Report 2005

 

 

Day 1
CLEVELAND AIRPORT
My wife and I await 2:38 p.m. when our plane will arrive and take us on a non-stop trip to Miami, Florida. Grandma took the boys for us and we will be away from them for the next two weeks. This will be difficult since our boys have never been away from us for this long. They will miss us as we will miss them. Since they are at Grandma’s they will be fine. We on the other hand…let’s say we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13). We will stay one night in Miami and then we will be off to Managua tomorrow…We need to board the plane now…

Our plane was almost an hour late landing in Miami. It was raining pretty hard last night, but we made it in safe. This time my entire luggage made it to Miami with me instead of being lost in New York like it was last July on my first trip. The plane was the smallest my wife and I had ever flown on. Even carry on bags had to be stored in the bottom of the plane. We met some interesting people on this trip though. Before the flight we met a group of six going to Lima, Peru for a missions trip (Let this be a lesson to us, that others are out there teaching their doctrine too). They were going to build homes for people in Lima and we were going to build up the saints while also working on building a meeting place for 3 of the churches. When we arrived in Miami we parted ways and boarded a bus where we ran into another family from England that was going on a cruise in Central America. They were all really nice people and it was a constant reminder that all over the world there are people that need to be taught and souls that need to be saved. After a few stories about their background, we arrived at our hotel for the night. We leave early tomorrow morning to fly out of Miami airport for Managua, Nicaragua.

Day 2
TO MANAGUA, NICARAGUA
I couldn’t sleep past 4 o’ clock this morning due to the eager desire I have to get going on the trip. I have shut myself in the bathroom with the light on so I can quietly write in this journal while my wife sleeps a little bit longer. I feel rested. At least right now my heart’s desire (to preach the gospel to the people of Nicaragua) is overriding my body’s true feelings. My wife and I have so much to look forward to in the next two weeks. In just a few short hours we will depart for Managua airport. Domingo, a faithful preacher, will be waiting for us at the airport to take us to his home to unload our entire luggage, so we can make up our room for the night. Well I had better get ready to go...

We caught our flight and had a safe trip, arriving without trouble. Unfortunately, we were an hour late due to a delayed flight and Domingo and a couple other men were waiting for us in the lobby of the airport. They understood and everything was fine. It is very hot here in Managua, averaging 95 degrees Fahrenheit everyday this week. I am not complaining coming from the snowy north where we left 20 degrees Fahrenheit. We will be looking for the shade and waiting for the cool breezes this week. We had a long ride to Domingo’s and then we were served with a meal upon arrival by Humbelina. I really missed her food. I am looking forward to having some of my favorites this week. My wife is already enjoying herself and I am thankful to be with my brothers and sisters in Nicaragua again. We provided them with some help for groceries for the week as this would be impossible for them to provide apart from the support that we bring. Well I must go to sleep and make sure that I make up for lost time from last night so that I can insure that I am ready for the big schedule ahead of us.

Day 3
GOING TO SAN JOSE
Today we will make a long journey to the mountains to visit the church in San Jose. I will preach here for the day. Isaias is the preacher in this congregation and he is doing a good job as the church was reported to have grown since my last trip. Before the services in San Jose start, we must stop in Managua for a Bible study with a woman, named Sandra who was considering obedience to the gospel. Upon arrival to the house/ store of Sandra and Felix, Sandra was in town shopping and Felix was cleaning the store front (they call them pulperia [where the family lives but also sell necessities]). We talked with Felix for about ½ hour and he explained that he had a lot to accomplish so we stopped studying with him and waited for Sandra to return. Felix actually contacted his wife and she was so eager to study with us that she called a cab so that she could return in a speedier fashion than having to ride a bus on the route that it must take. When she arrived, she was very happy to see us and made ready some chairs in her store for us to study. Domingo asked that I address the urgency of the need for salvation. So I hurried to the point since Domingo had already been studying with her. When the all important question was mentioned (What must I do to be saved?), she responded to the Bible answer with an affirmative yes and said she wanted to obey the gospel but wanted to make sure she was completely ready to make this serious decision. She said she would assemble with us tomorrow at the church in Ocho de Marzo. I can respect that choice.
(We met up with Ken for the next part of our trip)
We took a dirt road to the mountains for about 1 hour. It was a very bumpy yet enjoyably ride since it was in the mountains with all of the beautiful scenery and mountainous regions. While we only started this trip with a truck cabin full of people, by the end of the trip, we had a truck load. The people who live in the mountains will walk the road to town only hoping that someone will be there to carry them back and forth. If it took us 1 hour in the truck, it had to take them at least 2-3 to walk that distance. I think you get the point. Some of the people we picked up were carrying Bibles and were on their way to the service where I would be preaching. When we arrived, the brethren greeted us with a “warm” welcome (it was hot and they were kind). The ladies were preparing the pews and chairs by giving them a final rearrangement and a dusting. Everything was being prepared for the assembly of the afternoon. The preaching was great (in my opinion) and many of the brethren said they were thankful for our coming to spend time with them exhorting them from the word. We departed for the mainland after a short visit where we would spend the night. We needed a good nights rest so that we could assemble in another congregation named “Ocho de Marzo” for the first day of the week.

Day 4
OCHO DE MARZO
This beautiful Lord’s day morning the Cuadra family arose ironing clothes as they prepare to make the trip to the meeting place. There are many people attending religious services due to this being “holy week”. The Catholic church has a large presence here in Nicaragua being the largest religious organization presently active in the state. The church at Ocho de Marzo was very excited for our return to be with them again and we are just as enthusiastic about being with them. I will teach the Bible class and also a sermon on this day.

You may remember Felix from my last trip. He had obeyed the gospel as a young man and yet shortly after our departure had grown cold in his service to God. His mother continued to pressure him, she not being in the faith, and this drove him away from the Lord. I am thankful and glad to write that not only did Felix return and was restored to the Lord, but his mother also came this first day to hear the message of God’s word. I spoke with Felix and he mentioned where he wanted to repent and that he would be willing to continue faithful to the Lord. Sandra (from our study at the pulperia) was present with us also. Domingo asked her what she wanted to do with regards to salvation. She said, in my own words, “I am almost persuaded”. Domingo assured me that she was one step closer to obeying the gospel and that she wanted to eagerly study the things of the gospel in the weeks to come, so that she completely understood the truth and all of the details about this important decision. It is always a pleasure to assemble with the saints, but especially on the Lord’s day. As we commune together in the supper of the Lord, and we share our faith in spiritual encouragement from the word of God, we are built up with a determination to do His will.

In this congregation there are several men that are learning English in this congregation and about 4 of them can now speak English well. I have been studying the Spanish with my wife and we both did quite well communicating with the saints. We are determined to learn the Spanish and they are equally determined to learn the English. This will be a blessing to future trips as we will all be able to communicate better with each other.

After morning services there were no other meetings for the day, since the church only meets in the morning on Sunday. Domingo said that they considered the rest of the day on Sunday as a time for rest and relaxation. I wasn’t opposed. We actually packed up his family and went to the lake of Nicaragua for a swim. This is a very large lake and it is a beautiful site during this hot time of year. I didn’t realize this, but Domingo and his family cannot even come here on regular occasions due to the fact that to them the entrance fee (15 cordobas…almost a dollar) is too much to fit into their budget. Needless to say, they were thankful for this opportunity and their family, my wife and I, all had a good time.

Day 5
SAN MARCOS
Today we had a very long day. We traveled to San Marcos where a new congregation is being established. Domingo is one of the main workers in this congregation, while he continues to work with Ocho De Marzo. This church started because some men and women wanted to leave the institutional church to be sound in the faith. Since this city is in the mountains, it was necessary to get a church started where they are located. It would be too expensive for them to travel into town for the services of another local church. This congregation was meeting in a very small living room and it was already necessary to have a larger place to meet. We were able to provide them with the funds to put up a nice shelter for the assembling of the saints.

We started our time in San Marcos with 7 Bible studies from house to house. We extended invitations to each one in the studies to a meeting in the evening. We handed out tracts by James Haun, titled, “The A B C’s of Salvation” (in Spanish of course). The people we visited were very receptive and interested in learning more about the Lord. Some of these studies were with more of the members of the institutional church in the city. They wanted to study and discuss some of the errors that they felt were practiced there. They asked many question and listen to the answer of God’s word, understanding His will. One man said he would start meeting with the sound church next on the next Lord’s day since he could no longer tolerate the error they were teaching. One study that we had was with a man named Israel. He had several “hang-ups” about not obeying the gospel. He said that his life was not good enough to be a Christian. He had some habits that he said he could not leave (smoking, specifically). I told him that it is those who are troubled that come to the Lord (Matt. 11:28-30) and that he died for our sins and wants us to rely on him for strength to overcome our difficult temptations. I showed him how Saul was a persecutor of the church when he humbled himself before God. As soon as the question of Acts 22:16 was considered, he immediately responded with a desire to be baptized into Christ. Because of the situation of not having a baptistery in the mountains, we had to wait until the next day to immerse him in the lake of Nicaragua. We had to rent a truck to haul the congregation to the lake of Nicaragua for this joyous occasion. This is very encouraging news that Israel, was about to become a part of the spiritual Israel of God. Amen. I must get some rest. We need to wake up early for the baptism tomorrow.

Day 6
LOS FIERROS / EL PROGRESSO
I know you are interested, so I will tell you rejoicing…Israel was baptized today for the remission of his sins in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18-20). A truck load of witnesses came to be with him during this time. We spent a few hours with our new brother and then we had to leave for lunch before traveling to Los Fierros church of Christ in the mountains.

Florencio and the congregation were awaiting our arrival and I spoke for 1 hour to these saints. Florencio is one of the preachers several people in Ohio support on a regular basis. He was very thankful for our love and is encouraged to continue in the work. The preaching went well (again, in my opinion) and our visit here was very much a spiritual uplifting for us as well. We said our goodbyes and made plans to travel this evening to another congregation.

Tonight we would be with El Progresso church of Christ to see some renovations that had been completed on their meeting place that had been supported on a previous trip and to also have a meeting here. Special thanks to the saints in Gainesville, Florida for their continued support in these efforts. The building is now much more secure since a new fence, window and doors have been added.

The people assembled for the meeting and Ken Parrish preached an excellent lesson on the church. The brethren were very encouraged and the church had several visitors this night as well. We spent a few more minutes with these Christians but had to depart for the night to get some rest at Domingo’s for the long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Day 7
DIRIAMBA / SAN MARCOS
We left this morning for Diriamba to preach the word and buy materials for a temporary meeting place in San Marcos. We had budgeted $600 US to this project, yet when we arrived to the construction supply store, the man in charge gave us a financial break since the material would be used for a church meeting house. We were able to buy enough material to build the temporary shelter for $300 US. Since Diriamba was is a similar position of needing to get a larger facility we took the other $300 US and bought materials for them as well. Since the land that will be used to build these meeting places was donated by members of the church, the brethren can get started right away with these projects. I look forward to sending a report on these meeting places in the future. Both of these churches were very grateful and send many greetings to those who have helped them here in the States.

We spent some time with the preachers here and found that they were not receiving much support at all, if any. We helped each of them with $100 US to help them and their families get some necessities. I am going to start a webpage that is on the Ashland site back home that will be dedicated to the support of the preachers here in Nicaragua. I commend these men to you if you desire to get involved in the monthly support of preaching here.
Several members of the church were also in need of medicines and other medical attention. We were able to help with enough to get their needs fulfilled. It is always a blessing to see new churches established and for saints to receive the help that is needed for the work to continue to grow. Since both of these works are new and are located in area that have a good sized population, there is a great work being done by these brothers and sisters. Pray for them. Thank you for you assistance here.

Well once again…we need to rest for a long day ahead. We must travel to the north for 2 hours tomorrow to work with 5 congregation of our Lord. Good night.

Day 8 & 9
ESTELI / LA TRINIDAD / CHAGUITILLO / SEBACO / MATAGALPA
We arrived in Chaguitillo this morning, meeting with Ken Parrish and other men of the church to do some preaching at 5 congregations and to teach several house studies with both the lost and the straying. I am glad that these people received the word as they were willing to at least come and hear the message of the gospel during our afternoon assembly. After the first lesson in the North we went to visit some property that the church here had purchased for the building of a new meeting place. Ken had raised funds from the church in Gainesville, Florida to do the work. For $3600 US the church will be able to build a very nice meeting house for their services. Once again, it was very necessary that they have a new place, since they were packing about 30-35 people in a room that was very uncomfortable. We met to look over the material lists, blueprints, to talk with the engineer and verify that the money would be used for the work of the Lord in this place. Be sure that God will be glorified by this blessing to the church at Chaguitillo. Thanks to all who helped with this project.

The churches in the North have a more difficult time with living, since they are far removed from the major city (well water, lack of hospitals etc.). We needed to be very careful about eating the food or drinking the water or homemade drinks. Eating the wrong thing can put you in the hospital for 3 days and cost you over $1000 US. While I say this the brethren were very kind and hospitable feeding us 4 different meals that were excellent.

We spent two days among these churches and the preachers here are very faithful to the work of the Lord. Some of them travel to the churches in the mountains and jungles which in some cases requires them to leave at 2 in the morning on mule back in order to get there by morning. No major roads even exist in some of these areas. While we cannot go there on this trip, plans are being made to take this journey on our next trip in January 2006 (Lord willing). There are spiders, snakes, and other wild animals that are very dangerous in these parts. The brethren take great risks working here, but there are souls to save. God bless those who labor for the Lord.

We spent the night in the North due to the fact that it is very dangerous to travel at night on the highways. The gangs actually try to hijack vehicles and take the possessions of those who are in them. We stayed at the preachers house at Sebaco (Juan Suarez). We returned to Managua the next day, but not without a few scares. Many people are drinking during this “holy week” to celebrate the weekend off work. The people will still drive while drinking. One time when a large cargo truck was passing us in the other lane a small pickup truck decided to go around him and we were facing a head on collision. Domingo stopped the car and veered to the right side of the road and the small truck never slowed down clipping the mirror on the drivers side collapsing it into the side of the car. While we were all fine, we were shaken up by the incident and we all realized we were very lucky to still be alive and unharmed. The driver lost the mirror on his truck and even after hitting us never stopped to see if we were okay but sped off without consideration. Thanks be to God for His care and protection.

Day 10
CAMPO BRUCE / VERACRUZ
The 2 churches we would visit today were in Managua. One I was already familiar with and the other was a newly established congregation in another part of town where a church did not exist. In the morning I preached for the church at Veracruz, which is the new work. They have about 7 members and it was good to see a lady there that we had helped on our last trip. Petronilla had all of the necessary surgeries that we had provided her support for. She was doing better but still had a few more major medical needs (back surgery, bone tests etc.). She asked for our prayers. She is actually the one responsible for the church at Veracruz meeting where it does. She requested that a church meet in her home and the church at Campo Bruce helped to establish a work there in her neighborhood after it met in her home for a little while. While they only had 7 members, we had about 30 in attendance for the assembly. The meeting place at Veracruz was unique to all others. They had actually found 6 trees that were equally spaced out and then they had place palm branched over the top of them with support to hold them up to make a roof, while plastic chairs were placed underneath for seating. Two of the men from Campo Bruce were trained to work with them and we were able to give them their first support as gospel preachers. They were thankful and sent greetings to all who could help them in this way.

In the afternoon we went to Campo Bruce to visit with the brethren and preach two lessons. Many of the brethren remembered me from my last journey and my wife had a chance to get to know them for the first time. I was told that many said the lessons were a great encouragement to them.

A man in this congregation is in serious need of help for a knee surgery where they will do a complete replacement. The cost is great and he will not be able to get this surgery without the help from faithful brethren in the States. Pray for him and please contact me if you are willing to help this faithful brother in the kingdom.

Day 11
CAMPO BRUCE
This morning we went to spend time this day with the congregation at Campo Bruce. This is the first time I had the chance to assemble with the church on the Lord’s day. It was a pleasure to be with them to commune together. I spoke to them about what it means to be “in Christ” and the lesson focused on the many passages that showed all the blessings and promises in the Lord. After this lesson and a short lesson by Ken Parrish about wanting to see Jesus, 2 people were restored and 1 wanted to be baptized into Christ. We rejoiced over their decision. One of those restored, was a young lady that was very close to my heart. She was Domingo’s daughter Scarlet. She had fallen away from service to God after she recently was married at 14 years old. Her husband is not in the faith and when she married him she had left for a time (You may remember how I spoke of her faithful service as a Christian on my last trip and how I said that I saw Christ in her). We had a study with her earlier in the week (which was difficult for her father to translate as he shed a few tears during the study) and we extended an invitation for her to come this day to hear the message. She agreed and we picked her up at her home before the service. She told her father that she was repenting of her actions and would return to faithful service. Pray for her and the others who are struggling to serve the Lord faithfully. It is such a blessing to work with these people who have open hearts for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God for the power of His word to change lives.

Day 12
PREPARING TO LEAVE
Today we packed up our luggage and said goodbye to Domingo’s family. Domingo would continue to spend the day with us going to the market and doing some other site seeing, but we would not see his family again on this trip after we left their home. It was a very emotional time for the whole family and also for us (my wife and I), as we grow so close to them in a very short time. We all stood in a circle in his living room and had a final prayer together while everyone, even the children, cried about our departure. They appreciate your service and support and yet it seems that they give us more than what we could ever give them.

After spending the day together buying some gifts for family and friends back home, and taking care of pre-checking for our flights on American Airlines, Domingo dropped us off at the Holiday Inn for our final night in Nicaragua. At about 4:30 p.m. we arrived at the hotel and no sooner than we could get our bags out of the car and prepare to say our final goodbyes, Domingo’s eyes filled with tears. We joined him with many tears and embraced him, after which we watched him get in his car and drive away.

These brethren are eternally grateful for the support, prayers, work, and relationships that we share with them. They are dedicated, strong servants of our Lord who need us to believe in them and their work in the kingdom. Please support them. Please pray for them. Please realize how blessed we are and offer whatever you can to encourage these saints. They continue to labor and reach out to others with the gospel in spite of the amount of support and physical blessings that they receive. These brothers and sisters are worthy of our care and support.

Day 13
FLYING HOME
My wife and I awoke this morning in anticipation of seeing our children and returning to the work of the gospel in our homeland. We are catching a flight to Miami out of Managua this morning and then we will take another non-stop flight from Miami to Cleveland where our family will greet us this afternoon.

See you on the other end…

All of the flights went well and we arrived safely home. It was a blessing to see our kids again and be back with our home congregation. Many thanks to all of you who helped support this trip with your prayers, gifts and financial aid. God’s hand was with us in every step of this trip. Praise and thanksgiving to Him forever and ever. Amen

If you are interested in supporting these efforts made in Nicaragua, please contact me.
You can support this work in many ways:
*Support the preachers of the gospel there (Many are in great need)
*Support upcoming trips (My next one is January 2006)
*Send encouraging letters or helpful materials to the brethren
*Pray for God's blessings on the churches

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