife group on Sunday which was really fun and about 6 of us go to the leadership meetings on Wednesdays to see how we can help out. And God is doing some amazing things in Younglife!

So last Thursday (the 23rd), Jenner, the main leader of Younglife, asked at the end if anyone wanted to accept Christ in their life. 6 people raised their hands! It was such an amazing sight! Those 6 people gathered in the middle of the room and prayed with Jenner, with the rest of us simply praying and praising God. And then on Sunday, we had that walk which was a really great day- we walked to the top of this mountain, where a white cross was "planted" and we had messages across the way, as well as games. (Jenner was very, um, kind and "let" me lead a game- aka he announced without telling me that I was going to lead the game. It ended up okay tho- no one died). So then this past Thursday, we were split into 3 smaller groups and each group did a skit from a story or parable in the Bible. It is so entertaining to listen to some of the boys in Younglife- there's one who's name is Jose' and he is possibly the best ad libber I've ever heard. He'll keep going for about 5 minutes by himself and no one can stop laughing. Anyways, this past Thursday, at the end, Jenner again asked who would like to accept Christ and this time about 15 people went to the middle! It was so great!

So, God is definitely moving thru Younglife down here! It's so exciting to see what is going to happen each week! If everyone could continue to pray for every person who comes to Younglife to have an open heart and open ears that would be amazing! Also, they are in need of more funds and would be interested in maybe being "adopted" by a Younglife group in the States- so prayers about that would be greatly appreciated!

Thursdays are a good day for blogging...

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I realize that last week's blog was short and only showed a snippet of that week. Sorry about that- some weeks I have a harder time writing than others, not because of lack of stories but simply due to my lack of concentration.

I wish everyone could meet the amazing people on my team. I've been truly blessed with a great group of friends. I love talking to the girls on my team- whether it's waking up in the morning and simply talking about how we slept, what crazy dreams we might have had or going over the day together at night, talking about any frustrations we might have encountered or things we are struggling with. I wasn't sure how I was going to do with living with 10 other women for 8 months; I figured I'd have a really hard time with it but Ive been proven wrong (not to say there arent tough times, simply the good have outweighed the bad). There always seems to be laughter in our house and if by chance you're having a hard day there are always at least 3 girls with ready smiles to brighten your day. Plus there are the added perks of having girls willing to do your hair in a french braid, the impromptu dance parties, the small inside jokes that always bring a smile, the fact that theres at least a couple of people you can borrow clothes from... So we'll just say I'm very blessed with the women on my team down here.

I haven't forgotten the guys- they're a blessing as well. We don't live with them but we're around them during ministry and class time and free time... so basically we don't see them when we go to bed and get up. They're great men with a lot of wisdom and they watch over us girls. They are a lot of fun and are always up for an activity whether it be playing cards, random street soccer games, or running around in the rain.

So I'm going to give you a basic schedule of what our weeks are looking like while we're down here:

Every Morning- 7:30 am Wake up; 8:00 Devotions

Monday- 9:30 Class at El Puente; 12:00 Lunch; 3:00 to 4:00 ESL; 4:30 Chore time; 5:30/6:00 Dinner; Team time

Tuesdays- Same as Mondays except that we might not have team time because the boys have a ministry they go to at night so the girls with just have free time or a girls night

Wednesday- 9:30 Class; 12:00 Lunch; 2:00-4:00 Trash pick up; 4:30 Chore time; 5:30/6:00 Dinner; 6:30 Younglife leader meeting- depends on the week if we have this or not

Thursday- 9:30 Ministry time; 12:00 Lunch; 2:00-4:00 Class; 4:00- 6:00 Internet time; 6:00 Dinner; 7:00 Younglife meeting

Friday- Same as Thursdays except that we don't have internet time or Younglife at night- Friday nights are free nights and there is a movie that is shown on the side of a building down the street we can go see or simply hang out with friends (teammates and people down here we've been blessed to build friendships with)

Saturday- Free day (this could involve going to breakfast in the morning with some teammates, hanging out at one of the internet cafes, going to the grocery store or the fabric store, getting chinese food, taking Spanish classes from some boys we know down here, wandering around the city, a soccer game, relaxing around the house... )

Sunday- 8:30 am... 2^nd and 4^th Sunday of the month we go to El Puente in the morning; 11:00- 4:00 Team time; 5:00 Possibility of church again either at Todo Fuerte or Restoration

Now, there's always a possibility that any of these things could change time or place or simply not work out due to being lost in translation.

This past week, I worked with Karla again at ESL- helping with her English homework and teaching her some more High School Musical songs. I've really enjoyed getting to know her even more although I probably need to be more determined with having her practice her English.

This morning was especially meaningful to me. I went on an ATL with Joann and Mario. I love ATLing with Mario. He always shows us a different part of Nicaragua. Last week (the 16^th) he took Melissa, Jenn and I to a girls home that he knew of and we were able to go in and talk to the Sister in charge. She told us that we would be welcome to come by and visit the girls, teach them crafts and art, maybe simply play with them/hang out with them. Melissa, Jenn and I talked about using some of our time on Saturdays to go visit these girls. We're unsure how a ministry might look with that place but we're excited to see God work. So this today (Thursday), Joann and I went with Mario to an elderly home and I am again excited to see how God will use us there. Maybe He won't end up calling anyone back to it full time but we did tell one lady, who almost started crying when we were leaving, that we would return. And I intend to keep my promise. It is especially great to see Mario allowing God to move through him and letting himself be a vessel of Christ. Mario accepted Christ in his heart last week! Praise the Lord! Mario is definitely a blessing to our group- he answers any questions we have about the Nicaraguan culture or history, he watches out for us, guiding us around the city, and whenever I talk to him I'm challenged and great encouraged.

So this is a little bit longer than last week's blog J We are missing 2 girls right now from our team- one is home for a wedding so if you'll pray for her safety in traveling that would be amazing. The other girl actually went home for good- we don't know why God called her away but it's his plan so please pray for guidance for her when she gets home.

To Win a Smile

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, we went to Sisters of Charity (a Catholic girls orphanage we're working with) to help out with their daycare and feeding program. It was pouring rain and since Nicaraguans don't like the rain, at least half the children from the week before were missing; and the ones that were there happened to be pretty shy. So, as our group of 10 gringos came into the room, instead of the previous week's reception (kids running up and simply clinging onto us) we found a group of quiet children. The little boys didn't run and yell like they had and the little girls simple looked at us with big eyes. We all went in, somewhat tired due to the weather, but still expecting the same attention- and were shown again to not have expectations (a lesson we all continue to learn on this trip). I went around, trying to interact with some of the kids, but not having a lot of luck. There was this one little girl wearing a little pink dress, probably around 2 years old, simply holding a ball. I tried to talk to her but again no luck (the children all also happened to go mute with the shyness). I ended up picking her up and going and sitting down with her- but she still refused to talk or even smile. I held her for about 20 minutes, simply holding her and helping her eat her snack. I kept saying things to her, hoping to get her to smile. I started bouncing her on my knee, catching her when she would "fall"... but still nothing. But I was persistent--- and then, one time, I caught a small smile on her face. And then after that, her smile came easier each time until she would smile without prodding. Such a sweet smile. And that made the entire time worth it.

Ministry This Past Week

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This past week was great- it went by really fast and so it feels weird to be already writing a blog about it. We had the chance to start working with some new ministries that we will continue to work with while we're down here: a Catholic girls orphanage named Sister's of Charity, a couple of feeding programs, picking up trash on a specific street, and getting to know the Younglife group down here. We also had still continued to have class as a team this week: We finished reading "Victory Over Darkness" and we are starting a book called "Celebration of Discipline" (sounded kind of iffy but it's really good so far). We read the chapter on simplicity and were challenged in many ways that we live and think; for example- buying items we really don't need, speaking simply and honestly, even opposing things that breed oppression in others (like business' that employ people unethically...that was an interesting discussion). We also had a local pastor, Pastor Garcia, come by on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and teach on Job.

One of my favorite times this week was at Sister's of Charity. We went Monday and Tuesday as a group of ten or so, while our other teammates went to a school, to teach an ESL (English as a Second Language) class to the community. We went in pretty much blind, not knowing how many kids we would have or how much they would already know of English, if any. However, I ended up not helping in the classroom- Jennifer, Jessica and I went with one of the nuns and we met some teen girls who needed some help with their English homework. I sat down with Carla, a 17 yr old, who needed help with translating a story from English to Spanish. We worked together for over an hour and in that time I felt God move in me. He showed me that I can be used in ways that I don't consider a strength. I am not someone who wants to be a teacher. I dislike being in front of people , talking in front of people--- don't even ask me to teach in front of people.

(As much as I dislike being in front of people, I'm being stretched in that area...
I'm singing in front of church tomorrow night with Tana, Becca and JD)

After Monday, I wanted to be able to help with Carla the next day but was unsure if we would be needed again- which we were! I was able to sit with Carla again and help her with more of her English homework. (Even though I'm technically there to help her, she's also definitely helping me with my Spanish). She is heading off to college next year- it's name is San Marcos and it happens to be affiliated with a college in the states and it is taught solely in English. So it is imperative that her English improve- she understands quite a bit but is self-conscious about speaking it since a lot of the annunciation of English words are different. So if ya'll could be praying for courage in her to continue to try that would be great!

If you go to 08mexicoawakening.myadventures.org you will find a list of all the people on my team and if you click on their names you can go to their blogs. They're going to have stories that I might forget to put up as well as more pictures--- for pictures especially check out Joann Weng, she has a link to pictures in one of her blogs.

We're starting to have more of a schedule now which is good in a way I guess... not having a schedule definitely kept us on our toes! Please continue to be praying for our team and the people we will be continuing to be coming in contact with and building relationships with. Also, pray against any spiritual attacks- we've already experienced some and we know they aren't gone... I'm excited for this coming week to see what else we're going to be doing and how God will be working!

Enjoying It While It's Here

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

It is the rainy season in Nicaragua right now- actually, October is supposedly the rainiest month. And then we were told we wouldn't get any more rain until May... But this is how it is right now:

Our clothes have a hard time getting dry sometimes simply because there might be a small shower in the afternoon when we're not home to take our clothes off the clothesline that is outside. Or even if the clothes are simply on the clotheslines under the house, they still have a hard time getting dry due to the extra humidity in the air.

One night there was a rainstorm occurring but we needed to get to church and decided to go anyways... So we ran through the streets filled with 3 to 4 inches of water in some spots, having Nicaraguans call us loco while standing in their houses. At church that night, there was a continuous puddle where I was sitting.

This past Friday, the bottom level of our house flooded. We were fortunate enough to have been home and we were all able to pick up our suitcases, clothes, laptops, ect, off the floor. And then we waited and watched the water rise. And rise. And then overflow onto the floor of the laundry area and then spread to the bedrooms and bathroom. The reason that this happened was because the drainage pipe that leads from the "outside" (which is technically in our house) to the street was clogged with items (they happened to be a dead rat, trash, a small towel and part of a nerf football... go figure). Two of the guys from El Puente, Danilo and Manny, were gracious enough to come to the house and bring a large pipe to unclog the drainage pipe. And then we all spent the next 2 or so hours mopping our house and drying out our rooms. Even though it could be seen as annoying and frustrating that our house got flooded, I could look at it and realize that this rain is simply a blessing. Again, it does happen to be the rainy season down here which explains the immense amount of rain that we are getting- I'm simply trying to enjoy it while it's here because I love rain and I will miss it when it doesn't come around every day...

On a different topic- Our ministry this week has been mainly working with El Puente still. We've been really blessed with getting to know the guys who work there better and become even better friends with them. Our team is beginning to really become integrated into the life down here. We're building relationships with people who we see at shops that we frequent (the internet cafes, the tienda across the street from us, the bread store that sells picos) and people that we simply see day to day (the boys on the streets, the ice cream vendor who comes down our street, the family living next door). 3 of the guys on our team have actually been gone since Friday and are coming back this afternoon from playing in a basketball tournament with some guys from the young life group down here- building relationships with them.

One thing to leave everyone with is something someone on my team said and I guess it's a challenge- it definitely made me think. I know it's something that when I heard it I was kind of thinking "Yeah, I know that." But really think. Basically---
Don't put God in a box or expect Him to work in your time.

El Puente

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

One of the places we've been getting involved with down here is a church named "El Puente" The Bridge. It was started by Charles and Sarah Kaye, who are missionaries in Granada with their two kids, Banks and Willa. This is an amazing place to spend time- they're working on renovations on the building and continually trying to fix it up. There are basically 4 or 5 guys who do all this work on the church. And actually some of these guys live at the church to be security at night too.
-*-First, there's Manuel fondly called Manny. He's pretty shy; when our group first went to the church to meet them, the abundance of gringo girls caused him to barely look at us. But he's gotten over the shyness and is so much fun to hang out with! He is such a hardworker- when we go over to help them out with yard work, Manny ends up doing most of it himself anyways. He lives at the church and I believe is one of the men who guards with the dogs at night.
-*-Then, there's Guillermo Memo. His house is actually next door to the church and he's brought his five year old son Micheal adorable over a couple times. If ya'll could pray for him, he really wants his family to come to El Puente. Since they're so close, you'd assume they would have come but they haven't and he really desires them to.
-*-And then there's Carlos who also lives there. He is from Rivas which is where I was 2 years ago when I was down here but moved up to live in the church to help. He is also the worship leader basically, playing the guitar and singing. He's a great guy- taught me a new version of tic-tac-toe :)
-*-Next would be Danilo, who has blessed the girls with the house we are living with. It is his family's house and I heard his grandmother was living there but moved to live with other relatives. He has already come over to the house a couple of times to help fix items like bed slats, the refridgerator and freezer. He's a huge blessing.
-*- Roberto helps out with ministry aspects of El Puente but doesn't live there. His story is cool- he is from the streets and was a pretty important person I think and one day told Charles Kaye that he wanted to go to the rehab progam which I'll explain in a bit. And so he is now on fire for God and a great example of how God can change people. People who knew him before are seeing how he is now and are wondering how and why he changed. So pray for his witness please...
-*- And I guess last would be Ezekial. He doesn't live at El Puente but he's a good friend. He's alot of fun to hang out with :) a piece of interesting information- Nobody knows how old he is. The ages that have been said range from 16 to 18. He claims one age while other people will state something else. I don't think I'll ever know...
----------------- Most of these guys have gone through a Christian rehab program, whether to help them with drugs, alcohol... And so living in a community with men with similar situations is great for them. Actually, this past Sunday, two men went up to Charles Kaye and told him to take them that very moment to the rehab program before they change their minds- they had to drive up to the mountains while it was raining and ford a river but got those men there and started them on the path to get better :) And one of the major drug dealers down here happened to go to the rehab program and changed his life :)
There's actually a couple of personalities I haven't yet mentioned at El Puente- the dogs :) There's an older one who's name, for all I can figure, is Joe. He's sweet, loves the soccer ball and usually lays around the church grounds.
And then there's El Capitan.
Remeber the drug dealer that I mentioned above? Well, when he came back from the rehab program, a man came up to him holding a puppy, held it out to him and said "Here's the money I owed you". And as much as Capitan is a blessing in ways he's adorable, sooo energetic, very entertaining... did I mention adorable?, he is also a reminder of the past that this man led. He's a reminder to this man every day of what God helped him conquer.
So that's a sum up of one of the places we've been working with and the people I'm meeting :) Church at El Puente is only the first and third Sundays of the month so today we don't have church this morning but we are going to a church called Restoration tonight as a group and I'm really excited to see what it's going to be like!

Pictures

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I put up some pictures :-)

The Start of Something...

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well... How to start this off... Im here! Its been a whirlwind this past week and a half. This is the first chance Ive had to sit down and blog so sorry for the wait. Im currently getting used to living in Nicaragua. Ill admit it feels weird to say it like that- Live in Nicaragua. But Im so excited to see where these months are going to take me! Im currently learning how to use this keyboard Im typing on- its totally different from ones in America but its simply just another adventure :)

Training week was good, although Ill admit at first I didnt neccessarily want to be there- I just wanted to go down to Nicaragua right away. But the week really brought our team together. Obviously, theres only so much you can learn in one week about each other while still getting sleep at night and we definitely learned alot. We had team building exercises- an obstacle course, an activity called the spider web (we had to manuver under and over string in between trees- defintely not as easy as it sounds), we had drime (miming a drama) training... And we continued to learn about each other and come to appreciate God in every aspect of our lives. There were speakers every day talking about a range of topics- from spiritual warfare to how to share our life stories.

After the week in Gainsville Georgia- we headed to the airport to catch our plane to Houston TX and then eventually Nicaragua. As we were headed to the airport, because of the recent hurricane in TX we had no idea what would actually occur once we got there- we could be rerouted, or simply delayed, or not fly out at all. But God was gracious and knew how excited we were to get down here and allowed the airport experiences to go smoothly.

So here I am, in an internet cafe, still trying to get used to the humidity :) The girls were blessed with a great house- we have electricity, 4 bedrooms, rocking chairs, FANS, even a washing machine with clotheslines. Were totally aware how blessed we are with it. The 5 guys on the team have their own house too- its not furnished right now, simply beds and a simple table and chairs, but the leaders are working on getting them fans and a broom (those were their main two requests). This is only our 2nd day here, were still trying to get into the swing of things. We met up with the missionaries down here last night and they told us some of the ministries well probably be helping with down here (of course I cant remember them right now, Ill let everyone know as time goes by).

Thank you so much for everyones prayers! Already God is working down here, the guys went to a mens bible study this morning and 3 men were saved! God is good!

Meandering into a Sprint

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

When I look back at this summer, it has gone by so much faster than I ever would have thought. I remember when it was May and I thought that August was never going to get here; September felt like years away. I felt like the entire summer was simply taking it's time coming and going- and now, it's less than two weeks before I leave. Wow.

I'm so very excited for this trip. I can't wait to board the plane to Georgia, meet my teammates, and then finally all head down to Nicaragua. But I've also been realizing that by going down there I have to leave here. And I'll admit it's bittersweet. I have an amazing family and friends here. I'm going to miss all of you

I always find it interesting how time sometimes feels like it drags on forever while other times it just flies by. I wish that these few weeks would slow down. I still have things to do, people to see... I feel as if I have to physically slow myself down to slow down everything around me. (Does that even make sense?) It's not that I don't want the trip to come- it's simply that I want to LIVE these last 2 weeks as much as I can. Not simply rush through them.

Also, with the reality of the trip coming up is the reality of support. My support has been a huge blessing- people have been so generous with prayers and monetary support. However, I still have a need of around $2500 to have my entire trip paid off. I would ask again that people pray about supporting me financially.

These next two weeks are going to go fast I'm sure. It's going to be September 8th and I will wonder how it came so fast. So, since I want to make the most of my time here, I'm going to end this, get off the computer and spend time with my sisters.

Rainy Days and Jason Statham

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

There's something about rainy days. Something that makes me wish they came around more often. Maybe it's the fact that a rainy day gives me a reason to curl up with a blanket and read a book or pop in an old movie and let the day pass me by. Maybe it's because the rain is spontaneous and it's constantly changing- raining harder, softer, a flash of lightning. Maybe it's due to the song "Grace like Rain" and the image that brings to mind, of the rain washing everything away. But one thing I know for certain, with rainy days comes a desire for Chinese food. Chinese food and rainy days are a perfect combination- one that I was able to enjoy today.

I was driving to meet up with my sister at Panda for Chinese, seeing the fog cover the mountains and listening to the rain hit my car. Natasha Bedingfield's song "Pocketful of Sunshine" was playing and wasn't holding my attention so I decided to entertain myself with thinking of what other things in life I thought complemented each other (random? definitely).

One of the things I thought about was how I love action movies. It's something I got from my dad and brother growing up. And then I realized that even though I love action movies, an action movie with Jason Statham is absolutely my favorite! It's like with the Chinese food and rain- a rainy day by itself is great, I love them. But with Chinese it's soooo much better! And Chinese food not eaten on a rainy day is still good but just is amazing on a rainy day. An action movie is always fun for me to watch--- and I've seen Jason Statham in a role or two not in an action movie, he's good but not as great as in an action movie. They just fit together.

Another thing that popped into my mind right after action movies and Jason Statham is that I love books. Specifically mystery books. They challenge me to read the entire book, to not skip to the last page to read the ending, and to try to figure out the mystery myself. So of course I'm trying to think of something that complements a mystery book... Reading it by a fireplace? No. Reading my favorite author? Definitely nice, but still no. And then, I realized that best complement for reading a mystery book was to have that book be Christian. To have God throughout the story. It was as simple as that. The best complement was God. And of course my mind goes "Well, duh! God should be in everything you do!"

And then I thought about, if it was so simple to have God in everything, how was it I so easily overlooked it? And I thought back over all these combinations of items and realized that even though these all were perfect complements of each other, the complements didn't just occur. I have to choose to go get Chinese food on a rainy day- it doesn't just appear. I have to look through alot of action movies to find one that has Jason Statham in it- it doesn't just jump off the shelf into my arms. And I have to search and find a mystery book that is Christian. Same with putting Christ in every area of my life. Even though I'm his child and I'm trying my best to follow His call- I still have to choose to put Him in all parts of my life. I have to work at keeping Him there and not getting sidetracked. It's a struggle. There's opposition everywhere. It's not impossible, just harder than I thought. But, I know where I am weak, He is strong. This is one of the areas in my life I want to work on during this trip- because I know that by putting Christ in every area of my life, He will work more wonders than I can imagine.