If The Shoe Fits, Wear It

I know you have all heard people say something about "walking a mile in someone else's shoes." Well someone is literally doing that here in Nicaragua, but he is doing it in my shoes. Before I left the States for Nicaragua I put a box of old shoes on a container to El Crucero. I knew I would never wear them again, and that someone here might want them. I gave a few pairs of them to my friend Cesar. This morning I went to his office, and he told me a touching story. He was in Diriamba (a town nearby) at a meeting for the Gideons. An old friend and pastor he hadn't seen in a long time just happened to be there. They spoke for a while and Cesar noticed the man's clothes and shoes looked very worn. Cesar happened to have my shoes in his car and asked his pastor friend if he might want them. They were a little too small for Cesar anyway. When the pastor saw the shoes and tried them on he began to cry. Cesar was a little overwhelmed. He asked the man why he was crying, and the pastor replied that for the last 2 months he had been saving up to buy new shoes. It just happened that he was on his way that very morning to buy new ones in Jinotepe, but while walking he saw the Gideon meeting (of which he is no longer a member) and was compelled to stop in and see old friends such as Cesar. The pastor knew the Lord had led him to the Gideon meeting for this very reason: to get new shoes.

My friend from the football team, Luis (#69), asked me for some help a few weeks ago. He knew a guy who was selling a pair of cleats, and Luis really needed some for the team. He asked if I could help him out with the money situation. At the time I didn't have enough money to help him and really didn't want to just give him the money. So, I asked if the guy might be able to do a trade. I took 3 pair of shoes with me to meet the guy with the cleats. Once there, we started bargaining. He ended up giving us the cleats for 2 pair of my old shoes and 100 cordobas ($5). Luis was so proud and excited about his new cleats. He said it was a blessing from the Lord. However, I walked away feeling even more blessed to be able to help a friend. Jesus was right when he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. How often I forget that.

So, now there is literally a pastor walking miles in my shoes to bring the Good News to people in the mountains of Nicaragua. And a good friend of mine is playing a sport he loves in his new cleats because of my old shoes that have been collecting dust in the attic for years. It is just another example to me of how the little things we have yet ignore are an enormous blessing to many here in this country.

God & Football: An Interesting Combination

Yesterday we had our fourth football game of the season. We had just finished resting for two weeks and were ready to play. The desire to get our first 'W' was in the air. We all knew we had the ability, we just needed to work together as a team. To keep the story short, because I would love to give you a play by play, I will just give the highlights. The other team got the ball first and easily drove down the field for a touchdown (8-0, with 2-point conversion). We then received the kickoff and went 3 and out. We were trying to run the ball and it wasn't working at all. They got the ball back and drove down for another score (14-0, no conversion). The thought of victory was vanishing. With just a few minutes remaining in the first half we had the ball and were driving down the field. With no time remaining we scored on a 50-yard touchdown pass, and I ran it in for the 2 point conversion (14-8). Our spirits were high at halftime because we were going to get the ball to start the second half. I am really glad we scored at the end or the team might have easily given up. To start the second half we drove all the way down the field and were in position to score. I had a receiver open in the end zone, and I was seeing an easy touchdown, but when I threw the ball it came out of my hand funny and was intercepted. So, it's an understatement to say that I was a little unhappy.

*Side Note*
I went to the sidelines very frustrated and angry with myself. I was walking off alone to calm down. (I wasn't playing defense anyway, so I had time to be alone.) My friend and teammate Luis (#69 in photos from previous blogs) called me over. He was in the van alone with his pads off. I guess he had been hurt. I got over there and he said "Vamos a orar." (Let's pray.) I honestly wasn't in the mood to pray, but I bowed my head with him anyway. He didn't start praying so I assumed he wanted me to pray. Trying to calm myself, I prayed a few short prayers for patience, calmness, and wisdom. We sat in silence for a while and then I went back to the sidelines a little more comforted.
*End Side Note*

Getting back to the sideline I found that we had just started the fourth quarter. The other team still had the ball, and the very next play they fumbled the ball and we recovered it. 1st & 10, Knights!! I ran on the field in shock. Was God helping us out?! We drove down the field and scored on a QB scramble. The field is so poorly marked that I really didn't know I had scored. I thought we still had 10 more yard to go, but I wasn't going to argue. The two point conversion to go ahead went right through the recievers hands (14-14). We now had a chance to win. We just needed to stop them and get the ball back. I entered the game to play safety. They were moving the ball easily by running it. But I guess it wasn't enough for them to keep it on the ground, so they decided to throw. The quarterback was so easy to read, so as he released the ball I was in great position for the interception. As I was jumping for an easy pick, our other safetly hit me knocking the ball out of my hand, and I fell to the ground on my back. No interception and I went out because I had landed hard on my wrist. The other team ended up scoring on that drive (22-14, with 2 point conversion). We had less than two minutes to go all the way down the field starting on our own 5. I wrapped my wrist, sucked it up, and went in. We started moving the ball, and two big plays took us to the 10 yard line (at least I thought so) with 6 seconds remaining. The two big plays involved a "roughing the passer" penalty, of course, and a long pass. The last "long" pass had only taken 4 seconds, so I thought we might have two more plays. I called a play for the Tight End, said hike, and rolled right. And another busted play, no one was where I had hoped they be (man we need to practice!), so I started running trying to get a few yards and out of bounds. My best reciever was in front of me, and I thought he would release to the the endzone for an easy lob pass, but he stayed to block. I slipped, tried to get out of bounds, was tackled, but the ball went out so I thought we stopped the clock. But as I looked up the ref signaled the end of the game. I argued that we had stopped the clock to no avail. After a second and someone pointing it out, I realized that we were only 1 yard away from the endzone. This was the same side that was so poorly marked. I couldn't believe it! Had I known I might have been able to give it a little more effort to get that last yard instead of getting out of bounds. We were so close!! I wanted so badly to get a win for the team, especially the San Marcos guys who have become such close friends.

After all that, you probably thought we were going to win, huh? Well, me too. However, what stands out most to me was the prayer with my friend. I was putting the entire game on my shoulders, and God showed me that He is still in control, and all the glory is His. I can't necessarily say that the fumble recovery was His doing, but who knows? It would have been nice to give God glory through a win and not another defeat, but He is still teaching me and our team something. Maybe soon He will get all the glory for our victory.

Getting home from the game and licking my wounds, I found this picture on my facebook wall. I went 180 degrees from disappointment and pain to laughing hysterically. It's good to know I have such great support more than 1000 miles away!

Hermosa Granada

So this weekend I had another expense paid trip by Ave Maria. This time to the city of Granada. It is probably the most beautiful and most toured city in Nicaragua. I also think it is one of the oldest. I find it funny that even though my trip was paid for I still did everything as cheaply as possible. I think it's just in my blood. For instance, I could have easily taken a taxi around town and to the marina as I searched for water sport potential, but instead I rented a bike for $2 and rode it everywhere. I kind of enjoyed the exercise, but the roads here are not very smooth so some stretches were pretty rough on the body. Altogether it was a great trip and I found a great spot to do some water skiing, wakeboarding and tubing. Of course, I didn't miss the opportunity to do some siteseeing while I was there.

On my way back to San Marcos, I met up with some friends and we went swimming in the beautiful lagoon below. It is crater of a dormant volcano. I am pretty sure that is the first time I have ever been swimming in a crater. There were a few volcanic rocks floating around. It was a beautiful and peaceful experience. I felt like I was in a movie, not The Blue Lagoon, but something like that.

More Than a Carpenter

This is the bracelet that I wear nowadays. For a short time I thought these symbols would make a cool tattoo until I saw someone wearing it as a bracelet. For those who don't know, it means, "He came, He died, He arose, He ascended, & He's coming back." The entire gospel in 5 easy symbols. This bracelet has led to a few interesting conversations, and one happened just the other night.

I was meeting with some of my German and Peace Corps friends that I had met here in San Marcos. They brought some other friends along, so we were all doing the "Hey, so where are you from?" stuff. One of the girls eventually asked me what my bracelet meant. So, I told her.
"Are you a faithful person?" She then asked.
"I'd like to think so," I answered.
"Are you a Christian?"
"Do you want the short or long answer?"
(Also for those who don't know, my short answer is 'yes' but I normally like to answer in a different way because so many people have bad stereotypes for Christians.) I gave her both answers.
"And you?" I asked.
"I grew up Jewish but have kind of formed my own faith."
"Hey, the best man to ever walk this earth was Jewish."
"Yea, I think so too, but I don't think He's my Savior or anything like that."
That really made my heart and mind start racing. I can't just sit here and not tell her the truth. But is now the right time? How aggressive should I be? I decided I had to say something. I couldn't just let that go.
"Can I share my thoughts about that?" I then said.
"Sure."
"Well, there are really only 3 possibilities for who Jesus is and was." I continued to explain the 'Lord, Liar, Lunatic' expression that Josh McDowell writes about in his book, More Than a Carpenter. I told her that Jesus doesn't give us the option to think that he was simply a very righteous man with good teaching.
"That is very interesting," she responded, or at least she said something like that.

There was a part of me that wanted to tell her that I wasn't leaving until she admitted that Jesus was THE Savior and even more, HER Savior. The Chinese Christian Brother Yun from the book The Heavenly Man (an amazing true story by the way) wouldn't have let her walk away without getting a full confession, prayer of repentance, and then baptism. I struggled with what was my role and the Holy Spirit's role in this situation. I know the Holy Spirit is the only one who can convict the soul, but we have a very vital part to play. And I didn't want to use that as an excuse not to push her to realize the truth. Well, we talked a little further about faith and other things, but that was about all. I just hope that those words of truth about Jesus resonate in her mind, and she chooses to search for the truth on her own.

After 2 Whole Years!

Earlier today, Joslynn and her 3 boys (Melios, Rosendo, and Beto) left El Crucero and Nicaragua for good to reunite with Ryan, the father, in Florida. (Side note: Ryan had just left El Crucero after being here for a few weeks. They were actually able to start living as a family here.) After a long two year adoption process, the Heath family is now together in the States. A lot of tears where shed this morning at MQV as we said our final goodbyes. The boys are really excited. This is their first time to fly, and as soon as they set foot on American soil they are officially U.S. citizens. They will be spending the next few weeks visiting family in Florida before heading home to Chicago. It is going to be a big adjustment getting used to the cold up there. It is a blessing to have been there to see them leave and to have been a small part of the process. I remember my first trip to Nicaragua in October of 2008. We flew to Waspam to find the boys' grandparents, get some birth certificates, and start the adoption process. A full 2 years later I am saying goodbye as they depart for their new home. I hope to be able to visit them in Chicago sometime and see how they are doing.



A few more pics of the Ave Maria Knights and a video of our first touchdown of the season.

Progress is happening.

Two things here are really moving forward. First, this weekend I took an all-expense-paid trip to San Juan del Sur for Ave Maria University. Actually, they gave me $50 and I had to spend less than that. But that wasn't a problem for me since I am so good at being thrifty. Ave Maria wanted me to investigate the possiblity of bringing groups there for weekend surf trips. They had a hard time convincing me to go, because there were so many other things I'd rather do than go to the beach and surf. Are you kidding?! I was ecstatic. I went by myself, and it was a very successfull trip. I found some great places to stay with a group of about 15 to 20 and transportation to all the great surf spots. The only downside was that I left my rash guard on the beach, but hopefully my new friends from there picked it up for me because I told them exactly where I left it. I can actually see it laying on a rock far down the beach it in one of the pictures I took. The pictures are from Playa Romanso, and the waves were beautiful. However, the purpose of me telling you all this is because the University is seriously considering a paid position for me as a "Water Sports Excursions Instructor / Sports Director." I really just made that title up, but it will be something like that. And this trip was the beginning of making that all happen. It would be so amazing to bring a group of students here and be able to surf and play during the day and then have worship around a big bonfire on the beach at night.

Second, the Ave Maria Knights football team is getting better. We had our second football game this past Sunday. And when I say we were so close to winning, I am not just saying that. We were SO close. It almost hurt worse when we lost. We had two touchdowns called back, and at the end of the game we were on the 5 yard line and all we needed to do was punch it in the endzone, but we have no running game. The offensive can't push the D-line back or give us any holes to run through. The final score was 14-8, and I know we gained more yards on offense than the other team. The one good thing that is coming from all this is that the students are hearing about our games and know that we are getting better. Our next game is this Saturday at home (the Ave Maria Campus), so I am sure we will get a lot more support for this one. Hopefully we come out with a victory.

One short spiritual note so you all know I am not here just playing around. I have been praying that God would give me opportunities to share His love with others. So, yesterday I was talking with two friends on campus. One of them mentioned how she had been feeling down recently, and that's why she was smoking a cigarette. We've talked before about our faiths, and she had shared that she is a relatively new Christian. I told her I was sorry she was feeling low but didn't know what to do to lift her spirits. Luckily, I had my iPod with me and was listening to my "Jesus Music" playlist. It was actually playing softly in one ear as I was talking with them cause I had been listening to it all morning, and one of my favorite songs (my mother's too) was playing - "The Old Rugged Cross." I told them that whenever I am feeling a little down I listen to this playlist and it makes me feel better. So, I gave them my earphones and let them listen to the song. I even told them a little story of how that particular song had impacted me deeply a few Easters ago in Costa Rica. So they sat and listened to a song that so easily, yet powerfully, explains the Gospel message. When the song was over the girl said that she honestly felt better, and the other guy with her said that he really liked the song too. I don't know about his faith, but maybe soon. I just really liked how God gave me that little opportunity and all I had to do was hit play on my iPod.

Football Americano (Nica Style)

This past Saturday the Ave Maria Knights had there first football game of the season. We have been practicing on and off for about 3 weeks now. What I mean by "off" is that you never know who's going to show up each day for practice. So, I believe that we have only had about 4-5 solid practices in those 3 weeks. Nevertheless, Saturday arrives and I am really excited yet nervous, because I have no idea what to expect. I don't know anything about our competition or my own team for that matter. About 20 guys show up (some from around San Marcos and a few from the university), we load up into a microbus which doesn't have enough room for us all, and drive 30 minutes to Managua for the game. There are a total of 4 teams in our league, including us, and the first two are playing when we arrive at 1:30 in the afternoon. I am only able to watch a little bit of the game, because I am busy telling everyone what position they will play, going over a few plays, and practicing snaps with my new center. Of course, these are all things that should have been taken care of weeks ago, but we are doing them one hour before our first game. As the first game starts winding down, we begin our warm-ups. We can see our opponents on the other side of the field doing the same with about 40-50 guys, and all in unison as they count every stretch. We, on the other hand, seem more like the three stooges times six, because we can't count in rhythm, much less do jumping jacks together. I couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. "We are going to get creamed," I thought. But I tried to keep my spirits high.

It came time for the coin toss, so myself and two other smaller guys from my team walked out to midfield. We were met by the 6 largest guys from the other side. We shook hands, won the toss, deferred to the second half, and returned to our sideline. We sent 11 guys on the field to kick-off, but we still didn't know who was going to kick. But since everyone here in Nicaragua plays soccer, it wasn't hard to find someone to do it. Luckily for us, he kicked a line shot. It hit of the shoulder of a guy from the other team, and we recovered the ball. First and ten, Knights!! I was quarterback and I had 25 seconds to explain to my team the play we were going to run, and I had to do it in Spanish. The first few plays were meant to be pass plays, but I was mostly running for my life. The offensive line didn't do the best job of blocking. I finally got a little time to throw and hit my best receiver (which is really just 1 of 2 that I trust to actually catch the ball) on a corner route for about a 30 yard gain. Now we were in the red zone! The next play we gained another 15 yards for "roughing the passer." Yes, that means I got killed. So, we had first and goal from about the 5 yard line. I just wanted us to run the ball and punch it in the end-zone, but running didn't work at all. So, I tried to pass and had no time. So finally on 4th down, I decided to run it myself. On the snap I took off to the right, had some room, there was only one guy to beat at the 2, he was a little smaller so I thought I could just run him over, but he went low and tripped me up. I fell over him around the one. And that was the closest we got the whole game to the end-zone. Actually, we had two other opportunities. One on a reverse where the receiver was wide open downfield but he slipped and missed the ball, and the other on more roughing the passer penalties that took us close to the end-zone. But, with the amount of guys we had and the lack of practice, the guys just weren't able to block late in the game. So, we got beat 21-0.

Another funny note. There was one guy on the team (#9) that for some reason I thought he spoke English. It wasn't until the 3rd quarter that I realized the truth. Normally, I'd explain the play in the huddle in Spanish, but once we got into formation I'd tell some of the other guys what to do in English. This particular time I told the team we were going to run to the right. I was going to hand the ball to #9. However, once we lined up I noticed that the defense had over-loaded the right side. Therefore, I told #9 that we were going to run to the left. I said it about 3 or 4 times and he kept nodding his head in agreement. Well, I snapped the ball and took off to the left and no one came with me. Needless to say, I got drilled again. The morning after the game my body had no desire to get out of bed. I hope that our next game this Sunday turns out a little better. I'm hoping for a better offensive line and more guys to throw the ball to. I am very busy recruiting this week.

El Dia de la Biblia

A couple of Sundays ago there was a national holiday for the Bible. Most churches had special events planned for that day, and my friends from El Crucero invited me to their church service. Unfortunately, we are in middle of the rainy season, and without fail it was raining that morning. I was told to meet them at kilometer 27 on Carretera del Sur (Southern Highway). Nothing here has an address, so I was already a little anxious about finding the exact place they were going to be. So, I got off the bus from San Marcos at km 27, and of course, I saw nothing. So I started walking hoping to hear some music or see some people. I was wearing a rain jacket, but it wasn't doing much good. I also tried to call my friends but I was out of minutes. (Perfect timing, huh). So I just kept on walking because I knew they had to be close, and I only needed to go over the next hill. Well, many hills later I still hadn't found them so I decided to hop on another bus that was passing by and go to my friends house in El Crucero. At least I would be out of the rain. The bus dropped me off in the heart of El Crucero, which isn't much at all, and I saw a lot of people with umbrellas standing around a long flat-bed trailer. It just happened to be the group I was looking for. My Spanish isn't the best, but I know they didn't tell me it was going to be there. I found out they had decided to move it at the last minute because of the rain. I'm glad I was informed of that, but there is nothing better than walking a few kilometers in the soaking rain on a major highway in a third world country. Not many people get that experience. But I was still impressed with the determination of the church to continue their worship service rain or shine. Nothing was going to stop them from singing praises to our Lord. It might be hard to see, but the picture above is the church group still singing after more than an hour. I have to admit that I went inside my friend's house after a while. It is conveniently located right across the street. It was just one of those experiences I had to share.

Not So Thrifty Thrift Store

I forgot to mention that last Wednesday I went to Managua with Cesar to purchase some play clothes. (Like basketball shorts and shirts). He was going to the Ave Maria campus in Managua for a presentation and was going to drop me off at the mall. We were a little late so we went straight to the campus. I'm glad we did, because the professor that wanted Cesar to present asked me to as well, because it is an English class and the students were practicing giving presentations. So, all I knew to share about in such short notice was K-Wet. I showed two videos from YouTube, which they enjoyed, and shared all about working at camp. Of course I enjoy talking about K-Wet, but the really cool part was that I told them about the nightly tiki talks we give to the campers. How we tell the guys what it really means to be a man; not one of the world but of God. And something similar to the girls about finding their beauty and self-worth in Christ and not things of this world or guys. It was neat to see the expressions of the faces of the students in the class. I could tell they were very interested. It made me really excited about starting some sort of bible study or event in the evenings at Ave Maria in San Marcos.

The short story about the thrift store is that afterwards Cesar took me to a Nicaraguan "Thrift Store." Since it was in Nicaragua and everything else is cheaper here, I expected the clothes to cost next to nothing. I was greatly disappointed. The cheapest shirts were $4 and shorts $7. Maybe I'm a little too thrifty myself though.

A while back I went to visit the land that Cesar had told me was donated for the purpose of some sort of Christian ministry or camp. We walked all over the property for about 2 hours. The land is very beautiful and has a lot of potential, but also needs a lot of work and even more prayer. One interesting part of the land is that there are some old Native-American drawings. I have no idea what indigenous group it could be. But if you look at the photos, it reminds me of an Indiana Jones movie. Maybe there is some ancient treasure hidden deep inside the mountain. If only I could decipher the drawings...

Career Student

Well, I have been taking Spanish classes as a student now for over a week every MWF. It was a little difficult for me to fork over the money for the 4 hour credit class, but I believe it will pay off. I now have full access to the university and can start private tutoring. I have a tutoring session tonight at 8pm. I need to refresh myself on Statistics, though. Here at the university I have already made a ton of friends. Though, of course, I stand out a little bit and everyone wants to know who the new gringo on campus is.

I also sent my resume to the university and sat down with the Dean of Students. As we talked, I shared about my interests and my work in the ministry and at K-Wet, but I said that finding a water sports ministry here in Nicaragua might be hard to do. The dean quickly responded saying that interestingly enough just a week ago the board of directors at Ave Maria had mentioned wanting to start a "group" or "club" that was focused on such excursions like water sports, surfing, kayaking, hiking and mountain climbing. He found that to be quite a coincidence that I arrived in his office just a week after that meeting. So, opportunities are opening up. I just need to keep praying a see which direction God really wants me to go.

I am also helping with the football team both as a coach and quarterback. It is a lot of fun but very difficult to keep the students disciplined. Not everyone shows up at practice everyday. In the States they would be cut from the team immediately, but here we wouldn't have a team if that were the case. We'll really find out how good we are during our first game. We were supposed to have one this past Saturday, but it was cancelled. Rain is constantly falling here. I guess a lot of it is from the tropical storms.

I miss you all.

I decided to at least put some photos on this blog. These are from La Boquita, the closest beach to where I am staying. I went one Sunday afternoon to check it out. There wasn't much to do because the water was so dirty from the tremendous amount of rain we have been having. I didn't have any desire to swim in mud.

Feliz Dia de Independencia

It is amazing how quickly time flies here. I have already been in Nicaragua for a week. Most of this week I have been trying to get access to the university, Ave Maria, whether as a student or a tutor. From talking with Cesar who works here, most likely I will become a student first and then work on becoming a paid tutor. As I was walking around the university, I noticed they were starting football practices (American football that is). So, I thought I would check it out and maybe see if I could help out in any way. I went to the field at the scheduled practice time and no one was there. I spoke with a few students nearby and they said the team was working out in the gym. Therefore, I checked the gym, and there weren't too many guys in there. Not much of a team, I thought. But I asked around and spoke with a guy about the football team. He said that a lot of the guys had graduated and they were starting fresh, but they didn't have a coach. I told them that I might be interested in helping and they seemed pretty excited about it. They even asked if I wanted to play. I guess I still have some eligibility left, right? I'm sure the collegiate league here in Nicaragua is just a little less competitive than the SEC. Maybe, like the WAC. Well, we'll see what happens with that.

This week the country has been celebrating their independence. (I believe some of the celebration is of their independence from the U.S.) So, there have been a lot of parades and activities. On Tuesday, the children of MQV marched with about 10 other schools down the middle of the main road in El Crucero. This road is actually part of the Central American Highway, and it was shut down for about 2 hours because of the parade. I found that humorous. I would hate to have been the first car stopped. You know that guys was killing himself for drinking that extra cup of coffee.

Then on Wednesday they had more activities just at MQV with some skits, dances, and songs. It was very entertaining. I enjoy seeing the kids get all excited to dress up and be a part of something formal. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Mi Habitacion

Well... I am in San Marcos, Nicaragua. So the blogs are going to start rolling again.

I was a little anxious when I first arrived, because I had no idea where I was going to stay or what my situation was going to be like. My friend Cesar picked me up from the airport. Unfortunately my plane was an hour late because as we were about to take off, the pilot said that we were having trouble with one of the engine's computers. That's not something you want to hear before taking an international flight, but at least they caught it before we were in the air. Once in Nicaragua, I got to visit with my friends at MQV, and so much has changed at the orphan home. They have so many more little children who love to be held. They simply walk up to you and hold their cute little arms up. It is impossible to resist. So every day since I have arrived, I take two buses from San Marcos to El Crucero (about 75 cents and 40 minutes) to spend time with the children. It has been wonderful getting back involved where I have spent so much time in the past.

News from San Marcos: Every night when I return from El Crucero I try to get out and meet some of the students from the university here named Ave Maria. One night as I was sitting at a pizza stand just outside the gates of the university, I met 3 students. We started talking and eventually I found out that they are having trouble with their math classes. So I said, ¨I love math and am looking to start tutoring.¨ Immediately one of the girls said, ¨When can you start.¨ So, all three of them want to be tutored, and we are going to start next Thursday. It was such an answered prayer because just that morning I had asked God to provide opportunity soon, and He did just that.

One of the pictures I provided is of mi habitacion (my room). It is only $100 a month and right across the street from the university. A perfect location! The woman who runs the place is very sweet and already invited me to church with her. We went this past Wednesday.

More to come soon. I miss you all.

Here I Go Again

It's time again to update this blog since I am about to start traveling again. It seems that I can only write on here when I am out of the country.

I am about to leave this Tuesday (Sept. 7th) for my 4th visit to the great land called Nicaragua. This trip will be a little different from the others before since I will not be staying with New Hope, the organization that runs the orphanage and school and opened my eyes to the beautiful people of the country. This time I plan to work mainly with another Nicaraguan friend of mine as we explore the possibility of starting some sort of camp ministry.

This friend, Cesar, whom you read about in a previous blog about driving around in his little VW Bug, says that no such ministry exists in his country. The first time we met he spoke of wanting to start a camp even before he knew my heart and passion for the same ministry. It seems that from the beginning God was leading us to work together. At the beginning of this summer, before I left for K-Wet, he emailed me saying that he had found 36 acres of land and wanted me to come check it out. So, this trip is just that. I am going to check out what might happen and pray and see what God might be doing. I am a little anxious since I don't really know what to expect, but I do know that while I am searching I plan to live in a little town called San Marcos. There is a university on the outskirts, and I want to start working with the college students immediately: leading bible studies and starting worship nights. I am also really excited about working on my Spanish, and hopefully I will become a lot more conversational in the 10 weeks I will be there.

Garth Brooks Should've Written Another Song Called "Answered Prayers!"

I don't think I have mentioned that I am staying with a guy named Pan. He really lives up to his name, because he has a worse "Peter Pan" syndrome than I do. (Never grow up!) He is in his early 40s, I think, but he looks to be in his late 20s. On the third night I was here in Culebra, after a long day of surfing, we were sitting in the common area, and he was sharing some of his opinions and thoughts about life. And boy does he have some strong opinions. All you can really do is just sit there and listen. At one point he stopped and asked me, "Before I bash Christians, I should probably ask if you are one."
My response was a little more lengthy, but it basically was something like this, "The term 'Christian' has so many negative stereotypes, so I just like to say that I love Jesus."
Pan went on to share his views, and I was able to get a few thoughts in myself when I could, but once again that is not the main point of this blog. Since that night I have been hoping a praying for another opportunity to share more deeply what I believe. But I knew from the things that he had shared that "Christians" in the past had rubbed him the wrong way, and I wanted to be a different example. One that was loving like Christ and not condemning.
Today is Tuesday, and yesterday Pan and I spent 4 hours digging and planting trees with two other guys on the island (which helps pay my rent). The night before I had prayed again that God would give me a chance to share more with Pan. After much digging and sweating over our 4th hole in rocky soil, Pan started talking about the Earth and the Apocalypse. He asked me, "Well, you read the Bible, what do you think?"
Wow, this is perfect, I thought. I didn't share too much about my thoughts on the book of Revelation, because it's not much, and then led the conversation to the fact that Jesus was coming back for His people, people who love and follow Him.

(Side note: In my first conversation with Pan, he said something about Jesus, and then added, "Well...if He really existed." This time I was able to share that most other religions acknowledge Jesus as a great man or prophet, but there are really only 3 options for Him: a lunatic, a liar, or our Lord and Savior. I choose option 3!)

That eventually led to Pan saying, "If you are good and take care of the Creation" (he is a very earthy kind of guy), "then I'm sure this God will let you in to His heaven."
"Well, what do you think is the standard for good?" I asked.
To keep this blog short, because our conversation lasted probably 30 minutes, I was able to share the complete gospel message that we can't get to Heaven on our own works, but that Jesus had to come and be that perfect sacrifice for our mess-ups. I was so thrilled to have been given this opportunity, and it was a wonderfully-easy conversation (not dispute or debate) filled with love and not condemnation just like John 3:17, which I was able to quote to them. Plus, the other two guys who were helping dig overheard the entire gospel message as well!

Praise God for answered prayers! I don't know why He is so good to me, but I am glad to be used for Him.

By the way, in the picture above my two friends from Pan's Camp (that's what we call it) and I are standing beside Pan's van as we wait to leave the beach.

Angel in One Pocket; Demon in the Other

I am currently on the island of Culebra, P.R., and it is gorgeous. I have met some really cool people at the place I am staying, and I have done a ton of surfing. The guy who runs the establishment likes to have a surfing buddy, so I am more than happy to oblige. The picture is our little surf shack where we keep our stuff when we hit the waves.
However, once again I am not writing to share about these things but to share an experience I had on the way to the island.

It was Saturday, and I was traveling from San Juan to Culebra with four friends. We were currently waiting at a bus stop when this middle-age man comes walking/stumbling down the sidewalk. He and I make eye contact, and I can tell he is thinking about sitting for a while. I say to myself, "Please just keep walking." But of course, he asks to sit next to me. He starts talking to me, and I can tell he is either a little hungover or drunk. We discuss that basics of "where are you from?" and "what do you do?" stuff. His name is Jason. He tells me he is a police chief at the airport and that his wife is there too. He said it was love at first sight when he saw her. I somehow got the impression that it was just love for him and that he hadn't told her yet that he wanted her to be his wife.
Then, for some reason, Jason wants to start sharing from his heart. I can't remember all the stuff he said because it really didn't make sense, but he did say that the people at the airport didn't like him because they thought he drank too much.
"Do you think you drink too much?" I asked.
He procedes to pull out a bottle of rum from his right pocket (it's 8:00 in the morning), and says, "Maybe so."
Then he get this deep-philosophical look and says that he "lives to die, and dies to live." I had no clue what that meant, but I responded by saying, "Why don't you live to live?"
Jason said, "Yea, that sounds cool." At this time my other friends say that a bus is coming and we have to leave soon.
In the short time left, I say that true living can only come from Jesus. Amazingly, Jason says, "Well, I have a Bible," and pulls a small Bible out of his left pocket! Unbelievable! Rum in one pocket and a Bible in the other.
I ask to share with him one of my favorite verses, and he hands me the Bible. I flip to John 14:6 and read it to him.
Now the bus has arrived, and as I am putting on my backpack I tell him to read John 10:10 also. He seemed a little confused how to find the verse. So I said it's just a few pages earlier in chapter 10, verse 10.
We say our goodbyes and I walk to the bus. I turn around to wave, and he is staring at me yet kind of looking through me with this very interesting look on his face. It was a mixture of astonishment and grief yet joyful, because he had a big, goofy smile on his face.

Once again, God blesses me with unforgetable encounters like these even when I am not at all looking for them. I hope this story touches or inspires you, because it sure did to me.

Two Roads Diverged...

So far I have done and experienced some pretty cool things during my time here in Puerto Rico. However, even though the beauty of the islands is surreal, my favorite experiences have come from interacting with the locals. Therefore, the highlight of my trip happened the other day when I ran across this old Puerto Rican man fishing.
I had just finished a nice swim to a secluded island and back (about 6 minutes one way, not too far) and was walking back to the little town nearby. That is when I saw the old man fishing at the end of this old, rundown pier. At first I thought I would just keep walking and not bother him, or go sit and meet these two girls that were sitting on another pier to make more connections. After a short debate, I decided to hang out with the old man. He was fishing through a hole in the pier with just a string and hook. He immediately greeted me, and I sat down to chat. Of course, it was all in Spanish, but that made it even better because I want to improve my bilingual skills. The man, whom I discovered his name to be Juan, was generous to speak slowly because he knew I was learning. We covered the basics of family, age, where we have lived and travel, other stuff, but then I asked what he thought of the tourists. At first he said that we are all the same because we all end up in the same place, the earth. Then he said that some foreigners are crazy because they don't realize the dangers of the island, especially the sharks and barracudas in the water.
"For example", he said, "I see many "gringos" swim from island to island, and that is crazy."
(I am sure he had just watched me doing that but did not realize it had been me. I found that a bit funny, but I didn't tell him that was probably me he was referring to.)
He then went on to say more about the fact that we all end up in the dirt. I then asked if he thought there was life after that. He said no, not really. I proceeded to say that I believed it is true that we end up in the dirt, but if we have Jesus living in us then we will live forever. We talked a little more about that subject, and I just loved that fact that God gave me the opportunity to talk about Him with this old Puerto Rican man named Juan.
I am not really sure, but I think our conversation lasted about 30 minutes. I am glad that I made the right choice to go sit with the man over my other options. It was such a rewarding experience.

A Look into My Journal

As a quick update, I hopped on a plane to Puerto Rico on a whim. The price was too good to pass up. I spent a week in Rincon, PR surfing with a friend named Will from Jacksonville, and I dropped him off at the airport in San Juan, PR this past Sunday. Since then I have been on my own, which has been a challenge and an adventure. I have lot I want to write, but first I want to share my most recent journal entry.

Vieques, Puerto Rico - I am on a tiny island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. I arrived by ferry yesterday afternoon. (Because of circumstances I didn't have a place to stay that night unless I went to the other side of the island to meet a guy I had met, but that is not the story I wish to share). Therefore, I hiked around, swam in the Caribbean, caught a ride to another beach area with a friendly gentleman, checked out the "bio" bay, and then slept in a "life-guard hut" on Sun Bay Beach. It was extremely windy so I used my backpack to block the wind and the hip support as a pillow. When your roughing it you have to make due with what you have. However, the wind might have been a blessing to keep the pesty bugs away because this morning they were biting me all over.

Last night I tried to really focus on hearing from the Lord and talking to Him. But I kept hearing the boards annoyingly knocking together because of the wind. I then tried to change that noise to be music in my mind as I worshipped. It was a pretty cool experience, and I wish I could remember my words I was singing. I would have written them down, but I was afraid to turn on a light to expose my location to others.

(Not that I was in a dangerous location, Mom.)

This experience of traveling alone is very eye opening, and I feel like I am learning a ton about myself.

I will write more soon when I have more time on the internet.

I love you all.