Night with my Host Dad

First of all, I just want to tell everyone that this trip has been amazing and life changing for everyone that went, as well as the community in Managua. We made so many new friends and connected wtih the people so well that most of us consider them family now. God truly moved through us and the community in a way only He could do. We were all compassionate and loving towards each other and had a sense of fellowship that is unlike any other.

I personally had an experience while in Nidaragua that shows the power of God and His presence in all aspects of life. During the second night in Nicaragua after the day was over and we were all tired out from the baby shower fiesta, we were given more time than usual to be with our host families and spend time with them. After we got settled down, Kenton and I started talking to our host dad, Marlon (which turned out to be more hand motions than talking. haha). We were all laughing and enjoying each other's company as we were watching TV which turned out to be a movie with Arnold Schwarzeneger (spell check?) in it. Then I noticed Marlon got out his Bible and was reading it, and earlier that day he had shared in church and read Psalm 146 to the congregation. So I thought it would be neat if I would grab my Bible and point out that chapter to him and somehow motion or use what little Spanish I knew to say that it was what he had shared at the church earlier that day. He smiled and turned to it in his Bible and read it in Spanish and then he told me to read it in English. This went on for hours, going back and forth reading our favorite verses in English and Spanish in the Bible and spending time to converse and discover the true meaning and power behind the words. After we would read, Marlon would always comment on the reading and Kenton and I would listen attentively trying to pick out what he was saying and what his hand motions were trying to explain. At first I did not understand what he was saying, but then I started hearing a voice inside my head acting as a translator and I knew right away it was God telling me what Marlon was saying. I myself would not be able to understand a single word of what my host dad was telling me, but it is only through the power of God that the language barrier can be broken and that we can communicate with each other through Him. I was literally on the verge of tears. I was so happy that I was understanding Marlon and what teachings he had in store for Kenton and me!

I bet I can speak for most people when I say that spending time with host families was probably the best part of the trip. It was amazing to see how much they already loved us on the very first night of our stay in Nicaragua and how much that love continued throughout the week. They literally gave everything they had to satisfy us and make our stay more pleasurable. The first night I stayed in my host home I was so nervous and wondering how in the world was I going to survive a whole five days in this place. All those nerves were soon gone because Marlon made sure that I was at home and made sure that I felt at peace and was able to live normally like at my real home in the states. I just can't thank God enough for allowing me to go on this trip and I am praying that I would take everything I have learned from the trip and be able to apply it at home and be able to show the love of Christ to my friends and family just like the people did in Nicaragua.

God Bless!

Mitch Wirth

Reflection: The God of Testimony

Throughout the trip we had unforgettable times of testimony. During group training sessions in Costa Rica, after lunch in Nicaragua, on the bus and in various other settings team members volunteered to share his/her testimony. These times were extremely profound, and I came to love hearing testimonies. After someone shared, a handful of team members gathered around to lay hands on the individual. Ah, the beauty of prayer. The teens so readily stepped into their position of authority, as a child of the Living God, and asked God for all kinds of things. Unhindered prayer.
I recall one morning working at the church, and several girls from the team walked in and exchanged "good morning, how are you?" greetings. Several of the girls expressed feeling ill, exhausted and weak. Immediately, they began to pray for each other- even those who were feeling sick prayed for other girls who weren't feeling well. In that moment, the Kingdom of God was called down by a few high schoolers, does it get any better than that?

Therefore, a necessary 'shout out' to parents, Chad, youth leaders & mentors is due:
Though I'm only several years older than your children in some cases, they were a remarkable group of teens to serve with on this trip. You have raised up a Christ-loving group of teenagers and God was, currently is, and will be working mightily in and through them.

One final thought about testimonies: I've been pondering the idea of 'past.' I've been reminded afresh of the correlation between one's history and one's present (though we accept that our past does not determine our future, thank you Jesus Christ). When we take the time to listen to where someone has come from (the good, the bad and the ugly all included) the doors of empathy cannot help but swing wide open. When one hears a person's journey up until the very moment in which he/she speaks, respect towards that individual infinitely increases. I've been reminded of the power of testimony, both sharing and listening. God is every-working and I know that my faith has been bolstered by the delicate times of testimony we shared during this trip.

Summary of the trip and Kids' Clubs

Hey everyone!
First, I thought it would be good to highlight the main things we did on our trip. We arrived in Costa Rica late Wednesday night (July 14). We basically went to bed as soon as we got there, because it was like 11 PM. Thursday and Friday we spent at the base of Pura Vida Ministries. During our time at the base we had worship, sessions, and we worked on skits and songs. Thursday and Friday were packed with sessions and training. Saturday we spent almost the entire day traveling by bus up to Managua, Nicaragua. We had to spend a few hours at the border to get our visas and go through customs. We arrived in Managua Saturday evening and immediately upon arriving we attended our first Nicaraguan church service. After the church service we met our host families and got settled in for the night. Sunday we went to another church service and in the afternoon went to a Nicaraguan baby shower. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all fairly similar. We did work projects in the morning, including painting, spackling the walls of the church, and collecting trash around the city. At 4 PM we would have kids' clubs. We sang songs, did some skits, and had a craft each day. We would give the kids candy and animal balloons. Monday and Tuesday we went home after kids' club and spent time with our host families. Wednesday we had a birthday surprise for the pastor at the church. There was a Mariachi band that played, and we did some of our skits and songs. Thursday morning we had to say the dreaded "goodbyes" :( It was a really sad time and our whole team misses the people that we met, but we also will never forget them. Thursday we did some touring. We bought souvenirs and saw some important government buildings. In the afternoon we took an awesome boat tour of these islands on a lake! It was beautiful! We spent the night in a hotel across from the airport that night. We woke up and left for the airport at 5 AM, and after a day of traveling, safely arrived home

Now that I've summarized all that we did on our missions trip, I want to tell you from my personal experience some things that God really showed me while we were there. The first thing was something God showed me through the kids' clubs. I have always loved children, so it gave me so much joy to love on the Nicaraguan kids and to show them God's love. One day at the kids club, a little girl that I had had some previous interaction with the last few days up came up and gave me a hug. There was another little girl standing nearby that I had never even met, but after she saw the first girl give me a hug, she came up and gave me a hug too. Through that I realized that God can use the simplest things to make a difference. Through a hug I was able to minister to a little girl. All week through balloons, skits, and songs we were able to show God's love to his children. I thank God that He can use even the little things to make a difference. It was a reminder to me that I don't need to necessary do something huge to bring God glory. Secondly, the other thing God showed me was how He is always with us. There were several times throughout the trip when I was worried. I was in a strange place, with people I had never met before, and I was supposed to somehow use my gifts to minister to them. Even during the times when I was absolutely out of my comfort zone, God constantly reminded me of his presence and of his protection. That was really awesome for me to see!

update from Kevin - Thursday night

Hi all,
Safely in a hotel across from the airport in Managua. A great day of sightseeing, with a few unexpected twists, no harm to anyone.
A amazing trip, we can't wait to tell you all about it. God moved and we have all grown.
Love from Nicaraugua!

Update!

Hello everyone! I got a call from Rosene a few minutes ago! The team is doing really well. They wrapped up their ministry portion of the trip and have their touring day today. Rosene said the church just loved our team and is really sad to see them go. Kevin felt like this was a life changing trip for many of our teens - I can't wait to hear all the reports tomorrow night!!!

I just wanted to pass this along, that the team is doing well, and it has been a great trip!

God Bless!!!

No News is Good News!

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you are all doing well! I am sure many of you miss our team and are probably anxiously awaiting an email or phone call with some info. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to tell you either, as I have not heard from the team since Saturday evening. But I want to assure you that in this case no news is good news. Pura Vida had told me that finding internet connection would be difficult once the team got to Managua, Nicaragua, so that is why we have not received any emails or blog updates.

Our team is in good hands and if there was anything that we needed to be aware of, we would know. I am confident that the team is having an incredible time and making a valuable impact on the church and city there in Nicaragua. Time is flying by and they will be home shortly. Any updates I happen to receive I will quickly pass along. Until then, trust that God is in control and He has them safely in the palm of His hand.

I wanted to leave you with a favorite scripture of mine.

Philippians 4: 6-7 (NIV) - ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Be blessed and enjoy your week!!

Team arrives in Nicaragua!!

I just got word that the team has arrived in Nicaragua! They got on the bus at 6am their time, arrived in Nicaragua at 7pm, went straight to a church service and now at 8:30pm, they are headed to their host homes. Everyone is safe and is doing well. Rosene said that the training time at Pura Vida was incredible!

On their way to Nicaragua today!

Hi, early morning breakfast then on the bus we go! PVM has given powerful training, no time to put it in action. All are well! This may be the last check-in for a few days.

God Rocks! And we are ready to roll.

FYI- the teens prayed for all you back home last night.

Love and hugs from here. - Kevin

Good morning Costa Rica!

Hi, everyone is doing really well. Good night of sleep after a powerful worship experience. Lot's of tears and good stuff going in inside of teens (and leaders).

Costa Rica is beautiful, but no sunshine yet. The showers are derived from water pumped straight from the arctic. We don't worry about people taking too many showers or taking too long of a shower.

Food is actually quite good, but my palate is probably more adventurous than most.

Love from all here,

Kevin

First evening session amazing!

Wow. Powerful session this evening with amazing response from the teens. God is moving ! Growing us all in neat ways. I think will everyone will sleep well tonight. Thanks for praying, we feel it. - Kevin

Latest update from Kevin

Hi,

Lots of training (skits and ministry skills). The teens aren't acting too tired, the adults ... well maybe.

I missed much of the day away from the PVM base. A teen from another tean had asthma issues and I was tapped to help out, including accompanying her to a clinic. Always on-call I guess ;)

Thanks for your prayers.

I will do my best to keep you posted.

Kevin

Team arrives at 1:30am!

Hi,

If anyone is up, we just got settled in at PVM.. The kids did great. A little bumpy flight over the gulf, but nothing significant. A little delay in Atlanta getting out.

Thanks for prayers. I will keep you posted.

Kevin

Team leaves tomorrow!!

It's hard to believe, but at 8am tomorrow morning, 22 students and adults will be gathering at the church to get ready to head out to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I am so proud of this team and the way they have embraced the call to ministry and each other. Make sure you check back here from time to time to see how the team is doing.

I will forward updates I receive to this blog. Unfortunately, the team will not have consistent access to the internet, so periodically check in here to see any updates we have received. Thank you so much for your prayers! God Bless!