I wrote in my first post about how while I am here I would have to rely on God for everything. Though the situation seems less threatening now that I'm actually here, I am learning to rely on the Lord in a whole new way. While I've been here I've not only had time to go out and spend some time with the kids, but I have also had time to close myself away from the world and spend time with my Father. He's been teaching me who I am to Him and though slow, it's such a sweet journey. I know that the Lord has placed me here for a purpose of not only serving but also learning more about my identity in Him. I'm excited to see what the next 3 weeks hold!

    We did two things this week. One day, we went to a school about a half hour out away from town to show the kids a movie. The kids in that area rarely see movies on a big screen like they did that day. We showed a kids movie about truth and lying. If any of you parents of young kids are reading, it was on of the Hermie movies. The kids of ages 2 to 12 all really enjoyed it, along with the game of telèfono we played after the movie. After it was shown, our friend Eliseo spoke to the kids about the importance of  truth. It was a great opportunity to bring the truth to the kids while letting them have some fun in the middle of their school day.

    We also went to Francisco and Erica's children's church again on Wednesday night. I was able to formally introduce myself to the kids in my broken Spanish. Since I  didn't have a small message for them prepared in Spanish, they asked me some questions. They were surprised to find that I don't have any siblings, but were even more surprised to know that I have close to 25 cousins. Their smiles and laughter are priceless! They also asked about the name of my church back home, Casa de Oraciòn in Spanish, and they loved the name of it. (Good pick Pastor Ron!)

     I got to see one of the girls I had met there the last time we went. Her name is Alicia, I think. She's one of the few older girls that goes to the church fairly consistently. Roger and Rhonda put a heavy emphasis on ministry through relationships with people, as it should be since that is how Jesus ministered. I feel like this is something I will put an emphasis on while I'm here concerning those girls in that group. There is a small group of older girls from ages of about 12 to 14, give or take a year or two, that I would love to get to know better. I believe we are going to the church again tomorrow morning and I'm hoping to be able to spend some one on one time with the kids again. I'm still praying for that boldness to come out of my shell with the kids. If you know me, you know that getting me to come out of my shell is like pulling teeth, especially with the language barrier. But, I know that that's part of the reason I'm here so I will keep on trying. :)

     So much has happened in the last week it's hard to know where to begin. The atmosphere has certainly broken loose since my last post.

     On Monday, the guys returned from their conference on the other side of Nicaragua in Puerto Cabezas. They saw God move tremendously in healings and in prophetic words given to them. Then, on Tuesday night as Roger, Rhonda, Heath, Tim and I sat in the living room we began to worship the Lord together and to pray. The flood I told you I was waiting for before certainly came on Tuesday night. The presence of the Lord was sweet that night! It's hard to put it into words. Through it I have learned my purpose for being here, received some guidance for my future and have peered into the realm of a deeper relationship with my Heavenly Father.

    Though it was bittersweet to see Tim and Heath leave, (I got my bed back that I had given up for them...but their company is missed) It marked the beginning of other ministry work that has already taken place.

     I wrote before that we packed over 300 school supply packages last week. We delivered them on Thursday (I think. They days have been running together. lol) The schools here work on half-days, the younger grades working in the morning and the high school grades working in the afternoon. So, we all got up early to deliver the packages. We set out and went past the outskirts of town into the very rural areas. The roads we traveled on would not be considered roads in the States, maybe not even trails. Once we got to each of the schools, the teachers and kids were incredibly grateful for all the supplies they were given. You can look at my photo's post for pictures of the day.

    Yesterday, Sunday, we went to a nearby minster's home where they hold a children's church. We had some worship with the kids and a little Bible lesson. Then, we helped them make keychains, hearts and bracelets for their moms for Mother's Day (which is at the end of this month here). We also taught the kids how to play a new game called ninja and they loved it. I think we started something big.

     The kids here are beautiful and just longing to be loved. I was able to learn some of the kids' names and work with them one on one, stumbling through with my spanish. :P I learned that Francisco and Erica (the leaders of the children's church) hold services three times a week. I've been given the opportunity to work with them a lot while I'm here and I'm definitely going to take them up on it. Once I learn the words to the songs, I'll be leading some worship for the kids, helping them with crafts and games as well as probably helping some of them with their English homework on the side. I'm so excited or the doors that the Lord has opened up.

    I added some more photos to my album, so I'll repost the link for them below. God bless you all! :)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2045259569616.120663.1188196661&l=55cc482658

Photos!

Hey everyone,

We've been super busy the last few days and so I haven't had a chance to write anything down. But, I did take lots of pictures. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2045259569616.120663.1188196661&l=55cc482658

Waiting for Rain

     Waiting...it seems as though right now is a time of waiting. I've been in Jinotepe for 3 days now. The guys, Roger, Heath and another pastor named Tim, are off on the other side of Nicaragua doing a conference. I'm here with Rhonda and the kids and it's been a blast so far. Today we packed over 300 school supply packages that we will be delivering sometime within the next couple weeks. Also, the kids, Josiah, Rachel and I have been playing outside a lot and having a great time out in the wonderful hot weather. The weather is going to change soon though. No, it's probably not going to cool off. It'll start raining soon. You can feel the anticipation of precipitation in the air, and I mean that in the most literal sense. The moisture in the air, the humidity, seems anxious to just break loose and pour down on the dry ground here. We got the first rain of the season today. It came hard and strong for about 10 minutes, but that was it. The ground has been dry for so long that it remains dry even after the rains today. This is exactly how I feel right now. Like we are waiting for the atmosphere to break loose and rain down on the dry ground, I'm waiting on the Lord, for His presence to flood our atmosphere as well. And, like the humidity that lingers, waiting to fall, so I feel the Spirit lingering and it's beautiful. I can't wait for the rains!

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

The other night, I was sitting at the dining room table doing homework. The reason I’m writing isn’t because there is anything particularly interesting about that activity. It is what I’ve been spending most of my time on lately. However, when I took a moment to just let my mind rest, a thought popped into my head. “What have you gotten yourself in to?”

Many of you know that I was planning on going to Nicaragua on a mission’s trip this August. Even more of you probably know that the trip’s date got moved up…way up to May 11^th. (Yes, that’s a week from today.) About two weeks ago the missionaries that I will be staying with on my trip came over for dinner. They had been traveling around in the states and happened to be stopping in Janesville, which allowed us to meet. (One of the many God things in this story.) Anyway, while they were here they told me that the people I was planning on traveling with were no longer going on the trip in August. However, they told me that someone else was coming on May 11^th. At first I just brushed it off. I knew that my finals would not be finished until the 18^th of May. Also, at the time it was about 3 weeks from the date I would be leaving.

With a little encouragement from Roger and Rhonda (the missionaries) and from my mom, this option started to look feasible. So, I began to pray about it. I sought the Lord for His will. I knew that He had called me to go, just go, this summer. I was praying about the timing. I asked Him to close doors if this was not His will and so far all doors have remained open.

So, I began to make preparations. I asked professors if I could take finals early, I sent out support letters, I went to Chicago to get my passport, I thought about all the things that I would need to bring, I asked my boss if I could keep my job while I’m gone and so much more. Then, as I was sitting at the table that night, I began to think about things even more. I’m going to a country that I’ve never been to and that has a culture drastically different from my own. I’m going by myself (a.k.a. not with my mom or a close friend). I’m living with people that I’ve met once. I’m staying there for a month and a half, the longest trip I’ve ever taken. “What did you get yourself into?” I asked again.

Then I stopped. “Wait a minute,” I said to myself (Yes, I talk to myself a lot…usually in Spanish…jaja). “Who really got me into this?” I gave it a few minutes and realized that I didn’t get myself into anything. My Father did. He called me and He has provided the way for me to go. Yes, this is way out of my comfort zone. But what does being out of your comfort zone really mean? It means having to depend on God for everything.

When I’m in Nicaragua for the next month and a half I have the privilege of depending on God for my all. I’m a little…timid I think would be the right word. Yes, I’m a little timid about the trip, but not nervous in the least. (Does that make sense?) I’m excited about what God is doing in Nicaragua and I feel so happy that I get to be a part of it. Even though it’s going to be a big stretch for me for the next couple months I know that my Father is going to be with me throughout! :)

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21

So, as He leads I will follow.