Shopping and Ministering in Nicaragua

We have made it to our last day. Some of us went ziplining and shopping while another group went and ministered to children at Luisa's Dream in Nagarote. Wherever we went, God's message was proclaimed. Please pray for Joe and Sandy Heath. Joe has a fever and Sandy is having some abdominal pains. I just went to check on Sandy, and is doing well. We are praying for a safe traveling day tomorrow. We are also going to hand out 100-150 stuffed animals and tracks to the neighborhood right outside our hotel tomorrow morning. We should be at Heartland at about 1:30- 2AM, God willing. We love you all and can't wait to see you.

One More Day of Ministry

Our devotional quoted Proverbs 3:5-6,”Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him; and He will make your paths straight.” Although we are here in Nicaragua’s rainy season and in the middle of a tropical storm, we never had to cancel any of our VBS’s due to rain. Yesterday we traveled to Villa La Reconciliacion in the outskirts of Managua. We divided into two groups and announced our VBS through the very muddy roads. Thanks to Linda’s amazing organizational skills, we set up our stations and had children in various rooms enjoying balloon making, face painting, play-doe, and coloring. The image that comes to mind is our six foot seven Owen Sear. He colored and smiled so tenderly with the children. Later on that day he was blowing bubbles to the delight of all the children around him. It was truly a Jesus moment. We had 250 adults and children in attendance and many came said the sinner’s prayer for the very first time. We left all of the remaining VBS items with the pastor there. We also left them about 700 tracks. The pastor’s wife carried them away with a great big smile on her face.
While we were doing our morning VBS, Pastor Dave took a group to the Bible book store. We wanted to buy as many Bibles as we could. There was a beggar outside of the store. Dave went to his backpack to get a track to go along with the money he was giving the beggar. When he did, he found a stash of $250.00 he had completely forgotten about. This money was used to buy additional commentaries, Bibles, and children’s Bibles that will bless all of the churches where we have ministered. God is so good!
We came back to Rosario’s home for a wonderful fried fish lunch. She is a wonderful cook and a wonderful woman of God. We separated into two groups again and went through the streets announcing our VBS. It started sprinkling and then poured as we handed out flyers. We went back to the church. Five minutes later the rain stopped. A group of us went out again with our bullhorns. The rain never returned. This was our biggest VBS yet. We had over 500 children and adults in attendance. Everyone worked together to make this a wonderful event. Throughout the day God was glorified.
Today we are going zip lining and shopping! Please pray for our safety and for great deals. Kathy is doing much better. Something bit me all around my neck while announcing our VBS. It started to spread, but everyone took great care of me. I am better now after a strong dose of Benadryl and a little sleep. Please continue to pray for safe travels tomorrow for our team. We can’t wait to get home in the arms of our loved ones.

There are so many things I miss from home: my family, dark chocolate, Faceboook, and air conditioning, to name a few. As we sat and ate with great delight a Mcflurry from McDonald’s, I understand why Esau gladly gave up his birthright for a bowl of soup!
My apologies for not being able to write every day. Our hostel is an hour away from Nagarote. After dinner, group devotionals, making sure everyone is ok, and preparing for the next day, getting to the internet is challenging.



June 23-After our day at the orphanage, we went to Nagarote for a quick lunch. We then separated into three groups and announced throughout Nagarote our upcoming VBS. The sun was scorching. We all now have missionary tans. We had 175 children and adults in attendance. Everyone worked so very hard. As I went around filling in where I was needed, my attention was drawn to Elmo. He was sitting directly in the sun, making balloon animals and humming. He had the biggest smile on his face. Christina shared her testimony as I translated. I knew this was a big step for her. As she spoke I saw a crowd of bike in the back listening intently for the first time. Many seeds are being planted here and God is being glorified!
June 24-We returned the next day for a morning VBS. At first the crowd was small, but soon we had a full house- 225 in all! Brenda is our play-doe girl. This sister sat on the concrete floor on a table cloth, helping each child with the very peculiar stuff. I suspect many of them have never seen play-doe before. She tenderly showed them how the stuff worked and smiled at everyone of those babies.
We then went back to the hostel for lunch and went to meet our horse drawn carriages. They were actually horse drawn carts, whose structure was a bit questionable. These carts are usually used to transport firewood, not our delicate American tushes. Some of us were lucky enough to have a plank to sit on. Others sat directly on the cart and felt every bump and turn. We had to travel an hour on our not Cinderella-like carriages to reach our destination. The children in this very rural area waited patiently for an hour and a half for us to arrive. There is no electricity or running water. This very rustic small farming area is made up of the very poorest. A sweet sister named Sara allowed the children to meet outside of her home for our VBS. Kathy had to use the bathroom. I asked Sara to direct me to her outhouse. She said to me “It’s very humble” as she smiled. I took Kathy to the back of the house. There was old tattered fabric about four feet high around the “toilet”. The door was another piece of material. In that very moment the Lord convicted me. I am so guilty of not wanting to invite guests into my home unless everything is just right, my curtains match, and I have just the right serving dishes. Yet this precious sister opened her home to strangers and gladly shared what God has provided.


June 25th-A group of us were able to visit a beautiful ministry similar to Compassion International, but on a smaller scale. This beautiful ministry not only provides for children, it also issues very low interest loans to families for livestock, homes, etc. This year we were able to take a very exciting 45 minute bus trip up very treacherous “ roads” ( and I use that term lightly) to minister to these very needy children. Our bus could not make it all the way up to the site, so we had to walk up the hill about 400 yards. Thankfully Rainbow had a jeep to take our equipment and those who could not make the trek. Did I mention it’s a bit hot? Sweat poured from everyone’s faces. Our shirts were soaking wet. Yet, we all smiled and ministered. As I looked out into the crowd, Dorothy had a precious 10 month old baby cuddling on her shoulder as she rocked. With a baby in one arm, she smiled, perspired, and handed out toys to everyone in the crowd. These are truly precious, Jesus loving Christians.
June 26- Yesterday was a lighter day. We went to the church in Managua and painted a house for a family. Her walls were pure concrete. We wanted to paint the inside and outside of her home, but could not. Our wonderful team got together and helped buy the additional paint that was needed. When I told Elia the home owner, she hugged me, thanked me and cried. After a wonderful lunch, most of us headed to the mall to hand out tracks. There were Japanese dancers in the center of the mall and a big crowd. We were able to hand out several tracks before the very armed security guards asked us to stop.
Please continue to pray for Kathy. We were able to get her antibiotics and medication to help with her swelling. Yesterday we tried to have a doctor come and see her, but could not. Sandy Heath is much better. Her foot is not completely well, but it is getting better. We are all so very exhausted. Our construction team is officially done with not one, but two major construction projects way ahead of schedule. They have worked tirelessly. Please pray for them as they go back to Nagarote today. There are some final touches Todd wants to complete before we leave. Please also continue to pray for unity and patience as we strive to work together to spread God’s message of love and hope.

God Really Loves All the Children of the World

We have all heard the song. We´ve read the scripture. Yesterday we saw the disgarded, unloved, imperfect children our God loves oh so very much. Yesterday we had the privilage of ministering to those precious children at an orphanage for severely disabled children. As we minstered to these babies, I asked God why He allowed these children to be born this way. In my heart I heard Him say ¨These are my children. I created them and I love them¨. We cried, we ministered, and we loved on these very special babies whom the Word says ¨for such is the kingdom of heaven.
Before we even left our hotel, Sandy Heath fell as she was getting on the bus and hurt her foot. No worries. She sat at a table and helped children at the orphanage as they colored. We then headed to Nagarote with megaphones in hand as we announced our VBS. Have I mentioned that it´s a little hot here? As we walked the streets, sweat poured, but smiles and Christs´love gave us strength to carry on. We had 175 children and adults in attendance. The little church was packed! Please continue to pray for our safety. We are about to leave to a much more rural area. The children there cannot go to school. We are being told there are lots of mosquitos there. Please pray for our safety and health. We are going to give shoes to every children in that very poor community.

Jesus Lovin' Biker

Wow! What a day! We are certainly feeling all of you prayers. So many things have happened today; so many faces, so much poverty, so much need. The sites, sounds, smells are overwhelming. In the midst of it all, God is glorified. Our hostel is truly beautiful. The vegetation is lush and our rooms have a rustic charm. The most beautiful part of the Hostal Selva Verde is our pool! God is soooo good:)
We ate breakfast consisting of waffles (yes waffles), black beans and rice, eggs, and bread at 7AM. By 8am we were on the bus ready for our hour long ride into Nagarote. Today we visited a high school and shared the Gospel with over 700 teens. Spiritual warfare was happening before our very eyes. In the midst of it all, several teens came to Christ. Last year while we were here, there was an motorcycle accident involving teens from this very high school. Their motorcycle slid out of control, hit a light pole, and shut off the electricity for the entire city. We had come back from a very long, sweaty day last year, and could not take a shower that night, so we remember it well. Today Gloria and Abraham shared how they fought for their lives. Gloria shared how she was playing church, and never took God seriously. As she was coming in and out of conciseness, all she did was ask God to forgive her. A year later she is serving Jesus with all of her heart, and shared that with all of her school.
We did a total of three presentations of the Gospel at the high school. We then went in to individual classrooms and presented the Gospel to the teens in a more intimate setting. The girls here especially love Joshua and Joshua:) One girl asked me if she could keep him! Don't worry honey. I won't marry him off just yet:)
We got to visit with our old friends from last year and were especially happy to see Karen again. Our group last year collected funds that were used to buy hearing aids for her.
Our construction team is a little beat, with new scratches and bruises, but working tirelessly. Todd has been tremendous. They are ahead of schedule, but are still dealing with the realities of construction in a third world country. Todd requests a Home Depot be built in Nagarote. Tomorrow would be ideal. Please pray for the construction teams safety.
Please continue to pray for us. Tomorrow we are visiting an orphanage with 99 disabled and special needs children. We will also be doing Vacation Bible School in the afternoon. We love and miss you all.

We are here safe and hot!

We are here! Thank you so very much for all of your prayers. We arrived in Managua at 9:30AM. Kevin almost stayed in El Salvador, but no worries Stacy. He is with us:)We went and visited the construction site in Managua with the entire group. Please pray for our worker's safety as they complete Sunday school rooms for a church there. Our hostel is beautiful. We have a beautiful pool, ac, and a spider monkey.Everyone is tired, but in good spirits. We are going to a middle school and high school in Nagarote tomorrow. Please pray for the hearts of teens as they hear the Word of God. We miss you! I will try to post pictures tonight.

We're leaving Monday at 3AM

Please keep our Nicaragua team in your prayers as we prepare to leave our families, jobs, and air conditioning for 10 days:).

We know we made a differnce for one

Our trip is coming to a close. We did our last presentation to the only high school and middle school here in Nagarote. Here in Nicaragua children go to school in shifts. The first shift comes in at 8AM and leaves at 12PM. The second shift comes in at 1PM and leaves around 5PM. We had a rowdy crowd of over 600 students in our morning presentation. This is a public school, yet we were allowed to present the gospel in its entirety to these hurting teens. Elmo started with his magic to get the crowd warmed up. The students especially enjoyed when Elmo called the principal up on stage. I think some of them were hoping Elmo would make her disappear. Thanks to Pastor Dave´s talents, we adjusted our presentation to fit our audience. Our Life House drama, where sin keeps Tabby from reaching Christ kept their attention most, along with Daniel´s very powerful testimony. Oh, by the way, Daniel was treated like a superstar the entire time. The girls were going crazy over him. He was loving every minute of it. Pastor Dave shared Alex Riner´s story while Amaris translated. This powerful testimony continues to bring glory to God and is reaching the lost far beyond our little town of Winter Haven.
The second group of high school students were older and a bit more hardened. Yet, they were more attentive and seemed to grasp more of the messasge Pastor Dave was presenting. The response at first was slow. At the end many came to pray with our group. We went into each classroom after our presentation was over and handed out small bags of popcorn to each student. This is not like any high school found in the states. Each classroom consisted of three full walls and one partial wall with bars. These classrooms were generally connected. The entire school consisted of about 15 classrooms. Some "desks" only had a chair and a bar where a writing space should be. The only A.C. was that provided by the wind. There´s just so much we take for granted.
Pastor Rafael took a group again to Sueño De Luisa, which is a school ran by a sweet American woman with a passion for the children of this community. Pastor Rafael and the team handed out salvation bracelets and presented the gospel message.
Our shadows got shoes today. They gleamed with joy when they came to show us their brand new school shoes. These were not Nike, Converse, or Reebok. They were those ugly school shoes your mom used to buy you that lasted all year long. Now they could go to school and were very excited.

We had a little fun today and got to go to Gertrudis´farm. There was no electricity nor running water. There were cows, exotic fruits, and peace. The hotel host let us borrow two A.T.V´s. The look on Alisha´s face while she was riding was priceless. Dave broke down and actually was able to fix his A.T.V. See Rachel, he canfix something!
During our late evening meeting, one of the young ladies from the high school came looking for Amaris. She had three tracks and a letter stapled together. Our first assumption was that it contained a love letter for our infamous Daniel. There was a love letter, but there was also a letter of gratitude to the group which also included a very touching personal testimony. Amaris read the letter to us all. There was not a dry eye in the room. If in all of our efforts, we only made a difference in the life of this one young lady, we have fulfilled our mission of bringing the lost to the feet of the cross.
Thank you for your prayers. Everyone is feeling much better. Tomorrow is our shopping and fun day. Please continue to pray for us and for a safe trip home. We all miss you and can´t wait to be home again.

Honey, can I bring home a baby?

Finally, a day of rest. Not! Today we split up into three groups and went to visit three different churches. It´s amazing to see how they freely worship God in spite of the fact that the music is not amazing, coffee isn´t being served, and the AC is nonexistant.
Three little boys came into our church. They were clean and very well dressed. At the sight of these boys, we were in tears. Let me first introduce you to our little shadows. German, Darwin, Christopher, and Victor were always at the steps of our hotel. These little boys were always dirty, mischivious, and always asking for something. They always have on the same clothing and could really use some soap on their little faces. Mike H. even tried giving them a baby wipe bath, to no avail. These beautiful boys walk a mile and a half each morning to visit us. All they really want is a hug and a little bit of food.In just these few days, we have seen the difference the love of Christ has made in these tender hearts. Honey, can I bring them home?
God answered our prayers. He said no.:) The rain came, and it never stopped. Dave was really worried when he heard that possibly 10,000 people could show up. Thank goodness God knows our limitations better than we do. We had about 300 in attendance. It was amazing to see how attentive they were to such a simple film. We had many children make professions of faith. The local pastors prayed and spoke to the children about the wonderful decision they had made. Rose gave a very moving testimony and shared experiences the audience connected with. God pulled her up on the stage. He knew exactly what his children in Nagarote needed to hear.
Tomorrow we are going to present the gospel to 1500 teens using Alex´s story. Please pray for Dave and Amaris as they share. Also, continue to pray for the hearts of those listening. There are some of us that are a little sick. Don´t worry mommy, we´ll be o.k. Hugs and kisses to all those we love and miss terribly.

It really is better to give than to receive!

To say we are all exhausted is a major understatement. This wonderful group has worked, has endured, has shared, and has smile more in the last few days than most have all year long. Dave and I left early this morning to visit missionaries in Managua. They have a beautiful ministry which they started from their own home 14 years ago, and has now expanded to five cell churches. They now have 600 members. Sounds a little familiar, doesn´t it:o) We were able to help them with supplies they needed to finish their buidling. Pastor Ramon shared with us how we were an answer to prayer. It really is humbling to hear someone say that to you. Seeing the joy a few bags of cement can bring to a pastor´s face is cool enough. However, when this humble servant tells you that your gift has lifted his spirits, that he was ready to quit, and your visit has helped him see again that God is still with him. Now that Bible verse comes to life. It is nice to get gifts, but, wow, it is amazing to give! His time is always on time. Thank you for allowing us to be here. Thank you for giving us up for a little while, so that we can make a difference for eternity.

We had three construction crews today. One finished painting Gertrudis´families home. The other crew continued to work tiredlessly on the Sunday School room and bathroom, while yet another crew finished painting the outside of the church and made a beautiful sign.

We came back for a quick lunch and headed to a church close to Managua, where we did our final VBS. It really wasn´t controlled chaos. It was really just chaos. We started with only about 30 kids. That was before we sent out three teams with bullhorns to let the neighborhood know about our little Festival for Jesus. Amaris returned with a group of kids following behind her. Her team looked like little pippers. We were up to 250ish kids and adults. We had several accept Christ as their Savior. Each child and adult there left with a little something. We handed out salvation braclets, balloons, crackers and juice (prepared by James and Mike H:o)), a stuffed animal and a sticker or two. It was amazing to see what these children and moms would do for something we can pick up at a yard sale for a quarter. Since this was our last VBS, we asked the pastor to bring in his church members and have them sit by family. We then gave them complete soccer uniforms, toys, and other trinkets. Even the pastor received a jersey!

It´s amazing how our ladies, other than myself, are so organized. This trip would not be going so smoothly if it wasn´t for the organizational talents of Linda, Danielle, Dorothy and Brenda. With Linda as manager, these ladies work their magic with everything from balloons, to stuffed animals, to well, everything. God really outdid himself when he put this group together:o)

Tomorrow is a big day for us. We will be showing the Jesus Film to over 2,000ish people in an outside arena. Please continue to pray for the hearts of all who will be watching. Please also pray for the rain to stay away, again.
We love you. We miss you. Be ready to stop at our favorite pizza joint, McDonald´s or Crispers when we get home.

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.