Sharing our Lives

2012 Camp Season

2012-02-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

The 2012 camp season came to an end one week ago. We had five weeks of camp in all. One for children, one for college age youth, and three more weeks of youth camp in January. Here are just a few pictures so you can get an idea of what it was like. We thank God for the many youth who put their faith in Christ and those who consecrated their lives to Him.

Caroline at Camp

2012-02-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

Caroline absolutely loved camp season!

Transformers

2011-12-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

Children's Camp is right around the corner. It begins this Tuesday and will last through Friday. We trust that God will do great things in these kids hearts! This week we've been getting things ready for camp. We've had youth over at the house working on decorations and more! Here are some pictures of them at work.

Last year's youth camp theme was Transformers and we are using that theme for this year's children's camp, thus the big transformer that they are working on...

Super Match 2011

2011-12-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

More Teens Involved Pictures

2011-12-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

Teens Involved 2011

2011-11-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday we hosted the third annual Teens Involved here in Nicaragua. Teens Involved is a full day, from 8am to 9pm of craziness, but the good kind! We had youth participate in the various categories of singing in choir and solo, individual and group presentations of the gospel, preaching, narration of bible stories, and Bible quizzing. There were judges who evaluated the presentations and at the end of the day an awards presentation. A local private school lent us their facilities and in 15 classrooms and the main auditorium there were presentations taking place from 8 to 4. Youth who participated in many categories would finish their preaching and quickly throw off their dress shirt and tie and begin to put on their dress for Bible narration running to the appropriate classroom while accompanied by their friends who were supporting them on. This is one of my favorite activities because youth discover gifts and talents they didn't know that they had and they can continue to use these presentations to minister inside and outside the church. Here are some pictures and a video from the activity. I'll be posting more pictures soon!

Decorations for Teens Involved

2011-11-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

On November 19th we'll be hosting an activity called Teens Involved where youth from various churches compete in preaching, bible narrations, presentations of the gospel, bible quizzing, singing and more! The youth are excited and the majority of the churches are meeting various times a week to prepare for their presentations. Here are some pictures of youth working on the decorations for this activity. Caroline had her part in the decorations too.

Stepping out in Faith

2011-10-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

We thank God for the way He has been burdening Nicaraguan youth to study the Bible and committ themselves to serving Him full time. Over the past couple of years we've seen 9 youth head off to Argentina to study God's word and prepare themselves for full time service to Him. They are all currently in Argentina and a few will be returning to Nicaragua next year upon completing their 3 years of study. Here is a picture of them in Argentina.

Word of Life also has a bible institute in Mexico and there are currently 4 Nicaraguan youth who are ready to leave for Mexico anyday now. They are just waiting on their visa paperwork. Once they get news of their visa they will be off on a plane. It's sad to see them go, but great to know they are being obedient to God's call and are right where He wants them to be. Here's a picture of the four youth with Guillermo, Mayra, Jader and myself.

Birthday Celebrations!

2011-10-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

September 21st Caroline turned 1 year old!!! I can't believe how fast this year went by! We are so thankful to God for the precious gift that she is to us and for the way she brings such joy to our lives. We decided to have two birthday celebrations for Caroline. :) We had one the day of her birthday (Wednesday) with Jader's aunts and cousins and then another the following Friday where we invited the friends who are closest to us.

Here we are celebrating with Jader's family...

Now these are pictures from our celebration with some close friends...

Caroline at a recent retreat

2011-09-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

We had a high school retreat last week and I wanted to share some pictures of Caroline enjoying the day. I also included a video of her making some announcents over the loud speaker during game time. :)

Caroline meets toilet Paper

2011-09-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Santo Tomas

2011-09-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were able to make a trip to Santo Tomas and help the youth with their Bible Club program. We accompanied some church members as they made guirilias, which are like corn tortillas but sweeter. Caroline even participated in the preparation!

Recent Retreats

2011-09-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a couple of high school retreats and here are some pictures from the activity. We had 262 youth in all and were able to share Christ one-on-one with 179 of them. These retreats are a great opportunity to reach the Nicaraguan youth. We have another retreat coming up the Wednesday of next week.

2011-08-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, I was looking at the last date that I had posted something and it was a LONG time ago. I have much to share and many picutres of Caroline growing up. She'll be turning 1 September 21st! We've just come through a very busy time of ministry here in Nicaragua. We had 3 teams from the states and then two high school retreats this past Thursday and Friday. We're grateful for the opportunities to serve God here and the joy of seeing God's fruit in the lives of youth around us. He is so faithful. So, right now I'm just going to post some pictures from the teams that visited.

The first of the three teams we had ministered to the Nicaraguans through baseball. Nicaraguans really love baseball and there is a ministry called Faith Field Ministry from Florida who came to partner with us to share the gospel through this beloved sport.

The following team we had was also from Florida and we were able to minister to many youth and children with this wonderful group.

Lastly, we had a medical team come. This was their third year to visit us here in Nicaragua and we were able to give over 500 people quality medical care. Caroline and I worked in the pharmacy so I added a picture of her sleeping on the job.

Annual Family Picnic

2011-06-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

A recent ministry event that we put on was the Family Picnic. The churches that we work with are encouraged to invite as many family members, coworkers, friends, and neighbors as they can to participate in a day of fun competition. Halfway through the activity we share the gospel desiring for those who attend who have never understood the forgiveness we have in Christ to hear the message and accept Him. We had a great turnout despite heavy rains in the morning. We enjoyed the beautiful day in this lush green park and give thanks to God for His grace and strength that allowed us to put this activity on.

Valerie is running excitedly towards Caroline to greet her. (on the right)

Caroline's new thing is to stick her tongue out.

The church Elim was the winner for this year's picnic.

WOL Regional Retreat Honduras

2011-06-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Word of Life is an international ministry and it's broken up into regions. We are in the Mexico/Central America region. Every three years there is a retreat for Central American WOL missionaries and their interns. May 23rd-27th we went to the 2011 retreat that was held in Honduras.

We had a wonderful time visiting with missionary friends who we hadn't seen in a long time and were able to meet many missionaries for the first time. We were encouraged to hear what God is doing throughout Mexico and Central America through the ministry of WOL.

During the retreat there were daily teachings from the Word, reports from every country, traditional foods shared and traditional dances and music from each place represented. We returned to Nicaragua encouraged to continue the work that God has called us to... to reach the Nicaraguan youth with the gospel of Christ.

Here is our WOL Nicaragua Team

Alvaro and Niki presented the traditional Nicaraguan dress

Leo Digilio is the Director of our region

Hector Romero is the Director of Honduras

Rachel Aaron, I'm wearing your t-shirt. Can you find me? :)

This is a colonial city near the camp property

Here is the beautiful cathedral.

It got pretty chilly in Honduras. Caroline's first time to wear a sweater.

Managua Soccer Marathon

2011-05-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

I thank God for the opportunities that He gives us to reach out to Nicaraguan youth. We were so excited to see around 425 youth attend the Soccer Marathon. I saw so many new faces and know that a lot of these youth came from off the streets and were invited by Bible Club youth to the activity. The beauty is that after accepting Christ they have Bible Clubs to get plugged into where they can be discipled and grow in their faith. It's a joy to serve God and know that He's doing a work of transforming lives.

Caroline is playing with a bag of water that they sell here in Nicaragua. It makes for a great teether or fun toy on a hot day!

Kick-Offs

2011-04-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

Summer recently came to an end here and school started back up. Therefore the Bible Clubs and University age youth programs that we work with have their annual kick-off activities. It's their opportunity to plan any type of event that will attract many youth. The purpose is to share the gospel with the youth and expose them to the program so they can get begin to attend regularly. Here are pictures from one Bible Club Kick-off activity where they hosted a soccer marathon.

They really like soccer here so it's a great way of reaching youth. This upcoming Saturday we'll be hosting the Annual Word of Life Soccer Marathon where all the youth that we work with invite teams, the good news will be shared, and many of these youth begin to get involved in the Bible Clubs following the event.

Retreats

2011-04-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

We've had the joy of hosting several all day retreats with a local high school. The youth play games, eat hamburgers, swim, and most importantly learn what God's word says about salvation, godly friendships, honoring your parents, sex and more. We are looking forward to another retreat that will be coming up early May.

Caroline's first time swimming

2011-04-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

It's the hottest time of the year here in Nicaragua so we decided it'd be a great time to let Caroline have her first pool experience! Jader's aunt put up a big inflatable pool at their house and here are some pictures of it. The last two pictures are of her second time swimming during a youth activity. She was so relaxed!!!

Soccer Marathon & trips to Santo Tomas

2011-04-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Recently we had a soccer marathon in a place outside of Managua called Santo Tomas. We made a weekend trip to Santo Tomas before the Marathon and then returned the following weekend for the actual event. We really enjoyed our time there and always feel welcomed by our brothers and sisters in the faith who live in Santo Tomas.

All of that playing soccer really wore out little Caroline. :)

Spring Break Living Hope Team

2011-04-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

There are so many experiences from the past few weeks that I would like to share, but it's been hard to find the time to blog. I'd like to start off with sharing some pictures from the Living Hope Spring Break team. We had a wonderful time with them and were greatly encouraged by their presence. After the team had left, Jader mentioned to me several times how he missed having the team here with us. :) Caroline and I were able to join them only half of the week because the first half of the week they did a very long road trip and Caroline was still recuperating from her stomach issues, but we were glad to be with the team for the second half. The team was able to go to some islands and share Jesus island to island :), preach the gospel through sports like baseball, high school retreats, evangelism in a hospital, and shared Christ to college students. Many put their faith in Christ and God not only did a work in their hearts but also in our own hearts as well.

Happy Half Birthday Caroline!!

2011-03-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

This past Monday Caroline turned 6 months old! Monday is always our day off so we were running some errands and doing things we hadn't had time to do like getting Caroline her Nicaraguan passport. Her little passport photo came out so cute. There is a line for her to sign her name, but I guess she'll do that further down the road. We're looking forward to starting her on solids this Saturday. We haven't decided what to start her on yet. We're thinking either rice cereal, bananas, or avocado. Avocados are in season now and we have an avocado tree here in the yard that gives a lot of fruit! Also, she is finally over her stomach issues!!! God was so good to lead us to the pediatrition who knew how to fix her! Here is a picture of her on her half birthday!

20 days

2011-03-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

Caroline has had diarrhea for 20 days now! Thank God she's doing really well and staying hydrated! We were told that she had a bacterial infection and she was being treated antibiotic after antibiotic and nothing seemed to do the trick.

Jader was sharing with some youth about Caroline in a church that we work with and someone called over a pediatrician who is a member of the church. Jader talked with the pediatrician about Caroline's situation and he said he'd like to see her. So we brought Caroline to his office the next day and he said that based on the bloodwork we showed him she actually had a virus and the antibiotics were causing the diarrhea! This was very different from what the other doctor was saying.

We decided to follow his treatment for Caroline and get her off the antibiotics and onto medicine that will help restore her little tummy back to health. He said her diarrhea could keep up for the next week even while being on this new treament.

We thank God for ordering the circumstances so perfectly to where Jader was sharing and it "just so happened" that there was a pediatricion there nearby who offered to help. :)

Leadership Retreat

2011-03-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we had our annual leadership retreat for the leaders of the Bible Clubs. They're getting prepared for a new year of ministry and will have their kick-off activities mid-March. The retreat was a time to study the Bible, plan and set goals for the upcoming year, and pray for God for to empower us for the work ahead of us.

Caroline passed the time chewing on her bee friend and bee-ing super cute!

Endoscopy in Nicaragua

2011-03-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

This was an amusing experience to me so I thought I would share.

Jader has gastritis and he periodically has to get an endoscopy in order to monitor the condition. Yesterday morning we went to get his endoscopy exam done. We arrived at the time of the appointment and there was not a person in sight. So we just waited outside. Eventually the doctor arrived and he was very friendly. He sat down and talked with us as we were waiting on the nurse. Once that nurse arrived we were ready to go.

The nurse sprayed a lot of numbing solution in the back of Jader's throat which he said tasted horrible and made him gag. Then right as they were going to begin the exam the power went out. :)

The doctor left the office and went walking down the road. He was gone a good bit and when he returned he had a long extension cord in hand. He plugged it into a generator and cranked it up. It sounded like we had a high power lawnmower in the exam room. I was pleasantly suprised to see that Caroline wasn't bothered by the noise. I think she actually liked it!

They gave Jader the numbing spray solution again because too much time had gone by, but the doctor was able to successfully do the exam write up a report, print pictures and we were on our way. :)

Pobrecita/Poor Thing!

2011-02-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

Caroline has had diarrhea for 11 days now! I didn't know that babies could have diarrhea that long and still be functioning well, but she is a trooper! Based on exam results, the doctor said she has a bacterial infection so she's taking antibiotics. She hasn't finished the course of the antibiotics yet and we are hoping the medicine will help her get back on track.

Who knows where she got it from...we've been super protective in telling people to not touch her hands because they go right in her mouth and keeping her toys clean, avoiding obviously dirty places, but it looks like the germs snuck in somehow.

In spite of it all she's doing really well. The doctor said with her lab results any other kid would have a fever and appear tired and weak yet she's been fever free and still enjoys jumping up and down in her toy jumperoo. She's had about 5 bottles of pedialyte and is staying very hydrated.

A needed rest

2011-02-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

Camp season was super busy for us and it ended late January. February has been a much slower month as far as ministry goes and it's like that on purpose so as to recharge our batteries for the ministry year which basically picks us again in March.

Throughout the month of February the youth that we work with keep meeting in their churches and we support them and attend their Bible Clubs but it has been low key. We took a week of vacation and that's when my parents came to visit us. They had a great time here and especially enjoyed interacting with Caroline!

Here are some pictures from the time my parents were here:

Week 1 of Camp

2011-01-17T09:35:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures that I took during camp. We sleep in a tent on the camp property and there are some pictures of Caroline in the tent and some pictures of the camp snack stand where we've been working and of youth sharing decisions that they made.

2011-01-09T21:42:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from children's camp. It was our first time to have a Word of Life camp for children here in Nicaragua and we thank God for the wonderful opportunity. 39 kids put their faith in Christ during the camp. Following children's camp we had a retreat for college age youth and the topic was integrity and living with a clean conscience before God and others.

Monday, the 10th, we begin camp for youth ages 13-30. We'll be hosting three consecutive weeks of these camps and we trust that God has great things in store! We ask your prayers for these camps and for God to do a great work in these lives!

Little Caroline

2010-12-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Caroline has been growing and changing so quickly! She's almost 3 months old! She's all smiles and loves making cooing sounds. She's getting stronger, and I wouldn't be suprised if she starts rolling over soon. Here are some recent pictures of her so you can see how she's grown.

Lots of Cookin' in the Kitchen

2010-12-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

We love having people over. Here are some pictures of activity taking place in the kitchen. Below is a traditional Nicaraguan dish called Baho.

Youth from a Bible Club came to our house and here are a couple of pictures from that time.

Below are some friends of ours who just got married yesterday. They came over and wanted to cook for us!!! :) It was delicious!

We're so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people and to be able to share meals with them in our home.

K-Love

2010-11-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share a wonderful Christian online radio that we listen to a lot here in the house. It's called KLove and the link is http://www.klove.com/ They just added a new Christmas music option so that you can listen to just Christmas music if you want.

Caroline and her doctor

2010-11-26T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Caroline with her doctor. She has a wonderful doctor with a great sense of humor and, he is very good a what he does. We found out a few weeks ago that Caroline has reflux so she's been taking medicine. We had tried some meds that were working for a few days, but then stopped having much of an effect on the reflux. A couple of days ago the doctor prescribed Nexium (the purple pill) so we'll see how it works.

Caroline presented before our church

2010-10-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we decided to present Caroline before our church. We work with lots of churches here in Managua but this is the place where we attend Sunday mornings and what we consider as our home church in Nicaragua. The pastor presented Caroline to the congregation and shared about how biblically we as parents and the church, the body of Christ, are responsible for instructing her in God's ways. The pastor prayed for her and we as parents and the church agreed to be the example of Christ in Caroline's life. We desire for God's word and the Holy Spirit working in us to impact Caroline with His love. We pray that in the future as she learns about the grace and forgiveness found in Christ she will put her faith in Him and be saved.

Pastor's Conference 2010

2010-10-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

The pastor's conference, took place Oct. 7th-9th, was a great time of encouragement, fellowship, and equipping for pastors, church leaders, and their wives. In all we had 92 people attend, 64 men (48 pastors and 16 church leaders) and 28 woman (22 pastor's wives and 6 youth leaders). There were teaching sessions for men and for women, a fellowship outing, funny ice breakers, and prizes. Many pastors and church leaders were able to reconnect after not seeing one another for a long time. During the last session there was a time for the pastors to share and many expressed how they enjoyed it and want to encourage their other pastor friends to come next year. It's exciting to see pastor's challenged spiritually because that impacts many churches all across Nicaragua! Praise God for this opportunity and the way He touches hearts and lives in order to reach more with the news of Christ!

On mission with Caroline

2010-10-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jader, Caroline, and I all went to Pricesmart, it's kinda like a Sams, in order to buy the food for a high school retreat. Jader and I have been to Pricesmart so many times, but having Caroline with us just made it so sweet.

Caroline is one month old today and she's been learning how to be a baby on the go. She's gone to a Pastor's Conference, church services, bible studies, team meetings, and much more. Our desire is for Caroline to naturally be a part of our lives and ministry here. It would be easy to say I have a baby now and that means not attending activities, not participating as much in the ministry, etc. There is nothing wrong with that either but we're striving towards Caroline and I being involved as much as possible. Here are some pictures from our outing to Pricesmart. :)

Cute Caroline

2010-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

She enjoys sleeping a lot.

Conference for Pastors

2010-10-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

This upcoming Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 5th-7th, we'll be hosting a conference for pastors in a retreat center in San Marcos, a little outside of Managua. The conference has been put together by a church in the U.S. and they are sending a group of leaders here to give teachings and materials to build up Nicaraguan church leaders and their wives. This church has hosted the pastor's conference in many different countries of the world and we are excited for them to do their first conference here in Nicaragua. Please be praying for many in church leadership to be able to attend and that it would be a great time of blessing and equipping.

Caroline's Arrival

2010-09-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

We'd like to announce that Gema Caroline Arguello was born on Tuesday, September 21st at 7:29 pm by suprise c-section. She weighed in at 6 pounds 13 ounces and measured 19.5 inches. I'll explain more about the c-section soon, but in the meantime here are some pictures!

The Waiting Game

2010-09-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Caroline's due date is the 23rd, that's this Thursday! We'll see if she actually arrives on or before that date. My parents came on the 10th and now we are just waiting for her appearance. This is my mom's first time to Nicargua and she's really enjoying it. We've been able to visit different places here in Managua and Jader has been a wonderful tour guide! My parents have their return tickets scheduled for the 26th, this Sunday, so we are praying that Caroline arrives before they leave. :) I'll keep y'all updated as to how things are progressing!

Getting ready for Caroline

2010-09-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

Caroline's birth is right around the corner! We've decided to have her here in Managua in a private hospital and God has provided us with a doctor who came recommended by others and seems to really know what she's doing.

I'm so thankful because it's been an easy pregnancy free of many aches, pains, and symptoms that I read about in my "What to Expect When You're Expecting." book. That book has been so helpful to me! I haven't taken any birthing classes because that's not a common thing here, but I do have a book on labor and delivery that has been very helpful and http://www.babycenter.com/ has been a great resource to me also!

Something that I like about the Nicaraguan culture it that the women and girls all want to touch your pregnant belly. My belly has been rubbed like a genie lamp by complete strangers. I even had a couple of women lift up my shirt to look at my belly. :) I felt like that was going a little too far. I'm sure Caroline knows the voices of many of the Bible Club girls due to the ammount of time they touch her and talk to her. She is completely loved and we're all waiting to meet her face to face!

I've had several people ask me if we have her baby room ready and decorated, but we live in a two bedroom apartment and we want to always have a room available for guests. Romans 12:13 says "Practice hospitality." and there are many other verses like it. Often people come from out of country to help with ministry and we want to have a place available for them to stay.

So, for the first few months Caroline will be sleeping in a pack n' play at the foot of our bed and once she starts to sleep longer periods throughout the night we'll move her pack n' play into the guest room. When guests come she'll be moved to our room when we don't have guests she'll be in the other room. I think it's good for her to learn even from a very early age the value of being flexible in order to serve others.

Jader and I are excited because my parents will be visiting this Friday! We are hoping and praying that Caroline will arrive while they are here. The doctor said it looks like she should be arriving very soon!

Super Match

2010-08-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of an activity called Super Match that took place this past Saturday. I'll write more about the activity soon, but wanted to share some photos in the meantime.

Suprise Baby Shower

2010-08-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

The medical team who recently visited completely suprised Jader and I with a baby shower for Caroline. They were INCREDIBLY generous and we felt "showered" by God's love. Here's a slideshow of all they gave us and some pictures of the shower.

The God of Restoration

2010-08-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

The medical team grew this year. Last year we had around 20 people come from the U.S. to volunteer their time and give of their money to help the Nicaraguan people. This year the team was 30 people! We had three American doctors and a Nicaraguan doctor, two dentists, an optometrist, and a pharmacist and pharmacy tech. working in the clinic. We also had around 8-10 Nicaraguan youth whose sole purpose was to share the gospel with every person who came through.

There are so many stories to share from this past week, but I'd like to share about a young girl who was 20 years old and had a long list of illnesses. The doctor who was attending her felt like her illnesses had an emotional root to them. He asked her about her life and soon found out that she was abandoned by her parents, later taken in by extended family and repeatedly abused. The doctor and the translator began to counsel her according to what God's word says about her worth, value, and His love. She had accepted Christ a year ago, but had no follow-up or spiritual growth. When asked if she wanted to go to the Word of Life camp in December/January she enthusiastically responded with a "Si!" An american couple on the team decided to sponsor her so she's excited to go to camp, grow spiritually, and learn more about God's love!

I was translating for the optometrist and it was incredibly gratifying to help people see. Several woman said that now they can thread a needle and sew again, a pastor received reading glasses and now is able to read his Bible which he was struggling to do, and a night watchman shared how he will now actually see the area he's supposed to be guarding! :) Endless people came in with headaches and after we checked their vision it was obvious why they were suffering.

We thank God for this medical clinic and all the ways that He used it to bring restoration physically and spiritually!

Decisions made~Lives Changed

2010-07-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

The three day, July 8th-10th, Dynamic Youth Bible Conference was a great success. The conference theme came from 1 Tim. 4:12 "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

There were 8 Bible teachings focused around the area of godly character. Youth were encouraged to live wholly for the Lord in the areas of their word, conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity.

Youth made important decisions to realign their lives to God's word and will for them. These youth are at such an important time in their lives and the choices that they make now will guide their whole future. We're thankful to be a part of what God is doing in their lives and see His loving hand at work!

Jader & Julie vs. the Bats

2010-07-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

We had prayed for months before relocating to a new apartment. We wanted God's direction and confirmation and finally we sensed both. We excitedly moved into our new apartment only to realize that others were already occupying it, and I'm not referring to people! We heard scratching sounds, crawling, and squeaking coming from the ceiling above in every room of the apartment. We found bat guano falling into the home! At first we thought they were rats, and we told the landlord. He assuredly said, "No, they're not rats. We don't have rats. They're just bats." I thought to myself, "Just bats!!!"

We began to pray and look for other apartment options yet we came to a point where we felt a peace about staying. 3 months went by of cohabiting with these winged mammals and then God answered our prayers. Neighbors were moving out from downstairs so that allowed us to move into their bat free apartment! The place wasn't going to be available until after our trip to the U.S. though.

On our evening flight from the U.S. back to Nicaragua thoughts came to mind of the state of our apartment. It hasn't been lived in for 6 weeks and we were sure the bats were having a party. Our ministry director and his family picked us up from the airport and took us home. Guillermo, the director, had the key to the new apartment so he said we should take a look at it before heading up to our apartment.

As we entered the downstairs apartment we were suprised to see all of our furniture already moved in!!! The place was immaculately cleaned, flowers were on the table and a "Welcome Jader and Julie"sign was on the wall! The Word of Life Nicaragua team had completely moved us into our new apartment a few days before our arrival!!

What amazing love! It is such a relief to live free of bats!

Public Health Center

2010-05-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I had mentioned a rather interesting experience that I had in a Public Health Center here. The way that health care works in Nicaragua is that everything is free, yet being the second poorest country in the western hemisphere right after Haiti, you can imagine that it's not the best quality of health care. They often don't have medicines or materials in stock so the people end up having to pay after all to purchase whatever is lacking.

There are several public health centers throughout the capital and each center meets the needs of the people in it's surrounding area. The health centers are where you go for a doctor's appointment, immunizations, etc. If you need to see a specialist or do certain testing you to go a hospital. The health center is always full of people and a guaranteed several hours of waiting before seeing the doctor. Sometimes it can even take a whole day to get in and out. The buildings are in poor condition, no a/c, limited seating and I could keep on describing but think it would be best not to.

Anyways, I was told by my doctor that I needed to get a tetanus shot. Supposedly all pregnant woman here get a tetanus shot. I read online and it's not like that in the U.S. I had a tetanus shot a little over 2 years ago and U.S. doctors say it's not necessary. Yet, I began to think a bit and maybe these Nicaraguan doctors recommend getting the shot because it's necessary here. The Nicaraguan doctors know the Nicaraguan people and their needs best. I wanted to apply U.S. ways and knowledge, but I think is this case the Nicaraguan way may be the best.

So, Jader and I headed off to the health center to get my tetanus shot and a shot for H1N1 because they're giving it to all pregnant women. Of course it was packed, halls lined with people, and we almost turned around and left due to the ammount of people. We thought we might as well ask since we're here and they directed us to an empty room with a guy sitting behind a desk and this is where they give immunizations. I showed him my pregnancy control card that all pregnant women have in Nicaragua as proof that I'm pregnant because sometimes people still don't believe me. :( I think my belly is just now starting to show. He explained that they don't have the H1N1 shot but they do have the tetanus.

He asked where we live, and Jader told him the name of the neighborhood. Then I watched as a nurse approached me with the injection. I was pleased to see that it was a disposable needle with a plastic protective cap and in a sealed bag. I thought to myself "This is a good sign." She approached me while I was standing in front of the desk, gave me a jab and that was that.

I was suprised that they didn't write down my name. They didn't ask health history questions, allergies, nothing. I filled out no form and showed no proof that we actually live in the neighborhood where we said we live. Also, the shot was given while standing up in the middle of the room in front of their main desk. I don't know how they keep records without recording any information.

We were in and out in a flash and despite the conditions and different protocol of doing things I was actually quite pleased with the experience. It's a different way of doing things, but I'm learning that things don't always have to be done the American way.

Family Picnic

2010-05-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

We're excited because this Saturday will be Word of Life's first annual Family Picnic here in Nicaragua. The purpose of the Family Picnic is to share the gospel with those who don't know Christ. Bible Club youth and church members from the 8 churches we are currently working with, invite their family, friends, and neighbors. The day is full of activites and fun competitions between the different churches. Each church brings a representative banner and wears a specific color to idenify themselves and the winning church brings home a trophy. There are competitions for babies up to the elderly. There will be a winner for the person who has the longest nose, the biggest head, and for the oldest and youngest person present. Midway through the activity we stop and share the gospel whole group and then we also have several leaders who evangelize one on one as well. :) It will be a very fun day and we are trusting that God will touch many lives through the sharing of His Word.

Recent happenings

2010-05-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

I've been disconnected from the blogosphere lately for various reasons. We've had computer problems. Serious problems. The screen doesn't work at all. We found out the solution but the computer part wouldn't get here for another 2 to 3 weeks and by that time we'll be in the U.S. so we bought the part on ebay instead. :) Right now we have the computer hooked up to a large old computer screen that a friend let us use. We're just so glad it's functional!

Yes, I mentioned the U.S. We are excited because in less than a week we'll be in the states. It's been over a year since we've been to the states and we're definitely looking forward to this time! We've been incredibly busy preparing a ministry video, display, prayer card, etc. It's amazing how God provides people in the Body of Christ to fulfill needs. One of our Bible Club leaders is studying graphic design and another leader is studying photography. They have been a big help with putting together these ministry tools that help us communicate what God is doing here in Nicaragua. Also, another leader speaks English really well and knows how to make videos so she's helping with our video which has a narration done in English. It's great because the Nicaraguan youth are taking part in things we bring to the U.S. to share about their country and the spiritual need here. I feel so thankful because God is such a great Provider!

I haven't written much about my pregnancy. It has flown by. I'm right at 21 weeks. Also we found out in a recent ultrasound that it's a girl! We're pretty sure we have the name picked out but are going to wait a little bit before making it public. :)

I haven't had many different cravings or much of an increased appetite. For awhile I was craving potatoes cooked in any form or fashion. We were eating potatoes like crazy! Potatoes were substituting our rice which is a serious thing here in Nicaragua. You don't mess with a Nicaraguan's rice. :) Jader was a great sport about it though. There were times he wanted to serve me by making a special meal and without fail, it had potatoes. I believe my craving for this starchy vegetable has waned though. We're back to rice again. Although, just writing about this makes me want to whip up some mashed potatoes! Hmmm.....I think I might go do that!

I'll be posting again soon about an interesting experience that I had in a public health clinic today. :)

Born Again to a Living Hope Photos!!

2010-04-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay! Here are the photos from Born Again to a Living Hope presentation. We presented this theatrical work in a total of 10 days with 26 presentations in all. We were in Managua for half of the time and then went to a neighboring region of the country and presented it there in various towns. It's based on a true story of a young couple who were living addicted to drugs, yet they ended up in a Word of Life camp in Argentina and accepted Christ as their Savior. Later they realized they had AIDS as a result of their previous lifestyle yet they continued faithful to God until their death. Before passing away, they wrote their story and that's what we presented.

We were able to present to a total of 6,822 people and 1,915 accepted Christ through individual and small group sharing of the gospel. We praise God for the priviledge He gives us to participate in His work and thank Him for the transformation He has brought about in the souls of many!

Retreat for Teachers

2010-04-15T19:07:00.001-07:00

Last week we had a retreat for high school teachers. We had 45 teachers participate and they had time for games, time to relax in a nice pool and three different biblical teaching sessions. It was a blast watching the teachers get into the games. I think they were more competitive than the youth! At one time a woman was basically suspended horizonal in the air because she is determinted to not back down! :) It was a wonderful day. Also through sharing the gospel one-no-one four teachers decided to put their faith in Christ.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, and the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Examples of faith

2010-04-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we had the joy of seeing four of the Nicaraguan youth that have been part of the ministry here head off to study at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Argentina. They will be there for three years studying the Bible and serving in various ministry areas. They desire to return to Nicaragua and continue serving God here hopefully as Word of Life missionaries, being part of our team, or serving in their local church. Of course God is in control of where He will lead them. Some of them may end up in other countries serving in other ways. Whatever the outcome may be we are super excited for them!!!

Their decision to study in the Bible Institute was not made hastily. Each one of them went through a process of prayer, seeking guidance from their authorities, families, etc., and raising the funds necessary to pay for the flight to Argentina and the classes at the Bible Institute. We saw God provide in an incredible way for each one of them!

As we were headed to the airport this past Sunday to see them off I couldn't help but be encouraged by their lives and their decisions. They are living by faith. It doesn't make a lot of sense to leave your family, your country, pay a great deal of money to study the Bible and all this without really knowing what lies ahead in the future for each one of them. In their decision making processes they confronted opposition, people who thought they were crazy, who thought they should be doing better things with their lives, but God made the way and they are walking by faith.

The following verses came to my mind:

Romans 4:20-25 NLV

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:6

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Born Again to a Living Hope

2010-03-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

We are excited because tomorrow we'll be presenting Born Again to a Living Hope for the first time here in Nicaragua. It's a theatrical work based on the life of a young married couple from Argentina. They were addicted to drugs, living in desperation, and both diagnosed with AIDS. They went to a Word of Life camp in Argentina where they accepted Christ and their lives were transformed. They began to study in the Word of Life Bible Institute in Argentina, and both died before finishing their studies. Before dying they wrote their life story that turned into this drama, "Born Again to a Living Hope."

We have a group of 15 from Mexico who created and brought the set and wardrobe and they have been training 15 Nicaraguan youth in how to present the drama. The idea is to train the Nicaraguans and leave us with the set and wardrobe to be able to continue presenting this work here in Nicaragua for years to come.

We'll be holding presentations in high schools, universities, churches, and out in the streets. We'll present one week here in Managua and the second week in a nearby region of the country.

Please pray for this work and that the people would be moved by the story and encouraged to put their faith in Christ just as this young couple, Pablo and Adriana did. I'll be posting pictures shortly! :)

Retreats and more

2010-03-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I last posted. I had previously mentioned a high school retreat that we held one Friday and it went really well. We had 71 students attend and 24 made decisions for Christ. It was our first retreat with this high school and we'll be having 4 or 5 more with this school in the upcoming months.

Also this past weekend we held a leadership retreat for all the leaders of the Bible Clubs that we work with. We had 46 attend and it was a wonderful time of preparing for the year of ministry ahead of us and we received some wonderful teachings on what the Bible says about the fear of God.

Today the Bible Clubs will be hosting their annual Kick-Off to begin the new ministry year. The youth get really creative and hold a dynamic Club meeting where lots of youth attend who never step foot in a church. The activity is evangelistic so please pray that the youth would be open to gospel of Christ.

Also, this upcoming Monday we will receive a group of 15 people from Mexico. They will be with us for two weeks and we'll be hosting an activity called Born Again to a Living Hope. I'll write another whole post about this presentation because it is really exciting!!! We'll be in Managua presenting this theatrical work for a week and then we'll be traveling outside of Managua for the other week.

Apart from this, Jader and I were able to travel outside of Managua for a few days because we were making arragnements for the Born Again to a Living Hope presentation. We traveled to four different cities and towns in the region that Jader is from. It was neat to also be able to visit with Jader's family and friends. Well, thanks for reading about what we've been up to. I'll be writing more about the presentation we'll be hosting!

Multiplying!?

2010-02-25T17:39:00.001-08:00

Yes we are! I'm currently 10 weeks pregnant! We are excited to announce this new grace in our lives. The picture above is of a baby at 10 weeks. So, baby looks about like that.

I'm thankful because I've experienced a problem free first trimester with mild morning sickness and there are only a few weeks to go until entering the second trimester!

The other day I was reflecting on this new little life in me and thinking, "God, I want to know exactly what you say regarding Baby. How do you see the baby? What does your Word say about Baby?

So, I began to read and learned the following about this little one's identity in God.

Baby is:

Created in God's image Gen.1:27
Made in his likeness James 3:7
Personally created by God Malachi 2:10
Molded and shaped within the womb Job. 10:8-12
Formed in the womb Isaiah 44:2
Knit in the womb and personally known by God

Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

All it's days are already planned out Psalm 139:16

This is pretty amazing!

High School Retreat

2010-02-24T16:15:00.000-08:00

This Friday we will be hosting a retreat for a group of 60 seniors. It will start at 8 and go until 3 in the afternoon. We usually hold these activities at the same place where we have our summer camps. The youth hear what the Bible has to say about salvation, godly friendships, sex according to the Bible and more. After they hear the teaching they split into small groups where they talk about it on a more personal level. The teachings are alternated with dynamic games, hamburgers for lunch and free time in the pool. Please pray that God would speak to the hearts of these youth during this activity and that many would come to know Him.

Paid in Full

2010-02-22T17:24:00.000-08:00

So, I was cleaning out some things here in the apartment and came across an acoustic CD with different hymns. It was actually Jader's, now it's both of ours, :) and I had never listened to it before. I excitedly popped it into the computer and began to listen. All of the songs were beautiful but this one really stood out to me. I began to think on the lyrics and praise God for the gift of His Son and the freedom that He brings to my soul.

What great love God showed us in sending Jesus, His own Son, to the earth to be crucified on a cross and to rise to life again to pay the debt for sin. This was His purpose. We have all sinned against God and He provided the only way for reconciliation. Please listen to the lyrics, read the lyrics and let God minister to your heart like He did mine.

I hear the Savior say,
"Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all."
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now in-deed I find,
Thy power, and thine alone,
Can change the leper's spots,
And melt the heart of stone.
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I,
Where-by the grace to claim;
I'll wash my garments white,
In the blood of Calvary's Lamb.
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

And when, before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
"Jesus died my soul to save,"
My lips shall still repeat.
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’” (Isaiah 1:18).

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

Kino..what?

2010-02-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

Okay so it's called Quinoa and it one amazingly yummy Peruvian grain and you can get in your local HEB health food bins. I just finished devouring Quinoa soup and if my stomach were're already uncomfortably full I'd be going back for more. I'll share with you guys the recipe and the wonderful nutritious facts about this Peruvian delight.

Here are the facts:

Pronounced “kinwah”, it’s a pseudocereal that grows in the Andean zone. It was of great nutritional value in ancient times, together with the potatoes and maize(corn). The quinoa has a lot of protein (12%-18%) and contains a balanced set of essential amino acids. Besides, it’s a good source of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Quinoa doesn’t have gluten and it’s easy to digest.

Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is used by the NASA for long duration manned spaceflights. So, if the astronauts use it, why don’t you?

The Recipe:

Quinoa Soup

Ingredients:

200 g (7 oz) of quinoa (about 3/4 to 1 cup)
6 cups of water
1 tablespoon of ground garlic
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 bell pepper
1 chopped onion
2 medium potatoes, cut in pieces
3 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Preparation:

Prepare a sesoning frying the onion, garlic, pepper and cumin. When it’s ready, add the water, the washed quinoa and the potatoes. Season with salt.

Before serving, add the egg (beaten, if you want) and the chopped bell pepper.

I made mine without the eggs and also after sauteeing the onion, garlic, and bell pepper, and adding the water I added chicken and let it boil for about 15 minutes in order to have a chicken based broth. Then I added the other ingredients as follows. Oh yeah, I also added carrots. It's so nutritious and a good substitute for rice or pasta.

You can also make quinoa cakes, pilaf, put it in salad, eat it like an oatmeal for breakfast, and the list goes on!

Did you know?

2010-02-17T17:42:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I'm always learning new things here in Nicargua and I thought it would be good to pass on the knowledge. Maybe you already know these things, but I was suprised.

Did you know that chickens sleep in trees?

Yup, I'm a Houston girl and not too familiar with livestock and country living. Maybe this is common knowledge, but I had no idea! I always thought chickens slept in a chicken coup and maybe that's how it is in the U.S. but here it's different.

We have an animal outside our apartment window that always makes noises at night. One night Jader's aunt was over and she said, "Is it a chicken?" I replied. "Ha, that's funny! Chickens in trees!" She didn't take time to inform me or maybe she didn't catch that I was clueless. It wasn't until later that Jader told me that chickens really do sleep in trees here. He said it's their way of staying safe from preditors. I think what we have in the tree outside is an owl. I've seen an owl flying around at night, but I can never spot him in the tree.

Did you know that mango trees give off tons of flowers?

The mango trees outside our house are about to give off mangos so right now they are filled with little brown buds that fly all over the place. It's been windy lately so they creep their way into the house, they fall upon all the clothes on the line and cover the ground like snow. I had no idea. But, the fruit that results from all those buds makes it well worth it!

Did you know that you can bake gingerbread without the powdered McCormick version of ginger?

I've never heard of baking gingerbread or any other yummy ginger good without using powdered ginger until coming here and not being able to find powdered ginger. I began to ask around and usually Nicaraguans don't bake with ginger, really it's rare for a Nicraguan to bake. It's not part of their culture like it is in the U.S. But, I did find out from a U.S. missionary that you can use real ginger root by grating it and toasting it then adding it to the recipe. I have yet to try it though. I have a feeling that my gingerbread will come out way too strong!

Did you know that molasses and cows are a great combination?

So, I discovered this while trying to hunt down molasses in Nicargua. I checked out all supermarket chains and small food stores and could not find molasses, but what I did find out is that it can be purchased from the veterinarian. Yup, because they feed it to their cows! Molasses actually can help improve a cow's appetite, increase the amount of milk a cow produces and cause the meat to be of higher quality. I haven't broken down and purchased the molasses yet because I'm doubting that it meets the FDA's mark of approval for human consumption. Hmmm, I guess I'll keep my eye open when I'm at the grocery store. Maybe some day it will be in stock.

Testimonies of God's work

2010-02-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

God blessed us with a wonderful camp season that lasted three weeks and 415 people participated whether as campers or camp staff. We had almost 70 Nicarguan youth on the camp staff who sacrificed their vacation time and even had to pay their way in order to serve. The camp counselors worked hard spending every minute of the day with their campers and any free time they used to counsel campers one on one using the Bible. 97 of the campers decided to put their faith in Christ and many of these new believers are attending weekly Bible Clubs to continue growing. God has been so good and we thank Him for His provision, His strength, His protection, guidance, and the work He did in the lives of so many people. May this work continue to reach many other Nicaraguans with the grace of Christ.

I have already posted some pictures of camp, but I would like to post some testimones of youth that wrote about what God did in their hearts during their time at camp. Here are just a few of the many that we received!

My name is Juan and I was invited by the church Encuentro con Cristo. The most important decision that I made this week was to accept Christ as my only Savior realizing that He poured out His blood on the cross for my salvation. What I liked most about camp was hearing the word of God, reading the Bible, and learning new things. Now that camp is ending I desire to put in practice what I learned and make the most of my life by preaching the gospel of Christ to others.

My name is Miguel. The most important decision that I made during camp was to repent of all of my sins and accept Christ as my Savior. What I enjoyed most about camp were the games and how they shared the word of God. Now that camp has come to an end I desire to change my life, follow Christ, and learn from His word.

My name is Eliezer and I was invited by the church Encuentro con Cristo. The most important decision that I made this week was to put my faith in Christ and change things that don’t please Him. Also I decided to start going to church and learn more about Christ. What I liked most about camp was accepting Christ in my heart, and making new friends. I’m thankful for my counselor Alvaro because he showed me who Christ is, and also I’m thankful for my brother who invited me. Now that camp is over I desire to give time to God and walk out the decisions that I made.

My name is Anita and I was invited by the church Ebenezer. The decision that I made this week was to accept that I was living a merely religious life and now I want to serve God as He calls me to. A life of holiness is my goal. I want to share with others about God and no longer be self-centered. What I liked most about camp was having a counselor there who was always willing to listen. It’s a camp that marks a difference because every moment they are speaking the word of God. Now that camp is over I want to share with my friends about Christ and ask my mom for forgiveness for things I have done.

Week 1 in Review

2010-01-17T18:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that 1/3 of our camp season is already over. This past week flew by! I think it went by so fast because we were so busy. Praise God that everything went smoothly and many campers decided to make big life decisions. 25 accepted Christ as their Savior and 60 consecrated their lives to Christ. Here are some photos from camp so you can see a little bit of what it was like. This upcoming week we have more campers than beds so some will be sleeping on mattresses on the floor. We're going to have 94 campers and 54 on the camp staff.

Thank you for your prayers and we ask for your continued prayers for this upcoming week.

Camp at it's best!

2010-01-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

We currently have a team of 7 from Mexico and 1 American here visiting with us. They came to help out with our camp season. They'll be here until the end of January and the group from Mexico traveled by land. It's beautiful to see their sacrifices and efforts because it's born out of their love for God and desire for others to know Him. We are so thankful to have their help.

We are working full time on camp preparations from morning to night, but of course it's work and play too. :) We're getting all the decorations together, the materials for the games, and each night of camp there are special presentations so we are practicing dramas, working on a musical presentation with a focus on the rapture, and also an interactive comedy game show.

The first week of camp starts on Monday the 11th and we'll have three weeks in all. Bible Club leaders and spending their free time visiting different youths homes and inviting them to camp, getting permission from parents, etc. Many of them will be working on the camp staff as well for all three weeks of camp.

We're excited and trust that God has great things in store. Our desire is that many youth who are lost would learn about Christ, His love for them, and accept Him as their Savior. Please keep this in your prayers for this month of January.

Eyewitness

2009-12-15T15:08:00.000-08:00

I've been pondering the first chapter of John for the past couple of weeks now and have been impacted by his words. John is an eyewitness of Jesus and one of Jesus's most intimate disciples. He lived life with him for three years. He walked with him, saw him heal people, ate meals with him, and was there when he was crucified on the cross and later saw him resurrected. This is his petition to us to put our faith in Jesus, God in the flesh, so that we might know the same joy he has.

1 John 1

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.

This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.

We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

Becoming Amish?

2009-11-30T17:06:00.000-08:00

I've run into some problems as I've been searching online for recipes to make. I usually use allrecipes.com because people rate the recipes and I choose the item with the most raters and the highest score. It's been a hit so far everytime!

The only thing is, a lot of the recipes call for things that are hard to get here or if you do find them they are imported and pricey. So, I began to search for Amish recipes. I know the Amish live simple lives and assumed they use simple basic ingredients. I came across a neat site http://www.amishrecipes.net/ and tried a couple of the recipes this past week. They are actually very similar. We enjoyed them a lot. I decided to add some carrots, squash and onions to the casseroles to make it more nutricious.

Amish Chicken Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
8 ounces noodles, cooked
2 cups cooked chickens, cubed
2 cups chicken broth (canned is ok)
1 cup milk
1 can mushrooms
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Melt margarine, then add flour and stir until smooth.
2. Gradually add milk and broth, then seasonings and mushrooms.
3. Combine chicken, cooked noodles, and prepared sauce.
4. Place in an ungreased 9 x 13 inch baking pan and top with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake at 350� for 35-45 minutes, or until heated thoroughly and top is browned slightly.

Amish Tuna Casserole Recipe
Ingredients:
1-8 ounce package noodles
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 - 2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated cheese
salt
pepper
1-7 ounce can tuna

Directions:
Cook noodles until tender. Drain and put in baking dish. Add tuna and mix slightly. Use remainder of ingredients to make a white sauce. Melt butter, then mix in flour. Add milk and cheese (optional) and seasonings. Stir until sauce thickens. Pour over noodles and tuna. Bake in over at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

I also made the Amish baked pretzels for us to have as a snack. They came out tasty, but seemed like they were lacking something so I found another recipe that I'm going to try just to compare. The pretzels actually only took 20 minutes prep. time and 15 min. cook time. If the other recipe comes out better I'll post it so you can try it too.

Painting the good news...

2009-11-30T16:33:00.000-08:00

Awhile back I had posted about an evangelism workshop that we held for pastors and church leaders. Here are some of the pictures from the activity. Trainings were given on how to share the gospel cleary, how to share using a gospel tract, using an evangecube, and also using illustrated evangelism which is great for large audiences like in a park or public area. A couple pastors shared with us that they realized they were teaching incorrectly and now want to return to their churches to implement what they learned. The pastors were also given materials to take back with them to their churches so they can use them to teach others. We thank God for opportunities like this to help spread the good news of Jesus to many all over Nicaragua.

Summer Camp

2009-11-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

We are getting excited because camp is just around the corner! Here's our flyer for camp, except the one that we'll be handing out is in Spanish. We'll be hosting three weeks of summer camp in January and the youth are excited. They are inviting everyone they know and looking for ways to raise funds because it's often hard for the youth to be able to pay for the camp. Bible Club leaders have been washing cars, hosting yard sales, cooking meals and selling them after church, and looking for any possible opportunity to help their youth get to camp.

We, as missionaries, are making checklists of all the facets of camp, working on propaganda, sign-up sheets, t-shirts, training for our camp staff, camp theme, camp menu, games, and the list goes on! It's an exciting time and we trust that this camp will be bearing much fruit in the lives of the youth and that many will come to know Christ .

Please be praying for the preparations, for God's provision of funds for campers, and for many lives to be transformed as a result of camp.

Recipes

2009-11-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy cooking! It's a hobby of mine and I get excited when I'm able to hunt down new recipes and give them a try. Here are a few recipes that I've tried and have stuck with me. We had some friends over for dinner and afterwards they were requesting these recipes.

Milanesas de Pollo (Breaded chicken)

Ingredients
4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs
2 pieces of garlic minced
1 tsp of orgeano
salt to taste
breadcrumbs

Directions
1) Mix the eggs, garlic, oregano and salt together. Place the chicken in the mixture and marinate if time permits. I've done it without marinating and it still tastes great.
2) Coat the chicken in the breadcrumbs
3) Cook in a skillet with a small ammount of olive oil, or you can bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes on one side and 20-30 on the other side. If you bake it you need to drizzle a little olive oil on top for extra moisture and flavor.

Roasted Garlic Zuchini and Tomatoes

Ingredients
2 zucchini cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-inch half moons
2 cups quartered ripe tomatoes
1/2 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2.Combine the zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
3.Place in preheated oven. Roast until vegetables are tender and slightly golden, about 18 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and basil.

Jewish Coffee Cake

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan. Combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.
2.In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar, butter and eggs until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Finally, stir in the sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the nuts, confectioners' sugar and cinnamon.
3.Spread half of the batter into the 9x9 inch pan. Sprinkle a layer of the nut mixture, then spread the remaining batter and top with the rest of the nut mixture. Spread the melted butter over the top.
4.Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until cake springs back to the touch.

Headed to Sebaco!

2009-11-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Jader, Guillermo, and I are leaving tomorrow for a city called Sebaco that is about 2 hours from here. We'll be in Sebaco for 2 nights and 3 days in order to give a traning to pastors and church leaders. We are partnering with Loren and Karen, other missioanries who many Living Hope people know, in order to train specifically on evangelism and how to convey the message clearly and effectively to others. We are expecting around 60 to 70 people. Please pray for this time and that God would better equip all of us for His work.

The Day of the Dead

2009-11-09T17:20:00.000-08:00

November 2nd is the Day of the Dead. It's a day where the great majority of people visit the graves of family and friends. They clean up the graves and decorate them with flowers. The cementeries were full of people and the atmosphere was rather upbeat, not solemne as you might expect. We did evangelism in the morning in one cementery and then in the afternoon in another. Here are the photos so you can see what it's like.

Teens Involved 2009

2009-11-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

This past October 31st we held an acitivty called Teens Involved. I absolutely loved it!! It's a day long (12 hours to be exact!) competetion between the youth from the 7 Bible Clubs we work with. They youth compete in preaching, narration of Bible stories, music, presentations of the gospel and more. We had over 170 presentations and we used 9 different rooms within the church building that we sectioned off by presentation category. Each category had two judges. Towards the end of the day we gathered together in the church santuary and each Bible Club presented a group song along with Question and Answer competition based on the Bible. Finally the awards were announced.

The youth put a lot of time and energy into their presentations and many of their God given gifts and talents were discovered. For weeks, even months, preceeding Teens Involved they were practiciing, preaching, memorizing, and acting out the Bible behind the scenes.

We thank God for this activity and how He worked in the lives of the youth through it. Many are excitedly waiting next year's Teens Invovled and thinking about what they are going to present!

Busy Days

2009-11-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

Before posting this I looked at the date of my last post and it was almost a month ago! It well reflects the full schedule that we've had over the past few weeks. Just this past week We hosted a major event called Teens Ivolved and we also had a group from Costa Rica visiting. We were able to do lots of outreaches with the groups in schools, hospitals, and cemeteries. I have tons of pictures and need to go through them and pick out the best ones. I'll be doing that over the next day or two and post pictures from each event. Thanks for keeping up with us!

Pali

2009-10-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

I had a friend request a blog about the grocery store. I'm sure you may be curious to know what the stores are like here and what is the weekly shopping experience for us. So, we took the camera to give you an inside peak. Sadly, upon enetering they told us we weren't allowed to take pictures, but we got away with a few. Also you can click on the pictures and zoom in if you want to see things better.

The store where we buy almost all of our groceries is called Pali. You can see the sign in the above picture. We usually go once a week and right after church because it's right down the road.

Pali doesn't have a/c and they don't spend money on presentation but just put most of the products on the shelf in the boxes or bags they were shipped in. They do this in order to get the best price for the customer, and they do have great prices compared to other stores.

Here I am with a bag of rice in my arms. We eat rice with almost every meal. It's a staple here along with beans.

As I'm rounding the corner you can see that they sell whole cooked chickens and they have a meat and deli counter too. Not too bad, right?

Here is another view and if you look off to the left you can see that they even sell underwear, baby clothes, and household goods. Walmart actually has a share in the Pali stores and you can even find Great Value Walmart products here.

I wish I could have put up a few more pictures, but at least this is a little insight into our routine Sunday grocery shopping experience.

Fall Fever!

2009-10-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

My internal american calendar says "Yea, it's Fall!" I'm ready for the change in temperature, the leaves falling from the trees, the festive decore and yummy foods, the warmth that you feel in the home during the Fall season, yet Fall doesn't exist here. It's an odd feeling to be in October but experience none of the above, except that we do have warmth in the home. It gets up 95 degrees and humid. :)

I feel Fall driven. Jader likes a squash that you can get here in the grocery store. It's kinda like a butternut squash I guess. I just made creamed squash soup and I separated the seeds and am now toasting them just like pumpkin seeds. Now it beginning to be like Fall. I'm pondering the idea of making a pumpkin pie but they don't sell the pumpkin in a can and I don't know where to find a pumpkin. I think this squash would work though. If I get adventurous and test out the "squash pie" I'll definitely let you know how it goes!

I'm always learning that being a missionary involves being fully with the people. Instead of creating my own bubble of Fall, which really won't ever be the real deal, I can enjoy the Nicaraguan October. This means I can enjoy the last part of the rainly season. We haven't had much rain, but after October we won't have it for 6 months. So, the rain is great! Also, I get to enjoy the tropical fruits like papaya, calala, pineapple and the list goes on! Nothing beats the Nicaraguan cheese! They've got quesillo, fresh cheese, a dry cheese, and something amazing called cuajada! What great blessings are to be found in Nicaragua in October. :)

I'll still may make my squash pie and happily eat my roasted seeds yet I'm going to let my Fall fever calm down and enjoy this Nicaraguan October that God has given me.

Santo Tomas

2009-10-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

Santo Tomas from a distance.

Jader and I went to Santo Tomas this past weekend and had a wonderful time with the youth there. We were able to attend their Bible Club service on Saturday evening and their two Sunday services as well. Here are some pictures of the church and the activities we attended.

Teachers and traveling

2009-09-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

We're excited because this Friday we will be having our first retreat for teachers. We've had many school retreats for jr. high and high school kids and have been able to form solid relationships with a few schools here in Managua. One of the schools that we have worked with a lot asked for a retreat solely for the teachers. I was a teacher for awhile and I would have loved to hear my principal say, "Don't teach class on Friday. Instead go get refreshed by God's word at a retreat. :) So, that's the plan for this upcoming Friday. We'll be at a camp property and start early morning and go until around 3:00. We'll be cooking burgers for their lunch and organizing a few games for them, along with teachings that will help them to grow spiritually. Pray that those who don't know Jesus that would come to know Him and also for them to effectively minister to their students as a result of the retreat.

On Saturday Jader and I will be making another trip to Santo Tomas. We will be visiting a Bible Club there and checking in with the leaders. It's about three hours outside of Managua. We'll be staying the night Saturday night and then returning in the evening on Sunday. Jader will be giving the two Sunday messages and the leader traning as well. Please pray that this time would be an encouragment and blessing to the youth and the church as a whole.

I'll bring my camera and post the pictures once we get back!

Medical Team

2009-09-21T08:33:00.001-07:00

We had a very successful week with our medical team. We were able to work at two different sites. One site was a church where we have a Bible Club and we were there for three days, and then the other site is a daughter church of our home church, Calvary Baptist.

We had a dentist, a doctor of internal medicine, and another that served as our pediatrician. We also had a group of Nicaraguan youth who were sharing the gospel to all the patients one on one before they received medical services.

I translated for the internal medicine doctor and was able to learn a lot of medical information, and it was also neat to see how he would pray with the patients or share Jesus with them as he discerned their needs.

Both of the churches that hosted the clinic were incredibly encouraged through the ministry of the gospel and the way we were able to tend to peoples pysical needs as well.

Praise God for the work that He did, for the strength that He gave us, and for the generosity of the team that came and gave so much of themselves and their resources for the Nicaraguan people.

Super Match 2009

2009-09-12T05:26:00.000-07:00

A week ago we had an activity called Super Match which was held in a big gym here in Managua and over 550 people attended. We had competitive games between our 7 Bible Clubs and the winning team brought home the trophy. As you can see in the photos the youth really got into the activity! Also, midway through the activity Guillermo shared the gospel, and then youth were able to share one on one with people they invited. I have several photos of Bible Club leaders and youth sharing Jesus with their friends. Check out these photos! :)

Also, yesterday evening we received a group of 10 people from Georgia and Pennsylvania. We'll be hosting a medical clinic with them here in Managua this week. Please be praying for this time. Thanks!

Another great quote!

2009-08-25T17:13:00.001-07:00

I last posted a large portion of the book I'm reading and here's another great gem that I came across:

The author quotes a reference which is from Robert Boyd Munger's article "My Heart Christ's Home."

"I discovered what it meant to have a Mary heart toward God. Suddenly my eyes were opened to what true devotion is.

It is not a duty. It is a delight
It is not an exercise in piety. It is a privelege.
And it is not so much a visit as it is a homecoming."

(quoting Munger) "Without question one of the most remarkable Christian doctrines is that Jesus Christ Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit will actually enter a heart, settle down and be at home there, " Munger says, "[Jesus] came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the chill. He started music where there had been stillness and He filled the emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship."

A few paragraphs later Joanna Weaver writes, "What an amazing thought-that Christ wants to spend quality time with me. That he looks forward to our time together and misses me when I don't show up. Once that message started sinking into my heart, I started looking at my devotional time in a whole new way-not as a ritual, but as a relationship.

And a relationship doesn't just happen. It has to be nurtured, protected, and loved."

I'm personally encouraged to meditate on God's character and His heart for us. I've been enjoying the following verse a lot this week!

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1 (New Living Translation)

Intimacy with God

2009-08-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

I'm reading a book called Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. It's about finding intimacy with God in the busyness of life. It's a really good book and well written. I find myself not wanting to put it down. Here is a passage from the book that I really like and wanted to share:

Intimacy with God. What does it mean to you-and how do you achieve it? Does it require sitting on a pillar like Simeon or being buried up to your neck in sand? (doesn't make sense if you haven't read the previous pages in the book) Is it some mystical level of consciousness attainable only by the deeply devout?

Some religions say that it is. According to Hinduism, a religion based on the karma of good works, one lifetime isn't enough for the soul to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Hindu mathematicians calculate it takes 6.8 million rotations through reincarnation for the good and evil in us to finally balance out so that we can receive the ultimate spiritual level of nirvana.

In the Far East, during religious festivals, men often have hooks inserted under the skin of their backs. These hooks are then tied to wagonloads of rocks, which the men drag through the streets, hoping to obtain forgiveness for their sins. In certain areas of Mexico, the devout crawl miles on their knees in pilgrimage.

All over the World, people go to unimaginable lengths to find God-which is sad when you consider the unmaginable lengths God has already gone to find us.

We don't need millions of lifetimes in order to be pure enough to see God. We don't need to stick hooks in our back or tear the flesh off our knees in order to earn God's favor.

All we really need is Jesus. For he is all the evidence we need. The Father actually wants us close and is willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure it happens.

It's hard to imagine the Creator of the universe wanting to know us. We feel so unworthy. That's why many of us persist in thinking that we must earn our way to heaven, that only the superspiritual can really know God. Burdened with the weight of our own spirituality, we struggle beneath a load of self-imposed obligations: "I have to do this..." or "I can't really know God until I do that..." We can spend so much of our lives getting ready to know God or backing away out of fear of displeasing God that we never get around to enjoying the intimacy that Jesus came to provide.

And yet intimacy with God was indeed the very point of Jesus' coming and of his dying. "You who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ," Paul writes in Ephesians 2:13. For when Jesus died, his cross bridged the great chasm of sin that separated us from God. With his last breath, Jesus blew aside the curtain that had kept sinful humans from touching a holy God. New we could come into God's very presence, clean and approved, not by our works, but by his grace. Jesus "destroyed the barier, the diving wall of hostility" (verse 14) that had separated humanity from God.

When we couldn't reach up to heaven, heaven come down to us and welcomed us into intimacy through the doorway of Jesus Christ.

That is the good news of the gospel.

The way has been made. The price has been paid. All we need to do it come.

Medical Clinic

2009-08-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

The medical clinic was a big success! We were sad to see it end. I have some more photos to share, but these are the first bunch. I just realized that I'm not in any of them because I was taking all the pictures! There are some of me in the second bunch. I know my family likes to see me in the pictures! I'll get the statistics from Jader as to how many patients we saw and also how many responded to the gospel. Also we had an amazing week last week with another American team from Florida. I don't have much time to post but will be sharing more details soon! Thanks for reading!

Brigada Medica

2009-08-03T19:55:00.001-07:00

Jader and I are in San Marcoa, a little outside of Managua, with a group of 27 gringos. :) We're here with a medical team consisting of two doctors, a dentist, and eye doctor. They had over 160 appointments today and every one of the patients were able to hear the gospel presented to them in one-on-one while they were waiting. There is much need here and it's great to see God use His people to be his hands, and feet to meet those needs. Please be praying for this work. We'll be continuing the clinic up through Thursday. Okay, I'm going to get some rest because it's been a long day!

More Pictures!

2009-07-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the Dynamic Youth Bible Conference

and here are some pictures from a 3 day retreat we had awhile back

A wonderful time!

2009-07-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

The Dynamic Youth Bible Conference went wonderfully. Thank you to those of you who were praying for the event. We had 102 youth present and 5 of them put their faith in Christ for their salvataion. Many others made decisions to committ themselves fully to God's work with their hopes set on working as missionaries, pastors, etc. The theme of the conference was Learn, Change, Act and it covered the lives of different Bible characters like Daniel, David, Nehemiah, Paul, along with others. We were encouarged to learn from them lives of faith and follow in their footsteps. It was geared towards youth but even us missionaries left feeling encouraged to apply these truths to our lives.

This past Friday we had a school retreat which I will write more about in my next post. Right now Jader and I are headed out to a place called Juigalpa. I will take pictures and also post pictures from the Conference and recent retreat. Thanks for keeping in touch and for thinking of us!

Dinamica Juvenil

2009-07-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of a three day Bible Conference called Dinamica Juvenil. It means Dynamic Youth in english. We're in a place called Skylark about an hour outside of Managua. We have 109 people total including missionaries and we're excited to be together and learning more from the Word. Please be praying for all the youth here and for us missionaries as well! :) That God would speak to our hearts and enable us to live more wholly for Him. The conference will end on Saturday and I plan to post many pictures!!! :) Thanks for reading and keeping up with us here in Nicaragua!!!

pictures

2009-06-27T15:02:00.001-07:00

These pictures are from a while back. We had a soccer marathon and I put up a few pictures, but Mayra gave me hers and they really capture the whole event from start to finish!

We had a girls slumber party with our Bible Club leaders. Here's a glimpse of the fun we were having!!!

Busy Busy

2009-06-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've been out of the blogosphere for quite some time now. We've had three very full weeks of ministry to local schools. I'm behind on emails, blogging, and the house is just now getting back into order! :) Sometimes in our minsitry there are weeks of mucy activity and then we have slower weeks of normal routine.

Here's what we did the past three weeks...The first of the three weeks we had a mini camp which lasted three days and two nights with Nejapa Christian Academy at a retreat center called Skylark.

The following week we had an American team come to help out and we hosted three all day youth retreats for a school called Boanerjes. We had a little over 200 youth during those three days. It was so neat to see God moving in their lives.

Lastly, this past week we had a retreat on Wednesday where over 150 youth attended and we had 25 youth volunteers working as "retreat staff." It's been wonderful to participate in these activities and get to know the youth. Also it's a great blessing to serve alongside others with like hearts as we plan and carry out these activities.

The youth learned what the Bible says about salvation through Christ, relationships between parents and children, godly frienships and sex. Many made important life decisions in response to what they learned. God is at work in the lives of Nicaraguan youth and I'm so thankful to be a part of it!

Not to us

2009-06-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

Word of Life held three weeks of summer camp here in Nicaragua this past January. (summer here is in January) Our main ministry has been here in Managua, the capital, where we partner with different local churches. Well, Jader was able to get in touch with a pastor from a place called Santo Tomas and he invited the church's youth to the summer camp. They ended up bringing a large group of people from their church. They live three hours outside of Managua where it's more rural.

The group left camp as transformed people and enthusiastic for more. They asked to have a Word of Life Bible Club in their church. After consideration, it was decided to go ahead with the Club even though they are three hours outside of Managua. We are really involved with our clubs and the lives our the youth so it's a little different than what we've been doing but looked like an open door.

Several months have passed by since they received their Bible Club materials and the group of leaders have driven to Managua twice for large group trainings and then also for the football marathan. Apart from that we haven't had much personal contact with these leaders at all.

We traveled to Santo Toma for the first time, Jader, myself, and the Aguilar family, this past weekend and we were sweetly suprised by our time with the leaders. During a time of sharing they began to talk about how their WOL Quiet Time book has transformed their relationship with God. They have begun doing one on one discipleship times and one youth is discipling 6 others! Also, they have been evangelizing with friends and house to house. They recently baptized 12 people in a river.

They were sharing about how much Word of Life and the Bible club program has changed their lives and Guillermo, the Director of WOL Nicarauga, laughs and says to them (paraphrased) "Do you realize that this is one of the first times we've met in a personal setting? What has happened is that you guys personally made a decision to give God everything. Now you are reading His word everyday and desiring to live it out. We, WOL missionaries, haven't done a thing but, it's God doing a work in you all."

It was so clear, the work of God in the lives of these youth. Their desire to love Him and express His love to others was strongly evident, and it was so encouraging to see God at work in such a way that we clearly had nothing to do with it.

I was telling Jader how honored I feel to be able to participate in what God is doing and in this case more than anything, just be a spectator and joyfully thank Him for how He works in the lives of humans because He loves us and want to be known and worshiped.

I'll keep you updated on the Santo Tomas happenings and post pictures of Santo Tomas youth soon! Thanks for reading and praying!

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name goes all the glory
for your unfailing love and faithfulness. Psalm 115:1

Path of the Wise

2009-05-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the book of Proverbs! I like how it's so practical. Jader and I read a chapter of Proverbs every night and talk about it together. It's great because there are 31 Proverbs and 30 to 31 days in every month so we read the proverb according to the day's date. Tonight we'll be reading Proverbs 27. There are two common paths that God lays out in the book of Proverbs. The path of the wise and the path of the fool. Here's "today's" proverb if you'd like to check it out!

Proverbs 27
1 Don’t brag about tomorrow,
since you don’t know what the day will bring.

2 Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.

3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,
but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.

4 Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood,
but jealousy is even more dangerous.

5 An open rebuke
is better than hidden love!

6 Wounds from a sincere friend
are better than many kisses from an enemy.

7 A person who is full refuses honey,
but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.

8 A person who strays from home
is like a bird that strays from its nest.

9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend
is as sweet as perfume and incense.

10 Never abandon a friend—
either yours or your father’s.
When disaster strikes, you won’t have to ask your brother for assistance.
It’s better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.

11 Be wise, my child,[a] and make my heart glad.
Then I will be able to answer my critics.

12 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

13 Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.
Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.[b]

14 A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning
will be taken as a curse!

15 A quarrelsome wife is as annoying
as constant dripping on a rainy day.
16 Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind
or trying to hold something with greased hands.

17 As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.

18 As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit,
so workers who protect their employer’s interests will be rewarded.

19 As a face is reflected in water,
so the heart reflects the real person.

20 Just as Death and Destruction[c] are never satisfied,
so human desire is never satisfied.

21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
but a person is tested by being praised.[d]

22 You cannot separate fools from their foolishness,
even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.

23 Know the state of your flocks,
and put your heart into caring for your herds,
24 for riches don’t last forever,
and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
25 After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
26 your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
and your goats will provide the price of a field.
27 And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
your family, and your servant girls.

God's Table

2009-05-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Jader and I had been looking for a table for quite sometime. We would eat while sitting in folding chairs and were becoming experts at avoiding food spillage in our laps. We even took a day off of work (we have a work schedule with specific hours) in order to look for a table. We began to see that even though we are in a developing country things can be expensive. The cheapest table we could find was for $120 and it was small and not very good quality. We found this table at the Nicaraguan market called the Oriental where you find the best deals around. The other tables in department stores ranged from $300 to $600 and it was not in our "table budget." So, that night after looking and not feeling led in any specific direction Jader said "Julie, we just really need to pray." So, we took some time to pray together.

The following day, in the evening, we were returning from a Bible Club and Karen, a Baptist missionary who many of you may know, called Jader on his cell. She said, "Hey, myself and some others are having a garage sale here at the mission house and there's a nice table here. You should come check it out." We praised the Lord for this opportunity and headed over in faith feeling like this was from Him. We arrived and we saw a beautiful solid wood table with a glass center and it was handcrafted in Masatepe, a place known for making good furniture. I've heard that these table can be up to $600. Well, a missionary decided to sell it to us for $75!!!! Yes, we were so excited! We loaded it up in Karen's big truck and brought it back to the house. Upon arriving to our home we were greeted by Jader's family. His aunt, uncle, and cousins. There were 7 of them in all. We had just enough chairs for them all to sit in with our table chairs and our folding chairs and just enough oatmeal cookie bars for each to have one. It was a blessing to see the Lord provide the table and then follow it up with an opportunity to put it to good use for hospitality. Also the following week Jader and I began our discipleships with various youth and the table came to us just in time to be able to invite our visitors to sit down, eat a bite, and feel at home.

Apartment pictures

2009-05-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's taken some time, but our apartment is fixed up and here's what it looks like! :)

Pictures!

2009-05-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our recent Soccer Maraton

Following the marathon Jader and I hosted a group of Americans that came from Costa Rica. Here are some pics from that time as well.

Overwhelmed by goodness

2009-04-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

I love what Jader and I do! It's so rewarding to be right where God wants you to be and to be able to do the specific work that He has for you. It's rewarding and fulfilling, yet that doesn't always means it's going to be super easy, but the rewarding and fulfilling part outweighs all other trials or challenges. I just love it.

Apart from working with different Bible Clubs in various churches in Managua we also disciple the club leaders. This is always done one on one and usually in Jader and I's home. I have four girls that I currently meet with and it's so neat to get to know each one personally and see their talents, desires and love for God worked out in their lives. They begun to open up with me and seek help in specific areas of their lives desiring to know what God's word says concerning that issue and how to practically walk out their faith.

Bible Clubs and discipleships are part of what we do along with big outreach events. We just had a football marathon where youth invited friends and especially those who haven't heard the gospel. We had around 350 people attend and matches going on all day. There was a group of youth assigned to evangelism and they shared one on one with different people about Jesus and the director of Word of Life shared mid-day and there were at least 50 decisions for Christ. I have pictures that I will be posting probably Friday or sometime this weekend.

Today we received a group of American girls, 11 in all, who came from Costa Rica because their visas had run out and they needed to renew them by leaving the country. They have been studying Spanish in Costa Rica with a ministry called Score. We went to an orphange and spent time with the kids and then in the afternoon we were going to share with women in a women's hospital but due to the swine flu we could not enter. We decided to go to a place where there are people who are protesting pasivly due to pesticide used on bananas when they were working on a banana plantation. They are hoping for compensation from the government and are living right outside the National Assembly. They've been there for two years living in plastic huts and sleeping in hammocks. Walking among these protestors and sharing with them really makes one think about life.

Well, I must get going. Jader and I will be taking the group siteseeing tomorrow. We're going to a place called Granada, which I've been to many times and enjoy a lot. It's one of the most turistic places here in Nicaragua. I plan to take pictures and post those as well. :)

How life is different

2009-04-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Life is different here in Nicaragua in many different aspects. Here are a few:

-Fruit falls from the sky
Well not exactly, but we have a mango tree outside our house and it has a ton of mangos! They fall all the time. The first time I heard a mango fall on our roof I thought it was a gun shot. (We live next to the guard's quarters of a big house and the guards walk around with big guns proctecting the property.) I thought a gun went off and looked at Jader. He said, that's just a mango! :) We laughed! We also have a papaya tree that grows delicious papayas!
-Our clothes hang outside
Almost no one in Nicaragua has a dryer or a washer, but we were able to buy a washer through a friend. Thankgoodness! So, after washing the clothes I put them out to dry on the wire clothes line that hangs outside our apartment. There is a certain way to hang the clothes. Jader and I have had many laughs as he sees my hanging job and shows me the Nica way to hang the clothes. I think I've got it now!
-I cook on a gas stove
I guess many people in the U.S. use gas stoves, but this was something new for me. We have a little tank connected to the stove and whenever the gas runs out we go to a place nearby and they give us a new tank. I personally like the gas stove because I feel like it heats up faster and is easier to control the ammount of heat I want to use.
-Watch out for melting
It gets pretty hot here and about 1% of all people have a/c. It may even be less. I had chocolate sitting out and it melts due to the heat. It's been getting up to 99 degrees here during the middle of the day. We don't have a hot water tap here in the house, only a cold water one, but during these times of heat the water comes out hot. It's weird!!!
-Trips to the market
Every Monday Jader and I do our grocery shopping for the upcoming week. We go to an outside market where it's dusty and there are lots of people. They have baskets full of fresh produce right off their farms. We buy veggies and a variety of fruits. (often pineapple, which is very abundant here) I love interacting with the people and seeing what their lives are like. The market place it great!
-No rain to be seen
It's hasn't rained here for at least four months, maybe longer. We're in the dry season and there is lots of dust! Sweeping is a daily part of life here. Most people mop almost daily too, but I haven't gone that far yet! I think I'm becoming quite a fast sweeper with all the good practice!

This is part of our daily life here. God has placed us here with a purpose and I love the idea of living with the Nicaraguan people (I literally do live with one of them) :) and getting a feel for what they experience.

Soup Nica Style

2009-04-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

Jader and I love soup! We eat soup all the time. We ate soup today and we'll most likely eat soup tomorrow. It's just so yummy! Even if it's 90 degrees (and we don't have a/c) we still eat soup! There are two very frequently eaten nicaraguan soups that I'd like to share with you.

Sopa de Queso (cheese soup)

This soup is eaten mostly during lent because it doesn't have any meat in it. You'll find many people eating this soup especially on Wednesday and Friday because those are the days that Catholics here who practice lent don't eat meat. My photo captions explain how to make it. It's quite simple, but you can't find corn masa in the states like you can here. The closest thing to it is Maseca (you can buy at HEB)but it still can't compare to the real deal.

Soup #2
Sopa de albondigas (Meatball soup)

This soup has lots of veggies and a chicken broth. The unique thing about this soup is that is has mint in it along with sour orange juice and chicken corn balls. Que rico! (how yummy!) Here are some photos of the soup. Jader is making the chicken balls. What a great hubby!

2009-04-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, I celebrated my 27th birthday on March 26th and had a wonderful time. Jader suprised me and took me to a Spanish Restaurant. He heard me mention a while back that I love Spanish food, and he treated me to a neat meal. Also, Mayra made a chocolate cake for me and another friend named Rigna made a beautiful cake with flowers. I enjoy eating cake. I think we ate cake everyday for a whole week following my birthday. :) Here are some photos...

Living Hope Spring Break

2009-04-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally went through my Spring Break pictures and want to share them with you. We spent a week in a town right outside of Chinandega. It's about 3 hours outside of Managua. We partnered up with a local Nicaraguan pastor and his church and worked together to reach out to an area where his church is planning to expand. We spent the first day just walking the area and praying and the other days we went door to door handing out the book of Luke and inviting people to see the Jesus film in an open outdoor area. Several people put their faith in Christ during the week. I really enjoyed a moment where I was able to pray with a mom and her daughter to accept Christ. As I explained that Christ died for our sins and offers forgiveness and a new life, an eternal life with God forever they were wide eyed and hungry to listen. She said no one had ever told her this before. I gave her a bookmark with clear scriptures about what I was sharing and a new testament because she didn't have one. Then she and her daughter said they wanted to put their faith in Christ for their forgiveness of sin, salvation, and to have the eternal life He offers. It's beautiful to be a messenger. Many people have never heard. It's that simple. If they haven't heard, then we should tell them. God, help us to be bold witnesses of your grace and truth.

Lanzamientos!!!

2009-03-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

Lanzamientos are what we do once a year in all our Bible Clubs. We work with youth and college age kids so our program coincides with their school year. Their school year is just beginning and so the Clubs do a big kick-off activity to start their ministry year with a bang. It's hard to explain exactly what a lanzamiento is so I'm just going to post some pictures of lanzamientos in three different Clubs that Jader and I attended. These youth get really creative when their plan their lanzamientos!!!

Lanzamiento de Tabernaculo

Lanzamiento de Elim

Lanzamiento de Encuentro con Cristo

Nica Food

2009-03-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

I have a great love for Nicaraguan food! I'd like to share with you what we often eat here in Nicaragua. It's one of my favorite meals. It's called gallo pinto. It's basically beans and rice but you cook the beans the old fashioned way and not straight out of the can. Also you add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and some seasoning. Jader and I eat it several times a week. Often for breakfast, but really any time of the day is great.

Also something very Nicaraguan are plantains. They are really big bananas that you fry. If they are ripe they come out really sweet and if they are really green they come out more like a potato.

I also added a picture of one of my favorite things. It's cheese that you cook in a pan. It's called queso ahumado and it's one of the best foods on the planet. We buy it on the street outside our grocery store. They have a huge block of it and they cut off chunks and sell it to you just like that. Most Nicas fry their cheese but I usually put a little Pam and it's enough. I try to be healthy if at all possible.

Jader and I will be looking around for furniture tomorrow. As you can see he's sitting in a folding chair. :) But thankgoodness we have those folding chairs and they are actually quite comfy.

Well, as time goes by I will continue to share with you some of the foods we eat over here in Nicaragua. Yum!!!

Wedding Photos!!!!

2009-03-24T08:07:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to share these for a long time and now they are up and ready to view. Here's a slideshow of our wedding! It was at a place called the Kyle House in Bryan, TX and we kept the wedding pretty small. We had around 85 to 90 guests. My pastor Butch from Living Hope married us and the Director of Word of Life, Guillermo Aguilar, also had a time of sharing during the ceremony. The background music was classical guitar and my aunt sang Amazing Grace (Chris Tomlin version) and Mayra and Andrea Aguilar sang a bilingual version of Great is Thy Faithfulness. It was a bilingual wedding. We actually did our vows in Spanish! :) I hope you feel like you are there as you view the photos!