Nicaragua -- one week and counting

Dear friends,

It's hard to believe that one week from today I will be on a plane to Nicaragua! The time has certainly flown by. I am excited to see what God has in store for me and the people we'll be serving that week. I want to start by thanking you from the bottom of my heart for making this trip possible. I couldn't do it without the prayers and financial suppport of each one of you.

Next Friday morning we will be meeting at the airport at 3:15am -- Yikes. I can't say I've ever set the alarm for before 2:00am! We asked if it was even worth going to sleep that night, and the response was yes, since we will already be serving and leading a retreat that first night, any sleep we get would be better than nothing! Please pray that we'll have "supernatural" energy for that first day!

At our meeting last month we got our project assignments, and I am leading a couple sessions on spiritual gifts. Last week another group from Eagle Brook went to Arms of Love orphanage (the first time our church had been there), and they administered the spiritual gifts test to the older kids. The staff were very interested in taking it as well, so that's what I'll be leading. We will go over their results and explain the various gifts, and how to use each one within the church. We will also talk about how to encourage the students in their gifts. Please pray that I would have wisdom in planning our sessions, knowing what to say and share. This has been kind of a last-minute project since we were waiting on the other group to report back with what they actually ended up doing, so I could definitely use your prayers the next few days!

Here are some of the other things we will be doing while we are down there. The first weekend we will be running a retreat for the older students who are transitioning into college or the workforce. We will be leading sessions on leadership, citizenship, and independence, as well as just hanging out with them and getting to know them. The rest of the week will be spent back at the orphanage (we will be at a retreat center the first couple days), interacting with the kids and staff there. We will be doing work projects during the day, helping the kids with their English, leading the sessions on spiritual development, and educating them on health related issues. I'm sure there will be plenty of time to just play and get to know the kids as well. At our last meeting we received a roster of all the kids at the orphanage.  Here is just one page from the roster to give you an idea.

It made the trip so much more real to see a picture of each one, as well as their names and birthdays. I see under a couple names that it just says "4 years old" or "9 years old." I assume that means their birthday isn't known. How sad. But God knows it and loves each one of these kids. My hope is that I can show them that love as well. I know that me being there for a week isn't going to mean that much in the scheme of things, but if I can show them God's love and encourage them in some way, it will have been a success.

So why did I decide to go on this trip? I read something in "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan the other day that kind of summed it up. Chan says, "Back when I was in Bible college, a professor asked our class, "What are you doing right now that requires faith?" That question affected me deeply because at the time I could think of nothing in my life that required faith. I probably wouldn't be living very differently if I didn't believe in God; my life was neither ordered nor affected by my faith like I had assumed it was. Furthermore, when I looked around, I realized I was surrounded by people who lived the same way I did. Life is comfortable when you separate yourself from people who are different from you. That epitomizes what my life was like: characterized by comfort. But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through."

My life is comfortable. That's not a bad thing in itself; I praise God for the many freedoms and blessings he's given me. But a comfortable life doesn't require much faith. When our pastor challenged us to "try things we can't do" this past winter, I knew it was time for me to step out and try something I thought I couldn't do (or wouldn't do.) It's hard to believe that "that something" is only a week away. I don't know what all to expect in Nicaragua (they say the key for a missions trip is flexibility so maybe that's ok!), but I do know I want to be a vessel of God's love for all those I meet. There's a song I love called "Hosanna" (see playlist to the right) and it has a line that goes, "Break my heart for what breaks yours." Pray that God will break my heart for the things that breaks his heart. Please also pray that I will form a special bond with my small group and our group as a whole (18 of us are going.)

Thank you again SO MUCH for the part you are playing in this experience. I pray that God will richly bless you; I will be praying for each one of you as well. If you have any prayer requests of your own, I would love to pray for you; please email me and let me know how!

Much love,

Steph

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:3-6