Nicaragua Team Update - Sunday, June 23rd

Hola de Nicaragua! (Hi from Nicaragua)

Senior Group 1 & 2

Senior Group 1 (Craig, Dante & Tim’s small group, Christa’s small group)

Senior Group 2 (Alexis, Steven & Andrew’s small group, Christine’s small group)

           The senior groups had the opportunity to come together this Sunday morning and worship in Leon. They attended the church that is connected to the feeding center that our Chapel family sponsors. It was a beautiful experience to see the ways in which God transcends language barriers and how all people, of all nations, praise Him. Pastor Jose gave the morning message with a strong focus in Ephesians 3. As Pastor Jose described the necessity for unity in one body and in one mind, it reminded the team of the importance of spelling JESUS in all capital letters and remembering that all people are united under Him. The seniors also had the privilege to go to another one of the churches that Pastor Jose leads in the Posoltega community. After experiencing a second church service, the team was excited to tour the community of Posoltega and view a little bit of what the people of the community do on a daily basis. As they took a walk around the Posoltega community, they visited a baseball game and were able to witness a community engaging in a fun activity that brought them all together. Before porch time, senior group 1 left Leon and traveled back to Casa Bernabe, where they would be serving for the remainder of their stay in Managua. Senior group 2 stayed in Leon and one of the ORPHANetwork translators was thankful to give the porch-time talk as she shared more about her testimony and her life as a citizen of Nicaragua. Both senior groups enjoyed extended small group time in the evening. Today was a marvelous example of God’s omnipresence in this world and how people of all cultures and different languages can worship the same God.

Junior Group

            The junior group departed for a morning at the same church in Leon that the seniors had been serving at. The juniors were thankful to worship together with both senior groups and alongside the Leon community. They also felt connected through the message that was spoken about being united in Christ and how all truth is in God’s word. After spending lunch and a few hours playing with niños, the junior team continued their travels to a community called Somoto. Somoto is in the Northernmost part of Nicaragua and this is the first time that a group from the Chapel has visited this community. The juniors will be engaging with the local church initiative that feeds hungry niños and shared the love of God. The team was thankful for the opportunity to continue to serve in a variety of communities throughout Nicaragua. The junior group ate dinner and had porch-time, where their ORPHANetwork leader shared their testimony and told the group about different ways that they can stay involved in the lives of the niños when they return to Williamsburg. It was exciting for the junior group to see God work among the multiple communities that they were blessed to visit. 

Sophomore Group

The sophomore group spent their Sunday getting one final day with the niños at the El Canyon orphanage.  The team joined the niños for their Sunday morning service at the church right across the street from the orphanage.  Students from the orphanage led the entire congregation in worship songs, which was such a beautiful picture of the holistic goals of the orphanage to not only provide for the niños physical needs but their spiritual needs as well.  The church provided a translator for the team so that they could learn from the morning message of the pastor, which was a huge gift.  The pastor gave a wonderful message that spoke to the responsibilities of both the Nicaraguans and Americans for the world.  After church the team ate lunch with the niños and then everyone gathered for a fun and competitive volleyball tournament.  The sophomore team had brought a volleyball net from Williamsburg because the El Canyon net had ripped and so it was exciting to see the immediate fruit of the gift.  One of the most powerful moments for the team was when the niños came out to play volleyball dressed in Jamestown High School jerseys that had been brought down the previous year.  The jerseys not only provided matching uniforms, but also provided a clear sense of self-worth that would have been absent without them.  This was the final time that the sophomore team was going to see the El Canyon orphanage and so leaving was a mix of sadness from the separation and hope as the team knew that God was in control.

Porch Time

            Every group had an ORPHANetwork leader give their testimony and share about the mission of ORPHANetwork. Following their testimony, each team split into their small groups for an extended period of time to process their experiences so far. One of the Chapel’s beliefs is “A short-term mission trip not examined is a short-term mission trip not worth taking.” The extended small group time is vital to help soften our hearts and open our minds to the work that the Lord is doing.

Reminder: There will be a Prayer Night for the Nicaragua team in Moog hall, next Tuesday, June 25^th at 7:30 p.m. 

Nicaragua Team Update - Saturday, June 22nd

Hola de Nicaragua! (Hi from Nicaragua)

Senior Group 1 & 2

Senior Group 1 (Craig, Dante & Tim’s small group, Christa’s small group)

Senior Group 2 (Alexis, Steven & Andrew’s small group, Christine’s small group)

            The seniors came together today in Leon as they served the women who are the caretakers at the feeding center that they had been visiting. The team had the opportunity to serve the caretakers by bringing them to the beach to relax and to enjoy God’s beautiful creation. It was a neat experience for the team to switch their focus from the niños that they had been playing with all week to the women who have been looking after them. After lunch, the team was thankful to engage in friendly competition through playing games with the caretakers, which allowed them to rejuvenate. Later that evening, the seniors were given the privilege to speak up and to share about the ways that God has been working in their lives through the past few years that they have been serving Nicaragua. There are 19 seniors that have returned to Nicaragua three times in a row, which is an amazing example of the way that Jesus is consistently working in our lives to make a difference in the hearts of others. These 19 seniors have not only been blessed by their experiences here in Nicaragua, but also by the love, care, and generosity of their family and friends, for without them, a lot of them would not have been able to come to Nicaragua in the first place. The seniors shared about all the wonderful things that the Lord has been doing in their lives. It was amazing to see how God has used Nicaragua to show them true joy and teach them the importance of giving.

           

Junior Group

            The junior team had the privilege of visiting the Managua Zoo with some of the niños from the Nueva Vida community that they have been serving throughout the week. The Zoo was an interesting and unforgettable experience because the junior team saw many animals that they had never seen before and many of the niños were able to experience their first time at a zoo. The niños showed incredible excitement throughout the day as they were energized from both the zoo experience and their relationships with the junior group. After the zoo, the team was able to treat the niños to a lunch at a pizzeria. While the team and the niños shared delicious pizza, they were given the opportunity to recognize the ways that they had bonded throughout the week and thank God for bringing them together. Before the niños left the pizzeria, many of them saved left over pieces and scraps of pizza to bring home for their parents, siblings, and cousins. It was wonderful to see how the niños constantly are caring for others and loving their family in every way possible. As the team spent time with the niños, they learned how to give generously and love unconditionally. After saying goodbye to the niños from Nueva Vida, the junior team returned to Casa Bernabe for the evening, which is both an orphanage and the location of our main team center. The junior team had the opportunity to eat dinner with the girls at Casa Bernabe. It was a special experience for the junior team to spend quality time with them. After dinner, the night was still young as the junior team put on a birthday party for all the niños at Casa Bernabe that may not be able to have a regular celebration throughout the year. The party included loud music, a piñata, delicious cake, and a lot of dancing. The niños from Casa Bernabe and the junior team thoroughly enjoyed the birthday party and the good times that were shared. Not only was the day filled with many fun opportunities, but it was also evident that Jesus was present in every situation.

Sophomore Group

            The sophomore group was thankful for another day with the niños from the El Canyon orphanage. This morning, they picked up the niños, who had smiles of excitement, as they anticipated a day at the beach. Upon arrival, the niños ran quickly to the oceanfront to start the long day of fun. Throughout the day, the team experienced an indescribable joy from the niños as they enjoyed the pool, discovered all different types of shells on the beach, and jumped over waves. One of the team goals for the day was to serve the caretakers so that they could have a day off to relax and enjoy themselves. As the team did a wonderful job of watching and playing with the niños, they also had a few opportunities to converse with the caretakers that came with us to the beach and to hear about their stories. In Nicaragua, the caretakers of the niños that we visit shine Jesus’ light as they labor over the niños well being and show compassion and humility as they care for them for their entire childhood. As the sophomore team spends more time with the niños and more time with the caretakers, they are seeing more of Jesus and learning more about the ways that he works through people. It has been beautiful to watch the sophomore team build relationships with the niños, but in addition, God has been deepening their relationships with each other.

Porch Time

            While the seniors had a special evening filled with sharing about their past experiences in Nicaragua, the sophomore and junior groups came together at Casa Bernabe for porch time. Hawley gave the message this evening and shared about “the secret of the poor.”

            Focusing in Luke 6 and Luke 12, Hawley shared about the difficulties of being rich in material possessions and how easily our possessions can bring us away from God. Hawley told us that the “secret of the poor” was founded in the fact that the people of Nicaragua don’t store up their possessions and they freely give. As we spend time in Nicaragua, we can re-focus on being primarily rich in our relationship with the Lord.

Reminder: There will be a Prayer Night for the Nicaragua team in Moog hall, next Tuesday, June 25^th at 7:30 p.m.

Nicaragua Team Update - Friday, June 21st

Hola de Nicaragua! (Hi from Nicaragua)

Senior Group 1

Senior Group 1 (Craig, Dante & Tim’s small group, Christa’s small group)

Senior group 1 had the opportunity today to visit a church and feeding center in Posoltega. The team began the day by seeing God show up through a big soccer tournament that included separate teams of boys and girls, referees, and a lot of friendly competition. In addition to the fun soccer tournament, the senior group had the privilege to meet one of the caretakers that has been an influential part of this church community since 1998. She shared a short story revolving around the founding of the church and feeding center. Her story described the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and the ways that God had worked wonders through such a terrible disaster. She said, “My community is blessed to have God working through this tragedy and so many amazing people, like you.” It was inspiring and challenging to hear how this woman’s faith could be strengthened through such a life-altering disaster. The team ended the day with fond memories of the Posoltega community and the way that God’s power and providence were on display.

             

Senior Group 2

Senior Group 2 (Alexis, Steven & Andrew’s small group, Christine’s small group)

            Senior group 2 returned to Esperanza today to continue to pour their love into the niños and to teach them more about the ways that God is pursuing a relationship with them. The day began with a short tour around the Esperanza community and more information about the history of the neighborhood. The team had the privilege to meet one of the woman caretakers that had started a free clinic for the community a couple years ago. The woman described the clinic as a service that provides for many of the needs of the people in the neighborhood who are unable to afford healthcare otherwise. The clinic is in need of more fundraising efforts, but the woman freely gives all that she has to help provide for those around her. After lunch, the team was able to deliver a VBS lesson about prayer and being thankful for the things that God has blessed us with. After the lesson, each niño wrote down five things that they were thankful for and were encouraged to share them with the group. The team was moved by witnessing people who had so little, be thankful for so much. The team left Esperanza with the challenge to think of all the things that they were thankful for as well as inspired to see the ways God is pursuing people, even in the poverty of Nicaragua. 

Junior Group

            The junior group was blessed to visit the Esperanza community this morning. They were given a tour of the community and learned more about the school that the kids in the community attended and the ways that the church and feeding center supports them. The team was stirred as they encountered children who once lived in the Managua Dump. After lunch, the kids returned to Nueva Vida to continue building relationships that they had begun throughout the week. The team gave a VBS lesson and was pleasantly surprised to see the niños engaging with the bible story. The niños were memorizing and absorbing the information that had been given to them in previous encounters and it was evident that each VBS lesson has been making a lasting impact. In addition to the VBS lesson, the team brought a piñata that the niños could enjoy. With a lot of energy and smiles from ear to ear, the niños were excited to quickly bust open the piñata and get to the candy that hid inside. The junior group was encouraged to have the niños remember them and genuinely be excited to see them return. As the niños loved the junior group with all their hearts, the team was reminded that Jesus’ presence is clearly seen in the least of these and that He has an everlasting love for all people of all nations.

Sophomore Group

The sophomore group had the privilege to return to the El Canyon orphanage for the entire day.  They were introduced to more of the staff at El Canyon and learned how the orphanage has been a bright light for God in the surrounding community.  The orphanage houses 25 niños who do not have parents, but opens their doors to another 35-50 niños from the community through the El Canyon school and church.  After learning about the history of El Canyon, the sophomore group gave a VBS lesson on God’s strength and followed the lesson with a couple fun crafts for the niños.  Following a delicious lunch, the group split up so that some of them could spend time with the niños and some of them could clean up the orphanage grounds by picking up trash, raking, and leveling some dirt.  To finish the day at El Canyon, the sophomore group joined the orphans and community niños for a movie, popcorn, and cotton candy.  It was a special treat for everyone and it warmed the group’s heart to see the excited faces of the niños as they were essentially brought a movie theater experience.  Throughout the entire day God used the sophomore group in mighty ways to spread God’s love through physical acts of service and relational acts of love.

Porch Time

Porch time occurred in two locations since senior group 1 was in Leon. During the porch time with senior group 1, a few of the leaders shared encouraging thoughts about faith as the seniors are preparing their hearts and minds for a new journey in their life post high school. Senior group 2, the juniors, and sophomores all gathered at Casa for porch time where it quickly became evident that God had been active as the teams shared places where they had seen Jesus throughout the day.  Luke used Luke 8:4-15, to help the team process why their faith seems to make so much more sense down in Nicaragua.  He used the passage to take a look at the “science of soil” in order to express how the environment on the Nicaragua trip is perfect for the word of God to find good soil to land in. 

Following both porch times, the team split into small groups in order to take some intentional time to talk through their experience so far down in Nicaragua.  God has begun to soften the hearts of each member on the team and it was great to have some time to talk through what God has been doing.

Reminder: There will be a Prayer Night for the Nicaragua team in Moog hall, next Tuesday, June 25^th at 7:30 p.m.

Nicaragua Team Update - Thursday, June 20th

Hola de Nicaragua! (Hi from Nicaragua)

            We are so thankful to end this day with unforgettable memories and endless moments where we encountered Jesus. Each team experienced Nicaragua in a unique way and we are blessed to be able to have the technology to share each experience with friends and family on a daily basis.

Senior Group 1

Senior Group 1 (Craig, Dante & Tim’s small group, Christa’s small group)

            Today, senior group 1 had the opportunity to make a day trip to Leon to visit the church that our Student Ministries kids and partners financially support. The kids were introduced to Pastor Ramone, who gratefully shared his story and thanked the group for all the ways that we have blessed him and his community in Leon. During their time in Leon, the group prepared and delivered a VBS lesson based on the passage found in Philippians 4:13, which describes the strength that we can find in Jesus. In addition to the VBS lesson, a lesson about personal hygiene was given. Then, the niños colored pictures that our team had previously printed out, so that they could take something home with them to help them remember the things that they learned. Overall, senior group 1 showed incredible strength and endless energy as they passionately pursued relationships with the niños. It has been inspirational to see the ways that our team is growing in their relationships with each other, with the niños, and ultimately, in their relationship with Christ.

Senior Group 2

Senior Group 2 (Alexis, Steven & Andrew’s small group, Christine’s small group)

            Senior Group 2 was very excited to return to Esperanza today to continue to build relationships with the niños that they had met yesterday. Our team was given the opportunity to present two VBS and health lessons to two different age groups of children in the Esperanza community. It has been amazing to see high school students delivering lessons about Jesus and the love and the strength that He gives us to many kids who don’t even speak the same language as us. With the assistance of translators and with the simple understanding that actions can speak louder than words, it is evident that language is not a barrier in Nicaragua and that the love of Christ can be shared to anyone. Senior group 2 was also given the opportunity to speak with the woman who started the school that they have been visiting in the Esperanza community. As the woman shared her story, the seniors learned that she ran the school while it was still located in the Managua Dump. Recently, the school has moved with the people who have found homes and jobs outside of the Dump. This woman has been a constant conduit of the love of Jesus in this community through all transitions and has a huge heart for all of the children in this community. Through this story and through all of the kids that our team is building relationships with, it is obvious that Jesus is present in the Esperanza community and our team is witnessing Him working through people in miraculous ways.

Junior Group

             The group of juniors visited the El Faro business initiative that the seniors had the opportunity to visit yesterday. The juniors witnessed the transformation of women who had previously worked in the Dump scavenging through trash, into women who work extremely hard with sewing machines. These women sew material similar to Under Armour, which many people in Nicaragua have not had experience sewing before.  After visiting El Faro, the juniors returned to Nueva Vida to visit the same kids that they had met the previous day. One of the team’s favorite memories of the day was when they spontaneously busted out in a loud song of “Jesus loves me”. The translators did not miss a beat as they quickly translated the song into Spanish and the niños sang the song back to our Chapel team. It has been remarkable to see the lessons that our team and the niños are learning about Christ. A special moment for our kids each day is when the niños ask a million times when we are returning to spend time with them. This not only shows us that the niños enjoy spending time with us and want to see us again, but it also is a great example that reminds us of all the ways that Jesus wants to encounter each of us on a daily basis.

Sophomore Group

              The sophomore group was thankful to return to the same church that we visited yesterday in Ciudad Sandino to kick off our Thursday morning in Nicaragua. Our team was able to give a VBS lesson and a health lesson to some of the younger niños. The health lesson was about washing your hands and was followed by the creation of macaroni necklaces which the Nicaraguan kids had an incredible time making and wearing for the rest of the day. The sophomore team also had the opportunity to assist the caretakers in serving food to the children at their designated lunch times. After a fun morning of a VBS lesson, macaroni necklaces, jump ropes, and soccer, the caretakers gathered the niños to prepare them for an afternoon with our team at the pool. Our team experienced Jesus in this moment as the niños and their caretakers formed a circle before stepping on the bus to pray to God to thank him for His blessing of allowing them to go to the pool. The pool was an exciting time for the niños and our team as we continued to strengthen our relationships with each other. The sophomore team experienced Jesus today as they saw niños smile with a joyful recognition from the day before.

Porch Time

            Each night our team has the opportunity to come together to worship God and to reflect an all that He is doing during our time here in Nicaragua. Last night, Hawley gave a message that focused in on the question of why we come to Nicaragua. He introduced the idea of incarnational ministry, which occurs when we place ourselves in-between God’s love, and the needs of the world. Tonight, Alexis used the story in Numbers 13 of the Israelite spies going into Canaan to introduce the idea that God calls us to do His works and has sent us here to Nicaragua for a purpose. She encouraged us that God has called each of us to love Him and to love others and that we are fulfilling that call this week as we serve here in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua Team Update - Wednesday, June 19th

Hello Family and Friends!

            We are excited to be able to share about our amazing and life-changing experiences here in Nicaragua through this blog! We hope that these daily updates will not only inform you of all the incredible opportunities we have been given to spend time with the people of Nicaragua, but that it will also encourage you to continue to pray for our team.  

            We will be updating the blog once each night, and will be sending two texts out each day. One text will be sent in the morning that will remind you that the blog has been updated and the other will be a general text of what the team is participating in on that day. Most likely, you will not be able to read the blog post until the morning because Nicaragua time is two hours behind Virginia time.

Senior Group 1 and 2

Senior Group 1 (Craig, Dante & Tim’s small group, Christa’s small group)

Senior Group 2 (Alexis, Steven & Andrew’s small group, Christine’s small group)

This beautiful day in Nicaragua was full of new experiences and new faces. Both senior groups 1 & 2 had the opportunity to visit a local business initiative in El Faro. This business initiative works with a church to promote self-sustainability in order to break the cycle of poverty that so many experience in Nicaragua. Another interesting fact about this business initiative is that most of the workers have come out of the Dump in Nicaragua, to work in this place, to create more hope in their future and in their family. The Dump is the Managua trash dump that used to house a community of Nicaraguans who scavenged through the trash to make a living. The business initiative gives women the opportunity to sew clothes, such as shirts and shorts, and they sell the items they sew to create a profit.  This profit goes directly from the business to the church to help feed kids at its feeding center and to help bring more children to school. After visiting El Faro and encouraging the workers who work so hard to be self-sustained, a few of the students made purchases to assist in providing money for the feeding center and school. In addition to serving at El Faro, the seniors visited a local church in Esperanza. In Esperanza, the seniors were introduced to the children, the caretakers, and the pastor. After introductions, the students jumped right into giving a Vacation Bible School lesson and a lesson about personal hygiene. It is so evident to see the ways that Jesus is already showing up through our team and through the children in Nicaragua. It doesn’t matter if it is watching a student tutor a child, watching students serve lunch to 80 niños (Spanish for children), or watching students carrying niños on their shoulders, we are seeing Jesus move in life-changing ways and it is only the first day.

Junior Group

The group of juniors led by Hawley Smith, had a wonderful day serving in Nicaragua. They had the opportunity to visit Nueva Vida, which is a hurricane refugee camp that formed after the disaster of Hurricane Mitch. The particular church that the juniors visited had a really amazing testimony. The church began as a house of prostitutes and over time, more and more people started coming to this house and eventually it was transformed into a church that serves many people in the community of Nueva Vida. At Nueva Vida, the juniors served the children by providing them with a Vacation Bible School lesson and a lesson about hygiene. The junior group was able to experience the love of Christ through spending time playing, loving, and teaching the niños. They were able to see the Nicaraguans show true joy, regardless of the poverty they found themselves in. As quoted by a member of the junior trip, “The kids don’t see us as rich Americans, they see us as gringos who can give them piggy back rides.” We are humbly experiencing what it means to be fully satisfied in the love of Christ, and that is a beautiful thing.

Sophomore Group

The sophomore group, led by Luke Kincaid, had the opportunity to visit two places today. The first stop was at a local church in the community of Ciudad Sandino. Ciudad Sandino is a small village and the church that we visit reaches out to the community to provide food, love, and care for those who are in need, all rooted in the love of Christ. The team gave a Vacation Bible School lesson about Jesus and the strength that He gives us. The lesson was followed by a fun activity that included making crosses out of pipe cleaners and decorating them with heart stickers. The sophomores were able to follow up the successful VBS lesson by playing a few games and serving them lunch. The second location that the sophomore group had the opportunity to visit was El Canyon. El Canyon is an orphanage that serves and provides a home for about 60 children. The sophomores were able to help young Nicaraguan kids learn how to speak English and were also able to play soccer, volleyball, and have fun times on the playground. The team quickly recognized the needs in Nicaragua and was willing to put aside any initial hesitations to be conduits of God’s love. It was inspiring to watch God work in and through the sophomore team as they engaged in their first ever experience in Nicaragua.

It has been a memorable first day and we look forward to giving you more updates and details about the rest of our trip experiences. Our next update will be tomorrow night.

Reminder: There will be a Prayer Night for the Nicaragua team in Moog hall, next Tuesday, June 25^th at 7:30 p.m.

All Groups Accounted For in Nicaragua

All teams (Delta and United included) have now landed safely in Managua. The teams are headed to their housing sites for the evening. Please check the blog tomorrow evening for the first full update on the days activity. You will get an update text tomorrow afternoon as well. Thank you for your prayers!! Goodnight!

Lex's group has landed safely in Nicaragua

Lex's group (all senior girls and Watts/Mills senior SG) has landed safely in Nicaragua. The team has boarded the bus and is headed for the team center. We will continue to update the blog as the two other groups arrival later Tuesday evening. We appreciate your continued prayers.