March ’13 Highlights (Photo Blog)

  I meant to post this a couple weeks ago, but March in Candelaria was incredibly full and busy so this is the first down time I have had to get caught up on sharing the stories. This month's highlights will be short because I left March 14th and am now in the States visiting my family until mid-April, but here are some of the highlights from March ministry in Nicaragua:

   I have loved spending time with the sweet families of my sponsored children. I have especially loved visiting with Maryuri, Jose Miguel, and their family. This precious family lost their dad almost two years ago to the chronic kidney disease. Their mom is now struggle to care for her five children as a single mother. Often times in Nicaragua I see families that talk down to one another, but this family really cherishes and encourages one another. One afternoon I was visiting with them and Jose Miguel and Juana were teaching their younger sister, Maryuri how to ride a bike in their backyard (pictured right). I loved seeing her siblings jump up and down yelling, "Turn. Turn. You're doing it!! You're doing it!!" as Maryuri rode in circles around the backyard. It was so sweet!! I love to see families really love and encourage one another. 

   The main thing that was happening this month was working with the wonderful folks from Educate Nica in order to expand our sponsorship website (Josh and Sarah pictured left photographing kids for the website). We were so blessed to have Josh and Sarah Davis from Educate Nica with us along with Ronnie, their videographer (pictured below right). I have loved working with these incredible people! They are so gifted and professional and have such a heart to serve through educational opportunities. I spent two weeks traveling to all of our outreach villages taking photos of each of our children to add to the sponsorship website www.educatenica.org. Since beginning our work with Educate Nica, we have doubled the number of students who have been sponsored. I was so excited to have them here with us in Nicaragua again so that we could expand our sponsorship database to include all of the children in each of our outreach villages: Santa Matilde, La Isla, and Nuevo Amanecer. We worked tirelessly while they were in Nicaragua and amazing things are coming to the website update. Keep checking in for new media and updates on our sponsorship program. And consider changing the life of a child for only $25/month by providing consistent education, free medical and dental care, and empowering them to dream for a better future.       

   With the Educate Nica folks visiting, I was able to spend days visiting in each of our outreach villages. I love to be surrounded by my little loves from each village (our Santa Matilde children pictured right). It is amazing to me how unique each of our villages and the children who live there are. There is a different feel between La Isla, Santa Matilde, Nuevo Amanecer, and Candelaria. I loved getting to be in a different village practically every day. It was great getting to spend so much time with all of these adorable, beautiful children! My life is SO blessed!!

    We were also blessed to have two sweet families visiting with us for a week in March. Two dads each brought their two youngest daughters with them. It was wonderful to have families there in Candelaria and to see the way that these dads loved and interacted with their daughters and to see the way that the daughters respected their dads. We really enjoyed working with them for the week they were there and seeing how well they loved our children in the community. I was also extra blessed that they desired to come to the Abide land to pray over my future home and family (pictured right praying at the future Abide home).

    This month we broke ground on the wall that surrounds the Abide property. Last summer when I bought the land Lindsay, Patrick, Cadence, and several of our Nicaraguan youth went out to my property, met with the surveryors, and built a fence around my land. It was great to close off the property adn keep people from squatting on my land, but after six months of rain the wooden posts had begun to rot. I always knew that eventually I wanted to build a wall around the Abide land to provide more security once the house is built. I still had extra money from buying the land so we started constrution on the Abide wall (pictured above left). I should have 501(c)3 approval soon and then we will start fundraising for the Abide house. Keep praying for this project as the Lord brings it to completion!

    I love my small group! I love gathering in dimly lit yards with a group of single moms, young families, college students, older couples, widows, and children. I love squeezing into people's yards or living rooms worshipping, praying, laughing, and talking about the Word together (pictured right). I really enjoy that small groups at our church in Nicaragua are not separated by age or life situation like every other small group that I have ever been a part of. I love the diversity in these groups and the community that we've found there. I love becoming a family together. It's one of my highlights each week.
   Small group has really helped me to build more relationships with adults in the church. So much of my work and ministry puts me in relationship with countless children and teenagers, but doesn't give me nearly as much time with the adults in our church. One of my favorite couples from my small group are Melida and Francisco (pictured left). There aren't very many couples who are always together and seem to enjoy one another so much. They are just precious!! They love one another and love the Lord. They are such a good example within the church. I have loved building relationship with them through our weekly small group meetings. Pray for Melida and Francisco; Francisco is one of the many men who suffer from chronic kidney disease. His health is often faltering. Pray for healing.

   I spent a lot of time this month with my beautiful friend Rosita (pictured right laughing with Rosita and Junieth). She has been struggling some this month so I have been pouring into her as much as I can. Somedays that is laughing and joking together even in the midst of struggles, sometimes it's listening as she talks, and a few times this month it came out in some of my "mama chats" getting on to her about decisions that she shouldn't be making. I thought she might be mad about some of the things I had called her out on, but one night during one of our sleepovers she told me, "What you said today seemed like mama advice. As a girl, I always wanted advice from a mother and never had that." I'm glad that she can see my love coming out even when I need to reprimand her. It's taken quite a long time for me to build that type of trust in my relationships here, but I'm glad it's finally present.

    With all of the sponsorship work that needed to be done this month with Educate Nica, I felt as though I hadn't had enough time with my two sweet hijas. I really wanted to spend some special time with them before I headed to the States for a month. I just love these two girls so much and wanted to pour into their hearts as much as possible before our four-week separation.
     So, I asked their aunt for  permission to have them over to my house for a sleepover one of my last nights in Candelaria. We had such a wonderful time together!! I had picked up french fries and chicken for dinner since that is what Juanita had requested. We spread out mattresses on the living room floor, had a little picnic dinner, and watched princess movies all evening. Yes, my girls are obsessed with princess movies! I enjoyed spending the evening laughing and talking with them. Hearing their giggles and them saying, "Hey Mama, guess what…" I love listening to all their stories about life and school. I loved tucking them in and praying with each of them before turning out the light and telling them "sweet dreams." I loved feeling like their mama for the night.
    It was a look into the life of a mom in Nicaragua. The girls were in bed by 8:30 which still gave me time to get my work finished that I hadn't completed before I picked them up and to clean up the living room from all of our sleepover fun. Of course, I still had to get in bed early myself so that I could get up at 5 to cook and get breakfast on the table, get the girls up and ready for school, and walk them to class by seven (Jessica and Juanita pictured left in their school uniforms). It was a new experience for all of us! I got a glimpse into a few of the ways my life will change as I step into becoming a foster mom and the girls had their first experience using an indoor shower (most families in Nicaragua take bucket showers in an outdoor shower). I am so thankful for these lovely girls!

    This was a month full of surprises!!! Whit showed up for 10 days and surprised me (Whit and I pictured right with some of our beautiful kiddos in Nuevo Amanecer). She came down to work with me on the Educate Nica site expansion. It was wonderful to have her back here after nearly 8 months apart. I love this beautiful woman of God and am so thankful to serve alongside her. We work together so seamlessly and are constantly able to pour life into one another. I loved having "Life with Lisa and Whit" time once again and ministering alongside her in each of our outreach villages. It was such a breath of life to have her here in Nicaragua with us.
    And then to add surprises on top of surprises Whitney's boyfriend, Kellen, surprised her in Nicaragua and proposed to her on the beach at Playa Roca. I just love them together and I was so excited to be there and to celebrate with two incredible people who mean so much to me! I am so excited for the amazing plans that the Lord has in store for their life and ministry.  To hear their story and donate to their ministry, you can read Whitney's latest update.

    I'm still looking for one-time or monthly supporters, that would like to partner with me in my ministry in Nicaragua. You can give a tax-deductible donation by clicking the "Support Me!" link on the left side of this page.