Missionary Training Intern Group - Oct 2009

Last week we had the honor of hosting the newest group of interns attending the same training we went to last year in Mexico.

We held two days of preschool classes on the base. The children moved from station to station through a series of learning activities. We saw lots of smiles and were able to try out some of the curriculum we have planned for the preschool opening in Feb.

The interns hosted a large children's ministry program on Wednesday afternoon. We were able to minister to over 100 kids! After the dancing and skits, the kids got to hear the Gospel, preached in a way they could understand.

After the program we continued to minister to the children through play, hair washing and fingernail painting. Such simple acts of service became amazing opportunities to connect and show our love, and God's love, in a practical way.

We're excited about the wonderful things these interns will go on to do in the countries they go to work in. We're excited to host more groups in the future.

If you're interested in visiting, please let us know. We have several trips coming in 2010 and can get you a place in one. :)

Hello!

So much has happened since our last post! Good things, great things, God things!

We’ve successfully moved in to our home. No more cramped spaces and living out of conticos for us. The girls have lots of space to play. We have an office. Our neighborhood is quiet and safe.
In the apartment, we’d trip over each other all the time and remark about how we had way too much stuff, but in the house things are different. For the first time in 2 months, it’s 100% clear just how much we sold/gave away/left behind. We’ve got a lot of “blank space” in the new house.

Last weekend Wayne and I hung our photos from the house in Florida that were in frames small enough to bring. It was instantly cheering to my heart. Those familiar faces, smiles and memories.

Ali started school at a local Christian school that's all in Spanish!! She wears the most adorable uniform and we're hoping that complete immersion will speed her language learning.

We got a dog! Her name is Roxy and she’s a German Shepherd. And in the long-standing plague to “Triller” men, she was supposed to be a boy and is in fact very much a girl. Poor Wayne.

And the best news of all -- we’ve been working!! Our new house is a lot closer to Ciudad Sandino and we’ve been able to modify our school schedule to accommodate more work time. Wayne’s been overseeing some projects to get the Auditorium finished for possible use as a preschool as soon as Feb 2010!

I’ve been zooming through my online Teaching English as a Second Language course and organizing supplies for the preschool. Plus I’ve been giving out hugs like it’s my job. :)

Next week we have a group coming for a week so we’ll have more stories and photos to share. :)

God is good! Wayne and I talk a lot about what we’re struggling with or finding victory in and lately, by the world’s standards, there has been a lot to struggle with. But what I’ve found is God’s amazing peace. He has made me for this purpose. Each struggle is an opportunity to show His glory!

Movin' on up.... to the east side...

Well, the west side actually. On the west side of Managua is a small neighborhood called Las Brisas. We found a little house in a safe neighborhood for rent and we signed the contract on it this past thursday. It's close to the LifeLink Project and also close to downtown Managua.

We also found a school for Alison to attend. It's a safe place where she can learn and make friends. It's very secure, with a curriculum very close to the US.

That's 2 large tasks down.

We're doing well in language school, with the ability to move about the country with relative ease. We can have conversation with most people and read the newspaper. It's a definite improvement from when we arrived.

My truck is still in customs. Please pray for it.

Wayne

Happy Birthday Alison!

It's been a great 7 years!



¡Felíz Cumpleaños Alison!

Que bueno.

You know the word "fail" is being tossed around? Like when you do something dumb and someone is there to comment on it and they say "fail". Megan hates that phrase and has started her own phrase - "win". Whenever someone does something good she says "Win!". Kind of charming in a Megan sort of way.

Language school is going well. As it turns out, 4 hours of intensive grammar and vocabulary, followed by 4 hours of conversation can be pretty exhausting. We doing good, and we're able to have basic conversations in spanish that we weren't able to have before, so it seems to be working. At night we like to play cards with some of the locals. We learned a game called Desmoche and taught them how to play Uno. A good time was had by all.

The kids are adjusting nicely. Emily and Alison are picking up the language like kids do, faster and better than their parents. They've each made friends and seem to have no problem playing together. Apparently, the international language is playing. I tried to play with my spanish teacher and he just told me to get back in my seat and write a paragraph in spanish about why I was acting loco.

All in all I feel like we're being successful. We've made a lot of Nicaraguan friends, the language is starting to come easier, the kids are enjoying their new environment, and we're pretty much adjusted to the heat.

Win!

Wayne

You gotta be a giver.

This morning, as I stepped outside and stretched the soreness from neck due to a new pillow, I saw this on our little metal table.



It made me stop for a moment. My mind instantly went to the realization that someone had to get up earlier than me, make coffee, move all this stuff from their room to ours, and do it without waking anyone up.

Then I recalled an evening in our training where we sat down with Mike and Deborah Turner and discussed matters of the heart. It all comes down to loving people. That's why Christ came, and that's why we're here.

Setting up coffee for us my not seem like a huge deal, but it echos the nucleus of a lesson that hammers itself home over and over again.

You gotta be a giver.

Wayne

Hugs

We've been hugging a lot of people lately.  Long, heartfelt hugs.  Hugs I hope we'll be able to remember and feel when things are going so great or we're feeling lonesome and homesick.

Last night we got another great hug.  A special hug that only happens when God's there with His arms wrapped around you too.

Due to a bunch of little things, last week was the last week Next Level Church Orlando, formerly Fusion Church, met and worshipped together.  We were sad to see the end of a season, but rejoiced in all the great things God accomplished through an amazing group of believers that we love.  As one of their last acts, our church family surrounded us in prayer and sent us out.  Even amidst the celebration, it was a heavy day.

That afternoon, Wayne and I tried to figure out what to do with less than 2 weeks left in the States and no home church.  

After discussing a few churches as options, we contacted my dear friend Julie, who just a few weeks earlier had been sharing about a new church she was attending.  As I recounted to Wayne the things she'd told me, I felt my spirit get a little lighter, a little happier.

That night, Julie spoke with her Pastor about our situation.  He eagerly agreed to meet with us to see what we needed.  Friday morning Wayne had breakfast with Pastor Rob Duford of Orlando North Community Church.

Last night we visited them on our final Sunday in the States.

At our first visit, and last for a bit, the welcomed us warmly.  They prayed for us as a congregation.  They started to get to know us.  

Last night, we got one of those great, big God hugs from our new church family.