Let's Pray Y'all

Our past week we went with a team from Charleston, South Carolina to Ciudad Dario to distribute the gospel of Luke, the Story of Jesus. We were so surprised when we pulled into ACIBEN (the guest house for the Christian Association of Baptist Churches of Nicaragua...where we stayed for the week) and a group of Nicaraguans from the neighbor town came in. Why were we surprised? Because they had worked with this very Charleston group last year. So it was like a family reunion, and it was so awesome to see. Rachel, Lauren, and I were relieved when we saw that the house we were staying in had an overhead shower (with AMAZING water pressure) and a flushable toilet...not bucket showers and outhouses. What a great/easy way to end our bathroom experiences in Nicaragua :)
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After prayer walking the first day, Ciudad Dario was very receptive to the gospel. We even had a lady come up to us asking if we were there to talk about Jesus even before we had begun to hand out any books of Luke. One of the days I was blessed with having the opportunity to pray for an old man on the street. Rachel had constantly been telling us that we don't have enough books to hand out to everyone on the street because they would all be getting books in their homes as well, BUT if we felt like we should take that opportunity to stop someone and give them a book, we should. So I did. I stopped the old man, gave him a book, and asked him if we could pray for him. As we started praying, he began to cry. He was so thankful for our prayer, and I was so grateful that the Lord made me feel like I should turn around and give this man a book and pray for him. I don't know what was plaguing him...whether he was sick or just tired in his old age, but in that one moment, our hearts were lifted up to Jesus, asking him to bless this man (which we are constantly reminded in the Bible that the Lord has already blessed us). What an opportunity. Thank you Jesus. Later on that day, I went into a house on the street and started rattling off the Spanish I know to 4 older men. One of them asked me where I was from and what state. When I told him around Houston, TX, he smiled..then I noticed that he was wearing an Astros cap, and he started speaking perfect English. We discussed the purpose of me being in Nicaragua and our ministry and he told me that it's great to see that we have traveled so far A. because we have a heart for telling Nicaragua about Jesus and B. because Americans need to get away from all of the comforts and experience what it's like beyond our borders. Eventually I came to find out that he works at Continental Airlines in Houston..so honestly, I hope to see him when I go home on August 2...how cool would that be?

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Overall we were blessed with the help from the church members from San Isidro who helped us work Ciudad Dario and we ended up handing out about 5,000 gospels of Luke. We showed the Jesus film twice and during the second night's movie, Sergio (our driver/the Godly Nicaraguan man who is the missions director for the Nicaraguan convention/Loren's successor in taking over Operation Go) led 3 people to accepting Christ as their Savior. Crazy how the Lord works. One of the women had received the book in her home while she wasn't there, read it, heard we were showing the movie, came to ask about the book, and then accepted Jesus. I don't know about y'all, but I'm clappin' for and praisin' the Big Man upstairs.
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During the week we had a despedida at ACIBEN for Loren and Karen. It was basically a despedida from the Nicaraguan Baptist Convention for them, so pastors from around the country of Nicaragua came to show their appreciation for the Dickeys.
I was happy because I was able to see Pastor Hector from Esquipulas, where FBC Schulenburg was last year, Pastor Juan from San Lucas, and my favorite, Pastor Francisco from Los Encinos/Las Sabanas, all in one place. They gave Karen and Loren a pinata and 3 cakes as part of their going away party.

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It's all kind of a blur, but I wanted to talk about the other fun things we did while we were at ACIBEN in the afternoons. We played NINJA, climbed trees, played SCUM (a card game), ate food (yes, FUN), and I TRIED to play baseball and soccer and realize now that I should never do that again...mainly because I was a sad excuse of an athlete.

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I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this group from Charleston BC. I felt like they were more of a family than a team..and they looked out for us just as much as we looked out for them. They were very giving, accepting, and loving to us, to the Nicas, and to the Lord. I'm glad we were blessed with the opportunity to meet and share a week with them, and they were a great last team to have. I also really liked the fact that they were so Southern in their accents. It's always fun having a group of people who speak the same way you do (with heavier accents) :)

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When it came time for us to leave ACIBEN and Ciudad Dario, it was kinda weird. Rachel, Lauren, and I had finished our last days of distribution with our last team, and it didn't feel like it at all. Even today, 2 days after they have been gone from Nicaragua, it still doesn't seem like our summer is over. Now we have to trust in these verses that I have written and talked about so often:

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:6

and

My Word, which comes from my mouth will not return to me void. It will accomplish what I have sent it out to do.
Isaiah 55:11

let all of creation sing to Him now

Today is our last day of preparation for a team. They are from Charleston, South Carolina and we will be going to Ciudad Dario, birthplace of the Latin poet Ruben Dario. It's amazing how quickly this week came...considering the fact that it seems like a few days ago we were sitting around a table planning out the hectic summer ahead. I feel so humbled by my experiences from this summer. We are not here because we are "good people" as I have been told. We are here to serve the Lord. We are here to make disciples, but we still strive to do this because even Jesus only had 120 disciples when He died. I'm here in Nicaragua because of these verses:

The Great Commission
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19

and

I expect and hope that I will not fail Christ in anything, but that I will have the courage now, as always, to show the greatness of Christ in my life, here on Earth, whether I live or die
Philippians 1:20

It's these verses that have changed my life. I strive to be the woman of God that I am commanded to be. The fact that I'm here serving Him has had such an impact on my life. I only hope that those of you who read my blog and those people whom I encounter and have the opportunity to share my testimony with will feel compelled to take part in missions. It is unlike any experience, and if you let it be, it will be an extremely JoYfUl and lifeCHANGING and FAiTH impacting experience. We can give money all we want, but until we go, whether it is in our own home towns, in the States, or in foreign lands, you will miss out on the journey.

Abre la Puerta a Tu Corazon

So this week was kinda different. If I would have known the blessings that were in store for us this week, I don't know if I would have believed it.
First off, it was a hike team of 9 men. Secondly, they were from Harrison, Arkansas...the same church my team was from a few weeks ago. I thought it was cool how we got to have two different teams on two completely different missions from the same church, all serving Jesus. Loren initially told us that we could be hiking for 2 hours from where we parked our vehicles in order to get to Tipilma, so Lauren and I made sure we didn't pack anything but the essentials (more me than Lauren, since I seem to bring wayyy too much stuff all of the time). On that Saturday we were supposed to pick up the team, Karen noticed a conflict in the flights...we thought they were coming in on the 11 am flight, but their flight number was for the 8 pm flight...luckily after calling around the state of Arkansas we found out that they were coming in at night. Going to the airport at the wrong time would have probably led to an aggravated Loren, Lauren, and Jenny. So we picked up the team at night and headed out to the hotel--a hot springs. Now, you may say "how awesome!"..and yes it is awesome, unless of course your intestines have been invaded by a parasite. This was me. I'm not sure how I got the parasite, but I know I felt poopy sick (I know, I know, but it's true and people have been asking me all summer if I have gotten sick, so now I can say "Yes and here's how I felt..."). So I don't recommend getting a parasite, but I took an Abendizol and within 2 days, my tummy was cleared. Anywho, we ended up driving through Camoapa, picking up Pastor Ishmael and Raul (who we later learned was actually named Nahum...oopsie), and drove the 2 1/2 hours down the bumpy muddy road to our parking spot near Tipilma. When we arrived at the little hilltop spot, men met us with horses and mules so that they could carry some of our packs, including all of mine and Lauren's stuff..and then we were told it was a 15 minute hike...what a surprise! 15 minutes, not 2 hours, YAY! So we hiked up and down for about 15 minutes and when we came up the last hill, we saw the church and its counterparts.

Not the little wooden shack we thought it would be. The church had tile floors, painted walls, a separate building for cooking, teaching, storing, and sleeping, and there was a quite nice latrina and a good shower (still needed a bucket of water to bathe, but this shower had 4 sides to it and a place to put my soap). That first day we had such a nice welcoming and we even showed one of the Jesus films to the people of the church that first night.
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That night, as I was laying in my hammock, I woke up around 2..I felt something crawling on my head. It left..but then a few minutes later, it crawled down my face. I panicked and in my imagination I think I threw it off of me..? Then I settled down and tried to go back to sleep...however, another very large critter decided to crawl across my hair and freak me out again. I don't think I slept anymore that night. Welcome to the country, where the ceilings and the walls don't connect or have caulking to keep the cracks from letting wind, rain, or BUGS from getting in.
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The next day was the first day of our distribution adventure. That morning Lauren and I found out that we were gonna get to ride horses...I was super excited but the last time I rode a horse, I was in Costa Rica, my horse was stubborn, and I cried...so this was an adventure. Lucky for me, good old Cayote was nice. His owner, Mercedes was kind enough to let me borrow him..but she led the way in front of me, on her own horse. We trudged up the hills, I tried not to fall off, and when we arrived at a house, I would make my way off of Cayote and we would go inside to share the Gospel. One thing I saw over the past week that inspired me was the fact that Mercedes, and the other Nicas of Tipilma were adamant about preaching to their family members who weren't Christians. I think talking to family about Jesus and getting them to see the light is probably the most difficult thing to do -- family doesn't like to listen to you because you're you and of course you have no idea what you're talking about, right? I know the feeling, and I find it unfortunate to those family members. Mercedes set a great example for me..that's something she will probably never know.
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The next morning...I'll tell the truth...my butt hurt. The saddle on Cayote did me in, and I felt it for days. The next two days we ended up going to two different communities because we had finished our predetermined Tipilma area of about 30 houses the first day. I enjoyed being able to go in different groups with the FBC Harrison men so that I could get to know them all in different ways. Of course when one of them asked me what my name was on the 3rd day, I figured I should talk to him more and more so that he could remember me the next day...or hour. By the third day we had a surprise waiting for us: the women of the church wanted to cook us a meal, and the day they did this was also the same day that John (one of the Harrison men) was celebrating his 54th birthday, so it turned into a birthday party :) They cooked us a feast of fried chicken, yucca, baby corn, chicken meat balls, chicken broth, and rice. It was so good! I love trying Nica food.

That night was our last night in Tipilma, and as the sun began to set, the church service began to commence. I was amazed at how many people were there - at least 100 were piling into the little church to see the Jesus movie we were showing that night. They had trekked through mud and muck to get there, but they were interested. It's amazing how God's power moves through communities and inspires them.
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We kind of had our despedida (closing ceremony) that night, and when it was all said and done, Lauren, Loren and I settled down into a discussion mode. Loren wanted us to read some scripture to him, so I decided to read from Romans. I chose Romans 5 because that morning I had decided to memorize Romans 5:1-5

Therefore we are justified by faith and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. And not only this but we glory in tribulations, for the knowledge that tribulations create perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

I read through the chapter, and we began discussing the first few verses. We have been justified by Christ's death and are given faith, grace, perseverance, character, and hope. We primarily discussed character: how had we been impacted by this summer when it came to our character. We told Loren how we thought we had, and he told us what he saw in us. As young adult women Lauren and I have grown tremendously in our leadership, our cooperation with people, our patience, our love, and primarily, OUR FAITH. When Loren told us that he's honored to have us here, that was the end of the dry eyes for both Lauren and myself. Then we prayed...and we couldn't help but feel so humbled and blessed. Needless to say, it was one of the best nights I have had here. So real, so true, so Jesus.
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We left Tipilma the next morning with bigger smiles in our hearts than we had arrived with or felt before. We were headed back to civilization, but I couldn't help but think about that community. I pray that God continues to bless it and I pray that the people of the community know how important they are and how much they blessed us.
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So when I mentioned 'the blessings' that we received this week, I was implying that I would discuss many in my blog...but I missed many, so I would like to make a list:
9 men of God from Harrison, Arkansas going to tiny Tipilma, Nicaragua to hand out the Gospel
not too muddy of roads
a 2 hour turned 15 minute hike
a beautiful church with more amenities than we had fathomed
a giving church body
a horse named Cayote
a determined Christian woman, ready to reach out to her lost family
fellowship
discipleship
a faithful old couple who lives on the mountain side, ready and willing to trudge 20 minutes through the mud and muck to the church so that they can see us off every day and be there to tell us goodbye...and in America, we don't even want to get out of bed to go to church and have to drive that 10 minutes on paved roads...they were truly amazing examples of how I hope to be when I'm that age

open arms and open hearts ready to embrace what the movie had in store
professions of faith
a time of sharing with Loren and Lauren about this summer
Tipilma
Jesus' saving grace
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As long as we open the door to our heart, Jesus can be let in. True happiness, satisfaction, patience, strength, solace, and love comes from the Lord. Will you open the door to your heart?

For us there is one God, the Father, of whom we are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we LIVE.
1 Corinthians 8:6

OCOTAL::week two

With our second week in Ocotal came many good memories. First off, my family was there. Secondly, summer missionaries from past years were there: Lydia and Cole --they came in to help out with managing the teams (we each led a team). Thirdly, the week of crazy craziness had come upon us, and 35 Baptist gringos were at the Ocotal church ready to go out and serve the Lord. How exciting it is to live the event that has been anticipated for so long. One of the groups was from Tennessee, and they were a band called "No Other Name". Can I just say that they were amazingly talented and they sounded like angels when they sang praise and worship songs. What a blessing. Another team was from Watkinsville, Georgia. They're a group of college kids, with their fearless leader, Chris Fitzgerald, who proclaims that he is Chuck Norris' son. He really does look like he legit could be. The team I led was a group of 6 from McNeese State University in Louisiana. They are actually still here until Saturday, July 10, so I can still say that they're a joy to lead because we are all just about the same age and have the same interests. Their names are Tia, Carin, Lindsey, Dex, Clint, Silas, and Colby. And finally, the last team, aka "the kitchen crew" is the group who practically raised me: FBC Schulenburg.
Within the first day, Loren gave instruction to all those who were with us about what the week had in store for them, Nicaraguan life, surviving the week (food rules: don't eat the cheese, fruit, veggies, or drink the water), and more. Our philosophy is that we know what is best for the crazy team members who want to try every local food, but if they want to try the food anyway, they can. They will die. Not literally, but I tell them that. They sure wont like having the water parasite in them that prohibits them from keeping any food or liquid in them. In this case (even now after 4 people in the past 3 weeks have gotten sick), listen to the missionary or summer missionaries...It's just a thought. :).
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It was cool to be able to lead a group who was my age. We began every morning with a devotional, and I started it for my team the first day. I wanted to talk about the aspect of planting the seed. When we come here, we hand out books of Luke, or radio program books, but we don't always get to see the next steps that God takes in these people's lives. Some people get discouraged and feel like their work here was done in vain, but what I wanted to instill in my groups mind is exactly what 1 Corinthians 3:6 says:

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

Not everyone will see a person get saved, but it's because God works behind the scenes. Everything is in His time, and we have to be patient..He will give the increase. That's one thing I've learned after coming to Nicaragua on mission twice and being here this summer. I know that prayer is an essential element of life, so I am encouraged by 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks; this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So with this I tried to encourage my group to pray about the people and about them receiving and accepting Jesus into their lives. I think it was a good precursor to prepare them for what would follow in the week.

Our journey of the week began in a town called Macuelizo. Macuelizo is north of Ocotal, and about an hour from the Honduras border (an hour only because the roads are so bad...distance wise..about 50 kilometers). We covered that town quickly and moved on to a little community in the mountains. Here I ran into a young girl, maybe about 16 who was willing to take the folleto, but when we asked her if she was a Christian/attended a church, she said no. My Nicaraguan partner asked her what she was waiting for, and she said "Well aren't we all Christians? I don't need a relationship because we are all born Christians." It was hard for us to grasp this concept. I pray that she realizes that a relationship with Christ is walking with Him and proclaiming His name...not living a life of sin and thinking she is saved. It was an eye opener for me. We completed handing out books to these communities and made it to more communities surrounding Macuelizo, handing out more folletos, and growing closer in our fellowship together for Christ with every step we took.

Our week continued and every day we went out to different areas, sometimes with only our team, sometimes with the other groups. One of the days we visited Palacaguina, a larger community, and we took it by storm, at one point we were standing on a look out, where Sam, Destiny, Rami, and I took a picture

and below we could see Cole and Clint witnessing to a man. They talked to him for quite a while, and after realizing how important Jesus Christ was for his life, he invited them into his home and he got saved. Amen. How awesome.


Again, there are so many memories that I could write about for hours, but my time is limited, so I'll just list some.
Hardcore Parkour - Colby is a monkey
Colby hates hand sanitizer
Rami is addicted to hand sanitizer
Getting to know my team and their testimonies
Bonding with my Mom and Dad
Being a leader
Hiking with Dad
Getting to know Lydia
Catching up with Cole
writing songs
long talks with Mom :)
Cole and Clint making disciples
playing Mafia
Making friends in Ocotal: Carlos, Felix, Ada, Jairo, Alex, David, Israel, Axel
Praise and Worship - Nicaraguan style
Prayer.
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One of our last days was a great day. It was also sad because it was the day that Lydia and Cole, along with team Erlanson, left Ocotal. That morning we all sat in a huge circle and listened to the No Other Name group sing worship songs. However we were in for a treat: they had written a song about Operation GO.
Lyrics:
Wakin' up at the crack of dawn
Showerin with my sandals on
I got my bag of milk with my Captain Crunch,
It's gonna have to last me all the way to lunch.
I've got my sandwiches in my paper sack,
The big blue books weighing down my back.
Where are we goin?
No one knows
Welcome to Operation GO
Chorus:
Singin OH oH oh OH don't you wanna go, don't you wanna go
x2
25 people in a big white van,
Feelin like sardines in a can,
Step on the gas and we start to fly,
We've gotta STOP...and let the cows go by
Practicin my Espanol,
Tryin to get my r's to roll
Playin futbol with a small nino,
Welcome to Operaion GOOOOOOOO.
Chorus x2
Get some looks goin' door to door
Have they ever seen a Gringo before?
I say "BUENAS!" with a great big smile,
I've only gotta do this for 8 more miles
Chorus x4


After No Other Name sang this awesome song, Loren talked to the entire group. He said "Can I get my kids to come up here?" I was truly touched that he referred to us as "his kids". It was Cole, Rami, me, Lauren, Rachel, and Lydia. He talked about how hard we work, how dedicated we are to serving the Lord, and how some of us will be missionaries some day. Then everyone prayed for us...of course I cried, I always do when people pray for me/over me. I feel blessed when people take the time and the heart to pray for me.

It was so sad having to say goodbye to Lydia and Cole. I was so excited to get to bond with Lydia after hearing so much about her from FBC Schulenburg mission teams who had been in Nicaragua with her when she was a summer missionary. I hugged her about 20 times before she left. Even after a week, it felt like we had been friends for so long. They left and we continued our days of working for Jesus. The next day it was time for Schulenburg to leave. I was sad, but it's hard to be sad that they're leaving when I'll be seeing them in 3 weeks. I'm taking advantage of my time here on the mission field, instead of being sad for those whom I know I will see soon.
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We had one more day of working for Jesus, and this final day, we decided it would be awesome to take part in the Nicaragua public transportation system...aka school buses. So we took the chance and rode 45 minutes from Ocotal to Somoto, on a packed school bus, with around 80 books per person. Distribution went fast that day, and before we knew it, we were back at the guest house in Ocotal, vegged out, ready to sleep for days. We had planned for Loren to come back on Sunday morning to pick up McNeese and myself to go back to Managua, but at the last moment plans changed (as they always do) and McNeese decided to go where Rachel was headed with her team for the next week. Two of our Nica helpers, David and Felix hung around that night..they can both speak some English...and we bonded with them. It's awesome to see how they were impacted by working with us throughout the weeks, but I pray that they know that they impacted us equally as much as we worked with them. That night was a great time of fellowship for all of us, as we hugged and said our goodbyes.
The next day, Loren came and picked me up from Ocotal, while the other teams moved on to stay out the next week with Rachel. I was busy planning a surprise for my family - they would get to see me again, since they didn't leave until a day later. So we showed up and they were confused/excited, and it was great because not only did I get to pick them up at the airport, but I ended up spending more time with them and getting to drop them off at the airport the next afternoon...mom cried, but that's typical..and I teared up too.
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We spent this past week preparing for the next - last - two teams we have for the summer. Our next team is from Harrison, Arkansas, like the team in Ocotal, except it is a hiking team (we get to carry all of our food for the week in our backpacks, and hike to our base camp for the week since there is not a road to drive on). We also worked on helping Loren and Karen take apart the shed outside since they're moving to Santiago, Chile in 3 weeks. It was a bummer to have to prepare for them to leave Nicaragua, but it's time, and someone has to do it.
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So far I have had the best summer I could ever ask for. What better way is there to spend my summer than serving Jesus Christ and growing in Him? None. Thank you Lord for blessing me and giving me the opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20

OCOTAL::week one

So...I haven't posted anything in quite some time, but the past two and a half (actually more like 4) weeks have been crazy hectic, and I still haven't recovered even though I've been home for about 4 days. I don't even know where to start when describing my past two and a half weeks of teams and work for the Lord. Ok, preparations.
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We had been preparing food and money wise for about 2 or 3 weeks, knowing that we had to buy for 4 teams at the same time, then 2 more. We prayed daily so that we would be spiritually ready to lead teams without having Loren around to help us. He would be in a town about 20 minutes away from Ocotal (where Rachel and I stayed with our teams). He gave us this verse:

Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise. Which, having no leader, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 6:6

It means that for us, we were our own leaders...Loren would not be around to answer all 500 billion questions our teams asked or what we wanted to ask. What a great verse to prepare us. He told us that once these three weeks of craziness started, they would fly by.

Ok, airport.
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For our first week we had FBC Harrison and FBC Gainesville crammed into our guest house behind the Ocotal Iglesia Bautista. After unpacking and setting up the kitchen, our rooms, our bathroom, and our showers, we met and tried to prepare them for the work they would be doing. These two weeks were different. Although we usually hand out little tracts of the Book of Luke, we were handing out folletos (work booklets) for a radio program that one of the missionaries is starting. We explained the system of prayer walking and praying for the houses and people in the towns and then handing out the book and saying things like, "Buenas."(Is anyone home?) , "Traigo un regalo para su familia" (I bring a gift for your family), and "Dios le bendiga" (God bless you). Also, we tried to prepare them for the terrain, telling them that it would probably be flat and in or around a city. Everyone was pumped. We set out the next day with God on our minds. We were on a mission and as Isaiah 55:11 promises, the Word of God will not return to Him void, it will fulfill it's purpose for which it has been sent out. After typical confusion among the Nicas, we split up and went our different ways to deliver the word to the people in our paths. I went with Jordan and Stephanie, two newlyweds who were full of spark and ready to roll. We hiked up and we hiked down. We prayed, we handed out folletos, we prayed some more, we hiked some more, we attempted Spanish, we drank lots of water, we handed out more folletos.
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When we returned (after dragging ourselves up the mountain), half of our group was still missing. The guys who were with us decided to play hopscotch, and after an hour and a half, the other group arrived where we were waiting. They looked exhausted. The first thing one of them said to me was, "Everything you told us yesterday was a lie." I was scared for my life and out of fear said, "What did I say?" It turns out that they had one of the hardest hikes and pretty much went up and down and around then down and back around and up the mountain, instead of them being in a city, like Rachel and I had explained the night before. After a while, they were rejuvenated and I knew they weren't mad, but I felt bad for them for not being prepared.
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That night we returned back to the guest house and Rachel wasn't there. One of the girls from her group told me that she was still out and that the kitchen was open for me to start cooking supper...WHAT?! I immediately went into shock mode. Cook? Me? I don't cook...so, body language is obviously an easily readable aspect when it comes to me because the women of the groups jumped in and took the rains. It was amazing. I was so grateful to have the awesome help I received. The Lord was looking out for me on that one.
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I enjoyed talking with different people from both FBC Gainesville and FBC Harrison about their relationships with Christ, how they got to Nicaragua, how they study their Bibles, what they've thought about their trip and experiences in Nicaragua, and just being able to fellowship with them and praise the name of Jesus. I find it amazing that we were able to come up with so many stories and memories in such a short amount of time. I could make a list of everything I remember, but that would take forever...okay....I'll do it anyway:

Hopscotch - I never knew how to play until this team showed me
Me "lying" to them about the terrain
Mark not carrying books
Jenny and Sarah show reports
Mark and the goats
Rami eating Mark's sandwich

Bat's pooping on us
Rami playing the guitarJohn going to India
Eskimo ice cream
Me abandoning the team to go to the airport with Loren
FBC Harrison group as "role models"
Internet Cafe
Mark's suitcase - hot pink duct tape
Stephanie and Sergio's 3 am charade game
Speaking Spanglish - Stephanie asking a woman on the side of the road if anyone was home
Kitchen duty
drawing on Mark's suitcase
Making t-shirts
...and more, much more.
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Before we knew it, our week had flown by, and it was time to go back to Managua, but first, Loren called me late Friday night and asked if I wanted him to pick me up so that I could go back to Managua with him and go to the airport to surprise FBC Schulenburg and my parents. Of course I wanted to go! At the airport I was ecstatic and excited and happy and giddy. I wanted to surprise them and while I watched them waiting for their luggage, I was oddly nervous. In the weeks before they came, I told her that I wouldn't be able to meet them at the airport. When they finally came through, I think my mom was more in shock than anything. Eventually she ended up crying, which was actually great because I bet Loren $10 that she would cry. Of course he forgot that bet as soon as I won, but hey, it was funny :)
><>Eventually that day the FBC Harrison and FBC Gainesville groups showed up in Managua at the guest house, and I was back to being their leader/summer missionary in charge. We were able to wind down from the week's events. The next morning we had our debriefing and Loren told us all one thing that we were awestruck by...within the week of us handing out the booklets, the offices in charge of the radio program had received numerous phone calls about the program and about being able to learn about Jesus. I guess within the hustle and bustle, we forgot about the response the folletos would receive. Again, as Isaiah 55:11 says:

"My word, which comes from my mouth, is like the rain and snow. It will not come back to me without results. It will accomplish whatever I want and achieve whatever I send it to do."

Praise Jesus for the work He has done in Nicaragua over the past 2 weeks, and over the past 11 years since Loren and Karen have been here. That day we did the typical shopping/eating out. It was crazy because our time together suddenly came to an end, amidst all the chaos of the busy week. That night we had to say goodbye, which was so sad. Rachel and I are planning a road trip one weekend to Harrison, Arkansas so that we can reunite with the group.