We put up a new gallery from the Vida Joven 5K. Find it here.

It was a beautiful night out at the Prayer House for the first Monday night Solo Por Hoy meeting. This night is lead by a fellow recovering addict who really has a heart for people that are struggling with addiction. He styled the night a little differently and it was great to be a part of it. We started with some general guidelines and then had a time for musical worship lead by one of my favorite people – Lester.

During the time of the group when we allow for people to share, one of the brothers shared how he had offended Lester in his past and through tears he apologized to him. They met in the middle of the room and embraced each other as Lester forgave him. It was beautiful. I leaned over to Mario and said “that’s what this is all about”. Reconciliation. Restoration. Forgiveness.

That’s when it hit me. God is at work in these meetings. God is moving in the hearts of addicts in this little corner of the world and I get to be a part of this. It’s truly a beautiful experience.

Granada welcomed Vida Joven, or Young Life, almost two years ago. This wildly successful program has demonstrated that young people here are hungry for wholesome alternatives to drugs, alcohol, gangs and life in the streets. As host to the Club, EL Puente is bursting with kids throughout the week. However, this Club receives no outside support, making the 5 Kilometer Fun Run essential to the Club’s survival. Last year we raised about $4000 through this event, and this year we hope to raise double that amount, so that we can bring Vida Joven to another poor barrio, patiently waiting over a year for their own Club.

We hope you will sponsor youth in this year’s race.If you’d like to help, we suggest the following sponsorship levels:

• Single Sponsorship: $5
• Triple Sponsorship: $15
• Quintuplets: $25
• Ten People: $50
• Any amount you would like to give is welcome!

Checks may be mailed to:

Adventures in Missions
6000 Wellspring Trail
Gainesville, GA 30506
Attention: Nicaragua Kids Camp Fun Run (don’t forget this!)

Or, sponsorships may be made online at this link: VidaJoven

Once you are on the web page, simply:

1. In the drop down menu select “Support a World Race Project”
2. In the Project box that appears, type in: Nicaragua Kids Camp Fun Run
3. Follow the simple donation process

All funds collected will go directly to the Vida Joven Granada. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Thanks for your help!

I have some great news to report – there is a good possibility that by this time next week there will be two more Solo Por Hoys meeting each week. When we started Solo Por Hoy my prayer was that it would multiply and that some Nicaraguans would step up and lead other meetings with the goal of having one that met every day of the week.

3 days down – 4 to go!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about discipleship and what it actually means to disciple someone. I recently read a blog post from the director of the organization that we are with that explains why discipleship is often tough. In the post it says:

It takes time. To do it right, you need to be influencing a disciple’s life 24/7 like Jesus did. 16 waking hours a day x 3 years = 15,000 hours.

It takes years. Disciples change slowly and make lots of mistakes before they start getting it right. And they may never leave your life.

It takes trust. When you ask your disciple to change her behavior and you don’t have an answer she likes for “Why?” She still has to trust you.

It takes modeling. A thousand sermons don’t show you how to change your behavior, but if the behavior can be demonstrated, it answers the “How?” question.

It takes confrontation. In our natural fleshly state, our behavior is selfish; to help change it, disciplers must confront it and ask for something different.

It takes availability. Discipling another person is an inconvenient task. It intrudes on your regular life and often robs you of your privacy.

It takes vulnerability. As your disciple sees you live your life out before her, she see your flaws. Those flaws give her permission to fail.

It takes care. You can’t do this clinically. Sometimes you have to hug and kiss disciples. You have to accept them in their messed up state.

It takes listening. The only way that you can help a disciple work through the need for change is by listening.

It takes wisdom. You’re dealing with a person’s life here. The counsel you give in tough situations may be hard to hear and implement.

It takes confidentiality. Your disciple’s issues are a matter between the two of you. Share it elsewhere without permission and you blow trust.

It takes vision. You have to see your disciple not as they are, but in your mind’s eye fully developed.

Since we’ve been here in Granada trying to live this out in daily life, I think the availability is the one that trips me up the most. Am I really making myself available to people or do I get annoyed when they drop by or inconvenience me in any way. I’ve never been an it’s-ok-to-drop-by-on-me-anytime-kind-of-guy but I know that this is an important part of building relationships through which true discipleship happens.

Today I am praying that I can become a person who says, “It’s ok to drop by on me because I care about you. It’s ok to come to me when you need someone to talk to even if that doesn’t fit into my schedule.”

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!

I felt connected at worship this morning, to generations of worshipers. To my grandmother, who loves Jesus and has been a great example of grace. To my mom, who trained me. To Mary, Naomi, Esther, Ruth, Rachel, Rebekah and all the other women in the Bible who worshiped the same God.

Our pastor spoke of the amazing mystery of being a tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. It is awe inspiring to realize that I possess the living God in my body. I sat there, ashamed of the ways I reject the God who created me. The ways in which my pride takes over and I am left with less than what God wants of me.

As I raised my hands in worship, I remembered the first services I participated in at Brookhills. Where my heart was healed after years of running from God. I felt connected to the person I used to be, and realized how far I’ve come in the past five years. The words poured out of me at the end of the service, when our pastor gave us time to respond to the message. I can’t even remember the specifics of my prayer, only wanting to belong to God completely and fully. Realizing that this was the last Sunday I would worship with my faith family until October was emotional. Our God is not a God of time, and those months will pass faster than I could ever imagine. But I will still miss this place, these people.

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.