Week One update

Before church on Sunday, January 13

It's hard to believe that this time last week we were en route to Nicaragua.  It seems like we've already been here longer - in a good way. The places are familiar, we're getting use to the near-constant "glistening" (yeah, sweating), and all of us are communicating far better - and faster - than I could have ever imagined.  

 We've come a long way from a pretty bumpy start.  In the first 48 hours here, the refrigerator went out (naturally just after a trip to the  market), the TV quit working (yes, we sound like spoiled Americans for complaining about that, but Cade REALLY wanted to watch his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVDs :)), and we couldn't get the wifi working, despite several service calls.  (After a few days, they got someone to climb a pole and they found the problem out at the street.)  I told the big boys that was how they were being called to suffer for Jesus. No wifi is about as much suffering as they can imagine.  

The biggest curveball, though, was this: when we got here, we learned that our friend, Julio, that we had planned to rely on for translation and transportation, has gotten a full time job!  We're so grateful for this blessing to him, but were a little concerned about what that would mean for us.  

Our - host? Friend? Mentor? Boss??? I'm not really sure what to call him - Eric Weber of Open Eyes Ministries put Sean in touch with another translator.  (We are staying in Eric and his wife Melissa's house in Granada for our first couple weeks here, and we are working with Open Eyes Ministries' contacts to establish a feeding center just outside Granada, as well as assisting Eric with some teams coming in from the States in the next several weeks).  Sean met with this translator named Lennon on Friday morning, and it was totally orchestrated by God! Within a few hours of their meeting, Lennon took Sean to meet with his pastor, who is the Regional Director for churches in this part of Nicaragua.  He is helping us make inroads in several villages here with great needs.  In fact, Sean, Kellen, Wyatt and Lennon are headed out today to a very poor village outside of Granada to meet with the folks there and determine how we can help them.  So in addition to helping Pastor Andreas set up a feeding center in his church, we've got a few more projects starting to shape up.  God is good!

Yesterday, Julio and his family picked us up and we went to a church here that's about half American and half Nica.  We enjoyed it so much!

Everyone is welcome at El Puente, including pheasants! 

Kellen and Wyatt sat with their friend Marcos, son of our friend Julio

Elliott always makes new friends wherever she goes!

Abel is always a big hit.  Nica women LOVE babies.  Cade is a little too shy and pretty much sticks to his mommy, but Abel likes the attention.  Here, Julio's wife Karina is introducing Abel to some of her friends.

The worship leader and a band member

The worship band plays under the canopy.  The Word was delivered by an American and translated by a Nica, from the red/white covered tables.

As a footnote, today is our Anniversary!  Eighteen years of marriage.  Had you asked me 18 years ago if I thought I'd be spending an anniversary in Nicaragua, I'm sure I would have said "never."  What I should have said was "only in my dreams!" 

How can you be praying for us?

• Sean is meeting with Pastor Andreas as I type about the feeding center we are planning to start there.  Please be in prayer for all those pieces to fall into place.
• As we make new inroads with villages in need in this area, please pray that God provides wisdom and means so that we can help them, and favor so that they will be receptive to our help and to the Word of God.