What a bittersweet day we had today. It was our big camp ending day of fun and community… well, I’m not sure that was the official name, but you get the gist. We invited all the campers back out to Ruby Ranch, but we also encouraged them to invite their families to join the fun. We arrived to see families walking down the long dirt road together to get to the Ranch. And family by family they started to stream…
We finished our last regular day of camp today. All of the planning, supplies and classes mixed with a heart of love and a covering over the Gospel came to fruition over the last few days. It always feels like once we get into a rhythm it has to come to an end. For the campers, today was a bit different as most of our younger campers have school in the morning. So we just flipped our schedule and did…
It’s hard to see day 6 staring at me as I write tonight. That means we are at the halfway point of our mission here in Nicaragua. In some ways, it feels that way and in other ways it feels like we are still just getting started. But rather than focus on that, we are still just on a journey learning how to walk by the Spirit each and every day. At our team time each night I ask, “Where…
The days come early here and the nights often go late. We are soaking (or more like cramming) all we can into each and every day. “Make the most of every opportunity…” comes to mind. And “work the team crazy hard so they sleep well…” but I don’t think that one is in the Bible. After breakfast, we start our mornings with a quick team devotional (led by one of our team members) and then have individual time alone with…
We started the day with anticipation and excitement as we started the drive out to Ruby Ranch for our first day of camp! As prepared as you think you are, there is always a bit of apprehension knowing that the kids are coming… how will they receive us, how will the stations run, will everything come together? These questions and others flooded our minds, but many of them vanished as the first kids started to arrive. However, they didn’t arrive…
We are settling in to a rhythm here in Nicaragua. Even though our schedule can change and things run on Nica time, we are learning to better walk in the Spirit, listen for God’s voice and be flexible in all things! God is good to stretch us and grow us and He just seems to work in a more visible way when we are outside of our comfort zone and stripped from our usual rhythms, routines and especially distractions. It…
Today could be summed up with one word: kids! We were able to join with another team today from Maryland who planned a kids day from one of their partner churches in Managua. So we loaded up early on the bus and headed out to pick them up. It took our bus plus 2 others to transport over 100 kids and leaders out to Ruby Ranch. It was hard to describe the look on their faces when they stepped off…
We’re back! It feels so good to type those words. We loved our time in Guatemala last year but we were so excited when God opened the door for us to return here to Nicaragua. For many, Nicaragua is where their heart was first pricked for advancing the Gospel to the ends of the earth. It’s where relationships were born and now forged over 15 years of ministry. And it’s where we have an extended family in the Open…