doing God's work

What a week we have had!!  Many people have chosen the follow Christ and start a new relationship with Him.  God has gone ahead of this week and prepared many people's heart's to receive Him a new.  We have again made new friendships with the team members from Texas and have enjoyed the company of North Americans for a time.  I participated in the dental clinic on Monday and was amazed at all the equipment required to do dental work.  It was equally amazing to see how the Lord provided in time of need and how others were so willing to step in and give when necessary.  Monday we treated over 20 people with cleanings, extractions, and fillings.  It was of course hard to see the little ones having to get their teeth pulled but with the help of anesthesia it went okay.  The North American dentist was joined down here by a Nicaragua young lady dentist named Helen.  She was very skilled in what she could do and was also very patient and willing to do what most dentists in the states I would say would not be willing to do.  Tuesday I participated in the fiesta's and was able to share with several grandmas and great grandmas.  We were in a community of the very poor and medical needs were high.  I pray that in time God will send a team to help them with their medical needs.  Mostly the needs were visible in the older ladies which was interesting.  I wonder as a non-doctor what it is in that community that is harming only the older ladies and not the younger ones.  We were able to discover what medicine has  helped some in the past and are planning on making that purchase for them in Leon and delivering it to them next week.  Among all the acitivities going on with the different groups each day there was a women's conference, pastor's conference, youth conference, dental clinic, fiesta's and the evenings are filled with the crusade. 
It was my first time seeing a crusade last night.  I was amazed at the stage they were able to set up and the enormous amount of speakers and sound they can create in an open field.  Many, many people came last night.  The estimate was about 1700 people.  At one point in the evening all the sound lost power.  We waited around for awhile to see what would happen.  My understanding was that the electric didn't have enough watts to run all the sound equipment.  I wondered if they were going to have to give up on the evening.  The people from the churches that help to run the crusade all wore white shirts so they could be visible to all.  While the sound was not working they gathered as a group and prayed.  There were close to 50 people in white shirts.  After they finished praying they began to walk around the field of the crusade.  I really didn't understand why.  I finally asked a friend of mine about it and why they kept walking around the field in a circle.  Her explanation was absolutely amazing.  They had decided they were going to use the power of God to fix the problem and where walking around the field like the Isrealites did when they walked around Jericho. 
After they had walked around the field seven times do you know what happened???????????

The sound came back on and worked for the rest of the evening.  What an amazing testimony of the amount of faith the people have down here to rely on God when things go wrong.  I was so humbled by their faith.
There are two more nights of the crusade and then the team is planning to head back to the states.  They have given so much of their time and their effort has been fruitful and God has blessed them.  We are grateful once again for all that God has down here before the team arrived and all that He has done while they were here.  To God be the Glory!!!

One day to go!

If you look at this season from the perspective of a 4 year old, tomorrow will not come soon enough.  If you look at this season from an adult perspective, I would venture to say with all the hussle and bussle tomorrow will not come soon enough.  If you look at this season from the perspective of an elderly person, this day probably doesn't come soon enough because they understand the true meaning of Christmas.  If you look at this season from the perspective of Our Heavenly Father, He probably has a hard time waiting for tomorrow to come as well.  Our Heavenly Father is such an amazing and patient God.  Did you know He had to wait for almost 6000 years from the time He created the world until His relationship with man was restored through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?  All of a sudden waiting one more day for tomorrow to come doesn't seem so difficult anymore.  The greatest gift is about to be offered to us, are you ready?  In all the hussle and bussle this year, have you made preparations in your heart for what God is about to do?  For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16. 

Looking on the bright side

We read this devotion the other day as a family and I thought it was so fitting that I needed to share it with everyone.  This devotion comes from Voices of the Faithful by Beth Moore.

Christmas was coming, but none of my children and grandchildren could visit our new country of service.  I was depressed.  The city as gray, cold, muddy and wet.  Since the weather was miserable, I did not want to leave the house to buy a big pot to cook dinner for a few guests that night. 
      My last minute shopping for the pot made me impulsively purchase a ridiculous looking hat to keep me warm.  As I trudged toward home, the gypsy "flower ladies" descended on me.  I finally gave in and picked out two bunches of holiday looking greenery with red berries. 
      As I stopped in at my neighborhood market to pick up a few items, I caught a glimpse of myself in the dirty store window.  I looked awful in the funky little hat.  Hurrying down one of the aisles, I happened to see another lady wearing a hat very similar to mine.  "If only I looked as nice in my hat as she does," I fretted to myself.  And you will never believe this!  That same lady had red berries in her cart.  " But hers are fresher and nicer than mine, " I whispered under my breath. 
      As I headed for the checkout, the Holy Spirit got a real laugh at me.  The far wall of the market was mirrored, and I was the "other" shopper!  He also convicted me.  So many days I focus on the negative.  It's sadly comical how we rant and rave over things that don't really matter.
                                                                                                         -L.G.G.., Central Asia

Heavenly Father, You have blessed me so much and sometimes I look at the negative things around me instead of the positive.  Help me to have a positive attitude, to trust you and to confess a complaining spirit.  Today, I pray that workers in Central Asia will be content where God has placed them.    Amen

I hope this devotion speaks to you as much as it has spoken to me. 
Merry Christmas  and to God be the Glory!

History of the Bible

I find it fascinating how the history of the world is so extremely related to the Bible.  We have been studing the history of the Bible from Genesis through Joshua this year in school.  We started of course with the creation of the world and moved into how the old kingdom and the middle kingdom are related to the stories in Genesis chapters 3-21.  We have just finished with the birth of Isaac and this morning Sierra made a wonderful observation.  She said it was just so amazing how Jesus and David are related in the family tree.  We spent several weeks studying the family line of Adam, Noah and Abraham, along with David.  I find it amazing how even the women of the Bible and our secular history of Egypt had a role in the life of Jesus.  The beliefs of many gods and the worship of gods in Egypt is quite astounding.  As we study  the different beliefs other cultures have had, I find it impossible to understand how they could not believe in the one true God based on all the evidence in the Bible and in the world today.  There are so many truths and prophesies that have come true over the hundreds of years even before Jesus walked the earth and yet the cultures refused to accept the truth. 
As we head into the Christmas season, I am humbled to think that God is so willing to forgive us and have a relationship with us if we would only believe.  As our family thinks about the upcoming events that will be celebrated this Christmas, our prayer is that you and your family will also feel the forgiveness and acceptance from God that He so badly wants to share with us all.  If you know someone or perhaps even you, yourself have not been able to come to the decision to accept the saving forgiveness God is offering you this Christmas, please don't wait any longer.  Make that decision today and begin a new year not only in life but in your spiritual journey to Holiness.  God is waiting for you to ask, He is holding out His hand hoping you will accept His greatest gift this season.  Our prayers are with you all!

The Christmas Season!

It seems with all the snow the east coast is getting Christmas should be easily celebrated!  I'm not sure what it is about snow, but it sure helps create the mood for the holiday season.  However, for those of us without the snow this season, where does that leave us?  It has been a long time since I celebrated Christmas without snow and cold.  As I sit and remember the times growing up in Texas without snow and cold for Christmas, I wonder what helped me to celebrate Christmas.  John and I have worked hard these last two weeks to figure out how to celebrate Christmas in a new tradition.  I believe, as I think about my growing up years the season felt Christmasy because we had traditions.  Since this will be our first of many Christmases down here we are working on creating traditions that will last.  The first tradition started is going to be decorating on John's birthday.  It was such a wonderful way to celebrate John's birthday and also get ready for Christmas.  This year since we didn't have a Christmas tree to pull out of storage and didn't really want to spend money on a tree we made our own.  We all had such a wonderful time of making the branches and leaves.  Since we also didn't have ornaments in storage, we decided to focus on making a "Jesse Tree".  I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with this part of Christmas, but it is an amazing way to focus on Jesus without all the hubbub of the holiday.  Each day we put another "ornament" on the tree that has to do with the Christmas story.  I found a website that even has the pictures ready to print and so that is how we are decorating our tree this year.  It is a combination of the Advent season mixed with the trimming of the tree each day and hearing the Word of God.  As for other traditions, we may have to wait until next year to add more.  We serve an amazing God and are exceedingly thankful for all that He has done for us this year and will continue to do in the future.  May God richly bless your lives and families as well.  Merry Christmas!  Feliz Navidad!!

Celebration Tribute!

Today is a day of celebration.  John has completed another year of life.  He is following his hearts call to Nicaragua.  He is being the father he wants to be to his children.  He is being the husband he wants to be to his wife.  God is using him daily to reach people with the salvation of Jesus Christ.  He is a strong and handsome man, looking on the inside of those around him instead of the outside.  He turns to God when life gets rough and knows that God is with him.  He provides for his family in every way needed and blesses those around him that he can.  He leads his family the best way he knows how, knowing God will help him along the way.  John is a man of wisdom and honor.  He does his best and then if that is not good enough he does more.  John hopes to make the world a different place and is doing it daily with the help of God.  John is a man of many talents.  He can fix things that are broken, build things out of scratch, and glue things that have fallen apart.  John is a man with much knowledge.  He could win on Jeopardy any day of the week.  He loves to read.  He helps those in need and cries with those who cry.  John is a great man touching the lives of those around him so deeply he will never be forgotten.   May God richly bless him throughout his life.

Haggai

As I studied the Bible lesson this morning I discovered how difficult it really is to do what God asks us to do as true believers.  Interestingly enough, even Israel struggled to put God first.  They weren't being blessed by God in there everyday efforts of life because they had forgotten to put God first.  They were building houses for themselves but leaving God's house in ruin.  Although we may not have an actual house we are building for the Lord, we have a spiritual one inside ourselves.  If we neglect to build that house on a daily basis our other efforts in life will not be blessed. 
There are four spiritual truths found in Haggai. 
The first being the Lord's work must take priority over all others.  Yes, Yes, I agree, in theory we as true believers strive for that.  The challenge here is to do more than just strive.  We are to put God's work first no matter what.  If we are able to apply this truth to our lives the benefits will outweigh any concerns or fears we have of stepping out and doing it.  
Second, the Lord demands clean instruments.  The challenge here is to make sure we are repentant and humble in our actions.  If we continually remind ourselves of where we came from and where we would end up without God's great mercy, we will be in the right mindset and be a clean instrument for God. 
Third, the Lord's work is linked to God's plan for all nations.  It is very difficult to see the big picture.  We are so small and yet God  is using each true believer for the good of His glory.  We must believe that even if we feel we can't make a difference in the giant pot of soup, we can with the help of our Lord and Savior. 
Finally, the fourth spiritual truth is good is not contagious, but evil is.  Wow, that is a hard one to swallow.  We are always hoping our smile and way of life will impact those around us, but in reality it is the evil around us that is spread to others.  We must force ourselves to do more than just live a good life.  We must challenge ourselves to reach out to those around us and make sure they know where they are headed.  Now, don't misunderstand me.  I am not saying we need to be rude about the whole matter.  What I am simply saying is we need to do more than just hope our good lives will be enough of a witness to change peoples hearts toward God.  My challenge question to you today is:  You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  If you apply these spiritual truths to yourself personally what do you find?  Have you given too much attention and time to your personal affairs and neglected the things of God that are important for spreading the Gospel and the furtherance of His work?
May God richly bless you as you hear and obey what He has to say to you today!

Holiday Season!

We are well into Christmas and there is much celebrating going on down here.  Yesterday was the Catholic Celebration of St. Mary and her immaculate conception.  Many, many people celebrated with candy and fireworks.  The kind that last all day and long into the night.  They also went door to door asking for candy like we do in the states during the Halloween season.  Not real sure how it is all connected to St. Mary but none the less it is a celebration. 
Many people are also decorating for the Christmas season.  We have seen houses with Christmas lights and trees set up.  Our neighbors have really gone all out in the decorating.  Their whole house is lit at night. 
We as a family have had a wonderful time with another North American group that is down here for the week.  We have been ministering with them in La Paz Centro and working closely with the children.  We have all made a few new friends in La Paz and look forward to spending more time there.  God has really been doing some interesting things this week with our time down here.  I am anxious to see how it all turns out.  I am thankful that God is making His presence known and that we are being used for His glory. 
John did another sermon on Sunday last week and 10 people made a decision to know Jesus Christ as their person Lord and Savior.  We were in Las Panitas, near the beach and the church was held at a fisherman's house.  He served us fresh fish for lunch from his catch of the day.  We all tried it and it was delicious.  Of course, the fisherman serve fish down here with the head and tail still attached so we had to overlook the way the fish looked but still enjoyed the flavor of the fish very much. 
The kids have been enjoying swimming at the mission house in our neighborhood.  It is a good place to go and cool off.
To God be the Glory!  Our prayer is that God will continue to open doors for us so we know what He wants us to do down here in ministry.

Saturdays!

We have a relaxing day today.  I will be teaching music this afternoon but it feels like for the first time in two weeks we have a day of nothing pressing to do.  Our internet continues to go on and off and we are unable to fix the problem.  If you are trying to reach us through email it may be several days before we are able to get on so please be patient.  We continue to try to get help in this area but it is slow going.  I will blog as often as I can when the internet is available. 
I have been studying for the teacher training and came across a wonderful story about Dorcas.  I would like to share with you this morning.  The story of Dorcas can be found in Acts 9:36-43.  Amazingly, this women helped her community by sewing.  It wasn't something extravagent or expensive.  She simply learned about the needs around her and filled them as best she could with her gift to sew.  In fact, she was so extremely generous with her ability that the community grew to love her very much.  That love was expressed very deeply when God took her home.  Now, no one in the community really knew to what extent Dorcas had touched people's lives but after her death they began to realize.  As people came to the house to pay their respects, the house became overrun with so many people that she had touched, or had benefitted from her generosity.  Peter was called to come and see if he could bring her back to them.  Their love for her was so strong and their faith was also so strong that Peter was able to bring her back to life.  Now, the ironic twist to this story is that Dorcas had been helping people in the community with her own hands and as Peter called her back to life he took her hand and she awoke.  God uses our hands in amazing ways if we are willling to allow Him the chance.  Dorcas used her hands for God and God took her hand and gave her back her life.  My challenge to you today is:  What are your hands doing for Christ today?

God is good!

We have enjoyed the last several weeks working with North Americans, and Nicaraguans alike.  The school we help out at is such a fun and enjoyable time.  We are slowly learning to understand spanish and the children there are so welcoming and willing to help us in any way.  Sierra is enjoying teaching some of the girls her age english.  Caleb of course is very much enjoying game time with the boys and Kyle and Sydney hop in where they can.  Our sports camp time on Thursday is coming together nicely.  We have about 16-24 boys playing baseball and about 8-12 volleyball girls.  Their skills are improving each time we play which is always encouraging.  I have started the teacher training sessions which will last till the end of the month.  I have about 15 teachers joining me each week to learn about how to be a teacher and how to manage a classroom.  I am grateful for Pastor Caulderon for all his willingness to let John and I help out where we can and use the gifts God has given us down here.  I was able to gather with another North American group today and see the needs in La Paz Centro.  I would venture to say that no matter where we go, we could be of help.  Our challenge here is to discern what it is that God wants us to do and where we should put our efforts and energy.  We came down here with the focus to help children and so we will try to narrow down what aspect of the children's needs down here we should focus on.  We know many people in the states and other places around the world are praying for us and we know that because we ask God will answer. 

It's a new week and God is good!

We have just spent several days with a group from Arkansas and really enjoyed our time together.  We shared the Gospel with many, many people.  There were fiestas everyday, while vacation Bible School was going on and a group was building a church all at the same time.  It was amazing to see so many young adults working for the Lord.  There hearts were open and willing and even loved on our children while we were together.  During the vacation Bible school time we really got to know many children in the neighborhood that Pastor Miguel will be ministering to.  There are many families in need and the resources are limited.   We ask for prayer for the families that are struggling in the neighborhood for food, jobs, and homes.  Sometimes it can be overwhelming and so we are turning it over to God and letting Him sort out the needs so we can do what He asks us to do. 
We are looking forward to being at the Compassion project again this week to catch up with the children.  Christmas is on the way and there are many ways Nicaragua is celebrating Christ's birth.  The markets are full and overflowing with presents and gifts for people to buy.  The Christmas trees have been available for sale for about 2 weeks now.  Not really much different than the United States.  I pray this year we will see God in ways we have never seen Him before and that we will touch the lives of many children this year.  Nicaragua also celebrates St. Mary quite a bit.  There have been several parades in the last few days in her honor.  Catholism runs very deep in this country and it is difficult to break through that mind set and help the people to know that all they have to do is accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  The good deeds will not get us to heaven yet even those who profess to know Jesus still think they have to do good to get to heaven.  It is difficult to explain the grace that God has given us when good works is constantly being preached and heard.  I pray that God will take a hold of this country and begin to help the people see God's grace. 

Time slowly flies

We have been enjoying time with North Americans this week.  There is a group here from Arkansas and Virginia.  The activities include fiestas, VBS, construction and church attendance.  They are a wonderful group of young adults searching for God and they have come with a willing heart to serve.  The days fly by and the nights go slowly.  Thank goodness because we all need some extra sleep.  We have enjoyed playing at the beach this week and seeing new churches and places.  Many people have already made decisions to also follow Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Sierra has started to learn how to evangelize in a small group setting and is going with two others to share the message of Jesus Christ with those standing around where we gather.  Caleb says he would like to do the same.  Miss Mary one of the ladies in the group has agreed to teach Sierra and Caleb about the EvangaCube so they can learn how to do it as well.  I think it will be a good tool for them to have under their belt. 
We are working on figuring out how to help with the teams and to increase their reach to people.  Four young children can sometimes be a burden and not a help so we are trying to figure out how to be a help.  Everyone is being a trouper and God is stretching our patience, our crankyness factor and our love for Him. 
The kids and I have had some experiences this week that we can only say God has a hedge of protection around us.  We give all the glory to God for the fact that we are here, SAFE, and doing fine. 
We are heading into December looking forward to celebrating Christ's birth.  He is the reason we are here and without His coming we would not have the gift of salvation.  May God richly bless each of you as you read our blog and pray for us while we serve here in Nicaragua.  We pray that if any of you reading do not have the wonderful gift of salvation that you would email us(jvspeigle@hotmail.com) or talk to someone you trust who can explain it to you.  Receiving that gift of salvation will change your life forever and you will never regret the decision to have Christ as your Lord and Savior.  John 3:16 says For God so loved the world that He gave is one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have evertlasting life.  We pray that you will not let this Christmas season pass you by without knowing the Christ who came to make it all happen. 

Blessings from above

God is good wouldn't you agree?  Last week, Kyle's baseball glove was taken by one of the children during the sports camp time.  He was very sad and upset about the whole thing but later said he was glad another child that  needed the glove now had it.  Yesterday at sports camp the boy who took it returned the glove.  Later Kyle told me that even though he returned the glove to him and he was thankful for that, he thought maybe the boy should have it since the boy didn't have a glove.  Isn't God amazing.  He is changing the heart of a 7 year old into an amazing man.  Thank you Jesus for you grace and work in our children.  May God receive all the glory!!

Good week

We have had another good week here in Nicaragua.  Many things are happening and the kids are still just as excited about being here and they were at the beginning.  God is so good.  We have experienced much delay in our internet in the last two weeks so please understand why the blogs have been so few.  Sunday we were able to go to a town in the mountains called Santa Pancha.  The church service was unique and enjoyable.  The children's time was well organized and the children were learning some good information from the Bible.  We discovered the water in the community is not drinkable and so they have water pumped to them every 8-10 days from another area of the mountain.  They store the water in cisterns coated in algae.  They use some sort of tablet to keep the algae under control.  Please pray for this community.  They are in great need of a medical team.  The last medical team to visit the community was 40 years ago.  The few doctors that seem to be coming occasionally are not very good.  The trip to the village is difficult and long and that is probably why they don't have many teams.  We will continue to pray for God to open the door for that community so they can receive help. 
This week at school we enjoyed learning about creation.  We learned about the care of babies and how to wash and care for ourselves.  The older children also learn these types of lessons but of course on their level. 
I was planning on starting teaching this week but it has been postponed due to scheduling.  I hope to start in two weeks. 
We are planning another sports day today and would greatly appreciate prayers for this event.  There are so many children coming it has a tendancy to be overwhelming.  We will need to create some organization to the group and that takes time.  At times this culture we live in is extremely patient and at other times it is not. 
God is continuing to provide for us in every way and we are thankful to all of you who pray for us and support us.  We could not be doing it without your help.  Our pray is that this blog finds you healthy and excited about the upcoming season of Christ's birth.  To God be the glory!!

Word for the Day

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; Great is thy Faithfulness.       Lamentations 3:22-23.   

These words I have really held onto down here.  They are one of many promises made by God to help us on our journey down here.  I pray that as you read them today God will become alive to you and you will see His glory throughout your day!

Changes

It has been another exciting, difficult, and fun week.  We have been without internet most of the week so I have not been able to blog regularly.  My apologies to those who have been wondering what happened to us.  We did not drop off the face of the earth but simply couldn't communicate with the world.  Well, enough of that.  Here is what happened this week. 
John had a surprise on Tuesday.  He was invited to a church service with the understanding that he was just going to attend.  Well, God does have a sense of humor and when he arrived at the church he found out they wanted him to preach.  Fortunately he was prepared and did a fine job.  On Wednesday it was my turn to do some teaching at the ladies conference at the Jericho church.  I decided to talk about Martha and Mary and how we need to focus on what is better and not let the good stuff get in the way. I will post more about that another time.  Thursday was an exciting day for a change of pace.  We started the sports club in the afternoons.  I didn't count but there were enough children for two baseball teams, two soccer teams and half a ladies volleyball team.  It had to have been about 70-80 kids.  Two teachers from the compassion project school came to help and John and I were there and we each had an interpreter to help us.  It was such an amazing time.  God is good and will provide for all our needs if we remember to focus on Him.  We started around 2:00p.m. and finished close to 5.  There was only one draw back and yet it turned out good.  Kyle brought his baseball glove to the game to play and when we left it was gone.  He was very upset and did much crying but I explained to him there must have been another boy at the game that didn't have a glove and just really needed one.  I explained to him that sometimes we give things away even when we don't realize it.  I tried to get him to think of it as a gift to the child that now has it.  We walked home after the playing time and right before we were home Kyle said, "You know mommy, I am sad about the glove but I am happy that the boy has something to play with now." God has redeemed the situation in Kyle's mind and I am very thankful that Kyle was able to see the good in the situation.  We look forward to playing sports with the kids again next thursday afternoon. 
We had another change this week that laid very heavy on our hearts for most of the week.  We had asked a lady to come to our house to help out when we had first arrived here.  Well, this week we had to change that situation and so we no longer have help at the house.  It has been a very difficult struggle to decide what to do with the situation and we continue to pray that God will somehow redeem the situation and provide for her in her time of need. 
Another change for this week includes the beginning of my music class at the church.  Our first meeting will be on saturday and 2.  I am not sure how many will show up or what their expectations are  going to be.  Our first meeting will simply be to decide what direction the group wants to go in.  We will decide whether I teach them how to play instruments or whether I will teach them basic music skills.  The pastor only wants  me to include 4 groups.  One group for piano, one for guitar, one for drums and one for choir.  I have to laugh at God's sense of humor.  When the pastor told me he was going to "limit" me to only 4 groups I really found that funny.  :)  I am excited about teaching music and look forward to seeing how the group develops.  I will post more this weekend if the internet is up about how it all goes. 
This past Sunday we enjoyed going to a different church here in Leon.  We were told about it but really didn't know exaclty where it was.  Our original plans were to go the mountains and do some evangelism but the transportation didn't work out.  We decided to go on an adventure and try to find this church we wanted to visit.  The reason we were so interested in visiting this church is because they sing songs in english and spanish.  The pastor preaches in both languages also.  So as a family we went on an adventure.  We did find the church and we were even on time.  There was another North American family there and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole event.  The children's time was enjoyed by our children because there was another child there that interpreted for them and they could understand.  On the way home, everyone wanted to see if we would be going back to that church anytime soon.  It was a blessing to be there and worship God in both languages. 
This weeks prayer requests: health for the family, wisdom to know how to teach the subjects the people have a need for, patience to wait on the Lord.

questions

We had an exciting week.  One filled with new adventure and making new friends and connections.  This week we were invited to spend time with some students who are learning english as a second language.  They ranged in age from 17 to maybe 35.  We were able to spend 3 hours with them talking about religion, politics, food, culture and many other things.  Several students asked repeatedly why we were here and why we would choose to move to Nicaragua when most Nicaraguans are trying to move to the states or else where.  I found myself really digging deep to explain to them the calling I feel God has on my life.  I really had to work at explaining it in such a way that they would be able to see our decision make sense.  Many years ago I read a book called the Upside Down Kingdom.  As we continue on this journey the information in that book becomes alive.  The students are right, it doesn't make sense why we would want so much to live down here and help the children.  The culture and economic situation does not allow the people here to reach worldly goals.  They have to constantly struggle to survive.  In North America, living the "dream" of worldly goals is much easier and the culture and economic situation are much improved.  However, as John and I continually wrestle and listen to God and what He wants for our lives, staying here and reaching the children of Nicaragua just makes sense.  Being a follower of Christ is not comfortable, relaxing and easy.  God has asked us all to get out of our comfort zone and challenge ourselves and those around us to be more than just living in the world.  God asks us to be a light on a hill.  We are the ones to make a difference for others only with God's help.  He gives us the strength to endure, the power to win and the patience to survive.  Living for God is different than anything I ever thought it would be. He has called us to help the children in Nicaragua, and following that call is one thing but living it out is a process that we are only at the beginning of.  I am thankful my Lord and Savior is with me.  I could not do this alone.  Thank you Heavenly Father for promising to be by my side through it all.  To God be the glory!

up and coming

It looks like we will be starting the sports camp next week.  Somehow I think there will be more kids interested than we can teach.  Let's all pray God will provide all the leaders we need for the camp so as many children as possible can start.  The vision for this camp is huge.  The leaders of the school are very excited about what is going to happen with the sports teams and have big ideas for the future.  Let's also pray God's will to be done and that their plans will come to fruition.  I should be starting teacher training next week which will be a new adventure for me but one I am up for the challenge on.  Please pray that I will find the right resources to educate and train the leaders of the school so they can do what God has called them to do.  Thanks for all your prayers and support, we know and understand without it this would never work out.  May God receive all the glory and may God provide funding for us to stay down here for many, many years.  The work here I think I could happily spend the rest of my life doing so I really would like to be here.  I hope God's will is the same.  I will continue to pray God's will for my life, our families life and for the leaders and children of Nicaragua.  Please join me in praying 2 Timothy 3:16-17 for us.

our daily schedule

We have enjoyed an interruption to our daily schedule.  We are only doing two days of school this week because they celebrated the day of the dead on Monday.  I have enjoyed being a teacher's helper for the last few weeks.  I think if I could start my life over again I would probably have become a teacher.  It is neat to see the faces on the kids learning and enjoying school.  Looking forward to bible study with my Savior and Lord today.  I continue to pray that God will lead us to the right people so that we can lay the ground work for a children's home.  I am not completely giving up on the idea yet even though the government says no.  God is bigger and if it is His will we will be able to help take care of many children down here.  Praying God will open our eyes to see His vision.  May God receive all the glory!!!

Quiet time

It has been a quiet weekend.  We have watched the last few days of rain fall continually.  It has been not only refreshing from the heat but a constant reminder of God's enduring love and control.  Without the rain nothing grows and without God we don't either.  Our time here on earth is so limited and I have begun to understand that every waking moment should be spent living for God.  He is our sustainer, our life giver, our passion.  I want to do so much down here but unless I keep my eyes on Him nothing will get done.  My dreams need to be like the soil when it rains.  Soil is full of germs(selfishness), worms(sin), and nutrients(influence of others).  When it rains God washes away the germs and worms and replaces it with fresh clean water(living water).  If we focus on God the influence of others will be positive and not negative, our nutrients will be helpful not harmful.  Rain is a beautiful thing and an excellent reminder of what God is willing to do for us, if we let Him.

From Steeltoes to sandals.

(this was my first attempt at blogging i wrote when i first arrived in Nicaragua)
For most of my life, well at least the last 20 years, I have lived worked and provided for my family by my own skills and abilities. I have even gone as far as being labeled a borderline workaholic. I believed that with my talents, abilities and work ethic i could succeed and build my version of the american dream. I felt that I was doing just that, I had a nice home, success in my job, respect of my peers. But I felt God calling me to do more with my life. I tried in my own way to appease both God and succed with building my kingdom. i became more involved in church activities, tried to read my bible, got together with christian friends. This worked well to build my esteem but little in God's eyes. Matthew 6 :24 states "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."  I was trying to serve two masters.  My own dreams were shutting God out.  I had to make a choice, and I chose to give up what worldly people would call success and totally rely on God and follow Him outside of my comfort zone.  the following posts will detail my journey.  John Speigle

The study of the enemy and update

Well, lets start with the update from this week since it has been two days since I last blogged. John has been very busy this week working on preparing the church for building. He bought supplies and had them delivered and has been swinging a hammer the rest of the week. Three blisters at least to show for it. We were out there last night for a church service. John of course was asked to preach again. He was preaching on the foundation of our lives which I thought was appropriate for the occasion since right beside us they were working on the building of the foundation on the church. The two fit together quite well. These last two days have been much slower for the kids and I. We have worked on North American school and I have been tending to Kyle's arm scrape. It is taking an extra long time to heal and we are going to have to be more aggressive in getting rid of the infection before it gets worse. I'm sure it will be fine but certainly something I feel needs prayer at this point. We have received some encouraging words from someone in the states about just keeping on regarding the children's home, so we are going to hold our heads up high and trust in the Lord to do what we understand Him to have called us to down here.
Since I am talking about discouragement and the power of Satan I think it is fitting to add a little something here from the Bible. The story of Esther is a fascinating one. One that I think gets looked over a bit too easily because so many people know the basic story. I usually don't put Satan in the story of Esther much but today as I was studying I realized there is a pretty big spiritual battle going on in the story. Haman is the man acting the part of Satan. He comes with many disguises and angles to try and destroy. He uses tactics we as humans so easily get trapped by. For example, Haman is caught up in the materialism of the world, or the power. Haman wanted to be the best of the best. He wanted to be at the top of the ladder and obviously was willing to do whatever it took to get there. This would of course include the killing of the Jews especially Mordecai. He had a plan which Satan also, always has. Satan does not attack with random events. He plans out his attack methodically and knows the exact point of our failure or weakness. Satan like Haman was/is proud, petty, immoral, full of wrath and full of scorn, and basically is a destroyer. Nothing will stop Satan from hurting us and our lives. Remember why Satan fell as an angel? He was proud and desired power. Haman was the same. He wanted no other man to be given honor or authority. We have to always be ready for the attacks. We have to spend time at the different gates of the temple. Hopefully you have accepted my challenge from the last blog and researched some of the different gates in the temple that were being repaired and have spent time at each one. We have to be prepared. No general or leader will go out unprepared. They train for battle, they study the different techniques of attack and they learn about their enemy. It is the same with football. There is no football team that will spend the week just goofing off. Each team that wants to win will take the time to study videos of the other team(enemy), they will runs different plays that will overtake the opposition and they will improve themselves. We as players in a game(that would be the game of life) must also do the same. We need to study the enemy(learning the different tactics of satan from scripture), we need to learn different plays(memorizing scripture so we can defeat the enemy when he attacks) and we need to improve ourselves(reading the bible and praying). God will honor our behavior if it is pleasing and right with what scripture says. We all must realize there is a spiritual battle going on in our lives right now, today, and everyday. As North Americans, it is easy to convince ourselves that the spiritual battles are in other countries and not ours but that is a tactic of Satan. We believe we will not be attacked and so we are not prepared. My challenge to myself and those who read this is to be more prepared. Spend more time in the Word and praying so that when we are attacked God will win and not satan. He promises to help us when we pray and so we should believe.

Nehemiah, what he has for you

My bible study this morning came from the book of Nehemiah. This book is amazing. I would encourage everyone who has ever struggled to do God's will, done God's will or even thought about doing God's will to read and study this book. Even though in our minds we understand their is opposition to God's work, sometimes it is hard to put into practical terms. Nehemiah has made that very clear. If we know the patterns and ways of Satan it will be easier to see them when they come and be able to fight them with God's word. As the people returned from exile, and were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem they were under tremendous attack not only from the outside but also from the inside. Let's look at some of the opposition the people were under. Externally they were attacked with criticism, scorn, false accusations, diversion, influence, fear and many others. Internally they were attacked with discouragement, dissension, false prophets and others. When the temple was being restored they had to repair many gates. Each gate had a name and come to find out each gate actually represents a spiritual truth. I would encourage each one of you to read Nehemiah and discover the spiritual truths of the gates. Then you will be more readily equiped to fight against the enemy when he attacks with untruth. For example, the water gate is a symbol of the Word of God. It we spend more time at the water gate then we will have more knowledge to defend and fight. The fish gate is a symbol of soul-winning. Can you imagine what would happen if everyone spent even 5 extra minutes a day at the fish gate? How many souls would be touched by the hand of God if we were to follow His plan? Nehemiah is a tremendous encouragement to those following God's will and also a challenge to those who are afraid or feel they really can't do God's will. Take the challenge and see what blessings God gives you for obeying His commands!! God's blessing comes through humbling ourselves and seeking Him.

The Power of God

You just never know when God is going to do something great, do ya? The simple fact that we are in Nicaragua, having given everything up, and He has provided us with a wonderful home, neighbors that know some english, friends for the kids and opportunities for us to serve. We are provided for in every way and even though we don't see what will happen tomorrow we are grateful to God for what He has already done. God is so much bigger than any earthly power or person. I am continually thankful that I don't have to fight the battles God has already won. As we continue to process and discover what God is going to do down here with us we are ever so thankful for all the prayers and encouraging words and support we receive. Thank you!!!

disappointments and praises

Well, we are heading into another exciting week. John is starting a building project for one of the pastors in the area and hoping to have it finished in 3 weeks. Wow, building around here goes up fast. He would like to have it finished before the next team comes so they can help with flooring and painting. I'm sure God's will will be done. We continue to receive disappointing news about helping with the children. We have to wait one year to apply for residency and before we apply we have to be a legal minstry here in Nicaragua. That process also takes one year or more and we have to hire a lawyer to file all the paper work. We also have to be a legal ministry here in Nicaragua before we can even be foster parents here in the country. So it looks like we will be helping in other areas for quite a while before we will ever be able to help with the children. We know now we will never be able to start a children's home in Nicaragua because of new laws that are being past and for us that is terribly disappointing. I haven't even had the heart to tell the kids about it because I am not sure what we are to do if we can't start a home. Today is a struggle to stay positive and know that God's will is being done. Sometimes giving up our dreams to follow God's will is hard. I will continue to trust in the Lord and know that whatever happens it is He who is in control and will provide for our every need. To God be the Glory!!!

the unexpected

You know God only gives us what we need even when we don't know we need it. Yesterday was an unexpected worship service and thankfully I was looking for God in it all. We were tired, hungry and not really wanting to be where we were but God blessed us last night with an amazing service of appreciation and love for family and church members. The church we went to that was supposed to have a birthday party turned out to be a worship service and pastor appreciate night. I was humbled to see the gifts of gratitude and hugs and love and tears from so many people for their pastor. To make it even more amazing in a culture where women do not receive that much status, this pastor was a women. I could tell she cared for her congregation and they cared for her. God is good and I am thankful He doesn't do what I want. Looking forward to a day of worship at a new church with John preaching again. To God be the Glory!!!

in reflection

As I ponder the last few weeks events I begin to wonder. Many times I have thought clearly about who God is and even have thought perhaps I may even understand God at times. This morning again I am reminded that God is bigger than I will ever be and bigger than I will ever understand. I look around me and wonder. These wonderful people with a good heart and love for others, how do they make it from day to day. I am humbled today realizing that my life has been such a huge blessing from God. He could have chosen any family in the world to have me be a part of and I could have been born into a very, very, very different culture and lifestyle. Yet he had me born in my family and for that I am thankful. God knows everything, He sees the big picture and even knows when we need help before we ask. Many people I have met down here are so on fire for God. They struggle to put food on the table, struggle to see their family and friends hurting and dieing and yet they worship God with the depths of their heart. Those who know Christ have such a confidence about them that could only come from God. They praise Him for everything not just the good stuff. I am challenged as I live here to realize that even when life might look bleak, God is present and working among us, and no matter what happens it is our job to worship Him. It is our job to believe all things work together for our good and it is our job to share the Gospel so others can feel that same assurance and joy. May God put many people in mine and your path today so we can share that assurance, confidence and joy with others.

busy week ending? or just beginning?

It has been an exciting week. We are in full swing helping at the Compassion school and really enjoying it. This week I asked to help with preparations for the preschool class. I am humbled by what they do with what they have. It certainly is much easier to teach in the states with every possible supply you could need; however here they pretty much just use paper, glue and colors. Yet their class is exciting and entertaining for the kids. Sierra asked today why they teach so differently down here. I had to explain to plight of the country and how so many of these children will not be heading to a good job that will supply their families with what they need to live. School down here is to teach the children how to survive in their country, keeping clean as best they can, eating once a day or maybe two, making sure they have shoes and other things. The expectation is so different down here. It really is hard to explain. At times I feel like we just live in a hotter climate and at other times I feel like we do really live in a third world country. I get frustrated with the political situation at times because there is so much more the government could do for their people and yet they aren't. I wonder sometimes how North America ended up the way it did. God definitely had His hand of protection on it while it was developing. Well enough rambling........
We are looking forward to seeing Managua in the daylight today and perhaps tomorrow a trip to the beach. Saturday we have been invited to a celebration at one of the churches and Sunday John is preaching. Monday for John begins an exciting adventure of being the foreman for a construction crew to build a church for a pastor in the area. It should take about three weeks. In the meantime we are both preparing to teach, preach and serve. Thank you Lord for all your goodness and love. We will continue to follow God and allow Him the direction in our lives.

Psalm 121:2

This was our memory verse for today in Sunday school. I decided instead of hoping the kids would be able to memorize it and put it to heart, I should. My help comes from the Lord, maker of Heaven and Earth. I have no idea how I am going to do what they have asked me to do down here. I have some experience in the subjects they want me to teach and some experience in the classroom but I am certainly not an expert. It is hard to know how to teach someone especially when I hardly know them or where they are at in their journey. I am praying God will lead me to the right material and the right resources. Maybe even the right person in the states to help me figure it all out. I know there are many experienced leaders and teachers out there. God will help me in this I know but it is very scary to try and even begin to organize it and create it from scratch. I understand I came down here to serve and so that is what I am going to do. I remember once in Harrisonburg I was told often God doesn't call us to something we are really good at because then He doesn't receive the glory. Perhaps this will be one of those times he calls me to something I am not that great at so that when it turns out great, God will receive all the glory. I ask for prayers from all those who read this as I begin to prepare to teach the children in English and music and to train the teachers. I will be having a training session every week starting in November to educate and train the teachers to better manage their classrooms, learn how to keep the children's attention, and how to transition from one theme to the next. They do not follow any specific curriculum this year at church and so I am hoping to help them organize one. Also, they want me to educate the teachers in such a way that they are encouraged to come to church and participate in activities at the church. I am wondering if we offer some sort of Awana at the church if that would help them feel more comfortable about coming? I will continue to pray and ask God to lead me as I prepare.
John is going to be starting a sports camp at the beginning of November as well. He will be working with many, many, many children. They will start the camp working on baseball but many females in the area would also like to see soccer be a big part of the camp. If you could pray for him as he begins to prepare for this time. Please pray that he will be organized and clear in his motivation for doing this and God will draw some other men to him so he will have help.

week in review

What an exciting week it has been and we are only half way through. Last night went really well. I spoke from the passage in Samuel about Hannah. I used the internet to find an outline of the story and we worked through the lessons we can learn from Hannah on being a Women of Faith. It was actually really exciting to speak. I thought I would be nervous so I did alot of praying and God helped me to relax and just enjoy myself. I was able to share with emotion and pleasure the stories and lessons from Hannah. The time at the school this week was also very enjoyable. The children are all adjusting the best they can. Sierra has made several friends already and the girls in her class are very welcoming. Caleb is working on it as well and has a few of the boys inviting him to play kick ball with them. It is good for him to have to broaden his horizons although at times he doesn't think so. Kyle has melded with his class well and doesn't seem too bothered by the language barrier. He has made a friend in class and he thinks his name is Toby. Hearing the childrens' names is very difficult for everyone. Some of the names are similar to North American names such as: Elizabeth, Pamela, Madalyn, Martha and Cindy but others are more difficult. They put letters and vowels in places we normally don't so it is hard to hear the name. I'm sure in time it will come though. Sydney and I have enjoyed the three year old class and she was even given her own notebook on wednesday to put pictures in along with the other children in the class. I am amazed and humbled by how so many teachers and children have welcomed us with open arms and are so willing for us to be a part of their program. The pastor of Jericho Baptist church is the CEO for the school and he is very interested in us helping. We are planning to sit down on Saturday with him, the director of the school and the program director to see what their ideas are for helping with the program. I am excited to be a part of what lies ahead.

teaching, learning, teaching

Looks like another exciting day at school for us. We will again spend the morning at the compassion school where Sierra has already made several girl friends. Caleb is struggling to understand the language and feel comfortable in a foreign situation. Kyle just blended right in. He has joined the class of other very distractable kids. It works well for him. Sydney of course, is in the 3 year old class and was learning about creation and when God created day and night. I sat in on the little ones class because I figure she will talk slower and use more hand motions when communicating because she is working with such small ones. It will hopefully help my spanish. I am planning to speak tonight with a group of ladies about Hannah and share about how God will prevail in all situations that are in His will. I have never done something like this before and am quite nervous. Hopefully God will use me tonight for His glory.

what a week ahead

If looks like we are finally starting to run down here. We spent the morning at a school supported by Compassion International and there were approximately 100 children. The afternoon has about 200 children. And on saturday they have a different group of children as well. The younger children meet monday through wednesday from 8:30-10:30 and the afternoon children meet from 2:30-4:30. The Saturday class is for older kids and they teach them a vocation. They have asked me to teach the kids on whatever I feel like teaching them. I am excited and overwhelmed all at the same time. I am not a teacher by degree so this will be interesting. I do know I will have to completely rely on God to help me plan and create the programs to teach the children. If any of you teachers out there have suggestions for teaching children with a completely open lesson plan I would love to hear some ideas. We are planning to spend the rest of the school days at the school this week. I think it will be a good place for the kids to make friends and learn some spanish. God is continuing to provide for all our needs and we are learning to be patient.

just the beginning

What an amazing Sunday we had. Children's church in the morning and then an incredible sunday evening service at a church with an air conditioner. What a relaxing time to spend 3 hours in A/C. The preacher was a great story teller and did a good job of acting out Joseph on his way to power. The kids were amazing. They hardly noticed they had been sitting for so long. God is definitely keeping them in His control.
We are off this morning to a school with 100 children in the morning and even more in the afternoon. I am thankful for all the doors that are being open for us and I enjoy watching God work. I will continue to pray that God opens everyone's eyes to His work down here and that our hearts will be obedient to His call. Look forward to pictures and stories from the school later this week.

A Day of Rest

Today has been a wonderful day so far and it isn't even over. We have shared Bible stories with many children, listened to teaching from John and I have been amazed at how his preaching has improved over the past 2 years. The last time I heard him preach was Dec. of 2007. God is definitely doing a good work in John. I was able to teach and play with over 25 kids this morning. We did the story from John 6 on the feeding of the 5000. We went pretend fishing and memorized John 6:48. I decided since the lesson was about bread and fish I would share a snack of bread. I think it went well. After the service the two ladies in charge of children's ministry and teaching and the pastor of the church asked if I would be interested in helping with the compassion project they run during the week and if I would do some training for the teachers. There are 12 teachers in all I will be working with. I am very excited about what God is doing down here and am also very grateful God has found we worthy to be apart of it. I am humbled to think that I could contribute to a program that is already so amazing. This church from the little we know of it has outreach programs going on regularly. The bullentin board was just full of different opportunities the people in the area can be apart of. They are having a festival of some sort on the 18th of this month and are planning to give out food and clothing and play games and do all sorts of other things I couldn't understand because they were written in spanish. I will be praying God will use us to help them with all their outreach programs. They were very welcoming and friendly. In about 1 hour we have been invited to visit another church with one of the interpreters so we will head to another church. I am excited to see what this one is all about. I get the picture down here that each church really has it's own unique way of working. I guess that is similar to the states but in other ways is quite different. Continuing to look forward to going to school in the morning and spending time with the children. God is good!! Amen y Amen

weekend frenzy

It looks like John has a busy weekend after all. He will be preaching tonight at a local church near by and then again in the morning. He would covet your prayers as he tries to focus on what God would like for him to share about. Also, I am praying about what God will have me teach from, this wednesday as I share at a women's conference. Not sure how many will show up or even where they are at spiritually. It is kind of hard to teach when I don't know where they are at but will rely on God to lead me to the right scripture and lesson for the day. It looks like this will be a regularly scheduled activity for me occuring every two weeks. I will need to work on teaching material for women!! I certainly have lots for children and we are hoping to work more closely with them but are following the Lord's leading and going where He places us. Couldn't sleep last night so I did quite a bit of research on Proverbs 31 and the virtuous women. It is amazing all the things that women are able to do with the help of God and His leading. We both covet your prayers and will keep you posted how things are shaping up.

end of week review

It has again been an exciting week. We spent most of Monday getting to know another children's home in the area and meet another family from North America that has also recently moved here. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent doing North American school and trying to decide if we need a juicer or if we should just live without it. We also interviewed two interpreters we were considering hiring and a cook/cleaning lady for the house. Thursday was spent starting an art project with the children that takes several days to complete. We are working on a paper mache statue. We had to look for rocks to start and shape them into the statue we each wanted to make. Friday we spent finishing covering our statue with newsprint and glue. We also had the cook/cleaning lady start on friday. She took us shopping for food and to purchase a tortilla pan to make homemade tortillas, nicaraguan style. We had a wonderful lunch, much better than what I was cooking that's for sure. Of course, there is always going to be one picky eater in the bunch and so not everyone liked her cooking. Hopefully we will begin to adjust to the new foods. We are looking forward to a busy weekend with John preaching twice and later next week John will preach again and I will be doing some teaching at a ladies conference. Grateful for all that God has done for us and are learning to be patient beyond the idea of patience. Thankful for all the prayers that are being said on our behalf and confident that God is taking care of us daily.