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 :)