Hello again from beautiful Nica! The weather has cooled down ever so slightly and I love the rain, though at times it can be frustrating (like when it floods our house). I want to start out by saying a big THANK YOU to those of you who have written me letters and notes of encouragement.. it means so much to me to feel connected to all my family and friends "back home". I thank God for you in my prayers!

      I think I mentioned in a previous post that my group is the first long-term missions team to serve in Granada. Because of that, there are ministry opportunities that still need to be set up, and it though at first it felt like we had a lot of "down time", the pace is starting to pick up. A typical day means getting up at 7, eating breakfast and doing devotions, heading to El Puente (the church that the Kayes lead) for class from 9:30 to 12 or 12:30, eating lunch, and then heading out to various ministries in the afternoon. Some evenings are free, or we have group meetings about the next day's schedule.

     On Thursday, there was a Christian conference geared mainly toward pastors and their wives, put on by a group from Texas that came down for the week. During the morning, while most of the team was attending the conference, two other girls and I had the chance to go to a local school and cook for the kids in the feeding program there. The school is called El Colegio de San Antonio (St. Anthony's) and there are about 30 kids there in the feeding program who receive lunch every day. The woman who normally cooks the meal by herself, Carmen, was very patient in showing us what needed done, and Natalia was with us to translate also. Some of the food preparation was a little different than I am used to (for instance, having to separate the rocks from the rice before it could be cooked!) and the kitchen was tight, but we were able to get everything ready on time and serve it to the children. We also got to sit and eat with them, though they did not talk to us much.. maybe they were a little scared or shy, I'm not sure. At any rate, cooking at San Antonio is one ministry I believe will be happening once a week, and I am looking forward to serving there again.

     Also this week, some of my team was able to pray with and for Natalia.. she is dealing with a lot of confusion and doubts right now both in her relationships and in her walk with God. Continue to lift her up in prayer, as I am also doing here. Instead of being just a translator, she is becoming a closer friend, and I really want her to see God working through me.

     In class this week, we have been talking about our identity in Christ. Though I have mixed feelings about the book we are using, the idea of knowing who you are IN CHRIST, apart from what you do or what you feel, is something that is close to my heart. My prayer for you, and for myself as well, is that you would hold to the truth of who Christ says you are, and see yourself as Christ sees you, and not as the world sees you. You are not what you do, what you know, or how you live. You are a Child of God, called from darkness to light, and have the power of Christ within you! You can't tell me that's not awesome! :)

 

*hugs from one servant to another*