Reports Of Our Trips:
Each night I would record the events of our trips to Nicaragua in a journal. You will find the journal notes here. I hope you find this information helpful and useful to your knowledge of the work in Nicaragua..

Report 2004

I want to begin by thanking you for your kind support in this trip that I have made to Central America in Managua, Nicaragua. Many wonderful things happened on this journey and I hope through this report to take you with me as we review the journal that I kept while I was there. I will never be able to give you the full realization of what it was like to be there, but I will try my best to let you know what it meant to me and to all of the brethren in Nicaragua. Below is the account:

Day 1 ON MY WAY

I said goodbye to my kids yesterday and my wife today as I make my way toward Managua, Nicaragua. As you can expect I feel like the apostle Paul “torn between the two”. I am desiring to be in the field doing the Lord’s work and yet I want to be with my family. But it is now that I realize that I will be with my family; my spiritual family in Christ in attempting to be encouraged and be an encouragement to them. I sit here at Washington / Dellus airport awaiting my flight to Jacksonville, FL where I will meet Jason Schoenholtz and Ken Parrish, my fellow laborers in the Lord. Tomorrow we will be making a trip in the car from North Florida to Miami for our final flight into the mission field in which we plan to do works that have been commanded by the Lord (Mark 16:15-16). Time to board…see you tomorrow.

(I arrived safely in North Florida and got a good nights rest…)

DAY 2
LEAVING NORTH FLORIDA FOR MIAMI

We arose early this morning in North Florida for the long ride to Miami to board the plane to Managua, Nicaragua (about 6 ½ hours). Now we sit awaiting the call to board the plane and I have no idea what is in store for me and my fellow workers in Christ. All of the people in the seats around us no longer speak English and it is now when all of those hours of Spanish study payoff. Now Spanish is the primary language. The boarding calls have begun and we need to prepare for the flight (including putting this notebook away) so I will say what is yet to come is going to be a life changing experience for me. I need to go for now.

On the plane…

Watching the plane leave the U.S. soil and to watch that soil fade into the distance was quite a moment of realization. We would see land again (Lord willing) but it would not be the same. In some cases it will be better (humble hospitable people) but in some ways it will be bad (poverty, hard living etc.). So I look out of the plane window with a lot of questions. They will be answered soon.

(Our flight was smooth and we landed safely in Managua)

DAY 3 FIRST DAY IN NICARAGUA

We arrived last night, stepped off of the plane and then our trip had truly begun. Going through customs and having our passports stamped assured us we had arrived. Domingo and Barney (two of the preachers of the churches) greeted us with six other brothers and a big green pickup truck. We were going to get our first tour of the evangelistic field from the back of this truck for a 40 minute ride to Domingo’s house. We passed by at least 12 different pharmacies and several Doctor’s offices. Most of these were advertising for various ailments that the people here have to deal with due to unkempt street and unclean food and water. Since I am writing this evening I am happy to say that so far I have been able to avoid any illnesses and the food has been fantastic. Water can be purchased in a bottle and it safe to drink. Our room in Domingo’s house is very modest and the house is very much the same. We are thankful for the Christian love and hospitality. Domingo’s wife greeted us with her children nearby as this humble home was filled with the smell of a late night treat that would help us get a good night’s rest.

(We had a good night and we spent our first day with a church in the mountains)

Today we went to a village in the Mountains called Los Fierres. We spent the day going from house to house preaching with an invitation to an afternoon Bible study in the meeting place of the church in the mountains. (a meeting place??? [block walls, dirt floor, no doors etc.)

We taught 16 people from house to house and we had 29 at the Bible study. Only 15 of these were members of the church. Domingo assured Jason and I that the visitors enjoyed the studies and said they would return for future study. Jason and I both spoke for 25 minutes. Unfortunately, Florencio, their preacher, is only receiving $100 support every month. We were able to support him with an additional $100 dollars while we were there. The day with these brethren was very encouraging and we arrived home with much anticipation for the next step of our journey. (If you would be interested in supporting Florencio, he is in need of at least $200 more a month…it would be greatly appreciated. I have his information so please contact me).

DAY 4 GOING TO THE MARKET

This morning began with meeting Ken Parrish and a preacher for the Ocho de Marzo congregation named Harvin. We went to the supermarket to buy 25 chairs for the Los Fierres church that I told you had a dirt floor. They were practically sitting on the floor, a rigged seat or standing. With these chairs we sent 25 Bibles and 25 songbooks for them (Thanks to your generous support). We have purchased so far 200 Bibles and 200 songbooks for the trip. We went to visit the meeting place of the Ocho de Marzo congregation. The baptistery and the building were literally open to the elements as even palm trees grew right out of the middle of the building. It started to rain as we were returning to Domingo’s and since then it has flooded the streets. We are at Domingo’s now waiting out the rain. The humidity is up and although the rain has cooled things down a bit, the humidity makes it sticky. We also visited the post office and some of the brothers had materials from the United States awaiting them. We drove through the heart of downtown Managua near the president’s headquarters. The poorest neighborhoods were in this area of Managua. The streets are filled with trash and the people willingly throw it there. One man in the early stages of the rain even cut down his weeds with a machete (be thankful for the gas powered weed eater). When the rain began to flow down the street the pile of weeds were thrown in the street. It is amazing how much I take for granted in the United States. We all need to count our many blessings. Name them one by one and give thanks to God.

DAY 5 WORKING WITH OCHO DE MARZO

We met Harvin early this morning in the downtown suburbs. We visited with Harvin’s mother and we studied with her for 30 minutes. She said that she had a fear of God. I explained the difference between a fear of respect and a fear of being afraid. She understood and agreed to make an effort in coming to meet with the brethren. After this we went to see Harvin’s living conditions. He is staying with his mother in law, with his wife and 2 girls (Jennifer and Brenda). If his wife’s mother passes away, the house is entrusted to her eldest son and they will have to move or be homeless. Harvin recently lost $300 a month support and is presently only receiving $150 a month. This money is only enough for food and travel expenses. We were able to give him $50 while we were there to help in the month of July. Harvin then took us to visit more of his family. His cousin Felix was only almost persuaded for 3 months of studying with the church at Ocho de Marzo. Today…Praise The Lord…he was baptized into Christ. We found out that his mother was pressuring him not to be baptized. After our study with him today, he decided to put God first. We cleaned out the baptistery and began to fill it up when the well ran dry. We spent 100 cordobas (16 cordobas to 1 dollar) to have the Fire Department fill it up for us. While we studied with Felix, his sister became interested and we studied with her for an additional 20 minutes and although she wasn’t ready to obey the gospel, she said she would come Sunday for services to hear more preaching. Let’s just say it has been a good day. (I had the opportunity to lead singing this evening and it was quite an experience).

DAY 6 PREACHER TRAINING PROGRAM

We left early for Ocho de Marzo for a preacher training program. The brethren were very excited and about 29 showed up for the classes. We studied from 9 to 11 o’clock with a 15 minute break between classes. I taught from I and II Timothy and Titus regarding the admonitions to young preachers and it was very well accepted. Jason taught about the persevering preacher and it was very helpful because these brothers deal with a lack of support financially and in many cases physically.

We took a 6 mile bike ride today after the classes to visit one of the sisters in the church and she was in need of some drastic medical procedures for weak bones. We helped her with $250 and she can now go to the doctor to get the treatment that she needs. She was very grateful and said it was a blessing from God (thank you brethren for your support). We will sleep good tonight and so will this sister. Just so you know Felix’s mother found out about the baptism and she began to cry. Her tears were not from being upset, but rather for her foolishness in not understanding the truth of God’s word. Two brothers went with Felix (in his wet clothes) to explain to his mother what had taken place. She has agreed to start coming to the services. Pray for Felix to stay strong. We ate our first American meal today at Burger King. It was wonderfully clean inside and the service was great. It even had a play place. I would rather eat the Nicaraguan food. We are eating like kings without ever going to Burger King. For now I must go.

DAY 7 SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP

We spent the day worshipping with two churches in Nicaragua. The churches do not meet twice on Sunday so we worshipped with Ocho de Marzo in the morning and Campo Bruce at 4:00 p.m. Campo Bruce decided to call their members together again so they could hear us preach.

The meeting was good at both congregations and many neat and expedient practices were used. Everyone shows up early for services here. The singing is loud and meaningful (yet in many cases I really didn’t know what it meant). The Lord’s Supper was similar to our own practices yet it was interesting to have a reading from the gospel accounts of the crucifixion during the partaking. During the offering the congregation sings a song of thanksgiving. It was a blessing to work with these churches in the services of worship. Before services at Ocho de Marzo, a personal Bible study took place with some guests for 20 minutes. They enjoyed the study and agreed to have future studies regarding spiritual things. Today was a special day in that we partook of the Lord’s Supper with Felix for the first time, and it gave us another opportunity to thank God for his example to his family. We went by one of the larger meeting places today. One of the sisters there had a husband in the hospital. He was working on the meeting house when he received a cut on his hand from some sheet metal. The cut was serious and became infected and they thought that they might have to amputate. They only needed $50 for the necessary treatment and we were able to help. Upon receiving the support the sister began to cry. Her husband, only 25 years old, would be able to be healthy again. We have been busy, but the Lord continues to watch over us and allows us to help these needy saints.

DAY 8 LOS TORRES CONGREGATION

While preparing for the day we were rearranging some clothing that had been washed and laid on the bed. One pair of pants were inside out and when Jason reached in to pull them inside right he flipped out a scorpion on the bed. I was able to get some pictures and video footage. Let’s just say that from now on we will be checking every article of clothing faithfully for critters. We preached at Los Torres today. It was an interesting experience. I met a girl that was deaf and mute. She was probably 9 or 10 years old. I reached into my backpack to grab a toy that I had purchased for my son and I was attempting to show it to one of the men there. The young girl ran over and grabbed the toy and in the best way that she knew how, claimed it for her own. I had no problem with it. She treasured the toy, like a prized possession. She played with it for hours. The preaching at Los Torres went very well and the brothers want us to come back again tomorrow night. Before services we went house to house and studied with a father and his 4 daughters. His daughters had been attending services and we gave them Bibles. They enjoyed the service very much and wanted to come again. Pray that their father will be a spiritual leader in his home.

Earlier today we went to see the volcano near Masaya. It was a very good site and it certainly established the power of God. We stopped at the visitor’s center for more information on the volcano. I captured this on video. God has been blessing us with many opportunities and open doors for the gospel. In the meantime we learn more about the people and the country in which we are working. We look forward to how God will use us in the last few days we are here.

DAY 9 PERSONAL BIBLE STUDIES

We caught a bus this morning to Harvin’s house. He had some personal studies he wanted us to help with. Little did we know that when we would arrive we would have some competition. The Jehovah’s Witnesses were working the street where Harvin lives. The methods of these JW’s were interesting. They had about 12 of their members going 2 by 2 and had practically covered every house on the street. Humbled by their efforts, when Harvin finished studying with them we entered our study with the first student…and uncle of Harvin’s. This man was struggling with the meaning and purpose of life. After our study he was very encouraged and said that he wanted to have more studies with Harvin. Then 1 hour later a young woman (Dania) and her son came for a Bible study regarding the urgency of being saved. After 20 minutes of study she agreed that she needed to be baptized for the remission of her sins. We took her to a nearby congregation and baptized her. It was a moment of great rejoicing.

We left and went to Los Torres, where the preacher (Jacintho) and family wanted to serve us lunch. We “broke bread” with several brothers and sisters there. The service that evening was outdoors and was amplified through a megaphone. The streets were filled with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the people who wanted to listen. Our translator told us how much the messages meant to the people.

DAY 10 HANDING OUT BIBLES

This day began with a trip to the largest market in this area of Central America. We would spend the morning purchasing souvenirs for family and friends. The people of Nicaragua are very talented and yet they are limited to 45 cents an hour in factory work or they are forced into street markets like this one. Several of the people we met would work all week and only make $35. You must guard your wallet and your integrity in these markets. Jason had a girl flirting with him and trying to get him to buy some things from her. We were warned that the mindset there is “get hooked up with an American and you have a free ride to the U.S.” Jason and I are both happily married, so she had no luck with us. It is very difficult for the people to leave Nicaragua. They make it a dream of their own to one day be in the United States of America. After our market trip we spent some more time handing out Bibles before another outdoor service at Campo Bruce (For your information, it is $3 each to purchase a bonded leather bound Bible). We preached in the street and again many people gathered to hear the word of God and it was a very profitable meeting. The guests to the services left with promises of returning. Pray for these people.

DAY 11
OUR LAST NIGHT AT DOMINGO’s

Today we were invited to a Spanish birthday party for Barney’s son Christopher. He is turning 1 today. The funny thing was this party had the theme of the kid show character “Barney the Dinosaur“. They had a cultural piñata of Barney, lots of balloons, a cake and a candle and plenty of loud music. The kids willingly took shots at Barney….the piñata of course… (I wanted to have a turn so bad)…Anyways, after the party was complete we retuned to Campo Bruce for preaching. I had the opportunity to preach about the resurrection and it’s importance to our faith in Christ. This was also an outdoor service and we handed out the rest of the Bibles at this service. We went to Domingo’s after the service and ordered in Domino’s pizza as we were spending our final night together. They deliver on little mopeds with a big pizza box on the back…quite a sight. We really have grown to love these people. It is hard accepting the fact that in just a short time we are going to be leaving our new friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been cared for all week and now we would have to stay up late packing and be ready to load up our stuff in the morning. It is going to be difficult to leave these happy contented God fearing people. Well that is a worry of tomorrow.




DAY 12
OUR LAST DAY IN NICARAGUA

Today we will spend the day with brethren expressing our appreciation for their hospitality and concern for our well being. When we left this morning from Domingo’s it was very hard just as I suspected. It was a sad moment for everyone. Domingo’s family served us all week. Meals were prepared and cooked, laundry was hand washed and Scarlet, Domingo’s 14 year old daughter, ironed our clothes and scrubbed our shoes each day for us. As we were packing up the last of our belongings she stood in the doorway of our bedroom sobbing. I saw Christ in her. How can someone serve you like this and then cry when you leave. I guess you can say that I learned a lesson. We were treated like kings among the poor. Today we went to Barney’s home for a time of preaching in the evening. Jason would preach where Hoswaldo preaches at Villa Miguel and I would continue at Campo Bruce. You can really tell how much these brethren appreciate all that you do for them. They hate to see you leave and can’t wait till you return. Just when I thought the crying was all over as we were departing from Barney’s home his wife began to weep and it was explained through a translator that she said without us and the blessings of God that we bring, they would not be able to have simple things like Bibles and songbooks. OH what we take for granted. We arrived at the Holiday Inn for our final night in Managua. The difference in the room we are in now is obviously remarkable as compared to what we have had all week. You know …you kind of get used to it though. I was glad we stayed among the people and learned of their culture and way of life. I will say that it was nice to have my first hot shower in 2 weeks. I wanted to stay in it forever. We all need to count our many blessings never taking them for granted but rather continuing to realize they are a gift from God. Let us learn to use our blessings for the glory of God in supporting efforts that take the gospel to wonderful people like these in Nicaragua. Jason and I spent over an hour reflecting on all of the good things that God had helped us to do among the people in Managua. We need to go to bed now so we can be rested for the flight home.

DAY 13
TO THE AIRPORT AND THEN HOME

The alarm sounded at 4:30 a.m. and we awoke to a final moment of packing and preparation for the flight home. We drove to the airport, checked in our luggage and I am looking out of the plane window right now as we fly over the coast of Cuba at 35,000 feet. It is beautiful. On this flight I am hearing a lot of English. The TV is playing CSI New York and it is obvious that we are on our way home. Sipping a Coke with lime and reading an American way magazine with A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) on the cover gives us thoughts of home. I am missing my wife and kids and this has been true since the day that I left them. I still have a few more days until I get to see them. We will drive from Miami to North Florida where I will work with Jason and Ken in the churches there…explaining the trip and preaching for them. I will be staying with Jason and his family and I have truly come to love these men that I have made this trip with. Their wives and families are a blessing for allowing them to make such a trip. I am thankful for the opportunities offered to me in this journey and I want to thank the many congregations that make these trips possible (thank you!). Many individual brothers and sisters helped with different things like Bibles and songbooks and your help is very much appreciated as well. Your prayers and support have no doubt come up before God as an acceptable sacrifice. This is the work that God calls us to do. Thank you so very much. May God and His Son be glorified in our service at home and abroad.

NOW THAT I AM HOME, I AM PLANNING TO RETURN

I am thankful to return home, but my heart goes out to those good brethren that I grew to know and love in the Lord. I am safe and was able to avoid getting sick or injured while I was away. I am thankful to all who have a heart for evangelism in sharing the love of Jesus with others. The Lord willing, I will be able to return to Nicaragua in the spring (March 2005) with my wife to work with the Northern churches and 1 church in Honduras. I would be thrilled to know that I can count on you for support during this upcoming trip for my wife and I. We will need approximately $3000 to make this journey. We will be making this trip to not only help the brethren at this present time, but also to look at the possibility of moving there for several years. Please respond as soon as possible that I might know if I have your support and also what amount of support you can supply to us. Many of the preacher in Managua are presently in need of support. If you would like to help in any way, please let me know as soon as possible

Hope this report was of some help to you,