Last night I (Kris Blais) had the pleasure of sitting, talking and praying with Ricardo (The Pastor we're staying with) Layda, y Lina. Ricardo helped me by giving me encouragement. He told me to read John 14. While doing so I felt I needed to pass along encouragement to mi otro equipe.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me... I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things thatn these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14: 1, 12-14
I love you all so much. I wish we all could have stayed another week. Today as you go to church, and as you reunite with friends, and revisit your week here... remember the kids in La Chureca. Remember the kids in the orphanage. Remember the Villa. Pray for all of these things in Jesus' name. You all are in my prayers. I'm glad you made it home safe.
-Kris
PS...
Val-Yeah I can bring you your nuts... but like I said about everything else you want me to bring... remind me. I'll forget. Thank you both for your leadership last week. I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with you.
Paris-Happy Birthday. I'm proud of you and I'm proud of the growth you experienced last week. You're in my prayers.
Judy-I miss you presence.... who's gonna fix my boo boo's? Just come back and we'll live here. We can pitch a tent in the yard or something.
Jeff-You have a great heart and a great passion for God. I love you and you inspire me.
Kara-You were an unexpected blessing. Thank you so much for your heart and your willingness to come. I'm so glad to have met you. Thank you for sharing everything. Can I get that poem that you recited the other night?
Terry-(Little Terry) Your heart and motivation inspired me. Thank you for reaching out to me. You taught me the value of a little hard work.
Terry-(Big Terry)-You are a great leader, and fearless. You are a true example of a disciple of Christ. Let your light shine my friend.
Rick-Get to work! We've got a lot to do for Young Adults! Thank you for your leadership this week.... more importantly thank you for your vulnerability and your friendship.
Glenn-Encantado! I miss your humor and your energy Glenn... thank you for being an example to me.
Suzanna and Marsh(?)-Como esta Indiana? Thank you for stepping out of your comfort zone and joining our team. It was great to meet you and I can't wait to see where God takes you in life.
Shelly- Thank you for your heart. You are an amazing woman of God.
Randy-You also taught us the value of a little hard work. Your passion is inspiring. Don't hide your light Randy. You too can change the world with God.
Ben-You are also missed. Your genuineness (if that's even a word) was a blessing and truly inspiring. Thank you for raising such wonderful kids as well. I'm blessed to know your family.
Mom and Dad- (Joe and Suzy) Thank you for everything this week. You guys are amazing! I can't wait to go eat at fun restaurants with you.
David-You are such an awesome man Senor! Your humor, and heart are such a blessing. Watch out for that TV!
Ice man-Thank you. Thank you for sharing your story about Val with us. He's in our prayers. And you are too. Remember as you find yourself surrounded by darkness to let your light shine bright. You have a great heart and God has and is going to work miracles thru you. Read the CD again. And you can have your coffee back on the 13th.
- Summit View Church
- Summit View Church is a place where you are welcome to come exactly as you are. We strive to create a comfortable place in which you can find personal and spiritual support. In the midst of busy lives, the church offers opportunities to build meaningful relationships with God and with people. We are committed to Biblical teaching and answering real questions. Summit View Church was started in 1993 by a group of about thirty people with a longing to reach those outside the walls of any church. We moved into our current location in 2003. By God's grace, we've had the privilege of seeing hundreds of people come to know Christ personally. Our continuing effort is to bring everyone in our church to a deeper experience of life in Christ as shown in the Bible, which is our foundation for truth and practical living.
7 comments:
Hi Y'all,
My body is safely home; not quite sure where my mind is, however. But I do know I again left my heart in Nicaragua. Somehow reading through the blog and looking at the pictures was more important than unpacking and doing the laundry or going to the grocery store.
Kris, David and Julie -- I miss y'all! Julie, I ran into Dan at the airport and gave him a hug for you. He asked how you were doing, and I was able to give him a glowing report.
I'll be continuing to fast and pray for you all this week.
Love and blessings,
Judy Hill
I'm with Judy. My body is here at home and my heart is in Nicaragua. My mind doesn't know how to process anything right now and it's fighting between normal life, the feeling of lonliness and the memories from last week. I must admit, I'm not looking forward to work tomorrow or this whole week, but I do know that God would like for me to focus on my duties here at home. Hope your day is going well. I think you are all at the orphanage right now. Can't wait to see the update tonight. =)
Jennifer Jimenez aka Buddy 3 aka Warrior aka Iceman
Read the CD again and will keep reading it. I was excited to hear about Ricardo.
Well today tears flowed and the processing began.
As we drove past stores and clean houses on our way to church our reality and what we saw started to sink in. It was hard to process what we saw in Nicaragua as we were there. Every day was sensory overload. Everything was new and surreal. But now in familiar territory our minds are able to think more clearly about our experiences and Nicaragua have somehow become even more real. And as we tell others of our experience my understanding of my experience grows.
This song for me was the tipping point. As I sang my heart broke for Nicaragua and all the other nations lost in darkness and yearning for God:
You said, ask and you will receive whatever you need.
You said, pray and I'll hear from heaven and I'll heal your land
You said, Your glory will fill the earth, like water the seas
You said, lift up your eyes. The harvest is here, the Kingdom is near
You said, ask and I'll give the nations to You
O Lord, that's the CRY of my heart
Distant Shores and the islands will see
Your Light as it rises on us
That promise keeps hope alive. And I still work to understand how to translate what I have seen to what I can do -- how I can be intentional in my own neighborhood and my own country.
Okay -- a note for those of you who will be having breakout problems in the humidity of Managua -- tea tree oil has more uses than bathing in and annoy people's noses (joke for Team 1). Clear up those zits with tea tree oil -- just don't drink it! And bathing in it is not advised --especially by Randy. Really.
Hey everyone. Thanks for the nice words Kris. Jennifer, that is an amazing story you shared! Today was rather difficult; unpacking and being back in my usual comforts. Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of the week, the despair, and the hope. I imagine the next few days will only get harder. On a positive note...my sister called tonight and asked if I could speak to a class at her elementary school about my mission trip. How exciting! I will have the chance to share our story with a group of kids. I hope I will be able to inspire them, as you all have inspired me.
Hey guys... AGAIN. Val and Suzanne... I am in the same boat as you. Today just seemed so hard. I broke down in tears again thinking about what had happened last week and more recently, this past Friday. Let's pray for God's strength and also to remember that He did bless us with our circumstances... that we should embrace all He's given us with thanks and joy. It's good to know that I'm not the only one feeling this way. I miss you all so much already! You are all close to my heart and I'm praying for all of you. Thank you again for accepting me into your group. I felt and still feel like family.
Suzanne- I had to share the gecko story with my friend. Oh I'll never forget that! One special highlight of the trip. It just reminds me how God also gave us little blessings of laughter throughout this emotional experience.
TEAM 2: Watch out for falling geckos! I suggest cupping your hands as a saftey net in case they want to jump. ;D
Hey everybody,
It helps to know that everyone is having as hard of a time as I am. I feel very depressed, it's hard to function normally (not to mention my stomach has not recovered yet from whatever I must have picked up along the way). I talked to my dad and he feels the same way, very sad. I know it is something that I will overcome, but at the moment, I feel as if the life and joy has been sucked out of me. I miss Nicaragua. I miss all of you. But I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world. I will continue to pray to God that he will give me the strength to get through this, but never to forget, and also to pray for all of you, because I really do know how you feel. Oh, and Kris, here is that poem I recited to you the other evening:
His Plan For Me
by Martha Snell Nicholson
When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ
And He shows me His plan for me,
The plan of my life as it might have been
Had He had His way and I see
How I blocked Him here
And I checked Him there
And I would not yeild my will,
Will there be grief in my Savior's eyes?
Grief though He loves me still?
He would have me rich and I stand there poor
Stripped of all but His grace
While memory runs like a hunted thing
Down paths I cannot retrace
Then My desolate heart will well nigh break With tears I cannot shed
I will cover my face with empty hands
I shall bow my uncrowned head
Lord, of the years that are left to me,
I give them to Thy hand
Take me, break me, mold me
To the pattern Thou hast planned.
I love and miss you all,
Kara Vrooman
Post a Comment