And it begins....

Well, I am here in Nicaragua...

I decided I wanted to keep a blog so not only everyone can see what I'm up to, but see what God's up to!

So I got in last night. I had a wonderful nights sleep. It was a long day of flying after all.

Today I woke up to the sounds of these tropical birds. What a blessing. I walked out of my room to do my devotion outside and I was in awe. It was dark when I got here and today I was floored by the beauty. This place is more beautiful than I remember. They have some gorgeous flowers here. There are birds of paradise flowering everywhere. There isn't as much fruit on the trees as when I was here in May, but that's because they have had too much rain. It has flooded some of there trees and even uprooted a couple. But even so, this place is paradise.

I was greeted by the girls (Hope, Johanna, Lalya, and Hazel). They were very happy to see me. And everyone commented on how I have hair this time.

I met up with Mr. Buzbee (Mr. B) and had a great chat with him in his house today. Chachi joined us and we prayed and talked about what's been going on in my life and what God might have planned for me here in Nicaragua these 2 weeks. I went with Chachi to move a huge round heavy wood table into the boys rescue home. (Casa Robles).

When I got there the boys were really excited. They were singing a "Tom" song. I was shocked to find out they have been waiting for me a while. The gate opened and I was welcomed by 4 kids hugging my legs at a time. And last but not least was Louisa. She is a 3 yr old girl that lives with the boys. She saw me and ran up to me and instead of hugging me she put her arms up  in the air. She wanted me to pick her up and hold her. Angelica (the house mom) and Judy (the house Dad) told me she has been talking about me all week. I really made a connection with her last time I was here. I'm glad she remembered. It's funny though. She gets mad and jealous when one of the boys gets my attention. She wants me all to herself. I guess we'll have to work on that these next couple of weeks.

Chachi and I ate lunch with them. We had cow heart-kabobs, rice, and pico. It was delicious. Angelica is a great cook and this cow heart tasted better than most steaks I've had back home. We were refreshed by a nice glass of Cactus juice. It's a hot pink looking drink that's made from the fruit on this one cactus. It's really good.

The boys got all excited when they found out I was coming to live in their house all week. I am excited too. I will be working on my Spanish a lot this week whether I like it or not! :)

I am back at the Buzbees right now. Mr. B and I are going to go to Casa Havilah (the girls house) here in a bit. I have been told they are expecting me! ;)

I am really glad to be back. I read in the book "Why Did Jesus Cross the Road" today, that where you spend your free time in your life is where your heart is. I guess that's true. Because my "vacation" time couldn't be spent doing anything more rewarding. These kids light up when they see me. It's not because of me though. They see Jesus. They see someone who flew hundreds of miles to love on them. They don't get that a lot. Most of these kids come from broken and abusing families. It is my job to love them and show them that they are Godly masterpieces. I love serving God. I love "crossing the road" like Jesus did. He always went out of His comfort zone to spread his message and reach people. And most of the time they were not the "cool" people. They were lepers, prostitutes, the poor, and the sinners. I am definitely not in my comfort zone. It's humid, it's hot, I don't have my modern conveniences like cell phones, and I am not in control. But I love this journey with Jesus. I love crossing the road or the world if you will. It is when we are out of our comfort zone, that we grow in Christ. My prayer for my family, friends, and church is that everyone would be uncomfortable and try to do do something radical for Jesus. You will grow like never before. I am glad I came down here. I have a lot of work to do for the glory of God. It's just the beginning....