rejuvinated!!

Wow, what a summer it has been.  The last time I posted was in June and now it is already September.  We have been quite busy with teams and activities and I thought maybe today would be a good day to catch up on things and start blogging again.  It seems our schedule is more manageable again.  So here goes.......
Let's start back in July.  We worked with three teams in July.  The first one was a Vacation Bible school group and we were able to have two sessions per day for four days with 60 children in each session.  It went so smoothly.  The kids had three stations to go to and we were able to keep them in their stations and get all the activities done.  On the second day Lenin decided it was necessary to feed the children after each session so we began feeding them as well.  It is always so rewarding to feed children who are in need.  We were very thankful to God for keeping away the rain and providing for what these kids needed.  At the end of the week we passed out little stuffed turtles and the kids loved them. 
The second week was a group of young people who wanted to put on a sports camp.  We reserved the center area of La Paz Centro and with the help of the police we blocked off the roads.  We then used the area to play soccer, volleyball and even some young children's circle games.  We worked with children as young as maybe 4 all the way up to 18 year olds.  There were tournaments for soccer and each team had a turn playing against another.  In addition to playing sports with the kids we took some time to share the gospel with them.  It was a very hot week but we were able to touch many lives.  We also did a feeding distribution of 50 bags of food.  Each member of the team took several bags of food and with the help of a translator passed out bags of food and shared the Gospel.  It was a very rewarding time. 
The third week was a medical group that came to treat the people of La Paz Centro.  We saw over 1000 patients that week.  It was a busy time and many people were treated and had medicine provided for them.  Again God kept the rain away when needed and He also provided all the medicine we needed.  We didn't run out at any time!!!!  I am always thankful to God for what He does when teams come.  There are so many different things that need to happen for a medical team to come to Nicaragua and God always seems to open the right doors at the right time. 
As we worked our way into August, the teams left and we began schooling the children here at the house.  One of the biggest struggles for me is to know when God wants us to serve Him outside the house and when it is time to serve Him inside the house.  We homeschool our children and have been doing so for 5 years now.  It is a very rewarding and difficult job.  Here in Nicaragua, we have to learn to balance serving people outside the house and doing what we need to do inside.  We have really focused on school these last few weeks.  It is so important for the kids to have a routine and know what to expect from one day to the next.  We school monday through thursday and then on friday we do ministry outside the house.  We continue to feed families and teach classes on that day.  On Saturday we also do one more day of school at home but it is a shortened version of the week.  
Our feeding has grown this week to 22 families.  We continue to pray the prayer of Jabez and anticipate God continuing to provide the extra money for us to pass out bags of food.  The bags of food include rice, beans, onions, tomatoes, peppers, plantains and potatoes.  Sometimes we substitute yuka and carrots for the plantains and potatoes depending on the price of each in the market.  It costs about 5-7 dollars per bag of food.  The bag of food lasts the family depending on how many about 2-4 days.  It certainly doesn't provide for all their needs but we are here only to help and this is a very practical way to help.  We really don't want them to become completely dependant on us because they also need to do their part to provide for their families but it is good to help out a little bit each week. 
The second week in September we needed to return to Costa Rica for our visa requirements.  That trip is always enjoyable and a nice break from the day to day.  We continue to pray God will open doors for us to obtain a residency here in Nicaragua so we no longer have to leave every 180 days. 
Our spanish is slow in coming.  We just celebrated our first year here in Nicaragua and I really thought we would know more spanish.  The kids really don't communicate in spanish but they are learning words.  We know many words in spanish but speaking the language is much more difficult than I thought it would be.  I suppose it is a good thing and a bad thing.  We are able to continue to pay someone to translate for us which gives him a job but communication is very slow. 
Well, that brings us to now.  It has been a whirlwind of a time but we are slowing down and getting back into a routine.  I think now my mind is clear and I will be able to post again more often.  I pray for you, our supporters, and hope that this update finds you well.  Thank you to everyone for all your prayers these last few months and I pray God will richly bless your lives for you support.