Mission Nicaragua: Day 9-12

The anticipated update is finally here. The internet at Campo Alegria wasn't working so I'll have to do a multi-day update tonight. I'm sure it will be lacking details as we are all running off very little sleep from an awesome time at camp.

I departed on Friday to join our camp team while our construction team finished some construction/roofing/painting projects in Los Cedros. Then on their final day they were able to go back to Casa Robles and dedicate the house and pray with the children and house parents. After their visit they had their 'tour' day and got to visit Volcan Messiah and the city of Grenada. We praise God for the work He did in and through our construction team and for also taking them safely back to the States.

About two and a half hours from Managua, forty children from Las Brasilles made the journey to Campo Alegria. Our construction team built a home in Las Brasilles in 2004 so we do have some connections to that community, but all of the kids were new to us and all were brand new to camp. They arrived for orientation and the relationships began to form as we divided them into their teams for the week. Little did we know what God had in store.

As the camp progressed I was able to learn more about these kids and the homes/situations they come from. Hearing so many stories of abuse, abandonment, missing fathers, lack of education and forced labor was heartbreaking. It was no surprise many of the children had trouble with the structure of camp and just listening in their center time. But God broke through in a powerful way as time went on.

I must brag on our students on this camp team for their preparation and leadership in the areas of arts/crafts, drama, Bible, music, sports and being team leaders. God has blessed them all with not only a heart for children, but has given them some spiritual gifts and talents that they used for His glory this week. Some of the camp highlights were swimming in Lake Nicaragua, the awesome water slide, hearing them learn and recite their Bible verses, watching them sing and praise God and of course our famous last morning polar bear swim.

It's amazing how quickly we all bonded and formed relationships with the children. I just couldn't help thinking what this time at camp meant to them. To be removed from some tough home situations and to come to such a beautiful place, be fed three meals a day (with seconds!), hear the Word of God, join in worship and make friends with a group of gringos from the States made for a super camp.

Even though 5am came really early everyday and we had some challenging moments - God did a great work at camp. And God gave us a glimpse into the seeds that were planted in these kids lives as we gave them their backpacks today (loaded with school supplies, t-shirt, toothbrush/paste and even a toy) and their faces actually showed hope, gratitude and emotion. In fact, it was an emotional day for all of us as we had to say our goodbyes.

Hopefully as we all take some time in our group time to process camp we can give a more detailed update and recap to the camp experience. But there is no doubt that we are all walking away changed. Please join us in praying for these children as they have returned home - that God would seal this experience in their hearts and minds - and that He would especially continue the work He has begun!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 8

It was definitely an exciting morning today with our two teams sharing breakfast together. Our camp team finally made it despite airline delays and even a re-routing and got settled in here at the compound, but only for a brief time. They hit the ground running today by prepping for camp, unpacking and sorting all the donated clothes (nearly 1,000 lbs.), gathered fruit and then headed off for Campo Allegria after lunch. Last I heard they have made it and were getting set-up for camp to begin tomorrow.

Our construction team divided to conquer today. The girls went back to Casa Robles to finish the painting of the mural and to tackle the exterior courtyards and family room and they did it! Sorry for not having pictures, but I headed out to Los Cedros with the guys for a project. We worked in one of the more rural and poverty stricken areas of Los Cedros. In fact, some of the homes/situations seemed even worse than La Chureca. Our job was to help some of the church members by adding plastic sheeting over the tin roofs to prevent leaks.

One house led to the next as we walked through this section of the community. Children were coming up to us begging us to come to their casa to work on it. Some of the sights were absolutely heartbreaking. All of the homes were so small and some only built of nothing by plastic sheeting and sticks. We worked on a home that had three women and what looked like 12 children living there. Of all the homes we roofed today, we only encountered one male/dad at home. Many of the children were malnourished and barely clothed. Yet were were able to bring some smiles on a hot day by handing out some small toys and just playing with them in between jobs. This was an awesome experience today and the families we helped were so grateful.

We finished our day with an awesome celebration of baptism. Some of our team members have been believers, but have never followed Christ's command to be baptized. So we had a good crowd all gathered at the Buzbees' pool for a time of worship, the Word and the sacrament of baptism. Praise God for these three girls and the excitement of new life and the opportunity to walk in obedience and service to Christ.

Since it was my last night with the construction team, I took them out for our team dinner to La Plancha. This is a really nice restaurant and we all walked away really stuffed from our choice of pollo, carne or pescado. But somehow we managed to save room for some gelato for dessert.

This has been an amazing construction team this year and we've had some great projects to work on during our time here. God has definitely met us here and drawn us all closer to each other and His heart. I'll be leaving in the morning to head down to Campo to catch up with our other team, so I'll miss out on the remaining projects, dedication at Casa Robles and the team's fun day on Saturday. But my prayer is that God would continue to work as the construction team nears its conclusion and for the Campo team as the campers arrive tomorrow for a great camp! We appreciate your continues prayer support. For more pictures and updates (if you are reading this via Facebook, go to toddveleber.blogspot.com)

Mission Nicaragua: Day 7

To be honest, I don't think I will be able to totally put into words what our team experienced today. We put work aside for the morning hours and started our day with a visit to La Chureca (the city dump). I believe it is estimated that the dump has about 1000 residents, with the majority being children. They live in such extreme poverty it is hard to describe. They rummage for whatever they can find to sell or use. Most of their homes are made of discarded tin. There is a heavy spiritual darkness where physical, sexual and drug abuse is commonplace. Our team walked the "streets" of the dump and got to experience the sights, sounds and smells. We also visited Colegio Esperanza which is the school in the dump that the Buzbees run.

There are so many spiritual lessons to learn from the dump. I am always overwhelmed that but for the grace of God, that could have been my home. But that doesn't ease the pain we all felt as we saw the residents there living in such deplorable conditions. Yet spiritually we relate pretty well to the dump. Just as some Nicaraguans live in the dump physically, many of us felt convicted of the spiritual dump we live in on a regular basis. God offers us so much more - like CS Lewis said, "a beautiful home by the sea" - yet over and over again we trade it for the dump that is our sin. I was reminded of the Scripture that compares us returning to our sin like a dog that returns to its vomit. It was an emotional visit and one that will stay with us for sure.

From there we went to see Sister Ruby for a time of worship and prayer and God definitely met us there! It was a powerful time in God's presence and we all walked away challenged and encouraged in our walk with Christ. I am always amazed at the unity that results of our time there. It is always a great picture of the Biblical community we should enjoy and practice on a regular basis. We are all still processing our time - even after we met tonight to debrief.

We did make it over to Casa Robles and got some afternoon painting done until we had a huge thunderstorm roll in. We were working exterior and with latex paint so you can tell that wasn't a good combination. Unfortunately we had to watch some of our work washing down the walls. But we did get to rest a bit after a spiritually exhausting day, as well as making more progress on the murals.

Our camp team finally arrived and everyone has been trying to squeeze in some time together before we head off in the morning to our projects and the camp team packs up to head down to Campo Allegria. The construction team will be dividing up with one team going back to Casa Robles to finish painting and others going out to Los Cedros to work on Pastor Manuel's church.

It is hard to believe that the construction team's time is nearing completion and the camp team is just hitting the ground running. We have all seen and experienced so much - especially today - that we count every moment here as a blessing from God. Please pray specifically that God would continue what He has started in our construction team and that God would open the hearts of our camp team for what He has in store!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 6

Today we were challenged to think and live like a Christian during our morning devotional time which was good to think on as we worked today. This team has really been amazing in the group effort and teamwork it is taking to tackle this projects. But it is going amazingly well - with no complaining and continual offers to pick up some slack by giving someone else a break.

We spent a full day painting at Casa Robles (the boys home) and I'm amazed at what we were able to finish. Of course, we have switched from oil based to latex, and that really helped. But we completely painted the exterior front of the house. Jonah was my painting partner for up on the roof as we had to avoid powerlines to paint! We also completed the front porch and carport area. We also managed to finish the entrance where Karen is already working on her mural. This is a huge house, so we do have quite a bit to go, but praise God for the hard work and teamwork that is taking place!

Tomorrow morning we are going back to visit Sister Ruby, but this time for our time of prayer. This is always a special time for us individually and as a team. Sister Ruby has a powerful ministry of prayer and we all anticipate coming before the Lord in worship and prayer tomorrow.

From there... you guessed it... more painting. But we are looking to line up some construction projects in Los Cedros. Pastor Manuel's church has been raising money and doing their own expansion, but when he shared they were out of money - I felt called to action! I'm not sure what we will be able to do, but we have such a great relationship with Pastor Manuel and the Los Cedros community that we want to help in any way possible.

Our camp team travels down tomorrow, so as you pray for us, please pray for them as well. We are excited about them joining us even if we only see them for a short while before they head out the next morning to get camp set-up and ready to go for a Friday start. God is doing such a great work here and we appreciate your faithfulness in lifting us up in prayer!

Mission Nicaragua: Day 5

We managed to get right back to the massive painting project and put in a long day today but made great progress! In fact, we are calling it "done" at Sister Ruby's as her nephew - who has been awesome in helping us - is going to finish the back part of the house. But we did manage to finish the exterior... complete with the 'Complaints of God' lettering by Karen, the upstairs interior, the stairwell and the bottom family room. And even though we pushed really hard today, we did manage to squeeze in some time to play with the neighborhood kids and give away some bubbles. We were able to get Ruby outside in her wheelchair to see the home and she was overjoyed!

Before we left, we went over to Diamaris' home one more time since she wasn't there when we visited earlier this week. Diamaris is a 'single' mother of seven who continues to amaze us with her strength and love for her family. We built her home in 2007. She was so excited to see us and said that she longs for our visit each year because we hold such a special place in her heart. I am continually blown away by the relationships we form here and the impact God graciously allows us to have on the people and families we come in contact with. Her children have been watching and waiting for us every day at Ruby's house. Her youngest daughter's health is not good so we finished our time visiting with a time of prayer for her and the family in general.

We did manage to squeeze a little down time in before dinner. Some of the girls on our team were surprised to be sharing their shower with a good sized scorpion. Then of course, the guys had fun playing with it and feeding it to Camillo (the monkey). Never a dull moment here in Nicaragua!

It looks like more painting and small construction projects for us as we move over to our next project at Casa Robles. God just recently provided the funding for the Buzbees to purchase this home for the boys of La Chureca (the dump) who have been abandoned, abused or neglected in some form or fashion. We are really excited about the opportunity to serve there and to get to know the boys.

God is so good and has been so faithful to meet us here. We are all being stretched and challenged and being able to serve on mission for God is amazing. Please continue to lift us up in prayer - that God would continue to draw us closer to Himself while serving as His hands and feet.

Mission Nicaragua: Day 4

The Lord's Day in Nicaragua... not that everyday down here on our mission isn't His, but it is definitely awesome to worship and enjoy the Sabbath God gave us. We joined in worship at Verbo Church where the Buzbees attend. Verbo is a very contemporary church and we were fortunate to recognize a few of the songs and then had Elizabeth translate the message for us. It was cool to think that as we were worshiping in Spanish here in Nicaragua, our friends and family back at Wildwood were worshiping... and likewise believers around the world. It was a great picture of the Kingdom for us and a glimpse of what's to come when every nation, tribe and tongue will worship God!

We truly enjoyed our Sabbath rest this afternoon on the compound before heading down to Los Cedros for evening worship. Los Cedros is a special place for us as we have served three of our years doing ministry there. It is a highlight of our trip every year to go back and see families we have build homes for and today was no exception. We started by visiting the school in Los Cedros where we laid the foundation for the preschool building, laid more stones than we wanted to count for sidewalks and later painted the preschool building.

From there we went to see Majore and the home we built last year. It is always great to see the home still standing! I guess we built well! I'm always amazed that the relationships we build span the language barrier and infrequent visits; however we were able to just spend some time with her and pray for her and her family.

On the way to church we stopped by the home we built for another Los Cedros family (of 7) back in 2005. We missed seeing some of the children and mother at home, but later reunited with her after the church service. Again, I'm humbled by the opportunity to share a spiritual connection with these families we have had the privilege to serve.

We did make it to Pastor Manuel's church in Los Cedros for evening worship. Church is very different - not just in style, but structure as well. And I always have to remember the verse in "being prepared in season and out" as I was called up during the sermon to share!

We had a great discussion during our team meeting tonight regarding the cost of the faith for believers in Los Cedros. All of them walk to church to stand for a long period of singing, sit in less than comfortable plastic chairs for a longer sermon, in a block church that is overcrowded and has no air conditioning. And they do it all with amazing joy and passion. It definitely helped us in our perspective of worship in the States where we often complain if we don't like a song or don't make it out in time for lunch.

God is doing a good work in our hearts - challenging us in how we think and live out our faith - not just here on mission in Nicaragua, but when we will return as well. We appreciate your continued prayer support on our behalf. Don't forget if you are missing the pics - head over to toddveleber.blogspot.com.

Mission Nicaragua: Day 3

One of my favorite aspects of our time down here is the morning (I'm quite sure not everyone on the team agrees) but it is just refreshing to have our TAWG after our morning devotional time as a team. We all are enjoying the space and silence to connect in greater depth with God and His Word as the start to our day.

I'm pretty sure that our bodies are getting adjusted to the time zone and the work load and even the food! We seemed to hit our stride as the "painting team" today. By the way, this isn't just like rolling up some latex paint in the States. We are working with a very thick oil based paint on very rough, uneven concrete walls and decorative concrete blocks. Most of us have a good indicator on when the fumes are getting to us and we need a break. It is hard work, but we are having fun while we work. We've been forced to get MacGyver creative in rigging ladders to paint hard to reach places and are grateful for God's hand of protection thus far!

And even while we work we are getting great opportunities to build some relationships in the community. Two years ago, we built a house right around the corner and so the word has spread that the 'gringos' are back in the neighborhood! One of the ways we are building relationships is through gifts - we bring goodies galore to give out. Today we created our first ever pinata (later called the Toddata) as I took a bag of candy and hid it under my shirt and after being hit with a baseball bat (softly, thankfully) sent it flying everywhere. Amazing what joy comes from a little fun (and candy) with the kids of the neighborhood. It's creative ways to share the love of Christ that have been the hallmark of our teams here in Nicaragua.

We had the rains shut us down a bit early today, so we headed back to the compound for some down time in the pool. We have some pool traditions in some of the games we play and even created a new one today with a frisbee. We are praising God for moments of down time right when we need them!

I have been so encouraged by our team time at night. We meet together to talk about what God has taught us and shown us throughout the day and then we get into our gendered family groups for some time of further discussion and accountability. I feel very honored to be leading this team that God put together and have been blessed getting to know them all even better.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to worshiping at church with the Buzbees and members from the other teams here when we go to Verbo Church. Then in the afternoon we are heading into Los Cedros - a community where we have been heavily invested over the years, building homes, taking their children to camp and working on the Christian school. We'll join those believers for worship in the evening.

We appreciate and covet your continued prayer support. And by the way, if you are reading this via Facebook, then you are missing out on some of the pictures. Just click over to toddveleber.blogspot.com to see the team in action!