“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:
- Have an apartment
- Already meeting my neighbors
- Some memories from the past are coming back (I’d forgotten so much)
- For a great and supportive team of missionaries here
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- To find a car
- To make good and steady progress in Spanish
- To build relationships with my neighbors.
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.