We finished up with our second group in Nicaragua.  It was a great trip and we did a lot of different things. We held a Vacation Bible School for 3 days at a church in a village.  We also had a baby shower for the pastor’s wife and conducted a youth event. Needless to say, the ladies stayed much cleaner at the baby shower than the guys did at the youth event.  We also hiked to some remote houses and delivered food and water filters and shared the Gospel with the families.  Then, on Sunday we had the privilege of being part of an ordination service. We also visited a new church location and a church in Managua.  Finally, we took all of the pastors and their families for a fun day on an island in Lake Nicaragua.  We wanted to bless them and encourage them in their work.  They loved it! And, we loved the chance to fellowship with them.

We had the priviledge of helping lead our home church on a mission trip to Nicaragua.  It was their very first trip to Nicaragua.  We had a great time with them all week.  We were able to be a part of the very first Bible Club at a new church location.  It is great to be able to see the beginning of a new work. We spent the week visiting churches and feeding centers in 3 different villages.  In each village, we helped feed the kids, put on a skit, performed a puppet show, sang songs, and several people gave their testimonies to the adults.  After we spent time at the projects, we took water filters to villagers and helped share the Gospel and encourage them.  It was another great week with some great friends.

We had an amazing week in Guatemala.  We had almost 40 people in this group and they were great.  We took them by some Mayan ruins so that they could learn the history of the region.  Kayli and Reaghan even got to do some impromptu gymnastics lessons with some Mayan kids at the ruins.  That was a first! Then, we were able to do lice treatments, feet washing, Bible songs and lessons, feed kids, and deliver water filters and food to villagers in a Mayan Village.  We visited a new project on the coast and worked with the kids and made additional home visits.  On another day we helped work on a new church building, feed kids, help build a house, and provided additional water filters and food baskets for families.  On Sunday, we went to church with the orphans and then took them to the zoo and served them dinner.  It was awesome seeing the impact the Lord had in the lives of the people that came and those we came to serve. 

Well, after being awake for 48 hours straight, our family finally made it to Panama.  Though, they barely made it to the room.  I had to run down to the front desk because our key didn’t work.  When I returned, they were asleep on the floor in the hall!  We had a great week in Panama. And, my suitcase is held together with some zip ties at this point.  LOL!  We worked on painting the church, hosted a Men’s Conference and provided a medical clinic to the community.  We also made home visits with water filters and saw at least 5 people trust Christ as their savior this week!  We also got to reunite with some great friends in the Rodriguez family.

Kim and Kayli got to help with the medical clinic, which was a huge blessing to the community.  We also got to visit a man that was recovering from a major traffic accident. Kim was able to use her physical therapy while we had an eye doctor and internal medicine doctor who were both in high demand.  I don’t have any medical skills, so I just massaged the man’s shoulders as he sat in his bed.  But, it is a good reminder that the Lord uses what we have to offer.  After doing the special home visit, we prayed for the man and he became so emotional that he wasn’t able to talk anymore as we left.  He was such a blessing to us.

We had an unbelievable Men’s Conference in Panama.  We saw 40 men attend and one trust Christ!  We held the conference over 3 nights and Jeff Sanders brought messages to men and we shared our testimonies.  The men seemed to love the conference, as did the ladies.  The youth on our trip watched the kids as the men came the first night.  However, the women loved the idea so much, they came the second two nights and Tracy held a special Bible study for them too!  Plus, no Men’s Conference is complete unless you give away machetes and have to bring the food in with a wheelbarrow.

Oh boy was field day interesting.  After monsoon rains, we had the muddiest field day yet.  But, the kids absolutely loved it.  As a family, we had to leave Thailand and make our 32 hour trek to Panama as soon as field day was over.  So, it was hard to leave and say goodby to some good friends.  But, we can’t wait to see them in the future.

We held a youth night for all of the teenagers in the school and church in Mae Sot. Kim taught the girls and Brooks taught the boys.  It was a great evening to help minister to the youth.  The ladies did a special painting project with the ladies to help illustrate how God has made them all beautiful and they wrote letters of encouragement to each other.  Brooks taught the boys on being a man and what it means to lead in a Godly way.

We began our second week in Thailand after travelling to Mae Sot. They have a saying in Southeast Asia, “Same same but different.”  It definitely applies here.  We worked with a school and did a lot of the same things, but with a different group of kids.  It was an amazing time.  The girls got to play on a soccer team one evening.  We taught the kids on electricity, sound and math.  And we got to love on them in general.  We had several special events planned like a youth night and a large field day.  Kim and some of the ladies had to wash dishes over some buckets, and we got to do our laundry in a sink at the hotel.  It is always and adventure.

The day after the government meeting, we were able to visit a local school and put on a 1/2 day music performance.  The school loved it!  We were able to play songs, teach them songs, and engage the kids.  It was amazing! In 2004 a tsunami destroyed this village. The kids sang these words with us in Thai.

When the oceans rise and the thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

We serve such a great God that redeems our lives.  What is also remarkable is the missionary will have tremendous favor with the other principals now when the mayor has the meeting.  The principal at this school will be able to share the testimony of the group’s engagement and impact on the students. This is all a result of the missionary’s hard work and the Lord’s provision.  We were just able to be blessed to be a small part of the event.