Ranch Day!

Ruby Ranch - Saturday, June 16
We went to Ruby Ranch today.  We cleared out tree stumps and twigs and burned them to clear a pathway for the future of the ranch.  It was awesome to see the team work so hard, even though the work was very difficult.  We also painted the outside of the bunk house.  Some of the team just played with the children from Casa Belen and the surrounding neighborhood.  They played lacrose, soccer and volleyball.  Some of the team also helped the children ride some of the horses that the Buzbee's have at Ruby Ranch.  There were also several bikes that the children raced with and learned to use.  The kids all seemed to have a great time...including the kids in our group!  We also were able to give all of the children rice, beans, and pasta.  We also gave them several outfits and a Bible.  It was exciting to see their faces light up when we gave them the food and clothes.
After we finished at Ruby Ranch, some of the group went to a baseball game and the others went back to the Buzbee Compound to relax and reflect. 

*We had a lightening strike near the Buzzby compound which fried the network, so I can't guarantee when I will be able to post any remaining blog reports.  Know that we are all well and finishing strong! 

Lori Jo

Concerete and Paint

Happy Friday, all! This morning the team divided into two groups by genders. The girls went to finish the painting job at Casa Belen (a sort of rehabilitation center and refuge for young girls), while the guys went to a church to do some painting and pouring concrete. However, Scott and I (Mark) got to be the Norfolk Christian girls’ official bodyguards at Casa Belen, so we helped them out with their painting and hanging out with the little girls who live there.

So after lunch (and much random singing of Disney songs by the girls) our group headed off to the church to finish up the painting. When we got there, I was really glad to see how hard the rest of the guys were working on the concrete. I honestly don’t remember a word of complaining, which I think is cool because a lot of people are actually really excited when we go to work.

So our group merged with the previous church group and we went to work. After a couple hours of painting, the church leaders thanked us and we went on our way. After a long drive and a nice sunset, we arrived back at the Buzby Compound to dinner. After dinner Rachel, Christina, Hannah and I got together to practice for worship tonight. We sang with the group, and then Mr. Schanck delivered a solid message about not relying on ourselves to be righteous after becoming a Christian.

So overall, the day was pretty awesome. It would be great if you could just pray for the health of our group, because a couple of us are getting sick. Thanks for all your prayers so far, see you guys in a couple days!

--Mark

More Spas and Painting

Today was a day filled with wonder and spectacular events. Groups 2 and 3 girls painted at Casa Belen (it was a fantastic rose color and a lively green). Meanwhile, groups 2 and 3 boys (and Kathleen Layman) were in La Chureca roofing! Scott was inspired by the mass chaos and brokenness of the people. At this same time, groups 1 and 4 were at Ruby’s House of Prayer being touched by the Spirit of God and the word of the Lord. Tears were shed and hearts were blessed through this miraculous experience. Caroline was moved deeply by the specificity of the prayer warriors words that were extremely personal.

After lunch, groups 2 and 3 girls walked to the Cisneros hotel and participated in Spa Day! Several girls from La Chureca showered, were re-clothed, had their hair done, and received an extremely spectacular nail polishing (by Caroline and Bekah). The boys of groups 2 and 3 finished painting at Casa Belen (amarillo for the girls rooms).The girls and guys from groups 1 and 4 painted a small school down the road from Casa Belen.

To finish the day, we went to Pops (the most delicious ice cream parlor EVER).

All in all it was a marvelous day and we got a great deal of painting accomplished for the work of the Lord!

We all want to make a shoutout to our homies in the States … and our mothers … also fathers! 

We appreciate your support, love, and prayers,

The Nicaragua Team of 2012! <3

Polish and Prayer

Spa Day

                I was part of the group that took 15 girls ranging from the age of 6 to 11 from La Chureca to Los Cisneros (Priscella’s parents hotel) and cleaned them, then did their hair and nails. It was a truly incredible experience and I learned to truly appreciate all that God has given me. My job was to pump shampoo into little cups for the girls, and although it was a very tedious job, I had a lot of fun. The whole time, I was laughing with Stephanie and Dorothy (our translators) as they attempted to teach me and Claire some Spanish, which was to no avail. I also helped the girls pick out their new clothing and after we had finally picked out an outfit, we put them in front of a mirror. The looks on their faces were priceless and will never be forgotten. God calls us to strengthen, encourage, and comfort one another; and that is exactly what he empowered our group to do.

Maddy Carroll

Ruby’s House of Prayer

                Today half of our group got the privilege of getting prayed for at Ruby’s House of Prayer. Ruby was a legendary prayer warrior in the outskirts of La Chureca. After her passing two and a half years ago, her home has been preserved as a place where God truly dwells. Upon arrival, I personally was extremely nervous about what was about to happen since I had heard the rumors about yelling and speaking in tongues. What happened, however, was something ridiculous that I had never experienced before. The men and women who prayed for us touched on certain subjects that we had never discussed with even our own families. Everyone was so filled with the Holy Spirit during our prayers to the point where we were all crying our eyes out. The one word that I would personally describe the whole event was genuine. Also, while a person was being prayed for, another would be writing down their prayer. This way, we can have our message from God on paper wherever we go. I want to thank Mr. Shoaf for giving me this truly extraordinary opportunity. It was fantastico. (“fantastico” is fantastic in Spanish by the way!)

Scott Caravas

Caution, wet paint!

Today part of us went to paint one of the 15 schools that Dorothy’s (one of our translators) parents built. We painted the roof. Yes, we literally climbed up to the roof and poured paint and then spread it out. It was very hot and the roof was not sturdy as it was built out of sheets of metal. While some of us did that, others played intense sports with the energetic kids. It amazes me every time we spend time with kids just how happy they are. They play with us and run around laughing looking like the happy kids you find in America. It was a special surprise that these kids were also being taught English. When one of them said “Hello,” I almost jumped! Altogether, it was a great day filled with lots of hard work and fun seeing God working through every situation we encounter.

The other half of the group traveled to an extremely poor hospital ran by the Nicaraguan government. Sadly, many of the patients have no family members to take care of them. We assisted the hospital by painting the emergency waiting room and a hallway. It was somewhat difficult to paint since it was a functioning hospital with people continually waiting and walking around. Our group enjoyed serving the hospital by completing these two areas and also visiting with some of the patients. We distributed clothing, Bibles, and food to the patients and their families while praying over them for healing. This experience made us extremely grateful for the many blessing God has given us in America like sterile hospitals that function efficiently and families who care and attend to hurting family members.

Claire Stickley and Lauren Bohenek

A Sunday to Serve

The team began today with a great service at Verbo church with a message on integrity. The pastor challenged all of us to be accountable to ourselves and to others (with the assumption that we all had a level of authority).

Following church was a satisfying meal at a local chicken restaurant named Rosti Pollo. The team then returned to the Buzbee compound, got changed into work clothes, and split into two groups.

Team one went to Villa Esperanza and was able to minister to a great group of girls and learn how to do a Nicaraguan dance. Several of the boys were red-faced, but still enjoyed dancing with the girls.

The other team went to Casa Belen to do various service projects. Most of the team was setting up a computer lab for the girls. This consisted of 10 laptops and 2 printers, all donated by Norfolk Christian. The team was surprised by a monsoon and was forced to donate a few members to stop the impending flood by redirecting all of the entering water into numerous drains and holes in the floor.  

After a long day of playing with children and serving in countless ways, both teams finally arrived safely at the compound, ate dinner and received a great message from Papa Shoaf.

Keep us in your prayers as we go paint at a school and a very poor hospital tomorrow.

Stay classy,
K-money, Thing two, and Alex’s little brother