They came, they blessed, they left...

It’s hard to believe that our church family team has been gone for only a week…it seems like it’s been much longer than that. The time they were here just flew by (for us, anyway!) and the days between their arrival and their departure were only a blink in time. In this blog, I will give you just an overview of the team’s week here…yes, it’s long, but it’s still an overview! There’s just too much to try to write it all down in one blog.

Saturday, the 26th of September…a team of eight from First Baptist Church, Cassville, MO (our home church) and a couple from Lone Star Baptist Church, Willard, MO (our second “home” church) arrived to spend a week here, building a house in Los Cedros for Juan and Nohemi Diaz Morales, a young couple with two small children. The team was also going to be ministering to some of the local people through a home visitation program plus they planned on having a small daily VBE for the neighborhood children.

Jim, Miguel and I had spent the day getting the final preparations completed for their arrival, buying supplies for the team and buying a bed for Juan and Nohemi. It was a long, busy day but one of great anticipation on our end to see those precious faces of folks we love so much.

Our Missions Director of FBC, Jackie Hendrix, served as the Team Leader. She took care of all the State-side preparations for the team who was comprised of James Weaver (the Pastor of FBC), Chuck and Jeanna Jones (Jeanna is the Children’s Minister at FBC), Linda Lowe, (FBC Secretary), Geneva Hicks, Nora Young, Sam Hamblett (our 12 year old grandson), and from Lone Star, Allan and Beverly Trantham. Each and every one of them are precious people to us and they all made for one amazing team!

The rest of our team that week was made up of three Nica translators – Miguel (our friend, who is still in the process of learning English), Jonathan and Hazel, both of whom speak very good English. While the team stayed at a guesthouse close to our home, the translators stayed here with us.

I have been unusually blessed in my lifetime to have traveled to 17 different countries but I think coming through the Managua airport for the first time, is a memorable experience. We had been praying for this team for some time – that they would have an uneventful flight and that their entry would be uneventful, as well. And God’s will was that it was so! They didn’t have to open a single bag and made it through customs in record time!

Jim and I had Miguel with us and our friend, David, came to the airport to help us transport the luggage. We rented David’s 16 passenger van for the week (I might add that I think that description should include that it is for 16 very skinny passengers with 1 or less pieces of very skinny luggage!) I was glad David helped us out using his Land Cruiser on the transportation of the luggage!

Jim and I had been so excited for this team to arrive but I certainly wasn’t prepared for the flood of emotions that swept over me when I saw ten orange t-shirts walk in to the luggage area. I thought my heart would explode and then, when I saw Sam, so handsome and grown up, I couldn’t contain it any longer. The tears came and continued to come as I hugged and kissed each and every one of those folks as they emerged on our side of the glass door. We created quite a traffic jam in the airport and continued to do so as we moved out on to the sidewalk to wait for David to arrive with his car. I’m sure we only added to the normally chaotic atmosphere of that airport.

We took them directly to the Guesthouse, a drive of about 45 minutes, where they were going to be spending the next week. It is a lovely place with a lovely view and a bit of a tropical feel but still with amenities made for Americans. Each room had its own air conditioning, bathroom, ceiling fan, color tv and hot water. There is a beautiful swimming pool and several great outside covered areas for meals and meetings. The team had a light late-night supper and we got them all settled in. It was so good to see everyone that it was hard to leave them that night, although everyone was tired from a day of traveling and needed to rest.

Sunday, the 27th…The next morning, Jim, Miguel and I drove over to the guesthouse to eat breakfast with the team before we left for church. We would continue to join the team for both breakfast and dinner the rest of the week. That Sunday morning, we went to the international church (ICF) where the team had the opportunity to spiritually recharge for the week to come.

Right after church, we drove to the Boer Market to buy the rest of the supplies that we would need for the 12 Blessing Buckets the team was planning on distributing during the week to 12 different families in Los Cedros. The Boer is a good representation of where the locals shop and although it doesn’t offer all the variety of goods or the cheapest of prices as does the Oriental Market, it’s also much safer.

We also met Jonathan there, one of our translators for the week. The stand where we usually buy such “bucket” items was closed, so we had to go “deep” in to the Boer to buy our supplies. The team members were such great sports about having to haul out all the really heavy bags of food and although it was stifling hot in the market, they continued to be a joy. No complaints.

After the market, we returned to the guesthouse to unload the items and then left to go eat lunch. We went to Rosti Pollos, which is a great place to take a team for its first day in hot Managua…it’s air conditioned and the food is good.

After lunch, we drove over to our second market for the day – Huembes. There, we met our third translator, Hazel. It was so good to see her again…she’s such a sweet gal and she has a special place in my heart. I knew she would do well with this team as her spirit is gentle and she is always willing to do whatever she can to help someone.

The front part of Huembes is more of a tourist market and although it was getting to be late in the day to be shopping (it was Sunday and they close early), it gave the team an idea of items to buy and the costs of such items. It was also a good time to visit it for the first time as it wasn’t busy so the team members who had never experienced a market atmosphere like that, got to kind of ease in to it. Actually, after our earlier trip to the Boer, I’m sure Huembes was a walk in the park for all of them.

We returned to the Guesthouse and the team assembled the Blessing Buckets, utilizing the meeting space which was ideal for such an activity. Due to the amount and size of the food allotments, we also used big rice bags to hold the overflow of items. This was a double blessing in itself as both the bucket and bag would be serviceable items to the families receiving them.

Each bucket and bag combo contained a large supply of rice and beans, plus sugar, salt, cooking oil, corn flour for tortillas, oatmeal, soup mixes, spaghetti, ketchup, soap powder, soap balls, bar soap, toilet paper and matches plus a New Testament, a tract and a 31 day devotional – all in Spanish.

Monday, the 28th – Thursday, Oct. 1 – This is supposed to be the rainy season but we’ve had very little rain at all. As a matter of fact, we’re facing a pretty serious drought. All along, we had been concerned about the team trying to build a house in pouring rain…not a problem! The problem was trying to build a house in the blistering sun and relentless heat. The first day took its toll on everyone.

One thing this team did not lack was desire. They attacked building this house with a vengeance. The problem with desire is it is hard pressed to beat that sneaky ol’ enemy known as dehydration. After several on the team became sick from the heat and not taking in enough fluids, the entire team agreed to pace themselves a little slower with lots of water breaks. That suited this out of shape ol’ lady just fine!

The building site sits on the top of a small hill which sits at the base of a huge hill. The roads in Los Cedros are mostly dirt with the majority of them being pretty bad. The road up to the job site ranked as one of the worst. We were only able to drive part of the way up and had to walk the remainder. Thankfully, it wasn’t far but the hill was steep enough to be felt by those who are used to walking on flat pavement or tile and carpeted floors.

Our team worked with a small Nicaraguan crew on the construction of the house. Jorge was the foreman, Juan and his brother were the sweat equity team, Norling (who used a crutch due to a leg injury) and Moses finished out the Nica crew.

I will share more about some of these people in the days to come but right now, I want to give an overview of the week. The FBC team began their work day in Los Cedros between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. (after a 30-40 minute drive from Managua), had about an hour for lunch and then returned to work, ending the day about 4:30 – 5:00 p.m. Lunch each day was at the school where Jim and I teach. We had great Nica meals made by several of the ladies from the church and served to us at the little mission house on the school grounds. It was a nice respite from the sun and gave everyone a chance to rest and recharge.

While the construction team worked, another group, headed up by Jeanna Jones, did VBS activities twice a day for the kids who eagerly assembled, ready for the games, the stories, the songs and the activities. The great thing about kids is that even the language barrier isn’t a barrier with them. We had to laugh about one of the little girls serving as a translator for the group…the reason this is funny is that she doesn’t speak hardly any English…but she understood very well what was needed and she didn’t hesitate to help out in that area.

The kids loved the time Jeanna had set aside for them. Every morning, there would be a group waiting for us and then the scene would be repeated again in the afternoon… the faces changed but not the excited attitudes.

While the VBS group was working with the children, Jim chauffeured the Blessing Bucket team each morning and afternoon to make their deliveries to homes that had already been selected by Pastor Manuel. He’s the pastor of Iglesia del Ebenezer which is the church we were supporting with our efforts that week. 6 of the homes were church members that were selected for their need to receive the buckets and 6 were non-churched families in the community. I think the team members that went on these visits would agree that was a privilege to be a part of that ministry.

Thursday, the 1st -Beverly, Geneva, Linda and I went in to Managua to finish up the shopping for the items the team was going to bless Juan and Nohemi with for their new home on the following day. This was my “girls day out” time which I’ve not had for such a terribly long time. We jabbered, laughed, teared up a bit and jabbered some more! We managed to work in a good lunch with a shared dessert. It was a great gift of time those ladies gave me. They also bought me a beautiful necklace as a reminder of our day together...I was so touched by their thoughtfulness. And the other gift they gave me without even realizing it? They gave me the confidence I have lacked to drive in to Managua...I did it and we all survived! I'm assuming everyone in all the cars around me did also...

Friday, Oct. 2nd - The team did an amazing job of getting most of the house done and on their last day, Friday, they brought all the housewarming gifts to Juan and Nohemi. Men here usually don’t show much emotion on things like that, even if they are very appreciative. It’s just not done. But Juan, couldn’t control his emotions and began to cry when he saw a bed being carried up the hill! Nohemi was overcome by all of it. She had said she had been asking God for 4 years to provide them with a house and she never gave up believing that He would do that for them. She said that day had come. Her faith was inspirational to all of us.

After saying their good-byes to Juan, Nohemi and their family, the Nica work crew and the neighborhood kids, the team went to the school for their final lunch for the week. They took a few minutes and visited several of the classrooms and after lunch, the team broke up in to small groups and began prayer walking some of the streets of Los Cedros.

After the team finished their prayer walking and visiting with some of the local people, we all loaded up in the van and headed to Huembes again for the team to be able to buy gifts and mementos of their time here. When the shopping time came to a close, we then headed back to the guesthouse for dinner. Jairo and Marta, the owners of the guesthouse, hired a marimba band to come and play as a special treat for the team. They were quite good…and LOUD!

We left early to take Jonathan home (Hazel was only able to stay with us until Wednesday) and Miguel was going to stay with us until Saturday to help us see the team off at the airport.

Saturday, Oct. 3rd - Saturday morning came very early and way too soon for us…we had to leave the guesthouse at 4:30 a.m. for the airport. Thankfully, we were able to get everyone and their luggage in the van. Three action packers were staying behind. I hardly could bear the thought of saying good bye to everyone.

After getting everyone checked in and ready for their flight, it was time for our good-byes. It was more difficult than I had thought it would be. The tears came with the first good-bye and by the time we reached Sam, who was the last one to go through the security doors, I thought my heart was going to break. I hate airport good-byes. They always come too quickly and aren’t nearly long enough.

We stayed and watched until we could no longer see any part of our group. Jim and Miguel turned me towards the door and we walked out, quietly. The tears kept coming. Miguel so badly wanted to comfort but just didn’t know how. He simply said, “I’m sorry.” That was enough.

There’s so much I want to share about that week but I will have to do that in bits and pieces. This has given you a good overview of what the week was about but even if I were to write until the cows come home, I don’t think I could cover every remarkable moment we experienced or witnessed. I just believe God’s presence was so evident and His working so obvious that perhaps I can share it as it comes to me in the days to come.

If you are from FBC or Lone Star, let me assure you that those who represented you that week did a sterling job of doing so. If you are not familiar with any of those who were here, I want you to know that you may not be blessed in this life with their acquaintance, but someday in heaven, if you are a follower of Jesus, you are going to meet some precious brothers and sisters in Christ and hopefully, you will be able to also meet those whose lives they impacted that week in Nicaragua.