Tapati

I have a wonderful friend named Tapati. She's from India and I've known her over a year now. She's married and has a young son. We met one evening while I was taking a walk and I believe she and her family were walking back from Walmart. I learned that they had just arrived from India and we talked a bit about what a big change that must be for them. They told me where they lived and said I could stop by anytime. So, I did. :) That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We've shared our different cultures with one another especially in the realm of food. :) I introduced her to chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, and cupcakes, and she has served me NUMEROUS and I mean NUMEROUS yummy Indian dishes that are so spicy my nose runs and she always knows to hand me a stack of napkins. Actually, I often don't need the napkins anymore. I don't know if I'm getting more used to the food or if she'll make it a little less spicy for me. I like to believe my spicy tolerance is growing.

Also, Tapati is a faithful blog reader and keeps up with my blog even after more than a month of my not posting. She'll mention to me that I haven't written on my blog and it encourages me to know that she's interested and wants to know what's going on in my life. I'm so thankful to have Tapati as a friend and wanted to post just a tad of my appreciation for her on my blog. Thanks for being amazing, Tapati! :)

A free gift

I was reading in Bible this morning and came across some verses in Romans 10 that really spoke the truth of God to my heart. I'd love to share these verses with you!

In chapter 10 of the book of Romans Paul is talking about his own people, the Jews, and he is desiring that they be saved, or have right relationship with God. He says:

"For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." Romans 10:3-4

He says they are zealous for God but it's not based on knowledge. They are not understanding an important truth. He says they did not know the righteosness that comes from God. Since they didn't know or understand this righteousness they began to try to establish their own righteousness out of their own strengths and efforts. They were zealous but zealous because they were busy earning their relationship with God. It looks like trying to be good or do good believing that it gives us some kind of credit before God.

Paul shares the key truth of the message of Jesus.

"Christ is the end of the law (He fulfills our righteousness) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." Romans 10:4

It's not based on our efforts, but our faith that "God made him who knew no sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, (die on the cross) so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

"The word (Jesus) is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified(made right with God)." Romans 10:8-9

This is the glory of Jesus, a restored relationship and peace with God.

"Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith in to this grace which we now stand." Romans 5:1

We deserve spiritual death and separation from God because of our sin but because of His love He gives us relationship with Him for all of eternity!

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23

I'm with a thankful heart this morning and hope this encourages you!

Much to Tell!

Hey there! It has been forever since I have posted, and I have many great things to share. Much has happened and I'm sorry for not being better at updating! Well, I'd like to share some wonderful news. Jader received the U.S. visa :) Yup, good stuff! We were feeling very stretched in our faith with this visa stuff because the stats show that around 50% of Nicaraguans that apply for the visa actually get it. God is good and has faithfully provided for our needs and grown us in the process! :)

A few days after receiving the visa Jader took me to the restaurant in the Hilton Princess in Nicaragua. I thought we were going to meet Mayra and Guillermo up there and have a going away dinner before I headed to the States. So, Jader and I were there "waiting" for them to arrive. As we were waiting Jader began to talk. He began to summarize our time together in Nicaragua and share his heart and then he popped the question! I was INCREDIBLY SUPRISED! I knew he was going to propose soon, but the way Jader, Mayra, and Guillermo made the plans for the evening I thought there was no way he was going to do it that night. Needless to say Mayra and Guillermo never showed up. :) We had a wonderful dinner together celebrating our engagement. We have set the date for February 14th and wedding plans are underway!

Also, if you have not heard yet, I am back in the U.S. I got in Saturday afternoon and have been enjoying my time visiting with family. I was staying in the Woodlands for the first few days and then I headed to Austin and have been visiting my sister, brother-in-law and beautiful nephew.



Tomorrow I plan to head to College Station for the day and I look forward to seeing my church family and catching up with them. It looks like I'll be returning to Nicaragua at the end of November and will help prepare for the upcoming youth camps and then work in the camps. Camp will end in January and then the plan is for both Jader and I to make it to the States early February and get married.

Well, I hope to see many of you soon! Thanks for keeping up with me and reading the blog. Hopefully I will start updating more frequently! I hope you have a beautiful day!

A week of outreach

So this past week we had a team of Americans come and we had many different ministry opportunities throughout the week. We had three different outreaches to schools, a ministry time at an orphanage, another at a women's hospital working with cancer patients, street evangelism, and also a sports marathon that involved 22 youth soccer teams. Everywhere we went we saw such openess to the gospel. We shared with around 1,300 people. I have posted a few photos so that you can see visually some of the ministry that we did.

In response to our ministry we had principals ask us to do more ministry with their students. We will be having three day retreats for high school graduates. There was such a sense of God opening doors, ordering events and expanding the ministry of Word of Life Nicaragua here. There is much work to do!

A little relaxation!

My friend Gaby has been visiting me here in Nicaragua for the past few days and we went to a beach called Montelimar today. It was really nice to relax a bit after two weeks of camp in Mexico.

Leadership Retreat

Well, I'm catching up with things! I've been in Mexico for two weeks and then upon returning my friend Gaby has been visiting. Things have been busy but it's been enjoyable! I was wanting to post some pics from the leadership retreat we had about 3 weeks ago. I mainly took photos of the place that we had the retreat. It was a really neat time where around 40 youth leaders gathered together and grew in vision and in the Word.

Leadership Retreat

Dad's Visit

So my dad visited Nicaragua. Here are some pictures from the trip! I want to explain more about Jader and I's story but don't have the time because my battery is low and I don't have my cable! I will get back to you with more soon and I hope you enjoy the photots!