We kicked off the new year celebrating the way that we always do… Cadence and I went to Rosita's the day before to build our doll to burn at New Year's (pictured above left). On New Year's eve we went to the park for papusas, riding fair rides, and had time together as a New Song staff (Cadence, Ariel, and I pictured above right). Shortly before midnight we walked down to the Vega house in Candelaria to burn our doll and set off fireworks. I really love our New Year's celebrations here in Nica! I believe there are good things in store for this new year.
Our baby boom continues… I met two new little loves this month born to families that I adore. Luis (pictured above right) was born to one of my precious neighbors here in Candelaria and Nahum, (pictured above left) who was born Christmas day to one of our sweet families in Nuevo Amanecer. I've loved getting time with these precious little ones and to continue to see more and more babies born into our churches.
We were blessed in January to have two incredible teams come and partner with us: one from Concordia University and one from Boone, NC. All of these wonderful folks have such servant's hearts. We loved ministering and hanging out with them. They helped at our mission staff house, with the church in Nuevo Amanecer, and visited kids and families in all of our outreach villages. There are also several members of the teams who had their hearts captured for specific kids and have become sponsors who will continue to pour into the village beyond their time here. We're thankful for you all!
There have been exciting things happening in our church this month! Felix remarried this month during one of our church services (pictured above left). It's wonderful to see her so happy after the hardships that she has endured the last couple of years (To read more, read: When Life is Hard, There is Hope Part 1). We also baptized three new people into our church family: Ariela (pictured above right), Mauricio, and Manuel. All three immediately began serving in the church and community. Ariela and Mauricio are both teaching Sunday school in Candelaria. Manuel has been attending leadership classes. He was already working with the community softball program, but now wants to incorporate discipleship into his sports programs. Praise the Lord for the ways that He is moving in our midst!
Whitney, Cadence, Linda, Teresa, and I are all going to be bridesmaids in Kenia and Diego's wedding in March. This month all of the bridesmaids took Kenia to Managua to look for her dream wedding dress. It was so much fun to love and support her during that weekend! We have the best time together!! We laughed hysterically, squealed and jumped for joy when she found her dress, took over the entire shopping center, supported and loved her, and then got to give her the biggest surprise of all… more than 30 people who love Kenia and Diego had given money to buy her dress! Kenia was so overwhelmed with gratitude. It was such a blessing to stand beside this beautiful girl and celebrate her and Diego's life together. Can't wait for the wedding!
My sweet little love, Allan, from Santa Matilde, left this month to go and live with his dad. I was heartbroken to hear that he was leaving. I love this kid with all my heart! And I know that no one in his life is really fighting for his heart and showing him how valuable he is. (To read more, read: Speaking LIFE in the Dirt) Claudia, Cadence and I decided to throw him a little going away party with all of the kids from the neighborhood. We had a pinata and dinner for all of his family and friends. It was a sweet time of celebrating Allan, sending him off surrounded by love, and praying over his sweet heart. I think this might be the most loved that Allan has ever felt. The plan is for him to return to Santa Matilde next month in order to start the new school year. I cannot wait for him to come home!
Cadence and I were so excited to re-start our youth discipleship program this month. We have been talking about how to reach the younger youth, encourage young adults to grow and mature as adults, and empower Nicaraguans to disciple other Nicaraguans. We have decided to move all of our 20+ youth into the adult Bible study and start a youth group specifically for kids 13-19 years old. We wanted to then break them into two groups: 13-15 years old and 16-19 years old. Additionally we really want to plan and teach alongside a Nicaraguan so that we are training and empowering someone else to step into leadership. After much prayer, we decided that Kenia and Sandra (two of our university students) would be the perfect ones to teach alongside of us. Kenia and Cadence (pictured above left) will be team teaching the 13-15 year olds while Sandra and I (pictured above right) team teach the 16-19 year olds. I'm so excited to step back into a more hands-on role with youth discipleship. These teenagers are the reason that I initially moved to Candelaria. They still have such a big piece of my heart! As sponsorship began to grow, my time for youth discipleship became less and less. I'm thrilled to be stepping back into that role on a more consistent basis and to have a more active role in discipling these teenagers that mean so much to me! I believe that the Lord has big things in store for Kenia and Sandra and for our youth in this new year!
This month we celebrated our first (of many) quincenera of 2014. I was so excited to celebrate alongside Karla on this special day! She has been involved at New Song since she was a young child and I have known her since I first came to Nicaragua. It is wonderful to celebrate with her as she becomes a young woman and to see her feel so celebrated. She was filled with joy during her quincenera, laughing and smiling during the entire ceremony. Also, it was a huge week in her life because two days before her quincenera Karla accepted the Lord and was baptized during our Sunday night service. I cannot wait to see all that the Lord has in store for this new year of her life!
I don't get to spend nearly as much time with my girls now that their relationship with their dad is being restored (praise Jesus!) and they are spending more time with him. However we still make time for sweet date days. One of my favorite moments from this last month was having my girls over for a movie and making popcorn on the stove. I had no idea that making popcorn would be so entertaining! The girls had never seen popcorn pop before. They were so intrigued, but when it actually started popping, they ran screaming, "Mama!" and hiding behind me. Juanita yelled, "It looks like a bomb!" Their reaction was priceless (and hilarious). Then we got to spend the afternoon cuddling and watching Horton Hears a Who. I treasure my time with these two beauties!
I'm so grateful to be surrounded by such an incredible community here in Nicaragua and to have added two new faces to our New Song family! Ariel Jones and Hannah Redd have joined us for at least the next six months. I love these girls so much already and they are a great fit with our little family. It's been a beautiful new year kicking off the month with an increased focus on community building among our staff. We've started Thursday night dinners together, are diving into prayer and Bible study together, really enjoy one another, and are making adventure days a priority on our days off. I love being a part of this family!
So cool! I especially like the training y’all are doing with the Nicaraguans to help them hone their skills & gifts for the benefit of those around them! So great!