Journal

I wake up from my hour of sleep, its 4:47, the sky is still dark but the birds are chirping. I walk out to go get ready and pass one of the kitchen staff saying “Buenos.” Instantly my heart was filled with joy and sadness because I won’t here that after this morning. I am slapped in the face with the realization today is the day I leave for my journey home, I should be happy but I’m not. I’ve been here 3 months and I’ve become a part of this family here at CICRIN. I thought I was ready to go home until this last week approached and here I am wishing I had more time. As one little boy says “I am not excited for the fiesta, I’m sad. The fiesta means you (makes motion for flying away).” If my heart wasn’t already breaking he th…

My favorite event of the week happened this Saturday night. I just finished eating dinner when Hazel, an older girl at CICRN, asked if Hannah, a girl on my team, and I wanted to come into the kitchen with her and make something. Side note: One of the rules here is to not invade on the cooks’ space. The kitchen is usually off limits, but the cook had left for the night and I was thrilled with the opportunity to enter unmarked territory. Hannah is the translator of the group; so I could communicate through her to understand what I was suppose to be doing. However, about five minutes in Hannah had to leave because she was feeling sick. CAN WE SAY AWKWARD? Casually chopping some potato looking thing that is non existent in America and listening to five Spanish speaking people have a f…

Dear Family and Friends,   As we near our last month here at CICRIN and have recently moved into the newly finished missionary house, we have prayerfully come to the decision of raising money to furnish the house.   We are extremely happy to be living in this new house; however, our living conditions are less than ideal. As fun as it is for all thirteen of us to sleep on the floors, have constant slumber parties with each other, the bugs and dirt; we would like to give future teams who stay here a safe and comfortable home away from home. In doing so we want to raise money for necessities such as box springs, mattresses, bed frames, fans and mirrors.   For many missionaries, nights are spent processing through the days work, sharing how God will has been done, and u…

Beans and Whistles (Gone With The Wind) It’s a Tuesday and we have a team from Gordon College in Boston, Adios Ministries from Maine, and yours truly Passport Nicaragua. I’m back in my natural habitat the kitchen after getting a crash course in third world construction its safe to say the kitchen is my happy place. Jimmy (19) has been here since he was 4 months old and probably one of the most multifaceted individual’s I’ve ever met. Today I and Jimmy are going to filter Pinto beans. In Nicaragua with the average person living on less than two dollars a day rice and beans are served at every meal. In the bag the beans are covered in grass and sticks using a big bowl filled with the unfiltered beans I place the semi-heavy bowl over my head and jimmy tells me to c…

T otal honesty is to admit our inability to be truthful with the face we see in the mirror O ne bad moment can destroy a lifetime of careful watching   B e urgent about things that matter and outcomes that will last E xtend grace not just to the gracious but to those who lack a grace   P assion is good but needs parameters to keep constructive R eputation from others out the window E veryday set your minds on things that are ABOVE not on things on Earth S erves the interest of others and does best today to honor you in WORD and ACTION E xistence of God is everything that is made N eed stronger shoes to walk in rather that easier paths T hose who fail in action are frequently exposed here on Earth but those who do right things for wrong reasons are often not discove…

Well we are here, and Nicaragua is a Spanish speaking country. “Hola” is about the extent of my Spanish so I tend to use the word over 100 times a day. My life has quickly become a never-ending game of charades, and this charades life is a challenging life. Thinking before you speak is a necessity here. How important is this five minute skit I am about to put on to ask where I should dump the trash? Ministry is definitely about seeing what needs to be done and doing it with as little words as possible.   One of my favorite memories from this week happened the second full day I was here. I was cleaning the school cafeteria with part of my team and two girls from CIRCN (the orphanage). We were just sweeping and moping and saying “Hola” over and over again. W…

  I’ve visited many churches & ministries in my vast 18 years of life and have realized something disturbing about North American Christians. We love Jesus with a burning passion but if we were asked how much do we love the Holy Spirit the answer would get stuck on the tip of our tounge.    In training for this trip I was reminded that the Holy Spirit seeks to have true intimacy with us. The illustration was with a water bottle and a cup. The speaker filled the cup up not even half way and proceeded to move around swinging his arms back and forth with ease. The speaker than told us about how when take the cap off God fills up the cup and our (christian) walk changes. If you know anything about great sermons and stories it can be really difficult to translate them o…

As a believers in Christ we sing these songs of set a fire down in my soul,no place I would rather be,fill me up,and I could literally go on all day. Its sad and disappointing that if God truly fulfilled all these “request” (which he can) we wouldn’t know where to start. Do we really want God to break every chain? Do we really want the living God to set a fire down in our soul? Can I really be in so in love with Jesus?     The bible is full of broken people who God used as a vessel to bring him glory. So today I want to encourage you that no matter what you have been through God is able. God can really set you free from everything that keeps you from loving him, he can set a fire down in your soul(yes stronger than taco bell), he can lead you where your trust is without bor…

Legally the bus should sit around 13 but its a Tuesday there’s church, kids need to get home, and it is one my team members birthday’s, so ice cream is the “move” as we young folks say. The faded green bus fills up with women,children,and gringos. The roads are uneven so i lose count around 35 people. The seating is worn down and yes it’s hot. In the south chivalry isn’t dead or at least that’s what I was taught so giving up a seat is customary. I motion to one of the women talking mostly with my hands that she can have my seat. I’m hot, tired and creamy ice cream is the last thing my immune system needs. It’s having a fiesta getting acclimated to all these new germs I’ll be good in a month. Anderson the friend I made instantaneously just by playing soccer gives me a fist bump as he tel…

  Breakfast was as I would say on point… There was Corn Tortillas,Eggs from the farm, pico de gallo,watermelon, cantaloupe, and that Nicaraguan rice and beans. I’m getting ahead of myself let me back up. I woke up at 6 in an attempt to workout but after a day of doing kitchen duties, socializing with the kids, and toughing out the heat the snooze button did it’s job. I arose 20 minutes later and grabbed my indestructible cell phone,white skull candy headphones and book “When Helping Hurts-How to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor and yourself”. Found my spot by the beautiful freshwater lake and with highlighter in hand started dissecting my book. Will Reagan is blasting in my ear and I subconsciously hum along and it’s so windy the cotton University of Georgia pullover …