Nica News 4/11

Another great day on the mission field has come to an end! This day has been very eventful and produced some fruit of a different kind. Today there was no village outreach, no watermelon eating contests, no slingshots, no painting fingernails, or other events that we are used to on a typical day in Nicaragua. Instead we spent the entire day teaching, serving, fellowshipping, and encouraging 12 pastors. 10 pastors from Nicaragua and 2 pastors from Honduras joined us at the Casa for a crash course in Christology and Homiletics. We spent the morning walking through the humanity of Jesus and understanding his role as prophet. After a traditional Nicaraguan lunch we rolled up our sleeves and dug into 2 Kings 18:1-6 and discovered a great 4 point message. We are all learning from each other and it is our desire to “present ourselves to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Perhaps the God moment of the day came as we wrapped up the first day of the pastors conference and went to spend the afternoon in the village of Ojoche. We went to the village in order to really understand the heart of a great pastor named Benancio. We all sat under some shade trees and chatted about life, church, and ministry. The more that Benancio talked the more I heard his vision and the more I recognized a kindred spirit. I would love to have Benancio at a Bedrock staff meeting! He has a similar vision to ours and is a church planter at heart. In fact I think we should rename this church “Bedrock: Nicaragua campus”! They are serving their village in creative ways and reaching out to neighboring villages. Please join me in praying for the village of Ojoche, the village of Dulce Nombre De Jesus, and the village of La Ceiba. Pray for the 40 members of his church and the 10 leaders that make up his team.

The day ended with a delicious chicken stew and brownies by Pam! After a Skype date with my family it was off to bed to rest up for another full day tomorrow. Just another amazing day on the mission field.