Our final night in Nicaragua

We had a great meal for our final night in Nicaragua! We ate at the hotel restaurant again and even got dessert.

Today, we visited the volcano and it was amazing! There was lava rock all over and lots of smoke too. We took a great group photo!

After the volcano, we went to the market and haggled with some vendors. We all bought some neat souvenirs! It was an interesting experience for sure.

We just finished our last game of the night and are all very very very tired! We have to be at the airport at 5am!!! 😁

Goodnight everyone! I will try and post one final blog post tomorrow or Sunday!

Enjoy some pictures!

Last day in the field!

Today was our last day of baseball and bead presentations. It went really well! We are all a little disappointed though because we finally mastered our skits and feel really comfortable talking to people.

We started the morning at 7 am and began our long trek to a village on the coast. The drive was a little rough though. We were in the van for about 2 hours and about 45 minutes of that was on a reeeeeeally bumpy gravel road! But we made it!

After a game of baseball with some older teens, we were able to just talk to them about the bracelets and we made it a little more personal. The Pastor was very happy and told us that we had witnessed to people who normally would not receive the message. We then went to the church and shared our skits with the younger school aged children. They seemed to enjoy it!

“Driver José” then took us to the ocean!! 😃. It was super cool! We could barely see Honduras across the way. Some team members got in and we snapped some great photos of their crazy jumps! (See below). Then we walked a short way to a natural spring that was absolutely beautiful! There were a lot of children playing in the water and the women were at the end washing their clothes for the week. A lot of us got in the water and just enjoyed washing away all the dust and cooling off. I already want to go back!

We are all packing up now as tonight is our last night at the mission house. We leave in the morning for a “culture day” to see a volcano and go shopping at the market in Messiah. (I’m really excited!!). We will stay in Managua at the same hotel we did last Saturday and then Saturday morning we fly out at 7:10 for Atlanta!

We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as we travel another 3 hours in the van tomorrow and as we enjoy our last day in Nicaragua! Enjoy all the fun pictures below!
❤️ Katie

Just some pictures

Just some pictures that wouldn’t download last night! 😊

The power of prayer

Today was so cool! We went to Estrella de Belen and played baseball and kickball. After our bead presentations, a older man was walking around selling ice cream. All 13 of us bought ice cream from him and he seemed very appreciative! We even gave him a Lord’s Prayer card and he listened to the end of our bead skits.

After lunch, Pastor Louis, his wife Veronica and their 3 adorable children, walked us through their community and we did a “prayer walk”. We were observant of everyone around us and prayed for whatever we saw. We stopped in 3 different homes, asking the families what they wanted us to pray about. It was very moving and wonderful. Tears were shed and hugs were given. The pastor and his wife were sooooo grateful! They said no other team has ever done that before and that they will never forget us. 😊

Probably the most fun we had though was with the triquitraque toys! ALL the children have them and we decided we should get some too. They are two balls tied on a string and you swing them together so they make this very annoying sound. It’s a lot harder than it looks! The kids were trying to teach us all day but so far no one has mastered it.
Tomorrow we are headed to a village that is about 2 hours away. It will be our last day of baseball and bead presentations as Friday is our culture day and Saturday we travel home.

Goodnight and please continue to pray for our safe travels tomorrow!

Oh and more pictures below!! (But not all of the ones I wanted to add would load. So maybe I’ll add more in the morning!)

❤️Katie

Day 3 and witness bracelets!

Day 3 was another success! We played baseball in the professional stadium in Chinandega. It was really cool! It was mostly older kids so the baseball was a little more intense! But everyone enjoyed themselves. The boys played baseball and the girls played kickball and jump rope. And in keeping with our streak, Aaron was injured. (Alex cut his knee Sunday and April had a bloody nose yesterday) Aaron was running to first base and a baseball nailed him in the chin! Luckily it wasn’t a major cut but Aaron was so proud of the baseball lace marks etched into his chin.

Tonight we ate at an outdoor restaurant. We had steak, quesadillas and shrimp. It was yummy!

I’d also like to give some more information about the witness bracelets we have been using all week. Each bracelet has 7 beads on a small strip of leather.

Gray: “Gris” represents our sins. We are all sinners. We sin when we do something and also when we don’t do something. Because of our sin, we need help.

Red: “rojo” symbolizes the blood of Christ, aka ‘la sangre de Cristo.’ Jesus died on the cross and paid the price for our sins.

White: “blanco.” White represents forgiveness and purity. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples the night before he was put on the cross as a symbol of washing away sin. We can all have forgiveness if we ask for it and have Jesus in our hearts.

Blue: “azul” represents baptism. Baptism is not just plain water, but the word of God in and with the water that saves us. When we are baptized into the Family of God we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our light and guide and plants the seed of faith in us.

Green: “verde” represents growth. We not only need to know who God is we need to become personal with Him. We need to talk to Him through prayer, listen to Him through His word and worship Him in a church community

Yellow: “Amarillo”. Yellow represents heaven or “cielo.” Heaven will be better than anything we can imagine. No matter what our position is in this life, we will receive this ultimate joy if we believe in Jesus Christ.

Clear: “claro” represents God. Just as the clear bead holds the bracelet together, God holds us together. He is everywhere.

Thank you for the continued prayers! 😊
Enjoy the pictures!

❤️Katie.

Day 2 in the field!

Wow! Today was interesting! It didn’t go at all as planned but I honestly believe it went just as God wanted it to. We went to another village today, El Viejo. We did our bead presentations to the small group of kids who were at the church and then it was time for some baseball! Unfortunately the nearest field was not within walking distance so our wonderful driver “José 1” took our team first and then came back and picked up the small group of kids. When we got to the field we panicked a little and became somewhat frustrated. The field was farther than we anticipated and it was already full of neighborhood kids, way too many to do a bead presentation to. Aaron and Will just went for it though and started a game of baseball while also talking about the beads.

As I was standing in the dugout, a young woman called me over to the fence. We started conversing in Spanish a little and finally I couldn’t understand anymore! I asked translator José to help and he was awesome. She told me about her family, I told her about mine and how I lived on a farm. And then she asked me if I was on Facebook!! We wrote our names on a piece of paper and she promised to friend me. I felt so special! Then I just felt like I should talk to her about my bracelet. Very impromptu, I just told her about each of the beads, José translated and she recited it back to me. We didn’t have the bracelets to give out with us, so I gave her mine and asked her to share it’s meaning with her family and others. My heart felt so full! She later came back with a big bag of “jocotons”, a small green fruit that children eat all the time.

After a while we ate lunch. Our driver brought us carry-out food; chicken breasts, rice and French fries. It was pretty good! While we ate, 4 little boys came up wondering if we would play more baseball (which wasn’t in the plans). Instead we talked to them about the beads and other team members gave away their bracelets. We soon realized the school children were leaving but the church kids couldn’t get back home so they didn’t have any food for lunch. We decided it would be best if we took them back and called it a day.

We were able to tour Chinandega. We saw some churches, the market (it was very smelly) and the central park. We had ice cream from a local shop and just walked around talking with our interpreters.

For dinner, we went to a local chicken and pizza place. The food was great!! We had our team meeting and devotion back at the house and we just finished playing some fun card games.

In all, it was a pretty good day. We were right where God wanted us to be today and I’m grateful it all went well.

We are preparing for bed now as we have another full day tomorrow. Goodnight! And enjoy some more pictures 😊

❤️ Katie

Day 1 in the field

We had a great first day! We left the hotel a little later than we had hoped so we unfortunately didn’t get to go to church, but instead we were able to move into the mission house and grab a quick bite to eat at the new mall and food court in town. Kelly, April and I even got some ice cream! (April’s fell on the ground though 😔). We then headed to La Joya for some baseball fun with the kids and Pastor Martin. It was so hot!! But the kids didn’t seem to mind at all. They were very happy we were there to play with them! We played a game of baseball on this dusty dirt field with a beautiful view of San Cristobal volcano in the distance. But after only a few minutes of being there, we had our first injury. Alex slid into base and a rock cut up his knee. Our team leader Kevin decided it would be best if he took him to a clinic to insure the cut was cleaned properly so off they went! Will took over team leader position and we went ahead and did our bead skits anyway. (Alex ended up with 2 stitches, his first ones! But he was a trooper and is doing fine now 😊) Our bead skits were a little hectic. We were short 2 people and the kids were very rambunctious. The skits went ok though and every child got a bracelet with the promise that if someone asked them about it they would share what each one stands for. We left the village around 3 o’clock and headed to the house. We took showers and some people went to the store for breakfast food and ingredients for tacos. They even brought back safe ice! (We had been drinking warm water all day) for dinner we had tacos, guacamole and a really juicy fresh watermelon. 🍉 It was delicious!! As we were cleaning up from dinner, the power went out!! We think it went out in our whole part of the city but it only took a little bit for it to come back on. Everyone is now either showering or relaxing. We will have a team meeting shortly and Aaron is in charge of our devotion. Tomorrow we will head to another village and play more baseball and perform our skits again. I’ve attached more photos from our exciting day below! Thanks for all the prayers and please, keep them coming! (I think our air conditioner just went out and there’s an ant crawling up the wall by my bed! 😁) Goodnight and thanks for reading!

We have arrived!

We have arrived in Nicaragua! We started the day by meeting at Campus Lutheran in Columbia, Missouri at 7am. We weighed our luggage, loaded the cars and headed to Kansas City! We flew from KC to Atlanta, had a 2 1/2 hour layover and then flew from Atlanta to Managua, Nicaragua. We arrived here at 7:45 local time (which is one hour behind “home time” because they don’t practice daylight savings). We went through customs and checked into our hotel. Everything went very smoothly! After wandering around this very strangely organized hotel, we finally found our rooms. We quickly got ready for dinner and ate at the hotel restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised by the delicious steaks and some of us tried plantains and fried cheese squares. After dinner we met in one of the hotels. Kevin led us in devotion and we listened to the song “Do Something” by Matthew West. I encourage you to listen to it! We then discussed our plans for tomorrow. We are planning to leave our hotel at 7:45, drive two hours to La Joya and attend church. Afterwards we will play some baseball and perform our skits that go along with each colored bead on the witness bracelets we will be giving out. We are all very tired but oh so excited! We ask that you continue to pray for us as we travel some more tomorrow and pray that we are able to glorify God and share his love with the people of Nicaragua. Thank you again for supporting us and please enjoy the pictures posted below!! Goodnight! 😊

❤️Katie

We leave in 2 days!

Wow!  It finally feels so real.  We are going to Nicaragua! As I sit here finishing my list of things to pack I can’t help but feel a multitude of emotions.  I’m very excited to see the country, experience the culture and visit with the people.  But at the same time, I’m nervous I’m going to forget something, say the wrong thing, or get strip searched by TSA for accidentally packing something I shouldn’t have! I don’t want to speak for the others, but I’m sure all team members have their own anticipations and worries.  However…WE ARE SO EXCITED!

We invite you to pray daily with us and for us.  Below is a prayer itinerary that you are encouraged to follow.  We value your presence with us in thought and prayer.

 “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”   — Acts 8:4

Saturday, March 22^nd  (Travel Day)

†      Pray for good health and safety as we travel.  We will be leaving from Kansas City in the early afternoon.

†      Pray that our hearts and minds are prepared for servanthood so that God will use us in His ministry for good blessing.

†      Pray for our introduction and adaptability into a new setting

†      Pray for team member:  Dahrea Hays

Sunday, March 23^rd

†      Please pray for our time of worship with our hosts.

†      Pray for our introduction and adaptability into a new setting.

†      Pray for some rest and stamina as we transition from travel to our “new home” for the week.

†      Pray for team members:  Erin Ehlers & Kelly Jahn

Monday, March 24^th

†      Pray that we are able to adapt and be flexible to all challenges and changes that we may face.

†      Pray for our group that we may support, love and build each other up during our time of serving.

†      Pray for team member:  Deanna Leimbach 

Tuesday, March 25^th

†      Pray that loved ones at home may be kept safe and healthy while we are away.

†      Ask God to give our group cooperation, ambition, and teamwork while we work hard to serve children and families.

†      Pray for team member:  April Keel

Wednesday, March 26^th

†      As we meet new people, pray that our actions and our words would be reflections of Christ and that others would be strengthened and encouraged by us.

†      Pray that as we help others learn more about Jesus, we also continue to grow in His Word.  Especially keep our daily Bible study and devotion time lifted up to God.

†      Pray for team member:  Haley Klauser

Thursday, March 27^th

†      Pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence as we share the Gospel story.

†      Pray that, in the flurry of events and opportunities upon us, we continue to remember the true meaning of being a servant and follower of Jesus.

†      Pray for team member:  Katherine Blaue

Friday, March 28^th

†      Pray for our relationship with Jesus, that we are able to give joyfully of ourselves while sharing God’s love.

†      Pray that God will guide and encourage the ministries of the churches in Nicaragua.

†      Pray for team members:  Aaron Paterson & Kevin Gambill

Saturday, March 29^th  (Travel Day)

†      Pray for our safe travel back to St. Louis, Missouri.

†      Pray for all of the children who we have met this week, that they and their families will continue to know and grow in Christ’s love.

†      Pray for missionaries around the world and for the opportunities you have to share Christ.

†      Pray for team members:  Will Thompson & Alexander Gambill

We thank God for your sincere prayers and daily support! Your financial gifts have been a wonderful blessing.   We appreciate your participation in this meaningful journey!  We are blessed to have had you as a part of our team.  Without you, our trip would have been impossible.

Also, please continue to follow this blog throughout the week!  You can subscribe to the blog itself or access it through the Campus Lutheran church website, Facebook page, or my individual Facebook page.  I will be posting updates every day (beginning Saturday) including pictures, specific prayer requests, and details of our experiences while in the field.

Love,
Katie