This has been a crazy, whirlwind of a month filled with construction projects, home visits, residency paperwork (Abide update coming soon!) and a ton of newly sponsored children. The Lord is doing really big things here at New Song right now. Here are just a few glimpses into this month:
We were so blessed to start our year once again with the teams from FBC Boone and Concordia University. The two teams were here together last year just because their available times happened to overlap, but loved working together so much that they planned to return together this year (the two teams and New Song staff- 
pictured right). These teams are so hard working and willing to do anything and everything that needs to be done! They did a ton of manual labor helping to finish up and Finish the Wall pre-construction. They also, which was the biggest blessing to us as a staff, helped run new water lines so that we actually have consistent water in our house! For the first time in 3 years, I can shower when I want in my own home without a bucket. Seriously it's a huge blessing!! They also taught Sunday school in Nuevo Amanecer, participated in English classes, visited homes, prayed for the sick or discouraged, loved the kids in our neighborhood, and increased their impact beyond their time in country by becoming sponsors for several of our children. We are so thankful to have had these two teams with us this month!
At the beginning of this month I was so excited to be able to take my sweet Nica hijas, Jessica and Juanita, to 
the park to celebrate Jessica's 7th birthday (Jessica and I pictured left). I absolutely LOVE getting to celebrate this beautiful girl's birthday!!! We spent the entire afternoon at the park playing hopscotch, swinging on the swings (pictured below right swinging with Juanita), eating icecream, laughing and joking, and just enjoying being together. It is such a blessing getting to be like a momma to these two incredible girls and to just fall more and more in love with them every day. (For more on this story, read: They Call me Mama.)
It has been such a blessing to finally have my sweet girls in Candelara full-time. They moved in with their aunt in December while I was in the States. Since they have been in Candelaria, I have been able to spend time with them nearly every day. We spend time talking, playing together, watching Disney 
movies, and of course time filled with tons of hugs, kisses, and "I love you"s. Being with them is one of the best parts of my life here. I just cannot get enough of their sweet smiles and beautiful laughter!
Please continue to pray for my two precious girls. They ahve been through a lot in the months preceding their move to Candelaria. They have faced a great deal of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Please pray for the Lord to heal their hearts. Pray for me as I learn to walk with them toward healing.
I have been so excited to see so many kids sponsored this month before school begins in February! We have 
seen 19 new children sponsored this month. Many of these new sponsorships came through our visiting teams from FBC Boone and Concordia. I loved being able to pair our visitors with families who could benefit from sponsorship and to be able to take them to meet their sponsored children and their families. Such sweet connections began in that week! I love to see how sponsorship is making a huge difference in the lives of families like Milthon's (pictured left). (To read about another family that has been impacted by sponsorship, read: That Moment) Sponsors are bringing hope! It's not too late for you to sponsor a child before school begins in February! Check out our sponsorship website for more information.
I mentioned back in September that New Song was chosen as Finish the Wall's international project for 2013. Finish the Wall is an NGO out of Charlotte, NC that comes alongside ministries to help them complete 
construction projects that they have been unable to complete. Finish the Wall began their work in Nicaragua this month coming to help us complete the Bread of Life Bakery & Cafe Training School. Finish the Wall will bring 4 teams of 15 people for one week each to complete the construction of the Bakery and Cafe (Finish the Wall Week One- pictured right).
This project is a huge blessing to us at New Song and to the people of Candelaria. Thanks to Finish the Wall, the bakery and cafe will be completely finished before the end of February. We are going to use this space to create first a training school with three specialties: baking, cooking, and sales/service. We will begin interviews for entrance into the training program 
this spring. Participants will engage in a 3-month training school and then begin work running a bakery and cafe here in Candelaria. The goal of the Bread of Life Bakery & Cafe is to promote better health through delicious and nutritous meals and to provide jobs in a community plagued by under-employment.
There are several diet related health issues that affect families here in Nicaragua. We long to introduce the community to healthier food options creating meals that are not deep fried, that include fresh fruits and vegetables, and that are rich in nutrients through the use of moringa leaves. We will be using the Bread of Life Bakery and Cafe to start providing healthy snacks to the children in our Sunday school program. We are so excited about this new venture and so thankful to Finish the Wall for making this dream a reality!! Stay tuned for more updates about our upcoming Bakery & Cafe training school.
This month I added two new Sunday school teachers, Paola and Carolina, and was excited to see Rosita and Gabriela return as Sunday school teachers after some time away (Rosita pictured below right with her 2-4 year old students). With these new additions we were able to 
make smaller classes which will allow the teachers to build even more relationships with their students. I just love how much my teachers love and are invested in their students!! We had a time for each of the teachers to say goodbye to their current students before the kids moved up to their new classes for the year. I have been blessed with an amazing group of teenagers who really desire to love and disciple their students. They are growing more and more in their leadership roles as Sunday school teachers. I am really proud of them!!
I absolutely love home visits whether it is for our sponsorship program (pictured below left doing sponsorship 
home visits and case evaluations), for prayer, and for just diving into relationships with my neighbors. One of the things I love most about Nicaragua is the sense of homes always being open to visitors. I love knowing that I can come to visit families in the village at any moment and they will gladly open their doors and invite me in.
One of my favorite aspects of ministry is just sitting in people's yards spending time with the families. It's the best way to really get a feel for life in the village and it's also where the most transformational ministry takes place. Sometimes it's 
gathering personal data and hearing kids' dreams for our sponsorship program, sometimes it's praying and seeing the Lord heal the sick, sometimes it's playing in the dirt with beautiful kids, sometimes it's talking about life and the Lord, sometimes it's cradling precious babies in my arms, sometimes it's laughing and eating together, sometimes it's Bible study with teenager girls hungry for the Word, sometimes it's a listening ear and big sister advice giving, sometimes it's star gazing and dreaming for the future, but it's always LOVE. I feel so blessed to be a part of a ministry were relationships are so highly valued. I love that so much of my "job" puts me biking or walking through the dirt roads and getting into the homes in true relational discipleship. Seriously, I'm so thankful and can't believe I'm so blessed that I get to live this crazy adventure.
This month we decided to take a break from our Friday night youth activities. Honestly, lately the kids are really uninterested in anything that is planned. We wanted to take a month to revamp, rethink, and try to find 
more purpose within our Friday nights. I know lately it's become something that we just do because we've always done it.
Anyway, with my newly freed Friday nights I have had a lot of time to just hang out with my kids at the park or have sleepovers at the Vega house. Haille and I have been spending every Friday night at the park with groups of our teens. I love it! I love running around the park with my teenagers laughing and playing and eating papusas. (Pictured above left- girls' night at the park with Haille, Rosita, and Gema).
This month we were blessed to ordain to of our leaders as pastors. Alex and Bismark were ordained as pastors here at New Song (ordination service- pictured right). These two men are humble servants of God and 
the church. They are men of integrity and we are blessed to serve alongside of them. Bismark and Alex have each been serving with New Song and participating in pastoral/leadership training for years now. Bismark serves alongside Walther, our head pastor, here at the church in Candelaria, leads the home group that I attend on Thursday nights, and leads the church plant in Nuevo Amanecer. Alex also serves alongside Walther at the church in Candelaria, helps me with the Sunday school program, teaches Wednesday night adult Bible study, and leads one of our home groups. These two men are incredible and we are thrilled to see them ordained as pastors.
