Well, it has been a month since I returned from Nicaragua.  My apologies for not getting anything substantial written on the trip until now.  To be honest, I am still processing much of what I saw, experienced and felt on the trip and it is hard to get in words stuff like that but I will have a go.For those who don’t know, I went with 7 others from my church to Nicaragua on a mission trip.  Our goal was to drill a water well in a village that did not have access to clean water, provide hygiene and sanitation instruction and through these acts and through our conversations share the Gospel and the love of Christ.  The Lord blessed every aspect of the trip in amazing ways and it was a life-changing experience for all of us.

A bit of backdrop for the tale: Nicaragua is a beautiful country of lush growth, sparkling lakes and towering volcanoes.  It takes the breath away to behold.  And Nicaraguans are the friendliest and warmest people I have met in all my wanderings.  Nearly everyone was quick to smile, laugh or wave and so many would stop and chat or say hi.  It really made me realize how rushed and unfriendly life can be here in Virginia.  We stayed in the city of Leon which was founded by the Spanish in the 16^th century, I believe, and it a lovely city of low, brightly painted buildings, narrow streets, bicycles, street vendors and all manner of things.  We drilled the well in Hato Grande #2 which, as the crow flies, is probably not 10 miles from Leon but took nearly an hour each way from the city due to the poor condition of the roads in the campo.  Hato Grande composed of a wide scattering of homes dispersed amongst the peanut fields with a small church and school at the center.  This is where we drilled the well, ran the hygiene classes and spent our week.

The drilling went great!  Drilling is not an exact science and you really don’t know that you have been successful and have found water until you hook a pump or compressor up to it and try pumping some water out.  After drilling 195’ we had only one area that looked promising so we set the casing and screen for that depth (85’).  We hooked up the compressor and we all prayed over the well and flipped on the compressor and the water blew out the pipes like a fire hose!  It was so amazing!  Tons of people ran over the see the water and you could see in their faces their excitement and disbelief at never have seen so much water!  We knew then that we had a good well for them and I really can’t say how good that felt and to know that the Lord had blessed our work and answered the prayers of the people in the village for clean water to they could be healthy and their children would not be sick from water diseases.  It really got my heart.

The hygiene training went awesome as well.  Our hygiene team was amazing!  The dedication, preparation, patience and care they showed towards the villagers was great to see.  So many basic things for us, such as washing your hands after you use the toilet, or how to keep your baby clean and healthy are not common knowledge in many places.  Without clean water, children get sick and get diarrhea and a baby can die so quickly of dehydration.  They taught them how to make ORS (oral rehydration solution) which is essentially Gatorade and which can save a baby’s life.  It was good to see some of the teenage girls in the classes.  Some of them were married and had kids already at age 16 or 17 and most of them would be married in the next few years so to see them presented with info on how to care for their children and families was so important.

Throughout the week we had conversations with folks about the Bible, faith and their beliefs.  We shared the Gospel with the kids and moms in the hygiene classes and discussed life issue with the men at the work site.  On Sunday we went to church with the Christians in the village and it was wonderful to worship the Lord together with Nicaraguan brothers and sisters.  How awesome to know that the same Lord is over us all and blesses us all!

The trip held many special memories and experiences for me like rebuilding the road so we could get home, seeing Eric eat a live crab, teaching the kids “Red light, Green light” and the delicious food at every meal.  Beyond that, the trip has changed my outlook and feelings in several different ways.  I had never been to such a poor place as Hato Grande.  No water, no electricity, floors in houses….we are so lucky here in the US to have what we have.  I can turn on a faucet and water will come out at any temperature I choose.  Not only do I have electricity to cook with but I can use it to watch TV or use this computer.  I have been to school and I have steady employment.  We are blessed and we take it for granted.  With these blessing is the responsibility to be good stewards and to share them with others.  So much of the world is in need of physical and spiritual help and it is my responsibility to reach out to them.  I have been thinking and praying for a while about missions and about going into the mission field.  I now have seen with my eyes as well as read in the Word why loving these people and showing that love is required.  Please continue to pray for me as I seek the Lord’s direction in this.

When I returned from Nicaragua last month, I felt as though I had left my home rather then returned to it.  Almost immediately I began praying for the opportunity to return.  So that being said…I am going back to Nicaragua in January!  We are sending out another team from the church to do another well!  They needed experienced drillers to go so I have the opportunity to go back.  The Lord showed and taught me so much about Himself, myself and life in general on the last trip and I can’t wait to see what He will teach me this time!  If you are interested in finding out more about the ministry or the world’s water problem, want to hear more stories from the trip or know how you can be more involved, please let me know.  I would love to talk about it!  We are also raising the funds for our team to go so if you would like to support us financially then that is awesome too!

Finally, what would a trip be without photos???  I have posted a selection on my photo page but if what the whole shebang or more photos then you can possibly ever want to look at, then go here!  Please also visit our blog from the trip for more details and stories about what was going on everyday on the trip.  There are some fun stories there!

Thank you all for your prayers and support and for making this trip possible for me!  God Bless You!