Update #13 [Day 11]

Monday, June 12, 2023

Today began by getting packed up, having our final ministry team meeting with Regan and Blanca, and saying goodbye to the final class of students at VEA.  Once the car was loaded, we headed towards the airport, stopping by Dr. Bayardo's office/home for Bethany and I to meet Dr. Ocampo and Nurse Arelys, whom she and I had not yet had the privilege of meeting (they are both from Puerto Cabezas and essential parts of our medical teams in the clinics we have conducted on the coast).  The office was swamped with patients and so we only took a moment to meet them and say hello.  After the goodbye with Dr. Bayardo and his wife, Regan and Blanca dropped us off at the airport.  After another goodbye, we are beginning our journey home.  Thank you again to Carter Newell.  He sacrificed his sleep to take us to the airport at 4am and is now picking us up from the airport later tonight (or by the time we see him, early tomorrow morning)!  

At the airport in Managua, we met a young lady from Tampa, FL who has been in Nicaragua for over a year, surfing and hanging out with the locals.  Her time here is up and she is a bit nervous about returning to the US and the culture shock that awaits her.  Please pray for a smooth and easy transition home for Collins who, like us, has fallen in love with the country and people of Nicaragua.

I am attaching a few additional pictures of our time here in Nicaragua.  One of our lavanderia, complete with traditional outdoor scrubbing sink AND washing machine.  One of our group boarding three boats at Las Islateas (The Islands) in Granada.  One of the old National Cathedral (prior to the earthquake on Dec. 23, 1972).  A new one has been built due to the structural integrity of the building being compromised, but the old one is still beautiful and lit up every night.  And one of some of the students at the top of Old Fort Granada.

In Christ,

Katy, for the team

Update #12 [Day 10]

Sunday, June 11, 2023 (Day 10)

Today was a difficult day, knowing it was our last day here and having to say goodbye to everyone.  It was also another day of my heart being ripped to shreds over the great needs here and my little ability to do much about it.

We began the morning by going to worship at Iglesia Verbo in Veracruz.  Worship "started" at 9:30am and ended around 12pm.  When we arrived, they were still setting up and since we still had to finalize details of our dinner tonight with the VEA student leaders, Dave and Regan left to go touch base with the five students to ensure that everything was set for our time together.  They got back just in time for worship.  The music was lively and the message was focused on Luke 19 when Zacchaeus met Jesus.  

During the church service, one of the church leaders brought up to the front a 15-year-old girl and I thought he was introducing her as a new member, but we soon found out that she was one of the the young people impacted by the recent events that happened at Verbo that I will update you on when we return home.  She and 5 other students (siblings and cousins) are now living on the other side of Managua and are trying to complete their school year at Verbo School in Veracruz, but their family is extremely poor and they don't have enough money for food for everyone, much less for transportation to and from Managua for 6 children, five days a week; not to mention the danger involved in young children traveling by bus that distance without adult supervision.  The church leader was asking for help and support for this family from the congregation.  I was just imagining what she must have been thinking as she was standing in front of the congregation with the elder explaining how dire their situation was.  The strength it must have taken to be up in front of everyone like that was hard for me to imagine.

One of the difficult goodbyes was with Angel, an 18-year-old boy who has lived at Casa Bernabe the last five years, and whose older sister lived there previously also, for the last time today.  I have not mentioned him before in an update, but Angel has a beautiful smile and a sweet personality.  He is small in stature (like Zacchaeus) and a student at VEA.  He also comes from a very poor family that lives in the mountainous part of Nicaragua and has five siblings which is what led to him coming to reside at Casa Bernabe.  He finishes at Verbo school in December, but he is also a student at an English school in Managua and he has one more year to go with that school before he will be finished and can consider going to university or whatever might come next.  Please remember Angel in your prayers.

The church had prepared a "typico" lunch after the service, so we hung around to fellowship with church members for a bit afterwards.  We had made plans to meet with Dr. Bayardo and his family for lunch after church, so when we left, we headed into Managua to meet up with them.  We invited Angel to come with us so we could spend a little more time with him before we had to say goodbye.  Driving in Managua is perilous.  On the way to lunch, Regan was driving in the middle lane and a man (on his cell phone) darted into the road.  Regan braked beautifully, swerved slightly into the opposite lane (thankfully no cars were there), and came to a screeching halt just in time to avoid hitting him.  The look on his face conveyed the knowledge that this was almost his final day on earth.  Also, praise the Lord, no one was directly behind us so there was no collision.  We might need new brakes and tires on the car now, but everyone walked and drove away.

After lunch, we had a meeting with some of the leaders at Verbo Veracruz Church.  When we arrived, the girl who was presented to the congregation and her ten-year-old sister, were still with the church leaders, waiting to be driven home after the meeting.  Once the meeting was over, we said goodbye and dropped Angel off at Casa Bernabe.  Then we began picking up the VEA student leaders for our outing tonight.  Since we had a competition yesterday in Granada and they were all nervous about it, we decided to reward each of the leaders with a special event: going to the Masaya Volcano at night, and then to dinner.  As an encouragement to prepare well for Saturday's event in Granada, Dave had told the students there would be one winner, and they would win something that they would all want.  [In the group picture attached below, the students are, from left to right: Faris, Alondra, Angie, Nester, and Ian.  Also pictured are Regan, Blanca, Dave, Bethany, and myself.]

These students have lived in Veracruz their whole lives and Nicaragua is known as the "land of lakes and volcanoes" and none of them had ever visited Volcan Masaya.  They were very excited and I was as well, since I had only visited the volcano during the day.  I was most excited about seeing the parakeets, who live in the volcano but fly away during the day, and then return in the evening.  While we were threatened with rain, the weather held out and it was a beautiful night with a cool breeze and we were able to see the lava flowing and take in the magnificence of the volcano.  Unfortunately, we did not see the birds returning and because of the cloud cover we did not see many stars, but we did get to see the lights of Masaya in the distance which was really pretty.

We had a little adventure on the way into the volcano however.  We had to take two vehicles to transport everyone.  The vehicle Regan was driving (not Reddy) conked out right at the entrance to the volcano.  The guys got out and pushed the car back in the lane so it was a little more out of the way.  Regan had to call a mechanic friend to bring Reddy and see if he could fix the problem with the other vehicle.  So we all piled into the vehicle that Dave was driving to see the volcano while Regan stayed back to deal with the car.  Because of this, we didn't stay as long as we would've otherwise stayed, but we did take a few minutes to go through the museum/visitors center to see some of the displays in addition to seeing the volcano.  Since the students had never been there, they took lots of pictures of everything and it was really fun to share this with them.  Also, while we were there, we ran into Marina and Thomas (the couple we met yesterday from Austria) and Else, a woman from England that the students also interacted with yesterday.  We were able to have additional brief conversations with them at the volcano.

After the volcano, we went to dinner at Mi Ranchito, a nice open-air restaurant that serves delicious, "typico" Nicaraguan food.  This was also a huge treat for each of these students as eating out is not a regular thing they do, much less at such a nice place.  Once we ordered, we had each of the students (in English) give an evaluation of how things went with their group yesterday and the things they did well as a leader and how they could improve for next time.  Dave spoke some encouraging words to the students and he announced the winner of the competition: Alondra.  She won a credit of $100!  To get it, she has to tell her parents about it, have them communicate with Regan or Blanca, and her parents have to approve of how she spends the money.  But it is all for her to decide how she wants to spend or save it.  The students were all floored at the prize and I know the other four were surely wishing they had won, but Alondra was the unanimous winner.  By this time it was almost 10pm, so it was time to head back to Veracruz and get packed up.  After saying goodbye to the students, that is just what we did.  It is hard to believe the trip is coming to an end.

Carter Newell took us to the airport at 4am on June 2, 2023 and he is picking us up at the airport late tomorrow night when our plane lands.  By the time we land and get our luggage it will be after midnight, so we will probably get home around 2am or so Tuesday morning, June 13, 2023.  Thank you so much to Carter for being part of the team in this way!  I will update you once we are home and send more pictures and give more of an explanation on some of the things that have been happening here in Nicaragua over the last couple of weeks.

Thank you for praying us through the trip and all the way home!

In Christ,

Katy, for the team

Update #11 [Day 9]

Friday, June 9, 2023 (Day 8)

We woke up this morning with no water because ants had contaminated our supply so Dave went to buy more water and supplies and got the car cleaned up.  When he returned, we went to pick up Maritza and her daughter Maritza (a VEA student and her mother).  Maritza has been raising her daughter alone since birth and they have few resources.  She has a home-based business as a TV repairwoman.  You may recall us mentioning this family in prior trips.  We have been sponsoring Maritza (Jr.) at VEA and helping their family for over four years.  She is the girl who gave Bethany the painting of the cashew fruit a few days ago and has given Dave several paintings in the past.  And today she gave me one as well!  We took them to lunch at Rosti Pollo in Managua and to get some school and painting supplies so Maritza can also paint at home, instead of just in class.  

While we were out, we were able to have a quick meet up with our friend Valentina at her son's soccer game.  Valentina was the Casa Bernabe Orphanage Director when we came to Nicaragua the very first time.  She helped us immensely and we have been able to stay in touch with her over the years, even though she left the orphanage for other employment many years ago.  While we were at the soccer field, we ran into Jessica, the wife of the Headmaster at Nicaraguan Christian Academy (NCA).  NCA is an English-speaking, Christian school that teaches many missionary kids and educates future leaders of Nicaragua.  Jessica and her husband are also leaders at International Christian Fellowship (ICF) Church that meets at NCA.  This was one of the two churches where our family worshiped while we were living in Nicaragua during both of our adoption processes.  Jessica and Valentina's sons actually play on the same soccer team and they did not know each other.  We had just had a conversation with Valentina about ICF since it is very near her house and she had expressed that her family was looking for a new home church.  So when we saw Jessica, we were able to introduce them and it sounded like Valentina and her family may go to visit the church this weekend.

Heading back into Managua, it was rush hour.  Regan knew a back way that cut off a good bit of traffic, so we were thankful for that since we were trying to get back in time to attend a Community Bible Study (CBS) group from Iglesia Hermanos en Cristo.  We still had the Maritzas with us and so we invited them to come to the CBS meeting with us and they graciously agreed.  The meeting was in a church member's home right off the Veracruz Road.  It was pitch dark, and there was no parking at her house, but a little pulperia next door had a tiny bit of extra space in their storefront and they were kind enough to let us park there.  The car wasn't completely out of the road, but it worked.  

Hermanos en Cristo has four different CBS groups in their church.  They all meet on Friday night at the same time and the groups are organized geographically.  We had a great time together studying Luke 13.  After the study, several people shared what CBS meant to them.  If any of you reading this are involved in a local CBS class, it was much like our Share Day.  It was wonderful to hear how individual lives and the church as a whole has been changed by studying God's Word together.  And as well, they shared how the community has been changed as a result of many churches focusing on studying the same book of the Bible at the same time.  

Fatima shared about how she had studied theology previously, but CBS has helped her apply God's Word to her daily life and how her heart has been changed as a result.  After the meeting, they brought out some sweet bread and soda for a time of fellowship.  They were thanking us for coming to their meeting because they knew we were coming to one of the groups but weren't sure if we might go to the one closer to the church.  But God knew which one we needed to be at because the Maritza's live closest to this group.  Maritza (Sr.) was last associated with the Jehovah's Witness Church.  She has been away for some time and is not currently involved in a church.  The ladies at CBS were so gracious and invited her to come back to study the Bible and to come to church with them.  We had some good conversation and Maritza herself commented that it was God's plan that they were with us today and that we came to that particular group.  It is really amazing to watch Him work through traffic, and unexpected visits, and unplanned, seemingly chance encounters.  We serve a Great big God and I am so thankful that He sees fit to use even me in His great big plans and to give me the opportunity to see it here on earth is just the coconut whipped cream on top of the blueberries (this is something I really love!)

In Christ,

Katy, for the team

Update #10 [Day 8]

Friday, June 9, 2023 (Day 8)

We woke up this morning with no water because ants had contaminated our supply so Dave went to buy more water and supplies and got the car cleaned up.  When he returned, we went to pick up Maritza and her daughter Maritza (a VEA student and her mother).  Maritza has been raising her daughter alone since birth and they have few resources.  She has a home-based business as a TV repairwoman.  You may recall us mentioning this family in prior trips.  We have been sponsoring Maritza (Jr.) at VEA and helping their family for over four years.  She is the girl who gave Bethany the painting of the cashew fruit a few days ago and has given Dave several paintings in the past.  And today she gave me one as well!  We took them to lunch at Rosti Pollo in Managua and to get some school and painting supplies so Maritza can also paint at home, instead of just in class.  

While we were out, we were able to have a quick meet up with our friend Valentina at her son's soccer game.  Valentina was the Casa Bernabe Orphanage Director when we came to Nicaragua the very first time.  She helped us immensely and we have been able to stay in touch with her over the years, even though she left the orphanage for other employment many years ago.  While we were at the soccer field, we ran into Jessica, the wife of the Headmaster at Nicaraguan Christian Academy (NCA).  NCA is an English-speaking, Christian school that teaches many missionary kids and educates future leaders of Nicaragua.  Jessica and her husband are also leaders at International Christian Fellowship (ICF) Church that meets at NCA.  This was one of the two churches where our family worshiped while we were living in Nicaragua during both of our adoption processes.  Jessica and Valentina's sons actually play on the same soccer team and they did not know each other.  We had just had a conversation with Valentina about ICF since it is very near her house and she had expressed that her family was looking for a new home church.  So when we saw Jessica, we were able to introduce them and it sounded like Valentina and her family may go to visit the church this weekend.

Heading back into Managua, it was rush hour.  Regan knew a back way that cut off a good bit of traffic, so we were thankful for that since we were trying to get back in time to attend a Community Bible Study (CBS) group from Iglesia Hermanos en Cristo.  We still had the Maritzas with us and so we invited them to come to the CBS meeting with us and they graciously agreed.  The meeting was in a church member's home right off the Veracruz Road.  It was pitch dark, and there was no parking at her house, but a little pulperia next door had a tiny bit of extra space in their storefront and they were kind enough to let us park there.  The car wasn't completely out of the road, but it worked.  

Hermanos en Cristo has four different CBS groups in their church.  They all meet on Friday night at the same time and the groups are organized geographically.  We had a great time together studying Luke 13.  After the study, several people shared what CBS meant to them.  If any of you reading this are involved in a local CBS class, it was much like our Share Day.  It was wonderful to hear how individual lives and the church as a whole has been changed by studying God's Word together.  And as well, they shared how the community has been changed as a result of many churches focusing on studying the same book of the Bible at the same time.  

Fatima shared about how she had studied theology previously, but CBS has helped her apply God's Word to her daily life and how her heart has been changed as a result.  After the meeting, they brought out some sweet bread and soda for a time of fellowship.  They were thanking us for coming to their meeting because they knew we were coming to one of the groups but weren't sure if we might go to the one closer to the church.  But God knew which one we needed to be at because the Maritza's live closest to this group.  Maritza (Sr.) was last associated with the Jehovah's Witness Church.  She has been away for some time and is not currently involved in a church.  The ladies at CBS were so gracious and invited her to come back to study the Bible and to come to church with them.  We had some good conversation and Maritza herself commented that it was God's plan that they were with us today and that we came to that particular group.  It is really amazing to watch Him work through traffic, and unexpected visits, and unplanned, seemingly chance encounters.  We serve a Great big God and I am so thankful that He sees fit to use even me in His great big plans and to give me the opportunity to see it here on earth is just the coconut whipped cream on top of the blueberries (this is something I really love!)

In Christ,

Katy, for the team

Video

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Thursday, June 8, 2023 (Day 7)

We were awakened today by a phone call from Regan saying he needed to take Blanca to the doctor and he wanted Dave to go with him.  So Dave got ready and they headed into Managua to see our friend, Dr. Bayardo.  Dave took this opportunity to make arrangements for Dr. Bayardo, Dr. Ocampo, and Nurse Arely to join us for church at Verbo in Veracruz on Sunday.  They are the backbone of our medical team here when we conduct medical clinics.  On the way back from seeing the doctor, Regan and Dave bought a battery and a tire for Regan's 1991 Toyota van that has been our most dependable transportation in Nicaragua to date.  It is a red van, affectionately referred to as "Reddy", because it is always ready whenever we come to Nicaragua.  Once the guys returned to Veracruz, they met with Jose Felix to verify transportation and work through all the details for our Saturday field trip with the VEA students.

While the guys were taking Blanca to the doctor and making arrangements, Bethany and I spent some quiet time at "home" and did a little housework.  Where we usually reside at Casa Bernabe Orphanage, it is common for someone to be mopping behind you everywhere you walk.  Since we are not staying there, we are responsible for our own cleaning.  The house where we are staying has beautiful windows, but one day earlier in the week when we had a hard rain, the windows leaked and we had a lot of water standing on the floor.  As a result, the water left a stain on the floor.  Bethany took the initiative this morning to mop and thankfully, it came right up.  

We had a few other things to deal with at the house as well, related to our water and our toilets.  By the time we were finishing up with that, Dave and Regan returned from dropping Blanca off at their house.  They said she is feeling much better after receiving some treatment but she was going to get some more rest and she needed to work with their grandson to help him catch up on schoolwork he missed after being in the hospital for over a week right before we got here.  From there, we left for a late lunch meeting with our friend and lawyer, Nubia.  Her son, who is also educated as an attorney, and granddaughter joined us as well.  We had a lot of good conversation catching up on our lives and discussing the state of ministry and business in Nicaragua.  Four hours later, we said goodbye.

 Since this was our rest day, we had planned to do a little shopping, but we ultimately decided to skip it and go back into Veracruz.  Regan went home and with Blanca feeling considerably better, they and their youngest son, David, joined us back at the house where we are staying for additional fellowship until the end of the night.

The property where we are staying has many different types of fruit trees (mangoes, plums, limes, guavas, coconuts, etc.).  Earlier in the week, I noticed one of the trees had the fruit in bags and some had the fruit in bags of water.  The groundskeeper, Carlos, picked a guava in a bag right off the tree and offered it to me.  We are waiting for it to ripen a bit more before we cut it open.  He has told us we are welcome to harvest any of the fruit on the property.  It is certainly lush here.

[See below for a pic of our guava in a bag and you can see one of our beautiful windows, that Carlos has since caulked, in the background.]

In Christ,

Katy, for the team

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 (Day 6)

Today has been another fantastic day in Nicaragua!  I know I should use some other adjectives, but this one seems to be the one that fits the best each evening as I sit down to type.  Today was our last day of classes with the students at VEA.  We hope to see most of them again on Saturday, for our field trips to Granada and Managua.  Please pray for good weather here on Saturday so that we can do everything we have planned with all of the students.  It is currently the rainy season here, but thankfully, the weather hasn't slowed us down much at all so far.  One of the students asked what would happen if it rained on Saturday.  Dave responded, "we will get wet".  Everyone laughed and seemed appreciative of the answer.

Blanca is still down today, so please continue praying for a speedy recovery for her and a hedge of protection around the rest of us, as we still have five more days here.

Most of the classes ran as usual except for the last class of the day with the older students.  They will be the leaders of the groups for our activity on Saturday, so we spent some time preparing them for this role.  I'll report more on this after we have the field trip.  At one point in class today, we were working on short vowel sounds.  I had dictated a list of words for the students to write and then we went over the words to check their listening and spelling, and they repeated the word.  One of the words was "fan".  I thought I said "fan" and then they repeated it, saying, "faaan".  I couldn't help laughing and Dave stepped in to explain the different accents we have here in the USA and that they were learning to speak Southern English.  I don't remember that happening when I have taught ESL classes previously and I had to really make an effort to watch my accent that I wasn't aware I had until they were repeating after me.  It was really funny though, to hear the whole group, in a Spanish accent, drawing out their English vowel sounds.  I think we got it sorted out right away though, so hopefully I didn't mess them up too much.

Classes went a little over again today since the older students are a little nervous about taking leadership roles on Saturday.  [See a few more pictures of us working with the students.]

After a quick bite to eat, we headed to Iglesia Verbo Veracruz to join a small group of members in a prayer meeting.  There is a lot going on here related to why we couldn't stay at the orphanage on this trip that I will report once we get home.  But meanwhile, please pray for Verbo Christian Ministries.  I am praying that they would remain strong and bold in their faith, that they would reflect His peace and hope to a country that is in desperate need of His healing and presence.  I am thanking God that He has a plan and He is a God who provides for us.  He can move mountains and is able to accomplish far more than we can even imagine.  I am thanking Him for the abundant blessings He has poured out on this ministry over the years and for the lives that have been positively impacted as a result (including mine).  I am praying wisdom and discernment for the Verbo Board members in decisions that have to be made and for the negotiations they are in the midst of.  I'm praying especially that God will guard and protect the children impacted; that He will shower them with His great love and mercy and strength.  And I rest in Matthew 16:18, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  I know that the battle belongs to the Lord and I am thankful that He is a steadfast and true God that is with us always.

We were all really tired after spending a long day with the students, but I am so thankful that we were invited and went to the prayer meeting, because the time we spent praising the Lord and sending our requests up to Him was so uplifting and provided nourishment for our souls.  [See attached video snippet of a song you might recognize during our time.]

¡Muchas gracias por tus oraciones!  (Thank you for your prayers!)

In Christ,

Katy, for the team

UPDATE #7

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Today was our second day at Veracruz English Academy and it was another full, great day spent with the students.  In addition to their regular school, the students attend class at VEA on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of each week.  Bethany noticed that the students are getting better each day and she said that you can see the desire in their eyes to learn more English.  She did an amazing job drawing out two of the newer (they've been in class for only 2 weeks), more reserved students when she worked with them in a small group setting.  These two girls began class at VEA very timidly and were reluctant to speak out.  Bethany worked with them yesterday and again today.  I was working with another student and every time I looked over, Carol and Mirna were both talking, smiling, and laughing as they were reviewing their work with Bethany.  It is great to have fun while you are learning!  Another student, Maritza, who is a budding artist, blessed Bethany with a painting she had recently finished of a Marañon fruit.  It is a beautiful painting, but I am embarrassed to say I had no idea what the painting was, because I did not know that cashews grow on apples that are on trees and the seed is actually on the outside of the fruit.  I am going to have to research this more when I get home.

We are still working to finalize plans for an educational and fun outing with the students on Saturday.  Please join us in praying for all the details of this event.

Unfortunately, Blanca awoke this morning not feeling great.  She prepared breakfast for Dave and Bethany and as the day went on, she continued to decline.  By the time class ended, she had a fever and felt really lousy.  Please pray for a speedy recovery for her and a hedge of protection around Regan and our team.  We have run into a number of people that we know here who are sick with the "gripa" (flu-like symptoms).  We were going to take Blanca to be seen by a doctor when class ended, but she decided she wanted to tough it out until the morning and see if she felt any better.  

On Monday, the team treated each of the students to an Eskimo ice cream after class.  There is an "ice cream man" who works in this area and we had given him the times to come by at the end of each class.  [See below attachment for a picture of the "ice cream man" leaving as a herd of cattle pass by the school.]  Today, the team treated the students to homemade pineapple, chocolate, and creme filled pastries of various types.  We got these from a local bakery run by three brothers who grew up at Casa Bernabe Orphanage and who are all now married, with families, and active members in local churches and the community at large.  It has been a joy to watch how God has been faithful in the lives of these three boys and grew them into men who know and love and serve Him.

The last two classes ran a bit over and so we got back to our home-away-from-home around 6:30pm.  I stayed there to get a head start on the laundry and get cleaned up while Dave and Bethany went to dinner and then took some food back to Regan and Blanca.  They were back before 8:30pm so prayerfully we will all get a full night of sleep tonight!  

Thank you again for reading the updates and for keeping us close in prayer.

In Christ,

Katy, updating for the team

UPDATE #6

Monday, June 5, 2023

Today was another fantastic day in Nicaragua!  We had a great time working with the students at Veracruz English Academy (VEA).  We worked with four different classes from 8am-5pm.  All together, we saw 66 students ranging in age from 8-28.  Dave, Bethany, and I all took turns being a "Professor" during the day.  Dave's service as a teacher in our church's ESL ministry really paid off.  Each class was different, with students ranging from beginners to advanced students.  We usually started off as a whole group and then in most of the classes we broke off into small groups with each of us working with a different group of students.  It was great to be able to spend some time in the smaller groups so the students could get a lot of practice speaking and working on their pronunciation.  It was also beneficial in our large group times for them to hear three different English speakers.  Many of the students had made notes of words or phrases they had heard in English but didn't understand or were difficult for them to pronounce, so we spent some time in the classes discussing those things that they were curious about. [See Pictures Below] 

Since it has been so long since I have been back to Nicaragua, I only knew a few of the current students or I knew their older siblings.  Dave however, still knows most of them since he has been able to travel back many times by himself since he retired.  It was good for him to see the students again.  Just like with the kiddos at Casa Bernabe Orphanage, once you get to know them, they stay in your heart and you miss them when you are back in the USA.  Bethany noticed how eager the students were to not only attend school, but then to go to another school (VEA) and learn some more, on top of their normal studies.  While a few of these students are shy and reserved, they are all motivated to learn, very smart, and very appreciative of the help.

After we finished at VEA, we went back "home" to change clothes and headed out to a fairly new, lovely open air restaurant just outside of Veracruz for a dinner meeting with the wives and Pastors of the four churches we partnered with for the Outreach events.  It was the first time each of them had eaten at this restaurant so that was a special treat!  Regan had an icebreaker activity planned that was a little like the Newlywed Game (if any of you remember that TV show from many years back) that we did while waiting for the food to arrive.  After eating, we had the business portion of the meeting where we debriefed the activities.  It is always an emotional time because the Lord has always done some amazing things and we get to hear stories that we might not all have known about while they were happening.  When we all come together and share, we each get a little bigger picture of how God has weaved together every piece of everything that happened into the beautiful tapestry that it was. [See Pictures Below]

This is a really special group of Pastors that serve in Veracruz that are working together.  God is so good and He is moving mightily in the Veracruz community!  The Pastors spoke about how Community Bible Study International (CBSI) has changed their churches by transforming the lives of their members as they study the Bible together.  They shared their hearts for reaching the lost.  They discussed the followup that was needed with the men they served this weekend.  They talked about wanting to get back to some of the things that they were doing when they first started their churches that built community and reached out to those who feel unseen.  Our God is a God who sees us and looks after us.  These churches reached out this weekend to a group of people who largely feel unseen and they were fed soup for their bellies and the Word of God for their hearts.  I can't wait to hear the follow up stories from these men and to see how God works in their lives. 

We arrived back "home" a little after 11pm and Dave had to clean his shoes and the floor mat of the car because as we were leaving the restaurant, he stepped in, as he referred to it, "un poco regalo from a perro" and it smelled up the whole car on the ride home.  I put another load of laundry in the wash when we got home and I plan to hang it on the line to dry when I hit "send".  Tomorrow is another day at VEA so we are looking forward to seeing the students again!  More later.  Thank you again for reading and for coming alongside us in prayer.

In Christ, 

Katy, for the team

UPDATE #5

Pictures from the crusade on Saturday night!

UPDATE #4

Iglesia Rey de Gloria outreach event held at the home of one of their members.

Soup from King of Glory Church.  It smelled sooooo good!

The Police truck as they came by the first time.

UPDATE #3: Some Pictures from the First Day

Bethany loading the soup bowls at Iglesia Hermanos en Cristo.

A couple of men getting new haircuts after eating soup at Iglesia en Cristo.

Katy with two of the ladies (they are sisters) of Iglesia Hermanos en Cristo.

UPDATE #2

Sunday, June 4, 2023

Today was another great day here in Nicaragua!  We had two additional outreach events with Iglesia Nueva Jerusalen and Iglesia Principe de Paz.  We began the morning at New Jerusalem Church, the location for Saturday night's Crusade.  New Jerusalem Church is located on the same side of town as the two churches we worked with yesterday, so being nearby, we had 4 "repeat customers" this morning.  It is good to see the men again as it gives you additional time to go a little deeper into conversation.  When we arrived, the ladies of the church had two huge pots of soup cooking and this church had the largest participation of men of the four churches.  This is Dave and Regan with two of the ladies working on the soup.

Pastora opened with prayer and several church members vibrantly shared their testimonies.  As the morning went on, additional "men" arrived, several as young as 12 and 13 years old.  These boys have grown up in a cycle of generational substance abuse.  Another man came with his toddler son.  The oldest participant was in his 80's and was blind and very hard of hearing.  One man was slumped over the entire time, and for a while, I (Katy) wasn't convinced that he was breathing (thankfully, he indeed was).  

New Jerusalem Church is located on a hill right beside what has become a dump.  It is much larger than the picture shows and is very hard to see.  

Livestock on the road with cars (just out of view) and people.  You can see more of the trash that surrounds this area in the lower left corner of the picture.

We also met a sweet family in the church whose 7 year-old son, Mateo, fell into the dump pit when he was 4 years old.  After much time spent in the hospital, three years later, he can still no longer walk, he has frequent seizures, and he can not speak much at all.  He was a completely normal and active child until this accident happened.  But Mateo has a smile that will melt your heart.  He is a sweet boy whose eyes lit up at being offered a "caramelo" (a little candy).  When I asked if his sister liked candy, he shook his head yes, so I gave him another piece to give her.  I had already given his dad a piece of candy as well and so I asked if he thought his mom might like a piece.  His eyes sparkled and he was so happy to be able to take a piece of candy to his mom.  This family is so faithful and joyful and so very poor and needs your prayers.

The event at New Jerusalem Church got started later than anticipated, so we did not have time to stop for lunch before going to the last of these events at Prince of Peace Church (POP).  POP is on the other side of Veracruz, so this was an entirely new group of men.  Most people who live on one side, stay there and they don't typically cross over very much.  Pastor Manuel was delayed in arriving and so he asked Regan to open the event and to take his place speaking if he did not make it back to the church before the soup was served.  Several church members again shared their testimonies and then Regan shared a very powerful, Spirit-led, message of the Gospel of Christ.  Pastor Manuel arrived just as Regan was finishing up, so he was able to speak as well.  

Pastor Manuel (on the left) pictured praying with an older gentleman who prayed to receive Christ at the event.

Both of these two churches had services at 5pm tonight and we were planning to go to one of them, however since we had not yet eaten and were a bit weary, we made the decision to eat dinner and make it an earlier night.  The laundry I hung out to dry last night took up our whole laundry room and is not completely dry (how, I am not sure, because it is certainly hot here!), so the second load I started is still sitting in the washing machine.  Hopefully I will be able to get it hung tomorrow morning before we leave so it can dry.  These are not things I have dealt with before on previous mission trips, so that has added a new element to this trip.

We are tired, but in the best possible way!  Tomorrow we are working with the students at Veracruz English Academy (Regan's English school), so we will report more later.  Thank you again for reading!

In Christ,

Katy, on behalf of the team

We Have Arrived!

Hello everyone!  Praise the Lord, our team made it safely to Nicaragua on Friday, June 2, 2023.  After a delay with our airplane in Atlanta due to a mechanical issue, we were told we would have to reschedule our connecting flight from Miami to Managua (which would mean losing at least a day of our trip).  God provided however, and we were able to make our connecting flight just in time!  Upon arrival at the Managua airport, two pieces of our luggage were flagged for inspection.  After a 45 minute wait in line, a $10 fine, and signing three handwritten government documents explaining our violation, we were on our way.  We went to "Dave's office" in Nicaragua (a local mall with a food court) for dinner and time spent with Regan and Blanca Downs (our ministry partners here in Nicaragua) to discuss some adjustments to our plans for the trip.  After this, we drove to Veracruz to get settled into our home-away-from-home.  Typically, we reside at Casa Bernabe Orphanage, but due to some events that occurred several days before we left, we had to make other arrangements for this trip.  We are still staying in Veracruz, but in a small house near the center of town, right beside the police station that was established here a couple years ago.  After a little more time spent with the Downs, it was time to turn in for the evening.

Saturday, June 3, 2023

Four of our partner churches have outreach events planned over the next two days.  So after breakfast, we headed out to the first one at Iglesia Hermanos en Cristo (Brothers in Christ Church).  When we arrived, the church had music going and the ladies of the church had already been working for several hours to prepare a huge pot of soup to serve at the event.  This outreach event targeted "homeless" men in the community.  These are men who have families in the area, but who have alcohol and/or drug issues and many of them basically live on the streets as a result.  An informal service was held where Pastor Cerillo and another leader of the church spoke to the men while final preparations were being made on the soup.  Once the lunch was served, we were able to sit down with the men and have conversations.  Some of them appeared to be under the influence while they were there and several expressed reservations about coming onto the church property in this condition.  They were welcomed in and listened to the messages.  

One of the men wasn't eating his soup, but was sitting quietly and not interacting much.  I (Katy) asked him why he wasn't eating and one of his friends told me that he was saving it to take to his sister who was pregnant.  We had plenty of soup, so I got another bowl so he could eat as well.  When I gave him the second bowl, his whole demeanor changed and he began talking and sharing more about his situation.  After lunch, Regan also shared the Gospel with the group as a whole and he got a number of good questions from the men in attendance.  Everyone was invited to a Crusade scheduled for that evening.  After the meal and program, those who wanted to (about half of them) were able to get haircuts, provided by two of the church members.  They looked like new men!   During the haircuts, we were able to continue Gospel conversations with the men and they expressed appreciation that we would take the time to talk with them.  Several that I spoke with at length did not know Jesus personally, but said they were listening to everything that was being said and they planned to attend the evening event.

After this wrapped up, it was time for the team to get lunch.  We dropped off two bowls of soup for the groundskeeper of the house where we are staying and his family on our way to Valenti's, a nearby pizza restaurant.  Since I was here last, they have enclosed their seating area (it used to be an open-air restaurant) and the air conditioning was a wonderful respite from the heat!  While we were at the restaurant, the afternoon rain came in.  The second event hosted by Iglesia Rey de Gloria (King of Glory Church) was planning to be held in the middle of the "Red Zone" (high crime area where many of these men congregate) of Veracruz.  Because it was not being held at the church, when the rain came in, they had to adjust their plan.  One of the church members who lives in that area opened her front porch and home to host the event.  When we arrived, the soup smelled fantastic!  Regan decided he was going to taste-test all of the church's soups and give an unofficial award to the church who had the one that tasted best.  

Because the churches in town are relatively close together, on the way there, we passed several of the men we had met at Iglesia Hermanos en Cristo earlier that morning.  Several of the men I got to know there made their way to the second event as well.  They were well fed today - both their stomachs and their spirits!  Pastor Moises David opened the event with prayer and a message.  Quite a few members of the church shared powerful testimonies of how they came to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.  The testimonies were interspersed with lively singing of songs and hands-on prayers for each individual in attendance.  The men who were also in attendance at the first event were extremely engaged, actively listening, and singing along while the new men were a bit more reserved.  They were all willing to talk to us and open to hearing all that was shared.  In the middle of the service, two more men whom we had met at the first service came up.  Both of them were intoxicated.  One of them was the man who told me that he was saving his soup for his pregnant sister.  We were told that he might have taken the second bowl of soup to sell for money to buy alcohol.  He was so intoxicated this afternoon that he could barely stand.  We tried to get him to sit, but he eventually stumbled away and met back up with his friend.  After the service ended, his friend came back and apologized and we were able to have more conversation.  He has attended King of Glory church before, and knowing the Pastor, he explained that he was very embarrassed for Pastor Moises David to see him in that condition.  During this service, a Police pick-up truck with four officers inside came around and made their presence known.  As the event was breaking up, they came back around again, so we gave them each a bowl of soup. 

It was evident that God was doing a mighty work in many of these men's hearts today.  Several of them had tears in their eyes as they were talking with us about the changes occurring in their hearts.  The Pastors and leadership of the churches have a lot of work to do in following up with each of these men.  Since this event was slightly delayed due to the rain, as soon as it was over, it was time for the evening Crusade.  This was a collective service of the four churches that we are partnering with for the outreach events.  When we arrived the event had already begun.  The singing and music was even louder and more lively than at the previous churches.  This service was originally planned to be held in the Veracruz park.  The government however, ended up denying the permit for them to gather there.  Since it was a Christian event, they were not allowed to gather in public.  Therefore, the Crusade was relocated to one of the partner churches.  In addition to the music, the four Pastors each made remarks, and they had invited a Pastor from Nindiri (a nearby, larger town) to serve as the main speaker.  We estimated over 500 people were in attendance.  The entire church was filled, each door was overflowing with people, and the main entrance had people outside, all the way up to the very edge of the road.  It was a BIG day in Veracruz!  The name of Christ was being proclaimed all over!

After the Crusade, we had dinner at a new restaurant just outside of Veracruz and then went back to the house.  Because we are not staying at the orphanage this time, we do not have the support of laundry or anyone cooking for us.  Thankfully, we do have a washing machine here, so I don't have to scrub our clothes in the outdoor lavanderia.  As soon as I hit "send" on this email, I am headed out to hang our laundry on the line to dry and get myself cleaned up.  Dave and Bethany are bathed and in the bed.  Please pray for all of the men we met today, that God would release them of the strongholds of addiction they are currently in and draw them to Himself.  Also, please pray for Juana, an 80+ year-old church member who we saw walking down the road in flip flops with her granddaughter.  She is having shoulder problems and specifically asked us for prayer regarding this issue.  Today has been fantastic!  It was uplifting, and a very encouraging way to begin the trip by serving and worshiping alongside so many friends and other people in the community!  

Thank you for reading and covering us in prayer while we are here.

In Christ,

Katy