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Nicaragua Trip Pics Are Up!

If you get my blog via email or a feed reader, feel free to click on this link to view some photos of our recent trip to Nicaragua. If you are viewing this on my actual blog site, then you can just click on the photo album on the right of your screen labeled "Nicaragua 2008."

I know many of you have been asking to see some good pictures, so here you go! I hope you enjoy.

Thank you again everyone that supported us through prayer and financial assistance to make this missions trip possible! 

Here's the Final Run Down

I was unable to give updates on our Nicaragua trip since Monday, but if you'd like to read the details you can check out my friend, Carl Redding's, blog.

Here's the final headline stats from the trip:

• About 150 responded to make decisions for Christ (most of which were first time decisions)
• 1 man received his sight back after being nearly blind in one eye for a number of years
• 1 woman was healed of what I could describe as severe arthritis in her knees that nearly crippled her...she was dancing when we were done praying for her!
• 1 young lady was set free from a demon spirit
• Did about 8 different school assemblies
• Prayed for the sick in three different hospitals
• Spent an entire day at an orphanage cleaning up the place & loving on the kids
• Helped out in Hosanna Central's children's ministry
• Moved our translator and his family into a new house
• Passed out parasite medicine to a poverty stricken community
• Preached in 5 different churches

And that was just the meat of what we did!!! I'm so very proud of our team. I believe all of us will never be the same again.

Thank you for all your prayers.

I'll be leaving in a few hours to hold services near Altoona, PA at Faith A/G in Roaring Spring. I believe the same God that performed miracles and saved many in Nicaragua is the same God that has went before me into Roaring Spring! I'll let you know what happens!

Eruption Day

Today was an incredible day of ministry. We headed off to Hosanna Christian Acadamy to minister to the children and staff. Our did a great job this morning and the children of the acadamy were very responsive.

Next we went to a school in a neighboring town of Managua called Masaya. We did two different singchool assemblies there. First we ministered to children from kindergarten to 6th grade. We had a lot of fun with them and many responded to receive Christ as their Savior.

The second assembly erupted with around 100 teenagers responding to receive Christ. We had a few friends from Hosanna come with us to sing and rap. James Nutter shared his testimony, and then our friends did a few more songs. Our trip director felt led to have Andrea share her testimony just before I gave the altar call. If any of you know Andrea, she doesn't like to be put on the spot. You could tell she was uncomfortable at first, but then the Holy Spirit really began to take control and she spoke hope into the lives of many teens. I came up to give the altar call, and the kids overwhelmingly responded.

We ended our day visiting a local market and then Masaya Volcano.

Thank you for your continued prayers. We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow.

Still Working...

We held a youth service for Hosanna Masaya last night. James helped me preach during the message. 11 young people made decisions to follow Christ, and then I gave a very specific altar call. I called for anyone that had recently thought of committing suicide to step forward and receive the love of Christ so that they could be set free. 8 teenagers responded and received the life of Christ found only in His love.

This morning at 8 AM we helped out with the children's church service at Comunidad Hosanna. It was fun interacting with the kids and watching them knock the candy out of some pinatas. Then at 11 AM we sat in on their adult service to hear Pastor Spencer speak.

We grabbed some lunch at our hotel (by the way - the food at our hotel is phenomenal! Everything is fresh and each day we get freshly squeezed juice from whatever tree drops fruit in the hotel owner's back yard!). Then we headed off to help our interpreter, Abdias Cerrato, and his almost 9 month pregnant wife, Amy, (who is an American), move into their new house. These guys are a great family, and it was a huge blessing for us to be able to fit in our schedule to help them move.

Right now, we're actually getting ready to go to a local store that has a phone service by which we'll all be able to call home at a reasonable rate.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Powerful Prayer of an Orphan

We're back at our hotel from the orphanage. We were absolutely blown away by the children there. They were amazingly bright, well-spoken, and deeply spiritual. One of the first things we did was listen to almost all of the child ren (about 20) tell us their testimonies. We listened with tear-filled eyes as each stood and proudly told what God had done for them. A number of them once lived in the garbage dump, and most of them were abused in some way. It was powerful to hear them tell of how good God has been to them dispite their past. We then were treated to watch them dance. And I'm not talking about some stiff looking American dance full of nothing but hand motions (a.k.a. - the happy hands club), this was a true Nicaraguan dance. It was awesome!

Some of us painted, and some of us weeded a bean field beside the orphanage. Then we had a time just to play with them. Most of the girls did girl stuff...ya know, style each other's hair, paint nails, and whatever else girls do! And the guys were schooled on the soccer field. Wow can those little guys run and kick a ball!

Then it was time for movie night. We watch "Robots" in Spanish of course, with English subtitles. Then it was off to bed. Our team slept on thin mats on the rock hard tile floor. In fact I still feel like I'm laying on the floor right now!

Then this morning we had breakfast and devotions with the children. I shared about the parable of the prodigal son. How the father could see his son coming home from a long way off, and our heavenly Father can see us from a long way off too. He knows were we are all the time. The father was filled with compassion for his lost son just as God is filled with compassion for us. He is slow to anger abounding in love. The father never withheld anything from his son; he gave him the best! God the Father will never withhold anything good from his children; His gifts are the best...especially eternal salvation!

We ended the devotional time with Andrea Redding sharing her testimony of adoption. Needless to say, it was very appropriate for the situation, and God used her mightily to speak hope into the lives of those children.

Just before we left we spent time praying over each child, and then something amazing happened. The children began to pray over each of us. We all knelt down as the children placed their hands on us praying for safety and God's blessing over our lives. Let's just say that there wasn't a dry eye in the orphanage. The prayer of an orphan is powerful and effective as it has a direct unhindered pathway into the throne room of the Father!

Here's a picture of the young boy that lead the prayer over us. He's going to be a mighty preacher for the glory of God. His name is Juan.

Blind No More

Last night we had a tremendous service. We were at one of the church plants of Comunidad Hosanna, Hosanna Sur (South). First let me say I absolutely love worship here. Sometimes I can pick up on their songs, but for the most part I just stand in worship. We don't speak same language, but we are born of the same Spirit.

I was privileged to preach last night, so I used the opportunity to engage a couple of teenagers, Andrew and Jenessa, to help me preach. The altar time was intense. I could really feel the spirit leading me from one person to the next. I felt like there were many breakthroughs and healings that occurred last night. One I know for sure and tested was a man that was in an accident several years ago. The trauma was so severe that he was in a coma for a time. It damaged his right eye so that he could not see very well at all. So we prayed once and he was able to see a little better. We prayed again and his vision was back 100% and he read a bulletin board in the back of the church (about 175 feet away) that I myself could barely read! It was special to see his face when he realized he could see again! Wow, what a night.

In about an hour we'll be leaving for an orphanage to work with the children and clean up the place a bit. We'll be there all day and actually spend the night with the children. So you won't hear from me until at least tomorrow afternoon.

Thank you for our continued prayers!

Emotionally Drained

Last night we had an intense service with the young people of Comunidad Hosanna here in Managua. Their worship was kickin'! Wow, they were dancing, jumping, shouting, and singing for the Lord. At one point a young man was rapping in the middle of one of the songs, and he threw down!

I had the opportunity to preach last night and a young girl made a decision for Christ. Then the altars were flooded as our team prayed for many young people.

This morning has been incredibly draining. We visited a hospital for over 3 hours praying with almost every patient in the hospital. Did I mention it was a children's hospital? At one point Pastor Carl and I were asked to go into the ICU unit. We had to scrub down and put on hospital gowns before entering the unit. What grips me about the medical situation here in Nicaragua is that anyone can come to a hospital and be seen by a doctor, but you must then pay for your own medicine and tests. So families travel from all over the country to come to Managua hospitals, and then they must live on the streets around the hospital until their children are released.

We had the opportunity to give an invitation in the hospital to receive Christ and many responded.

I'm so proud of our young people. At some point everyone was weeping as they prayed for each child. I remember watching Andrew pray with a dad of one of the patients. The dad was a big man, but as Andrew was praying over him, the dad began to break down and cry out before the Lord. It was amazing. Someone else I'm so proud of is Brianna. Her dad died of cancer almost a year ago and one of the first wings of the hospital we went in was the cancer ward. I can't imagine all the emotions and pain that was going through her heart and mind, but she was ministering to the children and their families with a love and passion that was truly from God. It was almost like she was being set free from her pain by praying for others going through the same pain she has already experienced.

This afternoon we'll be heading to another hospital. Specifically we be ministering in the burn unit for children. I'm sure it will be another draining experience. Then we'll have a church service tonight, in which I will be preaching.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. We're expecting God to do some great things.

Hit the Ground Running

We arrived here in Managua yesterday around noon local time (2 PM Eastern). Our flight from Houston was a little bumpy because of the tropical storm around the Gulf of Mexico. We literally hit the ground running by doing school assembly yesterday afternoon. Let me say it was quite a stretch for us after leaving our church at 3 AM (EST), but we were so proud of our kids hanging in there and showing the love of God to the children of the school.

This morning we did a few more school programs and quickly added a stop just before lunch. The stop was at a recovery house for teenagers that are addicted to drugs. The cheapest drug here in Nicaragua is glue. So the kids buy the glue and put it in plastic bags so they can inhale its toxic fumes. James Nutter shared his testimony to the teens and we prayed God's blessing over their lives. We had a short time with them, but it was a time that was ordained of God full of His Holy Spirit.

We just finished lunch and we'll be on our way to a hospital and a disability center to pray with the patients. And one more thing got added to our schedule today. I just found out that I will be preaching at Hosanna's youth service tonight!

Please keep us in your prayers.  

On Our Way

Katie & I are in Houston airport with our friends Carl & Andrea Redding & 9 teens from Mt. Morris waiting to board our flight to Managua, Nicaragua. We'll be there the next 10 days working with missionary Eric Ferguson. We'll have some internet access during our trip so I'll do my best to keep you updated. Please keep us in your prayers.