Sweatin´ for Jesus

It is the end of another amazing day. I am sitting here in our hotel "lobby" with everyone fast asleep. I have never seen so many people sweat and work so very hard, yet still have a smile on their face. Heartland has produced the most willing, joyful, sacrificial servants I have seen in many years. Our morning started at 7AM with a strong breakfast of beans and cheese. We headed for the streets and started announcing our VBS. Daniel went walking with me as I used my bullhorn to announce our festival. We met a sweet, blind lady on the way and led her to Christ.
There are these cool bicycle taxis here that will ride you around for 50 cents! These "taxis" seem to follow us where ever we go. Elmo entertains them with his magic tricks, and they help bring in the crowds.
Our VBS´ are geared towards children. However, an adult always shares their testimony in Spanish. Brenda bravely shared her testimony today. You could the impact it had on the mothers that were there with their children. God used her testimony to tell those ladies He loved them.
I always ask the children to tell me what part of the VBS they enjoyed most. The answer is always the puppets. Rachael and the puppet crew kneel on concrete in the hot sun while holding their arms to make their puppets talk. It´s not as easy as it looks, especially when you have no idea what your puppet is saying:o) They have not complained once and joyfully bring smiles to the children of Nagarote.
We are really sweatin´for Jesus and lovin´every minute of it! Our construction crew is amazing. They left our hotel at 8AM, returned for a quick lunch and didn´t return until after 7PM. The others began painting the outside of the church where the construction team was working. If you have a teenager at home that needs to learn about work ethic, please send them to Matt or Ryan! Those boys worked so very hard.
Another part of our team visited Rainbow, which is an organization similar to The Mission in Winter Haven. They give children meals, and other necesities. It is located in a very rural area surrounded with beautiful, lush views of a volcano. We were able to give soccer uniforms, coloring books, salvation bracelets, and stuffed animals to about 40 children. It´s amazing how these simple things bring such joy! The older children and teens put their uniforms on right away, right down to the socks!
I apologize for not being able to put a video on the site. The internet connection is very slow. I tried downloading a video. The bar said I had 4 hours remaining, and logged me off after 57 minutes. I will never say my internet at home is slow ever again!
We are going into the capital city of Managua tomorrow. Our construction crew will stay behind to finish. Please continue to pray for our safety and that the Lord will continue to use us. Hugs to all the ones we love.