Cory's Mission Blog On a mission to Love

Nicaragua 2012! Journal Entries

Well who would have expected I'd be going to Nicaragua? NO ONE! That's right! And that's what began this trip in a legen... wait for it... wait for it.... dary way.

 Videos will come soon. Please be patient as I work on them.

Less than two days before the trip was ready to be sent out I received a call from the trip leader, my brother-in-law, Trevor. He said that the church received a call from someone who wanted to fully sponsor me to go to Nicaragua. WHAT!!!!!? Who.. wha... whe.. How did all this come around? Well God is the only answer I can give to this one.

Months ago when the trip meetings began I started attending them with the intent of praying about it and seeing if it would be possible to pull off Guatemala and Nicaragua this year. A few meetings in I quickly realized that it would be a miracle to pull that off financially. I was gone all summer, made no money from the work I did during the summer, and was already 3 months until all the money had to be in for Guatemala. There was NO WAY it was going to happen.

I soon gave up on that attempt and planned on trying for next year. Well time passed, a trip to Guatemala came by, and the trip to Nicaragua was getting ready to head out. And BOOM! God spoke into someone's heart.

So needless to say I was in quick pack mode. Thank God I was already packed in a suitcase, it mad things much easier to manage and put together.

God presented many amazing things upon this trip not just to me but to everyone on the trip. Through actions, devotions, dreams, laughter, prayer, and life.

 

Day 1:

The team had an early start to the trip, not as early as the Guatemala trip but 6AM seems like 3AM when you are sleep deprived. Everything on the flights and bus rides down went smoothly. It was great fun meeting up with Ben and Lisa (who had no clue I was coming) in Miami at the terminal. They had left a week early for a conference and some vacation time at Disney. We had a late lunch and I stayed behind as the group went to the terminal to meet Ben and Lisa. I showed up about 10 minutes later and slowly worked my way closer and closer to them until I was sitting right behind Ben. I couldn't help but sit there at laugh as I was listening in on there conversation, Tammy and the others would keep looking at my smiling and laughing on the inside and two strangers sitting across from me were giving me looks like I am going to do something dangerous or something... never knew I had that look going on.

As the strangers were paranoid already I decided to reach into my black backpack and.... *as the strangers look at me with curiosity, wondering if it will be a bomb or a gun; I pulled out a pen and piece of paper. I write down a message and asked Greg through hand motions to come meet me at the pillar a distance away. I asked him to get a picture of the two of them (Ben and Lisa) to mark the beginning of their first missions trip together. He knew what was up my sleeve and he went back and jumped right on it. Of course while I am waiting for him to make his way around the corner I was trying to figure out which Cory face to make. SOOOO I went with the most famous one!

Ben and Lisa were ecstatic to see and find out I was going with them on the trip! SUPRISE!!!!

Once we made it to Managua we met up with our translator Dimas, a 23 year old Ometepe local who has been helping with translations now with groups for the past few years. Him and his family are all fishers and live by it. Translating is just an amazing gift God has given him (and later to find out his brother).

 

The team that night settled into the hotel, wiped away the bed bugs, and met up for our first devotion. Everyone was very excited to be there including me. For I had NO CLUE why God impressed on someones heart to pay my way to Nicaragua.

Day 2:

Buenos Dias!!! First morning in Nicaragua. And now on to Central American time. Everyone was up early, ready to pack the bus, and then eat breakfast with Pastor Henry and his wife Irma at 8AM. All the bags were packed on the bus and ready to go and breakfast started promptly at 9AM. Henry is the pastor of the Church in Managua and is basically Pastor Miguels (pastor in Ometepe that Stroudwater works with) boss. Henry and Irma took us over the dormitory project the church is working on . The building is being built to begin an amazing opportunity for the children of CICRIN and hopefully the whole island. The dormitory project is a 2 story building they are constructing next to the church to give children from the island who want to go to university a place to live in the city. You must understand that most children on the island have never been to the city and find it overwhelming due to many different living styles. Pastor Henry has had a vision to give the kids of CICRIN and the island of Ometepe a chance to continue their education. The building project is a large effort on many organizations and churches to build. The price of it is in the tens of thousands of dollars, but the fruit that will come from the project will become ten fold of that!

 

After a quick glance and meeting there we were back into the bus and off to Ometepe. We had stopped in at a place to have some lunch part way there. It was a tourist attraction view. The shops and restaurants over looked a basin of an in active volcano the was now a large lake! It was a spectacular view, but the wind was horrendous.

This trip from the City of Managua is about 2 hours to the fairy and then another hour and a half on the boat and 15 more minutes to CICRIN. Nothing to crazy an exciting on the trip to CICRIN but I did come up with a fun idea. Stemmed from the Ben and Lisa surprise, Helen did not know I was coming either. I thought it would be awesome to be dropped off at the end of the road and then walk in a little later. Yeah I am cool like that! Haha Well at first it looked like it wasn't going to happen because Helen was going to come and pick us up. When we got to the Island and we saw the bus, I noticed she was not there! HOOOORAY!

So we proceeded to head to CICRIN and once we made it to the end of the driveway I hopped out into the darkness with my little Jesus light, grabbed my bag and guitar and walked on down. Helen was quite surprised to see me, as I walked through Main street asking for Helen then quickly introducing myself as Cory and was wondering if there may be room for me to stay the evening.

SURPRISE!!!

Day 3:

Beginning the work week! We had a few projects on the list to attack. 1) painting the feeding program Building 2) wiring the feeding program building to the church to get power to it and 3) preparing gabian baskets for the insane task to building a retaining wall on the waterfront of CICRIN.

 

The team was split up accordingly and I hopped on with the group to the church to check out the feeding program stuff. Being a last second add in, there was really any particular thing they needed me for; I take it God wanted me hear to be able to express the need and what Stroudwater is doing to show Christ to the world of Ometepe. We got to the Church and instantly started in on painting and wiring. Our main man Ben the professional wire head started planning out the attack, Tricia headed up her crew of painters, and I began catching a couple photo and video moments here and there, then quickly hopped on to help the guys with the wiring. We began by laying out the pvc pipe across the lawn and stretching out, what adds up to the amount to an extension cord, across from the Church to the Feeding program building. Ben was thrown by the fact that the church and this feeding program building were being run on an extension cord. Welcome to Central America! We spent the morning laying all of that out, headed back to CICRIN for lunch where the Gabian basket team had knocked out almost 10 gabian baskets (a task that last year would have taken them a full two days) in only a half a day.

After lunch we headed back to the church, filled in the ditch the wire was being buried in and hooked up the main box in the building.

That evening we relaxed, nothing was scheduled, so we hung out with the kids and Helen and had some devotion time.

My goal was to sleep in the Rancho every night but that night it was very windy out. And sleeping in a hammock was not very doable.

Day 4:

Bienvenidos Gordon College!!

Today Gordon College showed up at around noon time. This group of Christ loving 20 somethings had worked with Stroudwater last year on some gabian baskets and other projects on the Orphanage, and from that built the beginning to a wonderful co-trip adventure for both Gordan College and Stroudwater.

 

By the time Gordon arrived the gabian basket crew build around 20 gabian baskets and had started in on logistics of how to get three rock piles from points A, B and C to point D which was down over a 15-20 foot dusty, rocky cliff with rolling the stones into the lake.

The afternoon consisted a group heading back to paint and work on electrical stuff and a group tossing rocks. I stayed behind to play with Rocks, because rocks are cool and I wasn't really ready to be in thinking mode. SO, rock after rock after rock over the edge onto other already finished and filled gabian baskets was my excitement.

In the afternoon I wanted a mango that was hanging in the tree just above the dorms for teams that come down. Greg Helped me reach it and when I got it the milk from the vine started leak all over the mango and my hands and arm. I start to wipe it and was going to bite it off and Dimas yelled “stop, what are you doing?” I told him I wanted to eat it. He said “wait, don't do that , the milk will burn you” well my saving grace Dimas probably saved my life. As off that evening the milk started in on its poison ivy like reactions. It itched more than burned and spread a little on my arms.

That evening We had some relational building time with the kids and present the movie Rio for them. The initial attempt was to do it at the church like last year but the Pastor had lent out the projector to another pastor on the other side of the island and was not able to have it there. To us we were very happy to hear he was sharing a piece of equipment brought down last year for him with others to help spread the word of Christ around.

There's nothing like watching a movie in Spanish with English subtitles on a white sheet blowing in the wind on a tiled rancho.

Day 5:

Today I got to experience Church in Nicaragua. Going to church the last time I had come here was not an option. We worked on Sunday when we came down and did not even remotely connect with the Church or even Pastor Miguel. That was one HUGE difference I notice from 3 years ago when I had been here before. Instead of being very focused on CICRIN the Stroudwater team is now very focused on building the church and helping them to find great ways to spread the word around the island and even off the island. Yes we are helping with a gabian basket project but that isn't a huge focus. I was excited that incorporating going to church was now apart of the trip.

The service was awesome. Again I felt I was not sure why
I was on the trip or why God had sent me but I could only imagine it was to document the trip and what Stroudwater was doing down there.

I took it upon myself to not just help out with Stroudwater on this adventure but also Gordon College. During apart of the service I do admit, I did skip out, but It was because Gordon was putting on a VBS piece for the kids. I felt it necessary to capture some of this for them and Stroudwater to see the work we are doing down there. They did an amazing job teaching kids songs, and doing relational fun building activities with them.

 

After church we put on a ice cream social! This was an opportunity the group started last year to help bring in some community and get together time for the church and the locals in the area. We popped up the tent and started serving some delicious ice cream. Pastor Miguel said usually a lot of people leave after the service is done and go home and never stick around to talk. This time here was keeping everyone around to interact, socialize and become more family than friends.

 

In the evening the women put on Healing Hands again for a second year. This was a time for the women of Los Angeles to come and have the nails done and hands massage and be prayed for. I, being “the documenter”, had to come get some footage of the event. Last year in doing this event it brought three local women to Christ who are still attending church there. This year I am not sure how many were saved but it was a cool experience even as a guy to see the team praying for the women they were massaging hands of. And of course the girls loved painting the guys hands, Dimas, the pastor and Trevor included! - The praying at the end was very cool to experience. In Nicaragua they all pray at the same time which is even different than Guatemala and here in the States. Again very cool experience!

 

Day 6:

Back to the rocks! By now our muscles were ready to do some more heavy lifting. Moving from a few smaller handable rocks to one massive rock back to small ones was a good motion for the day. We only had some minor injuries throughout the day. Some rocks to the ankles and cuts from the gabian baskets.

The electrical crew got a whole bunch done but ended up with some minor difficulties due to types of materials and having to make innovative changes to the layout. The painting crew finished up the main room and the first coat of the kitchen.

 

That night we did the first night of VBS. It was a little different in the fact that the Church crew down there did the VBS while we were the helping hands. We had sent them down the material to do it and they put it on. It sounds like a lame excuse to not do the VBS but the point of this VBS was to empower them to be able to go out for the island. And they did a FANTASTIC job! The fact that we were the reason they had that opportunity to do this make me realize what kind of a change we are making for people thousands of miles away from us.

A very sad story of the evening, totally put myself in my place; My sister, as we were getting ready to leave had the horrible opportunity to have to take a kid away from his mother. One of the children at CICRIN, him and his brother were dropped off last year by there mother while the team was there because the mother can not afford to feed them and take care of them. The child reconnected with his mom at the VBS and at the end of the night he had to tleave. He was crying and obviously upset. It was heart wrenching to hear my sister telling me the situation and watching the tears run down her face and the boys face as he looked out the window for a possible last glance of his mother.

 

Day 7:

Today consisted of much of the same as yesterday. ROCKS and VBS! another very successful work day with 3 rock piles moved, 12 gabians baskets filled and the electrical and painting almost finished things were looking pretty well.

A cool experience I got to have during the VBS time was seeing a kid named Luis. Luis was a youngin' that Ralph Merrill and I picked up on the way back in from town the last time I was there. We picked him up and told him about the VBS that night. He showed up and has been going to church and everything. I was speaking with him, through a translator and and told him that I remembered him from three years ago when we picked him up on the side of the road. Amazingly he remembers the moment to! It was very cool to know being apart of a small thing like that made a huge difference in a child's life.

 

 

 

 

Day 8

Check out day! One thing that was much different than Guatemala in January was the weather. It was SUPER HOT!. Well... not as hot as me! But warm enough to knock us off our feet. Working on the rocks there was at least a breeze when working on top of the hill. Once we were down over the hill the breeze went away and the temperature sky rocketed. But work had to be done. We were all on check out mode come lunch and needed a good, long.. relaxing.. dip in some water.

El ojo de agua (the eye of the water) is a spring feed, man made pool on the island. Around the edges were wood seats and a couple of little huts with trinkets to buy, cold sodas, and coconut milk right out of the cocanut. It was a pretty cool place and a definite needed break from moving jagged volcano rocks from points A, B and C to D.

That night was pizza night. On the last night that the team stays at CICRIN they treat the kids to a night of pizza in the town next to Los Angeles. The consistency of the cheese is not far off from.. well.. feta cheese I guess.. yeah feta with lots of grease. But the kids love having the treat. They do not get to have this hardly ever unless teams come to help and think of it.

Seeing the time together with the kids and the people in the teams is a blessing. Watching people who don't know much Spanish having conversations with the kids, and kids sitting in laps, people laughing, kids and tias having a moment to have a fun time all together. This may seem like a get out a jail free “this-is-not-a-missions-trip” event but the way I see it; Showing Christ through evangelizing and works is just as much important as showing Gods character through laughter, hugging, crying, and beautiful time together that does not get to happen but probably once a year.

That evening the kids always put on a little fiesta party for the team. This time is where they get to show there cultural roots in dances and party favors. The kids were preparing all week on the dances they were doing and as a special surprise the young kids wanted to do there own dance. Helen was very unsure about how it would come out, but out of all of them it was the cutest and funniest to see. The younger kids really wanted to do something for the team as well, because typically the older kids are the ones that will do the dances.

After the dances we had a great time with a pinata! With only an “almost” near death experience the night ended with lots of candy, hugs, ice cream, tears and Jimmy, Felix, and Danieo talking till 2 AM in the morning in the Racnho with Gordon kids. Yes is tried to sleep through it. Not much of a success.

 

Day 9:

Up early for breakfast, last minute packing and good bye. The worst part to a trip like this. One thing about this trip that differs from Guatemala for me is that you stay on one place. In doing so you build a much larger friendship and relationship with the kids and adults in the area. Having to hug the kids as they cry, sharing hugs with Helen and the tias, watching Coney (one of the younger girls) give one final hug to Greg as she gets off the bus to go to school with tears on both of there sides makes you understand what a relationship can do to someone even when you don't know there language.

 

God has a crazy Love language that most of us never understand, I think “this is what it must be like to be in his shoes, when he has to say 'I'll see you again in the future my friend.'”

We ended up going to a church service at Pastor Henry's church which floored many literally. I myself had some effects I've never really felt and couldn't understand. At one point we began to pray and I ended up continuing praying while things were going on and with eyes closed and my mind set on “God, you are awesome, I am glad you brought me here, I don't fully understand it but I am glad to do what I can for you” I began to feel this, what can only be describe as a burning-ish sensation.. not like mango milk burn but something indescribable. And I guess during that time while they were all praying the pastor was praying for people and people were falling to the ground and lots of stuff I've never experienced were happening. Something tells me there was some holy spirit stuff happening that night.

 

Day 10

Planes Buses and automobiles... not much excitement but everyone made it home safely.

 

Conclusion:

This trip has shown me a whole lot of God. Though having at least 7 de ja vu moments, having a member of the team have a moment with God in their dreams, the praying at the church, and seeing what our involvement is doing for the outreach with the church and spreading Gods love.

 

I came into this trip not knowing what to expected. I was very excited to be making it back again but had plenty of reasons to be a little nervous being on these old stomping grounds. But it was cool to stand there over looking the place I decided to be baptized by my good friend Pastor Paul Gant and my brother-in-law Trevor, It was amazing to see where all the kids were now compared to than, everyone grew up and is ready to move forward in life to hopefully university and a better place. It was amazing to see the the development of not just CICRIN but the church and where the feeding program is now (fully finished and ready to begin).

From not knowing why I was personally blessed to be on this trip, to being able to use my talents in both a helping hand and photos and video, to make a load of new friends (some for hopefully life ), to having multiple people on the trip shed tears of joy, because of something they saw me do or something that I am... God blessed me personally with knowledge that I am on the right track. That even in the lack of “things and possessions” I am on the right track for God and in so have shown not just one person, but realize I've shown many people something special about faith and trusting the Lord. Of course I am not going to take that kind of stuff as a self righteous moment because everything I do that seems out of place and different; that seems obscure and backwards, that seems like maybe the world doesn't approve. Is God.

God is legen... wait for it... wait for it... dary!

 

 

If you made it to the end of this post you are a SAINT! Sorry it has to be so long

 

God Bless you all