Mission Nicaragua: Day 17

It is always a difficult day realizing that it is your final day on the field. Of course, at 4:30 in the morning - you aren't doing much processing. We had a long day of travel to return to the States and praise God a pretty uneventful one. We had two good flights and a really long layover in between to do some individual reflecting and to start decompressing a bit from the mission.

There is so much about these missions that breathe life into our soul and give us a glimpse of Heaven that makes it difficult to leave. They are mountaintop moments that create a greater longing for the things of God as we've labored for the Kingdom. I'm always amazed, year after year, how God shows up in power and meets our teams and works in and through our teams as we make our lives available to do His will.

This year was no exception. God has done a good work in our teams and in our hearts individually. He spoke and we listened, He loved and we loved in return, He gave and we received, He called and we answered. He allowed us to deepen our relationships with Him and each other, but also to form new relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ hundreds of miles away. God graced us to see the work of our hands - in the construction at the church, painting at the school and running the camp.

We're all a team together and we all work side by side, but there are some amazing leaders who labored for the mission and poured into our team that need my thanks... Debbie, Joel, Rhonda & Clay - you guys were awesome and I can't thank you enough for how you loved our students and stepped in to serve behind the scenes and without prompting.

To all of you that supported us - whether financially, through prayer or simply by reading and following our mission teams - we are very grateful for you. It takes more than our team on the ground to complete the mission and we realize that. So it is from the bottom of our heart that we first and foremost thank God for giving us the opportunity to go and the abilities needed to serve. We also thank our church family for the support and and all of you who stood in the gap for us. Finally, I can't thank my family enough for making the sacrifice to allow me to fulfill my God-given calling and to be away for extended periods of time. I know the sacrifice isn't always easy, but the rewards will be eternal.

At some point, we will all have to accept that Mission Nicaragua 2010 is over - our work is done - but we also know full well that THE mission is never over and we have MUCH work to be done! So let's not waste our lives!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 16

Today we rode the wave of emotions in all of our activities and ministry time. We started our morning with a visit to La Chureca (the Managua city dump) which is always an eye-opening experience. There are so many parallels to the dump and the sin in our lives. It is heart-breaking to see the conditions that these families live and work in. But there is a ray of hope in the dump - Colegio Christiano Esperanza is the school in the dump that the Buzbees run. It was such a blast to stop by and see the children and to have some time to play with them.

After our time in the dump, we went over to Sister Ruby's for our time of worship and prayer as a team. God definitely met us in that upper room of her home and the Spirit was moving freely. God had many encouraging and challenging words for our team. Our hearts were drawn closer to the Lord and to each other as a result of our time there. Praise God that Ruby's ministry continues on after her death.

For our afternoon, we had our tour day and this team chose like the last to go to the market and then to the zipline. The market is an experience that you don't quickly forget and the ziplines were likewise, an awesome experience. We had to navigate them in some rain, but it didn't damper anyone's fun!

As if our day wasn't busy and exhausting enough, we capped it off with our team dinner out. We ate a La Finca and had a great meal and a great time of fellowship together.

It's always hard to come together after your last full day... especially knowing that the morning is coming really early for us. We'll but up by 4:30a to head out to the airport for our first leg. Please be in prayer for us as we travel and as we return. Pray that the good work God did in us and through us would be etched into our hearts and minds.

Mission Nicaragua: Day 15

The camp team traded in their hats today for some construction helmets as we went to work in Los Cedros today. Our team divided and one half tackled removing rock from the new room at the church and then back filling it will dirt to prepare it for the concrete floor. The other workers were busy welding and getting the support beams in place for the roof. It's not quite ready to open for use, but it's getting closer by the day.

Our other half of the team trekked over the Christian school to help bleach the stone sidewalks that get algae growth during the rainy season. This team worked diligently spraying bleach and scrubbing to bring life back to the sidewalks. One of our construction teams laid nearly all of the sidewalks out at the school (some 450 stones) in 2006.

Both teams joined up for lunch at the school and to see many of the kids we took to Campo with us. The younger kids go to school in the morning and the older kids in the afternoon. We enjoyed seeing them in the classroom and also participating in recess with them.

As we walked through Los Cedros, we also found many of our kids at their homes and were warmly welcomed to come inside, have a seat and meet the rest of the family. We heard from the parents what a great impact the camp had on their kids and many shared stories when they returned all evening long. It was a great reminder that God only knows what an eternal impact that camp had on the lives of the kids and their families. God truly orchestrated these meetings as we really had no idea where any of the kids lived!

We also took the time to stop by Mauorje's house (2008) and Sylvia's house (2005). Three of Slyvia's kids came with us to campo. This is always a special time for me personally to spend time cultivating relationships that have formed through the years, but also special for the current team to feel the connection to teams of the past that have labored for the Gospel in Nicaragua and specifically Los Cedros.

Tomorrow is our last full day here in Nica and we'll start the day with a visit to the dump and to Sister Ruby's for prayer. Then we've got our tour day to have some team time together just having fun. Thanks for your continued prayer support!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 14

We knew this day was eventually going to come... the last day of camp. As tiring as camp can be, it is always difficult to say goodbye to the kids. God has shown up in such a powerful way at camp. Not only has our team done an amazing job working together to pull off camp, but God really seemed to be at work in the lives of the kids. The kids asked great questions, listened well to God's Word and a good many even accepted Christ! And besides all of that we just had a great time with them and were honored to provide that experience for them.

I can't imagine the stories that are being shared even tonight as the children returned home. Some are definitely returning to less that ideal conditions whether it be family dynamics or socio-economic conditions. Yet what they have experienced and received can never be taken away from them. Our prayer is that they would always remember what God did in their hearts at Campo Alegria 2010.

After our morning sessions we brought everyone back together for a going away celebration. We started it off right with a whack at our pinatas. There's nothing more fun, yet scary than these kids with a baseball bat in their hands and swinging it around blindfolded! We then gathered together for our closing assembly. I was able to share a simple blessing and prayer for their lives. Then we showed the camp highlights slideshow - and the kids love seeing themselves up on the screen. Finally, we handed out the backpacks that we provided for them. Each one was loaded with school supplies, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, bubbles, t-shirt, small toy and a stuffed animal. They were so excited to open them and so grateful to receive them. What a blessing for us to be able to provide this for them.

Then in true Nica fashion we chased the bus down the drive to say our final goodbye. But it will be a short lived goodbye as we are going to their community of Los Cedros tomorrow to visit them at school and even visit some of their homes. I'm sure it will be an eye opening experience for us to see where they come from and how they live.

We also had a good team time tonight. Many thoughts and ideas where shared about camp and how we can improve for next year. We also talked through some expectations that weren't met and how sometimes God can show up in unexpected and unplanned ways. We are all trying to train our eyes to see God moments and train our ears to hear His voice. And above all we want to see and know Him for who He is and live our lives in obedience to Him. Please continue to pray for us in our remaining time here.

PS - A special anniversary shout out to Santee from Rhonda here in Nica!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 13

With each passing day I believe I understand more what Jesus meant when He called to some little children who had gathered around and said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." There is such innocence and joy in the eyes of a child. Yet wrapped up in such a small package is a heart that is sinful and separated from God. But praise God for the opportunity to point them to Jesus!

Today was our last full day here at Campo Alegria. It's amazing how smoothly things are going and how well our students are doing in their various roles. We are really bonding well with the kids as we share life together here and I know tomorrow will be a tough day for all of us as we have to say goodbye.

This afternoon the camp staff created an awesome water slide that pumped water up from the lake. The kids flew down the dunes on plastic into a small pool at the bottom and had a blast! Our team joined in the action and amazingly we all walked away accident free. We also opened up the zipline again. These are activities that these children would have never normally had the opportunity to participate in and will give them lifelong memories of Campo.

Tonight was also a special night during our evening worship. The kids have been working on learning verses all camp during their Bible class and tonight they were able to stand before everyone and recite them. How awesome to see God's Word being hidden in their heart. Then I had the privilege to preach the Gospel tonight and give the kids an opportunity to pray and receive Christ. Many indicated that they were already Christ-followers but we also had about 10 or so kids pray to receive Christ tonight! We always love seeing those pass from death to life and become adopted into the family of God. Praise God!

We will be capping off camp tomorrow with a shortened schedule but a full one. We are praying that God does a mighty work on the last day of camp - in the kids lives and in our hearts as well. Thanks for your continued prayer support - it is evident all around us!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 12

Today was our first full day of camp and we are thankful that God gave us the strength to make it considering the campers woke us up around 5:00 am when the sun is just coming up. Needless to say, no matter how much we "prepare" for this reality, it never hits you until it happens. Some of our teamies have the gift of being able to sleep through it... and probably a small tornado since that is what morning around the cabins sounds like!

I can't tell you how awesome it is for me as a pastor to see the body of Christ at work. After breakfast and our time of worship, our students started leading their respected areas (art/craft, Bible, sports and music). God has gifted our students and given them great abilities that come together to make a really fun camp. At times it is difficult to keep the Nica kids engaged, but between the zip line for sports and tye dying t-shirts they were having a blast. But they definitely look forward to their time down on the beach swimming in the lake. I don't think any of us have carried, thrown or been attacked in the water by more kids than we have here!

It would appear that we're starting to wear some of the Nica kids out (no comment about us yet). We were coloring after swim time only to look up and see Oscar asleep on the paper he started coloring. After dinner we do worship and teaching and then a movie where we lost a few more Nica kids to exhaustion.

So far so good - camp is off to a great start! God seems to be knitting our hearts together with the kids and for that we are grateful. So not only are they making friends, but hopefully they are seeing and hearing the Gospel from us. I had the opportunity to preach tonight and lay out the Gospel and they are also getting more during their Bible station. So please join us in praying that God's Word would land on fertile soil and take good root!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 11

Our last relaxing morning where we could sleep in a bit is gone and will be replaced by the sound of children stirring around 5:30am. So while we could, we had some time to simply enjoy the beauty of God's creation here at camp and have some time alone in His Word... just desiring to hear from Him.

But shortly after... camp officially began! In the distance we heard the sound of the bus coming down the dirt road so we jumped up to form our welcoming line. We have 49 children that have joined us from the Los Cedros community. We put on a camp two years ago and we immediately saw a few familiar faces, but the good majority have never been to Campo Alegria before. We have Abran, Mahaila & Louie with us from a home we built in Los Cedros five years ago. It was awesome for me personally, to get to see them (even though we go see them every year) and have them at camp with us.

Camp went well for our first day as we got some of our activities underway, did our first evening session, had swim time, free time and just great chances to start interacting with the kids and learning their names. They seem to be a good group of kids and are incredibly excited to be here at camp. We're already bonding with them and communicating the universal language of love through physical touch. All of these kids long to be held, played with or to tackle you during swim time. Everywhere we go, we have little shadows.

It's such a amazing reminder that Jesus said that the Kingdom was for the little ones and that entry would be through the faith of a child. So following Jesus model, we are striving to love the kids and point them to Christ.

We were able to sneak away during our evening movie to grab some team time together. Camp is pretty fast paced and you are on duty 24/7, so having some time together or even individual time with the Lord can be a challenge. But God is already meeting us here in our time and we are seeing Him at work among us and the camp in general. Thanks for continuing to stand with us in prayer!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 10

Well the transition has taken place and the handoff has been made from our construction team to our camp team. We sent our construction team off bright and early to the airport, despite the girls sleeping through their alarm and having to move very quickly to get moving!

The camp team was able to get a good night's rest and transition to Nica time. We had a good team time together as we opened the Word and accepted the challenge to "set our minds and hearts on things above" for this mission. Our prayer is that God would meet us here - in our time together and our time alone in the Word.

We loaded up the bus and left the Buzbees around mid-morning for camp. It's a bit over a two hour ride to camp, but we pass through many unique towns and get a beautiful view of Nica as we travel up in elevation. We arrived at Campo Alegria and had our lunch and some down time before getting unloaded and preparing for the kids arrival in the morning. We had great weather and the camp is located on Lake Nicaragua which is one of the largest freshwater lakes and also has Volcan Concepcion in the middle. The only drawback to the beauty is some of God's little creatures that are swarming, crawling and pretty much everywhere so most are having to get beyond their bug-phobias pretty quickly!

Our camp staff prepared an amazing traditional Nica dinner of nacatamales, rice, plantains, fruit and rice pudding for our dinner which was a great way for us to start camp together! After dinner we had our team time and took a look into God's Word before moving into our small groups for discussion and prayer. We hope to get one more good night of rest before the Nica kids arrive tomorrow and our sleep schedules change drastically!

I am just praising God for how He moved in our construction team and the work that we were able to accomplish and now we are praying with expectation for God to again meet us here and move through this camp team as well. We are looking forward to getting camp going and bringing the hope of the Gospel and the love of Christ to these kids. We appreciate you joining us in prayer!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 9

Today really couldn't have been a better day for the construction team. We started with our annual visit to the dump (La Chureca) which is home to an estimated 1200 residents with around 800 being children. It is such an eye-opening and heart wrenching place to visit. There are many spiritual analogies that can be seen to our own lives and our faith journey. Then after the dump we all gathered a Sister Ruby's for a time of prayer and worship. Ruby was an amazing evangelist and prophetess who passed away earlier this year, but God continues to use her legacy and home as a powerful place of ministry. God definitely showed up and spoke into our lives. But we also celebrate the new life that came to our translators!

No visit to Ruby's is complete without stopping by our friend Damaris' home. We did construction on her home three years ago. She is a single mother of six and has a hard life, but is a dear sister in Christ. She welcomed us into her home and we enjoyed a few moments catching up with her and praying for her.

After Ruby's the team headed out to the market in hunt of good deals and in support of the local economy! Then it was off to the team excursion time. This year the team chose a zip line tour over the canopy and a crater lake. A great time was had by all... well almost all... the ones brave enough (or well enough) to participate!

We capped off the day with our team dinner out and had a great time together. We brought our translators and Santos (who is the Buzbees construction foreman) and his wife and two boys with us. It was fun to enjoy some of the local food and spend this last night together as a team.

Our camp team arrived safely and were pretty exhausted. I'm looking forward to jumping in with them as we will travel down to Lake Nicaragua tomorrow to prepare for the Nica kids arrival on Friday. Our construction team has to be up and moving at 4:30a to catch their first flight. So please keep them in your prayers as they travel and our camp team as we hit the ground running tomorrow!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 8

It is always a bittersweet day when it is our last on the worksite. We were excited to complete the construction of the walls and begin the process of having the interior ready for a concrete floor. The only thing lacking is to put on the roof, which is a bit beyond our skill set! We also completed the painting project at the school and it looks great. The tough part of the day, however, is saying goodbye. So many kids would come by everyday to simply hang out with us and play with us during our breaks - and we had a blast building relationships with them. It's always hard to say goodbye.

Last night after dinner we had a very special celebration... a surprise birthday party for Debbie. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics because I went down pretty hard after the workday with some sort of sickness. I'm not sure what it is yet, but it wasn't fun for sure... but I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Rob Campbell of the FSU med team and his care and medication. While I was resting, our team had their group time of worship and prayer and I hear God's Spirit moved in a powerful way. Our times at night have been really powerful this year.

Tomorrow is our last day and looks to be a busy one! We will start the day with a visit to the dump and then prayer time at Sister Ruby's house. Then the team choose a zip line excursion for their afternoon fun time (after our annual visit to the market). We'll finish it all up with our team dinner out at a restaurant. Then we will be awaiting the arrival of our camp team later tonight. As always, we appreciate your continued prayer support.

Mission Nicaragua: Day 7

After having a great morning of time alone with God and breakfast we were off and running in the van (which made for a crowded, bumpy ride) to Los Cedros. Today we divided to conquer our two projects. The patient type went over to paint at the school - finishing up the trim and working on a second coat in places on the preschool building. Painting is always more fun with school kids running around you and trying to help you paint! Actually, it was fun to be out and see many familiar faces from working in Los Cedros so many years and taking their kids down to camp.

Our hardcore construction crew really got to go at it today as the interior wall had to be demolished. Nothing like serving Jesus with a sledgehammer! We also got to most of the rear wall up to height and the side wall up to height as well. The final step today was removing some of the existing roof to prepare for the new roof to go up on the addition. It's definitely exciting to see both projects nearing completion.

And again, nothing helps the work go by faster than having some regular breaks to hang with the neighborhood kids. Most days we've had kids stopping by on their way to school and then hanging out with us after school. Some will even jump right in with a shovel and help mix concrete or move blocks. Of course, besides the help, we do love running around or playing some soccer with them as well.

Today we also returned to Rosa's home and then Aurela's home. We met these sweet ladies out prayer walking and had the med team come by and check them out. We also assessed some of their needs and were able to go to the grocery store and stock them up with some food which we delivered today. They were so grateful to receive it and we were honored to have another chance to pray and spend time with them.

Despite the rain, no day is complete without a guys' game of animal ball in the pool. We've introduced our translators to this game and they've paid the price for joining us!

God continues to show up and speak through His word in our team time and small group time each night. Tonight we looked at the reality that we are temples of the Lord and the implications on our lives. Then a few verses later in 1 Corinthians, Paul talks about being found faithful in the end and we made that our prayer not only for this mission, but our lives! We so appreciate your prayer support as we are in the homestretch of our mission here in Nica!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 6

What a blessing to be able to join with the nations in worship of Almighty God today. For whatever reason, being outside the States helps give us a better picture of the reality that the nations are lifting up their voices of praise to God and we got to be a part of that celebration.

We went to Verbo Church in the morning, where the Buzbees attend. This church has a very international feel to it and is very familiar to what we would experience. And it is always cool to think that while we are worshipping in Nicaragua in Spanish, Wildwood is worshipping the same God hundreds of miles away in English. Verbo has a full praise band, screens and an translator for the many teams that join with the Nicas in worship there. We recognized a few of the songs and we able to join in English. The sermon was delivered by a guest speaker and gave the teams alot to talk about based on some of the Scriptures used and theology. But I was encouraged by our students discernment in listening.

After morning worship we just enjoyed our Sabbath by hanging out here at the Buzbee farm. It was a great chance to relax, read some and enjoy fellowship with each other before heading off to Los Cedros for evening worship.

Pastor Manuel's church in Los Cedros is quite a different experience. Thankfully God provided a nice breeze and the ceiling fans helped. This church is quite a bit smaller, but just a passionate in worship from the youngest to the oldest. Everyone in the church puts on their best and walks to church. Rain or shine and no matter how hot it is outside and inside the people gather with joyful spirits and spent a good hour in worship through singing. There are no screens, few instruments and a meager sound system, yet it seems none of that matters.

I had the opportunity to preach and was grateful to have Carlos translating for me. Carlos was a translator for our med team in April and an awesome young man of God. Oftentimes, the worship service in Los Cedros can last for 2-3 hours, so I'm sure it was a relief for our team to see me get called up to preach and then Pastor Manuel not preaching after I had finished! At the end of the service the whole team stood up front in a line and was personally greeted by nearly every member in attendance. They are so warm and welcoming and it is so great to grow the relationships we've built with that community of faith for the last 5 years.

Tomorrow we are back to work as we only have a few more days to finish the addition and the painting project at the school. We're grateful to God for the strength He is giving us and look forward to how He continues to work in us and through us. Keep praying!