We have finished the team season. I believe there were a few bets before we came down here on how long we would last. I kept waiting for the sinking... "Oh my gosh, what have we just done" feeling to come. I was thinking about mid-June. However, with each team, we actually became excited to see the next. With each team, God worked amazing wonders...not just in the village but in the very short-term missionaries that He had sent. My eyes still tear up at the thoughts of seeing the village new every week through someone who had come for the first time, of hearing someone respond with excitement when they realized why God had sent them here and at the love that Christ has for all of us that He would care enough to involve us in His plan. We excitedly look forward to next year's team season as we settle in with our year round ministries.
Slaton has started school again. Kindergarten! He is doing absolutely amazing. All of the teachers have stopped us....even those who don't have him in his class and have commented on his improvement. He loves PE and Spanish which were two absolute hates last year. We can only attribute his change to lots of answered prayers. Thank you to all who pray for him daily. I know when he walks down the hallway to his class that he is walking covered in prayer. He continues to struggle with recognizing letters but he desires to learn them which is a blessing. We continued to be blessed with our new home. Nestled down a crazy rock and paved road, it has literally become our sanctuary. A place we can we go and just be family. A safe place that Slaton can play with the other 10 children that live in the houses surrounding ours. They start early! (5:30 AM!) On Saturday morning, the rule is the door must be open before you can walk in. Many a mornings, our neighbor has opened her door to Slaton on the other side as we have heard "loud" whisperings of Slaton out our windows. If it is a "stay home day", they spend the day running around in shorts (no shirt or shoes) with makeshift bow and arrows literally playing until dark only stopping to forage food from any one of the four houses.
Taellor has decided to wait until Spring to begin at OTC for online classes. We struggled with that one but learning Spanish here is one of our top priorities so she'll begin in the Spring and focus here on language and continuing to minister in the areas that God calls her to be. She is incredible with the children.
She has her Bible study there for the little ones along with Wednesday dance therapy at Blue Bird orphanage. She has recently started on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons helping teach gymnastics at Slaton's school. Who would have thought all of those gymnastics lessons would have led her to serving in Nicaragua through gymnastics? She literally blends right in here...our neighbor, who is starting the new church in Mateare, saw a lady from the village seemingly taking something out of his van a couple of Sundays ago..... Yep, it was Taellor! It seems as she was created for here.
Travis has continued to enjoy working with the teams in the field...especially with his boys. There are about 10 young boys in the village (10-14 years in age) that have worked with him all season. I love watching him mentor them even without the language...side by side. Working with them, remembering their name and just talking with them. I can go in the village and if he's there, they are with him....if he's not, they want to know where he is and when will he be there. He's working with one boy to try to get him back in school after he missed most of this semester to stay home and working with his mom. He's in 5th grade and his dad is in prison. No one seems to care that he's not in school....I love that Travis does. I have found him to be more outgoing here especially with team members. For those who know him only back home, you know him as someone who doesn't talk much until he knows you and then only so much...well, here, he is totally different. I have seen him sit with a team member for over an hour discussing and processing the experience. I KNOW! This is not Travis...this is God working through Travis...there is no other explanation:-) He continues to work with Furia Santa assisting Marvin as needed. Again, I love watching this growth in him as he allows God to use him in any manner.
I continue to do our Bible studies at House of Hope, the Cuidad Sandino dump and the woman's cancer shelter along with Pan de la Vida visits. We also work at the feeding station in the dump on Wednesdays. Every day, well actually, every place as I leave I tell Claudia..this is my favorite....I don't know which is my favorite...they all are because in each of them, God is closest... It is those moments when you can just stop for a second and say, "Wow, this is it." My number of ultrasounds have increased...along with variety of ultrasound exams. I have now done every (and for my ultrasound colleagues, I mean every) ultrasound exam type. I love being able to scan here...love being able to bring comfort to a mother who is fearful something is wrong with her unborn child, love being able to "see" what is or isn't the matter. Something not serious back home can be very serious here.... Dr. Melba is a blessing to work with...this is one of those places where I say "This is my favorite.." Can there be a favorite? I liken it maybe a little to heaven..... What will we like best there? That's kind of how I feel ministering here.
Not to say that it has all been a walk in the park...sometimes a literal walk in the dark but just knowing that we are obediently following the call of our Father has righted us when our ship would tend to tip. Carl Rees during our commissioning service at Ridgecrest said, "Remember your call because some days that is the only thing that will keep you there." That is why we are here. In the early months, we were jokingly saying we needed a slogan... a motto of sorts... and over time we heard ourselves saying the same six words over and over without realizing it..." We are here to serve God." and that is what it has summed up to be. In the craziness of the city (Never would have thought we would live in a capital city of over 2 million people) to the only thing that is reliable is that nothing really is reliable, we have learned that our foundation is God and God alone. We are grateful for a home church that is intimately involved in this mission as members offer daily encouragement and prayer. This, we are learning, isn't something that is common on the mission field.
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| Team from our home church-Ridgecrest Baptist Springfield, MO |
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| Our family from Pontiac, MO. |
Project H.O.P.E. continues, in our mind, to be an organization that is second to none in short-term missions to Nicaragua. It has been incredible to watch/observe as we serve along side most of the Directors this season. I have been happy to see confirmation again and again that the purpose of Project H.O.P.E. is Christ. Team upon team has demonstrated that the relationships created are much more important than the houses that are being built. Time and time again, I loved watching as team leaders modeled this for their team members. When you are considering coming into an organization that you have observed from the close proximity but still on the outside, you also wonder what the core portrays.... the core here portrays hard work, solid faith with extreme obedience to God.
Again, I end with the desire to be more faithful in blogging. Thank you for your prayers and continued encouragement in this adventure.
