• 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.

As you probably know by now, I serve with a Christ for the City partner ministry called Nueva Imagen. Nueva Imagen reaches out to women working in the commercial sex industry in Managua.  The ministry is going through a major transition period.  Helen Goatley, the ministry’s founder, returned to her native New Zealand earlier this month.  Nueva Imagen is also going through a physical transition period: we moved out of our former building to a new one that we can use rent-free. The idea is to have as little overhead as possible, focusing on building structure into the ministry, forming the leadership team and a work plan for the women. God has graciously and miraculously provided us with a location to meet for as long as we need it — until Nueva Imagen has its own ministry center.

Ellen Ranson is a short-term missionary in Nicaragua. She has been here since January, helping with Nueva Imagen. She has been an amazing asset to the team and has a passion for working with the women. Earlier this week, Ellen facilitated a leadership training workshop for the Nueva Imagen leadership team. All of us — myself included! — came away with new tools and insights for the ministry. Specifically, we learned the four components of leadership:

1. Vision
2. Communication
3. Empowerment
4. Action

Ellen led us in an activity called “the vision tree” where we expressed our ideas about what Nueva Imagen’s vision is and should be. Then we thought about the resources we have — and the ones we will need — to achieve that vision. We realized that we need to start communicating the vision and offering sensitivity training to local churches. We are going to start the action portion of Ellen’s leadership workshop next week.

[Ellen and the Nueva Imagen leaders: Reina, her baby Tania, Xiomara, Hellen, and Amber.]

Nueva Imagen’s vision is to provide holistic attention to women transitioning from one lifestyle to a new life in Christ. But we need partners to make that vision reachable.

Please pray about giving to the Nueva Imagen ministry.

Your gifts will help sponsor women while they are in the rehabilitation process. Your support will cover food and basic needs for the ladies and their children, discipleship, job training, seminars on how to manage their finances, medical attention, spiritual attention and inner healing. Also, the gifts will pay for supplies for the weekly Bible study, support for Xiomara (who left prostitution 8 years ago, has been transformed, and now has a calling to reach out to women on the street!), legal fees (as we try to have the ministry recognized as a nonprofit by the Nicaraguan government), gas (so that we can make home visits), special events (such as birthdays and Mother’s Day), and all other operating expenses.

If you feel led to partner with Nueva Imagen, please visit CFCI’s onling giving page or mail your donations to the address below, specifiying “Nicaragua Nueva Imagen Project”:

Christ For the City International (CFCI)

PO Box 390395

Omaha, NE 68139-0395

Thank you for your prayers and support for the women of Nueva Imagen!!!

This month Christ for the City Nicaragua celebrates our 7th anniversary er uh Birthday.  I am not really sure which one it is! Nonetheless, we are 7 years young. It is remarkable to reflect on all the things that God has done through His servants here in Nicaragua in such a short time.

Since the idea of planting a base in Nicaragua first came about, God’s fingerprints have been all over the work of this ministry. From getting the Fuentes’s and Amanda’s stuff across the border from Costa Rica when they first moved, to the provision of many wonderful relationships with great pastors and leaders all over the country. We’ve had the privelage of having more than 20 missionaries work with Christ for the City in Nicaragua — not to mention the thousand’s of team members that have blessed the churches, families, and leaders here during the past seven years. We are so thankful for God’s great work — and that He continues to equip us for each new day of ministry. Thank you so much for your continued prayers — for seven years now! — for Christ for the City International, Nicaragua.

Last weekend I went with some friends to some islands on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. As many of you may have heard me say before the Atlantic coast is like a different country. There are a lot more darker skinned Nicaraguans and Spanish is not the primary language. The east coasters speak a Creole English. The English they use is sometimes hard to understand but very fun to listen to. While many of them speak English I also learned through making friends with Jenny at the corner store that they had Spanish classes too while they were in school. Although not everyone speaks both. I often found myself confused as to what language I should speak. I would start a sentence in Spanish because that is what I am accustomed to and then end in English because I wasn’t sure they were understanding me.

This was a neat experience. Aimee, Kate and I went on a walk up to a look out one morning and we passed by a school. I was amazed by the things I saw on the walls in the classrooms. It appeared that learning was really taking place. After seeing so many Nicaraguan classrooms that are sterile environments filled with caos and lots of confusion it was encouraging to see. While learning is a definite positive thing not all learning is correct. Here is the sign that was on the door to one of the classrooms. What do you think it says?

Can you read it? Welcome to Second Grade! I am pretty sure that this teacher has taught her class that this is the correct spelling. There were several other things on the wall in the classroom that indicated that this was the case. Now, while one could get hung up on the fact that these students are learning how to write and read English incorrectly I have to say that I am happy that they are actually learning to read and write at all. There are many others who will not have the same opportunities as these kids. While it may not be the best at least it is something.

Seeing this sign further motivates me to help Nicaraguan teachers learn more and be more effective in their classrooms. They have such limited time to impact the lives of their students not only academically but spiritually and emotionally too.

Here are some other pictures from the beautiful Atlantic coast as well.

In the past week we have seen that our time investment in the teachers at Hosanna Sur has been worth every minute. This week several teachers shared personal things with us and also were more open in sharing what God is doing in their lives. When we started this whole thing my prayer has always been that we would build friendships and relationships first. God has answered that prayer in so many ways.

I praise God for the time that He gave Julie and I to be with the teachers on Friday. Opportunities to encourage the teachers and for the language barrier to not be an issue in sharing the info we wanted to share were answers to prayer. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for the work here.

Please continue to pray for the work in the schools as we continue to help and encourage the teachers at Hosanna Sur.

But especially for this week and this team, we’re asking for your prayers for good health and safety. The heat index forecast for Rivas this week is well over 100 degrees. That’s hot. That kind of heat doesn’t usually mix well with “Cheles“! Pray for everyone to stay hydrated and as cool as possible!

Below is a map of Nicaragua — to give you an idea of where in the world the team will be. (Rivas is in the southwest courner of the country.) Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers this week!

Just after delivering the cake, I went to the airport to pick up a friend. On the way home, we pulled into McDonalds (the only one in Nicaragua.) Usually, there are several small children who hang out there in the parking lot, waiting for leftovers. It can be pretty hard to enjoy your food, knowing they are out there. I stayed in the car while my friend ran in to grab some dinner to go. On this particular night, a small boy was sitting on the concrete wall with a small container of change. He amused himself by dumping the coins in his hand, looking at them and then returning them to the little tube, firmly closing the lid each time. I amused myself by watching him. I was pretty tired from making the cake and driving through city traffic at dark, so I quietly rolled down my window and stared at this little soul, all alone. After resting a moment, I started to talk with him a little bit, asking his age and name. Before pulling away, I was able to add to his coin collection and tell him that Jesus loves him. I was pleased to see someone that looked like his mother appear with other siblings, as I was leaving. It is always difficult to know what to do with this sort of situation. Do we want to promote children begging in public places? It is a dilemma and we respond differently each time.

Recently, I was in a pharmacy buying some medicine for David. An older lady came in to ask about a medicine she needed for her 5-year old granddaughter who is fighting cancer. She wanted to buy 2 pills for the weekend, but when she found out they were $2 each, she hung her head and began to walk away. I knew that $4 was probably a whole day’s income for that family. I quickly told the pharmacist, “I’ll pay for that.” Then the pharmacist said that she would pay for 2 more pills. It was such a wonderful moment and it helped me remember why I wanted to live in a place like this. Amidst the dust, dirt and heat, I was able to lift the spirits of that hard working grandmother and help with the treatment of her granddaughter. What a privilege! Thank you to all of you who give sacrificially so that we can freely minister in this corner of the world. God is well pleased.