As we began planning this construction trip, we had hoped for 20 men that would go to Nicaragua. The deadline for us to release tickets came and so we prayed that 15 would grasp the vision of this trip and enlist to go. The next deadline came and we still only had 13. Shortly after that one dropped out. That left us with a dozen men. As God always does, He knew exactly who He wanted to be on this trip and tackle this construction project. I am so reminded of the story of Gideon from Judges chapter 6 and 7 as God brought this specific team together.
The men who have been here represented God and Fox River at the highest level. They literally put blood, sweat and tears into every day's work. It has been such a privilege to have been able to lead this group of men to Nicaragua. The willingness of these men to pour all of their physical strength into the work left a lasting impression on the people here. I promise you, they left nothing on the field. They were spent at the end of each day.
So much so that the Nicaraguan man charged with being the contractor was impressed with their teamwork, tenacity and willingness enough to say, he would love to work with them again. This was a testimony of their relationship with God and their love for these people in La Esmerelda. This is an important witness as this man is not a believer but at the end his heart was softened and he was touched by these men of God. Pray that he will continue to see the truth of God and receive Jesus.
Today has been a travel day. Though we are at the end of our trip and headed home to those we miss, love and are eager to see, it is not easy to leave the wonderful new amigos with which we have built eternal relationships. Because we trust in our God, we know we are brothers and sisters now and forever. However, for those of us who have been here this week we have a familial bond that we long to hold on to and heading out today was not easy.
As I stood back and watched this group of men hug there friends they had worked hard with all week it was easy to see that God and this place called La Esmerelda, Nicaragua had grabbed their hearts in new ways. Though we can't communicate as easily as we would like, the long handshakes and full embraces definitely said what all were desiring to communicate. We love this group of people and will share more time together if God allows it here on Earth but for sure in Heaven.
Flexibility is always the key word on a missions trip. We have great people who work very hard to plan and make all the arrangements for those of us who go around the world representing Fox River. We could not accomplish all that we do without them. Even so we rarely get to make it all work exactly as planned. Again, the need to make changes to our day today made flexibility key. We traveled just a short way today instead of the whole trip back to Managua. We will complete the longer part in the morning to get to the airport. With that today has been much more restful. We got to our lodging and had a great lunch and have been hiking, touring the grounds of this beautiful facility and just relaxing.
Please pray for the country of Nicaragua. God is very much at work here and Satan is trying to destroy that. The country is very much at a crossroads and could change in ways that challenge the work of God's people here for a while. Pray for the church and medical clinic in La Esmerelda as these are changing a community for now and eternity. Pray for Pastor Denis and his wife Karen as they minister to the community by teaching the Gospel and managing the clinic as well as leading in so many other ways. Especially for Karen as she carrys their second child to full term. Pray that this new children's facility that has been constructed this week will bring the next generation of Nicaraguans to faith in Jesus.
Thank you Fox River for your support of International Missions through My Gift for Jesus. You are making life changing, eternity changing differences for people you may never know until eternity. They thank you and this team will bring that message home with them to share with you. Together with God, we are Contructing a Future.
Pastor Mark
