November Clinic....

Well I am a bit late on writing this but at least it's before next months clinic..haha. We had such a great time, as usual, doing the November clinic. Rainy season had finally come the end of October and had rained enough that we weren't sure how the roads were going to be. We go no matter what, just a bit more prepared with a tow rope and all!! The roads were quite slippery but still pretty solid underneath, so it was no more than a bit of slipping and sliding as you can see in the pic below. (Roger was driving straight. I think he was a bit disappointed there wasn't more of an opportunity to drive in deep mud..hehe)

We made it in good time and there was a bit of a shorter line, which we expected with the rain that was coming in that morning. A couple of the ladies kept saying, "I told them all you guys would show up." It was so funny, but made me so happy to know that they know we are there for them rain or shine :) Of course as the word got out more and more kept coming. There ended up being a bit over 40 in all. It ends up being nice when there are fewer patients like this, we are able to spend more time with them and pray with them. It's really all about relationships and Him being glorified in it all!!

(This is a precious little girl...I still don't know how they keep their pretty dresses so lovely in the rainy and muddy weather.)

(I had forgotten our step-on scale, but thank goodness Susanna brings her infant scale and Roger his muscles..haha. The kids thought this scale was pretty fun though.)

(This family had come to see the doctor about other things but when the mom asked if we could remove the boys stitches we were more than happy to help. Saves them a trip to town to see the doctor, which could have been a whole day affair. He was so brave and a cutie.)
(And here he is, stitch free!!)

(Went to deliver meds and powdered milk to our faithful old lady, 80+ yrs. old, it was too rainy and muddy for her to have made the walk to the clinic....so we delivered. You like my boots?? haha)

Lights, Camera, Action....

Three weeks ago we were able to have another movie night at our friends in Dolores, Nicaragua. I was raining a bit so only 35 showed that night. We were able to get our hands on a dubbed version of Jonah, the Veggietales movie. They all were laughing and thought it was the best. (Although now Francisco will have to clear up some parts of the story, like it wasn't that they were fish-slappers in Ninaveh...minor details..hahaha.) It is always such a joy to be able to go and be a part of what they are doing, better yet, what God is doing through them...willing vessels.

We were also able to give out bibles to them. We found a great place in Managua where we can get bibles for $2.75 a piece (prices as good as the States). We bought a couple of cases for them to use there and at the other location where they have been working with children as well. We are so excited to get the Word to those who are hungry!! Total they have about 75 to 80 kids that they minister to on a weekly basis. It is such a joy for us to be able to see God move in His own specific way, whether it be in a city of millions or a community of a hundred.

October Clinic

Well today was the first Saturday of the month....that means clinic day!! We never know what will happen or how many will show. Today we had almost 40 patients, which makes for a nice paced morning. After last Saturday of being crazy busy and short handed it was a blessing today. Today Susanna, our nurse, was able to come back, we had our doctor, Lisseth, and our dentist, Alcira, and we also had a friend of ours tag a long that lives in Diriamba, Esther. Esther and her family have lived in Nicaragua for 2 years now and she was gracious enough to come and help out. We had a wonderful time of seeing our faithful patients and some new ones. Next month will be 2 years of doing the clinics in this community and we feel so blessed.

I will drop a small prayer request on this blog. We are in need of portable dental equipment in order to do fillings. We are currently only able to do extractions and would love to provide taking care of cavities to help prevent further teeth problems. We have looked and found things in the States at, to us, a high price and we would need to find a way to get it down here. Because of that we are hoping to find something here. We aren't for sure, but are trusting that God will always give us the answer when we need it. Please pray with us that those doors open and we are able to find a good machine at a good price.

I will leave you with a quote that I will continually strive to say "yes" to:

"The world has yet to see what God can do with and through and in a man who is fully consecrated to Him." -H. Varley

Daddy is Home!!!

Last night was the moment we had been waiting for for 2 long weeks.  Roger had been in the states ministering and traveling and fellowshipping.  We seemed to hold the fort down here and managed to not get into too much trouble but we sure missed him.  There is definitely a difference when Dad isn't around but we seem to muddle through. :)  

The kids decided that this time we needed to make posters.  It was so sweet!! They had even marked it on the calendar so they wouldn't forget when to do it, the same calendar we were marking down the days.  They worked so diligently on their posters and were so excited to see their Daddy again.

Thought I would post some pics of the kids and their fancy-pants posters. :)

(The first pic is the view of the sunset on the way to picking him up...so pretty!)

Some of our favorite things...

I thought I would add some of the kiddos, and ours too, favorite fruits.  The first pic is of our favorite bananas.  They are little, sweet and simply delicious bananas.  The bad thing is they are small so we end up popping them like popcorn.  At least it's a fruit, right. :)  We had gone to our local 'banana lady' and she happened to have a stalk of them and for only $1 and then because the ones we bought were still green (they are yellow now in the pic) she gave us a bag of ripe ones for free.  The kids were definitely excited.... can you tell?  haha

This next fruit is called mamon chino.  It is funny looking on the outside but has a yummy fruit on the inside with a seed in the middle.  You first have to break open the shell, it's not a hard shell more like rubber, with your fingers and then pick out the fruit.  It has the feel of a peeled grape, and somewhat similar texture as well.  It is sweet and a bit juicy.  You just chew on it till you get to the seed then spit it out.  The kids could eat buckets of these.  It is so much fun living in another country and getting to try all the different fruits and veggies they have to offer!!!

Only God can!!!

Just wanted to share this article with all those that have been following our wonderful trek here.   It is definitely a good gage on what the situation is here.  Whether it is 100% accurate or not, much depends on who's taking the statistics, it is a reality here.  Much of what is going on around the world is happening here too.  We are seeing an increase in desperation and lack of hope. 

This not only has been a hard year but a hard agriculture time as well.  It has been a very dry rainy season.  Some beans were able to be harvested but most rice was lost and the corn that grew wasn't enough.  Here they rely on their ability to grow their own food to last for 6 months until the next harvest.  Due to the hotter and dryer whether this is an enormous weight.  To add, many farmers borrowed money to plant the crops at the rate the beans or whatever they were planting was selling for and now it's time to pay back loans and they can't because of lack of harvest.  I will give you one example; at the time of planting beans were selling for an average of 10 cordobas ($.50) and now at harvest time they are having to sell at 3 cordobas ($.15).  They are being taking advantage of and the market is unstable right now.  It grieves me to see this happening and not having any answers.  To see those that God called us to help, and not be able to. 

There is now a people that can do no other than rely on God.  No more doing out of our own strength but that alone that can be found in Him.  The hope is found that the spiritual land is being cultivated.  God is creating a people that will be prime for His harvest.  There is a Nicaragua that is much greater. One that God sees as truth and not that which we see on this earth.  Hab. 2:14 says that "the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."  That includes Nicaragua!!! Let His glory be known!! 

Nicaragua Independence Day

Today is Nicaragua Independence Day we had the privilege to go to the communities and celebrate with them this important date.  Following is some pics of the parade (here are more) and here you will be able to read about some of the history of this day.  It was such a hot day but the students were so proud.  They brought in a band from Jinotepe to perform.  These schools don't have the resources to have their own....but it was equally enjoyed.  The schools marched both in front and behind the band and proudly with their school flags.  What a wonderful day to get out!!

A little example of what the bands sound like here!

Feliz Cumpleaños......

(some of the kids that attend the children's church. they usually have 40+)

Monday we had the privilege of joining our dear friends, Francisco and Erika, for their children's service.  It also happened to be the birthday of their youngest, Caleb, who was turning 2.  I had to make sure that Caleb had a birthday cake. :) We always love the times that we get to go and be a part of the group.  And our kids just join right in.  

There was about 37 of the 40+ kids that showed up.  It was a really great time.  They shared with the kids about Jesus calming the storm.  It was great to see how much they were really responsive to it all.  Also I was amazed at how much scripture some of these kids had truly memorized.  They have such a hunger.  

I love to see how God has placed gems like Francisco and Erika in areas to be a light and a help to those who need it.  I think we will all be surprised when we all join up in heaven and see the numerous amount of 'no named' ministers their are in this Earth that gave their lives for Him and not for the glory of man.  Success is not measured by our minds, but by that what the Lord sets as the standard.  We must be obedient....you'll never know who you might reach and how that can affect to world around us.

May the glory always be for Him alone!!

(this is a pic of Francisco's oldest, Obed, who recently broke his leg)

(b-day boy, Caleb, peering around the corner.  this is their home that they sometimes meet in if the weather is bad)

(Here Francisco is with Caleb and his cake.  I don't think he knew what to think.)

Super Saturday!!!

I would like to have pics to show of all that went on today, but thanks to many patients in a short amount of time, that's not going to be.  We saw nearly 70 patients in just under 4 hours. 

We started out the morning as usual.  Getting all packed up, hurrying around, feeling late, and getting there at the same time.  We usually arrive at the school at 8:30am and get right to unloading all the meds. and signing people in.  Today we arrived and the school wasn't unlocked so we began to search for the keys.  We go to one home (the leaders' of the community) and they think they know where the keys are.  They send their son on bike to search where they may be.  Finally 15 min. later we have keys in hand.  By now we are a decent 20 min. late by the time we start signing in patients.  When we arrived there was already 20+ waiting, by the time we started it was over doubled.  

We sign all the patients in, taking all the necessary vitals before seeing the doctor or dentist.  They then go to the next line to see the doctor/dentist then come back to the same room, where we have the pharmacy and wait to have their scripts filled.  This is also the moment we get to really visit a bit, multitasking, and joke and pray with those who are waiting. 

I am still amazed at each month at all our faithful, older patients that come for their medicines they need for their heart, cholesterol, blood pressure, and so on.  But I think what gets me the most is the ones that are new each month.  We have been doing this clinic for almost 2 years now and there are still new ones.  This clinic is not announced or promoted (it was at the beginning), yet word of mouth tends to move where it needs.  We have some come for several miles away, on foot, to see the doctor.  And it seems like the longer we have been here the further out they come.  

This month we had a little group that all came together from quite a ways just to get their teeth looked at and remove the broken and rotten teeth.  We have been so blessed to have such great doctors and a super dentist, who to this date as yet to have one cry and many are amazed at how well she can pull teeth and no pain :) (thanks to lots of anesthesia which is a luxury for some public dental offices, who are limited to how much they can use per patient).  

I am so grateful that the Lord has given us this chance to serve these communities in a way that is very tangible.  Yes, they need the Lord.  But they also need to see the love of the Lord working through us.  We must learn to walk as He did.  Ministry is more than just preaching in churches or being around or a part of the church, it is the church being that what He called us to be, in the earth.  We must be open to situations all around us.  It is in the daily or the "mundane" that God could be using us the most.  It is when those, that are yet to be part of the body of Christ, is really looking at those, who call themselves christians, to see if they really are who they say they are.  Be real, be human, be the God moment in someone's life that could change their reality for the real life that can be found only in Him.

Choices.....

Life is so full of choices, and hundreds are made everyday.  For the last couple of weeks I have been wanting to update this blog.  I didn't know where to begin or how.  So much time had passed but at the same time there was so much I needed/wanted to write about.  The big 'P' (procrastination) started rearing it's ugly head.   I don't care to write lengthy blogs but knew it would take pages to write all that had happened in the past couple of months.  I have lots of pics on my facebook page so I will try to link those on this blog.  I will begin to make a conscious effort to write weekly, bare minimum.  Hold me to it :) 

I will say that through all the business of life and ministry, I am so grateful for what I have and where I am.  I could not want a different life for myself.  All the ups and downs make it the excitement that I love.  The mundane was something I was never wanting....haven't got!  

Here is a list of the links you can click on to see of the pics from the last few months.  Happy viewing!! :)

  

Here is the link to see the pics from the school supplies delivery to the 5 schools.  

Trip with Kenny and Matha Skinner here.

Time with Angela Glenz, Curtis Wilson and Jamie Bonner.  

 Clinic in July.

The Road Not Taken

We went Monday to deliver school supplies once again. Had such a good time. I will write about it soon. More than anything I enjoy the travel through the communities and passing by friends we know, giving rides where we can. It is so beautiful out there. With a little electricity, running water and better roads could be a perfect place to live :)

Anyway, as we were driving, when I saw the roads we were traveling on it immediately made me think of this poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken. It was one of my favorites when I was younger. I definitely feel like this is true in my life. I pray that I always have the strength and wisdom to make the tough decision to take that road not taken. To not worry about the difficulties of not taking the easy road. The easy road is easy for a reason!! And oh so sweet the reward of taking the road less traveled.

Blessings to all and enjoy the poem!!
Rhonda

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I KNOW, I KNOW....

I had really good intentions to keep up with this thing more often but just realized it has been over a month. Where has all the time gone??? I will try to keep it quick, yet catch up.
To finish off our trip to the states we went to Roger's family in New Orleans for a bit over a week. It was so great to catch up and spend time with my awesome nephew and friends too!!! We then took off for a five day vacation as a family. I think it was our first official vacation as a family. We spent time at Emerald Isle in North Carolina. We had such a blast. Relax, family time and recoop. We also had a chance to reconnect with friends and make some new ones.
After NC we returned back to Louisiana to spend time with Jason and Lillian in Eros, and some great crawfish!!! Then we were off to Huntington, TX to be with a new relationship that God has brought our way with Shawnee Church. What a sweet time we had, and once again met family!!! Can't wait to see what God has in store.
Left there and headed north to visit Mitch and Ranae for too quick of a lunch...wish we would've had more time. Then spent the evening with Stacie and Robert in Dallas area. Once we hit this point we knew there was only a couple weeks left of our tour of the USA.
We had one last stop in TX. We headed to Borger, close to Amarillo. We were able to reconnect and spend time with the Garcia family. I don't think my kiddos could have had more fun with so many kids. We really enjoyed our time with the congregation and seeing God move in amazing ways. Now it was on to our last stop....Frederick, OK!! We stayed at Doug and Rita's and had some serious card games going on!! We also had a great fish fry and meeting to follow. I never get tired of seeing how God moves in such specific ways for each place we have been. It was such a great night to see God do his thing. I even had a chance to help out my friend JuJu at the food bank and the cool thing was, is that every person that came was hispanic and there was a couple that could speak english at all. I got some much needed spanish after being in the States for too long :)
We finally rounded out our trip back at my parents house to spend the last few days and seeing some family. It was a long 7000+ miles but worth every bit of it. We truly had a great trip and had an amazing time, but was ready to come home to Nicaragua.
Had a few hiccups on our flights, due to bad weather but made it home just an hour later than expected. Once we arrived we had to stand in line and go through and get our temps to make sure no one had the flu...aka the swine flu. Took quite a bit longer than expected to get out of the airport but when we did it was great to know that we made it. I knew we were home when we were driving down one of the main roads in Managua and there were 3 or 4 people pulling a cart with a fridge on it. Home sweet home!!!
Well there will be more later but I wanted to at least catch up to the current month :)

Finally Made it to Warmer Weather

We have been so busy traveling here and there. Since the last post we have been back in the Neosho, MO area. Had a couple more meetings close to there. This past weekend we were at the Branson conference. Which for us is like our home church away from home. We truly have been enjoying the fellowship with all the body of Christ. We also went to a great group in Oak Ridge, LA and are now with our friends in Arcadia, LA.

We feel so truly blessed to be surrounded, upheld and loved by so many wonderful parts of the body!!!! God has been and continues to be blessing our family with such insight and confirmation to that which He wants to continue in Nicaragua, using us.

I will like to also say that the weather is finally getting a bit warmer. The last few weeks of colder weather and 2 days of snow (which the kids loved!), this warmer weather was welcomed with flip flops, t-shirt and jeans. Now that's more like it!

We are so looking forward to our continued travels and our visits that lay ahead. Much love and expectation of what lies ahead!!!!!

Havin' Fun in the USA

I am just now realizing it has been too long since I have updated our blog. What a shame!! The crazy thing is we have been back in the States but have had dial up most of the time....I had forgotten how slow it can be. I will take some time to play catch up.

We made it to the States with no problems on March 10 (Rachel's b-day, they let her sit in the cockpit of the plane for a b-day treat). We had our first layover in Miami and had some lunch with some great friends of ours that we haven't seen since we moved from Costa Rica. We really had such a great time with them and picked right up where we left off....love those relationships!! Finally at 8:30 pm we arrived at Tulsa where our parents picked us up and we were quickly reintroduced to the cold weather...brrrrrr!!

When we got to my parents house we had some time to catch up on business stuff, had a late b-day party for Rachel and a really late christmas :) We then went to Skiatook and spent time with Jerald and Dixie. We had great fellowship and being with the body of Christ is always a good time! We then went to a congregation in Fair Play, MO and had the priviledge to share with the youth group. Wow, what a great group of young people that God has destined to touch the hearts of many in this earth. It was a wonderful group with a passion for the Lord. And the worship...was amazing!!! Finally this past weekend we shared with a congregation in Monett, MO. We enjoyed sharing what the Lord is doing in Nicaragua, and once again the had an infamous "church lunch" for us. You know those where everyone brings their signature dishes and you eat a bit of each to try it all....so good (especially with all the grandmas in the congregation).

We are now with some friends in northern Illinois. It is still a bit cold for us from the deep, deep 'south' but we are managing :) We have so enjoyed all the fellowship, dinners, lunches and visits we have had with so many that we haven't gotten to see in so long. The Lord is so good to bring amazing relationships in our lives that we cherish so deeply.

Well our time to the States is just beginning and we have many more 'places to go and people to see'. I will try to stay up better on the blog while in here. Love to all and am looking forward to seeing the rest of you!!!!

Travel Calendar

States Schedule - Here We Come!!

I thought we could post the schedule of the cities we will be in during our 8 week trek through the USA. I know that it would be near to impossible to see everyone that we would love to see while we are there. If there is any place that we will be close to where you are we would love to see you all. Please check the schedule and come visit!!!

March 10 - Arrive to the States
March 11-13 - Neosho, MO
March 14-15 - Skiatook, OK
March 16-17 - Neosho, MO
March 18 - Fair Play, MO
March 19-21 - Neosho, MO
March 22 - Monett, MO
March 23-24 - Ursa, IL
March 25-29 - Janesville, WI
March 30-31 - Neosho, MO

April 1 - Southwest City, MO
April 2-4 - Branson, MO
April 5-7 - Oak Ridge, LA
April 7-9 - Arcadia, LA
April 10-19 - New Orleans, LA
April 20 - 25 - Emerald Isle, NC
April 26 - 28 - Eros, LA
April 29 - Huntington, TX
April 30 - Gun Barrel City, TX / Richardson, TX

May 1 - Richardson, TX / Borger, TX
May 2-3 - Borger, TX
May 4- 8 - Frederick, OK
May 9 - 13 - Neosho, MO
May 14 - Return to Nicaragua

If there are any questions or just want to visit with us while we are in your area please email. We would love to hear from you!!!
pouredoutministries@yahoo.com

Trip to the Northeast

This past Friday we began our trip, as we do every month that we can, to do the clinic in Rio Blanco. This is a town that is about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from Managua. It is the last town on paved road as you are heading east towards one of the major ports. This month was a bit different because we couldn't stay the entire day on Saturday to help out. We had to leave by early afternoon because we had a long and unknown trek ahead of us. We enjoyed our time at the clinic so much, we love going to help!

Saturday afternoon we got a bit of a later start heading to Las Brenas. We were going to spend some time with a pastor and his family. Roger has gone up to this area to work a few times now, but had only traveled by plane. This was to be our first time driving all the way to this community. Before we even left Rio Blanco we hit the dirt road, or better yet the rock road. I can handle a dirt road just fine, but these were rocks bigger than your fist and not smooth at all. There was a constant banging around that I don't think a chiropractor can even fix. It was a bit different getting used to such a drive. We managed to hit one patch of pavement that lasted about 2 mi. and then thankfully we hit another patch of road that they are working on that lasted about 10+ mi. (it may have not been all pavement but at least it was a smooth dirt road.) It was dark before we were even halfway there, which made it a bit more challenging for Roger to drive on a road that he didn't know.

We finally arrived at Las Brenas around 1am, and exhausted! The family woke up to greet us, but we were ready to hit the sack. But not until a quick bathroom break about a block behind the house in the outhouse. (Thank God for flashlights!) We were able to gather our strengths after a good nights rest, Roger had to preach the next day at the pastor's congregation.

Las Brenas is a community right on the main 'highway' but there is no electric lines (they ended 4 hours up the road) and there is no running water. I wondered how the kids would do without all those ammenities that we take for granted. Don't get me wrong we have had a fair share of electricity going out and no water at times, but you never know how your own kids will react. I will have to say that I was truly amazed. By the time the trip was over they didn't want to leave. I guess they wanted to experience the farming life. Josiah woke up Monday morning ready to milk the cows. Rachel helped clean the beans that they had grown. We made all kinds of food from food that they had grown (they are a fairly self sustaining family). I learned how to make cheese from fresh cows milk. It was such a great experience for us all. But most of all, the time with this family was amazing. The pastor's name is Luis and his wife Glendy. They have 6 children; Amir, Kenia, Javier, Julissa, Melissa and Benny ranging from the ages of 17 to 6.

There is truly not enough space to tell of all the fun and new experiences that we had. It is definately a 'sit down with a cup of coffee on a comfy couch' type of stories. I have one last funny thing I will share with you before I leave you with some photos for our trip. Each day when it came time to take a shower you had to learn to be very vulnerable. Their shower room was off to the corner of the kitchen with a large bucket inside in order to use the bowls to bathe. It was closed in of course, but you could hear and see most of who was there at the table (they couldn't see you), but that wasn't the hard part. The other two walls of the shower room were outside walls with gaps between each board at least 1 in wide or more, perfect viewing space both from the inside and the outside. Thank goodness we were in the campo (rural)!!

By Tuesday we were heading back home. It was a wonderful drive back, bumpy road and all. Of course, somewhere along the way we lost our rear license plate. There's no telling where it is now. We made it back home in 13 hours, wasn't half bad!! It was really great to see that much of Nicaragua. What a great trip!!

Here are some pics from our trip, but to see more they are at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rreuceda/TripToRioBlancoAndLasBrenas#

Here is a video of Josiah's first time milking a cow. He was so proud!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxqbYSPjNog

typical house in the northeast



bringing water back from the well or river



Roger ministering at Luis's congregation



Kenia teaching me how to make cheese

Julissa and Rachel getting the beans out of their shell

our bathroom accomodations (a nice hike from the house)

Josiah milking a cow with Amir

Benny and Josiah enjoying a coconut

Julissa, Melissa, Rachel and Kenia playing on the hammock

Javier getting the cows ready to be milked

Amir teaching Josiah how to milk a cow

our drive back home....lovely sunset!!

New Arrival

Just wanted to send a quick pic of our newest addition to the communities. The mom has been coming for several months to the clinic to get vitamins and other things. This month she showed up with her 15 day old baby. What a cutie she is! It was nice that we weren't overly busy this clinic (just over 50 patients) so I could hold her a bit. Reminds me of my own at that age. These are the really wonderful things about having the clinics....hold all the new beautiful babies.

"Along the Way" Moments

We woke up this morning and got ready as usual to go to service in Managua. If we have a free Sunday we like to go to Verbo to fellowship with the body of Christ. It is a spanish speaking church but we also have a few good 'gringo' friends that go there as well, and our kids so love going to children's church there.

After service was over we chatted with a few friends and was getting ready to head out the door then a lady stopped me and was asking for some $$ for a doctor's treatment she needed. She proceeded to have me feel her breast (they are very open people here and would have been offended if I didn't), so beyond all my inhibitions I did so. She had a huge mass in her right breast that was the size of a lime. I was surprised. I explained I didn't have any $$ on me and I needed to talk with Roger. He didn't feel like we were to give her $$ but he knew we needed to pray with her. Roger then prayed with her and by the time they were done the mass went down to about the size of a chick pea. God is so amazing!!! She then went on about how she had been running from God. Wow, God sure has a way to bring His children back home!

We then went to get a few things at the grocery stores in Managua, that we can't find in our little town, and headed home. We were home for a while then Lisette, the doctor we use at our clinic, called about a woman that needed some medicine. She hardly ever does this unless it is needed. So we asked what she needed and headed over to her house to meet her and the lady.

Once we arrived we were greeted by Lisette, her 2 boys and Maria. Maria is quite a woman. She lives several kilometers from Jinotepe but goes there everyday to sell tortillas. She is 80 years old. Unbelievable. Her daughters tried to tell her to stay home and they would send money, but this is a woman that has lived her 80 years working extremely hard. She needed the medicine for her heart, but mostly for some serious varicose veins that put anything I have ever seen before to shame. A couple of them looked like bouncy balls sticking out of her legs and the rest were like a mountainous road map. But they still never slowed her up much. We really had a great time talking with her and hearing her stories. She has lived a hard life. She gave birth to 14 children and only 5 lived past the age of 5. Even through all her stories, of which one would be enough to live through for a lifetime, she had a love for life and hopeful courage.

There is only so much that one can plan and schedule and God does amazing things through that, but the "along the way" moments are truly amazing. God has all things in His place and timing. We should always be aware that no matter how our day is going or what things we had planned, it could be changed at any moment....for an "along the way" moment.

Valentine's Day!!

The best part of any Valentine's Day (now that I am a mom) is the handmade sentiments. They just can't be beat!!

(above is from Rachel and below is from Josiah....my two little artists!)

Also my wonderful husband came home yesterday with a beautiful display of flowers. And we are even going out tonight for dinner....no kids. Wow, I will definately be cherishing the moment. A real date (so few and far between)!!

Much love to all and hope each and every one is having a great day with the ones they love!!

Schools Almost Here!

Ok, so I am so far behind right now. I need to tell you about our trip to Rivas and our trip to Rio Blanco and so much. The only thing I need right now is time!!! I can't believe it is already the end of the month. Where does the time go??

This past week, after returning from Rio Blanco, we have been gearing up for the Nicaraguan school year to start. This will be our 3rd year with the honor to be able to provide school supplies for 5 rural schools outside of Jinotepe. For those that keep up, these schools are in the same area where we hold the medical clinics every month and also where we have begun to have movie nights. School begins here next Tuesday. I can't believe it snuck up on me this year. We are getting all the final data so that we know exactly how many students there will be in all the schools. This year I have been told it will be around 340.

This past year we were told that it was a very good year for attendance. The teachers and principal have noticed that the children and their parents have taken more responsibility to attend classes and also to stay in school (there is a high drop out rate after 2nd grade). It has really been a blessing to help these families and give them hope. Both through the school supplies and the clinics but most importantly through the tangible love of God.

It amazes me to see how many children aren't able to attend classes because they can't afford a pencil or notebook. Their whole school supplies for a year are around $10 per student. They don't worry about the new pair of shoes, or who has the cool new clothes, or their nice new backpack. The students are supposed to wear uniforms to the public schools, but for the rural schools they wave that so that they can attend. Most kids are happy that they have flip flops to wear, some have no shoes. And from what I have seen, less than half even have backpacks. All these things are the least of their worries. I remember last year Josiah asked if the boys would get upset if they got one of the kitty cat notebooks. I just smiled and asked him to watch as they opened their packs. The boys were just as happy with the kitty notebooks as the girls were with the car ones. They didn't care, it was still paper.

So once again, we are on our quest to get supplies. It is always a tiring week or so but so worth it. Even the teachers get supplies. The govt. only gives out very little, like paper and chalk. And with only making a little over $100 a month, they can't afford to supply it themselves.

Anyway I will quit rambling on about this, I just love to see how God touches these lives with the littlest of things that mean so much. And beyond that, how God reminds me how to be grateful for the little things in my life. Our lives are truly blessed through all the lives that have crossed our path and those who remain.

Thanks to all who have helped and who continue to help....there aren't enough words to express our extreme gratitude, so I will just say Thank You!!

Much Love!!

Movie Night in Dolores

Wednesday night we had another movie night. It was such a blessing to be able to go and be a support for a dear family that have become such good friends of ours. Francisco and Erika with there 2 boys live in a small community outside of Dolores, about 15 min. from us. They have recently started working with the children in their community. Many of these children have complicated family lives, clothes that are either 2 sizes too big or too small. Quite a few don't even have flip-flops to wear. But yet when they arrived to Francisco's home they were so glad to be there and slowly began to show their beautiful smiles. Francisco and Erika have such a heart for these children. They have started having meetings at their home telling Bible stories, praying with them and visiting their homes when they can't make it. And yet all is done with a Bible and a small book with some Bible stories. I am so excited for the work that the Lord is beginning!

Francisco had asked if we could come and show Bible movies or shows for the kids....and of course we wouldn't want to do anything else!! We were so excited to see all the kids that came. They slowly walked in, many carrying their own chair, waiting for the show to start. As Francisco began to speak to the kids more and more showed up. By the time the video was in full swing there were well over 60 in their front yard. Then after about 1 hour, all laughing and enjoying our time together, we all prayed together and when the time arrived for them all to return to their homes they filed out of Francisco's yard carrying chairs above their heads.

It was such a great night!!! The kids were so happy and Francisco and Erika were even happier. It was such a blessing for us to be able to be a support for them, to encourage them. Their hearts are amazing and truly filled with so much love for these kids. I am looking forward to all the God will do through them and all the lives that will be forever touched.