Nica News

Good evening everyone! We just wanted to give y’all a quick update on what is going on down here so far. We have gone into two villages and church with Don, Pam, and the team already. The people down here are so caring, loving, genuine, and hopeful. The Lord continues to work down here, and today, the men on the team started to prepare a piece of land to build a house for a member at the local church.

The women were able to visit El Puma Baptist School providing gifts and love. This is a huge blessing to his family because the home they are currently living in is in shambles, and they do not have enough space for their family. We are reminded that God is the ultimate provider as the scripture says in Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Also, Doctor Carolina came out with us to Las Mesas and was able to see over 50 mothers and their children, we handed out their prescription medicine as well as bags of rice and toiletries. Our team was also able to feed over two hundred people and some even had seconds! We praise God for allowing us to serve at the school and the village today and we pray that we had an impact in their hearts.

Today in Nicaragua was an exceptionally eventful day. the missionaries started out the morning with a brief devotion on the fruits of the spirit, followed by an excellent breakfast of fried eggs. After that, several team members went to the radio station to share their testimony, and to sing and play during a time of brief worship. When they returned, the groups split up, the girls went to a village called El Platanal, while the guys stayed at Casa de Shelly. ————While the girls were doing these activities with the villagers as an outreach activity, the guys were busy doing work at Casa de Shelly. There is no shortage of things to do in Casa de Shelly, whether it be a goat-pin that is in sore need of repair, hay that needs to be spread, or piles of trash and dung that need to be dumped, the missionaries were up for the task. The heat was particularly bad today. It seemed hotter than either of the last two days. Whether it was the humidity or the heat, or more likely a combination of both, it was hot. On the upside however, there was no earthquake today, and we did not have to push our trucks up a hill like yesterday.

The drive down to the village was beautiful, and surprisingly clean. The mountains we were driving through were nothing like the blue ridge that we know, but beautiful all the same. when we arrived at the village, everyone was taken aback by how clean the village was. A storm however was brewing on the horizon. After the missionaries got set up, the community flooded out of the woodwork to meet us. A lot of things got set up very quickly, and with the threat of an impending storm, the makeshift medical clinic set up in the church across the street from where the trucks set up. After we shared testimonies and served the soup to the townspeople, we distributed both throw bags full of supplies to the townspeople and had enough leftover to throw out to the kids on the side of the road on our ride out. Luckily for us, the rain held off and we had no problems interacting with the townspeople, but of course, is there a such thing as luck when doing God’s work? All-in-all it was an great day, and the Kingdom of God grew in it, both in us the missionaries and in the townspeople who made professions of faith!

Greetings and blessings from Somatillo, Nicagagua! This week we have two missionary teams from Southwestern Virginia ministering out of Casa de Shelly. While most of the team members this week have been to Nicaragua before, we do have a few who have made their first trip and it has been exciting to see them settling in and contributing to the ministry effort. On Sunday afternoon we traveled from Managua to Somotillo and then hit the ground running by making a visit to the remote village of Esperanza. We had a great time of fun, fellowship and food and we ended with an outdoor worship service led by Pastor Reynaldo. We never get tired of seeing people of all ages from the villages interacting with our missionaries. Before we left the States we discussed as a group how important it was to be intentional and put aside any natural shyness and timidity and to look for every opportunity to plant the seeds of God’s love and caring with everyone we meet; you never know how the seeds of today may grow up to be the oaks of faith for tomorrow!

After we returned from Esperanza we had another great meal prepared by Mama Maria and her talented team. Then we loaded up the bus and headed out again, but this time for just a short drive over to one of the local churches were we celebrated Sunday evening services with some of the locals from Somatillo. If you’ve never experienced a "singing" at a Nica church, you certainly are in for a treat. But it wasn’t backwards like you’d think; the worship team had electronic instruments and a powerful sound system to send out praises to God – and they make sure it is loud enough for the surrounding neighbors to hear. Then Pastor Reynaldo delivered the Word of God again at this church and he was inspired. We all had a great time and afterwards we made sure to walk around and meet as many of the locals as time would allow. They are all so polite and grateful for our presence – it seemed almost as if we were at our home away from home.

Today (Monday), we sent a team of five missionaries to the local radio station to share their testimonies — we even had an eight year old from Virginia tell about how she was saved but still wanted to continue to know the Lord better and better! We then broke up in groups with some of the men working on the grounds around the Casa that were in dire need of some TLC, another group went out to buy firewood from a vendor in Esperanza, and the ladies went to the village of Casa Blanca and walked the streets ministering to those they encountered there. After lunch we drove to another distant village for ministry; this time to the village of El Laredo. What can I say but that we had an amazing time of fun and fellowship – it seemed the entire village came out and everyone was doing something. There was a heated whiffle ball game, football, giant bubble blowing, fingernail painting, the medical team was taking care of those who had needs, we had a huge crowd come out for the chicken stew that the ministry team prepared and we ended the day with a water ballon fight – the kids, young and old, had a great time cooling down from the hot afternoon. Tomorrow we will start again, but I’m sure that no one from this team will ever forget their first full day on the Nicaragua mission field.

What a blessing to serve early this week in the villages of Pascuala, San Miguelito and Casa Blanca. The mission teams from Bedrock Roanoke and North Main Baptist began Monday by bringing the gospel to the village school in Pascuala. The villagers of Pascuala came together with the missionaries to clean, cut grass in the school yard and pick up rocks to fix the entrance to the school. Another part of the mission team performed a drama of the parable of the lost sheep from Luke 15. The students and teachers were hungry to hear about the Good Shepherd, Jesus, that cares for each one of them us. The gospel reached the heart of several students who accepted Jesus as their Savior. The people of the villages brought there bowls to receive a healthy soup. As missionaries from the states we are reminded daily of resources that we so often take for granted. It is truly an honor to serve here in Nicaragua and with Because We Care Ministries. It is here in Somotillo that we strive to follow the words of Jesus that he spoke to his disciples, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."

Pastor training continued today in Choluteca, Honduras. Pastor Fred led the morning session teaching inductive Bible study methods for large portions of scripture. These include biographical studies, book studies and thematic studies. In the afternoon session, Pastor Donald led the student on how to prepare a sermon. We had 34 pastors in attendance at this site and will continue at two other sites the next two days. The pastors are eager to attend and learn how to better communicate the truths of the Bible to their parishioners.

Hola from the beautiful mission field of Somotillo, Nicaragua. We have decided THE HEAT…IS HOT!! Delirium is now in full swing. The three FBC amigos are hanging tough. The last three days have begun with a time of sharing testimonies, worship in song and bible teaching from Principe de Paz radio station. We’ve then moved to the site where we have been working with tthe BWCM team to complete the house for a local school teacher and her children. Our afternoons have been filled ministering in the villages of Esperanza, La Danta, San Francisco and today at La Fragua, sharing the gospel in each and every village and seeing fruit as the Holy Spirit leads.

The evenings consist of reflecting and sharing our "God Moments" around the dinner table as a way of giving Him the glory for all He has done. Life changing "moments" for sure; our challange for all of us is always remember what we’ve learned and experienced here.
Love to all, from "the 3 amigos"

ps. God Bless you all, and the man who invented Gatorade:)

I invite you to join me…..Please see attachments

Please watch this video….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1a1fcAoQQA

Certainly we should count our blessings but more than anything we should be praying for our brothers and sisters in Honduras and Nicaragua.

Roots Make a Strong Foundation

“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.” Psalm 127:1

There was a lot of foundation laying today for us Mids. In the beginning, Don preached about the importance of a strong foundation after four testimonies were read on the radio this morning. A tree only stands because of its roots he said. That is why no matter the strength of the wind a tree cannot be blown over. Those roots are the foundation of the tree and unfortunately the foundation of the place we were trying to dig. When we jumped out of the truck that morning ready for a day of digging and the wise words of Don took on a whole new meaning to us. Shovel by shovel we dug out the foundation of the house and encountered the holy roots of that land. Those roots did not want to go! Thankfully, midshipmen are more stubborn than roots and rocks. We eventually won against the land, clearing out those pesky roots and rocks. The foundation was laid for the house. Our success was fueled by Mama Maria’s delicious breakfast.

We visited the village of Cana Fistola after lunch (once again another delicious meal from Mama Maria). Driving in we noticed the dogs were a little fatter and the cattle a little more plumb. Today there was no large field for playing games but never the less the games were played. The street was teeming with activity. A group of little boys shadowed by tall Mids played soccer. Groups of giggling girls had their nails painted or their hair braided. A single kite floated past as a little boy sprinted down the road trailed by his friends. Balloons lazily floated up then down, up then down, as small dirty hands smacked them back and forth. We seemed to have gotten into our grove as a group visiting these villages. We each had an idea of what we wanted to do or say to these little children to show our love. At a point in the evening a group of girls and boys gathered and they heard the gospel through the use of the Wordless Book (a small circular book that used colors to show God’s unfailing love). The children sat quietly, their eyes big as a familiar story was told once more. Then another story was told, the story of Job. The call for food came and everyone ran to the lines with their hands full of bowls, cups, and containers. Each container was a different color, shape, and size. It reminded me of just how unique each of those children were and that God had made them perfectly in his image. The children happily sat down with their sopa de pollo. Slurping and dripping they consumed the healthy meal grinning ear to ear. The last few minutes of play consisted of bubbles, borrowed Go-pro cameras, and soccer. We hopped back into trucks ready to pour donations out to the people lining the roads. They ran down the roads smiling and chasing the trucks catching shirts, pants, and shoes from the hot air.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway we heard the call to go hiking. We quickly filled our bottles of water thinking of the stories we had heard of this infamous climb. Arriving at the bottom of this hill the climb looked daunting but we were ready for anything! We started up and before we knew it (we were of course sweating and barely able to breathe) we had reached the top. Our feat was well rewarded by the amazing view. We stood on top of a building looking out every direction at the beautiful landscape that could have only been painted by God himself. We saw farms, fires, volcanoes, and cattle roaming the countryside. The immense beauty we saw could not justified by any picture but we took some anyway. What’s a spring break trip without a selfie or two? We learned the history of the building we stood on and the claim God had to that building. We all gathered to pray for one another and each other’s countries. We were told that God always looked upon this building with favor. As we stood so close to the radiant blue sky it seemed as if God certainly did hear us. Our week here is going by so fast and none of us seem to want it to end. Pray that the next two days are filled with God’s glory, not only for the Nicaraguan people but also for those who are relishing in the newfound beauty of this country. God bless!

Nica news Day 2

The morning we were blessed with today was glorious. Birds were singing in the trees outside and we were all captivated by the morning’s splendor and we drank our Nicaraguan coffee. The boys went on a run and became acquainted with the dogs and roosters at the mission complex. Our daily devotion was Matthew 4:18-20 and focused on our identity, faith, and our response to that faith as we go through our week in Nicaragua.

At 8 o’clock Tony, Megan, Derek, and Lawson went to the Principa de Paz radio station to give their testimonies, which reached 3 countries in Central America. Being able to tell that story over the radio was incredible. There will be another group going tomorrow as well. This morning the whole team went to the riverbed to shovel out two truckloads of sand to make concrete for the foundation for a house. The concrete will be poured in a few days. While we were working we saw many herds of cows coming to what was left of the river to drink and cool off. The cows here have the biggest floppy ears!

This afternoon we went to the village of Laredo. The first thing we noticed was the huge baseball field that was next to all of the houses. When the truck stopped all of the children ran up. The boys sprinted off to play baseball and the girls ran up and grabbed our hands to make friends, paint nails, and braid hair. There was one point in the afternoon when we looked over to baseball field and saw the guys circled up praying with the village boys and young men. During our time in the village we feel that we had a special connection with the people there and watching God work there today was incredible. God Bless

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.1 Corinthians 15:58

In May of 2015 God lead us to purchase the school in Pascuala. We as a ministry have spent many hours in prayer seeking Gods guidance and provisions. Tomorrow school will start a new year with 44 elementary students. Praise God for all the partners that have help over the past couple months repairing, painting and providing school supplies. All the students have received 2 uniforms, shoes and all the supplies needed for their first few weeks of the new year. All the class rooms have new white boards and two teachers have new desk. Praise God for all HIS provisions.

Thank you for your support, prayers and provisions. Please pray daily for our teachers, students and parents. TO GOD BE THE GLORY…..