The team
from Eden Baptist
Church had a wonderful missions trip
to Nicaragua
The team
went to the city dump in Chinandega on Monday morning where they toured the
area and saw several of the homes that have been built through Oscar’s
ministry. Damont and Kathie were able to
meet the two children we sponsor and that was such a huge blessing. Kathie was able (through a translator) to
talk at length with them and to begin a relationship.
We were happy
to see the new tables with tile tops that had been added since our trip last
year. This made ministering there so
much easier. Also the pharmacy had been
completed. We shared bible stories,
played games, and did several other activities with the children.
We met the young
woman whose house we would be building with the funds Eden Baptist had provided. Seeing her current living conditions and
hearing her share about what this gift meant to her and her family was a huge
blessing to the team. The men began
construction on her house and were able to work there four days. A couple of the men also worked on another
house at the dump.
While the
men were at the dump, the women went to two feeding centers each day and
prepared and served food, shared bible studies, and did other activities with
the children. The plan of salvation was
shared in the villages, and we made almost 400 salvation necklaces as a
reminder of how to be saved. The
children received a copy of what the beads on the necklaces stood for (in
Spanish) to take home to their families.
Aneriam was our translator and he is an exceptional godly man. Oscar has trained his staff extremely well,
and we were especially impressed with how well Aneriam interacted with the
children. He truly has a love for God
and for children.
We were
able to visit the dream center and were amazed and blessed to see what all has
been built since our last visit. We had
prayer walked the area (which was just grass) last year. Now the first level of the center is almost
completed! God has truly provided for this center through the generosity of
donors and is fulfilling the vision He gave to Oscar. We expect many amazing things to happen here
in the future. We were also able to
clean the inside of the storage unit as a new shipment of rice was arriving the
following day.
We visited
the local hospital and were able to meet many children. We had prayer with them and their families
and distributed candy, toys, and clothes that our team had collected.
We went to
a ballpark on Saturday and shared the gospel with many people in the
bleachers. Three young men and one older
woman prayed to received Christ. One of
Oscar’s team members was so excited because these young men were neighbors of
his and he planned to follow up with them.
An older man indicated he wanted to read the bible we gave him to learn
more about accepting Christ because he thought it was a difficult process. He thought only Jews were supposed to read
the bible! But, the gospel was shared
with him and he said he felt like he would make that decision after reading the
bible for himself.
We prayed
with several others that indicated that they were believers but had some prayer
requests. Many bibles and tracts were
distributed. Damont shared a devotion
between games and gave an invitation to accept Christ. Several children and men indicated they made
that decision.
After the
trip to the ballpark, we were taken to a local beach and treated to a wonderful
meal, which we all enjoyed. We went to
the market on the way back to shop and to have one last visit to the local ice
cream shop!
We had
devotions with our team in the evenings and had time to share about our daily
activities. We were also blessed to hear Oscar’s testimony. I am sure he gets tired of sharing it with
each group, but he has an amazing testimony of God’s work in his life. It touches the hearts of all who hear it and
makes them feel as if they know him personally.
We are so
impressed with all the men and women who serve on Oscar’s team. They are so kind and friendly, and they work
so hard. They start early in the morning
and finish late in the evening. The men
are very protective of us when we are out.
They all love the Lord and it shows in how they treat not only us, but
also everyone in the villages. And the
food. . . we think we will lose weight when we go, but not the way these women
cook. The food is excellent and the
freshly made juice each day is delicious.
These women work so hard and they are always either cooking or
cleaning. There is so much love in their
smiles as they interact with us and they truly make us feel welcome. The entire team has a deep love and respect
for Oscar and Rosibel, which clearly shows through in their interactions with
them. And the feelings are mutual as we
see how Oscar and Rosibel treat them with the same love and respect.
It is truly
a blessing to be able to serve with On Eagle’s Wings Ministry. Our church is already raising money to build
another house at the dump next year. The
team members developed a spiritual bond with Oscar and Rosibel and his team,
and look forward to returning to Nicaragua
