Since I stayed in Nicaragua this Christmas my primary objective was to visit and catch up with all of the friends I’ve hardly seen since the school year started.  The past two weeks have been RICH in fellowship, heart to heart talks, laughter, tears and yes… coffee.

I love and cherish every moment that has been spent over my break with people.   I feel refreshed and revived.  What an exciting way to start out 2010.

Today I took my truck to my mechanic. Bismark is a brother from one of the churches that we work with and has been a true blessing to our base not only with his mechanic skills but also with his amazing testimony.

Last Spring Bismark’s wife died suddenly. It is customary in Nicaragua that there is an all night visitation that starts pretty much right away. Family, friends, church members etc come and comfort and pray with the family and then a burial service is generally the following day. As we heard the news last year our hearts sank as we mourned the loss of a dear sister. Our prayers went out to Bismark and his sons as they grieved. As I went to the “vela” visitation and talked with Bismark I was left speechless at he gave testimony to God’s power, purpose, peace and provision in the midst of this difficult challenge. I thought that I was going to give words of comfort and encouragement to a hurting brother but in turn left awestruck by the power of our great God and His testimony through Bismark’s trust in Him.

Back to today… Bismark and I were chatting and I asked him how his holidays were know that they were very different for him and his boys this year. He shared that it has been difficult and that he has felt strange these past few weeks without his wife around. As we both shared tears and a prayer together Bismark gave praise to the Lord for providing a moment to talk and share what he is experiencing. He is taking comfort from the words of David in the Psalms during these days.
Psalm 77
11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12 I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?

14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.

Please pray for God’s peace and comfort to reign in Bismark’s life and home.

God I thank you that you have made us relational people and that you provide people to talk to when we need it most. Thank you for always being our Rock and Provider.

What a precious reminder that ministry is not necessarily the doing but the being that is most felt and has the greatest impact.

Are we friends again?

Okay, good!  Now here’s a run-down of all of the latest news from the Babcock household:

• As you know, August wrapped up our summer tsunami of short-term mission teams. Between us, Amber and I served with three mission teams in July and August (Amber with two medical teams, me with one of the medical teams and one you team). You can read all about these short-term teams in our last “Field Notes” newsletter.
• September was supposed to be a recovery month, but it turned out to be just as busy as the summer slam! My aunt (Dawn) and uncle (Keith) called us to let us know that they were flying to China to adopt their new daughter (Sarah). The news was not unexpected, but sudden (the Chinese government sent word that Sarah was ready and that they should come and get her…now!). They were in a bind to find someone to watch their three boys (ages 13, 11, and 9) for the two weeks while they were away. We decided it would be good practice for us; we hopped on a plane and flew to Northwest Florida! For two weeks we were acting mom and dad…and teachers (they home school)…and chauffeurs (to piano lessons, soccer, and football).  And we were honored to be the welcoming committee when Keith, Dawn, and Sarah arrived!
• During and after our two weeks in Florida, Amber worked diligently on researching and applying for grants for the Nueva Imagen ministry.  She’s been doing an incredible job — along with Hellen Castro — at caring for the women and working on their behalf. The goal is to see that all of the women in the Nueva Imagen program have the resources they need to leave “the life” and become self-sufficient, fully devoted followers of Christ. We’re praying and believing that God will provide for the needs of the women and for Hellen as she serves in the ministry full-time.
• Last week the CFCI-Nicaragua team participated in two days of 2009 evaluating and 2010 planning. It was a productive time of looking back at what God accomplished — through us and in spite of us! — and looking forward to mission teams and ministry opportunities in the upcoming year.
• This weekend we will be serving in a national medical outreach in a rural area of Nicaragua. While I’ve been on numerous medical mission teams, this will be my first national outreach. I’m looking forward to working in the pharmacy and seeing patients get the medicine they need. Please join us in praying for a fruitful outreach, with many Nicaraguans receiving medical attention and hearing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Now you’re caught up!  I promise to be more diligent in posting blog updates; be on the look-out for October’s e-newsletter, coming up in the next couple of weeks. As always, thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Que Dios les bendiga.

My short term Mission Trip to Nicaragua was a great experience.  I was blessed to have had such the wonderful host family of Jorge and Ninfa Rodriguez and their four children plus a great roommate.  Two of the children gave up their beds for us.

Our host family radiated not only their love for each other, but a strong faith that generated concern and love for whomever they came in contact with.  Ninfa lead their 17 year old son to the Lord the night before we came.  She was so happy to share that with us. While working with our church, Iglesia Bautista Hebron, we went out to San Benito and I saw my “mother”, going to the casitas, sharing God’s gift and inviting them to the service. She also prayed for whatever need they had.  At the end of the service, there was an altar call and she went forward and explained the gospel to a man with a small child.  Jorge and Ninfa shared their testimony on how they came to know the Lord 14 years ago, but their excitement for things of the Lord was like it happened yesterday.  Last, but certainly not least, Ninfa was a good cook.  I hope to try some of the dishes out on my family.

Carey, a real asset to CFCI, is a very caring person and is about the age of my daughters.  We got along well and we shared concerns for our own families.  She taught our team what was right and wrong in the Nica-culture.  She and Fabricio are great leaders and know how to take care of situations as they arise.

The church has such a great sense on how to minister to the community.  They may not have all the conveniences that some churches have in the States, but they get so much work done for the Lord.  Working with CFCI and La Iglesia Bautista Hebron I was stretched in several ways far beyond my comfort zone.  I thank God for the opportunity to serve Him, but certainly I was blessed above and beyond anything I could have thought of.  The Nicaraguan people and CFCI will be in my prayers and will always have a special place in my heart.

Rachael Higgins
Bethel Christian Church
San Francisco,  CA

• Day 1 - Monday, July 27 - The team arrives. Tip Top for dinner. Nicaragua’s fast food chicken place is a hit. (It always is!)
• Day 2 - Tuesday, July 28 - Orientation to Nica culture, quick tour of Managua, 2-hour bus ride to Rivas to meet our host families from La Iglesia Lluvias de Gracia.
• Day 3 - Wednesday, July 29 - VBS for an orphanage across the street from Lluvias de Gracia. The kids have a blast. We do too. Soccer night w/ the youth group. Fun day!!!
• Day 4 - Thursday, July 30 - Singing and visiting w/ the sweet folks at a nursing home. Training workshop for youth group leaders. Nica+Chele worship service = amazing.
• Day 5 - Friday, July 31 - Host families treat us to a San Juan Del Sur beach day. We say our goodbyes and head to a weekend youth retreat on the shores of Lake Nica.
• Day 6 - Saturday, August 1 - Sleep? Who needs sleep?! Operating on adrenaline, the Holy Spirit, & fumes, we sing, praise, play, and laugh all day & night w/ 38 campers.
• Day 7 - Sunday, August 2 - We close the camp w/ a rousing “Mega Relay Race”. Great connections, friendships formed during the weekend. We’re off to Ometepe Island.
• Day 8 - Monday, August 3 - “Debrief Day” on Ometepe. Re-lax-a-tion. Some ride horses. Some nap in hammocks. I opt for reading/floating on the lake. Back to Managua.
• Day 9 - Tuesday, August 4 - After a nice farewell dinner, sharing time, and all-night games for *some* team members (not me!), we’re off to the airport at 5 a.m.!

I hope this gives you a nice snapshot of the mission trip! If you’re a member of the Seacoast team, the Lluvias de Gracia host families, or the youth retreat campers and would like to share your thoughts on the week in 140 characters or less, please comment here!

Are you one of those who has been deeply moved by your experience with your Nica family?  Tell us about it.

Six years ago while working with short term team at Iglesia Bautista Hebron in Managua I stayed with a lovely woman named Amanda.  She was a older woman who had been widowed.   We spent the week sharing stories about our families, dreams and struggles in life.   Amanda shared about her desire to have her son come back home and re-dedicate his life to the Lord.   She asked the three of us who were staying with her to pray for her son to return.

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Since that summer when I stayed with Amanda I have not seen or talked to her but as the Lord brought her and her son to mind I prayed for them both. When I have visited her church I have looked for her and wondered how things were going.   Just a few weeks ago I saw Amanda again.  She greeted me with a gigantic hug and was so excited to share wonderful news with me.  Her son has not only come back home but has come back to the Lord.  He is happily serving in the church by playing the keyboard with the worship team.   Amanda was bubbling over with excitement to have her son home and to know that he is now serving the Lord.  He has been back in the church for over a year now.  He has a beautiful wife and son.   There is lots of happiness, rejoicing  and laughter that now fill Amanda’s house.

Every year on July 19, hundreds of people from all over the country gather at Plaza La Fe (also known as Plaza de la Revolución) in Managua to commemorate a historical and inspiring event: the fall of the militarized Somaza family dictatorship. This family ruled the country in a harsh and unscrupulous way for more than four decades. The dynasty was overthrown after the National Sandinista Revolution, which took place when people from all sectors – workers, businessmen, peasants, students, and guerrillas – joined forces and finally defeated the Somoza dynasty and the National Guard on July 19, 1979.

This year’s celebration promises to be especially grandiose since it is number 30, plus the first major anniversary since Daniel Ortega’s election to the presidency in 2007. Parties are planned for Saturday night, all day Sunday and in to Monday (which is a federal holiday). Think of this weekend as Nicaragua’s 4th of July…with a lot more fireworks!

For personal reasons (my disdain for traffic), not for political ones (which you can probably figure out), we will be staying far away from Central Managua this weekend. But if we see anything particularly interesting on the news or online, we’ll be sure to post some stories, links, and pictures.

• Day 1 - Sunday, June 7 - The team arrives from Charleston. Carey and I pick them up at the airport in our big, white school bus. They’re impressed. Domino’s pizza.
• Day 2 - Monday, June 8 - We discuss Nica culture, tour Managua, go to Villa El Carmen to meet our Nica fams. @chrisrus is bitten by his family’s dog w/in minutes!
• Day 3 -Tuesday, June 9 - We’re relieved to see that @chrisrus hasn’t transformed into a werewolf. Soccer & games w/ local teenagers & kids. A rockin’ church service.
• Day 4 - Wednesday, June 10 - Door-to-door evangelism & prayer in the community. VBS for 100 Nica kids. Spontaneous water balloon fight & piñata riot. Everyone survives.
• Day 5 - Thursday, June 11 - Swimming at the local watering hole w/ our Nica families. A second rockin’ church service. Sadness about leaving our families the next day.
• Day 6 - Friday, June 12 - “Hasta luego, Villa El Carmen!” HUGE soccer outreach at a Managua university in 100-degree heat. A cold shower has never felt so good.
• Day 7 - Saturday, June 13 - Another soccer outreach: juice, Gatorade, smiles, stories, testimonies for everyone! Great conclusion. Dessert w/ the @CFCI_Nicaragua staff.
• Day 8 - Sunday, June 14 - Debrief Day. Chillaxing on Laguna de Apoyo. Shopping and quesillo-tasting in Catarina. Trying to process a wonderful week in Nicaragua.
• Day 9 - Monday, June 15 - We load up our big, white school bus & head to the airport. It’s early. Very early. We all say goodbye & express our wishes to do it all again!

This doesn’t cover everything (actually, it’s only a snippet!), but I’m learning to practice what I preach to mission teams and others. That is, use the the Five B’s of Public Speaking…and Blogging: Be Brief, Baby, Be Brief! So to make a short story a little bit longer, I’ll just say that it was an amazing week. I’m grateful to the Seacoast team and all of the Nicaraguan families and volunteers who touched our hearts this week. Most of all, I’m thankful to God for all He’s doing in Nicaragua!

(To the eleven awesome team members from Seacoast, if you have any reflections from the week to share — in 140 characters or less! — please share!)

Car trouble inevitably follows me wherever I go and whatever vehicle I seem to be driving. Thankfully I seem to learn a lot about cars in the process and get to see God work in incredible ways.

On Tuesday I took my truck to Jason, a missionary mechanic to replace the clutch that was going out. There was a little bit of a time crunch because the truck is needed Friday to go out to the boonies for a medical outreach. Jason assured me that he could get the truck done no problem by Friday at noon. Wednesday night I was babysitting Jason’s two kids and he told me that he was having a lot of trouble getting some bolts loose. He spent 4 hours working on them and in the process broke a few tools. He assured me that they had a plan and that he was still going to get it done in time and not to worry. I wasn’t worried but did submit the need to the Lord in prayer.

I shared the situation with the staff at Christ for the City and we all prayed about it on Thursday. Jason told me today that he went in on Thursday morning and was able to get the bolts loose in about 20 minutes. God loosened the screws and allowed Jason to get the job done. It is impressive to see the details that our God attends to in each of our lives. Jason told me that he was worried that things were not going to go back together very easily. Today as I picked up the truck Jason shared that everything went back together really easily. Praise the Lord for His mighty hand over the screws, mechanics, tools and people in His service.

A little side note. The tools that broke were under warranty in Canada and will be replaced too!

Please pray for the medical outreach this weekend and for the Seacoast 20’s team that is coming in on Sunday. Nathan and I will be gone with them all week. It’s going to be a fun and adventurous week.

Here are some of our summer interns loading up the truck for the medical outreach

The day was wonderful, and although I was facilitating the training, I learned quite a bit myself during it. We traveled out to a pineapple farm in Ticauntepe for the day. Although traffic slowed us down and messed with our logistical plans for our arrival and muddy roads combined with water puddles that could be mistaken for small ponds all provided obstacles, we all arrived in one piece with smiles. It was hard to step out of the car and not feel surrounded by God’s presence and peace as I observed the beauty of mountains covered in pineapple plants. I felt God warm my heart and reassure me that the day was in God’s hands.

We began the day with a brief meditative worship session in a small ranchero overlooking the farm. We all shared the things we were thankful for, took quiet time to ask God to remove any obstacles keeping us from God, and prayed that God would prepare each of our hearts completely for ministry. We then moved into learning about the four key components of leadership and how they directly applied to moving forward with Nueva Imagen. As the women were sharing their vision for the ministry I was blown away by their hearts for serving women who are currently working in the sex industry. It is clear that their hearts have each been broken by something that has broken God’s heart and they have been filled with God’s restorative love to bring each of God’s sheep into the fold. When the day was over and we were heading home I knew the women realized they now had a lot on their to-do lists to accomplish, but that with God’s direction and love, mountains can move. I have been honored and humbled to see a pocket of God’s work in motion through the restoring work Nueva Imagen is actively doing in the world. As Matthew 6:10 reads: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” God’s Kingdom is visible on earth and can be seen in glimpses through the loving hearts of the women of Nueva Imagen.

It was a day I won’t forget as I reflect on my time with Christ for the City: a day mixed with laughter, learning, games, challenges, relationship building, flat tires, muddy roads, and ultimately a day that God worked within each of our hearts to build the capacity of Nueva Imagen.