Nicaragua Trip Wrap-up

On Thursday we finished our last full day of missions in Nicaragua. The medical team went to a remote village and saw well over a hundred patients. I am always thankful for the doctors and nurses who provide medical care and medicine to people who otherwise would not receive it.
Most of us had a couple of hours of free time on Thursday. We decided to travel by mototito (three-wheel taxis) to the volcanic lagoon at Caterina where there are restaurants and shops. The lagoon is one of the most beautiful spots in Nicaragua.

Our "caravan" of Mototitos on the way to Caterina

The Caterina Lagoon

Brenton, Ezekiel, Sarah & Kaelyn at the Lagoon

Sarah, Kaelyn & Brenton preparing to take a horse-back ride at Caterina

We traveled to Nandasmo for the graduation of the Pastor's Institute at the First Baptist Church of Nandasmo. Forty-seven men received their certificates and a leather-bound study Bible which was a gift from our church. I was told that these pastors would most likely never be able to afford a leather study Bible so they were very appreciative of what our church had done for them.

The graduates came into the church accompanied by their wives or mothers.

I brought the invocation at the graduation ceremony.

We concluded the mission trip with the last night of the tri-city crusade in Masatepe. Once again the rain threatened to ruin the meeting. Thankfully Ron was able to preach and nearly a hundred people responded to the invitation.

The Nicaraguans go all out for Christmas. Decorations were going up everywhere. You could even see Christmas trees decorated in many of the homes. The pavilion in the city park in Masatepe was lit up with a tree and decorations.

We are always thankful for the many translators who work very hard during the week to help make the mission trip a success.

We will look forward to going back again possibly next year.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

This was the last full day of teaching at the RHEMA Pastor's Institute in the city of Nandasmo. It was a special joy for me to spend the day there teaching the pastors as they completed their studies. I was their first instructor back in May and then had the privilege of being their last instructor today. We are all looking forward to their graduation on Thursday afternoon.

Pastor Dennis teaching a morning class.

The picture below is of construction to double the size of the facility

where the Institute was held.

After finishing at the Institute we drove to pick up the medical team at another site in Nandasmo. This was my first opportunity to see them in action this year. They were able to see over a hundred patients today and provide them with much needed medicines. The patients we see could never afford to buy the medicines that the medical team is able to provide them. Blessing!

Carlos (Translator) and Ann & Kaelyn filling prescriptions.

Today was Dr. Herrod's birthday as well as Bob Smith's. Bob is a music evangelist who works part-time with RHEMA coordinating the mission trips. Sarah (Ron's grand daughter) brought out a birthday cake to honor her grandfather and Bob at the evening meal. This has become a tradition for Ron to celebrate his birthday in Nicaragua.

Once again the crusade was plagued by rain. We had an absolute downpour at around four and then it rained for the rest of the evening. It rained so hard that many of the streets were flooded. Below is a picture of the crowd (all six of them) at the time the crusade was to start. The rain did slacken some and we eventually had about 250 at the crusade. Virtually all of them were church members so there were not a lot of decisions.

Thursday will be our last full day of ministry, the graduation at the Pastor's Institute and the last night of the crusade. Rain, rain, go away.

Delights and Disappointments

We had another wonderful day of ministry on Tuesday although it had its share of disappointments.  We have been working towards the beginning of the nightly crusade that is to be held in three different communities. Tuesday night the crusade was to be held in the town of Niquinohomo. While the medical team went to another community to minister many of us walked the streets witnessing and handing out invitations to the crusade.
I love having the opportunity just to walk around, soak up the culture, and meed the people that live here. They are all so kind and friendly.

Catholic church on the square. Built in 1585

Sharing Christ with a store owner.

Not something you see everyday - drying clothes in the street.

There is poor, and then there is very poor

Potter at his wheel.

I mentioned that we had some disappointments and the major one was that we had monsoon rains all afternoon. Consequently the crusade in the town square was rained at. At the last minute it was switched to a community building that could only hold about 500 people. Thankfully it was full and we still managed to have a great evangelistic service. Most of the crowd were church people but there were about thirty decisions for Christ.

Dr. Herrod preaching.

Looking forward to another day of ministry on Wednesday.

School Days. . .

Mondays are always exciting days on the mission field. Our medical team left for their site for the day and didn't return to the hotel until after nine in the evening. They were able to see over ninety patients and had nine professions of faith at the clinic. Monday night the team went to a church where Bill preached and I understand he did a great job.

The other half of our group went to the town of Nicinohomo and went into two schools. The puppet team went to the senior/junior high and the other half went to the elementary school. I would estimate that well over 200 students made professions of faith in the high school and 125 made decisions in the elementary school.

Ron's 14 year-old grand daughter made the trip. She sang the David Crowder song "He is jealous for me" in Spanish to the students. She did a fantastic job and the students really like it.

Many of us spent the afternoon in door-to-door witnessing. As you can see, some of the homes we went to didn't have doors. We were able to lead many people to the Lord. Brenton Butcher led fourteen people to the Lord - not bad for another 14 year old!

We finished our day with a worship service in the Lighthouse Church in Masatepe. It was a long day, but another great day in the Lord.

Nicaragua Day One

We began our journey to Nicaragua at 2 am on Saturday. A 6:30 flight from Little Rock necessitated the early beginning of our day. 

Our flights all went smoothly and we arrived in Managua at 12:30, We  joined up with the rest of our 23 member team and made the hour and a half journey to Granada where we will be staying for the rest of the week.

Sunday morning we began our first day of ministry. Our team traveled to the city of Masatepe where we split up into six teams. The medical team (Bill, Carrie, & Ann) set up a clinic and were able to see 75 patients. The rest of us ministered in five different churches. 


The picture below is of the church we ministered in on Sunday morning. The plastic bucket at the altar is for offerings of food and necessities (notice the roll of TP) for the pastor. Very humbling.

A church out in the countryside

Kaelyn shared her testimony for the very first time on Sunday night. She did an incredible job and I can't begin to tell you how proud of her I was. I've been Kaelyn's pastor all of her life and to see her mature into such a godly young woman is one of the most rewarding things I know.

Kaelyn and Sarah (Ron Herrod's grand daughter sharing the gospel.

Sunday night our church service was held out in the street under a light bulb hanging from a tree. It was truly a special time for us. This is a church start with one of the pastor's that we have been training. They have bought property and are looking forward to the time when they can have a roof over their heads for worship.

Mission Nicaragua

Early in the morning (2 AM Saturday) seven members of our church will be leaving for a week of mission work in Nicaragua. We will be joining sixteen others for an exciting week of serving the Lord. I am particularly excited that three of our team members are making their first trips out of the country. There is nothing quite like that very first time of leaving your comfort zone in the U.S. and experiencing the thrill of serving the Lord in this kind of venture.

We have a three hour drive to Little Rock. Then a 6:30 am flight to Houston. From Houston it is a little over three hours until we arrive in Managua, Nicaragua.  As we fly to Managua, my daughter Kelly will be coming back to the U.S. from a mission trip to Ecuador.

We have a tremendous week of ministry ahead of us and I will be posting here each day about what the Lord is doing in and through us.

Almost Heaven

I've learned from my many trips out of the US that time doesn't mean much in most countries. One of my many faults is an obsession with being punctual. Consequently, I have trouble dealing with people who seem to have no regard for time. This morning my ride was an hour late picking me up. I was getting pretty upset until I found out that through no fault of the driver, there was a massive traffic jam on the highway coming in and out of Mumbai. I discovered how bad it was on our way to the ministry site.
We started out in the left hand lanes. (They drive on the left in India.) But when traffic came to a standstill many of the vehicles just crossed the road and started driving in the face of oncoming traffic. The result was a massive traffic jam that lasted for about an hour. My driver looked at me and said, "Welcome to India."

The ministry site is under the direction of pastor Chacko Thomas and his Lighthouse Ministries. He is blessed with a beautiful facility that like most Christian ministries in India, has an orphanage. There are over sixty children here in what is called the "Almost Heaven Children's Home."

The students, the children and the staff have all treated me like I am some kind of celebrity. They think that I am a very important person who has come from the US. Everyday I am greeted by the children all wanting to shake my hand and say "God bless you." When I walk into the classroom the students stand and applaud. They almost fight over who is going to carry my bag and get me coffee. For some reason they all want my autograph. (I hope it is not to forge my signature on a loan.) I have never seen such gracious people. If they only knew that I am just a red-neck, hillbilly preacher, they might treat me differently. It all makes for a very humbling experience.

Here I am answering questions from some of the students during a break session.

They have so many questions not related to the course that I am teaching that I will have trouble finishing all of the material. The way that I look at it, anything that I can do to help them understand the Bible in a better way is worth the effort.

Some of the children - what beautiful faces!

Tuesday before I came back to the hotel, the cook and his wife asked if I would pray for them. Sabu and Nancy were just two precious people who are going out of their way to make sure that I am fed properly.  It was a privilege to hold their hands and ask God to bless them in the difficult circumstances they are facing in life.

"And we know that all things work together for good

to those who love God, to those who are called

according to His purpose."

Romans 8:28