Ay guys back home in the U.S, what is rockin’ the cradle right now? Just a few minutes ago I shared a coffee in the park with some local Nicaraguans and we talked about the tourists walking around, it’s so weird because I, a white-tall-blonde Vermonter feel like I’ve lived here my whole life. How was Halloween? I’m a little bummed to have missed trick-or-treating but we had our own little party here that was pretty solid…the girls dressed J.D Russel as a pregnant woman, Caleb Spitler as a scary old man, Jamie O’Shea as a rainbow, and I’ll tell you what I was made to dress as when you are older. Let me know what cool costumes were out there. Shep, you must have dressed like that nice brown haired girl? Josh, fantasia?
Anyway, Nicaraguan stories: On Sunday we walk with a whole group of young guys and girls for a program called Vida Joven, which is a youth group (young life), and it is crazy. Probably about 30 kids go and the whole time I am chilling with a cat named Emilio and another named Jose and they teach me Spanish words in exchange for English “slang” words. I am teaching them words like, what up gangsta, homey g, wut up g-slim, basically the classics and they are teaching me words like, Barbados (barbaric), Arbol (tree), and that is all I remember. As we walk, we stop and play games that use Bible verses and sing Christian worship songs in Spanish, “Open the eyes of my heart,” and others. At one point we choose different roads, one a rocky road and one a smooth one. Each has different Bible verses along them; it was very cool. We walk up this mountain that has a cross at the top of it and have lunch and Jener, our leader gives a sermon and we sing more songs. It was really great to bond with the kids and to share the Bible with them. Two days ago, we had 50 kids come to Vida Joven and God was really working in many people’s lives. We acted out plays with the kids and my group did the story of the healing of the paralytic in Luke 5: 17-26. That night 30 kids went up to get saved! These are guys and girls that have like chains and tattoos and some were living on the streets. It was amazing to see God work in people’s hearts like that! Gods love spreads to even the most rebellious people. Please, if you have old friends or know someone that needs God, don’t think that he wont change their hearts.
Well, I hope you all had a fantastic week, Bill O-that is really cool about the “Men’s Feast” in the mornings I would kill to cook a pound of bacon with the guys from the church and I will try and mail some strips of dried and salted Nicaraguan lizard jerky for communion only, haha. Mrs. Marshall, I really appreciate your words, you are the coolest neighbor on the hill~. Mom and Dad, I hope you like the new look, I miss you a lot mah rents. Dad, it is so weird that you mentioned Mom’s thanksgiving feasts because I was just telling Caleb Austin the other day that I miss having that like 12 times a year. Mrs. Huff, thanks so much for the comments notebook, it is so encouraging to read. Also, thank you teachers for your advice on my class, I ended up finding an amazing table that helped me tremendously. The class went fantastic. Well, I am going to go and be bald somewhere and have fun with it. Everyone in the neighborhood loves calling me and the guys “Pelones” –Baldies.
Peace Ouwwwt Bros and Mos,
-Joseeeee’
THIRTY KIDS SAVED?! Yahoo! Google! What an awesome moment that must have been, Joe. God is doing great things.
Excellent post. Thank you for being so loyal to this here blog thing-y.
Oh, and great hair. Dare you to wear that noggin on a toboggan here in the great white north Jose.
¡Siga trabajando para Jesús!
Guillermo O’
John bruckner,ooooo wooops thats you joe. Sorry about that.Just kidding you are a handsome devil with the hair cut.that must feel great and pretty soon you will have a giant beard and you will look like a monk. well, for holloween i was santa clause, wich every little kid loved me and asked for presents and all,anyway holloween was good. Well joe keep up the good work.
-sheopard
Joe, my special friend, Your Dad shared today at Sunday school about the wonderful things that God is doing as you let Him lead and fill you. How absolutely amazing!! Everything you are experiencing fills me with awe and wonder at His Greatness and love. Your blog makes me wish I was young again and had the teaching that you have had so that I could have gone off to some distant place and experienced what you are. But, He has put me in Panton and I am afraid I have been hiding up here on the hill, just grieving and not paying any attention to what I could be doing to share God’s love, His mercy and His grace that he holds out there all the time, just waiting for us to grab on to it and share it. Thanks for the wake up call!! I also envy your new ‘hair-do’! Watch out for sunburn! We had a great Sunday school class today, my favorite part of the week. Then we had Command a fellow ship dinner. Great food and wonderful fellowship, getting to know Mr. O’N a little better. I love our churh people, so much. It was a wonderful sunny day, but quite chilly. Most of the leaves are gone and the mountains on both sides of the lake are capped with snow. Camel’s Hump is especially beautiful when the sun shines its afterglow on it and it appears to be hot pink. God bless you my sweet friend, always remember how much you are loved and how precious you are to all the Marshalls.
Joe-Joe,
Your mom called me a couple of days ago, singing “Silver and gold have I none…” because she had an awesome story about you and your friends witnessing to a bum on the street and money falling out of your Bible. God is so good.
That night I went to take my kiddos some food at the high school where they have both been living for the past couple of weeks because of marathon musical rehearsals, and I found John back stage with five or six others rubbing wax on coffee cans (don’t ask me why). I told him your story and the room got quiet – everyone was listening, including your former girlfriend. After i left John said it opened up a chance for him to share the gospel with her. She’s asking questions so pray. I repeat – God is so good.
Joe I wish I could hug your neck. God is awesome thru you.
-the rood woman.
I have heard that you will be coming back for a short visit around Christmas time. Please let me know the dates so that we can organize a time to share in the church. If you would like, we could give you an entire morning service, or something in the evening time if you prefer. The people would love to hear from you directly. Lets be in touch!
Hi Joe,
I’ll just share this so you know that i am thinking of you and praying for you: “pelon, pelonete cabeza de cohete.”
That’s an old taunting rhyme from my childhood- a loooonnnnggg time ago.
Hey, I would welcome prayers from you and your group for a friend of mine and her husband, mainly for their salvation and also for his health- no names because God knows them and that’s enough. I had the opportunity to share and converse with her openly about Christ and she was inquisitive, receptive…. and she is in great need.
Gracias Joe.
Mrs. S
Joe,
I like your comments on fasting. It’s a lost blessing in American Christianity. It can really help us refocus and you’re right – it doesn’t have to be limited to food. There are so many things that we use to fill voids in our lives; if we would only try giving these things up and substituting Jesus instead, there is so much peace to receive.
In case you haven’t heard, the Pistons picked up Allen Iverson. I guess this means you will finally join me in being a big Pistons fan.
Mr. Rood
Dear Joe,
I miss your face…and now your hair, too.
Love you, MOMS
Hey Joe,
Love hearing about God’s work in Nicaragua. Being in Him is so amazing. You are getting a great foundation for ministry. Learning to listen to the Holy Spirit is the foundation of any ministry. As a lowly missionary in Mass. I learned the hard way that my being in Christ is much more important than my doing things for Him and that only out of my being can come my doing. Keep being in Him and the doing will keep happening. As always you are in our prayers. We’re all proud of you and can only imagine what the party in Heaven will be like one day – “So you’re the bohemoth that Joe Carter prayed for and saw saved. We’re the little church in Panton that prayed for Joe.” Can’t wait!!
Blessings to you,
Corinne (for Dan and Jonathan)
Joe,
As always, I’m thrilled. You’re amazing.
And I miss the poop out of you.
Just sayin’.
Love,
Nathan TEA