Santo, Santo, Santo

God is so holy, and He is so good to bring me here.

I have been in Nicaragua for four days now. We finally made it after several delays at the airport. It has been a little exhausting, adn my body has definitely felt the changes. However, I knwo that God is going to push me and grow me like He never has before.

Here is what I ahve been up to for the past four days (at least for the most part). I miss all of you guys and am so thankful for all of your prayers.

Mon (2/1): We finally got to Managua around 8 or 9. Tommy picked us up from the airport and drove us to Leon. Once we got to Leon we met the whole group (except for Ashley and Jake). We sat around Tommy and Linda's for a little while talking and praying. It is so exciting to think that God has placed all of us here together at this time. We are all excited to see how God is going to move among us, and among the community.

Tues (2/2): The next morning we explored Leon a little bit, and met a lady named Sheryl. She has a home in Leon where she takes in kids that are suffering physically. It was encouraging to see her great faith, and desire to see these children healthy. Then after lunch we drove to Candelaria!!! We were finally here, adn immediately I was introduced to tons of people. I spent most of the day just meeting people and spending time with the kids. That night before dinner we went around the community and visited a few homes. We spent a lot of time with the Vega family. Their home just burned down, and now 14 of them are livign in a very small home. However, these kids were just as happy as ever. What a blessing it was to visit them. After dinner we had a time of worship with our group. We are so excited to see a community be built among us, and to see the effects this has on the outside community. I already feel that we all have a special love for each other, and desire to see one another seeking God's will.

Wed(2/3): I spent most of the day outside with the kids getting to know them. Then Diego (one of the missionaries) asked me to say a little something at the youth service that night. So, I went to get prepared. I sat inside and opened my Bible and notes. I jotted down a few things when this boy was standing in the doorway. I recognized because I had met him the night before when we visited the Vega family. I asked him if he wanted to read with me thinking he would say no and then go play, but I was wrong. He said yes, so I brought my Bible outside and asked him what his favorite scriptures were. He told me Revelation, and I was like yes!! I love Revelation, especially Revelation 4. So, we read the chapter and together talked about how beautiful and great Christ was. I let him read on his own for a little while, and he quickly found more scripture that he like- Psalm 23. It was so moving to see a young boy, who is living with so little to be thankful for a beautiful God. He truly felt loved by God, and understood all that Christ had given him. I definitely need to spend more time just thanking God for all that He has given me. He is certainly holy and I am blessed.

Thurs (2/4): We finally got power in our house and were able to move in. We spent most of the day getting things organized and moving in. That night we had a church service...they have church Wed, Thurs, Fri, and Sat here! Yes!!! Ashley's (one of the long-term missionaries) dance class presented a few dances at the beginning of the service. It was really great, andn the kids were so happy up there dancing. Then Tommy gave a message on how great God is. Sometimes we make Him out to be so much smaller than He really is, and limit ourselves. It was definitely good for me to here because I had felt a little overwhelmed here. I just wanted to do everything right at the beginning. I wanted to learn Spanish right away, get to know all the people right away, and get involved with a ministry right away. I was trying too hard, and not trusting God enough. God is so great and I forgot all of that as I began to feel overwhelmed. Pray for me that I will seek God's guidance in all that I do, and pray for His strength and His will.

Fri (2/5): Today we had a women's Bible study in the morning. We found some Spanish copies of Captivitating, and several of us had copies in English. It went really well, and I am excited to see that grow. Hopefully this can be a time where women of the community can come together and trust each other. They can trust each other and feel safe to share. Look foward to some new updates from this Bible study in the future!