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Posted in Life on the Field by Shawndell St John on 1/22/2012
Finally, I blog. I could say that my excuse is important team-leadery stuff, but really I have just enjoyed spending time with my team and I don't want to hide myself away to write a blog. God has incredibly blessed me with this amazing team. When asked by a friend to describe them, I talked about how fun and goofy they are, constantly laughing and full of joy and bursting into random song for every occasion. His response? "That is SO you." I was going to write about them individually but one of my girls, Haille, beat me to it... So please read her blog post http://nicaragua.adventures.org/?filename=team-pies-hermosas to get a better picture of my people.
God has been so good to me... I live in the shadow of a volcanoe, in a tropical paradise where I can chill out in my hammock to watch the sunset. I have a real bed (sweet!) and the cooks are amazing (SWEET!!). Being a leader is so different than I could have thought, and now I realize how crazy I must have driven my team leader on the World Race with all of my questions (sorry Kayla and Aubrie!). But the most amazing part is seeing the Lord work in new ways. Every conversation I have with a teammate, I am so blessed to hear the Lord doing his work in their lives. We have been sharing testimonies with the group, and I have loved hearing the redemptive stories. I don't know if this is cheating or not, but every victory feels like my own victory when I celebrate with them!
In some ways, I feel like a completely different person than I ever have been before... And yet I have never been more myself. God has brought me into such freedom and into a place where I can not only live out that freedom, but THRIVE in it. Please pray for continued wisdom and discernment in my life, and honor and courage in our team. We have called ourselves Pies Hermosos, which is Spanish for Beautiful Feet, based off of the scripture Isaiah 52:7:
"How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
'Your God reigns!'"
Considering my feet that get completely dirty after a day in the dust and the big toe that I have already busted once playing soccer barefoot, that is saying a lot.
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Posted in Admissions by Ryan Hurd on 1/22/2012
Over the past couple of weeks God has done so much in my soul. I departed from my house in Memphis on January 2 to spend the next 4 days worshipping God at a conference called Passion. I spent the next 96 hours full of the Holy Spirit. I was high on the spirit and loved every moment of it. The theme of Passion 2012 was freedom and while I was there God brought me so much freedom. He taught me more about walking in freedom and spoke identity into me. He told me who I was in Him and who He created me to be. It is amazing to be the son of a king! He is absolutely amazing if you don’t know that already.
After the Passion conference I went to Gainesville, GA to serve over 100 people while they tried to find out where God is leading them. This conference is called Project Search Light. I wasn’t a participant but I was able to be a servant. I was able to take the trash out, help the cook, set up the tables and chairs, take people to and from the airport, etc. While I was there God continued speaking to me and filling me up with His spirit. I also believe that He used me to speak life into people. God was using me to speak to other people. The words I were speaking were not my own but were from the Lord.
After 6 days of serving, I started leadership training for The Passport. We as leaders learned all about what is expected of us and how to fulfill those duties.
Two days later I went to the airport to meet my team. All of the leaders met our teams and then went on an adventure in Atlanta to do some team building. After our adventure in Atlanta, we headed to training camp and spent the next 4 days experiencing the presence of the Lord.
After four days of training camp we boarded a plane headed for Nicaragua. When we arrived in Nicaragua, we jumped into the back of a cattle truck and headed three hours north to a place we now call home for the next four months.
The first day in Nicaragua, we built relationships with some of the locals. The next two days we built a roof for one of our cooks. And today we went to the beach!
It has been an exciting couple of weeks filled with the Holy Spirit. Yesterday our amazing team came up with a team name that the Lord gave to us. We call ourselves pies hermosos which means beautiful feet in Spanish. The verse we took this from is Isaiah 52: 7 “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"”
The amazing thing is when I was back in Memphis praying for a prophetic team name, God gave me the word beautiful feet. Without mentioning that to my team I asked them to pray for a team name and God gave them all the same word! He is so good.
Thank you for all of your support. Please pray for me and my teammates as we bring the gospel to Nicaragua. We are really in a healthy place right now so please continue to pray for unity, peace, God’s presence, and whatever else the Lord puts on your heart!
Blessings,
Ryan Hurd
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Posted in Life on the Field by Haille Krieg on 1/22/2012
Helloooooooooooooo
I would like to take this opportunity to put a little something out there about my FANTASTIC team, who BY THE WAY helped finish the roof of one of our beautiful cooks, Antonia, in two days. Today was our first free day, and we spent it at a beautiful beach. It was so nice to have a little break, and just spend the day having great conversations and a lot of fun.
Soooooooooooooooo:
Amy - We. Are. The. Same. Person. I know i've said it before, but i just need to reiterate it all the time. It's crazy! I love my beautiful sister.
She is my soul mate, basically. I wish I could explain in words how much she means to me, but i can't. I may have to express myself in song,
in which case I would start singing "That's how you know" from the movie "Enchanted".
Christy - I'm glad someone understands my common "i'm going to cut her" statement.
Also, Christy is the most adorable tiny person I've ever met. And she plays the drums.
You basically just can't lose with this girl! Her sweet spirit is constantly a joy to all.
Naomi - My sad little monkey. My partner in crime. My SkyMall reading pal. I can't say enough
how much this child amuses me. I wish I had a NayNay Nomes to just carry around in my pocket for the rest of my life.
Lindsey - My sweet southern belle :) This poor girl gets hardly any sleep at night with the rest of us...
but she still smiles and asks politely for us to quiet down. This is the moment where we all take a pause to sigh and wish that we had the patience of Lindsey :)
I love love love that she has a verse for every situation in life!
Mossy - Best. Laugh. Ever. You just wish she was your friend. Mossy never fails to bring extreme joy
to everyone she meets. I hope we end up going to school together. The next 4 years of my life would be the best ever.
Allegra - Oh, Allegra and her man tools. This lovely lady has the biggest heart. Big enough for TWO teams!
I love the integrity and wisdom she brings to conversations. Also, her laugh is fantastic.
Shawndell - Talk about fabulous...Shawndell is a riot. She is so incredibly fun and outgoing and creative.
And then she knows when I need chill out time and hair stroking. WHAT. A. BLESSING.
Kacie - I can't say enough good things about Kacie. She probably wins the funniest person award
for this trip. The combination of her faces, silent laugh, and horrifying geography skills make her into this crazy,
ridiculous, perfectly wonderful human being. Not only that, but that girl has MAD praying skills!
Teani - I am fond of this girl. Of some parts more than others...haha she gets it :) Anyway, it's hard to
explain how in awe of Teani's beastliness I am. Also of her extreme selflessness and joy
of sharing with others. So. Beautiful.
Marcus - Well, basically all you have to know about Marcus is that he has a pet ostrich
and he wants to clone it. So then you think, that's awesome, say no more. But I will.
Marcus is a GRAND friend. He is always making sure all of us sisters are doing ok, and he takes a huge interest in everyone around him.
Josh - I am amazed every day by Josh's magic tricks. Seriously, so cool. But also,
I am inspired by him and his thirst for learning, whether for the Spanish language or different
parts of the Bible. Also, his Massachusetts accent is awesome.
Ryan - Every time I see Ryan interact with others, I am floored by his boldness.
His heart is so on fire for God, he can't help but just share his love with everyone around him.
I'm hoping to learn his secret to fearlessness.
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Posted in Life on the Field by Allegra Forwith on 1/18/2012
Thanks to the Google Earth, I had a fairly good idea what my new home in Chinandega would look like. It's one thing to look at a map. It's another to see it in person. Arriving late last night, after flights and a 3 hour ride in the back of an open truck, we couldn't see much of our surroundings. So this morning, I got to look out my window and see...a volcano! And then another volcano! Two volcanoes within sight, the nearest one smoking. Nicely placed 30 miles between the ocean and San Cristobal Volcano, I figure my team and I have a pretty good escape plan in the case of an emergency. A tsunami hits, run for the volcano. The volcano erupts, run for the ocean. No problema!
All joking aside, we got to meet some amazing people today that will become our amigos for the next four months. The people here are just as beautiful as the land they live in. Correction, the land we live in because we are home. Home, settled, and ready to begin ministry tomorrow. I know it will be an incredible adventure!
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Posted in Admissions by Naomi Graber on 1/18/2012
I am finally blogging!
Rewinding back a few days, training camp was full of suprises for me. I didn't come with many expectations, but was definitely challenged in a lot of ways. God showed me new ways in which he works in others and even myself. He took away my fears and regrets and truely filled me with peace and confirmation that I am supposed to be here with these wonderful people. I am so honored an excited to see His plan for me unfold even more in these upcoming months!
Arriving late last night, we spent our first three hours traveling in the back of a truck through the highways of Nicaragua. It was crowded, but that only benefitted us when the cold wind prompted group cuddling. I love my group so much! I was also able to pass the time listening to music since I was lucky enough to sit by our new friend Eddie, who had a music player and some fun american songs to listen to. Michael Jackson and Flo Rida? YES please. Then this morning I was able to sleep in (wahhoooooo!) from a long day of traveling and woke up to find myself in paradise. I walked outside to find a volcano in the distance, surrounded by beautiful trees and the warm heat of the sun. God's creation here in Nicaragua truely takes my breath away. Today we went to the village of Bethel, who Vision Nicaragua has been working with and where we will spend a lot more of our time. It was a blessing to meet some of the people and play and learn from the kids there. I made some new friends and learned some new phrases to add to my Spanish vocabulary. I can't wait to go back and continue to surround the people there with God's love and joy.
It has been a crazy week filled with adventure, and I know this is only the beginning. I love it here!
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Posted in General Posts by Amy Crow on 1/18/2012
To explain my title, let's just say that if you're reading my blog that probably means that you aren't here with me (or maybe you are and you are just a stalker... HALIE.... NAY NAY) but probably not, which means I feel so bad for you! Mission trip right, so I probably am living in a small tent or shack with no real toilets or showers and am probably living a less abundant life according to worldly standards.. Well guess again my friends, I am in PARADISE! Nicaragua is so amazingly beautiful I am still speechless (and not just because I never paid attention in Spanish class, ha). But seriously we are so extremely blessed to be here, everyone is so loving and accepting and we are staying on land that overlooks a huge volcano.. oh and did I mention we are 20 minutes from the beach and it's been in the 90s... I promise this isn't bragging, just letting you in on the details... okay maybe it is, I am sorry!
Anyways, we got picked up last night from the airport around 9:30, then proceeded on a 3 1/2 hour trip in the back of a truck until we finally reached the town of Betel! This morning at around 7:30am my beautiful teammate Teani woke me up and we went out on our first running endeavor, which reminded me again of how nice and hot it is in Nicaragua and also how out of shape I am, ha!
Then later after hanging out and learning a little more about Vision Nicaragua and talking with our hosts Dan and Kathleen (super precious nice young couple, who I know I am going to adore) we took our first trip to the village to meet some of the Nicaraguan people! It was fantastic, I was stampeded by the many little ninos (that's kids for you non-spanish speaking folks) and also got to play some kickball with some of the students there that are closer to my age. After playing many games of "Como se dice in spanish, and como se dice in ingles" both my little nicaraguan friends and I were able to learn many words and phrases in both english and spanish, I was very appreciative. I also had many questions asked about myself as well, some that I could actually translate were "did your piercings hurt?" "what does your tattoo say?" "do you have a boyfriend"... you know normal questions of course!
Well anyways, I am running out of time and you are probably tired of reading so this is where we must part ways my friends, but please do know this... I AM LOVING NICARAGUA, EVERY SECOND OF IT! Also, God is so good beyond all measure, He is already providing in so many ways! Please continue to pray for my team, we will be roofing tomorrow on a lady's house from the village! And I think we will begin to build more houses after this week.
Do we serve an awesome God or what, can I get an AMENNNNNN? 
In HIM,
Amy Crow
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Posted in Admissions by Marcus Murphy on 1/18/2012
I'm surprised at how many chickens are just running around town here.This morning was the first morning in my life that i woke up to a rooster crowing, i didn't think that actually happens! No matter, this morning was one of the most beautiful settings to wake up to. The sun was returning to its place high in the sky, exotic birds were singing their canción, and our backyard volcano was lightly smoking at the peak. Yes we have a backyard volcano, you don't?
Anyway, today was the first day we really got to meet the beautiful people of Nicaragua in a small village called Betal which is roughly 4 miles from where we are staying. As soon as we hopped out of our "endless" passenger truck we were greeted with a grande hug from a little boy and his sister. As we walked about the town we were soon swarmed by what seemed like all the kids in the village! It was awesome!
I found out that being black down here is cool but has its negatives. THEY ALL SEEM TO THINK I KNOW MY SPANISH! I don't, sadly, but i knew enough to have a blast playing with the kids, sky rocketing them into there air over and over...and over and over, playing soccer, and learning their names. These kids love to be loved, and that is our mission while we're here, to show the people the love that our Father shows us.
Mathew 19:14. Jesus said to them "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belong to such as these"
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Posted in General Posts by Lindsey Miller on 1/18/2012
That's a title of a movie I watched once. Last night, as we were riding in the back of a truck on the 3 hour trip from the airport to our house, the stars were shining brighter than I've ever seen. There were SO many. I kept thinking, these are the same stars, and the same moon, that all my family and friends at home are looking at. We're all on the same world, which God has nestled right in His hands. My team and I are settled in and making this place "home".
I'm in love with this place and these people already. It's absolutely beautiful. The hospitality of our contacts, cooks, and housekeepers is amazing. Today, we had the chance to go to the village of Bethel, pronounced "Bettel", because they don't say the "th" in Spanish. This is the village which Vision Nicaragua works along side very closely. The kids hugged us as soon as we climbed out of the truck and we immediately began making friends and talking as best we could with the language barrier. That won't be too much of a barrier for long though. Love knows no language and these people are dearly loved and love dearly. One young guy knew all 13 of our names within an hour or so of meeting us! I'm excited to deepen the relationships and meet more people.
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Posted in Admissions by Kacie Manuel on 1/18/2012
So we made it through customs safe and sound, everyones bags made it smoothly. We all knew God was watching over us through that whole process. We were greeted by about ten or so Nicaraguans who were there to help us load up our bags onto the back of a truck, this truck was lined with benches where we could all sit. This truck was going to take us to Chinaendega, which would be a three hour ride. Needless to say that was a very intresting experience, but one of the most amazing ones I have had. Gods beauty was surrounding us the whole way there. It wsa the most beautiful starry night that I have ever seen in my life, the stars were so close I felt like I could touch them. Stars are one of my favorite creations, so it was so neat to ride in the back of a truck just staring at the beautiful night sky! Also, I saw a shiny orange looking star and I was told that was Jupiter! I was so fascinated by this, I have never seen a plante before other than in textbooks. It was so beautiful, God was definitley there with us when we arrived in Nicaragua. We finally got to the place that would be our new home for the next four months around 1 AM Nicaragua time, 2 AM home time. It is so nice, but since it was dark we couldnt exlore and see much, so we thought we would save that for the next morning!
I woke up this morning to the cockledoodledoooooo of a rooster. The thoughts to stay in bed and sleep, or go out and explore crossed my mind when I saw through a window that it ws sunny. I decided to go explore. I grabbed a friend and we went around the property, it did not take us long to realize that there was a beautiful volcano right behind our house. It was breathtaking. I still cannot believe that God has blessed me so much, and has allowed me to come and share His love, and peace, and joy with His people. We got to do a little bit of that today. We went to the village bethel that we would spend most of our time in and got to meet all of the people. Immeadiately we all had kids jumping on us and wanting to play. They are all so beautiful, I cant wait to spend more time getting to know all of these beautiful kids! Well please continue with all of the prayers! :)
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Posted in Admissions by Christy Searcy on 1/18/2012
We are in Nicaragua!! Last night, we arrived at about 2 AM so we couldn't see what we were getting into. From the airport though, we were picked up sand we rode in the back of a truck for 3 hours. That was our first chance to get to interact with any Nicaraguans. We all, being the experts that we are, decided to strike up conversation. One of my teammates was trying to remember words that she knew and onion was one of them. She tried to tell the people that we all like onions. However, it translated as we are all onions! That was when we all became a little humble and realized we actually know nothing. We have a lot to learn for sure.
This morning we woke up to beautiful palm trees, a hot sun, and a volcano right behind us! The country here is so beautiful. We checked out a small town today and got our 15 minutes of fame. Everyone was staring us gringos down! My favorite part though was when we went to a small village. I have never been welcomed like that before in my entire life. I didn't know any of these people but they didn't hesitate. The ran up and kissed me on the cheek and held my hand. They kept telling me over and over that I was bonita (which was a real confidence boost since I haven't exactly "put on the dog" down here).
I was honestly surprised at the living conditions in the villages. I guess I didn't expect it to be that bad. I don't know how to explain it other than it really was a village and nothing more. All in all, it was good to get our feet a little wet and catch a glimpse of what our next months might look like. From what I can see, we have a lot that we can do here, but we also have much to learn from these amazing people.
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