Monday Memories

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; 

yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

This team is growing and improving so well! I love watching the kids play and get excited when they do something right and encouraging them when they strike out. They have won a few games due to the other team forfeiting. Finally,  this weekend, THEY WON!! 2 games! They were so excited!!

Last week I went to Managua for the day to renew my visa.  One of the perks of the immigration office is it's in the mall. That means North American food choices! Sub sandwiches are one of the foods I miss the most so I was looking forward to Quiznos all day! It lived up to the expectation too.

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. 

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and 

arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness. Isaiah 61:10

After giving out pre-natal vitamins in a nearby city,
we went to lunch at a local restaurant.  They had a monkey!

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, 

and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Last summer, Hanna, Kelly, Kamri and I worked together for 7 weeks in Zambia. We grew to love one another so deeply. Thankfully they got to be together this weekend and took time to Skype me in. Technology is incredible but these ladies are even better. Catching up with them just made my cup overflow!

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, 

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

Eveling, one of the youngest girls in the youth group, had her birthday Saturday.
We had cake and cookies to celebrate.

The Counts (Chris, Jill, Zach and Maggie) are life my family. Recently, I've spent the early part of my Sunday afternoon's with them. Chris was especially proud of his pizza this week too! It was great!

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52

Felipe, two of the teens and I passed out soup mix to school too.
It was a lot of driving for a quick drop off of boxes but some beautiful scenery in Nicaragua!!

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4:7-8

Impromptu trip to the cross with the teens who have a free afternoon was a great idea!
Top left: Alec, one of the boys on the baseball team.
Top middle: Jonathan hanging off the cross. Crazy boy!
Top right: Elvin and Kevin learning to take selfies. So funny.
Bottom: The girls on the hike and Jorge. They are a loving group.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Memory Monday

Life here is not exactly routine but is becoming more normal. Most days aren't completely jammed with stories to  "write home about." So I'm going to try something new: Memory Monday's. I'll share moments from the last week and verses that have given me strength and encouragement. Hope I'm able to keep up with this  :)

“For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

Nereyda and I shelling roasted cacao beans.
"This is something all Nicaraguans do."
The crushed beans makes a weak chocolate milk sort of drink... I love it!

Zachary, the 10-year-old on the right, is now taller than me!
We marked the date on the calendar!

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. 

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; 

I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The One Child Matters children in Apanas
praying before their lunch.

Caryn and I being silly overlooking the volcano.
(PhotoCred: Thanks Beth!)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Trust fall. Seeing this beautiful girl open up and
trust her new friends was a powerful image.

“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, 

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace 

shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

We hiked to the cross one Sunday morning and
shared a breakfast of bagels and M&Ms...
Wilson asked me how many years old the bread was!!
It's a different kind of hard bread for them!

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:24-25

Maggie Lou is a beautiful friend!
I love spending time with her!

Carlos is my Nicaraguan little brother (hermanito).
He's 15 years old and a complete goofball,
but when he wants to share it, he has such a caring soul!

You keep him in perfect peace
 whose mind is stayed on you, because he 

trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is 

an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:3-4

These four teens (12-14 years old) graduated from one of the English
school's in town. They've been studying for 3 years and presented a final paper
to all their teachers, another translator (also a graduate of the same school) and
two North American's (Caryn and I). It was a really special day for them
and fun to hear how much they have learned.

Some days you just need to go get ice cream
and laugh when it gets on your nose.

Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, 
lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, 
for to you I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:7-8

Beth is such a wonderful friend and family member!
She came down for a week and we got to sort medicine,
learn about water filters, help build a church, climb to the cross,
take selfie's at a volcano and just watch a movie!
It was perfect. Thank you for the memories, Bethie! 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Saturday night the youth group meets for their own time of worship. Just like in the States, life happens and plans can change very quickly. Our leaders were held up with other things so I walked into the church and said, "Okay. What do we want to do? Go home or share time together?" No one wanted to leave. Carlos (my hermanito, top right) first said, "Well, I'm one of the only baptized ones, do I have to give the lesson?" "Only if you want to," I replied. He said yes. I asked one of the other boys who often leads singing if he wanted to select a few songs, "No. I want to pray. Ask Kevin [his brother] to sing." "Deal." "Hey Kevin, want to sing?" "YES!! Give me the song book please!" About this time Carlos is second guessing the lesson, "Colette. No. I don't know what to talk about..." "Well do you have a favorite verse or book? Let's start there." "No. I just don't feel able to do this." Kevin chimes in, "I'll preach. Carlos, you sing." "Okay. Yes. Yes." We prayed and sung then Kevin got up. He was more than a little nervous, which is totally valid when he only had 5 minutes to prepare. He was figuring out where to stand and how he was going to hold his Bible, seeming a little lost, when he looked up and announced, "Jesus, sat down when he taught. If he can, I sure will." "Someone pass me that chair, please!" We all giggled as Kevin continued with minimal shaking.

And what do you know. We had a beautiful time of worship! I sat in the circle with them SO incredibly proud of these teens. For their willingness to say. For their enthusiasm to lead and participate. For being able to witness their growth. God is so good!

Campamento con los Jóvenes

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. 
But pity anyone who falls
 and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Ecclesiastes 4 was our theme for camp with the youth group. We learned about how to be a friend, why we need friends, where do we find friends, how to be more than best friends with God. It was a lot to take in over 3 days! As any volunteer has experienced, you don’t always participate in the same way the teens do when you’re missing one activity preparing for the next. So my top ten from camp is probably a little different from their list.

10. The camp was just beautiful! Freezing the first day because of rain, but those mountains and plants were a testament to their creator!

9. Food. While 3 Nica meals a day definitely involved more rice than my normal diet, I was good!

8. Drama. The teens and a few of our volunteers put on a drama to go with the lessons. While my part was a fail (remember I don’t really speak Spanish), the other actors did a wonderful job!

7. Silly games. The laughter and smiles and “OH MAN!” moments were hilarious.

6. Talent show night. The group was broken down into 4 small groups for discussion and activities. One activity was a talent show that turned into a talent skit. Seeing a couple of our really quiet kids jump out of their shell was stellar.

5. Elements course. The camp had a rock climbing wall, a zip-line, a tight-rope walk and a few other low element activities. Watching the teens experience those activities and seeing how they began trusting and encouraging others was so encouraging!

4. Six friends came from visiting congregations to help and lead the lessons. Their leadership and friendship was an incredible blessing. We would have been struggling without them!

3. Saying goodnight. It doesn’t matter what country you’re in, the first few minutes after lights out are a hilarious blessing. All the girls in my room had to say goodnight to everyone specifically and if I didn’t jump in right away I got called out too. Processing the day and giggling with them was a joy.

2. Singing. I love the way Nicaraguans sing! And we got to learn new songs!

1. Seeing new friendships and connections made in the group! I just smiled our last afternoon watching the boys, who hadn’t talked before camp, play baseball together. And our last morning at breakfast the girl’s table was so full because they kept squeezing just one more in.

We started with a piñata! Inside was candy and 4 puzzles
with each piece having a person's name to form their small groups.

Group 3!

Worship time!

Illustration of how Christ carries all our burdens.
Carlos went around the room and collected Bibles, notebooks,
bags and a chair. We struggle with those things; Jesus carried all our sin!

Each group was given spaghetti noodles and seven minutes
to see who could build the tallest structure! 

Felipe ready to lead our afternoon game time!

Passing the orange using your neck not your hands. Classic.

They had a water bottle on one end and empty bottles at the other.
Transfer all the water using straws. It was kinda gross,
as you can see on Mrs. Martha's face, but so fantastic!

Water balloon toss. The fastest team to go down and
back with all 4 of their balloons won. I love this picture of Emanuel.
He's one of the newest boys to our group!

Our group for the elements course

Saidi wanted to trust them... but instead of intentionally falling back,
she actually fell, and they caught her for real! 

Mayling crossed the tight-rope bridge. She was terrified at the beginning and
the whole way through. But that prideful smile on her face when she finished was worth it!!

Jarlenis and Gema. Two precious girls that I love!!

Laughs, smiles and serious faces. Never know what you'll get.

Hands down, the trip was a success. God is alive and moving in this group! I am honored to see them grow and to be there with them! Please be praying for the leaders as we are continually reevaluating what we are teaching them and how we can best point them to Jesus. Pray for the jóvenes (teens) that they continue to thirst for righteousness and God’s truth. Please pray that the can be strong examples for their parents, most of whom do not go to church. I am praying God give you opportunities to see His glory and be involved in His works too!

Adios. See you next time!
Marvin Taylor is one of the most polite young men in the group.
He's just a wonderful shining light!