The Nelms Family

1st Team of 2010

2010-02-06T10:38:00.009-06:00

The Weston Smith Team was here as our first team of 2010 from Jan 23 - 29. We had a great week. This was a small team of 8 North Americans from Kentucky doing evangelism in the village of Mancarón, Nicaraua. They also ministered in the village of San José de Gracia. I enjoyed this team and this type of ministry very much.

The primary spot was in Mancarón where this team had given money to build a new church building. They visited here last year for one day and saw the need for a new church building since the old one was small and in bad shape. God put it on the heart of a few of them to help this community and God answered prayers. When they arrived this year they were able to see and worship in the new Temple. It was a very emotional time for many on the team and a very blessed week of ministry and evangelism.

This team did Children's Ministry each day in Mancarón reaching out to many children. The children were precious and had so much fun. Some members went door to door sharing the gospel of Jesus in Mancarón as well as one day in another close by village. Each night there was a Worship Service and Children's Church in Mancarón with the need for extra chairs outside because the crowds were so large. We had some great music fro our band and heard some great messages each night.

Two of the ladies along with the help of Nicaraguan Ladies led a Ministry for women each day, 2 days in San José de Gracia and 2 days in Mancarón. The women of these villages had a blast and learned a lot about the Bible and God's love. There was also a Vet team, I worked with them, who worked 2 days in each village giving vaccinations to cows, horses and other animals while sharing the message of Christ with the men of those villages.

Several people came to Christ through the testimony of this group and both villages were encouraged very much by the love, service and Chirst-like attitudes of this team. It was a pleasure to be with them and to witness their love for The Lord and for the People of Nicaragua. Weston and his wife Brenda will lead another team this month with the full Medical & Dental Ministries. Please pray for them as they prepare to return to Nicaragua and allow Christ to impact more lives. Praise God for His Goodness and Love!!

Prediqué en español

2010-01-21T23:01:00.004-06:00

Well, I figured I should go ahead and write about this past Sunday when I preached at Israel Baptist Church in Spanish. This is the first time I have preached in Spanish in Nicaragua and only the 3 time ever. I preached twice in Spanish in Costa Rica. I guess it went OK, but I was nervous and I felt that I read too much from my notes, which is not my style. I think it will get easier each time that I do it because I will get more accustomed to using those words that you don't use in every day conversation.

I preached on "Forgiveness" out of Luke 15 and the story of the Lost Son. It is interesting to me that when the son asked his father for his inheritance, in the Jewish custom, he was basically saying to his Dad, "I wish you were dead, Dad!" The people of that day would have stoned him to death for that act of disrespect, but his Father waited, watched and welcomed him into the family as a son. It is so awesome to know that we serve a God of forgiveness. Where would any of us be without His forgiveness? We looked Sunday at 4 aspects of forgiveness and it appeared that the people understood my poor Spanish and many of them told me that they learned things from the sermon, so that made me feel good.

The church was so nice and encouraging and the Pastor invited me to return and preach again this year. Pastor Ernesto is a godly, hard-working pastor. He loves the Lord and the people he serves. He travels to a nearby village trying to help start a church there. I will be in that Village twice this year for the purpose of helping to start a church there. I was also very impressed with the fact that the entire church has pledged to memorize one passage of scripture each week during this year. They had all of their church members stand and share their scripture for the week, including the guest preacher. It'ss a good thing I started memorizing one verse in Spanish each week.

Noah went with me to Israel and it was so much fun to have him with me. We had some great conversations on the long ride there and back as well as a good lunch together in Chinendega. I am so glad that God is allowing me to serve Him here in Nicaragua. I can't wait to see all that He will do this year.

Noah Win's Basketball Tournament

2010-01-21T16:45:00.005-06:00

We just returned from a 3 on 3 Basketball tournament at Nicaraguan Christian Academy (The school where the boys attend). The first round was on Tuesday and the finals were today. Each team had 4 players allowing a sub throughout the game. Noah was on the winning team. It was a lot of fun to watch the final four today. Noah's team won the first game with ease but the second game came to the wire with Noah and his teammates winning 15-13.

Noah played a lot and played really well. He was tough on defense, handled the ball well, made some good assists, and even scored. This was an exciting day. Way to go Noah!

A score brought about by an assist from Noah!

Noah about to shoot and score!

Noah's Scores!

Noah handling the Ball.

The Winning Team!

God Answered Prayers!

2010-01-18T08:12:00.002-06:00

Well Glory!!! He did it again, and once again, just in time.

As most of you are aware we were in the States for almost 3 months and during that time we needed to make up ground financially for a shortfall caused by the economy and the loss of several Financial Ministry Partners. We knew just after Christmas that we were allowed to return to Nicaragua but it wasn't until the 2nd week of January that we knew just how much was given to our family's ministry during December. What a blessing you have all been to us!! God provided the money needed to cover our shortfall for 2009 and He used many of you to help meet this need. We are writting thank you notes to everyone, but they will be mailed at the beginnning of February when we can have them delivered back to the states with our first team, which will be here from January 23 -30. We could never say thank you enough to God for working in an amaing way, and to Everyone who gave, many in sacrificial ways, to allow us to be serving our Lord in Nicaragua.

Our time back in Nicaragua has been busy from the day we returned. The Association of Churches with which we work had their annual conference on January 8-9. The boys started back to school on the 11th and we turned in their homeschooling information, which went much better than we had hoped. There were many things to do each day last week to keep us very busy and Dwyndl preached yesterday, Sunday, Jan. 17th at the Baptist Church in Israel, Nicaragua. We are preparing this week for our first team which will be here on Saturday. This team is a small Evangelism team and should be great. They have a wonderful love for God and the people of Nicaragua.

Newsletters are late due to some circumstances beyond our control, but they will be out soon. Thanks again for all you are doing to serve Christ and the people of Nicaragua. We feel so blessed to be chosen to actually live here and do much of the leg work, but without all of our Minsitry Partners praying and giving we could not serve. God Bless Each of You!!

Finished Traveling

2009-12-24T01:30:00.003-06:00

We are exhausted. We have been traveling a lot and finally we are through for the year, other than going to Lori's Parents and to Florida. (We will be flying back to Nicaragua out of Florida.) Since we have been back in the states we have shared our story in at least one different church each Sunday and several Wednesday nights. We have been to 10 different states and I forget how many cities. We have been busy, but God has blessed.

God has allowed us to speak in churches where we have been before as well as opening up churches to which we have never been before. We have been able to see family and old friends as well as making many new friends. We have spoken in churches of various sizes, various worship styles and in various parts of the USA but God has blessed in each one in different ways.

We have had to opportunity to...
...be reunited with old friends to discover that true friendship never ends,
...travel to places we have never been before and make new friends,
...speak at a church where we pastored over 10 years ago and revive old relationships,
...see God place people in our paths who we did not know, yet He united us through love for Christ and the Great Commission.
...spend time as a family traveling, playing, talking and laughing,
...watch God do things that we could never do on our own, in ways that we never could have dreamed, through people that we never would have thought. God is Awesome!!

We are so grateful for each person, family and church who has allowed us to share out lives with them, for those who have prayed for us and the people of Nicaragua, and for those who have given sacrificially to our ministry thereby allowing us to continue serving Christ in Nicaragua. What a Blessing You have All been to us. We will be forever grateful and we wish that we could somehow show each of you how much you mean to us and to the people of Nicaragua. The year 2010 will be exciting and full of God's Blessings!

You Might Be a Missionary If...

2009-12-10T12:39:00.002-06:00

You have to stop and think about what to do with used toilet paper.
You think a 2 hour church service is too short.
You read a National Geographic and realize that you know some of the people in the picture.
You point with your lips.
You miss getting junk mail.
You have eaten food that would be a pet in the USA.
You are surprised the electricity has stayed on all day.
You have 6 different types of ants in your house and you ignore them all.
You have purchased lunch or items for your house at the stop sign in town.
You bring a sack lunch and a novel to the bank.

His Promise - His Provision

2009-12-10T01:05:00.003-06:00

I wrote a new sermon for the opportunity to preach at our Home Church a couple of weeks ago. While re-studying this sermon for this past Sunday, I was overwhelmed by the story of Abraham and Isaac. How long had Abraham waited for this Son of Promise. He finally had the joy of raising this child for whom he had waited so long and now God was telling him to give up that very child, the promised one. He went so far as to walk the boy to the altar, lay him on the altar and raise his knife to kill him before the Angel of the Lord stopped him and showed him the ram that was caught just for this purpose.

I sat and cried for a while as I thought about the ministry which I know that God had promised to me. I thought about how long I had waited and how often I had prayed for the opportunity to serve Christ in Nicaragua. I remembered the many reasons why I am not worthy to carry out this mission and I walked to the altar. I layed it all down and told God that this was His ministry. He had promised it and Only He could provide the sacrificial ram that is needed at this time. What is God going to do? I still don't know, but I am at peace. I am still praying earnestly that God will send us back to Nicaragua on January 6th, but I am willing to accept His decision regardless of how difficult it would be.

There is no way possible for us to provide what is needed to go back to Nicaragua, so if we are allowed to return and do the work to which we feel called it will take an act of God. Only He will be able to receive the Glory for this one. It is much too big for me. It's on the Altar God, will there be a ram in the thicket or will I be required to bring down the knife. That's totally God's decision and He is always right.

The Purpose of This Long Trip

2009-12-07T22:58:00.006-06:00

We just returned from an 11 day, 6 city, 5 state trip to speak at 2 churches and see several family members and friends. It was a long, tiring but really good trip. God blessed in many ways and many people gave us a lot of encouragement and pledged their prayers for our ministry as well as few who pledged to partner with us financially.

I could write about many things from this trip because a lot happened, but in this particular blog I wanted to share about the first weekend. I will probably share about some other things tomorrow, such as the blessings of speaking at 2 different churches, the opportunity to see some old friends who were such an encouragement, a trip to see the site of the flight 93 crash and the boys getting to play football on the field where te Steelers have their football camp every summer.

The first weekend was spent in Knoxville so that we could see Lori's cousin who has cancer. He is my age, was diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago and was not expected to be here this long. We are so grateful that Christopher became a Christian a while back but I knew this weekend would be difficult for Lori because she is very close to her family and cares deeply for them. She did very well when we spent the afternoon with him on Saturday but I want to talk about the time with her aunt.

We spent 2 nights with Lori's aunt, Chris' Mom and I was so proud of Lori. Aunt Carolyn lost her husband a few years ago and now her only son has cancer. I watched and listened as Lori sat on the couch with her and ministered to her in a great way. Her aunt opened up and shared about her feelings as Lori listened and gave words of comfort. Lori shared about God's ability to comfort and heal as well as reminding her aunt that her family loves her and will be there to support her through all of this. She also rejoiced in the fact that Chris has made a profession of faith in Christ.

I watched Lori in a role that I think she fits very well. She has a great heart of love for the people in her life with which she has made any kind of connection. She will go out of her way to minister to her family and do anything to demonstrate her love for them. I sat in my chair, reading my book and filling up with pride as Lori ministered to her aunt and showed her the love of Christ.

Family Getaway

2009-11-23T11:39:00.005-06:00

Week before last Lori, the boys and I went with my parents to Arkansas for a short 2 night vacation. A friend of the family allowed us to use his cabin near Greers Ferry Lake. It was a great place and we had a lot of fun. We took the boys to Blanchard Springs Caverns and enjoyed the tour very much. The long tour was closed for the winter so we went through the short tour. there was some cool stuff to see at over 200 ft below the surface of the earth.

We also were able to see the Lake and some cool springs. The cabin was great and even had a pool table. The entire family had fun playing games together and getting to see some beautiful sights. It was such a blessing to get a little time away and get to enjoy some simple family time. Thanks to Mom and Dad for driving us and setting everything up. God is really blessing us on this trip to the USA.

Church Experience

2009-11-08T21:39:00.003-06:00

I have always loved church. As a kid my parents took me to church all the time. We were there 3 times a week and for all special occations. I was the kid that actually wanted to go. It was fun for me a place where I seemed to belong. Even when I was a lost teen, pretending to be a Christian, I really liked going to church. When I thought of Church I thought about the building that stood in the middle of town with the stained glass window and a softball field out back.

I have visited churches in several countries and all over the USA. There are always some similarities yet every church is different. Not good or bad necessarily, just different. I have been to churches with small buildings and churches with large buildings and even churches with no building. I have been to churches with huge parking lots where I had to walk for a long way and to churches with no parking lot where everyone walked from their homes because none of them had cars. Churches in the middle of large cities and churches so far away from town that a 4-wheel drive truck couldn't get me there.

I have been in "traditional" churches and "contemporary" churches. Churches with lots of music and churches with no music. Churches where the Gospel was preached every week and churches where the Gospel seemed to be missing. Churches with pews, chairs, or standing room only. I can worship in many ways. I can worship in a suit and tie or I can worship in jeans. I can worship with all choruses or all hymns or a mixture of both. I can worship sitting down or standing up or lying on the floor. Because it's not about me, but all about Him.

Of course I have my preferences for what songs I like and what style of preaching I like. I have certain aspects of "Church" that I like and certain aspects that drive me crazy, but I love Church. Not the building, not the rituals, not the style of worship, but the act of coming together with other believers in order to Worship the God of the Universe, Encourage the saints and motivate each other to carry the gospel into a lost world.

I love to experience Church and I have had the opportunity to experience it many times and in many different ways over the past few weeks in the USA. Today I experienced it again in a Big way. I went to Great Commission Church in Olive Branch, MS. The plan was to share about 10 minutes in each service about our ministry to Nicaragua in hopes of gaining more Ministry Partners to pray for us and maybe a couple of Financial Partners to help cover the needs of this ministry. What God had planned was so much more.

Well, I took more than 10 minutes in each service, but it was so awesome to have freedom to do so without feeling like I had sent the earth off orbit. That's one thing I love about Nicaragua, time is not important, people are very important. But that is another subject. In the services today I experienced "Church" not just a service to fill a Sunday. The music touched my heart and made me think about my relationship with Christ. The message in the first service made me think about what kind of long term impact I am making for the Kingdom of Christ. In the second service I saw a family recieve love and encouragement from a family of faith as they stuggle through a diffucult time. I saw small group members joining together in prayer for special needs. I heard testimony after the service of how the love of "fellow church members" brought people through tough times and pointed them to God. I watched as an Adult Couple publicly profess their faith in Christ through Baptism. I was greeted by more people than I could count who had no idea that I was the "Missionary" guest of the day. They simply saw a new face and welcomed my family and me and invited us to worship with them.

The response of the church to our story in both services clarified that God has a plan for us. I have been a little stressed lately over our financial situation. We have lost a lot of support this year and we have been praying for God to meet some big needs by Christmas. This pastor didn't just sheeplishly ask for people to pray. A plea was made on behalf of the Minstry to Nicaragua for people to partner with us and not allow Satan to keep us from reaching people for Christ in Nicaragua. We received powerful prayer asking for specific needs to be met and requesting for God to do some specific things in our lives. The Members of the church kept me talking for a long time after the service as they asked questions and told us over and over that they would pray for us and many promising to help support us financially.

Today I experienced Church. Not a regulary scheduled "Worship Service" but God's people coming together, loving each other, encouraging each other and motivating each other to carry the Gospel into the world, locally, nationally and throughout the world. Thanks to GCC for showing us love and allowing us to Worship God with you. Thank you Jesus for giving us an incredible day of encouragment and reminding us that NOTHING is too big for You!

Nelms Ministry Video 09

2009-11-05T01:24:00.003-06:00

Another Great Weekend

2009-11-02T12:27:00.003-06:00

God has really blessed us this weekend. We have been concerned about some things and praying that God will move in a big way to show us what He is doing in our lives right now. Man did He answer. We still have some unanswered questions, but God really showed us this weekend that He is at work. We want to give Him praise for all of His love and power. It is amazing how God works. We are still waiting on some more answers to prayer, but Thank You God for all you are doing!

Noah went to a lock-in on Friday night with the Jr. High group from FBC Olive Branch. He had a blast but it sounds like we need to take him bowling to practice. He was exhausted all weekend after that, but still drove with us to Batesville, MS on Sunday night.

Saturday night we went to a Fall Festival at FBC Barton. The kids had a lot of fun and it was fun for me to see an old friend from My Middle School Days getting dunked in a dunk tank. We will be speaking at this church on Wednesday night and sharing about what God is doing in Nicaragua. The evening was a lot of fun as we were able to have a late supper with Dwyndl's nephew, Zach, and his family, along with Dwyndl's parents. Zach cooked an incredible meal. It was good to get to spend time with Zach's family.

Sunday was an incredible day as we saw God begin to move. Dwyndl preached at Meadow Brook Baptist on Sunday morning and it was a wonderful service. Dwyndl saw friends that he hasn't seen since he was a kid. Everyone made us feel so at home and we felt that God really moved in the service. The church was very encouraging and giving. We are so grateful for the opportunity to worship with and share with this loving church.

Sunday night was another great time at FBC Batesville, MS. Dwyndl preached on missions and the church was very receptive and encouraging. Many people signed up for our newsletter and gave us words of encouragment. God also moved there in a Big Way to show us that He is preparing us to move back to Nicaragua in January. We are filled with gratitude for what God did through some wonderful people and Partners in the Ministry.

Thanks to all of you who are praying for us. We need and covet your prayers. God is Good!!

Southside Baptist, Savannah, TN

2009-10-26T22:00:00.004-06:00

We went to Southside Baptist Church on Savannah, TN this weekend. Dwyndl preached and shared about our ministry with BMDMI in Nicaragua. Bro. Benny Taylor is the pastor and has been at this church for almost 30 years.

We have been to this church once before when we were preparing for Language School in Costa Rica. It was good to go back and see several familar faces and get to touch base with some of the ministry partners we have in Savannah. God blessed and we had a wonderful time. Bro. Benny and his wife invited us to their house for lunch and it was really good, they didn't offer iguana, but it was a great meal.

We are grateful for the opportunity to share God's Word and our story with these wonderful people. Thanks so much for all the prayers. We have a pretty full schedule while we are in the States, but we are needing to talk to many more people so pray that God will open up the opportunities for us to share where it will be the most useful to the kingdom and the minstry to which God has called us.

The Bible Institute in Nicaragua

2009-10-14T22:28:00.004-06:00

Well, we are back in Mississippi as of today and it was really good to see Dwynd's family today. We look forward to seeing many friends and family members over the next several weeks. I have done a really bad job of writing blogs to keep everyone up with what has been going on, but I promise I am going to do better. I have been convicted in the past few days about several things I need to change and this is one of them. I won't bore you with my goals for the next 12 weeks, but please be praying.

The main purpose of this blog entry is to tell you about the BMDMI Bible Institute in Nicaragua. I wanted to write this blog last week, but trying to get everything done for our trip back to the States kept me really busy last week.

The Bible Institute is one of the best things going in Nicaragua. We have a beautiful location with great facilities and an opportunity to make a real impact in this wonderful country. At the BI pastors and church leaders are taught how to study, teach and witness from the Word of God. We have 2 programs available at this point. The First Program is designed for 3 years and many Pastors and Church Leaders have graduated from this program which offers fantastic curriculum and opportunities for practical learning of Bible Doctrine and Practice.

The Advanced Degree is offered to those who have completed the diploma program. This is a 2 year program which teaches practical aspects of church leadership, such as preaching, church finances and many other useful subjects. This past Saturday, October 10th, we witnessed the graduation of the first 8 students from the advance program. It was so exciting to see this and to hear many of them talking about how this is helping them in their ministries.

The Bible Institute also offers 4 Bible Conferences each year for any Pastor or Church leader who wants to learn more about very practical subjects for the church. Each year pastors and leaders from the USA volunteer to speak and teach in these conferences. The church leaders of Nicaragua have been taught on subjects such as: Personal Evangelism, Church Growth, Sermon Development, Finances, Cults, Family and many other subjects.

On October 6-7 we took part in the final Bible Conference of 2009. Pastor Doyle Pryor taught how to Develop Sermons to Impact Lives. It was a great conference and the Pastors really learned a lot. This Conference was actually more of a workshop which allowed the students to develop a sermon as they worked through the process together. Using the Inductive Bible Study method to study a passage of scripture and then write an outline that actually teaches and draws the net, the Pastors and teachers left the conference with tools to make a difference each week as they share the Word of God with the people of Nicaragua.

Praise God for the Bible Institute and impact it will have on Nicaragua for years to come. Please pray for our pastors and for the new churches we will be starting next year. Also pray for Dwyndl as he will travel to Every church in the Association of Churches working with BMDMI in Nicaragua at the beginning of the year. He will be helping to complete a directory for all of the churches and will be taking on more of a role at the Bible Institute next year along with serving with Teams who come to minister in Nicaragua.

Cathing Up

2009-09-12T21:33:00.002-06:00

OK, so I am not very good at keeping up with this Blog thing. I really want to be and I think about all the things I need to write on here all the time, when I'm not at the computer. The problem is I don't get as much time on the computer as I need to and when I am on here I have other stuff to do. SO, I am going to try and catch you all up with what has happened with us lately.

Noah and Bayley have started their new school and it is going well so far. The boys are making friends and liking their classes. This is a really good school and we are impressed with how they are dealing with our kids. Please keep them in your prayers as they finish out this first quarter. The second quarter we will need to homeschool them because we will be back in the States.

Bayley received his Green Belt in Tae Kwan Do and is really excited. He had his Yellow belt and the next step is usually Yellow with Green Stripe, but he skipped to his Green. He is really enjoying his classes and the instructor brags on him all the time.

I, Dwyndl, had the priviledge of teaching a Confernece on the Family for a church here in Nicaragua. It was a blast. There were 2 nights with 2 sessions each night and the 3rd night was a special dinner with a Question and Answer time. The questions were written down so they didn't hold back. It was very interesting and fun. The church wants me to return for another conference next year.

I led my first team without Darrel a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of fun and all went well. I felt like I fit in well with this group. God worked in great ways and many people were saved. This team also really showed the love of Christ to the people of El Higueral. I will probably write more about a neighbor village soon in the next newsletter.

I am going out tomorrow with my final team for the year. It should be a good week. The area where we will be is very beautiful and every time I have been in this region of Nicaragua I have absolutely loved getting to know the people. Please be praying for us this week and for Lori and the boys as they are at home. The boys have 3 days off from school for a national holiday. I wish we could spend it as a family, but I need to be out with this team. I pray they will find some fun stuff to do.

Please be praying for us as we prepare to come back to the USA for a visit. We will leave the week of October 13th and we will come back home to Nicaragua the first week of January. We still need to buy airplane tickets so hopefully we'll have it all planned soon. Also pray that God will open up many speaking oppotunities for us while we are back in the States. We are looking forward to seeing you all. Thank you all for your prayers. We Love You!!

Big Suprise!!

2009-08-03T20:28:00.005-06:00

I am really late writing this blog, but here it goes...

I have always liked surprises. I like to give surprises and I like to receive surprises. I hate it when everyone knows in advance what they are getting for Christmas or Birthdays. I think it's not about the gift, but the thought and it shouldn't matter what it is. I also think that the surprise part is the best part of the gift. However, I have had very few times in my life where I was truly surprised. People like to give away surprises for some reason. They like to "let it slip" or share "just between us" and I hate that.

However, last week I was truly surprised. Our family went to Honduras to go out with the team from FBC Olive Branch. I talked with my Mom several times the weekend before we left on Tuesday and she even told me how everyone at church was rubbing it in that they were going to see us an my parents could not. We arrived at the Mission Home on Tuesday afternoon and I was standing around talking to team members when I saw someone walking across the room. It took a minute because it didn't seem real, but suddenly I realized that my Mom was in Honduras! I never thought she would be able to go on a Mission Trip but there she was. And she did Great on the trip. She worked hard and had a great attitude all week. It was so amazing to serve along side of my Mom on the Mission Field.

I am very proud of my family. They all jumped in and worked hard. Bayley worked with me in the Vet Pen and did great. He had lots of fun. Noah worked in Childrens Church and even shared his testimony. Lori worked in the Eye Clinic but one day really helped out the Vet team by making up the rest of our shots for us. That saved us a lot of time. The village was great with very friendly people and over 50 people gave their hearts to Christ. It was a great week.

And Me Without a Camera

2009-07-13T19:02:00.006-06:00

What an incredible week we had with the Adrian Cross Team in El Carmen, Nicaragua. This team was the team Lori and I traveled to Nicaragua with in 2006. This was also the first time that Lori and the boys have been able to go out with me for the whole week to work with a team. It was amazing. I am so proud of Lori and the boys and how hard they worked and how well they adapted to the environment. I don't have a camera right now so I am relying on pictures from the team.

It rained every day in El Carmen. This was by far the muddiest trip on which I have ever been. We stopped in a small town on the way and bought rubber boots for Lori and the Boys and they were glad to have them. The only way to stay out of the mud was to stay in the different Clinics within the school, but it was even difficult to go to the kitchen or the eyeglass clinic because we would have to leave the side walk for that. Lori worked in the Eye Glass Clinic and the Pharmacy and the boys helped in many areas. Both went out with me and the Vet Team on Monday and Bayley went everyday. They had a blast learning and helping and they became very close to the team.

The Vet thinks Bayley has a future with Animals. He loved giving shots and helping to hold the smaller animals. On one day they were treating a pregnant cow and Bayley actually asked if he could feel the calf inside. Yep, he did it. He put on the rubber glove and reached inside and felt the baby cow. I couldn't believe it, but they had pictures to prove it. He talked about it for days.

This week was amazing. I was able to preach every night and it felt really good to be able to preach that much again. That is probably the one thing I miss the most is getting to preach on a regular basis. I am looking forward to when I have to time to answer invitations here to preach in churches. But for now I am waiting and doing what I need to do.

My family made me so proud this week. They didn't just hang out, they worked along beside others. They learned and they found things to do. The boys and I slept in a house in town with some of the translators. We were woke up every morning by the owner of the house when he began to grind corn in the house. He told me that normally he starts at 4:00 am, but was being nice and letting us sleep until 5:00 am. We were grateful. Don Manuel was the name of the man and I had the wonderful privildge of leading him to the Lord. I am looking forward to going back to see him. They boys didn't complain about sleeping in the shack, using a bucket to take a shower in cold weather, or using a real live out house. Lori worked hard wherever she was asked to work. It was an amazing week with my family. Thanks to all of our Ministry Partners who are making this life possible. Please continue to pray for more to join us so we may continue to impact lives with the Gospel and Love of Jesus.

Update

2009-06-15T08:43:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since my last Blog, but things are going really well. I just finished 2 weeks in a row of going out with teams and it was a blast. The first team from OK went to La Mora, a very poor village in the mountains. It was nice and cool at night which helps with the sleeping, but the water for showers was cold. Many people accepted Christ and the Village was very grateful for the help that was brought to their community. This was the first time BMDMI had been to this village and a new church is being started there. The Pastor who will lead the church is a Godly man and a hard worker. God is so Good!

The second week was a group from Mississippi. There were a few people I knew from years ago in Battsville and Water Valley so that was really neat for me. The Pastor of Union West Baptist Church in Oxford even went, which is a church where I was Pastor for a while. This group went to El Limonal, another new village for BMMDI. This is close to the first Village Lori and I visited in 2006. It was hot but not terrible. There is a Church there that would like to joint our association of churches. The Pastor seemed great and really loves the Lord and the People of El Limonal. This was an exciting week and God really blessed in many ways.

The weekend was great. We got a lot done that needed to be done and Sunday turned out to be Family Day. We went to church, Lori cooked a Roast (Wow was it good), and we went exploring Managua. We took the dog with us and found that a lot of people don't want the dog near them. He works well for protection even though he's a teddy bear. We sawa some cool stuff and found things here that we didn't know they had. It was a lot of fun to spend time with my wife and kids in that way.

Pray for Lori, she is getting a little homesick. I am praying that she will make more friends here as well as discover the ministry which God has planned for her here in Nicaragua. The boys don't start school until August so she is a little tied down until then. By the way, Bayley tests for his Yellow Belt in Tae Quan Do this Friday. He is doing really well. The other kids are starting to watch Bayley to see how to do the kicks and punches. Its fun to watch him. Noah has started taking Piano lessons. We broke down and bought him a keyboard and he is playing everyday. His teacher is from the Band that goes with BMDMI. He is excellent. God is blessing our family. Please continue to pray for us as we trust God to lead and provide.

Finally, back where it began

2009-05-24T18:23:00.006-06:00

In July, 2006 Lori and I traveled with a group from Jackson, TN to Pueblo Nuevo, Nicaragua. It was a trip that changes our lives forever. It was during this week that I felt called by God to move to Nicaragua to Minister in the Name of Jesus. We are finally here and I had an incredible blessing this past week.

Sometimes people on these type of teams wonder if they had any real impact. Many times they don't return to the same village. This past week I traveld back to Pueblo Nuevo with a team from Kentucky and Tennessee. It was an awesome week and God really moved. Many people gave their lives to Jesus and over 3000 received physical help and the love of God and God's people.

One of the amazing things to me was that many people came up to me and told me that they remembered me from 2006. They talked specifically about things that were said or done and many of them thanked me for coming back. It was an incredible thing to experience. To be able to talk to them in their own language, to be able to touch them and hug them, to share with them that I am now living in Nicaragua because they touched my heart so much and I want to show them the love of God.

The pictures on the right are a few people from 2006 and the ones on the left are the same people in 2009. God has blessed. It was awesome to have Lori, Noah and Bayley come down to Pueblo Nuevo for 1 day to visit. I was filled with excitement and joy to show my sons the place and introduce to them some of the people whom God used to draw us to Nicaragua. They seemed to really enjoy their time there and didn’t want to go back home. God is so Good!

Prayer Requests

2009-05-13T12:03:00.002-06:00

Hey Everyone. I wanted to ask for prayer for a couple of specific items for Lori. She has been so great here and is adapting very well but there are a couple of things that would really help her a lot.

Lori has been having a problem with her toe hurting for about 3 or 4 months. The doctors in Costa Rica tried a few things, but nothing has happened and the pain pills are useless now. We went to a Doctor here in Nicaragua on Monday Evening and he started her on another type of medicine, but her foot is hurting and it makes it difficult to do all she needs to do. The doctors say there is either a bone spur or cartilage damage. Pray for healing.
Please pray also that we will get our truck, finally, in the next couple of days. We bought our truck in January and still have not been able to drive it. I am going with a team to a Village next week and Lori will be stuck here without a way to leave the house if we don't get our truck. We are not within walking distance of any store.
Pray that we will have the money soon to purchase Lori a used car. It is going to be difficult for me to do Team Ministry if I can't take my truck, but as a loving husband, I can't leave my wife and kids with no way to get around while I am gone for 5 day in a row. We still owe on our truck and must pay it off before we can buy a car.

Thank you all for your prayers. We value your partnership in the ministry very much and love you all.

Supremecy of.....?

2009-05-11T23:38:00.002-06:00

Tonight Cohen Ezelle, a good friend and missionary to Belize, posted a video on his blog of Voddie Baucham preaching on the Supremacy of God. It was just a clip from a sermon, but it really caught my attention and caused me to do a little research and to do some studying and soul searching. He took the question of philosophy students, “Why does a loving God allow bad things to happen?” and turned it around to give it proper perspective. He asked the question, “How on earth can a holy and righteous God know what I did and thought and said on yesterday and not kill me in my sleep last night?”

He states that until the question is asked in that way the issue is not understood. Most people believe that they deserve the blessings of God but not the wrath of God. The original question asks how God could dare not to bless us and poor out his riches on us, but the new question understands that God is supreme in everything. He says, “The problem is, I want a God who is omnipotent but not sovereign. If I have a God who is omnipotent but not sovereign I can wield His power, but if my God is both omnipotent and sovereign, I am at His mercy.”

I found more of that sermon online and I was amazed. I claim to believe in the supremacy of Christ. I have preached on it, taught it and debated people over the issue. However, looking at my life it seems that I act many times as if I am the supreme one. I want what I want when I want it. It seems to me that many times I use prayer as a list of things that God should do for me. I worry when I don’t see God answering prayer in the timing and in the way that I had “commanded” Him. Is God really sovereign? Of course He is. Do I always live like it? Nope. I am going to actively try to make some changes and to trust Him even when I don’t understand.

I am about to enter into prayer again, but tonight will be much different than earlier today. I still have most of the same needs and there are things that I don't understand, but I am entering into the presence of the creator and sustainer of life who is both just and the justifier, what a privilege and honor to have this opportunity. I serve an awesome God!

Visiting Villages

2009-05-07T20:02:00.005-06:00

I went out today with 3 other men to meet with Village and School Leaders in some of the villages here in Nicaragua. There is a lot of work that has to be done in order for everything to be ready for the teams when they arrive. Along the way the others were telling me about one spot that was very difficult because there is no bridge and the hill is steep. When we arrived they were in the process of building a new bridge. This is an answer to prayer because it will be done when the team travels to La Isla this August.

However, some people in the States asked us several times why we needed a 4-wheel drive truck here in Nicaragua. Here is a video to show why.

First Rain In Nicaragua

2009-05-04T01:05:00.006-06:00

We have been in Nicaragua for 4 weeks now and we had our first rain today. They say rainy season is about to begin but we are really glad we were home for this rain. It didn't last very long, but it showed us some things in our house that need to be repaired before the Rainy Season begins. The picture to the left is our living room after we took out the TV, DVD Player and laptop computer. About 10 minutes after the rain begain, so did the flood in our house.
Noah was the first to notice the water coming in and then it just started getting faster and faster. We immediately started moving things out of the way and then I called the landlord, who sent over one of his employees with a broom to help sweep out the water. That was kind of him, but the water was still coming in at that point. Jose went back to let the landlord know of the seriousness of the problem, I guess my spanish over the phone didn't really describe the problem. Jose helped us get rid of the water, by now the rain had stopped and we had a good talk with him.

It didn't take long until a repair guy showed up and let me know that he was having the leaves removed from the roof and he would be back tomorrow to repair the roof. It was leaking really bad in to our living room. We are happy that our landlord acted so soon. We had a leak in Noah's room in Costa Rica that never was fixed properly. It would leak every time there was a strong rain and it became quite bothersome at times, but the last 4 months there was the dry season.

We also discovered that our new puppy, Goliat, likes the rain. This surprised me because he appears to be scared to death of wind and thunder. We have had several nights where the wind was really strong and he would come to our window and whine over and over. One night he even tried to climb into the window. But he enjoyed playing in the rain today and wanted to give us all hugs afterward. He is really a very smart dog and is learning new things every day.

Beginning in Nicaragua

2009-04-29T00:07:00.005-06:00

Well, we are living in Nicaragua full time. What a 3 weeks it has been. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough to do because I am not starting to go out with teams yet, but there has been plenty to do. Since we went for 3 weeks without internet I have not been able to update our blog, or any other internet listings, like I would like. So, I am going to give a quick run down of our first 3 weeks in Nicaragua.

We left Costa Rica at 3:00 am on April 6th and arrived in Managua around 11:00 am. It was a very pleasant bus ride and we slelpt much of the way. This was a good thing because we hit the ground running when we arrived. Darrel took us to our house where we left our bags and then immediately left for lunch and shopping. We sold everything in the states so we must fill our new home. Since we arrived on Holy Week we needed to hurry before everything closed down on Wednesday afternoon. On Monday afternoon and Tuesday we bought a fridge, stove, microwave and living room furnature that was all delived on Wednsday. We also ordered our dinning room table and chairs, bed-side tables for the boys and chest-of-drawers (or chesters drawers as Lori and boys say) for the boys rooms. All of the wood handmade furnature was very inexpensive complared to the stores and it was ready in about a week and a half.

We went driving on Thursday to learn a little about Managua while the traffic was low for the holliday. Everyone goes to the beach for Holy Week. That is not where I would want to be with that many people. We, of course, got lost a few times, but always found our way to somewhere we knew. It was quite interesting learning our way around. This city is much different and the driving rules are much different than San Jose, where we lived the past year. It has been quite an adventure learning how to drive here. I have been stopped by the police 4 times and we have seen 6 motorcycle accidents since we have been here. One of them was actually in Honduras the guy didn't have a head anymore. It was quite a scene.

On Good Friday we had the great honor of joining Philidelphia Church for a day of fun and worship at the Bible Institute. They started about 9:00 am with games and fun. Lori was selected as a participate for one of the games and had to model her clothes to get her wedding ring back. It was a lot of fun. We also played baseball and found out that I don't remember how to throw a ball. They had a wonderful lunch and a long, but good worship service covering the final 7 sayings of Christ on the Cross. It was a great day.

On Sunday we attended a church here in Managua that was started for Missionaries. It was a great service and we made lots of good contacts and hopefully new friends. We really enjoyed the church and are excited about all we will be able to do with them.

On Monday we drove to Honduras for a BMDMI Missionary Retreat. It was a great time. Hunter, Will and Jane had it set up as a "Survivor" game. We had lots of fun games with our different teams and spent much time in laughter. Lori's team won the competition after our team selected the wrong coca-cola in the final event. We also had some great Bible Studies while we were there. God worked and taught us some great things and brought about some good challenges for our lives as we studied the Hall of Faith in Hebrews. It was an awesome time and we really learned to love our BMDMI Family even more.

We returned to Managua on Thursday night were very tired. We had lots to do on Friday and Saturday still trying to get needs and complete new tasks. On Saturday evening I went with Darrel to a Revival service at San Blas. What a joy. The people were very friendly and we had a wonderful service with good music and Darrel brought a great message. They also baptised a few and did a baby dedication at the end of the service. It was a wonderful night. After the service we gave a ride to a pastor and his wife who had come to lead worship. He drove his wife on his bicycle over 12 miles to get to the church that evening. I couldn't believe the condition of theroad where he lived. These pastors are amazing men and they love their Lord very much.

We bought a washer & dryer only to find out when they delived it that there was no 220 electical outlet in the room, or anywhere in the house. There was also no water outlet in the laundry room. This room is an inner room and there is no way to have a dryer vent. The landlord says he doesn't use a vent why should we. It is quite steamy in that room now that we had an electrician come and install the 220 outlet and water. I am runninga vent to the outside that we will just push back out of the way when it is not in use.

I also had the great priviledge of attending the latest Bible Conference held here in Nicaragua with BMDMI. I learned to love the pastors and church members who were attending even more. It was an awesome time of learning and fellowship. These men and women are eagar to learn and asked a lot of questions as they were being taught "The Purpose Driven Church." I was given a copy in Spanish, but I gave it to a pastor who wanted to share it with another pastor in his area. The conference was 3 days and was a great time.

Lori attended a ladies retreat at the beach with a group from the church. They learned alot as they studied the life of Joshua. (One of my favorites) They also had time to relax by the pool or in the ocean, but the waves were really strong this weekend. Lori was able to make many new friends among the other Missionary Ladies here. It was a big blessing and I had a lot of fun with the boys.

Well, that's it for now. That' a lot, I know. Out next newsletter goes out soon, so there will be a bit more there. If you want to get it send me an email at dnelms@bmdmi.org. Also if you are checking our website, I can't update it right now because of a problem with the software. I am working on creating a new site if I can learn this new software. Thanks for all the prayers. Keep them coming.

Final Day in Costa Rica

2009-04-06T00:44:00.006-06:00

Well, in just over an hour we will leave for the bus station. We are offically living in Managua as of today, in our new home. We are excited and a little nervous. Our last few days in Costa Rica have been quite hectic but good. It is hard to say goodbye to so many friends. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for us and to all of those who stopped by to say goodbye. We will miss the many friends we have made in Costa Rica. The other students as well as the many Costa Rican friends we have made. It was overwhelming today to see so many people tell us goodbye and let us know they are praying for us. Many of our neighbors, classmates and friends from the park stopped by the house to say goodbye. We love you all!

Today started off early because the company taking our things to Managua wanted to get them earlier than we had planned. They asked if they could come by at 6:00 am (which many of you know if early for us) but they called at 5:15 saying they were around the corner. Afterwards I practiced my sermon in Spanish before waking everyone up for church.

I preached a sermon in Spanish today and it went better than I thought it would. I didn't use notes because I wanted it to be more like me and not so borring as it was in December when I preached and read the entire thing. I had to think of ways to say things in different ways for it make sense but overall I think it went really well. I'll watch the video later to be sure. It was so great to hear from people today asking about the sermon, many were praying for me. One friend even called and told me that he was bored in church and remembered that I was about to preach so he stopped and prayed. Isn't it good to have friends? :)

After church we met with some friends to give away some things and we took the boys to the mall for lunch and miniature golf. The boys have been begging to go play since we saw the place a few weeks ago. It was lots of fun. We made it back in time for a close friend of Noah to stop by to say goodbye and then we went to the park for a little bit to play and hang out with several teenage friends from the church in Los Guidos. We went to the pastor's house for dinner with his family and a time of prayer and saying goodbye. It was wonderful. I am going to miss the people in Los Guidos very much. They gave us and the McKenzies a wonderful send off this morning after the service. I have to give God praise for our time in Costa Rica, but we are ready now to begin serving in Nicaragua. Please continue to pray for us.

Venta ropa muy barata

2009-04-04T23:03:00.005-06:00

Lori, Bayley and I had the wonderful privilege of going to help at the church in Los Guido this past Tuesday. I wanted to write about it immediately, but I didn’t have the pictures and this week has been crazy.

Paulina, the wife of the Pastor, asked if I could drive her to the church on Tuesday because Pastor Gabriel was still in Chile and she doesn’t drive. I was glad to go and Lori and Bayley wanted to go with us. We knew we were going to take some clothes to the church for a sale to raise money for the church, but that’s all we knew. It turned out to be a great day. We unloaded many bags of clothing that had been donated and brought out what was already in the church. We then helped to unpack everything and sort the clothes. It was like we were back preparing for a mission trip with our church. However, at about 10:00 Paulina asked me if I would go out into the street and yell to let people know about the sale. Of course I didn’t mind doing that, you all know I have a big mouth. I stood in the street for a couple of hours yelling, “Venta ropa muy barata” over and over (Cheap clothes for sale). I would add a few things here and there to joke with people and draw more attention. Kids made fun of me, but then they talked with me and laughed with me. Many people came to buy clothes and we had a blast getting to meet new people.

Lori and Bayley helped inside with sorting the clothes and shoes and they would help people fins specific things. There were lots of clothes to pick from. They had fun with the people from the church who were serving that day as well as many people who were simply shopping for a good deal. Bayley was able to play with several children. We all had a little fun trying on some of the clothes at times also, for a good laugh with the people there. The people from the church worked very hard and were so much fun to work with. At one point I walked down the street to the closest store and bought all the workers a soda to drink. They were so excited to get it, because it was very hot that day. I got a pretty good sunburn on my arms and neck from standing in the street yelling.

I am grateful for our time in Los Guido. I wish we could have done more with this incredible community. I will forever remember Pastor Gabriel, his family and the many friends we have made at Los Guido. Thank you Church Members in Los Guido for allowing us to serve along side of you for just a little bit. We will miss you all and we love you very much. Gracias por todos y Dios los bendiga.

A House with Security Added

2009-03-26T22:59:00.005-06:00

God is so Good to us. Our family traveled to Nicaragua this week to search for a house to rent and to talk to the school in Managua. It was a great week. The bus rides there and back were very easy going and went quickly compared to the other bus rides we've taken there. Darrel & Cathey Johnson were our hosts again, and once again they were great. They took the time to drive us all over Managua and help us meet all of our appointments. We are very grateful for them and we are looking forward to serving along side of them very soon.

The biggest reason for going to Managua was to find a house and I was a little nervous because of the time restraints. Our plans have been to move to Managua in early April so that we can attend a retreat in Honduras the week after Easter. Because of this we needed to find a house quickly that would fit our needs, Lori would like, we could afford, and also that would be ready to occupy in April. This seemed like a big order, but we serve a big God. He provided us with a Great House. It was the first house we looked at and even though we looked at others we knew this was the right one for us. It has plenty of room and it meets our budget needs. Plus the landlords are very nice and live close. We also can see the opportunities arising quickly for us to witness to the landlords. We are so grateful.

One of the things we have been talking about for a while has been that we want to get a dog once we move to Managua. We want a Rottweiler to help with security. On the ride to Darrel's house he told us that he had a new rottweiler puppy and we mentioned that we wanted one. One of the guard dogs at the Mission Home gave birth a few weeks ago and now we get one of the puppies as well. We are all really excited. The puppies are healthy and very friendly. We are still trying to choose a name.

Changes & Customs

2009-03-20T23:23:00.002-06:00

Well, I had it all planned out, again, and once again things are changing. We are going to Nicaragua on Monday to find a house and talk to the school for the boys. We had made plans to come back to Costa Rica in our new truck so that we could carry our things to Nicaragua in April, BUT now we most likely won't have our truck at this time. We found out on Wednesday that the truck is being held in Customs in Nicaragau. Apparently, the paperwork wasn't quite right for the transfer from Honduras to Nicaragua and customs is holding the truck for 1 month. The problem is that we had hoped to carry our TV, a safe we bought here and a few other things with us and they will not go on the bus easily. We also now have a cat and animals are not allowed on the bus to Nicaragua. So now we have to figure out how to get our things there.

The second problem is that we were planning to drive to Honduras for the retreat in April and now we won't have our truck to do so. Oh well, I know God is in charge and somehow all of this will work out.

We would reguest to those reading this to please pray that we will be be able to discover the best way to get our things to Managua. There are a few options we are investigating. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Change of Plans

2009-03-01T23:53:00.002-06:00

This weekend did not go as planned. Friday was a day off for our schools so we had signed up to go to the beach with a group from school. Well, Friday morning when I woke up to get ready, Noah and Bayley were already up and Noah was sick. He tried to go, but when we were sitting on the bus waiting to leave he became really sick so Noah and Dad went back home while Bayley and Mom headed to the beach.

Mom & Bayley had fun of course. They spent two days at the beach and saw some beautiful sights. They didn't go back to the beach on Sunday morning because they both were sunburned too badly on Saturday. But they had a great time together.

Noah and Dad stayed at home. Noah was really sick on Friday and felt a little better each day. We were able to go out together and do a little, but took it kind of easy because Noah would get tired really easy. We watched some movies at home together and played some video games. On Sunday afternoon we went to lunch together and then Noah helped clean the house while Dad cooked homemade lasagna for the first time. This ended up being a really good weekend. Noah and I had a great time even though he was sick. He can be one of the most helpful and tender-hearted kids I know. He felt really bad that his sickness kept us from going to the beach, but I think I enjoyed hanging out with him more than I would have the beach. I am really greatful for God's blessings in my life.

Hannah's Prayer

2009-02-11T23:46:00.002-06:00

I just recently began to study through the book of 1 Samuel. Hannah has been praying for a son and God gave her Samuel, whom she returned to the Lord. After giving up the the very thing for which she had been praying, Hannah prayed the prayer below. It really spoke ot me tonight. I will let it speak for itself because God's Word is much more powerful than anything I can say. It is from 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

1 Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.
2 "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
3 "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
4 "The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; upon them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails;
10 those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed."

Opportunities

2009-01-24T23:12:00.002-06:00

Tonight we took the boys to see a movie. We missed the one we wanted to see and saw "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." It was not full of action or a lot of comedy (a little though), but it was a very well written story, and I am a sucker for a good story. I really enjoyed it and found myself thinking about my life quite often as I watched the film. One quote in the movie was, "Our lives are defined by opportunities, even those we miss." There were several things that caught my attention in the movie and made me think, but that quote I actually wrote down on the back of my ticket, in the dark.

I have been thinking about missed opportunities lately. Are they really missed or are they just God's way of protecting us. We like to think about what might have been and assume that if we had chosen differently then our lives would be much better off, but how do we know? It is impossible to know what would have happened if only we had chosen differently. In the movie there was another scene that made me think about this issue. Benjamin went to Paris to be by the side of the love of his life. To tell the story of why he was going, he told about a series of events that, had any one of them not transpired, would have kept Daisy from being struck by a taxi and being injured badly. It is interesting to me to think about how these little decisions make such a difference. What if I would have left 30 minutes earlier and had not been confused on which Mall had the movie starting later? We would have seen "Yes Man" with Jim Carey. Which is probably a good movie and I hope to see it, but I would have missed this one.

What if I had listened to my Drama teacher in High School and took a Drama Scholarship to college? What if I had not chosen to return to Union University in January of 1990? What if I had given in to temptations in my life to give up on marriage because of temporary circumstances that were bringing me down? What if I had not repented of sins and chosen to Follow Jesus? What if I had not listened when God called me to full-time missions? What would my life be like?....The answer....I don't know. I have no clue where I'd be living. I don't know who I'd be with or if I'd be by myself. No way to know if my life would be more successful in the eyes of the world or even if my life would still be. All I know is that my life is what it is. God is God and I have made decisions that I must and do accept. I can't change the past and I can't predict the future, but I can do what I know is right and make decisions based on God's Word and not on my emotions at the time.

"Our lives are defined by opportunities, even those we miss." What if we didn't miss them? What if we were simply guided to a better opportunity? There will always be questions, but if we are following God there never need be doubt. I am giving God praise that I am where I am and I am headed where He is leading. Glory be to God for his wonderful grace and for all the opportunities He gives and takes away.

Surrounded

2009-01-20T21:59:00.002-06:00

When I was in 6th Grade I had an on again/off again friend with whom I got into many fights. Every time we would get into a fight at school we would be sent to the principal's office and we would always assure him that we are friends, but we simply got mad at each other. We would always end up in another fight before long and one day we both were mad and wanted to fight but we knew one more fight at school would mean suspension and lots of other problems via our parents. Therefore, we demonstrated our 6th grade intellect and challenged each other to a fight after school. The problem....I normally rode the bus and he walked home. But I was mad and stupid so what was I to do?

After school I walked to the spot we had agreed upon and when I walked up, within seconds, I was surrounded by 4 guys. The one with whom I had an appointment and 3 of his friends. All of which were bigger than me. Needless to say, that's one fight that I lost. I ended up walking home across that small town, which to me seemed endless, with a torn shirt and a busted lip, several bruises and my pride broken into a million pieces.

Today that memory came back to me as I was thinking about being surrounded. It is scary when you are surrounded by an enemy. I never joined the military, although I did give it some thought and wimped out, but I have read a lot about battles in history and talked with soldiers who have gone through times of war. I don't care who you are when you are surrounded by the enemy whose only intent is to harm or kill you, you are afraid. Sometimes that fear helps you by giving you extra energy and sometimes it hurts you by causing you to act without thinking.

Why does God tell us 365 times in His Word to "Fear Not!"? He tells us this because He is God and we are not and ultimately He is in control. And, when we are not afraid we think more clearly and make wise insteal of hasty decisions. However, from a human perspective, it is difficult not to be afraid when Bullies surround you. I have felt surrounded lately. I feel like I have bullies attaching me from at least 6 different directions and honestly I am unsure how to deal with some of it.

Lately several friends have tried to come to my rescue and I am very grateful. God has blessed me with godly friends who truly care and that helps more than I could express. People are telling me what I need to hear and the prayers are awesome. Part of my problem is that I don't want to do some things that I know I should, but I am starting to give in. We have made a couple of decisions today that will help, I think, but there is still more to deal with. I am determined not to let this group of enemies win this fight.

Right now I am going through a trial, but trials are often to make us better, prove our faith and glorify God (see 1 Pet 1:6-7). Right now I am very weak, but in my weakness I am made strong (1 Cor 12:10). I wish I were as strong as some of the men of God whom I have watched and admired, but honestly, I can't make it on my own strength. However, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Phil 4:13) And I am forever grateful for each person who God has used to encourage me, remind me of truth, and to cheer me up.

I began writing this blog to simply ask for prayer. Please if you read this, take a moment and talk to our Father on behalf of our family. And thank you all for your friendship.

My Boys

2009-01-14T00:15:00.003-06:00

I don't know how many people read this blog and I know I don't update it very often so I can't blame people for not checking. I really intend to write more, but I usually send out what I want to write in newsletters or email updates. But tonight I am up late doing some Bible Study and Prayer over a certain situation we are dealing with here in Costa Rica. I am very confused and concerned over something that we are dealing with right now, and I want to ask anyone reading this to please say a special prayer for our family as we make some tough decisions and seek some needed answers.

As I have been praying and thinking about this problem I have been reminded over and over of how fortunate I am to be the Father to Bayley and Noah. Like most Dads I get frustrated sometimes and I feel that my kids are acting terrible. But then I see other kids acting the same way and for some reason it doesn't bother me when the other kids act that way. Even with the times of frustration I am amazed at these two precious gifts from God. Lori had 3 miscarriages prior to giving birth to Noah and Bayley came along 3 year later, so we feel very blessed to have been given this opportunity to love these 2 little boys. They have taken us on quite an adventure over the past 12 years.

There are times that I don't feel like a very good father. I sometimes say things in the wrong tone or volume and I sometimes say things that are just plain wrong to say to little boys, but it never fails that they show me their love and they want to spend time with me. I have noticed that there is a noticeable different in their attitudes when I spend more time with them. Many times it is so easy to say "I'm busy" or I'm tired" instead of "OK son, let’s go do that." Sure they sometimes ask for things I can't afford to buy or to go places we can't go, but many times they simply ask to play a game, go to the park, watch a movie together or whatever else happens to enter their busy little minds. I have been observing them a lot lately and realize that they both have huge hearts; they simply want a little attention. And it never fails, even when they are in bad moods, that they will comfort and help each other or their parents if they see one of us is hurting or in need of a hug.

I pray that I can become the Father that they deserve and that I can help lead them closer to Christ. I don't know what they will become when they get older, but I know this, they will always be my little boys and I will always love them and they will always love me, faults and all.

Bayley Tells About Christmas

2008-12-25T21:14:00.006-06:00

Bayley memorized the Christmas Story from Luke and I didn't even realize it. He quoted it to me in the store one day while we were shopping. We asked him to quote it to our family for Christmas and we recorded it on the video camera. He actually quoted it at Lori's Parents and at my parents. This video is from my parents' house. We are so proud of him for learning this.

Simple Pleasures

2008-12-14T15:08:00.004-06:00

Often times I miss out on simple pleasures because I spend so much time trying to do "what I'm supposed to do." I'm in language school trying to learn the Spanish Language so that I can adequately share the good news of Jesus Christ with the people of Nicaragua. What an honor to have been chosen for this task. I am often flabbergasted at how God could possibly use a man like me. And, because I realize how important this task is, I want to learn as well as possible. My mind does not work like it did when I was in my early twenties. Those of you that knew me then are probably thanking God that it doesn’t, but I just mean I don’t learn with the same ease as I did back then. However, as important as it is that I learn Spanish, it is just as important that I take care of my Family. Which finally brings me to the point of this blog:

Last weekend Noah, Bayley and I walked to a park for the afternoon. It is about a 15-20 minute walk for us, but well worth it. We climbed a large hill and played together and we bought a kite from a vender at the park. Flying kites with my 2 boys was a great pleasure. This past Wednesday Lori joined us and we all walked to the same park. As I watched these two precious yet hyper young boys walking to this park with excitement, I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe that these two little boys who love to play video games, computer games and soccer were excited about flying a kite. The wind wasn’t as good as it was on Sunday, but the kite still went pretty high. Once the kite landed in a tall tree we were ready to quit, but a local teenage boy climbed the tree and retrieved it for us. The stick across the back had broken so we gave it to some local children who said they could get another stick. We will buy another kite for $2 when we return to Costa Rica in January. The sun was setting as we walked across the street to Burger King and enjoyed a meal together as a family.

I think this was one of my favorite days that we’ve had in Costa Rica. I am so blessed by God to have such a wonderful family and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in our lives and the lives of the Nicaraguans beginning in April. To all of you who pray for and support us…Thank You! We are truly blessed because of you and your faithfulness.

My First Sermon in Spanish

2008-12-07T22:42:00.004-06:00

Well, I did it. I preached my first sermon in Spanish today. I don’t remember the last time I was this nervous. I love to preach. I don't know if there is anything that I enjoy more and I know for sure that there is no other area in life where I feel as gifted and used by God. I have always felt like I was average at everything in life, except for preaching. I realize that I can’t preach without the power and grace of God and I know it is He who receives and deserves the glory, but I feel that He has called me and gifted me to preach.

However, preaching in Spanish is another story. This is not my native language and it does not come easy to me. I wrote out this sermon and turned it in as an assignment in my language class. My teacher corrected the numerous grammatical errors and allowed me to read it to the class for practice. She and the class ensured me that the content was good, but I continued to be nervous. I read this sermon 2-3 times a day for almost 2 weeks in preparation for the big event, but the nervousness continued. Pastor Gabriel at Los Guidos Church had asked me to preach today in Spanish and part of me was hoping that he had forgotten, but he dropped by my house on Thursday to remind me that I had promised to do this and he was looking forward to it. So, I was stuck. I had to go through with it.

So, I preached my first sermon in Spanish out of Luke 15 on the subject of forgiveness. Lori recorded the entire sermon on our video camera and I thought I might put it on this blog, but …. Not Gonna Happen. Even though my family and friends were very polite and told me how good I did, I realized as I was preaching that I have a long way to go with this language. I had to read almost the entire sermon, and that is not my style at all. I felt that I had forgotten all I had learned about phonetics as I struggled to pronounce many of the words in this sermon. But I got through it and fortunately for the people of Los Guidos, it is God who speaks to the heart of man and not me. I hope for another chance to preach in Spanish before we move to Nicaragua in April, but I now know that I will prepare much differently. Regardless of my ability to speak Spanish, I am grateful that God has called me and will use me to preach His Word. What an incredible God we serve.

I Surrender (almost) All

2008-10-27T21:53:00.003-06:00

Do you ever wish that God would just let you do what you want to do when you want to do it? I know I feel that way at times. God has been trying to get my attention for a while now and today He made me choose if I were going to Surrender All, or Almost All. You see, I like to know the plans. I like to be involved with making the plans. I even like to know the outcome of the situation if at all possible. These are a few of the reasons I accepted the position as Student Council President at Language School. They are also very possibly some of the reasons why God decided to teach me a lesson again about Who's in Charge of this Ministry.

What a blow to my ego today. I had it all figured out. I have been telling everyine for months that Lori and I are going to test out of Language School one trimester early so that we could arrive in Nicaragua to begin Ministry in January. I have made it very clear that we were working toward this goal and that we would achieve it. Well, I was half right. Lori will test out early, but me...not so much. Friday afternoon things began to change and today God showed up in a big way. We were informed on Friday that we had to pre-register for next trimester (by today at 11:15 am) or risk the chance of not having space. We were told this morning that if we pre-register we cannot take the ECO Exam which allows us to Graduate Early. We were also told that we had to make the decision TODAY! The Director of the School gave us until 3:00 this afternoon to decide. You wouldn't believe the stress I went through today. However, I'll make this shorter by saying that after talking to several people for advice and prayer, and after spending much time in prayer and tears, and after giving God every excuse I could think of as to why I should leave school in December, and after talking with Lori to be sure she would be OK with the deicsion; I finally decided at 2:30 to go ahead and sign up for next trimester.

There are many reasons for this decision, but mainly it is because I feel this is what God wants for our family. My teachers all feel that I could pass the ECO, but they ALL also feel that I need the final trimester if I am going to properly ministry in Nicaragua. I will be counseling pastors and leading people to Christ and I need a good foundation and understanding of the language if I am to do that well. I do not like this decision, to be honest, but I do have complete peace that it is the right decision. I really believe that I will be much better equipped to do the Minstry to which God has entrusted me if I have a better knowledge of the language. I could "get by" with what I know, but I don't like to "get by." I want to give my best to God and to the people of Nicaragua and I don't feel that if I go in January it will be giving my best.

SO, here we go again. Once again when we thought our plans were set, God says that He has other plans. Just when January seemed like a good time to Begin a new Chapter of our Lives, God has decided that April will be a better time. Just when I thought I was going to show everyone that I was right and I had it all figured out, God decided to show me that He is God and if I am truly to follow Him, I MUST Surrender ALL and not just almost all. I must surrender my pride and my plans and trust that God's plans are bigger. God has shown me that Nicaragua will be there for a long time, but this opportunity to Really Learn this languge is only here for 4 more months. Thank you God for being God! Now, Please help me to trust You more as you guide our family. I Surrender All!!

The Reason

2008-10-12T21:51:00.008-06:00

Have you ever worked toward a special goal which you knew in the beginning would take a long time? Sometimes when working toward achievements we begin to focus on the little tasks along the way and forget where we were originally headed. This weekend was a reminder to me of the reason we are in Language School. Learning to properly speak Spanish is not the goal, but only a tool to be used in accomplishing the goal. Sure the better this tool is sharpened the better we can perform but the end goal is not Spanish, it is to reach the lost and minister to the people of Nicaragua for the Glory of Christ.

We traveled back to Nicaragua this weekend and I was able to see the work of God that is taking place there. We had the great honor of being there for the Dedication of the new children's home and meeting the first 2 girls who are now living there away from the abusive men who were bringing fear into their lives. Now they are experiencing the love and safety of a Christian Home and learning about the love and grace of Jesus Christ. We also were able to be present for the dedication of the new building at the Mission Home which is a wonderful addition and will allow a much easier time for the teams who travel to Nicaragua. On Saturday we also attended the Graduation Ceremony for the Bible Institute where 10 people received diplomas. God is really blessing as His people are being trained to study and apply the Word of God.

As wonderful as all of these events were, I don't believe they were the reason for our visit. We were able to talk with many staff members of BMDMI in Managua as well as several of the pastors of the churches throughout Nicaragua. It renewed my passion to get to the field as quickly as possible. It also renewed my passion to learn this language as well as possible so that I can effectively communicate the message of Christ. I was proud of myself for how I was able to carry on conversations with several people there, in Spanish, but I realize that I have a lot more to learn. Again, learning this language is not the goal, but it is an important tool in achieving the goal. I am praying that God will give me a strong mind to learn this language and that I will continue to learn so that I can do more than pass an exit exam at school. I want to actually be able to use the language to reach people for Christ. I am counting the days until we arrive at our new home in Managua and continue our learning as we begin our new ministry.

Baptism Blessing

2008-10-05T21:34:00.009-06:00

WOW! What a blessing to be a part of the Baptism Service today with the Church at Los Guidos. The entire church went by bus to a camp about an hour from San José and we were able to celebrate together and worship the Lord as 25 people made public their commitment to Christ. Kevin McKenzie and I were very priviledged to have been permitted to take part in the Baptisms. After a short worship service we all went to the pool to witness this wonderful event and also enjoy a time of fun and food following the baptism. We swam until lunch and I acted like I as still 20 years old do I am very sore tonight thanks to the teenagers at Los Guidos who tried to drawn me, but were not successful. I am still the king of the swimming pool!

The highlight of the day for me was the opportunity to baptize my good friend Antonio. If you have been getting our newsletters, you know about Antonio. He was saved a while back, but has been growing in the Lord lately and is being discipled now. He quickly realized his need to be baptized and asked to be baptized with the group from Los Guidos. It wa very special to me to be able to personally witness and experience this important part of his walk with Christ. I am expecting God to do some great things through Antonio in the future. He is a friend and a brother.

Lori and the boys had a lot of fun too. The boys swam for a while and played soccer with some of the kids from church. We had arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) for lunch and there was way more than needed. The ladies did a great job. Lori took the pictures and hung out with the teens and the ladies of the church. The church stayed for an afternoon of games and were planning a campfire in the evening. We had to leave early due to homework and the need to give Antonio a ride so he could get to work tonight. Overall, it was a fantastic day and I believe God was glorified. He is so good to us.

Making It Through

2008-09-17T12:47:00.004-06:00

Prior to language school and since being here, Lori and I have been praying that we could get through language school in 2 trimesters instead of the normal 3. This would allow us to begin our service in Nicaragua in January and be able to spend our first full year on the field instead of only 1/2 a year. There was no doubt in my mind that Lori would be ready, but I was uncertain if I could learn quickly enough to succeed at that goal. Now I feel certain that we will both be at or above the required level to graduate in December. Thanks to a mistake with my schedule I was moved up to a much more advanced class than I had been in last trimester. As the Director of the School told me, "Sometimes God allows mistakes for a greater purpose." I believe this to be the case in this situation. Now that I am in this class I will be able to complete the entire course in 2 trimesters. I am grateful to God for giving me this opportunity to learn more and to be challenged in this way. But can I really make it in an Advanced Class?

Well, I have been through 2 weeks of the grammer class to which I switched and things are going pretty well considering all things. I made a high "B" on the first quiz last week and today I received the results from yesterday's test and I earned an "A". This test was over conjugation for 13 verb tenses. To put this into perspective, I only knew 3 tenses 2 weeks ago and yesterday I made an "A" on 13 tenses, so I feel pretty good about my grades so far. Tomorrow is another exam on Mandatos using the different rules for them so I am praying to make another "A" but I don't know if I can get it. I will try my best.

It has been difficult trying to learn the work that I didn't cover in my last class along with learning the new stuff we are coving in this class, but it has also been rewarding. I am already speaking much better in my conversations on the streets and I am gaining confidence. I still feel that I am at the bottom of our grammar class, but that's ok, because everyone else knew much more than me when we began this trimester. I am grateful for the friends in this class that have encouraged me and helped me to get better. I believe I am going to make it through and that is a huge answer to prayer. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me. Please don't stop. I need lots of prayer for wisdom and strength. I promise that I will do my best to succeed in this new class and I will continue to learn Spanish even after we arrive in Nicaragua so that I can properly share the story of Jesus.

It's All Relative

2008-09-03T21:36:00.008-06:00

If you receive our newsletter you read about Antonio. He is the night guard on our street and I am so grateful that God has sent him into our lives. Today was a very stressful day thanks to some tough decisions being made, and some uncomfortable situations that occurred, but being True to His nature, God sent some incredible encouragement tonight and allowed me to see that my problems are small in comparison.

Actually God sent two people to our house tonight in order to encourage and teach us. Antonio came by first and Lori & I had a great talk with him. He asked me about my day and I complained about a problem that had occurred and he began to share with me some things that had happened with him lately. I don't want to get into too much detail, but he asked me to pray for him and he offered to pray for me. He let me know that he felt like he was being attacked by Satan lately and he is being faced with several temptations. He shared some of them with me and it made my problems seem small. He let me know about some things that had happened to try and bring him down, but he assured me that he is praying and seeking God's direction.

After talking for a while he asked me if I would be willing to meet with him about 3 times a week for prayer and Bible study. I was overwhelmed to be honest. I don't know if I can properly lead a Bible study in Spanish, but I didn't dare refuse. God is opening up so many doors for us lately and I really feel He is moving in a powerful way to prepare us for ministry in Nicaragua. So Antonio and I are meeting at 3:15 tomorrow afternoon to pray and study the Bible. I am looking forward to it and I pray that God will use this time to grow both of us closer to Him. He told me that he didn't have a Bible right now so I gave him a small Spanish New Testament that was donated by the Gideons prior to our moving here and he was so happy to get it.

Right after Antonio left Pastor Gabrielle from the church in Los Guidos stopped by. I didn't expect that visit, but it was an honor to have him in our home. He talked with me about several things and prayed for me also. He really brought encouragement to me and let me know how much he appreciates our helping at the church. I am supposed to preach there this Sunday. He also brought another answer to prayer. This trimester I am required to go out and talk with several people each week in order to practice speaking and listening. To do this properly I need a helper to aid me in planning out my topics and questions for each week. Pastor Gabrielle agreed to be my helper. This is a huge blessing and it will wonderful to have the fellowship with him twice each week. I get to practice Spanish and he gets to practice his English. Praise God for answering more and more prayers.

While we were talking I asked the Pastor about the people at the church who are awaiting baptism. He told me that there are 20 people waiting, but he has to raise the money to rent a bus and provide lunch for 50 people to get to the swimming pool across town. The pool allows the church to use it for free, but the people of Los Guidos is a very poor community and most don't have and can't afford cars. I asked him how much it would cost and he called the bus driver to find out. He told me the bus would be about $120 for the day and the food would be about $4 per person. That comes to about $320 they will need. I don't have that much, but I am praying for God to provide it. Twenty people being baptized is worth that amount.

All of this to say that I am so Glad that God is God and I am not. Prior to these two visits I was very down because Satan tried to attack me today and I was worried over a tense situation, but God has shown me once again that He loves us and has a plan for us. He sent just the right people into my life tonight to lift me up and remind me that there are much bigger problems than mine in the world. Thank you God for your faithfulness and love! I am sure he will take me through this trimester and allow me to complete the course so I can be properly equipped to begin our ministry in Nicaragua.

Tom & Kat in Costa Rica

2008-08-29T10:34:00.008-06:00

Dwyndl's Parents came for a visit to Costa Rica from August 19 - 29 and it was a huge blessing to us. I am so grateful to my brother and sisters and their families for helping to send Mom and Dad here. This was their first trip out of the USA and we brought them here as a present for their 50th wedding anniversary, which will be on October 10th. They say this was the trip of a lifetime and we really really hope they will visit us in Nicaragua once we are there.

While here they were able to see some amazing things. We took them to Arenal Volcano which is still active. We were able to see the lava shooting out from the top of the volcano at night and it was truly amazing. We also took them to Poas Volcano, which has the 2nd largest crater in the world. We were able to see down into the crater and could see it smoking. We also went to La Paz Waterfall Gardens which is a park with several Waterfalls and lots of wildlife and beautiful nature to see. It is in the rainforrest so it is georgeous. The plants, birds and other parts of God's Incredible Creation were breath-taking and made for a wonderful and fullfilling trip. The same day we enjoyed a tour of a local coffee plantation. It was very interesting and the area was beautiful, plus there was free coffee to drink and they have amazing coffee here in Costa Rica.

One of the highlights for me was on Sunday when we took my Parents to a little church in Los Guidos, which is a small, very poor community here in San José. The area is made up largely of Nicaraguans who moved here hoping to have a better life. Most find themselves being the poorest people in Costa Rica. The houses in Los Guidos brought tears to the eyes of both Mom and Dad. It is sad to see how they have to live, but Pastor Gabriel and his family are showing much love and seeing God Glorified in the mist of the hardships. The people there were very friendly and we are extremely excited for the opportunity to serve in this little community. We are expecting God to do big things in Los Guidos. Lori and I are taking some fans to the church this weekend so they can be a little cooler. I feel a real connection with these people and I am so grateful that God is leading us to this church.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We are starting school next week. The boys started back today. This break was incredible and we are overjoyed to have been able to share it with Mom and Dad and show them some of the wonders of Costa Rica. Please keep praying for us. If you would like to see more pictures of Mom & Dad's trip you can visit Lori on Facebook or you can go our website and there is a slideshow available. God Bless you all!

Visiting Home

2008-08-19T21:52:00.007-06:00

We recently had the AWESOME opportunity to visit Nicaragua. What a blessing from God to be allowed to visit the country which we will serve and call home. We had a great trip filled with many surprises and many blessings. It was wonderful to see Darrel & Cathey Johnson and Karl & Beth Brassfield and kids. They are two missionary families with whom we will serve once we move to Nicaragua. They were wonderful to us, showing us great hospitality and giving us much encouragement and needed information. The boys were really excited to get to know the Brassfield children again. They are looking forward to living near them and getting to be even better friends.

We also were able to see the new construction on the Mission Home in Managua. It is going to be awesome. How exciting to see how God is providing for the Volunteer Missionaries who will travel to Nicaragua each year. The new dinning hall is going to be beautiful and will offer much more space for the teams to enjoy their stay. We also saw the new Children's Home and Bible Institute. Wow, God is really blessing here. The Children's Home could receive their first children any day now and the Bible Institute is nearing completion so that many more pastors and lay people can be trained in Biblical Studies. These ministries will make a huge impact on the country of Nicaragua.

While at the Mission Home we met some very important employees of BMDMI. Lola was not happy to see us and was sure to keep us at a distance, but Amor was very nice and welcomed us to the BMDMI family with many kisses. These are the two guard dogs at the Mission Home. Lola takes a while to get to know people, but Amor is truly full of love just as her name implies. The boys enjoyed getting to play with Amor, but didn't get close to Lola.

The trip to and from Nicaragua was full of unexpected occurances. On the trip up, there was a taxi strike in part of Costa Rica which caused our bus and many hundreds of other automobiles to be held up for almost 3 1/5 hours. This, of course, made us much later than expected to Managua, but Darrel was there to meet us. Thanks Darrel! We On the trip back to Costa Rica, the air condition on the bus was turned off once we left Managua leading to a very long and HOT bus ride. The second bus had much less leg room and if I didn't mention it, it was very hot. However, we made it back to San Jose safely and filled with a new excitement about getting to Nicaragua full time. God is so Good and we can't wait to serve Christ and the People of Nicaragua. Thank the Lord for this opportunity to see the country we will call home!

Graziella's Testimony

2008-08-07T13:54:00.002-06:00

Lori and I have a tutor that meets with each of us twice each week. The tutor happens to be my Grammar Teacher. Her name is Graziella Arguedas and she is a true servant of God. She sees her job at ILE as a Ministry to help prepare Missionaries. She speaks very good English, but is often asks if what she is saying is correct. She recently wrote her testimony in English and read it to our Grammar Class. I asked her to email it to me because it really shows her heart. I hope you will enjoy reading her testimony and it will help you realize how God is using this school and teachers like Graziella to make a difference in the world. We know that every person we are able to reach with the Gospel, by speaking in Spanish, will also owe a thank you to Graziella and the other teachers who are helping us to prepare.

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My Testimony

It is really a blessing for me to be able to share with you part of my life.

There´s no way I could express or write all the wonderful things God has done in me, but today I want to testify and I want to give him the glory for his love and mercy in my life.

I grew up in a very conservative Catholic family. I even studied at a school with nuns. In fact, I was actually planning to become a nun.

It was only because I got a very good grade in the admission test for the University that I decided I was going to do something different.

Just shortly after I began my studies at the University, I met my husband. He had been a Christian for many years. He had served in many ministries. He had worked with teenagers, he had been part of the worship team, and many other things.

One day, after having spent a lot of time asking him many questions about his religion and his beliefs, I was touched by God. I surrendered to Him and I decided I was going to give my life to serve Him.

When my parents found out that I had decided to quit comming to the Catholic church, my real problems began.

They were blaming my boyfriend and they told me they wanted me to let him go. Since I didn´t do it, they got onto me and they told me I was not going to be their daughter anymore. They rejected me in many ways. They said I could continue to live with them but only because they were worried about what people would say if I left the house.

They didn´t speak to me for more than three months. The only way my dad would talk to me was writting notes on pieces of paper.

I was sad and lonely and I felt noone loved me.
Then I realized that not only God loved me but my boyfriend loved me and I loved him, so we decided to get married.

Of course, my parents were against that idea. My father begged me to get married at the Catholic church, but I knew I couldn´t do that.

So they said they were not going to come to my wedding. Noone in the family was going to come.

I prayed and prayed for months and God answered my prayers.

It´s a long story, but let me tell you, my mom finally decided she was going to pay for my wedding dress and my dad decided he was going to pay for the little reception we had.

Everybody in my family came to my wedding, even my grandparents.

It was so hard to go through this, but I had decided I was going to be faithful to God and He rewarded me.

I have always been rejected because I am a Christian, but I´ve seen God´s hands holding me and my family every single day.

Well, since I was studying linguistics at the Universtity of Costa Rica, I needed to practice my English.

Then I introduced myself to a couple of missionaries who were attending my church.

We became friends. I was helping them with their Spanish, and they were helping me with my English.

Then, one day, they suggested to me that I send my resume to the Academic Director at the language school.

This was exactly 20 years ago. I did and I waited, and waited. I used to stop at the front gate of the school and prayed and proclaimed that one day I was going to work here.

I finally got a phone call eight months later.

The director wanted me to come and watch the other teachers just because I had to be trained.

I did and I came to school for a whole trimester, every single morning, without getting any money for that.

But I learned, and I got trained. When the time came to be hired, the Director told me it was not going to be possible for me to get a job here because the number of the new registrations had gone down and they were not going to be able to hire anybody else.

I went home and I cried and cried. I remembered my brother making fun of me saying, “Is that what a christian institution does?”

Well, I ignored that and I kept praying.

Finally, four months later, the Lord opened the door and I got my job.

I don´t really know how to describe what this job means to me.

For many years, I´ve been able to meet incredible people who have helped me to grow in every aspect of my life. Not only professionally but also spiritually.

I´ve learned so much about the american culture that I always joke and tell them that I´m half a tica and half an american.

The Lord has gifted me with my language skills. Sometimes, it´s hard for my students to believe that I´ve never been in the States for more than three weeks.

Well, I have to admit that God made America come to me.

So, I´ve worked with missionaries for twenty years and they have all become part of my family.

My ministry here is not only to teach them the language, my ministry is to guide them, to help them go through their first cross cultural experience.

They have to know that their year here is not only a time to learn a language, it´s also a time for the Lord to polish them.

I love to encourage them every morning, and eventhough we have to face very difficult trials while working in this ministry, we pray for each other every day and we support each other.

This job is not a job, I get up every morning and I thank God for what he´s given me. I´m happy because I know I´m doing what He wants me to do.

All these people are my family and eventhough I´m just with them for a year, we know we´re going to see each other in Heaven.

Students always tell us, the teachers, that they are going to introduce us to all the people who got to know the Lord just because we taught them their language.

That´s our reward. That´s the best pay we can get.

Sometimes I start thinking that I could be doing something else to get more money. I know I could get another job. But I know that´s not what is important in life.

Money is not important when you know you´re doing the right thing for the Lord.

He provides everything you need, and He gives you even more.

So, I´m going to keep working here at the Language school until the Lord wants me to do something different.

I´m going to be encouraging my students, tutoring them, translating sermons for them, even interpreting for them when they come to preach at any church.

Finally, I would like to encourage all of you to stop and think. Are you really doing what the Lord wants you to do?

It´s been very hard for me. It´s been an up hill battle. It´s like climbing a mountain but I can tell you that no matter what comes, I´m going to serve my Lord because He´s my strength and my fortress.

I keep saying every day, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.

He is the one who strengthens you all, no matter what comes, let me tell you,

¡Sí se puede!

That is in English, yes, you can!

God bless you all.

Graziella Arguedas

Culture Day

2008-07-13T22:09:00.002-06:00

The Language School hosted a Culture Day for us on Friday, July 11, 2008. This was a break from the stress of study but it also helped to teach us about some of the culture of Costa Rica.

This was set up as a Festival that might take place several times through the year in differernt towns. There were a lot of games that were led by the teachers of ILE and we had a lot of fun. The games were more like games we used to put together for children at church fairs, but the day was filled with laughs and fun as all the students played and tried to win prizes by competing against one another.

We were also taught about the large masks that are made and used here for festivals and celebrations. We saw some of these back in early May when there was a parade downtown, but we did not know anything about them. These take about a month to make and people wear them and dance through the streets as the parade or festival is going on. A parade was performed for us at the end of the day and it was a lot of fun to see how they celebrate in Costa Rica. We are grateful for this chance to learn more about the culture while we had a time of fun and relaxation at the same time.

Proper Pronunciation is a Must!

2008-06-29T17:17:00.005-06:00

One of the classes we attend each day in Language School is Phonetics. This class is intended to teach us how to properly pronounce the different sounds of the Spanish language. Sometimes what we think we are saying and what others hear is not the same. This clip demonstrates how well this is going at times.

Wow! I wish I could speak Spanish that clearly.

Big Accomplishment!

2008-06-26T20:24:00.004-06:00

I am very proud of myself for a recent accomplishment. I know this will sound silly to many who read this, but to me it was a major step. I actually called a local pizza place and ordered a pizza to be delivered to our home. Sure, in the USA this is something that a child can do with ease, but right now I am a very young child when it comes to communicating in Spanish. Let me explain why this seemingly effortless task became one of my greatest accomplishments thus far.

First let me explain that I called a local pizza place called Otero. This place has amazing pizza. We wanted their special offer which includes a large pizza and a 2 liter drink. I called the phone number and informed them that I wanted the special delivered. We wanted half Otero and half pepperoni. I can’t remember what all is on the Otero, but it is wonderful. I gave them our “address” and phone number, they told me the total and I waited to see if the pizza would actually arrive.

OK, so what’s the big deal? That sounds simple enough, right? Well, about 30 minutes later the delivery guy pulls up on his motorcycle beeping the horn and I got excited. I felt as if this language thing was starting to work a little (only a little though). He actually came to the correct house without needing to call me for clarity. WOW! I know it still sounds simple, but in the USA when you order a Pizza you simply tell them your house number and street name and they are there in 30 minutes to an hour. They can look on a map and find the street and once they are there they know that even numbers are on one side of the street and odd numbers on the opposite side. It is pretty easy. I used to deliver pizza so it can’t be too hard. However, here it is a little different. There are no street names and no house numbers. Here is my actual address in Costa Rica: San Francisco de Dos Rios, La Margarita, 300 meters south and 15 meters west. La Margarita is a Dry Cleaning Store at the end of the boulevard here. It is about 300 meters north of our street. So I gave this address to the pizza place and they actually came to my house. That was a great feeling to know that I could at least communicate that to someone.

The 2nd part of the accomplishment happened when the man wanted to be paid. They gave me an amount on the phone and I wrote it down, as I thought I heard it, but was a little uncertain. I struggle with understanding the large numbers they use here. The pizza and drink cost 7500 colones including delivery cost. When they guy asked me for this amount I was pleased that I understood him and that I had understood the man on the phone. The phone is probably the most difficult way to talk because I can’t see their lips or expressions.

The 3rd accomplishment was realized as I walked toward the door and opened the box to embrace the incredible aroma of this pizza. I looked and it was half otero and half pepperoni. They actually understood my instructions and made the right pizza. I was so excited. And the pizza was remarkable!

Sure, to most of you this is not a big deal, but to those of us going through this difficult time of learning a totally new way to communicate, it brings validation to all we have done up to this point. Praise the Lord, I think I will actually get this language with time. (I’m not saying how much time.)

Time of Relaxation and Fun!

2008-06-22T21:37:00.002-06:00

God has been so good to us. It is amazing that He is allowing us to Represent Him as Missionaries in a Nation such as Nicaragua. However, to know that He is giving us this incredible privilege of preparing for our full-time ministry by learning in Costa Rica... That is completely awesome!

We could never begin to tell how wonderful this experience has been so far. Sure it is difficult at times, but the Lord has surrounded us with wonderful new friends, excellent teachers and the opportunity of a lifetime. Prior to coming to Costa Rica, I was wanting to get through this "necessary evil" as quickly as possible and get to Nicaragua, where my heart is even today. Now that I have spent almost 2 months here, I am so glad that BMDMI required us to move here first. We are learning more than could be possible otherwise and the friendships will last a lifetime. We could never thank God enough for putting these people in our lives. They have quickly become like family and each one of our friends here are filling needs in our lives which God knew we would need. I guess God still knows what's He's doing, even when we think we know better.

We were blessed yesterday (Saturday, June 21) to make our first trip to the beach. It was a small beach only 2 hours away by bus and the bus ride only cost $3.00 per person. It was needed to get away from the pressures of school and simply enjoy a fun day with our family and a few close friends. The waves were huge and the sun was hot, but the laughs and good times were many. We praise God that we could enjoy this time together. In the slide show on the blog page there are pictures of our trip.

Thanks for your prayers. We need them all. Tomorrow we begin Spiritual Emphasis Week at ILE and we are looking forward to a week of renewal and encouragement. Please pray that God will use this time to strengthen us and the other students at ILE.

!Dios le bendiga!

Dwyndl

1st Grade Again

2008-05-28T18:36:00.000-06:00

Do you remember beginning first grade? The nervousness and excitement of something new. Maybe you were more scared than excited because you didn't like the idea of being separated from your Mom all day. Or, maybe you were more excited at the idea of learning and getting older and getting to do what the big kids get to do. Well, imagine beginning 1st Grade and not knowing yet how to talk. That is what I feel like right now. When the teachers don't speak English and I only know a few words of Spanish it is sometimes frustrating trying to understand the lessons and trying to help them understand my questions. The teachers speak as though we understand every word, but thankfully they recognize that we really don't and they will repeat what was said until they can see that we understand. It's amazing what can be communicated by simply repeating the same words over and over.

Actually we have wonderful teachers at the Spanish Language Institute (known as ILE here). They are excellent at helping us to not only understand what they are saying, but how it relates to all we are learning and needing to learn. They are more patient than I could ever be as they listen to our mistakes over and over. My Fonetica teacher waited until today to let me know that I have been pronouncing my d's wrong in several words this entire time. She was waiting until I had learned some other basic things first and has shown incredible patience as she has listened to me pronounce many words wrong for almost a month. Today I finally heard the difference in a D and an R. Prior to today's class, they sounded the same to me. I know that seems strange to those who only speak English, but they are very similar here.

Finally, I feel as if I am beginning to retain some of the things that I am learning. I know there will be many days of frustration ahead, but for today I feel as though I am getting what I need. I have had had 4 exams and 1 quiz so far and and all have been A's except for one B. The B day I couldn't remember basic words that I have known for years. It's amazing how you can study so hard and forget things you knew while remember things that you never thought you would. But today I had an eman on Verbs and I remembered all the rules we've learned so far. That feels great.

So maybe I'm in first grade again and maybe my 2 sons are learning faster than I am learning, but at least I'm learning and I know that God will use this time to equip me to share His story to the people of Nicaragua. All the hours of study and confusion are worth it if one soul is saved.

Dwyndl