Archive for the NicaNews Category

Waking up to a [former] Marine Drill Instructor, Donald, continues to challenge us on a day-to-day basis. Today’s agenda of serving the Lord’s call to service consisted of giving our testimonies over the radio, continuing construction on a church, visiting another local school, and providing service and a meal for an entire village.

As is the case every day, we are blessed to be given a wonderful breakfast to give us the energy to serve our Lord. Following breakfast, four missionaries and our resident musician, Keith, venture to the local radio station. In today’s case, however, we encountered issues with power for the radio station, thus delaying our transmission until later in the evening. With the help of the translators on staff for Because We Care Ministries, our message of testament is heard throughout the Somotillo area. With this, everyone with a radio, even those on the mountaintop, can hear us and become inspired.

Construction continued on the church at a village located over twenty minutes from the Casa de Shelly. Today’s venture consisted of picking up various supplies including red paint for the steelwork and gasoline to help run the generator for welding purposes. Our trip also brought to the workers four bags of concrete, a wheelbarrow, and a few shovels. With our help the people in the village will have a physical location to worship the lord.

SCHOOL STORY

The women went to the Special Needs school and found that the teachers were training and the students left school early. We were disappointed but we’ll return tomorrow.

After a long ride down a bumpy dirt road we spotted a child that ran out of the school (Casa Blanca) we came to. The little boy ran inside. When he returned, many came out of the building and were jumping up and down. We knew we were in the right place. One even rode her bicycle out to make sure we knew where to walk. The children were so polite, smiling and absorbing every word we were saying. We made bracelets, gave supplies to the teacher, sang songs, played soccer and introduced the children to kite flying. So fun and we were so blessed.

Later in the afternoon we visited a village approximately twenty minutes from the Casa de Shelly. There we provided many activities for the youth such as coloring books, face painting, nail painting, and even ball launching with a ‘caramellow,’ (candy) reward for those whom caught the ball. Soon we began a cotton candy challenge, and also handed our cotton candy to the village. Finally, dinner was served from the soup bowl, which fed most of the villagers.

What can be most difficult, yet can be the most rewarding, is when our missionaries throw candy, toys, clothing, soap, and various supplies to the villagers on the side of the road. Although it may feel as if we are degrading them, they greatly benefit from our seemingly small donations. As is always the case, no matter how much we collect to donate to them, we often run out of supplies, leaving many villagers without anything to have.

Above all, we are so blessed each day with the people in Nicaragua! God is so good! We are humbled!

17 years ago I married my best friend. That same year we were given a copy of the EE-Taow story by New Tribes Mission. It’s an amazing story of how one village way back in the bush came to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. "EE-Taow" in their language means "It’s True". My new bride and I sat in our new little apartment with tears streaming down our faces as we watched the Gospel transform an entire village of people. In that moment we surrendered to be a couple that would be committed to missions in whatever way God called us. This past Saturday, August 10, my wife and I celebrated our 17 year wedding anniversary. It started at 4:00am to make the drive with our two oldest children to the airport with a mission team. Mission team? Yep… you got it… a mission team heading to Nicaragua with BWCM. Through the years we’ve been blessed to travel on numerous mission trips. Now, as our children grow in life we pray that they grow in their knowledge and experience in walking with Christ on His Mission.

Therefore, our two oldest (10 & 12) are with us on our wedding anniversary mission trip. Missions has become part of our parenting plan. Today on the mission field here in Nicaragua I had the privilege to shovel sand from a dry riverbed into a truck to be taken to the site of a new church plant. My wife, our two children, and several others from the mission team traveled to a school to minister to children.

Upon my return from the labor of "sand detail" I heard that my son shared the gospel with a group of children and some surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. As soon as he saw me he ran to tell me what God had done!

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4

To God be the glory! Make missions a part of your life…and for sure… make it a part of your parenting plan.

Well we finished up the week with another fantastic day on the mission field. Some of the team members were able to go paint Mr. Julio’s house and finish all of the final touches so that he was able to move in. What a blessing it was seeing the pride in his face as the team finished the last paint strokes on the inside of his new home. This morning some of the other team members were able to go to Casa Blanca and share the Word of God using the parachute and the wordless book. We were able to hand out packets of food and spend time with each individual family. Before we went out this afternoon two of our team members were baptized in the river. We had an amazing time watching them be obedient to God in believer’s baptism while they were serving on the mission field.

This afternoon we were able to go to Villa Esperanza. When we arrived they were extremely excited to see us, we began to cook the soup and before we new it we had quite the crowd. Children were playing with the parachute, the girls were busy engaging with other little girls while they painted their nails and the boys were having fun playing soccer with some of our team. When we got ready to serve the food you could truly see how hungry the people were. As they crowded around the pot, even teenagers came up and asked for a bowl of food. We passed out packets of food to each of the families and we were able to distribute clothes to each of the children. What an amazing experience we had handing those bowls of food to the hungry people and giving them a chance to enjoy themselves.

God is so good and he provided every need this week. We saw his hand in everything that we did and everywhere we went. It never ceases to amaze us what happens when we back off and let God show off and do his thing. This week the team was able to truly experience God this week through serving and through sharing the word of God. Thank you for your continued prayers this week for our team and please continue to lift us up as we travel to Managua tomorrow and then home on Sunday. Also, please lift up the other team that will be traveling tomorrow to spend the week serving.

Good evening from Somotillo Nicaragua! We had another amazing day on the mission field. We started our morning off by sending some team members to the radio, where they were able to share their testimonies and sing a song. When they returned, some of the men headed to Villa Esperanza to clean around Mr. Julio’s new house to get it ready for painting. The girls headed to a school where we were able to share the gospel using the wordless book through our parachute. We were able to hand out little bracelets to each child as well as give out school supplies to the principal of the school. This afternoon we headed to a new village called “The Pearl.” We started off with around thirty people and then by the time we served the soup we had over a hundred people there. They were coming from every direction with their bowl for food and all of their children. We spent time engaging with the families and playing games with the children. Chris Dowd was able to share a message about how Jesus bridged the gap and many prayed to receive Christ for the very first time. It is obvious that God is up to something and we look forward to making a relationship with the pastor in the village and working with them more in the future.

Continue to pray for our team as we spend one final day out on the mission field in Somotillo tomorrow. Pray that God would continue to reveal Himself to the team members as well as the people that we come in contact with. And pray for safety as we travel to Managua on Saturday and then back home on Sunday. Another team will be on their way to continue the work that has been done this week. It will be hard to leave but we leave confident that the Lord is doing amazing things through Because We Care Ministries and it is a wonderful thing to play a small part in what God is doing here.

Things are going well and God is moving here in Somotillo. This morning, we had a crew of young men drive out to the riverbed and shovel a truckload of sand into the Because We Care dump truck. The sun was beating and the sand was heavy but we had Colossians 3:23 in our heads. “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man.” As we drove to Villa Esperanza we were greeted by smiling faces and children running. “Gringos! Gringos!” As we delivered the sand, we quickly realized that we were contributing to something much bigger than ourselves. “La Iglesia futura?” I asked one of the children as I pointed to the sand pile. “Si, Si, Si!” was the response from the children with heads nodding and grins from ear to ear. Yes, our work is for the Lord, but to see the excitement on the children’s faces at something as simple as a dump truck full of sand and gringos was a blessing from God, even more refreshing than the water in our bottles.

While the guys were out shoveling sand for the new church in Villa Esperanza, the ladies made a trip out to La Escuela de Ruben Dario to minister to the children. They sang songs, played with the team members, and even performed an interactive skit with the children. The parable of the lost sheep gave students a great visual about God’s love for his children. This afternoon the team headed out for a new village called, St. Louis. Because We Care Ministries is praying about planting a church in this village and we were able to meet the pastor and pray for him and his family as well as bless the people there with a meal and some clothes for their family. It is amazing to see how God continues to work in these villages and how churches are being built up all over Somotillo.

Please continue to pray for Because We Care Ministries. God has been doing so much but there is still much more work to be done. Chris Dowd and Donald Gillette have returned from Pastor Training in Honduras and rejoined us at the Casa De Shelly. They’ll continue their journey through the book of Romans with several more pastors here in Nicaragua, tomorrow and Friday. Pray for the pastors as they travel tomorrow morning and pray for clarity and insight as they continue to grow. Also pray that God would raise up laborers to contribute to the ministry in Central America. Pray for those hearing testimonies through the radio ministry. Pray for the local villages of Somotillo, that they would see the love of Jesus and know Him personally. Pray for the families plagued by illness and disease. But most of all, pray that people would place their faith in Jesus and walk with Him daily.

Another wonderful day on the mission field. We began our day by sending out three students and one adult to share their testimonies on the radio. Chris Mac shared the gospel message and once the team was all together again we sent the men to haul sand at the river and load steel on the trucks to be taken to Villa Esperanza, where we are building a church. The girls went to the special needs school in town. The women were able to meet and engage with the students and teachers. Each precious student had the time of their lives playing with the colorful parachute and then coloring a pretty picture. Each student has a different disability, some students were blind and they were learning brail, other students had down syndrome or a physical handicap and each one of them had a beautiful personality. We had a wonderful time watching them “take Nicaragua off” for a moment and enjoy being together. After lunch we headed out to San Antonio and we were able to play with the parachute again and watch the children laugh as we played games. Each little girl got their hair done in braids and bows and the boys had fun playing soccer on the basketball court. Some of the men met a man working on drying seeds on the basketball court, they were able to pray with him about his mother who was sick and help him spread the seeds out across the court. These people are so thankful for what the receive, a bowl of food and just a few hours of good laughs is all it takes to make them happy. It makes you think about what it takes to make you happy on a daily basis and what constitutes as a bad day. This man working on these seeds works from sun up to sun down and makes about thirty five dollars a day, if he is sick or injured he doesn’t make any money to support his family. We are so blessed to have the things that we have but even more blessed that we are able to come here and serve these people and be Jesus to somebody. We look forward to another wonderful day tomorrow! Please continue to keep our team in your prayers as we continue to go out each day and spread the good news and God’s love to these precious people!

What a great day to be on the mission field. After a good nights rest and a great breakfast we began to make our way to Somotillo Nicaragua. We started our trip off in La Carreta, where we began soccer games with the boys and fingernail polish painting with the girls. We ended up having a watermelon eating competition with some of the locals in the village. The men were first and the winner received a brand new soccer ball. Then we had the little girls compete for two bottles of fingernail polish. After we had finished with our competitions we began serving everybody in the village watermelon while the chicken stew was boiling. While we were waiting on the food to be ready some of the girls were busy getting their nails done and we were able to stare the gospel with them using the wordless book. The girls listened intently as the story was told and then repeated back to us what each color meant. When the food was ready we were able to pour each person their own bowl of chicken stew, their eyes were wide as we spooned two large helpings of stew into their bowls. What a blessing it was handing each person a meal.

When you leave for a mission trip, most people tell you what a blessing you are going to be to the people that you will be ministering to, and what a difference you will make in their lives. What people don’t understand unless they have been on the mission field, is that the people that are being ministered to are the real blessing. Looking into the eyes of a hungry person while you hand them a hot bowl of stew is one of the most rewarding things this side of heaven. But getting to share the gospel with people that need the truth and desire to hear the truth is where the true blessing lies. We were able to minister to the least of these today and be a blessing to someone else, and in doing so they blessed us more than they could ever know. More to come tomorrow, God is so good and He is up to something wonderful with this team. We are excited to see what He does. Your prayers are always appreciated!

This morning we heard from our final team members over the radio. The radio time this week has been a blessing to everyone. A big thank you to Dalton Moore for leading our worship team this week. Today began our final day in Somotillo, before we head off to Corinto for an All-Star game and a kids clinic.

Game #8 featured a new community that Don (Because We Care Ministries) and the local church is trying to reach. The name of the community is Chaguite. This could have been the best pitcher we have seen all week. We went with our #8 starter. Harold Cheridieu took the mound and was very excited to get the chance to pitch. He started off great with a quick 3 innings. Giving up only 2 runs. At the plate we were confused, sluggish, and we were being challenged. We jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to Mark Mortimer’s solo home run in the second inning. After three innings we were up 3-2. The fourth inning rolled around and our pitching began to get tired. We squeezed through the 4th and added a run in the 5th. Extending our lead to 4-2. The bottom of the 5th rolls around and they jump on us and take a 5-4 lead. Jim Wagner comes in the 6th and closes the door. We trailed 5-4 heading into the 7th. We once again rallied in the 7th scoring 7 runs. Jim Wagner closes the game in the 7th and collects the win. Final score FLG 11 and Chaguite 5. Top performers: Harold Cheridieu 5 innings pitched. Matt Swedenburg and Raphael Trinidad both went 3-4. Austin Biggar came in and went 2-2 with 2 doubles.

Game number 2 featured FLG and El Paguil. We have faced this team the last three years. This game turned quickly into a slugfest. We scored 9 runs in the first and they put up 5. We added 2 more in the second. Drew Cassidy started on the mound for us (our #9 starter) and he quickly settled down and blanked them in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings. After 4 innings we led 12-5. Cassidy was getting tired in the 5th and gave up 4 runs. El Paguil cut the lead to 12-9. Drew hung in there and finished the game. Throwing our first complete game of the week. The final score was 15-14. It was close. Top performers: Drew Cassidy – Complete Game, Mark Mortimer & Jason Hall both went 3-4. Austin Biggar went 3-3 w/ walk.

Today was a wonderful day from beginning to end. This trip used the tool of baseball as the way to bring the name of Christ to communities that needed to hear His name. To hear the message of hope.

Tomorrow we travel to Corinto to touch a new place. We will be playing in an All-Star Game and will have a great opportunity to introduce the Love of Christ by using the game of baseball and the engaging team. What a great opportunity! Please continue to pray for safety and opportunity.

Today we visited two schools. At each stop we engaged the kids with coloring, crafts and soccer. The poor conditions were again evident in the classrooms and overall facility conditions. We were able to present the Gospel and cultivate what previous teams have done.

We joined the baseball team after lunch and were able to work with the children while the team played. Were also presented the Gospel story and this time had Pastor Reynaldo, the local Baptist pastor, follow up and encourage those who aren’t already attending a church to do so.

Some also toured the training center at Casa de Shelley where we’re staying. This is where locals have the opportunity to learn simple farming, raise chickens, sheep, goats and rabbits as a step to be self-sufficient regarding their basic food needs. While the needs in this community are immense, it is very encouraging to know Because we Care Ministries is making a profound impact in people’s lives.

For Love of the Game Day 3 update:

Today once again started and ended well. The radio team displayed the Love of Christ through worship and testimonies. The Lord has truly blessed the team in more ways than we ever realized. The worship has been authentic and genuine. The teams hearts are exposed every morning and evening. Thank you team. Today we took residence in a community called El Laredo. We had both teams together serving the community. It was nice to see both teams (baseball and engaging) working side by side.

The first game was the best game of the week thus far. Top of the first inning Jim Wagner (Linda Tinsley Wagner) blasted one into the woods. We took a 1-0 lead. We lost the lead in the second. We trailed 4-1. The 4th inning rolled around and we were trailing 8-1. We knocked ourselves out of the inning when we hit into a inning ending triple play! Dalton Moore pitched great but the field conditions and our defense did not get along. The 5th inning rolls around and we struck. Thanks to Will Simpson andCason Caldwell Jennifer Barron Caldwell both produced runs. Cason hit a 3 run double. We drew closer. Trailed 8-4. The inning continued and we saw home runs from Austin Biggar and Steve Klaiber. We walked out to the bottom half of the 5th with a 9-8 lead. We brought Jordan Kelly into the game in the middle of the 4th. Jordan held them scoreless in the 4th, 5th, and 6th inning. We came in and scored a few more runs to stretch our lead to 16-8. We brought Jim Wagner in for the 7th and held off a semi rally. The final score was 18-10. We moved to 4-0. Top performers from the game included Raphael Trinidad, Cason Caldwell, Will Simpson, and Steve Klaiber. Jordan Kelly recorded his second win of the week.

The second game was quick. La Pascuala was not quite ready for us. We threw our secret weapon. "Oso Blanco" Shane Carr. He went two scoreless innings. We won 12-0. We had a quick surge of home runs. Jordan Kelly and Dalton Moore both hit home runs. The game ended after two innings.

El Laredo wanted to play again. We suited up and agreed to play two innings. We had been out there from 9am and it was 1:30pm. Oso Blanco went out and threw 2 more innings. We finished the two innings ahead 4-1.

Today was a hot day. It was also the longest day. The team did a great job. We heard Peyton Bembry share his story to the teams. We asked each player to take a few players off to the side and have a personal time of prayer with the players. They prayed for the player and their family.

Listening to the testimonies and prayers by the players is something special and unique. I am very thankful for their willingness and boldness. God is good. Cannot wait for tomorrow.