Hey Sir or Mam or just Sam. I am posting again so soon because this morning I listened to some friends from my home church talk about their Missions trip to the Bronx. John, Virginia, Bill O, and David, your passion about the way God was using you and his power in your lives put words on my heart that I couldn't talk about. I prayed God would allow me to express them somehow and I came out with a poem. "The Great Commission" sums up the call I was feeling from hearing you guys talk. Thank you for speaking in front of the church and inspiring me this morning. This is an expression of what I was feeling, I pray that God uses this to inspire you who are reading.
Groveling selfish me constantly asking God to grow and change me
Frustrations in my quest for his face
Realigned this morning
Hearing passionate words of friends from the church
The bride
Following a great commission.
Commission me now,
You pass me through the lava
Only to cool me with the liquid of life.
The timing is inexplicable.
My purpose now clear
It's not about me and my fear
It's about those whose souls should fear
Those with a real reason to despair
Enduring the wear
Of the bondage of Satan.
Makes me compassionate
Brings the care from me to you
It's not the healthy God cures,
It's true that it's the lame
The broken down with shame
The maimed
Those where you live and you die
That's the name of the game.
Let me explain
You must call on his name
Fall on your knees
Say God please,
And join me in the eternal party
Your throne your home
Heaven beckons you
Take the call
Remove the filthy shawl
White linen touches your leg
It reaches out.
Step
Step into your heritage
You don't have to beg
Pray with me and you'll see
Freedom
And the purpose of your life
Won't be to make love
It will be to love
Accept the name of love.
Amen! Thank you for reading. If you aren't from my church and want to be inspired like I was go to http://www.pantonchurch.com/index.html and listen to the last two podcasts. Have a stellar Day-
Hellooo you who are reading, how is the day treating you so far? I am sorry that it has been a while that I have posted a blog-I have been wicked busy for the past few weeks with the 5k race and with my parents swinging by for a bit. Yet, I am here, writing now so all thoughts of hatred towards me should melt away. Right now I am tempted to call a collective prayer and fast against the Lakers winning the championship. Is anyone with me? When I think of Kobe Bryant it makes me sick.
Anyway, I am going to fill you in on my thoughts as of late, how my ministries are going, and about the 5k!
Well, first, I've got to spread the word about the 5k. I am still baffled and piecing together everything that happened. A friend on the team asked me, "Joe, how does it feel to have followed God and have everything work out." He recognized the true power of God at work with the 5k. I still don't think I am at that point. So, I stood up in my church eight months ago and told them that I might do some kind of 5k in Nicaragua. Four months later, I suggested it to my leaders and here is what I found myself in:
IN a room with the President of Young life, representatives from the police, a translator, a representative from the head of the school board (over sixteen schools), the leader of the sports college in Granada, Sarah Kaye (head missionary here), Seth Barnes (my leader), Ismael (Christian Radio guy), and Sarah Morgan (my partner in this)-and everybody is looking to me as to how to run a 5k. JOSE! How does a 5k work? How does it raise money? What was your vision? "Joe, we should have a segregated race, Nicaraguans and then Americans." Usually, the meetings lasted for 2 ½ hours!
Little old me who has run a ton of races but the race is always a blur of death and a swirling crowd, I don't know anything, I'm a dumbhead (as my Grandmother puts it, ha). So I get a revelation from God and now everyone is looking at me to tell them the answers. Well, God gave me the wisdom to look to him for the answers and the humility to present them. I was prepared to answer every question and it was amazing because every time I spoke, every head in the room would turn to me. It was all God, through and through.
So here is some of God's work:
-Permission from the Mayor
-Police present at the race
-Ambulance at the race
-Twelve of the best prize baskets I have ever seen
-Medals for the top finisher in each category (with inscriptions)
-Trophies for the overall Men's and Women's winner
-Art competition with Young Life at a studio to see who could make the best advertisement flyer.
-16 Christian Missionaries willing to help
-Sarah Kaye going all out to support this
-Sarah Morgan heard God's call to help me and responded wholeheartedly
-Race rally in a fancy hotel three days prior to the race
-Opportunity to share my testimony at the rally and during the awards ceremony
-Spoke on the radio on three different occasions and they announced my birthday over the radio and invited the community to party in the main park-ha
-Every time I suggested something that was on my heart people immediately responded enthusiastically.
-We had a pace car
-We had clowns at the race
-We had a Christian worship band at the race
-All the prizes were donated, including a nice bike and 5 gallons of paint!
-A gift package of books was donated to 16 schools (the prenup. was they needed to enter at least 10 kids from each school)
-16 friends posted a support page, for Young Life, on their blog.
-We had two water stations on the course and one at the finish. A total of 953 bags of water were made by the kids from young life and our team (fo' free).
-Each person that ran got a homemade number
-109 people ran the race including my Dad and an Amsterdamian-phenomenal for the first race in Granada in at least 20 years. My father won the "Veterans" category--in other words, the "old mr. what's his name" category, with a decent time.
-A kid ran 18 mins for the 5k.
-We successfully pulled off having a 2.5k for the younger kids as well.
-There is a donor in the states that will triple the amount we raised.
-We raised 1000$ just from the Nicaraguans (remember, this isn't the richest country in the world) and we are still receiving money online from champions in the U.S.
-We had a start whistle.
-It was a relatively cloudy day (97 degrees though)
-No one got hurt
-75% of the girls that ran hitched a ride in the ambulance and didn't finish.
-The Nicaraguan National Anthem was played at the race rally.
-We had a Repetadora Car go around Granada for 2 hours announcing the race.
-We have raised about 1/3 of the yearly budget for Young Life with this one event!
Wheeewww, praise God! Thank you to all who gave, it truly has an impact on the youth here. Well, the week before the race I think I had about 5 minutes of rest during the day-ask my parents and they will attest. Actually they would probably say that I have lazy bones and I just sit on the ground with my face hanging out. They don't know the meaning of hard labor, of course. It was excellent to show my parents around the neighborhood, I even took them to the Death Zone.
Yep, so I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that I am leaving and might not ever see these Nicaraguan guys and girls again. It's really an awful feeling. Part of it is because I have been trying to pour myself out to the guys here and minister to them and know a lot of their problems. I have gotten really close with a lot of the people here. For me though, I am going back to my crew back home-they are staying here and it's not like they can turn around and have their own little posse there. Leaving is going to be awful, but coming back is going to be great-if that makes sense. I can't wait to camp out with my friends on our upcoming kayak trip in which we will bring no sleeping bags or pillows, just bacon.
Speaking of life back in Vermont, I would like to give a shout out to Bill O'neil, Virginia, John, and David--I hear NY was exactly what the doctor ordered. I would love to hear more about the hood and God and how the trip impacted you all. Today i'll listen the the podcast from last Sunday so that should give me a pretty good Gist of things. Just a random thought, I would love to have a verse that has been on your mind or one that you like.
Isaiah 42:9 "See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
Well, keep the peace and please pray that I will continue to drive after Jesus and thank Him for all of the encouragement, prayers, and donations you have given. So far, I have received $6,848 in support for this trip, which is amazing! I only have $281 left to go. I trust God on this last bit and if you are not in a position to give, will you please pray too? Also, I am praying through what this summer will look like and accepting that sometimes God withholds direction in our lives for a time so we can step into the unknown using faith. Pray that my faith grows. Have an excellent day, shwupow, thanks for reading-
Hey faithful blog readers and supporters, this is Joe Carter from Vermont and the FYM Nicaragua team. I am writing on behalf of a vision I received from Jesus before coming to Nicaragua. The vision took form as I scrambled to tell my church how God would use me in Nicaragua, "with a 5k or something," I responded. Having been a runner for seven years, I took this idea very lightly-if I am following God, why would he use my passion that has nothing to do with His kingdom? I forgot the vision until the second semester, after learning that God created every desire and everything about me in a purposeful way.
It began to burn on my heart to organize a 5k race for organizations that needed money and I talked to my leaders about it. This was all I really had to do-besides the most important thing, pray. Next, my new leader Seth and teammate Sarah were inspired to help and our local translator Mario was used by God for his knowledge of local businesses. Later, I learned that Young Life, which draws 80+ teenagers from the temptations of the street life into the church, was hurting financially. With Young Life, the youth in the community are able to play games, worship Jesus, act out Bible stories and attend Christian sport camps. As a result of the program I have seen many young people, through tears, commit their lives to Jesus. Through prayer the Lord led me to have the race benefit this program in Granada.
What an experience it has been following God through this vision. Everything has fallen into place, including the Great Deceiver. Money is our greatest distraction and we have fought fear of not raising enough. One issue was on the racing fee. First, we decided to charge each runner 40 cords (2$) and then it was more and later less. One night I approached God frustrated because I couldn't believe how cheap we were making the race.
Then, God rocked me. He clearly told me to stop thinking about the money and to lay it on him. Thus, I concluded to drop the racing fee and trust God that the money will come. Last night, God put it on my heart to write you this note. I ask that you take this event with discernment, read below about Young Life and contribute in whatever way God leads. If you would like to give financially, please follow the directions below.Also, here are 3 ways you can pray for Young Life:
That God will provide financially.
More hearts will be drawn to Jesus.
Leaders will rise up from the youth who spread their faith boldly.
Thank you very much for reading. I invite you to be a part of the change happening in Granada.
From a brother in Christ,
Jose _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Granada welcomed Vida Joven, or Nicaragua's Young Life, in September of last year. The program has been wildly successful, demonstrating that young people here are hungry for wholesome alternatives to drugs, alcohol and life on the streets. El Puente is bursting with kids each Thursday night, and we've expanded the program with additional offerings throughout the week.
However, financing the program is not easy. Joe, a member of our Awakening team, suggested we put on a 5K Fun Run in Granada to spread the word and raise support. The city has given its blessing, and we are scheduled to go on April 25th. As the first event of this sort for all of us, we are looking for ways to make this a success for the kids. AIM has opened a dedicated account in which sponsorship funds may be collected. If you would like to sponsor young people in this race, we'd like to make this account available to you as well. If you'd like to help, we suggest the following sponsorship levels:
Single Sponsorship: $5
Triple Sponsorship: $15
Quintuplets: $25
Ten Youngsters: $50
Of course, you could give more or less, as your budget allows. All funds collected will go directly to the Granada Vida Joven Club. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thanks for your consideration, and for helping these kids step out in faith.
1.In the drop down menu select "Support A World Race Project"
2.In the Project box that appears, type in: Nicaragua Kids Camp Fun Run
3.Follow the donation process through.
Don't forget this!
Please Read:
One of the lives impacted by Young Life:
This morning Seth interviewed Oscar Gutiérrez. He grew up in a world of soccer, parties, and girls and his life has been changed through the ministry of Vida Joven (VJ – In English, Young Life), a ministry we have been heavily involved with here in Granada. Now soccer is a tool for him to invite kids to VJ, he is preparing to be a leader in the program, and he is continuing his education in the university that he withdrew from three years ago. This is his story...
Before VJ, before I knew anything about it, my life was completely dedicated to partying. I toyed with the emotions of girls and smoked a lot. When I started partying, I wasn't necessarily smoking and into many vices, but the more I got into it, my life started spiraling downward. I got into marijuana a few times. This whole scene lasted about eight months, and looking back, I felt like my life had no meaning.
In September of 2008, I met a girl. When I met her, she didn't tell me anything about Young Life. She was hanging out with a couple of other girls who wanted us to go to Young Life's club, so I went with them. In the club, we watched a video about a guy named Nick, who should have been incapacitated, but functioned very well considering his circumstances. I saw in this video that nothing was impossible.
Shortly thereafter I had the opportunity to go to my first VJ sports camp. At the camp they took us to a labyrinth and taught us about listening to God's voice. I tried it out, but it was very difficult for me to hear him. The camp was good because, while they were somewhat restrictive, but they weren't legalistic. They made me not want to do the things I had been doing.
Following this I was invited on another VJ camp. When we were there, we had a time of worshiping God. Something moved me to tears during the singing. I was closing my eyes, and when I opened them, I looked down at the floor and I saw the face of Jesus. I sobbed uncontrollably as I felt the Lord calling me. I felt him intimately; I knew then that he cared for me. This motivated me to give my testimony about my life and what I was still doing to the others that were with me. They were people from my city that knew me or knew of me before. Before I started talking, I didn't feel like I'd have the words to speak because I was embarrassed, but my heart compelled me. I wanted to express that yes, I can change and others can too.
VJ is very close to my heart. It introduced me to Jesus and taught me how to move forward in my life. I know that because it has done this for me, it will continue to do so with others as well, and I want to be a part of it. I love that sports can still be a part of my life and I can actually use it to reach out to other kids. Now, I am focused on other kids and it's given me direction and meaning. I'm moving forward. I am available and want to be available for the kids at VJ. We have a vision to change their lives and facilitate an encounter with the Lord. I am really excited about VJ. I love it! I want to continue moving forward to be a great leader for them. I believe in this vision; it changed my life and it will continue to change lives.
Ayy, how's it going? Are you happy about the Tar Heels taking the tournament title from Michigan? It would have been great to see Michigan win-but it would have also been great to see the game. I hear it was a blowout. Also, wow, Nathaniel Huff has been hitched, glory bee, the funks on me. Excellent news, a shout out goes to the newly weds.
I have got a question for you because I am in a culture where this is a very real thing. Have you ever been starving before? I say that I am starving all the time and I mean it, but I am talking about starving without the ability to find food. What about wicked thirsty? I spent three days (two nights) in the jungle last week, completely alone, and I dropped a quarter of my water on the way to my camp. I was so thirsty during those long, hot days that I prayed God would sustain me-which, he did. In a moment of desperation, I moved towards my water with the intent of finishing it off with still a full day left and then I ran smack into an angelic, girly figure. It turned out to be Seth Barnes Jr. holding two coconuts with a smile on his face. These he gave to me so the rest of the day, from three until the sun went down, I spent praising God (sometimes at the top of my lungs) and talking to God. I was so desperate for help from God that went it came I was elated.
This is a lot what the Nicaraguan culture is like. Many are desperate for help and for answers to their problems though most never admit it. They put on a front much like I do when I am in the kitchen pretending that my insides are not about to fall out from hunger by putting on a, "Hey, I'm gonna knife you if you touch that bread foo," attitude. When we share the Gospel message or invite them to a Bible study or church, most come. They come because they need help and they are always on their last option. This desperation causes quite the worship scene always. Every song has the most intense clapping ever but Nicaraguans don't know how to clap so there is just a constant loud noise coming from a sea of hands. On Tuesday, the Pastor's wife informed me that her church was undergoing a 72-hour fast and prayer Fri-Sunday because they are desperate for God's help. The last Pastor was an alcoholic and left a year ago, deep into sin. This has caused the community to judge the church that we have been helping called, "The light of the World." It was prophesied that the Devil was going to come against the church in a strong way and so immediately the congregation turned to God.
I see motivations of fear, of hunger and thirst, and out of love for Jesus. Friends I have talked to in the United States that aren't Christians have a different view of Christianity. How can it be a solution if we have no problems? Maybe the financial situation we are in with the economy will help to bring more desperation. We all need to be saved by Jesus and as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:15, "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." This verse sums up my quest (if you will), not living for myself but for Jesus. Seeking to serve Him. This has been the hardest battle for me but reading this calling straight from the Bible really hones me in on the purpose of life.
It is amazing to be taken care of by God. These days have been very hard for me mentally and physically. I am trying to devote all I can to living out my faith and being a missionary here makes it really hard. There is this expectation from all the teenage thugs here that because I am Missionary, everything is excellent and easy in my life. They are always coming up to me and excitedly yelling, aaaayy, JOSE! Sometimes though, things aren't alright and I am either burned out or struggling with the new way of thinking and viewing the world, which makes putting on a smile and giving bones or knucks (pounding fists) hard. When I look to the fundamentals of Christianity, however, and get away from the world, life is much easier to put into perspective. If any of you reading are being bogged down or feeling crappy, know what I am learning: No one has it all together. It is freedom to think of this.
Aight, it's time for this cat to bounce. I am going to put up a blog about the impending 5k RACE very soon so be ready! I'd like to give a shout out to my family on this Easter-Happy Eastuh Mom, Dad, Josh, Shep, and Lindsey..."Easter is going to be a little different this year guys, don't expect muuuch."
Thank you so much for your prayers, God is demonstrating his power so much, I have stories to spread because of your prayers and encouraging comments. I am so blessed to have people that love me enough to pray. I pray that this blog positively affects your day and God will reveal his hear to you. Thank you for reading and I hope the rest of your day is fantastic-
Good day to you who are reading, I hope you are doing faaaantastic. Are you learning anything these days about life? If so, definitely write it down. Jesus has taught me a lot the past few days and I decided the other day to write my thoughts down. I have been debating whether or not to post these thoughts on a blog or not. These thoughts were not intended for anyone to read but the whole time I was writing I felt that other people should read so here it is, Joe Carter's Official Journal Entry Two Thousand Double O Nine.
Saved by God's Grace
It is by the grace of Jesus that I am writing what I have learned down. Where is my wisdom without the word of God? How subtle darkness is in life. I write this note to myself with thanksgiving to my savior who does not let me fall off the edge or into the traps the enemy makes, using my own funding for each snare. I write four years after an event that changed the course of my life and see it as a foreshadowing into the spiritual journey I see taking form.
Last Monday (3/23/09), I saw a vision in the Nicaraguan HOP that led Seth Barnes Jr. to speak in tongues and receive a revelation from God for me. He said that, "God seeks to make all things new," which I remember him repeating, and also, "God will heal you and it will be a testimony to many people." I jumped to a conclusion that it was for my Barrio ministry because I had been praying for the last hour needing direction from God about whether or not we should go through with our plan to teach the kids about healing or not. Seth then assured me that he felt God's words were for my life. I, even now, take these words to heart and that night I began anticipating the ways I could get hurt the next day-the worst was tearing my knee. I wanted to see more visions, my heart was incredibly excited and then I demanded I see more for the sake of my faith and those I am ministering to.
For the first time I began to speak in tongues-initially laughing because I accidentally snuck some Spanish words in there. Next, I prayed for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and asked for the gift of speaking in tongues. It happened and as I spoke my voice drained out and words from Jesus resonated in my mind. "Don't be hasty my Son. Don't be hasty, my Son, my Son." As I repeated phrases these words miraculously spoke to my heart. I wanted so bad to get direction from God about my VBS ministry right in the moment; these words served to put me in check and trust God that a plan will come. Seth had already left and because he said he thought God wanted to speak to me through a dream I decided it was time to head to bed. I slept with a headlamp, pen, and paper at my bedside, earnestly awaiting a prophetic dream from Jesus. Though I woke up several times praying, the morning came and I could not remember any visions.
The day before God had put three distinct stories on my heart: first, the story of Laserath, then Zacheas and then the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Trying to not be hasty, I decided to teach the Parable, focusing on the foundation of Christianity: love. God gave me a very concise schedule for VBS and everything flowed together during the ministry that morning. I was able to finish by teaching, "The Great Commission," to the kids; I linked God's love for us, the lost sheep, to the command to love God and then asked, "Who loves themselves?" After we encouraged all the kids to raise their hands, I sent them out with the command from the Bible: "Love your neighbor as yourself." I asked them to have stories ready for the next VBS. It was our best VBS yet.
Life was going very well and I was feeling pretty good about myself and the ways God was using me in the 5k-race. One of my leaders even wrote a blog about me, which was very encouraging. The whole community here was showing their love to me-on a walk to the Internet I talked to about fifteen Nicaraguans. Then I forgot my Bible at Corazon Contento (the special needs center) and decided that I could use some time anyway to allow what I had been learning about to sink in so I casually asked a teammate to pick it up who later forgot. Then I received an e-mail from my parents saying I got a $2500-4000 scholarship to run for Cedarville and I even got my first love letter from a Nicaraguan girl in my ESL class, ha. Things were great and was feeling very confident in where I was at with my faith and pretty popular. I was slowly led into this security. Though it is good to feel secure, pride was slithering in.
Four years ago I found out I needed surgery on my leg and I was going to have to spend my sophomore winter recovering. I was angry at God but recovered remarkably quick and by the spring I had the number one seed for the mile at states (though I was beaten by two seniors on the last lap). I see a parallel of this event to my life right now as I write with one hand. As a sophomore in high school I had fallen asleep in my faith until God woke me up and as I read the other day in, "The Final Quest," "Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall;" God woke me up as I dangerously walked towards the edge so many have fallen off due to pride. A God that truly loves me loved me enough to see my physical body hurt to save my spiritual being. So instead of taking a spiritual fall, which really matters in life, yesterday my body launched itself in the air as I kicked the air and not the soccer ball, and I reached backwards to catch my fall, which fractured my wrist.
I have grown tremendously already going through the frustrations of having every task I do take forever and having to ask my teammates for help washing dishes or doing trivial tasks. All my life I have felt pretty invincible and my reputation sent daggers in my way as a teammate commented, "I can't believe it, the great Joe Carter is broken." It has been one thing to be broken mentally, but physically it has been a challenge. However, I write with victory in mind as I just had an awesome experience where instead of thinking of all the terrible things that have resulted from my broken wrist, I decided to praise God for all the good things in my life. After ten minutes I realized my God really does care about me and wants me to grow. My thoughts are excitedly drawn to the prophetic words Seth said in the prayer house that I would be healed and it would touch many lives. He prophesied it, four days later I broke my wrist and on Monday we are going to teach our VBS, as planned three weeks ago, on the story of the healing/raising of the dead of Laserath.
Isaiah 42:6-9 "I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open the eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeons those who sit in darkness. "I am the lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
Okay, so really deep, intense, new, touchy things right? Remember that the Bible says we should seek spiritual gifts and I am trying to as I strive to reach fullness in Christ. It feels like all my friends back home and my Grandmother would call me crazy for writing these things or feeling this way-but I say go big or go home. If I am going to try and really live the Christian life, why hold anything back? Why not act wholeheartedly on what I am learning while I am living with a team of likeminded supporters? So I am supposed to be "casted" for four weeks-No RUNNING. GAAA, pray that God give me the perseverance to grow through this trial in my life. Please, write down any thoughts you have about what I have written because I know that a bulk of what I am learning is an uncomfortable subject for a lot of people-myself included. Thanks for reading today, pray I will be healed, and I will continue to give thanks for my supporters!
Buenas Dias Todos! I have missed blogging these days, I miss telling you about my life and my heart seems to burn to tell everyone about what God is doing in my life! Ayy, I didn't die in Costa Rica; in fact, I lived! I was able to run five times down the miles of beaches, it felt so good, I love to run-did you know that? Our Costa Rica group-Heather K., J.D, Annie, Laura and I ate like kings, choked on water in restaurants, got sunburned (my Vermont skin had a nice awakening), J.D and I surfed like wild men and I got wicked hurt (flipped on a wave and the board wailed me in the face; there was blood everywhere), and God revealed himself to me in a very new way! I'm constantly learning new things about Jesus and the more I learn, the more I fall in love with my creator and learn just how lost I am, which is a good thing that I will explain later. God continues to raise the amazing bar with the 5k-race, more and more ideas seem to pour in and everything stems back to prayer. Without prayer, this race would go nowhere. So, I'll share events in my life and then I will share what God has taught me through them. Ready? ¿Todos Listos?
First off, Costa Rica was awesome but it was a spiritual struggle for me. Going from a missionary group where the girls wear one piece bathing suites to a giant beach where a combination of all the bathing suites on the beach would sew one shirt is hard for any guy-I don't care if you are John Paul or Gandhi. I was attacked all week by my own sinful desires and it was very hard for me to control my eyes and mind. Amidst my failings, however, I felt Jesus beside me the whole way. I take comfort in knowing that Jesus came to earth, was tempted just like me, yet he succeeded beyond imagination. Jesus is the man, yet me, I take my comfort in knowing I am not perfect, I have freedom to fail, and Jesus understands everything I go through and seeks to save me every day. I lose my identity all the time to the things of this world. I sell out my identity: BUT: As soon as I turn back to Jesus and remember who I am, a child of God and someone who enjoys running because Jesus made me that way, holy schmokes, life is so much better. When I choose to sin, it reminds me whose righteousness I am really relying on in order to be saved-Jesus Christ's. Charles Kaye, the head missionary that lives here, has been talking about the Parable of the Lost sheep and the Lost Coin and the Lost Son found in Luke: 15 for the past few Sundays. Do you know what? I am not ashamed or afraid to accept each identity, from the older brother who was, "Angry," as it says in Luke 15:28, to the rebellious son to the lost sheep or coin. In fact, when I do so it gives me more confidence because it puts me in a place where I don't have to rely on my own strength or wisdom because I am just ole Joe schmoe, I receive the strength and wisdom from God himself. Amen!
So, yesterday gave me a story. With determination to do a hard tempo run, I start my ten minute warm up jog. I get back and see about 16 of the local kids age 2-6 crowded around something screaming and screaming. At a closer glance I see a fat pig tied up in a hole and it is just squealing it's brains out. Shocked, I watch the adults lift the pig into a box attached to a bicycle. Two minutes of intense flailing go by and finally the pig is locked into the cage. I resolve that I need to do my Track warm-ups (A-skips, B-skips, grapevines, bicycles, chicken walks, Can-cans, the whole deal!). I start, dreading the time it is going to take and, ha, all these little guys, little louise and his 3-year-old legs, are skipping around trying to impersonate me and laughing at me. I decide to play it off cool and do the most normal routines and more kids join: they are all so excited.
"Forget it," I think,
"I am going to make them look ridiculous too." I start jogging around and flap my arms making chicken noises and the kids toot their little Spanish mouths, so funny. Then the races start. We tear off and have like 10 races. I have to go all out each time because the kids cheat like bandits but after like 20 minutes I tell the kids, "Okay I have to run, a BIG distance, so Adios."
"We'll come with you," they cheer.
"Oh jeeze, I am backed into a corner now..." I think.
Then, they all excitedly yell, "Futbol, Futbol!" Ag, I reluctantly give in, and put on my excited face and get them all riled up to have a game in the street. One kid tears off and grabs a ball and before I know it, the sixteen ninos are gazing at me as their leader in organizing a game. "Okay," I think, "First I need to have them choose two teams." Again, before I knew it, it was Spain Vs. Real Madrid, a battle of 2-6 year olds. Blood spills, Louise falls and eats dirt but the champion holds it in and cries for just 30 seconds and another, Orlando has a similar fate. The ending score is 2-5 and I try to leave again but only get frowns. I decide to run these kids ragged, and we do a strength circuit. Jumping jacks, push-ups, running in place, and more races-the kids eat it all up! Finally, I am too tired for a workout and the kids are all dehydrated so I bring them water. What a great, unplanned gift from God!
Another blessing from God is a special story from a financial standpoint. To hit my quota for my trip financially, I needed to raise about $620 last month. Well, I got an e-mail from my mothah while I was in Costa Rica, excitedly explaining to me that three separate donations came in, giving me exactly what I needed with three dollars to spare! This is something she had been praying for diligently! Wooo, yeeeeeeah, thank you to everyone who gave and who have been praying for me. It has such an impact on my life and I am so blessed to have this missions opportunity in Nicaragua. Take advantage and share the Gospel where you are too. Thank you all so much for the encouraging comments, they give me so much confidence to share the Gospel and lift me up whenever I read them. The prayer house video that Caleb and JD and Annie have been working on SO diligently, is hopefully on this blog, I hope you enjoy it~!
(Above is our Prayer Committee in the Barrio Santa Rosa!)
Pray for our prayer ministries!
Pray for the 5k Race! We have an official name, course, police, permission from the Mayor, schools will be involved, there is a 2.5k for walkers and youth, and many more things are happening! Many people from our team are with Vida Joven in Mategalpa at a soccer camp so pray that kids will come to know Jesus. Please pray that I will grow more and more confident in my identity with Jesus!
That is it for today, I thank Jesus for my Panton Community Baptist Church and friends and family back home that support me each day.
Hey my faithful supporter and encourager, thanks for checking in on me today; it feels like I am talking directly to you right now, I can picture so many friends and families from my church and wherever you may be from. I have a lot on my heart to share mostly because I have grown so much and God has used me in intense ways the last week and a half. God seems to have crammed in as much as he could with my life before I embark for Costa Rica tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m. I cannot wait to share everything with you and can't wait to throw in some prayer requests because Jesus listens and I feel his Powah!
To start, I am going to work backwards going from what is fresh in my mind, backwards to the open spaces and beyond. Last night, I had the privilege of sharing my testimony in front of a crowd of 30-40 guys and girls ranging from age 8-45! God put a vision on my heart to schedule a night for the community in Santa Rosa, so I assembled a team--Caleb Spitler, Laura Overs, Melissa Brown, and Mario--and worked to bring things from my heart and head into reality. I sat down and wrote a schedule, which came surprisingly easy--of course it did though because it was in God's will. The night planned was: 6:45 p.m: Act Jesus Crucifixion play we learned in Georgia, 7:15: Caleb explains the significance of the characters and shares what is on his heart, 7:40: I share my testimony and invite all to accept Jesus or renew their relationship with God, 8:00: Worship songs by Caleb, 8:15: social time with Picos (amazing bread), and bounce out. No kids accepted Christ but through our emotions, stories, and awesome worship I know we planted seeds!
Yesterday morning I had a fantastic meeting with the fundraising committee for Vida Joven in Nicaragua. Things started out a little rough because the President and other members didn't understand the concept of money being raised from a 5k race, but eventually, after we explained all of our plans to raise money: Factories, Tourists, Radio, Newspaper, Tv, Mayor, Blog websites, international residencees they were pumped. We have contacts in each category~~yeah yeeeeaah. After all was said and done I tried to finish things up but they wanted more and actually formed committees amongst themselves and we will meet up the Monday after my Costa Rica trip and see how our progress is. One guy said in Spanish, "The Mayor is in the bag."
I have been so blessed to be put in many different leadership positions and have such great followers. Caleb S. and Laura Overs have been so great about following me in our VBS ministry. I have been learning a lot about what it means to be a leader. Empowering people I feel is one of the most important things to do as a leader and I learned this because for a while I was trying to do everything myself and being certain and all manly. Really, it takes more of a humble, discerning heart that is open to different suggestions--I am so lucky to have two awesome friends to have patience with me as I grow. This week on Tuesday we met with many members of the community and I have been working on learning, "Come, Now is the Time to Worship," on my guitar and I was so amped to smoke the song. We started out with prayer, explained the agenda, and then I picked up my guitar like a wild man. I strummed a few awkward chords and started singing in Spanish. The whole room was quite, no one sang and I got like every chord wrong. I put the guitar down and sang acappella and thankfully Mario and Caleb joined in and the sweat on my forehead began to cool. JEEZE, it's hard to lead music--what an aweful experience, at least I tried though, ha. We then had a time for people to give the glory to God and two great stories came up, and are still fresh in my mind. A mother spoke up about her son, so thankful to God. She described her son: He rode on his bicycle home from work the other night and was traveling on his usual route on a newly paved road. All of the sudden, he stopped and had an intense feeling like he needed to turn around and go the rougher, more dangerous way. He did so and apparently there were two men waiting to rob him that night. They saw him turn around so they went to his house. When he arrived, one was waiting for him inside and one was waiting for him outside. My daughter and I saw them and picked up boards and as my son made it to the house we were able to scare them off. "God protects those that follow him." Amen. Another was from the Pastor's wife, Maria. She told us that her husband, who is never late, missed his usual bus that crashed and flipped over many times--it was all over the newspapers. He made it home late, but God kept him safe. Ahhh yeaaah.
Lastly, Monday morning, Caleb, Natalia, Laura and I led our Vacation Bible School ministry in the Barrio Santa Rosa. I am still in awe of how much Jesus was working through the kids and energizing us. It was great, at the end I used my Basin Harbor kids skills and wrestled all the little guys (though the ground was gravel and dirt so when they would chase me, my usual jukes would send me straight into the kids so it was more like football). We taught the story of Shadrack Meshak and intobedwego and had the kids act it out. We played a game from my old job at Basin Harbor called "Indian Chief." Also, we did a relay where kids had to hold a cup to their chests and bunny hop to a bucket and fill a bucket. Everyone got soaked and there was a lot of screaming and cheering. In this day we broke up older kids and younger kids during the prayer time. The older kids (8-13) pray more boldly and the younger kids prayed more seriously. Also, in worship all the kids sang with energy, their voices could probably be heard all over the neighborhood. That's it, Few~
So, I am so thankful to God for all of my ministries! This week a new team of college students are coming in and carrying on all of our FYM team's ministries. THEY need prayer as they take a week off from college. Please pray God will rock their world. Pray for Caleb Spit and Baker as they stay back to lead the new team. Also, I would love prayer too as I grow. I need to be taught how to be a better leader now and when I return to Vermont this summer. I love leading things, it is awesome. I also made it into Cedarville and the coach wants to give me a running scholarship! My parents helped me out like crazy with all my applications, they are hip. Pray for next year for direction when I need it. Also that I will have more and more joy while following God and wont look to other things ever to find my security, wisdom, love, and strength. That would be awesome! I will continue to thank God for the Panton Community Baptist Church cats back home, you're support inspires me to run the race for God--Run with me! Corinne Kehoe, thank you for telling me about the Missions month~that is a really cool thing. I will keep you John, David, Virginia and Bill O'Neil in my prayers, I will pray he will reveal himself to you all in New York and look forward to hearing how it goes.
Aight, G-slim, it is time for me to rock out in Costa Rica, maybe I will fight a shark or two. Hopefully I will come back with some scars and tattoos, that would be ideal.
Yo Yo, how's it going? I have got just a few words of update for my blog today, one cool story, and I will end with a poem. Sound good? I think so.
First off, along with my VBS ministry in the Barrios, we walk around the community with the Pastor's wife of the "Light of the World" Church and invite the community to come pray for Granada with us. All I do is follow Maria and present my bright blonde hair and smile and nod, sometimes saying, "Buenos dias" or "you are the coolest person I have ever met." Last Tuesday, God met those who came, about twelve adults, and Laura, Caleb, Mario, Seth and I, in power. We started off with prayer and worship and then broke up into groups of men and women and prayed for specific needs. I am in awe of how well this time went-there were tears from grown men, one lady was healed, and everyone was vulnerable. Also, two weeks ago we asked for prayer requests and this week during our meetings, Jader stood up and praised God because after looking for a job for a long time, two days after we prayed, he had a job interview and now has a full time job. Praise God!
Also, I am headed to Costa Rica-Nicaragua shuts down on March 7th-15th due to a holiday-so why not go all out? Surfing is definitely in line and I am definitely doing many beach runs. I am going with four other people, J.D Russell, Annie V, Laura O, and Heather King. Leaving the Country will allow us to renew our Visas and rejuvenate. A team of missionaries is coming down in our stead and will carry on the ministries our team is involved in. The trip will be out of pocket except for 30$ given to us for food. Caleb Spitler and Baker have volunteered to stay back and hold down the fort, what champions.
The 5k-race is doing well; Mario, the man, translated our proposal into Spanish and Jener, the leader of Young life in Granada, is going to set up a meeting with all the Young Life leaders in Nicaragua so we can get their support too. I will keep you posted-oh a new plan is to have the Worship band from our Church play in the park after the awards ceremony and I think my parents are going to try and bring race prizes when they visit me in April. My Fatha is running, by the way, bringing up the rear no doubt. Ha, just kidding. I expect him to bring back some hardware to Vermont.
Okay, well yesterday I sat down in our prayer house and asked God to speak through me-I wrote these words on paper. Doing this is always an amazing experience. With this poem, it really felt like my soul was reaching out to Jesus. Hurr it is:
The Race:
Your light is what shines from within,
my face responds and complements the song
plucked with the strings of my soul.
Like a faun I jump through your fields,
oblivious to the stalkers with flashing gleams that scream
Danger, Danger.
As a father veils the eyes of his son from crude images,
so my father cloaks my being from these lions.
Father, show me this wardrobe,
one spring day,
you who are worthy of all praise.
Oh, the honey flows through my veins as my Shepherd
beckons me nearer;
On my knees I will present my ears for instruction.
Teach me how to run towards my mission,
spreading your name like water spreads itself on the land
after a dam, withholding nutrients in a scorched land,
Happy Valentines Day to whoever is reading today-and if you are reading past Saturday, I hope it was a good one, full of hearts and stars and horseshoes. Mine has, of course, been nothing of the sorts. On Friday, we bought a goat and killed it for a very nice Valentines Day meal. Us guys were the chefs for the girl's team and we put on some smooth Frank Sinatra during lunch, which was held on a long table with vases of flowers on it. Niiice, huh? What did you do for Valentines Day? Is this Holliday one that you hate or love?
God has caused many ministries to prosper this week: With the kids at Corazon Contento, the Vacation Bible School Barrio Ministry and the 5k-race planning that my partner in crime Sarah Morgan and I are organizing.
Monday afternoon I sewed with my favorite kids in the special needs program that I work at called Corazon Contento (Happy Heart). God has really given me a heart for these wonderful kids (shown on the left). Actually, before this, at 9:15a.m was the VBS ministry in the Barrio Santa Rosa. God brought us a smaller group this week, but we were able to interact with them on a much more personal level, so it was good. After we sung worship songs and played a name game, we had the kids act out the story of Samson and Delilah from the Bible and it was "truly brilliant" (said with an English accent). In the story of Samson, he is enticed by Delilah into spilling the secret to his strength. However, this only happens after Samson tricks Delilah multiple times. Well, we had our actor of Samson say to Delilah, "If you dance like a chicken I will lose my strength." Good thing we chose an older, reserved girl for the role. We were able to use the younger group to hold up signs for the audience. The sign they held up for the chicken dance was "Laughter." Next, we had Samson say, "If you paint my nails I will lose my strength," which was equally as embarrassing for our young Samson in front of his friends. Caleb Spitler later spoke that the strength Samson received from Jesus is available today if we pray for it. We then practiced praying silently for strength, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and for friends and family in Granada. We ended by singing the Hallelu Hallelu Halleluia song-in honor of you Mrs. Rood. We thanked God for our time together and for desiring to empower us always and sent the kids on their way.
On Tuesday morning, we gathered together and prayed for God to give us direction. Afterwards, Seth Barnes, Natalia, Migelangel (the Pastor of the church we do our VBS at), Laura Overs, and I walked around the neighborhood spreading the good news of Jesus Christ! We prayed for healing, peace, work and we even prayed for this lady who lived a wall away from a family with twelve dogs! I prayed that God would silence these yelping dogs (kill them maybe? Ha).
The rest of my week was centered on planning for the 5k-race and the official date is now April 25th at 7:00am. I praise God for growing the vision he put on my heart four months ago. God led me to have a race to benefit a growing youth program in Granada that I work with called Young Life-it is also all over America. Sarah Morgan and Melissa, thanks to God, were inspired to help me write a formal proposal for Opportunity International that will go to the Mayor, Police, Factories, many churches, and the President of Young life. I have learned that giving myself enough time to accomplish tasks is VITAL. It was finished, but it broke my back and caused a few tempers to flare: a story for another day.
When praying just now, I asked God to lead my words and speak through me to touch people's lives. He directed me first to a verse in Mark where Jesus walks on water, but this verse didn't mention Peter at all so I turned to Mathew 14: 23-31. When reading these verses I thought of how it applies to my life. At the beginning, it says, "After he [Jesus] had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside to pray." Am I following Jesus' example as a man and working on my relationship with God? This has been a particular focus of mine this week, I even have written on a checklist [ ] Work on relationship with God. Every time I tell him, "I want to strengthen our relationship," no joke, it feels spiritually invigorating. On this earth, Jesus recognizes the importance of having a relationship with God and what a benefit it is to us when we seek to become better friends with our creator. The chapter goes on,
"When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified."
What did Jesus immediately say?
"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid!"
Peter then says,
"Lord, if it's you...tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come." He said
"Then Peter got out of the boat, walked on water, and came towards Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, he cried out,
"Lord save me!"
"Immediately Jesus reached his hand out and caught him."
"You of little faith," he said, "Why do you doubt?"
Examining this we can draw a sound conclusion. God is not a God of terror and he calls us into situations where we may begin to "sink," but he will always be there to save us when we follow him! Amen?! This touches my heart and I hope to trust Jesus even more as we grow in our personal relationship-I hope this encourages you today~.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and funny comments. They uplift me and sometimes make me feel all tingly inside (Mrs. Stapleford when you mentioned me telling you when I was younger that I was a Christian, it brought back some fuzzy memories). Pray for me that I trust God and pray that I follow God with confidence! I will keep the NYC trip in my prayers and I am so thankful to God that he has given me each one of you, my supporters, to make a difference in my life through prayer and financially. Financially, I have about $1300 to go, which is so encouraging. If God has put it on your heart to give more or for the first time, don't be scared like Peter on the water dive right in, ha. Keep it real and thanks for checking in on my ministries in Nicaragua. I can't wait for what Jesus Christ has in store for me this week!
Greetings from Nicaragua, how is your day so far? Always remember everything that God is doing in your life and don't forget to recognize Him for it! Is everything chill? Yeah? If not, prayer is the best response-last night, I played goalie for our team and I lost the game for us because I couldn't block the overtime penalty kicks and I was so down. At first, I turned to rap music that talked about money and girls, but that made me feel even worse. It wasn't until I went to God in my brokenness that I was filled up again with joy (and Annie and Laura made me some Hot chocolate with warm milk so that was a plus). I am going to do a little God recognition myself because I feel that people should know how awesome things have been. First, my Children's Barrio ministry! I have been excited all week to spread the news and almost put up a Thursday blog, so hurr it iz:
The walk through the Barrio is priceless-we receive many stares as three white kids and three Nicaraguans penetrate a secluded, all-Nicaraguan community. As we approach the church there is a hum of conversation and my first reaction is, "Oh, I guess they are having a service and then we will do our Vacation Bible School thing." As I walk around the corner and into a Church with "Tin roofing" walls, through an open space where a door should be, my first glimpse reveals a storm of kids, sitting in rows excitedly awaiting the arrival of "the Gringos!" It turns out; all sixty or seventy kids are waiting for us! My heart races as I check in with Jesus, "Jesus, you have to carry me through this, give me the courage, confidence and joy to carry out your will today," I pray. We start out by introducing ourselves with microphones and then Carlos, a truly gifted Nicaraguan guitar player, plays worships songs for the kids. They love it and join in! Next, we break the mass into two groups and play the name game. With the simple task of stating your name and what you like to do, most of the kids fail. I laugh so hard, watching terrified children say that their name is Jefferson and they like to play. Probably 10 kids say they like to play and the rest forget their names, ha. Afterwards, Laura Overs reads the story of David and Goliath and we have the kids act out the story. God protected the kids as David's army attacked Saul's with sticks and slingshots-thankfully no one was hurt. Next, we play Hot Potato, and use kids welling with excitement to beat on pans for our music. We play another water game and then Caleb Spitler gives a talk on prayer. He makes the connection from the story of David; David prayed with faith and God used small David to defeat a giant. We practice praying for six minutes with the kids and end with a worship song in Spanish. I am so excited as to how strong God met us in this ministry! Before we went, Caleb told us of a dream where we ministered to six kids and we were pumped about that-we had no idea the number would be over sixty! I cannot wait for next Monday and please pray for us. We are hungry for direction from God because without God, it will fail.
Also, really quick, if you were at Church when I spoke before my trip began, do you remember when I said something about a 5k race? Well, I forgot until God started prodding my heart. What another powerful thing he is doing in Grenada; Our team will be hosting a 5k race in Grenada on April 25th! The race will be to benefit "Young Life," which is a growing youth group here. God provided me with the words to speak to the whole committee of Young Life, without a translator, last Wednesday, and they even applauded the idea. Numbers 33 is all about the Israelites wandering around in the desert. It speaks to me because God made a promise to the Israelites, just like God made me a promise when he put the race on my heart 5 months ago, he only asks that we take action and take a step of faith in him. He has yet to let me down. Pray for this ministry as well-there are so many prospects for support raising, I will keep everyone posted.
Well, a few thoughts on a teaching that our leader Seth Barnes jr. gave us on Monday night:
Mathew 1:17
-Jesus will cost you nothing, living like Christ will cost you everything.
-Jesus cares deeply for us.
-Each day we have to "surrender all" to Jesus like the worship song says.
-The Kingdom of Heaven is coming to earth; it needs to be embraced.
-Forceful men and women need to step up.
-How are we going to react to the authority on earth given to us by God?
Mathew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. THEREFORE, go and makes disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you ALWAYS, to the very end of the age." How awesome is that? No matter what stage of life we are in, how deep in sin we are or how on fire for Jesus we are, he is right beside us and in us.
So, I miss Vermont just a bit-mostly skiing. Are the slopes good this season? Oh, and the Bronx trip sounds great, watch out for thugs with slugs though. I will keep that ministry in my prayers, when is the "Vermont white boys from Panton clash with the Inner City gangsters of Harlem" showdown going to occur? Are the Bacon Breakfasts still occurring for the men? This is a very important tradition. Someone fill me in on the Celtics vs. Lakers battle and was Ray Allen fouled on the last shot or was he being a pansy? Hey, Much Importante: ANYONE WITH VBS EXPERIENCE, if you have suggestions as to what works and what doesn't with kids, please tell me. This week I believe we will teach the kids about Noah's ark and have a water games theme, should be nice and wet. That is it, I hope you are encouraged by my post today and have a stellar week~
as hanging out with a couple of other girls who wanted us to go to Young Life's club, so I went with them. In the club, we watched a video about a guy named Nick, who should have been incapacitated, but functioned very well considering his circumstances. I saw in this video that nothing was impossible. 
in the jungle last week, completely alone, and I dropped a quarter of my water on the way to my camp. I was so thirsty during those long, hot days that I prayed God would sustain me-which, he did. In a moment of desperation, I moved towards my water with the intent of finishing it off with still a full day left and then I ran smack into an angelic, girly figure. It turned out to be Seth Barnes Jr. holding two coconuts with a smile on his face. These he gave to me so the rest of the day, from three until the sun went down, I spent praising God (sometimes at the top of my lungs) and talking to God. I was so desperate for help from God that went it came I was elated.
able to run five times down the miles of beaches, it felt so good, I love to run-did you know that? Our Costa Rica group-Heather K., J.D, Annie, Laura and I ate like kings, choked on water in restaurants, got sunburned (my Vermont skin had a nice awakening), J.D and I surfed like wild men and I got wicked hurt (flipped on a wave and the board wailed me in the face; there was blood everywhere), and God revealed himself to me in a very new way! I'm constantly learning new things about Jesus and the more I learn, the more I fall in love with my creator and learn just how lost I am, which is a good thing that I will explain later. God continues to raise the amazing bar with the 5k-race, more and more ideas seem to pour in and everything stems back to prayer. Without prayer, this race would go nowhere. So, I'll share events in my life and then I will share what God has taught me through them. Ready? 
eeded with three dollars to spare! This is something she had been praying for diligently! Wooo, yeeeeeeah, thank you to everyone who gave and who have been praying for me. It has such an impact on my life and I am so blessed to have this missions opportunity in Nicaragua. Take advantage and share the Gospel where you are too. Thank you all so much for the encouraging comments, they give me so much confidence to share the Gospel and lift me up whenever I read them. The prayer house video that Caleb and JD and Annie have been working on SO diligently, is hopefully on this blog, I hope you enjoy it~!
ure so many friends and families from my church and wherever you may be from. I have a lot on my heart to share mostly because I have grown so much and God has used me in intense ways the last week and a half. God seems to have crammed in as much as he could with my life before I embark for Costa Rica tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m. I cannot wait to share everything with you and can't wait to throw in some prayer requests because Jesus listens and I feel his Powah!
ted out a little rough because the President and other members didn't understand the concept of money being raised from a 5k race, but eventually, after we explained all of our plans to raise money: Factories, Tourists, Radio, Newspaper, Tv, Mayor, Blog websites, international residencees they were pumped. We have contacts in each category~~yeah yeeeeaah. After all was said and done I tried to finish things up but they wanted more and actually formed committees amongst themselves and we will meet up the Monday after my Costa Rica trip and see how our progress is. One guy said in Spanish, "The Mayor is in the bag."
Monday afternoon I sewed with my favorite kids in the special needs program that I work at called Corazon Contento (Happy Heart). God has really given me a heart for these wonderful kids (shown on the left). Actually, before this, at 9:15a.m was the VBS ministry in the Barrio Santa Rosa. God brought us a smaller group this week, but we were able to interact with them on a much more personal level, so it was good. After we sung worship songs and played a name game, we had the kids act out the story of Samson and Delilah from the Bible and it was "truly brilliant" (said with an English accent). In the story of Samson, he is enticed by Delilah into spilling the secret to his strength. However, this only happens after Samson tricks Delilah multiple times. Well, we had our actor of Samson say to Delilah, "If you dance like a chicken I will lose my strength." Good thing we chose an older, reserved girl for the role. We were able to use the younger group to hold up signs for the audience. The sign they held up for the chicken dance was "Laughter." Next, we had Samson say, "If you paint my nails I will lose my strength," which was equally as embarrassing for our young Samson in front of his friends. Caleb Spitler later spoke that the strength Samson received from Jesus is available today if we pray for it. We then practiced praying silently for strength, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and for friends and family in Granada. We ended by singing the Hallelu Hallelu Halleluia song-in honor of you Mrs. Rood. We thanked God for our time together and for desiring to empower us always and sent the kids on their way.
game for us because I couldn't block the overtime penalty kicks and I was so down. At first, I turned to rap music that talked about money and girls, but that made me feel even worse. It wasn't until I went to God in my brokenness that I was filled up again with joy (and Annie and Laura made me some Hot chocolate with warm milk so that was a plus). I am going to do a little God recognition myself because I feel that people should know how awesome things have been. First, my Children's Barrio ministry! I have been excited all week to spread the news and almost put up a Thursday blog, so hurr it iz:
