Wow, I just read all the words of encouragement and advice and once again, I am JACKED UP. It was so much to think about that I set out on the streets and walked through a market and let everything sink in(esp. the part about the army, and getting trained). It makes me feel so lucky to have God working through me and I am so glad that I have so many friends to lift me up and reaffirm that I am meant to be here. To answer some of the comments/questions from blogs, people down here are awesome. It is so refreshing to be greeted with a smile by everyone, including beggars, old ladies, little kids, and gangstas in the hood. Just because poverty in Grenada is prevalent, people seem content without many things we treasure. God has been providing numerous opportunities to share my faith because everyone has the same question, “What the heck is a blonde-haired, blue eyed “Gringo” doing living in Nicaragua for nine months??” Everyone thinks it is great what we are doing and some of the kids we play soccer with have actually asked us what denomination we are and what we believe in. We have been inviting them to a youth group called, Vida Joven (Young life), and out of the 30 kids in attendance, at least 8 are from the crowd we play soccer with! I can’t wait to see others come and have their lives change from a thug life drug life to living a life for Christ.
Well, in current news, the task of eating a lizard is complete. Last night I caught a wild Nicaraguan Lizard and Caleb Spitler and I ate it after cooking it over a fire that Caleb Austin made by striking flint. It was quite tribal, we had our shirts off and sharpend a stick to skewer the Nicaraguan lizard on. I am very glad this task was completed, I woke up with a full head of hair on my chest and the box on my check list coining the phrase, “Eat a wild Nicaraguan Lizard,” is finally, after many brutal years of sweating it out, checked off. I would also like to say that J.D. Russell jumped on the bandwagon and consumed one of the bony legs, props to this man.
Oh man, here is some awesome news, do you remember me talking about the large Bohemath man that played with us on our National Basketball team? Well, I had a sense that he needed God in his life because of some of the things he did at the camp, like getting T’d up for slamming the ball on the ground and then proceeding to scream at the ref (which was a very scary time for us all because he’s HUGE) and get thrown out of the game. Anyway, us guys have been praying for him for a while and then, at one of our Bible studies he walked in the door with one of his friends, “La Vaca,” quite the character. This was awesome to see and then to follow this up, Bohemath man Jonathan came by himself on Wednesday morning and after the message, Charles Kay, the head missionary down here, asked if anyone would like to be saved. I looked over at Jonathan and just prayed wicked hard that he wouldn’t be able to sit still and there would be a flame in his heart. I slowly moved my leg closer to me because it was kind of blocking his path, and HOLY SCHMOKES the man went up and was saved right then and thurr. What an amazing feeling that was, and later he asked one of my teammates, Baker, about a passage in Romans.
John Rood, that is so awesome about Steen-doggy dog, he is probably one of the best arguers I know and if you can convince him you can convince any man on earth, “all things are possible through him who strengthens me,” you got it. Josh Carter, good luck at states coming up, you know who you have to beat (fodder-wing). Mom, I wish you could cook something for me right now I am starving. Dad, I hope the knee is doing well, I am sitting on no pain at all but I think I broke my big toe like three weeks ago–I was playing soccer and I stepped in front of a kid who was shooting and he kicked me all out right in the big toe, it still hurts wicked bad. Oh, and thanks for continued prayer, I am feeling much stronger against spiritual warfare but please keep praying! I am teaching an ESL class for Spanish students learning English an am going to have to cover topics that I have no idea about like Present perfect and weird grammar, should be sweet. That’s it for this week,
Keep the peace at home-
-Jose
Leapin’ LIZARDS, Batman! So, Joe, did you save the recipe? I prefer my lizard with onions and don’t spare the banana peppers. Pack it in dry ice and ship it north, eh?
We just had our second men’s prayer breakfast this morning. Pancakes and bacon, scrambled eggs…. but, I digress. Say, perhaps you could take on the chef duties when you’re home so that the men of pcbc can enjoy lizard and home fries and grow that head of chest hair, too? Consider it sharin’ the love, Joe.
Praise God that we had 16 guys around the table this morning at SEVEN, (up from 7 at the inaugural event last month.) Great food and Pastor Nathan lead a very relevant lesson and discussion. It’s a blessing to witness the work God is doing on this mission field called Vermont!
Too bad about the joe-toe. I’m sure you’ll keep on kickin’ nonetheless. Just think of the future there you’ll be a middle-aged old guy, it’ll be sort of rainy or damp one morning and you’ll have earned the opportunity to say, “I remember the time, back in 2008, when this toe got hammered by a Pele protege. And now, every time the rains come, this toe becomes a gentle reminder of my wonderful visit…. ” See, it all works out.
Keeping you in prayer – may He continue to keep you well.
Bill O’
Awesome blog post bro! I just wanted to be the first to comment on it… since it has become so popular this is a big deal… Love ya bro.
Joe-son!
Whew!! I was pretty much out of my mind wondering about you, and as you know, going completely out of my mind is not a far trip for me!! So glad to hear from you and all the good that the Lord is doing in Nicaragua. Awesome about big-man Jonathan. Nothing more exciting than to see someone saved. I’m happy that you were a part of that, through your prayers.
Just got back from the big cross country state meet. Good old Vergennes came in 4th overall, which was fantastic. Josh had a great race, taking a minute off his time from last year. As usual, he pulverized about 27 people into dust in the last 400. And Ya Mutha got it on video- I duct taped her mouth so she wouldn’t scream and ruin it all. Worked like a dream.
I had the sermon on Sunday, as Nathan was away, and I really felt I had a message from God. I spoke from II Chronicles 24, about Josiah the boy king. Times were terrible in Judah and God raised up a righteous man that turned the country around in spite of how awful it was. I don’t usually trust teachers that alliterate their outline, but for me, it all flowed- check this out:
33:21-25 Rotten to the Core
34:1-2 Right in God’s Sight
34:3a Return to God
34: 36-7 Removal of Sin
34:8-13 Repair of the Temple
34:14-18 Recovery of a Treasure
34:22-28 Responsive Heart
34:29-30 Read Aloud the Word
34:31-32 Renewal of the Covenant
Chap 35 Rejoice in Worship
The preaching from my own lips scared even me, and you know I’m fearless! I got all choked up a couple of times and my voice got wavy and I got tunnel vision and the colliwobble shakes and everything else. Read the chapter some time and see what you think.
Speaking of food…maybe I shouldn’t tell you…but last night MooMoo made a tremendous Thanksgiving-style meal with all the trimmings. We thought of you and spoke of you often as we dove into this feast and stuffed ourselves silly. We all miss you something awful- it’s hard to have so little contact and think of you so far away, eating nothing but lizards and growing hair every which where.
My knee-bone is feeling amazing and I ran every day this week at lunchtime. Twice the doctors have told me it was over and to give it up, but now I’ve proved them wrong yet again!
I could go on and on but I better stop for now. Take care of youself and maybe get ahold of some ham (catch that piggy in the picture) and make up some good old lizard cordon bleu.
Love,
Diddie