God very specifically took care of every detail of saying goodbyes, packing, selling my car, getting tickets changed, closing up the house, and everything, all within 72 hours. Grateful to be with family during this time to be a blessing to them, especially during the the funeral tomorrow.
So yes, instead of a gradual easing out of Nicaragua and leisurely returning to CT in mid-February, I was catapulted out, into the next phase of life. It all happened so suddenly I still haven’t processed it all. So many details now to be worked out as I figure out life back in New England. But that will all be for after this weekend. And God already knows all the answers.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1.Comfort for my mom’s side of the family and all impacted by my cousin’s passing.
2.Local or online job.
3.Guidance for the rest of 2018 as I seek where to live and for raising support to go back overseas.
PRAISES:
1.Able to say goodbye to all the Nicaraguan people that I’ve become close to over the last 16 months.
2.Final visit to church in San Juan del Sur
3.Chances to share about Jesus with my old teachers.
4.Able to attended wedding of two Christian young adults that work at our Camp.
5.Already at 19.5% committed support for returning to overseas missions.
SHORT TERM FUTURE (Feb/Mar/Apr): For those of you who live in the Northeast, I would like to come visit you and share a face-to-face update of Nicaragua and my future plans. Let me know what dates might work for you for me to come over.
March 4-13 = at ABWE Headquarters to be accepted as a long-term missionary and receive the first phase of training.
LONG TERM FUTURE: At this point, God is leading me to stay in New England for the rest of the year. So I’ll be looking for a job and will be trying to connect with churches and individuals who are interested in hearing about Nicaragua and my goal of long-term missions. Who knows, perhaps 12 months from now, all the money will be raised and I’ll be back overseas. But that is all in God’s hands.
FINAL MONTHS IN NICARAGUA (DEC/JAN): Had a number of challenges with termites, car issues, and ministry challenges. But on the positive side the teens had a great time at the December camp and have really grown as leaders to the other children.
Nice birthday and Christmas with my team and some friends from Costa Rica that live here in Managua.
I was able to visit San Juan del Sur in early January for final goodbyes and saw the now completed church. All my old Spanish teachers got together with me and I had further opportunities to share the gospel with some of them. It was an enormous privilege to be invited into their homes. And it is great to report to you that the mother and baby that you prayed for are doing super well now.
Throughout December and January there were on-going opportunities of helping with the Rayitos feeding center, Bible studies with Massiel, and encouraging national believers at our Camp and at churches we are connected with throughout Managua.
Thank you all for riding this journey with me over the past 2 years. If you would like more details about anything in this letter, please contact me. I’m happy to share.
GIVING INFO: If you would like to participate financially, here is the link: https://muldertonicaragua.weebly.com/contactgive.html