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Dear Friends,
“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 This evening last week I had just arrived in Nicaragua. Where to start? Since I last wrote 2 weeks ago, God has done so much. It is heavily evident that people are praying as I watched God smooth the way before me this whole time. Here are some highlights: PRAISES:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
My whole family was able to go with me to the airport. With each of them taking a suitcase/bin, we made an orderly and quite ordinary looking parade up to the ticket counter. (You should have seen the clerk’s jaw drop when she found out all those pieces of luggage were for 1 person). Praise God American Airlines showed mercy and the manageress worked her magic and got me a luggage discount. On the flight to Miami I was able to chat with my seatmate, a lady from CT. She and her family have been going through a really rough time and she needed a sympathetic/listening ear and God allowed me to be that to her and to tell her about God’s love for her. The obligatory COVID test in Miami went very smoothly and they were able to get results back in plenty of time for my travel agent to get it and other necessary info to the Avianca airline and Nicaraguan government so I was cleared to fly. Nice time in FL with the missionary couple I used to work with last time I was in Nicaragua – Andy & Di Large. It was great catching up and being able to pray together for Nicaragua. The time in FL was also important as it provided a mid-step in adjusting from freezing CT to super-hot Managua. Additionally it eased me into adjusting to Spanish immersion as FL has a huge Latino population. Thanking God for a porter at the Miami airport named Osmany. He was like a guardian angel fast-tracking me and all my luggage to get checked-in and talking with the clerk for the Avianca airline. (I had paid in advance for the luggage online, and thankfully they didn’t charge anything extra). They told me that my last piece of luggage would be on “stand-by” status, but many of you prayed and God took care that it made it on the plane! While waiting to board, God again safe-guarded me. There was a gate agent who decided to go around pulling people out of line who she thought had carry-on pieces that were too big. Based on the luggage that was getting her attention, I knew it was only a matter of time before she grabbed me. I prayed “Ok Lord, help me be at peace with whatever happens.” Just then the picky agent got distracted as she & one of the passengers got into a major shouting match. Another agent kept the rest of us moving through the boarding line and she waved me through!!! THANK YOU GOD Great flight and absolutely smooth sailing through customs, gathering all my luggage, finding carts, passing both the “police-dog sniff” test & the second set of scanners, and getting out to the main door. Bruce & Laura (my team leader & his wife) and our Nicaraguan friend A were all waiting there for me and whisked me away for a Nicaraguan supper. Lovely to see them all and catch up; and A helped me practice some Spanish on the drive across town. He and his family have an awesome ministry to teens in a rural community outside of the capital city and he also is a very skilled transport driver (you need to be that driving through this city especially in the dark). This first week has been a whirlwind of getting settled in. Grateful for an amazing team who have bent over backwards helping me out. I signed the lease for my apartment (my teammates found an awesome apartment in a very safe complex that was mostly furnished & that was only ½ price). They have driven me everywhere showing me around and taking me. We have had deep conversations about what has happened over the last 3 years I’ve been gone, and they have been re-orienting me to the way things are now. On Sunday I was able to shadow Traci at the newest church plant she is helping with. A Nicaraguan church that was started 11 years ago, is now starting a new church in a neighboring community. The original church is sending some of its young people to be the starting team for the new church. Traci has been mentoring the 3 teen girls who run the children’s Sunday School, and the original church’s pastor’s son is leading the adult time. Awesome to see these young people taking on such tremendous responsibility. And it was great too to be back in Nicaragua and sitting in church and helping with kids. Two days before I left Nicaragua back in 2018, I attended the wedding of a young Christian Nicaraguan couple. Last night I was able to have that same couple over to my apartment as my 1st guests. It was so special to reconnect with P & N and hear what God is doing. We are now searching for a car and praying God guides to the right one. Have a great weekend. Dear Friends,
Wanted to send you one more update before I fly out of CT tomorrow! And Happy Valentine’s Day by the way. PRAISES: -For so many sweet times of goodbye with family and friends -The car sold -All the packing, selling, and storing of stuff is completed! -The apartment in Nicaragua is all set. PRAYER REQUESTS: -Good weather for flights and for no problems with luggage -Favor in the eyes of the Nicaragua customs officials when I arrive -God to quickly provide the right vehicle for me in Nicaragua -God’s emotional strength for all the changes that are about to happen as I transition to Nicaragua -Remaining tax forms to come in so we can complete my tax return. HOW TO STAY IN TOUCH: Here are the best ways to stay in touch with me in Nicaragua:
Years ago during one of the times I was battling loneliness, a dear friend (instead of saying the usual platitudes), said “Maybe your singleness is a sign God loves you so much He is keeping you for Himself.” While I still would like to get married, those words were so powerfully helpful. I’m so grateful for God’s deep love. A love willing to die for us. Farmington Ave Baptist Church had a wonderful send-off service on January 31st. Great messages from my pastor & my regional director, lots of songs, and a special prayer time. Here is a link if you would like to watch it: https://www.facebook.com/FABCWestHartford/videos/847470639379496/ A huge thank you to all who helped, attended, or watched online! And it was awesome to “see” many of you during the Goodbye Zoom parties at the beginning of February. Thank you to all who joined those Zoom calls. By God’s awesome grace and strength, everything is packed and ready for the flight tomorrow. And God provided a great Spanish Teacher. Maritza is a licensed Spanish teacher and wife of a Costa Rica pastor. Thanks to her, progress is being made in learning Spanish. A couple weeks ago we went over some fun phrases. If someone is being very arrogant, you can say "Cree que es el último coke-cola en el desierto." ("He thinks he is the last Coke-Cola in the desert"). For some reason this really cracked me up. Maybe from the thrill of understanding after I heard it spoken! Have a wonderful week and the next update will be coming to you from Managua, Nicaragua! Blessings, Jessica Mulder Dearest Friends and Prayer Warriors:
“Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.” Psalm 143:8 The above verse is the verse God pointed out to me to start off 2021. May you also be encouraged to lift up your soul/burdens to Him. IMPORTANT DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR: While I desperately wish I could say goodbye in-person to each and every one of you, sadly due to time constraints and COVID regulations, that is not possible. But here are some virtual options that I hope you will “join” me for:
PACKING UP: Everything continues to move forward at lighting speed. I fly out of CT on February 15th and will be self-quarantining for the two weeks prior to that to make sure I get a negative COVID test (a Nicaraguan requirement to enter the country). Thus January is becoming jam-packed with divesting of belongings, packing, and lots of goodbyes. What is it like to pack up your life and prepare to transplant to another country that will become your new home? Great Question: (a) There are many opposing emotions: excitement for what God has next, but also sorrow over the people and life you leave behind. Learning to savor the time left with family and friends. (b) There is a lot of stuff to go through: Busy selling and giving stuff away and verifying what I need to bring and what I can buy in Nicaragua. Everything I’m taking needs to fit into several suitcases, so lots of tough choices on which things make the final cut. Last weekend I was going through a few “Memory Boxes” (bins that hold letters, journals, cards, keepsakes from special events). It was such a blessing to be reminded of all the people and special events God has allowed in my life over the past 38 years. Grateful for all the love these memories represent. PRAYER REQUESTS:
Dear Friends,
Merriest of CHRISTMAS greetings to you all. Thinking often of you all and praying for you. May the Lord be with you in a special way during this Christmas weekend and bless your steps for 2021!!! “She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 “. . . Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:5-7 ZOOM CELEBRATION VIDEO Thank you to everyone who was able to join the Celebration Zoom call on December 14. It was a wonderful time of praising God for what He has done in 2020 and for getting me to 100%. If you missed it, and would like to watch, here is the video recording of the call: https://vimeo.com/491004317 (contact me for password) FLIGHTS/LANGUAGE/HOUSING Since reaching 100%, everything else has been moving at lightning speed. -Flights booked to leave CT on February 15th with a stop off in Florida and then continuing on to Nicaragua on February 19th. -My teammates recommended a wonderful Spanish teacher and we start online classes the first week of January. -Thanks to my very gracious teammates, they are already hunting for housing for me and have found a great possibility (very close to my teammates, a grocery store, and just off the south highway in Managua). Waiting to hear back from landlord about the deposit and a few other questions. HEALTH As part of prepping for departure, ABWE requires all missionaries to get routine blood work before leaving. On December 1st received back the results and was surprised to find problems with high blood sugar and imbalanced cholesterol. Thanks to the testing requirement, these problems were discovered early and are reversable through major diet changes and exercise. So with God’s help I’m making these vital lifestyle changes and hopefully after a full year of being careful the numbers should return to a normal range. GOSPEL OPPORTUNITIES Recently while at STAPLES for a last-minute, late-night print job, I had an opportunity to chat about Jesus and the gospel with the college-age clerk who is trying to figure out what direction his life should go in after college. Another day, at MACY’S, a clerk from Indian mentioned how lonely Christmas will be since her family is all in India. As I empathized about how hard it is to be overseas on holidays, it led to a chance to talk about Jesus and invite her to our church where she can connect with people. CHRISTMAS HUGS TO YOU ALL Dear Friends,
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1 “Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; Yours is the dominion, Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 This whole year all of you have prayed so hard and the Lord has been doing miracle after miracle. In the last update (Nov 25), we were at 93.8%. Since then a few more families joined as financial partners, and as of Saturday I was at 96.6%. SUNDAY/MONDAY On Sunday there was a wonderful opportunity to present about Nicaragua at Northwest Hills Community Church in Torrington, CT. It was a blast to share with the combined Adult & Teen class. (Link here to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KJNCST9JVE&t=110s Sound starts after a few seconds). Early Monday morning the pastor emailed me. The church voted to cover the remaining amount needed to get to 100%!!! ALL GLORY TO GOD and thank you to everyone who has prayed and given. God has brought an incredible team of people and churches together to accomplish this amazing milestone. Over and over He is confirming His call on my life and His heart for the people of Nicaragua. REJOICE AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE! ZOOM CELEBRATION Next Monday, December 14th at 8pm EST I’m hosting a 45 min Zoom call to praise and celebrate together. Love to have you join. Contact me for the link. WHAT’S NEXT: If you or your church were considering getting involved financially, it is not too late to sign up. Given that life can change fast and over time it is inevitable the supporters will have to bow out, the mission encourages missionaries to even get over 100% before heading out, so even if you lose support during the first few years, you can stay overseas because there is still enough. BUSYNESS This week I’m running around: -Getting all the official documents to apply for a residency visa -Obtaining all the remaining immunizations needed -Looking at flights for FEBRUARY -Making lists of what I need to pack and what to sell off -& My teammates have offered to start looking for housing/vehicle options Let us exalt His Name together! Dear Friends,
Happy Thanksgiving!!! May you have a blessed day recalling what God has done for you through the maze of 2020. Paul prayed for the believers at Colosse that they might be “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father. . .” Colossians 1:11-12 It has been a momentous few weeks since the last update. So much to share with you on what God has been doing. LATEST SUPPORT NUMBERS: God continues to bring in new annual & monthly supporters. We are at 93.8%!!! Only $274/month left to go. Praise God for His mighty working! By God’s grace, hope to reach 100% by the end of December, and to leave for Nicaragua in February. Pray that God would guide in all the many steps that need to happened between now and when I leave. Since getting back from PA, it’s been a whirl of Zoom calls with my teammates in Nicaragua and with the doctor, lawyer, & CPA to get everything moving forward to mark off items on the departure checklist from ABWE. CLASSES AT ABWE HQ: A fantastic two weeks of learning and many amazing people in the classes at ABWE. Each of the other 12 people had incredible stories of how God led them into missions and the challenges and hurdles God has brought them through to get them to this point of being close to departure. They were such an inspiration to me. Many of them going to very difficult regions or going in spite of health issues and other challenges. The classes included topics like: learning culture & language, departure readiness, team work with nationals, spiritual warfare, how to work through conflict in a team environment, and how to maintain passion for God when ministry overwhelms. UPCOMING MEETINGS: Dec 6 – Northwest Hills Community Church (Torrington, CT) Dec 13 – Plainville Baptist Church (Plainville, Mass) Pray for the other churches that are currently considering having me come share/considering partnering in the work in Nicaragua. HURRICANES: The east coast and northern mountains of Nicaragua were hit hard by two hurricanes in the last few weeks. Our team has been raising additional funds and my teammates have been using the funds to purchase and bring supplies to the churches in the hard hit areas. GOSPEL OPPORTUNITY: Over the last 5 weeks I’ve been having medical appointments with the same provider. Each time God opened doors to share little snippets about Nicaragua and what God is calling me into. Today the medical provider asked what the religious beliefs of Nicaraguans are and this led to an open door to share the gospel fully. Pray for “Dr M” that God would bring him to salvation! Hi,
“Who is like You among the gods, Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11 PRAISES:
PRAYER REQUESTS:
NEXT TWO WEEKS Reporting live from New Cumberland, PA! Arrived today at the mission offices (ABWE) for 2 weeks of training on the ins-and-outs of transitioning overseas along with more training on learning a new culture, team dynamics, etc. There will be 12 other full-time missionaries from all over the USA, prepping to head all over the globe in the classes with me. Can’t wait to share with you all afterwards what we learn in these classes. PARTNERSHIPS ARE BUILDING Even more people have joined as monthly financial partners since Oct 26th. Miracle of Miracles the support level now stands at over 90%!!! Only $416/month left to reach the full 100%. The Greatest thanks to God and all of you for reaching this awesome milestone. Everything has moved so fast in the last couple of months that timelines are being accelerated! If we get to 100% by end of December, I’ll be flying out in early February!!! My brain is spinning processing all that has happened and contemplating all that needs to be done in order to wrap up life here and prepare to depart. Please pray for the directors and I, as we work out language school & flight options in the middle of a pandemic. HURRICANE AFTERMATH The first week of November Nicaragua was hit by Hurricane Eta. Please pray for the eastern and northern parts of the country that were hard hit and are experiencing flooding. My teammates have been in contact with all the Nicaraguan pastors that we work with in those areas and set up a separate fund to send help to those communities. If you would like to send a one-time gift to help them, I can send you the link. CHURCH & FRIEND VISITS Upcoming Meetings Nov 22 – Farmington Ave Baptist Church, West Hartford, CT – Update to my home church Dec 13 – Plainville Baptist Church, Plainville, MA One of the joys of this journey is sharing with churches how God answers prayers. On Nov 1, it was great to see the folks at Colonial Baptist (one of the churches that partner with me) and thank them for praying and to share what God has been doing over the last 12 months. Last Sunday was a cool experience re-connecting with the people of Iglesia Bautista de la Fe, NY. It was fun to be back in a Spanish-speaking environment and to be blessed by their enthusiasm for missions and the gospel. Church members include people from all over Latin America: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador, the DR, Paraguay, etc. “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”
Psalm 150:1-2 Words cannot express how grateful I am for your prayers over the last month! God has done exceedingly beyond all that can be imagined. We started off October at 68%. As of this morning we hit 85%! Right on time for the deadline!!! Praise the Lord the mission board has registered me for the November final training. Pennsylvania here I come – Nov 10-20. In the last 4 weeks, our Lord has worked powerfully in out-of-the-box ways bringing in new monthly financial partners from all directions. Last week new people were joining every day (For more details you can go to my FB group “Jessica Mulder Overseas” and see the posts from last week). Basically to summarize: these new partners came from all walks of life and various degrees of connection: young people, senior citizens, singles, couples, people I’ve known my whole life, people that just met me, people I see regularly, and people I haven’t seen in years. The common factor is that almost NONE of them were people I had directly invited to join, rather they were people who God prompted to reach out to me about getting involved!!! UPCOMING MEETINGS: Nov 1 - Colonial Baptist Church, Killingly, CT Nov 8 - Iglesia Bautista de la Fe (Faith Baptist), Queens, NY PRAISES
PRAYER REQUESTS
Yesterday it was a joy to visit Truth Baptist Church and share an update and have a Q&A session on the evening Zoom call. Each church visit in October was great – meeting others with hearts for spreading the gospel at home and abroad. "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think ... to Him be the glory" Ephesians 3:20,21
In just the one week since the last email, the Lord has rocketed us past the 75% mark!!! One financial partner increased their support and another new individual signed up as well. This brings the total to 75.5% God is showing His mighty power in moving the amounts up to the 85% goal. Only $424/month left to go!!! This past Sunday I had a wonderful visit with the folks at Mountain View Bible Church in Dublin, NH! It was great to return to a church I've visited in the past and see people who are enthusiastic about what God is doing in Nicaragua. I also had to the opportunity to chat with a couple of teens who are interested in possibly getting involved in missions in the future! NEXT SUNDAY: Oct 25 – Truth Baptist Church (ZOOM meeting in the evening) |
AuthorNot only do I love water, but I love and am loved by the One who created water: The Living God of the Bible. Jesus, God the Son, referred to Himself as the “Living Water.” He is the one who gave us life in the first place and offers us the opportunity to reconcile with Him and have eternal life in heaven. He is the only One who can completely satisfy the thirst of your soul for meaning and wholeness. Archives
March 2021
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