Tuesday July 27th, 2010
It is our 2nd day of ministry here in Nicaragua. God has been doing some amazing things these last 2 days and will no doubt continue to do so the rest of the week. We split into 2 groups this morning, with 4 of the guys going to Torre Fuerte to continue with the construction work from yesterday. The church has begun building a roof over an exposed area behind the church, for a Sunday school classroom (their only one). The guys also finished making some tables for the feeding program and a bench for the kids. The guys had help from a man named who came in off the street and they invited him back for a much needed lunch. The rest of the group traveled this morning to the local dump to minister to the people who sift through the trash. It was a humbling and sobering experience but we had the opportunity to sing songs with the people and serve them lunch. Later in the afternoon, we did ministry outreach to the neighborhood. The guys got a soccer game going, and the girls set up tables and did crafts and a bible story with local children, (about 30 showed up!). We look forward to seeing how God is going to use us tomorrow. Kate
Monday July 26th, 2010
The team was up early, and by 7AM they were eating breakfast at Casa Somervilla (Doug and Betty’s rented home). Food, fellowship, worship and prayer set the morning off to a great start.
Pastor Flores from the Torre Feurte Church arrive with his construction crew and before we knew it, Jim, Matt, Rick and Gerry were off building tables for the feeding programs and helping with the steel beams for the new partition at the TF church.
The rest of the team prayer walked, visited families who needed encouragement and prayer. We ended the day with an out reach to about 15 children in Jessica’s neighborhood. Jessica a lovely young mom, has 3 young boys, 9, 6 and 4. Her youngest child, Armando was born with out limbs. Armando is an extremely happy child and seems to enjoy his surroundings, we have noticed that his family makes sure he gets to experience every part of life that any other 4 year old child would.
Once again it has been a blessed day! Thanks for your prayers, Adios – Betty
Sunday July 25th, 2010
After a fun filled day of travel, the July Team from Calvary arrived in Managua at 8:05PM. When they got to Granada, they were greeted with an authentic Nicaraguan meal cooked by our dear friend Roberto. They were able to enjoy their comfortable hotel for a good nights rest in preparation for Monday as they anticipated their first day on the ground in Granada. What a blessing to have willing hearts to do whatever the Lord may have for them.
Saturday July 24th, 2010
As we closed out our week of preparation for the July team to arrive, we decided to take a trip out to the dump with Ezekiel, an 18 year old who has committed himself to the Lord’s service and has a special place in his heart for the children and adults who live out by the city dump. The families, who live close to the dump, work there as well.
What could have been a 10 minute taxi ride became a jam-packed city bus adventure for us “gringos”. About an hour later we finally arrived in the most beautiful place with lush plants and trees, there was a quiet serenity that seemed to hush over this rolling country side compared to the busy hubbub of Granada. Basically, it seemed like we were out in a jungle. The bus dropped us off, we started our mile walk to the dump and Ezekiel would stop and gather the children for the activities that he planned for the gathering at the dump site. On his way, he would stop and visit people, pray for them and at one point Ezekiel took time to teach a deaf and mute teenager some sign language. I have to say my heart was overwhelmed with the sense of love I saw Ezekiel pour out on the individuals he encountered.
Twenty children joined in our mile trek and finally we got to the dump. What once seemed lush and green suddenly became acres and acres of stench and garbage. The women were bagging up the recyclables and the men were going thru the garbage as the trucks unloaded the garbage. I have been told that the long days of work will gain them one day of food and many of the workers feel that they must have done something wrong to deserve this kind of living.
As we spent time with the children and shared the Story of David and Goliath, I have to say, I was extremely grateful. Even though we could not change the living conditions, we could share something that had eternal value. We could share our eternal hope with them. We could have confidence that “yes, God will give strength, he will give it to even the smallest person who chooses to follow Him and yes, God will never leave you nor forsake you, and yes if you know Jesus as your Savior, someday we will all see each other again in a place where there will be no pain nor sorrow.”
As we walk out of the dump, I reflected that I no longer smelled the dump, but instead enjoyed the fragrance of the gentle kind eyes and the look of gratitude and joy I saw in those little brown eyes, my heart was filled with joy to overflowing.
Our mile trek out of the dump was cut short as a kind man pick us up and we all got to ride in the bed of the garbage truck with the children and workers. (Believe it or not, this was one of our highs for the day, and a first for all of us). We must have been quite a sight, a bunch of gringo’s riding in the back of a city garbage truck! It was a blessed day, one we will never forget.
While we are here in Granada we hope to continue these Saturday outings with Ezekiel and share these special moments with the teams from Calvary Chapel.
Thanks for your prayers. Addios ~ Betty
Friday July 23, 2010: We are coming to a close of our first week here in Granada, it has gone by so fast. We were able to enjoy a few days of much needed rest in preparation for the next phase of the trip. We know it has been a gift from our Lord.
Our first team will be here Sunday and while we may not be building a “new church building” at the new feeding program, Pastor Flores is thrilled to have skilled handimen and women be able to minister to church and family needs concerning the physical structure of the church, feeding program kitchen, a larger roof for the children and some church families who have next to nothing and are in desparate need of something. We find it an honor to be able to minister in this way, as it is humbling for Pastor to ask us to help in this way.
As I ( Betty) sat back and had a few days to observed the culture here in Granada, I began to sense more and more of the spiritual darkness that is trying to take over this city and nation. In my own understanding, I don’t see how a corrupted nation could turn it’s ways to the Lord. But then I am reminded that is it not my understanding or wisdom, but that the Lord has a plan, and He has asked us to trust Him and step in obedience to His will.
Once again I am humbled by this understanding; the Lord has shown me that he is doing a work, he is changing hearts and transformation is happening. Five days ago, a good friend of ours from Granada, who walked away from the Lord and struggles with addictions, knocked on our door to see Pastor Doug. Since then, he has been coming everyday at 7AM to meet with Doug for a Bible study, and he has humbled himself and walked back to church. He desires to be freed from his bondage, this is only through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. We are humbled to watch this transformation, we know our friend has a long road ahead of him, our prayer is that you would pray for us to have mercy and grace as we foresee a cycle of bondage desiring to ensnare this man.
It is our desire that we, Doug and Betty, will never forget that it is only through the blood shed for us that we are able to be “workmen” for the Lord. It is our prayer that we would extend grace and mercy as our Lord has poured it out for us.
Oh and one last prayer request would be for my dad in NJ. He’s back in the hospital with pneumonia, it came up as a real surprise as his health was improving and his strength was gaining. It looks like a simple case, but one never knows at 89. Take care and thanks again for your prayers and love and have a wonderful week. Blessings and Love, Betty & Doug
July 18, 2010: We wanted to let you know we arrived safely in Nicaragua. We were blessed every step concerning transportation, housing etc. So many things were up in the air, yet the Lord gave us peace; we moved forward, and now we are in our home at Casa Somervilla. We look back over our travels and thank the Lord for the miracles he did to make everything work out the way it did. We have a lovely home with 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a large area for feeding the teams and our friends from the church. An extra blessing includes a small pool and yes Shaylee (our 13 yr old) has enjoyed it even in the rain. It is rainy season here, and it truly is rainy.
We are praying that in between showers we can still do out reaches with the children. I was also told that the farmers are praying for a month of dryness so they can plant the seeds for the next crop. They usually get 2 crops in a year during their winter (our summer). But the fields have been so wet and they haven’t had the opportunity to plant. We will let you know how things progress.
Some other prayers for this week include:
- travel safety for our daughters Bri and Tiehl, they are coming in tomorrow night
- for the July Team from CCCB that will be coming down next Sunday
- for the Lord’s leading with the scheduling of the ministry He wants us to do while the teams are down here.
We will be working with Pastor Flores from the Torre Feurte church and it is our desire to bless him and the ministry that is going on here. - for good health, apparently the flu has really taken a toll on the city of Grenada and many people have been sick; Pastor said many adults and children from his church have been sick. The Lord provided us with lots of medicine for the teams to take down… we are beginning to understand why!
We thank the Lord for your love and prayers and will keep updating for the next month. With Love and blessings, Betty & Doug