Mission Nicaragua :: Day 12

Well the day we all knew was inevitably coming finally arrived.  Before we even left on mission for Nicaragua we had a session during our training preparing us for our return to the States.  At first, it may not seem a big deal, but transitioning back to "normal" life can be a difficult transition.  I always remind our team that Satan would love to steal, kill or destroy the good work that God did in and through us.  For many, this was a mountaintop experience - we had unhurried time in God's presence, we were unplugged from the world and God moved in a powerful way at our Ruby prayer time.  It can often seem a bit daunting to re-integrate knowing that any struggles, relational tension, temptations and often spiritual warfare awaits.

But we hold strong to Philippians 1:6 that, "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring it to completion."  God doesn't leave us on our own.  We are trusting that the same Holy Spirit that was present for us in Nicaragua is most definitely present with us here in the States.  And we stand strong knowing that "greater is He who is in us, than He who is in the world."

Our day in Nicaragua started in the usual manner.  We had our breakfast followed by morning team time.  I asked our students to step-up and lead this time.  I was so encouraged hearing a student each morning open up God's Word and lead us in a brief devotional time.

We then had some time to pack our personal bags and then unpack all the remaining donated flip flops.  They will continue to be distributed by the Buzbees at multiple locations where they do ministry in Nicaragua: Casa Havilah (the girls' rescue home), Casa Robles (the boys' rescue home), Club Esperanza (the new ministry center for the children of La Chureca) and at Ruby Ranch (serving the children of Las Parcelas).  We were so honored to have Craft Hope partner with our mission and receive hundreds of boxes of donated flip flops from around the world!

About mid-morning, it was time to say our goodbyes. After some tears and hugs to the Buzbee clan, their staff and Katie P. who will still be there with her team, we loaded the bus to head to the airport.  God was good to delay our flight a bit as we were running behind.  But we arrived and had a brief time to relax in the Managua airport before our departure.  Reality was definitely setting in.

I was so encouraged to see our team engaging with those God put in our path.  From other mission teams in the airport to the other passengers we were sitting by.  I overheard many Gospel conversations about why we were in Nicaragua and why Christ's love compels us to go.

Arrival in Miami was smooth with no problems through immigration or customs.  Most of our team then made a beeline for some "American" food at TGI Fridays.  It was the first time my stomach hurt... must be something to eating Gallo Pinto everyday.

We arrived in Tallahassee to smiling faces, cheers and a banner welcoming us back.  It's good to be home.  Despite feelings of wanting to still be in Nicaragua, we know that God has work for us here in Tallyland... because the mission never ends!

Mission Nicaragua :: Day 11

The last full day of our time here in Nicaragua.  I feel fairly confident that this entry won't do justice to our time today and all that God did.  But here I go anyway...

I have been praying for a partnership with a local church in the Las Parcelas community that we have spent so much time in.  One that we can invest in and support and also learn from.  Since our team was so awesome and knocked out our concrete job, we were looking for another way to invest in the community and get in another day of work.  So Henri mentioned the church his family goes to (which is the church he got married in).  Brinson and I had done a quick scouting trip there yesterday and it seemed like a great fit.

It's a humble lower block/upper wood building with 6 homemade wooden pews.  It has a few light bulbs and a table up front.  It's a part of a larger church (Tabernacle de Josua 1:9) that is in the next community over.  They have about 40 or so that worship together.

For us, it was great to see such a humble space that still accomplishes the work of the church.  It reminded us that it doesn't take much, since people are the true church... the body of Christ.  It also challenged us to remember that the Great Commission calls us to be disciples who can make disciples of all the nations.  It doesn't take a fancy building (or one at all) to accomplish this task.

Arriving with 15 gallons of paint and supplies this morning, we made quick work painting their building.  Paint is very expensive here in Nicaragua and most people don't paint their houses.  However, they do love color - so we knew this would be a blessing.  And even though the pastor was unable to make it down to visit with us today, he sent his thanks.  We are praying for a chance to build this relationship and to strive to strengthen the body of Christ here in Las Parceleas.

After lunch, we headed back to the compound to quickly clean up and head to Sister Ruby's house of prayer.  You'll have to catch some previous year's posts to catch up on who Sister Ruby was.  But this is always an important and powerful time for our teams each and every year.

This year was no exception.  God showed up in power.  He brought healing.  He brought conviction.  He brought encouragement.  He gave new life in Christ.  He received worship and thanks.  We are all a bit spiritually and physically drained from that time of prayer, but also likewise very encouraged.

After prayer time we had our team dinner at La Finca - a local restaurant.  We laughed, talked, pigged out a bit and just enjoyed our last night together here in Nicaragua.

We are so grateful to God for all He did today and this mission in general.  We can't wait to return and share, but we pray that these blogs have been encouraging to you as you read and pray for our team.

Tomorrow we head home.  But we always remember that the mission never ends.  We are praying for opportunities to continue to share the Gospel in word and deed as we travel home.

Mission Nicaragua :: Day 10

The realization has started to set in that our time in Nicaragua is nearing an end.  But in reality, that is just making us all the more motivated to use our time wisely for the sake of the Gospel here.  We've all been challenged that God has given us (and to all believers) a mission worth dying for because we have a King worth living for!  We continue to explore what it means to use our lives well and to be a disciple who can make disciples.

Today, we headed back out to Las Parcelas for Water Slide Wednesday!  But before we could get to the fun (and we had to wait for the kids to get out of school) we had more concrete to make!  We knew coming in to the day that we had one last big push and that we could finish the third and final side of the porch.  So after moving a pretty good sized tarantula out of our way, we started making the first of many concrete volcanoes for today.  

We were also without our foreman, Marvin, as his father in law passed away, so we took what we have learned and put it to the test.  Of course, we will have the Nicaraguan, Chuck Norris - Henri and his trusty ox cart with us.  

By the time the kids arrived we only had one small remaining section left to pour.  So we cranked up the waterslide and had some fun.  This slide is amazing.  Most of the kids had done it before, but thinking of a giant waterslide in a rural farming community in Nicaragua is pretty crazy.  We had a blast sliding and showing God's love to these kids today.

We even had a few of the older kids who went to Campo with us last year show up.  Again, we are reminded of the power of relationships.  They asked about team members who aren't present this year and got to know some of our new team members this year.  

Then the time we had all been waiting for arrived.  We mixed the last batch of concreted and poured in into place.  It was definitely a time of rejoicing as we smoothed out the last section.  Earlier at lunch we enjoyed eating our famous PB&J's on the dry side of the porch.  It was definitely a glimpse of the vision to come.

God has been really moving, but we are also sensing the spiritual warfare that is taking place.  Satan wants nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy and we are actively praying against his efforts.  The Holy Spirit has been good to guide us and also convict us.  I've been so encouraged by what God is doing and just by this team in general.  I believe God still has great things in store.  Please pray with us to that end!

Mission Nicaragua :: Day 9

Well you can kind of copy and paste our day from yesterday to today as far as what we did.  Although, we can definitely attest to the mercies of the Lord are new each and every day.  In fact, in team time each night we ask, "Where did you see God at work today?"  What I'm trying to do is help our team realize that God is always active, always present, always speaking and always working.  We are usually not paying attention... and this is especially true in the States.  However, down here - devoid of technology and other "usuals" in our life, are spiritual senses can be awakened and trained to see God more clearly.  And I so enjoy hearing everyone share each night where God has been at work in their lives and how they are seeing Him new each day and in new ways.

But today, we did really repeat our day yesterday... head to Las Parcelas to Ruby Ranch.  Arrive and immediately start making concrete.  By the way, this is old school concrete making.  No mixers or machinery.  We are the mixers and machinery!  Four 80+ pound bags of sand, two 70+ pound bags of rock, two bags of concrete (which feel really light after picking up the previous) and just add water.  Well... and a lot (did I mention a lot?) of mixing by shovel.  On the downside, we are filthy and exhausted.  On the upside, we eat and sleep really well!

The kids arrived right on time after their school, as expected.  This gives us a momentary bit of relief from the concrete (or a more extended break for others, but this is no place to name names).  Actually, it is just as much a part of our ministry and mission down here - so the body of Christ is still at work!

When two arrived, though, we had a great surprise.  Jennifer and Virginia came and invited us to come down to there house.  This is the family our team last year built the home for.  So we enjoyed a nice stroll through the community and had the opportunity to go see the house and pray over their family.  They were so excited to see us and have us return.  It's amazing how much our hearts can be united and relationships forged despite being gone for a year.  It's like we picked up right where we left off.

We returned for more concrete (see a theme here?) and more playtime.  We were able to complete two sides of the porch leaving only one more side to go.  By the way, this is a huge porch!  This team will set a WSM Mission Nicaragua record for the most concrete mixed and poured on a construction project!  

We are looking to complete the porch tomorrow and excited about a potential new relationship and project tomorrow.  As always, thanks for your prayer support!

Mission Nicaragua :: Day 8

We worked hard.  That would be the theme of today!  We took our team down to Las Parcelas today - this is the community where Ruby Ranch is located and where all the kids came from that we took to Campo.  We have been invested in this community for the last three years.  And it means so much to the residents and to our team to continue to build on the relationships and to continue serving Ruby Ranch as project after project gets completed.

We arrived at the Ranch to see two daunting piles - one of rock and one of sand and that can only mean one thing... concreto.  Nica style.  Mixing by hand - no power tools or mixers.  And the piles were at the bottom of the hill and we knew that they had to get up to the house somehow where we are pouring for the patio.  This is a little house that is on the property that will first be converted to a dining hall until the large one is built and then later will likely become an office/staff housing combo.  

So the shoveling began.  The process was to fill these plastic bags (which then ended up weighing about 80+ pounds) and then tie them off and get them up to the house (which is about a 30 foot climb).  By God's grace Henri was there with his ox cart.  Henri is the Nicaragua version of Chuck Norris.  If he ever did shed a tear we are fairly certain it would cure cancer.  He shames all of us with his work ethic and strength.  And so does his ox team for that matter.  

But what teamwork was on display from our team.  Everyone jumped right in and start filling bags by the dozens.  Then it was off to the house to unload and begin making the concrete.  This is just labor intensive work.  So many on the team were delighted to see the kids from camp start to arrive after our lunch break.  We rotated around between playing with the kids and making concrete.

Most of the team did take the hike up to the top of the mountain at the Ranch.  Our team last year worked hard clearing a section that we knew would be an outdoor chapel but we never got to see it completed.  Sometimes it is hard working on a project (like clearing land and trees) only to see it become a brush pile.  But the beauty of the Kingdom is that it takes many parts to form the body.  So teams came behind ours and completed the work.  Seeing it finished reminded me that "Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."  

After a full day of work, we were all ready for a shower and dinner or dinner and a shower is how it turned out.  But God is good and we will all sleep well tonight.

By the way, I finally emailed some pics so hopefully those will show up on our Facebook page or student website somewhere.  The uploads are really slow, so most nights I have just given up.  Thanks for hanging with us on this journey.  We appreciate those who follow and pray more than you could imagine!

Mission Nicaragua :: Day 7

Wow... day 7.  That's hard for all of us to believe.  This mission has moved at a pretty rapid pace so far.  Today, though, was a much needed day of rest.  We awoke on this Lord's Day ready to meet with Him.  We traveled in to Managua to Verbo Church - where the Buzbees attend.  It's a very international church with other Americans worshipping there, however, it is all in Spanish.

It seems to hit me every year just how amazing it is that around the world - worship rises to heaven from every tribe, tongue and nation.  While we were here worshipping in Spanish, our faith family back at Wildwood was worshipping in English and others from around the world are joining in the praise.  It was a real vision of heaven that God graced me with today and what an amazing day that will be when every knee will bow and tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  It is awesome to think that we are practicing today what we will enjoy for an eternity!

We are enjoying our meal times here at the compound.  The team from North Carolina returned home while we were at camp.  The FSU med team has arrived and so has another college team led by Katie P.  It's always fun to share this experience with others and have an opportunity to get to know other teams.

After lunch we headed down to the Market.  This has become a staple on our trips and it is quite an experience.  There aren't too many places where you can shop for cheap souvenirs made in China (with "Nicaragua" on them), cow eyeballs (and other unmentionable parts), raw meat, pinatas, shoes, clothing and even get a haircut all under one roof.  But our students love going so I take one for the team each year.

We returned to the compound to have a bit of down time this afternoon.  Some enjoyed swimming and just relaxing.  We had hoped to make it to Los Cedros for evening church, but weren't able to fit it in the schedule unfortunately.  We love the Los Cedros community and have served there for many years, so we hope to plan a visit at some point this week.

God is really moving in a powerful way during our team time each night as we continue on this journey to better understand what it means to be a disciple who takes seriously the call to follow Jesus.  We are seeing that more and more Scripture calls us to lay down our heart, mind, will and desires to have them transformed and renewed by Christ for His glory and His mission.

Tomorrow we start our construction work in the Las Parecelas community.  We've got some big projects ahead of us but are excited to be able to see the children, their families and serve their community.  Thanks, as always, for supporting this mission in prayer!

Mission Nicaragua :: Day 6

There's nothing quite like trying to explain to Nica kids what polar bears are... and even more difficult explaining what a Polar Bear swim is.  However, we had a blast doing one - at 6:30am no less!  This is how our last day of camp started, a bit chilly, but an awesome memory and our last time to swim in Lake Nicaragua.  

From there we finished up our remaining classes and had our closing chapel time.  We put together a slideshow of camp memories and the kids really enjoyed seeing themselves on the screen.  Their adult leaders did to.  There is no doubt we created some lasting memories.  Probably most meaningful in chapel was walking back through the Gospel one last time with them.  We could visibly see the impact that camp had on their lives, but we were also able to see how the Gospel impacted their lives.  Only heaven will reveal what this camp meant in regards to their newfound life in Christ or continued growth in Him.  Either way, we are continuing to pray for good soil - so the seeds would be able to grow deep roots that would grow lasting fruit.

It was an emotional last chapel.  I was moved just standing before them and looking them in the eye conveying our love and saying our temporary goodbyes.  After the final session, we were able to present them with their backpacks - complete with their art projects from the week, school supplies, toothbrush and toothpaste.  Then thanks to our friends at Craft Hope, we were able to allow each camper to personally choose two brand new pairs of decorated flip flops.  The smiles on their faces said it all, but they also conveyed their love through many, many hugs.  

After our traditional chasing the bus down the camp road, we headed back to camp to clean up, pack up and get on our way.  We took time on the bus ride out to just pray and praise God for the awesome time at camp He gave all of us and how He worked in all of our lives.

Since we weren't too far away, we took a bit of a detour to the city of Grenada.  This colonial town is one of the oldest in Nicaragua.  It has remained untouched by the many volcanoes and earthquakes and even war.  It is a beautiful, historic city and we enjoyed walking around and taking it all in.  It was great to have some time just as a team, since the last four days have been surrounding by 50 kids non-stop!

We arrived back to the Buzbees for dinner and our team time.  We are getting settled back in to our living quarters here and excited about sleeping sans bugs (at least the same volume of them) and also sleeping past 5 am!  

Thanks for praying with us!  We aren't done yet and we know God isn't either!