Nica News/ Vietnam

Romans 10:14

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[a] And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

I’ve heard it said many times, “GOD really has a sense of humor.” The further down this pathway of life the more I agree.

December 1967 I found myself serving with 3rd Battalion 7th Marines in a place known as Vietnam. As a young man I remember even to this day how scary the whole process was. When I first arrived I knew that I was going to be there for 14 months so I might as well make the best of a bad situation. At the end of my 14 months I had just about figured out how to prevent so many causalities and decided to return for another tour of duty. Sad to say at the time I was not a Christian even though I’ll admit that I did A LOT of praying. I remember that I made A LOT of promises to GOD if HE would just get me out of certain situations. I feel very comfortable that I was not the only soldier to pray those kinds of prayers. I do understand today that GOD’s ways are much higher than my ways and that GOD always has a plan. I know that GOD protected me through those 22 months and 14 days knowing that I would one day surrender my life to HIS service, For the past 35 years I have sought to be the best servant in the ARMY of GOD that I possibly could be for HIS GLORY.

A couple months ago I was invited to return to Vietnam, not as a tourist but as a teacher. I was invited to teach Vietnamese Pastors. To be very honest I was BLOWN away with the thought of returning to a place that had left such huge scars on my life. I have accepted the call and now preparing myself for what I know will be a very emotional trip. I do pray daily that I forget about the things behind and just focus on being obedient to our HEAVENLY FATHER. I can’t think of a better way to honor my fallen buddies and friends than to serve our HEAVENLY FATHER in a place like Vietnam that has caused so much pain and suffering.

With all that said I need your help. This trip is very expensive and I certainly don’t have the funds nor does BWCM. I believe that BWCM money is intended for Nicaragua and would not even consider asking our board to fund this through BWCM. With that said would you prayerfully consider helping us to return to Vietnam and teach Vietnamese Pastors? If you want to send a check to BWCM and mark it for Vietnam it would be tax deductible.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT.

By HIS GRACE, Donald

Nica News

Romans 10:1 says Brothers my hearts desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

Today the sun beat down on the team as ministry was done in two different villages. We returned once again to Las Linas to help build a home for a couple who did not know Christ. The woman had spent the night in her “home” that was under construction. The men hauled water and mixed concrete. The work was extremely difficult as sweat, muscle, and persistence worked together to pour the footings around the newly dug trench. This trench surrounded the young woman’s “home” – sticks with black plastic that were her walls. These walls would be eventually replaced with concrete block. The young woman’s husband was gone for his usual 8 day stay in town where he worked as a mechanic. She was so excited to see so much love being poured out for her family. Her 1 child, a one year old, quietly clung to her as she was given a gospel bracelet that “happened” to be in one of our packed bags and not one that was confiscated by the authorities upon arrival.

Many of the team painted nails of little ones and played games of soccer, while others had serious conversations that shared the Gospel. At the end of the morning when we had finished our work on the house, Melissa, one of the team members who had shared the gospel was able to share her love for Christ again with this woman. She felt called to leave her with her own earrings. She explained to the woman that she was leaving these earrings as a symbol of God’s longing to fill her heart with his love. Although this woman had not sought salvation in Jesus Christ, she had heard the Gospel, and Melissa gave those earrings out of love, the way Jesus offers his love to us. We left this woman with an enormous amount of joy in her heart and a huge smile on her face.

El Pajuil was the village that we went to this afternoon. Pillowcase dresses that another generous church had sent were given out to little girls who had very little. Sadly, girls, as young as fifteen, were holding children that were their own. Medications were given out to many. One witnessing opportunity came when Heather, who was talking to the young girls, was able to share the Gospel. She had engaged in this young soon to be mother’s life, only of 18 years old, asking her many personal questions about her pregnancy and the father of her child that led to a conversation about love. Heather had used questions about the love this woman’s husband had for her to talk to her about a greater love, the love given to us by Jesus Christ. She asked this young woman if she knew anything about Jesus or the Gospel and, sadly but almost as expected, she had said very little. As Heather spoke to her two other young mothers, who were distant earlier, gathered nearby to listen as well. She gave her testimony to these women, and how there was no greater love than the love of her Father, Jesus Christ. She asked them if the fathers of their children loved them, and it saddened her when they answered her with uncertainty. She witnessed to these women, about what the Lord has instilled in all of us both men and women, and that is a need for love of Jesus Christ. Only He can fulfill this hole, not even the best husband or father can do this. Her testimony opened their hearts for the Gospel to be spoken and they listened openly. These women hugged and kissed her with a joy on their face that they had been there before. A seed was planted and we can only pray that the work of the Lord will be done in that garden.

Nica news 3/31

’My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I DELIGHT in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, the I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

A team of 19 from Portico Church came together on Saturday morning to fly out to their destination, Nicaragua. Ready to be flexible, we did not realize that we would be stranded in our own D.C. airport for 3 hours, missing our connecting flight in El Salvador. Avionca Airlines took such great care of us. Instead of spending the night in the airport, they took us to a 5 star hotel, fed us dinner, and breakfast at their cost. We flew into Nicaragua the next morning. We were so excited to finally arrive and to hear that we would only be a couple hours behind schedule. In our difficulty, we were treated as royalty. We did not deserve such great treatment. We got off the plane praising God for his gracious provisions.

Within a few moments, things changed. As we went through customs, all of our ministry bags were held by the officials. Donated soccer balls, flip flops, t-shirts, clothing and trinkets for the children to engage them in activities were taken from us. Even one of our personal bags of toiletries was confiscated. Would we praise God for our circumstances when things did not go our way? We prayed. I would like to say that immediately all our belongings were returned, but that did not happen. We then realized that God was allowing us to see that though we had hoped to bring these “things” to the people, our message of the love of Christ was the real message that we brought. Our leader, Dan, and his wife, Kelly, were left behind to spend the night across from the airport to try to get our donations the next day. Our leader was not with us, but God was. In our weakness, God is strong. Anger and disappointment could have filled our hearts, but God gave us fortitude. We knew that we were on the verge of something bigger than ourselves. To God be the glory for all things.

Ministry started immediately and our time to write this newsletter has been difficult. We have now gone into three villages. Worship in church with one village on Sunday night touched hearts. Lydia and Heather held a small baby while a mother was able to sit in the service undisturbed by the distraction of her very small baby. Soup was served as hungry kids lined up for a delicious meal. Would there even be enough soup in the bowl? One child did not have a bowl. He had come from another village and he had no way to get the special soup that was filled with vitamins and nutrients. One team member realized the problem, and soon a water bottle was cut in half and ironically, the last cup of soup filled his “bowl” – just exactly enough. Did we expect anything different with God? My grace is sufficient….not less, not more ….just enough.

This morning, still missing our leader, we went out to a village to work on the construction of a house and then this afternoon we ministered to the children of another village and fed them soup with watermelon. We also were able to work with a doctor and give out medications to many of the children. We are so blessed by this work.

Our leaders have just arrived. No donations are here yet, but there is a possibility that they will give it back to us tomorrow. Please pray for that. We have everything we need, for we have Christ. I personally have found great joy to see my daughter, Lydia love on children and give her “God moment” as realizing how little they had and how much she did have. For me personally, to see her smile as she loved on children has blessed my heart and am praying for God to touch her heart. I see his hand all over her and ask you to continue to pray.

Nica News 03/13

Hello from Nicaragua! As we wrap up another beautiful day in sunny Nicaragua, Team USNA prepares for a bittersweet departure tomorrow morning. Determined to finish strong, the team jumped into action promptly at 0600, shut off the AC (set to a chilly 80 degrees Fahrenheit), and headfirst into devotionals led by Carrie and Josh. The team meditated on Matthew 6:25-34, then filed in worry-free for breakfast. Nourished both in spirit and in body, the fun began. Alana, Brent, and Bryan shared their testimonies at the radio station, supplemented by a rendition of “The Stand” sung by Brent, Carrie, and Domingo. Meanwhile, the team gathered around the radio to hear and support our brothers and sisters, and a handful (Austin, Eugene, Jackson, Josh and Michael) chopped up onions, peppers, carrots, and garlic with the radio blasting in the kitchen.

Determined to serve in all areas and capacities, the team spent this morning serving at the Casa. We cleaned the tables for the seminary training to take place later on, washed the bus for our journey home tomorrow, and prepared the “training center” to support new life. The team worked hard to clean and till the fields for the next planting. Many rocks were picked up. There were a few casualties (we broke a rake) but luckily no heat casualties in the hot morning. Even the locals agreed that today was an hace calor kind of day. Many breaks were taken, but the team did an excellent job holding each other accountable in the event any member took to social loafing. In the end, the field was beautiful, even, and ready for life. We even ate some of the papayas growing on the nearby trees and survived. Hallelujah! A real joy to work for the Lord, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. It was a real joy for the team to give back to the Casa which has been supporting us this last week. Because we care.

After a delicious lunch from Mama Maria and the crew, the team jocked up one last time for the villages and took off for El Platanal. Everything must go! We packed all of the remaining clothing into black bags of grace and charity and distributed with the passion of a gringo about to depart the country. For the last time this trip, we diffused into the village and engaged the people. Paper airplanes were made (after some hardcore construction that only mechanical engineers on the team could understand), footraces commenced, and many nails were painted. We’re unsure where the initiative began (it was Michael) but the little girls in the village were determined to paint the nails of all male members of the mission team. Unfortunately, there are pictures to prove this event actually did occur. All male participants did conclude that after the experience, they learned a great lesson in humility and refined their masculine identity.

Before returning to the Casa for the night, the team made a quick trip to the local market and supermarket to check out the scene and buy some of the local snacks. Limeades, colas, guava juice, Frescas, and cookies were consumed at la supermarket Shihab. We still don’t know who Mr. Shihab is.

Finally, to top it all off, we celebrated an early birthday for Josh. Brent and Carrie did the honors of smashing an egg on his head before pouring flour on him (as per Nicaraguan tradition). As they as at the Academy, tradition never graduates. It’s been a pleasure recounting today’s adventure with you all. God bless and stay warm!

Nica news 03/11

Day 3:

We started today by sending Eugene, Emily, and Josh to share their testimony on the radio. This not only helped us get to know each other better, it allowed Central America to see how God has worked through their lives.

We were sent to the mountain of Cacao. This was an all day event because of the trip we had to make. There was a half hour drive followed by a 2 hour hike up the mountain. However, we sent the record for fastest time up, we took 1 hour and 14 minutes. On the way up we stopped to see some of the natural sights. The mountains were beautiful and we decided to take some pictures with the mountains in the background. We had a few horses help us carry the clothes and food for the people in the mountains.

When we arrived at the top we met Pastor Santos, the pastor of a church in the mountain area. Many of its members travel for hours to attend services. The church hosted a special service today in which we participated. Pastor Rey held the service and at the end Pastor Santos asked us if we had something to share. Hunter shared his testimony to the congregation. Following this Brent shared his testimony and emphasized the importance or raising children up in Christ. Eugene decided to shared some experiences that God has guided him through over the past two years. The church then prayed for the entire mission team, though we could not understand what was being said (a lot of prayers were occurring simultaneously in Spanish), the presence of God was evident. Jackson concluded the service by sharing with the church what an impact they had on us. It is incredible to realize that every Sunday, there are brothers and sisters around the world who worship the same God.

Following the service we spent about 30 minutes with kids in the village. Some of the girls were painting fingernails again, we passed out candy to children, gave clothes to the church to distribute, and passed around a soccer ball with some of the local kids. Another great day on the mission field! God is good!

Nica News 03/10

Today was our first full day in Somotillo. This morning we saw a little bit of Don’s Marine Corps past as he woke us up by banging on the door and yelling “Wake up, Gringos!” Brent led us all in a devotion of Acts 2:42-47 before we ate a delicious breakfast prepared by Mama Maria.

After breakfast Jackson, Austin and Hunter went to the radio station “Principe de Paz” (which means Prince of Peace) to share their testimonies. They spoke in English while Nidia and Tita (our wonderful translators) translated into Spanish. The rest of the group was back at the home base huddled around the radio listening to our friends tell their story.

Once the three had returned we prepared to go out to the first village of the day, Pascuala. Again, on the way there we threw the donations off of the back of the truck and shouted “Christo te ama!” which means “Jesus loves you!” It is incredible to see the joy on each of their faces as they see our truck approaching. The people here are in such desperate need for basic needs that it is truly humbling to understand how different our lives back home are from their lives here. Yet even though there are many differences between our backgrounds, it is amazing to see how we connect over common ground. The most basic common ground being our intense need for a Savior’s love. But first we meet the people’s physical needs and then from there we are able to transition to sharing the Gospel.

Meeting a physical need is what we did in the morning at Pasquala. We helped patch a family’s home and then paint the outside a vibrant teal blue. This was another humbling experience because the team was able to see inside the family’s home and realize how little they had. These simple contributions to their home made them very happy.

Once the house was completed the team returned to home base for lunch and ate a familiar food of hamburgers! After lunch we ventured out to Villa Esperanza with a doctor. While we were there the doctor was able to see many patients. Emily and Alana helped to distribute some of the medicine to the people. Austin and Carrie helped to prepare the meal for the villagers. The biggest surprise of the afternoon came in the form of a pinata! The children were delighted to see it. Before the fun began, Brent was able to make a wonderful connection between taking down the pinata and taking down idols in our life. With the help of Roger (another one of our wonderful translators), Brent was able to share this with the kids and further present the Gospel to them. Later in the afternoon the boys played soccer with the older village boys. One of the funnier moments happened when a timeout was called due to cows passing through the field. Before they had fully crossed, Derek attempted to score a goal and in the process hit a cow in the head with the soccer ball. Derek would like everyone reading this to know that he did in fact score a goal while doing this. After each soccer game, the boys sit in the shade and cool off. This time is a great opportunity to share with the kids about the Gospel. The kids are always very attentive and seem to want to know more. The girls usually like to connect by painting their nails. This allows for us to be able to connect with them on a one on one level and share Christ with them. Another funny moment happened when one of the little girls asked to paint Michael’s nails. Being the good sport that he is, he agreed. Now he is very stylish with beautiful purple nails.

Upon returning to home base after the afternoon in the village, the team had a little fun competition with a watermelon eating contest. The unexpected winner was Miss Pam! Who knew she had such watermelon eating skills. Hunter represented the Mids well with a close second. At the end of the afternoon the entire group had very red faces, but not due to sunburn but the juicy red watermelon!

The rest of the afternoon and evening consisted of another delicious meal by Mama Maria and relaxing. The team debriefed from the day and shared their “God moment’s.” Tomorrow we will do a 2 hour hike up to Cacau! Please continue to keep the Mids team, Because We Care team and Nicaraguans we will meet in your prayers!

Nica News 03/09

This morning, the team traveled from Managua to Somotillo. We made pretty good time even though there was some traffic (aka cows crossing the road). This was the first time in Nicaragua for many of the team members and, for some, the first time travelling abroad. The team was truly in awe of God’s creation as we journeyed across the country.

Once the team arrived in Somotillo, we got settled into Casa de Shelly and Mama Maria made a delicious lunch. After the team had organized the donation bags, the team headed out to our first village – Laredo.

In Laredo, the team split up to engage with the villagers. Carrie, Alana, and Emily painted nails, played duck duck goose, and shared the gospel using beaded bracelets. The rest of the team took to the pitch and engaged the village children in a match of football (soccer, or some form of it). Michael was relentless on the field scoring goal after goal ending with a hat trick and a fair number of assists to the brave village children who joined the side of the “gringos” (apparently that’s us). The team also had their first experiences interacting with the Nicaraguans in Spanish. Derek told a boy that he “broke his child” instead of saying that he “broke his toe.” The child was horrified, but Domingo saved the day and informed him of Derrick’s error in Spanish.

Overall, it was a fun afternoon in Laredo. We prepared and served a meal in the village, shared the gospel on multiple occasions, and had a good time interacting with villagers despite our broken Spanish. Dinner prepared by Mama Maria was amazing (as always), and we’re heading to church in a couple minutes. The team has thoroughly enjoyed their first day in Nicaragua, and we’re looking forward to the rest of the week!

Nica News 02/07

Today started off with Chris and Bill going to the radio station and giving their testimonies. This was the first time they had done this together. God must have had someone out there that needed to hear the whole story of their relationship together but much more important their relationship with Him. Then Danny did an excellent job wrapping up the program with a word about eternal security.

We then came back to the Casa and began teaching the Nicaraguan pastors. Bill taught 2 John and Chris taught 3 John. The pastors are eager to learn and it was a great privilege to be asked to come and help teach them. The rest of the team spent the morning in the village of Coferdia. The road to Coferdia includes passing by the city dump. This is always an overwhelming sight. There are so many people who are extremely hungry and it is heartbreaking to watch them search through garbage to find something to eat. The team served in the dump and in Coferdia and returned to the Casa.

After we had lunch we went to another village called Las Linas and to feed the people and that is always a fun time but one of sadness. To see so many people in need of just the smallest thing to sustain life saddens ones heart. This was a new village and one where we also found a lot of hungry people today. The line was long and the need was great but God provided for everyone who was there.

Today reminded us of a message that we heard in Honduras this week. Pastor Teodoro preached a message from Psalm 42:1-2, “*As the deer pants for flowing streams so my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”* We have met a lot of hungry people this week. Many people here are hungry for food and we were able to deliver nutrition to them. Many pastors here are hungry for the meat of the word of God and we were able to feed them from the Scriptures. We also met a lot of people who were thirsty for hope and peace and God allowed us to deliver that message to them as well. It makes me wonder how hungry and thirsty we are for God. Do I line up to the word of God everyday as hungry to hear from Him as the people in these villages? Do I come before the throne in prayer with the same hunger for a word from God as these pastors who come to class searching for truth? What about you? When was the last time you came to God as desperate as a mother from Las Linas who pushed her way through the line today to secure food for her family. Are we desperate for God?

Nica News 04/05

Greetings from beautiful Nicaragua!

Our day started off as normal as two missionaries from Bedford, Va. gave their testimonies on Principede de Paz radio. Their sweet southern accents made it interesting for our translators but nothing is too difficult for this talented crew!

Afterwards we, the group from Bedrock Church, headed to Pascuala to make repairs to some houses while our Pastor Chris and his father-in-law Bill trained pastors in Honduras. While some worked on the repairs and painting, others were able to share the Lord with neighbors. We love seeing how beautiful the homes look as we pull away from these lovely people.

In the afternoon, the team we went to a small village of Tajar. The line of parents and children were long as a doctor met with the villagers for a variety of needs. The little girls loved the ribbons we put in their hair, bubbles we blew with them and a little game of Pictionary. God was good as we had plenty of food to feed the villagers with many receiving seconds.

Once we were back at the Casa, a local pastor gave us notice of a 98-year-old woman in the neighborhood outside that recently broke her hip. A few of us went to bring her dinner, some beauty supplies and to pray with her. It was then we learned that she has never received Christ and desired to do so. Pastor Reynaldo from Pricipede de Paz church held her small hand as she prayed to accept the Lord as her savior and read from the book of Psalms. It was a wonderful way to end the day. God cares so much about each of us from the youngest to the oldest.

We are looking forward to a few more days of ministry here in Nicaragua. Donald and our pastors returned from Honduras with great results. 1 – 3 John was taught to a group of around 30 pastors from Honduras and giving a couple a chance to practice a sermon of their own. Prayers are much needed for our teams in the villages and for our Donald, Chris and Bill who are doing the same teachings to pastors here in Nicaragua the next two days.

Nica News

Hola amigos! Today was our last day of service here in Nicaragua! And it was also Daniel’s birthday! Our day started with a devotional by Zach which was out of Matthew 25:31-40. Zach reminded us that we are compelled to share the gospel in all places and with all people, even when it may seem unsafe and even if the people may not seem loveable. This was an excellent reminder for our team because we visited the jail in Somotillo later in the morning.

After another delicious breakfast we started our day of work again on the farm. Once again today we were clearing a field by picking up hay and burning it. After we finished working in the field we went to the jail in Somotillo. It was an awesome opportunity to remind the prisoners that no matter what wrong they had done in the past God still loves them. We were also able to give them a meal, soap, and other supplies to help clean up. Please be praying for the men in the jail and the opportunities Because We Care will have to minister and love them in the future.

After leaving the jail we returned to Casa de Shelly for lunch and then headed out to San Antonio. Yesterday a small boy from a nearby village called San Antonio came to Casa de Shelly asking for some food for his family. Donald decided that because of this today we would go bring some food and spend some time with the people there this afternoon.

Some highlights from San Antonio include that Rob was able to interactively share the gospel with a group of boys with the “gospel bracelets” we made before we left the United States. Rob and Jesse also asked the group if they would be willing to give a bracelet and tell the gospel to someone else. Three of the oldest boys in the group agreed! Additionally Danielle and Zach we able to paint many nails for the village girls. Ryan, Rob and Jesse served food to the village and all of the food was eaten, everyone was able to get at least one bowl of food. We are very thankful that God is constantly giving us guidance about who and how we can serve, it is a pleasure to know that San Antonio was well fed today.

Additionally, on the trip home from the village we passed out more clothes and candy. We even passed a bus and were able to throw some items to the people on the bus. Upon returning to Casa de Shelly we all went to visit the clinic. While there we toured the facility and talked with the doctor and Pastor Diomedes. They were able to tell us some of the history about the clinic, how it was built, how it is being used and also about how much it is needed in this community. It is exciting to hear about how God has provided for Because We Care and how He continues to give them more and more opportunities to serve.

This evening we celebrated Daniel’s birthday! Casa de Shelly was decorated with balloons and we all played “pin the tail on the donkey”. The kitchen staff also made Daniel a delicious chocolate-coconut cake which we got to enjoy as part of our dinner.

As tonight is our last night in Nicaragua it is sure to be a time of reflection about all that has happened this week. Please continue to pray for Aletheia College Park, Because We Care and for our trip home to Maryland tomorrow. Thanks!