Beauty For Ashes Widows Retreat

We were asked to put on a retreat for 40 widows that Vision Nicaragua works with. We picked the story of Ruth to show how our Heavenly Father loves and provides for us, meeting us in our despair. Turning our mourning to joy (Jeremiah 31) and bringing beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:1-3.)   We had 40 beautiful ladies join us for our retreat.  Most have been widowed at a young age because of the kidney disease that men get here in Nicaragua.  The men work in the sugar cane fields.  The sugar cane is sprayed with a pesticide that is cheap and effective but causes kidney disease....

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Pictures from Nica week Two

Visiting Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, one of the oldest Cathedrals in Central America.    Bagging up rice and beans to hand out to those in need.  Distributing the rice and beans in the local village. 4lbs of rice and 4lbs of beans will feed a family of 4 for over 2 weeks.  Playing games with the children after sharing testimonies and a short message.  Women’s day celebration, loving on the widows in the community. Washing the ladies feet Painting finger nails and toes. Handing out flowers to each lady who came.  Door to door evangelism.   Annnddd…...

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Knowing God

I have met a lot of people in the last two weeks who say they have always known God.  When I ask them to tell me about Him, they can describe Him from a distance.  The same way that they know about Justin Beiber, Will Smith and Pablo Picasso.     The thing is, that I know God.  I don’t only know about him, I know God personally, intimately.  I am in relationship with Him.  We hang out every day.     I get to know Him more by reading the Bible, praying, talking to Him throughout the day (kinda like texting,) worshiping Him for everything that...

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God Confirmed

Yesterday morning, we went to a high school to have an assembly.  We left our base earlier than the usual 8:30, we were at the school by 7:45. We were told we had an hour; to share 3 testimonies, a few songs and we were asked to present the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The principal told us that many of the students have drug and alcohol addictions and if we had testimonies that related to that, we should share those. Three girls shared parts of their testimonies; how God had brought them or family members out of drug and alcohol addictions, changed their desires and about the...

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God Used Me

This first week is one that i will never forget. Some of the things that have happened make my normal ‘hectic’ life look small. I never thought that a group of 12 girls could get this close yet have so many issues after knowing each other for about a week. I feel like I have known my team for months. Of course some times are better than others but Saturday was one of the most insane, amazing, confusing days of my whole life. I almost think that if I had known Saturday would have happened before I came on this trip, I would have been very reluctant to come. I am still processing...

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I Will Not Underestimate My Enemy Again

Spiritual warfare isn’t really something I had ever taken seriously. Yes, I believed that the devil is real and that he has demons and that they cause trouble for Christians, but I always underestimated my enemy.   The truth of his power finally became real to me in the months before this mission trip. I had a court case, an oral surgery, broken toe, an emotionally stressful situation, and arguments with some of my best friends, all two months before leaving for Nicaragua. So much piled up in such little time and I was left astounded.     How could so much go so wrong when...

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