It’s Thursday of our first week back from our trip to the States. I am about 90% after coming here with a cold that put me out of commission for the beginning of the week and Bekah has had a week packed full of ministry. It’s so good to be back and to see the smiling faces of our community here in Granada. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing group of people and that has never been more clear to me than now.

This morning during Solo Por Hoy, three guys shared from their hearts and it brought tears to my eyes (and the eyes of three gringo missionaries from Oregon that randomly showed up with Ezequiel). They told of struggles they have had -some recent, some in their past – but the theme of all three of the stories was the same.

A God who chases after us and never lets go.

A God who I screamed out to and begged for help.

A God who lets us figure out on our own when we’ve had enough of the pig pen and are ready to come home to his arms once again.

A God that runs to us and gives us another chance.

Every one of the guys (including myself) said that this was the path that had to happen for us. We had to come to a point where we made a decision to believe that our lives could change. Belief that there was hope for something more.

The lesson I taught today says, “If we see God as one who is reaching out to help us, we will be more eager to look for him. If our faith has not matured to that point yet, we can ask for help.” God wants too help us. God is reaching out to people not only here but all over the place. I was filled with joy and encouragement today.

It is good to be back…

As I sit here in my favorite coffee shop in my hometown with Coldplay playing in my ears, I can’t help but think about how much my life has changed is such a short amount of time. This place represents so much more than a good cup of coffee. We walked in the door and were greeted by the owner with a hug and a smile. It’s only been six months since we were here but it feels like years. The last time we were here, we were working out notices at our full time jobs, packing up our apartment and making plans for our move to Nicaragua. We lived a life that is so different than it is now. Not better or worse, just different.

I used to come here everyday and work and stare out at University Boulevard and dream about what our lives would look like when we moved to Nicaragua. Playing out scenarios in my head of what our everyday lives would look like. I remember thinking about how much I would miss these times and to be honest I do miss them sometimes. But I’m also reminded about a time when in our lives when the God of the universe called us out of our normal American lives and said “Follow me to Nicaragua”.

Being home for a visit has given me the opportunity to reflect on what God is doing in and through us in Granada. It has allowed me to not only see friends and family but also to miss our new friends and family. Granada may not be “home” but we also being shown that home is where you are instead of a particular place.

We feel that we are at sort of a crossroads with our time there and we are going to begin praying for God to show us if he wants us to stay for a longer term or if he wants us to come back to the states for something else. We are praying for God to give us this answer quickly because it changes how we look at our last seven months in Nicaragua. If he calls us for a longer period, we feel we should dive into language training and developing the base we have now into a more advanced level. If he calls us back to the states, we would spend our last seven months developing relationships and ministries so that it continues after we leave. Please join us in praying for direction. We are trusting and believing that he will guide our steps.

If we didn’t get a chance to see you face to face know that we miss you and can’t wait until we can hug your neck!

Peniel (named after the place where Jacob wrestles with God) is the mens center that we work with to sponsor men that want to enter treatment for their addictions. It is a place that allows men to get away from their surroundings and have a genuine encounter with the God of the universe. For 6 months the men are discipled and taught how to not only live a clean life but how to be the man that God created them to be. They also work while they are there to help offset the cost of the ministry.

The grounds at Peniel are well manicured – full of plants and animals

Peniel sits on 50+ acres. In their spare time the guys are encouraged to go out and find God in the landscape here.

There is fields and fields of crops to help feed the guys while they are here

The city of Granada is filled with people that are struggling with addictions. From 50 year old alcoholics to 10 year boys addicted to sniffing glue, addiction has ravished the city. Sadly, there are no treatment centers in the entire city so the ministry we work with sponsors men to go to Peniel which is about 45 minutes outside of the city of Granada. With so many people struggling and with poverty, you can imagine that there is a lot of interest in sponsorship. We have a process that allows us to get to know the guys before we send them and we also encourage them to join in the ministries that we are involved in. My hope is that some of them figure out that they can stay clean without going to Peniel.

The buildings are covered with graffiti art. This one says “Jehova Lives”.

This art symbolizes what happens here – the captives are set free!

Bacon anyone? Peniel raises a lot of their own food. This pig weighed over 300 pounds!

Mario talking with the director and owner of Peniel, pastor Frank

Currently we have three guys at Peniel going through the program. Here’s their pictures so you can pray for them:

At random moments around town it is not uncommon for someone to yell “SOLO POR HOY!” at me. It makes me smile every time.

I hate speaking in front of people. The thought of it brings me into a near panic. My anxiety level shoots up and I feel like my heart is going to explode. It has always been a great fear for me. Yesterday I had to look this fear in the face once again.

First let me tell you how this came about. One of the things God has lead Bekah and I to do here is start small groups throughout the city. We’ve shared this with our community and we received lots of great feedback and support. There is a group from Pennsylvania that comes to Granada twice a year and holds a conference with the intention of helping unify the churches here. Charles (the base director here) shared with one of the leaders our desire to start small groups and they thought it would be a great idea for me to share about this at the conference.

I was very nervous about the idea and I didn’t want to do it at first. But I felt God telling me that I needed to. The topic was small groups in the church and we decided that I would talk about our experience with small groups at our church in Birmingham and how they effected us. I was really prepared and I went over my material two or three times with Bekah. But the night before I had a near breakdown and I told Bekah some of the things that were going through my head. I was upset and I felt trapped. I felt like I was being pushed into this public speaking roll without any say in the matter. I threw out some pretty strong language and after we talked a bit, the lies that I had been listening to slowly started to come out:

You’ll never be able to do this.

What you have to say is not important.

You’re just not good at stuff like this.

You will fail.

After sharing this with Bekah, we were able to point out that these things in my head were lies and I went to bed feeling a little better about it but definitely not 100%. I woke up the next morning and as I went over my final preparations, I began to speak truth to myself:

I can do this.

What I have to say has value and merit.

Remember to BREATHE.

I went to the conference feeling peaceful about everything and I had this strange new feeling of confidence. My first group was at 10:30am and it went really well. It helped at first that I had a translator because after every phrase I could stop and catch my breath while they translated. There was a lot of interest and questions at the end. The people of Nicaragua are very relational so the concept of small groups really makes sense to them. I left feeling great about it and it was such a relief. The afternoon session was a breeze and again the response was amazing.

God really is in control of this thing isn’t he? When will I figure out that he is trying to shape me into a leader who has something valuable to share with the world? Not quite there, but I feel like I took a big step in the right direction yesterday.

One of the things God has lead me (Frank) to do here is to start a small group that meets once a week at El Puente (the mission base). The small group is made up of men that are in the process of transformation and recovery from drug and alcohol addictions. We have named it Solo Por Hoy (Just For Today). It is set up very similar to a Narcotics Anonymous group. We are currently walking through the 12 steps one by one and looking at what the Bible says about them. Each time we end gathered around in a big circle joined together (thanks dad) and we pray for the help we need to stay clean and sober just for today. The response has been really good so please pray that this ministry continues to be blessed.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. [2 Corinthians 5:17]

Last night was spent on our front porch watching fireworks with our roommates. After midnight struck all of the neighbors went around and gave each other hugs and blessings for the year to come. It beautiful and today I am filled with gratitude to have been given the opportunity to experience it.

El Basurero is the city dump of Granada. Mario (one of our local ministry partners) heads up a group that goes once a week with lunch to talk and pray with the people that work at the dump. Around 30 families come everyday to dig through the city’s discarded trash and salvage what they can to recycle and sell. The average adult worker here makes around $2 a day. That’s $2 a day to feed, clothe and provide shelter for their family.

Through our supporters and some extra donations, we were able to provide over 30 bags of toiletries for the families. We went down the day before Christmas Eve with toys and pinatas for the kiddos and bags of food and toiletries for the adults. It was an amazing day and such a blessing to be able to be there.

Here’s a couple of videos from the day:

You can check out some pictures from El Basurero by clicking here.

Let me start by saying this is one of the craziest people you will ever meet in your life. I mean crazy. But this guy loves Jesus and the joy that comes from God is very evident in his life.

Meet Abrahan Ezequiel Dias Mora (and yes it is common for people to have four names here) or simply Ezequiel. He lives here in Granada a couple of blocks from the mission base, El Puente. Ezequiel is always around helping, joining in ministries, making people laugh, and is such a joy to be around. His most famous phrase is “JESUS LOVE YOU!” yelled in English as loud as he can.

[Annie, Ezequiel and Jessalyn]

To be honest when I first met Ezequiel I was a bit hesitant about him, thinking “I’m not sure about this one” but he quickly won me over. He is very eager to learn and after the holidays I am going to be tutoring him in basic computer knowledge. He is also in the process of raising support to go on a mission trip for four weeks to a remote area in Northeast Nicaragua. If you feel lead to support Ezequiel, please get in touch with us and we can help you connect with him.

Enjoy these photos of the man himself:

[¡Que suave!]

[I was stabbed by my lucky machete...]

[Ezequiel stabbing Trevor]

[Ezequil's new girlfriend - a piñata at El Basurero]

My parents and our nephew left this morning after coming to Granada and spending a week with us. It was an incredible time to catch up, laugh and play together.

We took them on a whirlwind tour of Granada and the surrounding areas. From active volcanoes, markets, beautiful lookouts, an island boat tour (with MONKEYS), swimming at the laguna (aka – a giant swimming hole in the top of an old volcano) to watching them become friends with our wonderful roommates, their time (although it seemed too short) with us was very refreshing.

In addition to site seeing, we also introduced them to some of the ministries that we are involved with. We tagged along with our friends as they handed out new work boots to the dozens of people that work in the city dump just outside of Granada.

While here my parents had the amazing opportunity (thanks also to some big hearts back home) to not only bless a family that we work with and also send a guy to rehab with a bag of toiletries – but leave funding for future needs that we come across.

Their visit was full of adventure to say the least. From getting lost in a town with a 12 foot tree in the trunk of a Toyota Yaris to getting pulled over by the cops and getting hustled for $10 (or $5 if Bekah had her way) we had a blast learning the ins and outs of new journeys with our loved ones in the car with us. Now to get some rest…