Let's get started

Today was are first full day here in La Esmeralda.  

I will start by sharing that Our God is GOOD!  He has shown us his presence and has heard your prayers! ​

​Some of our students share about what we have done...

Andrea-- Today we had the opportunity to go out in the community and hand out the hygiene packs we had assembled. We were able to go into the locals houses, give them the packs and pray over them, their family, and their household. It was an amazing start to the week.

Michaela--  We have really started to form relationships with the Nicas. Today we got to play a bunch of games and even had a color war. You really figure out who your friends are when you're running around and chucking colored powder at people. It was a lot of fun and even though we can't always talk with them, playing games really does break the communication barrier. 

Megan Paulson-- After an incredible day, building relationships and meeting people in the community, we had the opportunity to be apart of "teen night" at the local church. This was an awesome experience because everything is led by the teens, but you would never know it! Our team put on a skit for everyone, and we continued to build relationships and grow with the people around us! I can't wait to see what the rest of the week will hold! 

As we end our day will you pray for us?

The team has had some trials and we ask you pray for their hearts as we step into the rest of the week!   

Rest and breakfast

​Buenas Dias!!

We have rested and had breakfast!​

Selva Negra promises us good food, warm showers, and a bed to crash!  They have have definitely fulfilled that promise!

We will load up the bus and head up to La Esmeralda here shortly!   

Pray with us...

for dry and safe roads.

health for those who have motion sickness.

energy levels. 

that our relationships grow stronger with eachother and those who we will be working with!  

We will post again soon!!  

We are here!

The team has arrived safely in Nicaragua! 

For the most part travel was uneventful. All luggage accounted for, Praise God! Thank you for praying with us!! 

We had lunch at the airport and then headed out on the bus!  We have stopped for the night at Selva Negra a good stopping place for a good nights rest and good meal!

The team is exhausted and ready to hit the hay, but they are excited to be here!

We will eat dinner and turn in for a early night!

We have felt your prayers, so keep them coming! 

Buenas Noches

And here we go!

Today is the day! Our team gathered this morning at 1 am at the church to pack all our bags onto the bus and head to the airport for the first leg our journey to Nicaragua. And we couldn't be more excited!! Please pray for our team as today will be a long travel day, for all members to stay healthy, and for all our luggage to make it with us! 

These are our 1 am faces :) 

We are at our gate and ready to board! Next stop Houston, then to Nicaragua. Keep up with our trip here on the blog! Thanks for following along and supporting us throughout our journey from fundraisers to praying. We love you church family!

Talk soon!

Commissioning and Packing

Are you ready to join us on our adventure!!  We now leave in just a few short days and are very excited to see how God uses this team.

Commissioning

Last weekend Fox River (all campuses) commissioned our Nicaragua team.  What a privilege it is to be sent and supported by our entire church body! 

Just to give you a glimpse of what a commissioning weekend looks like...  We start at our Waukesha campus for our Saturday night service and then again on Sunday morning, we then split our team to go to our Muskego and Waterford campuses. And do a little hopping back and forth.  3 campuses covering 6 services over the weekend! 

Two of the team members were willing to share about how it feels to know our church is praying...

Delaney- "The fact that we have so much support from our congregation and Pastors throughout our journey brings such comfort.  As we were praying the Holy Spirit really opened my eyes to the fact that complete strangers can pray for something directly for me and it still has impact.  I found comfort in this weekends commissioning and it also showed me how supportive a church family can truly be."

Heath- "Commissioning is important to me because it allows me to feel that the church and senior staff is supporting us and behind us. I'm excited to go on this trip and allow god to work through us aswe are there. Amen"

Packing day!!!

That's right, you heard me!  We are so close it's time we got our supplies in some suitcases!  

18 students and 9 adults!! 27 people = lots of luggage... and today we packed one bag of supplies for each team member!! 

As we have shared before packing day is a daunting task when you look at the piles of supplies we need to fit into our limited suitcases, but it always seems to work out!   

From bubbles to peanut butter we pack it all! 

As we zip up the final suitcases, and our trip approaching quickly, will you join us in prayer in this specific area? Prayers that all of our luggage makes the trip with us and is accounted for on the other side.

2017 Kenya Mission Team

The 2017 Kenya Mission Team is preparing for their trip to Kenya July 16 - 29. While in Kenya we will:

• Build relationships with missionaries and staff at the 2 Fox River schools
• Spend time with our 800 primary school kids to have fun and love on them!
• Visit our high school students 
• Host large community outreach days with sporting events, fun activities and a gospel presentation
• Pastor Guy will speak at a pastor's conference sponsored by Fox River
• Take the 8th graders on a field trip to their zoo
• Build a mud hut for a family in the community
• Distribute the solar lamps donated by Fox River sponsors

Will you join me in praying for the team as they prepare for all that God has in store for them?

Nica. Team Peparation

If you haven't heard yet, let us catch you up on some exciting news! Fox River High School Students are headed to Nicaragua this summer to partner with the local church and help them reach out to their community in ways they otherwise might not be able to. The trip is right around the corner and we are in full preparation mode. 

Every year the teams put together a VBS to host at the schools in the communities surrounding La Esmeralda. The students have been preparing and putting all the different pieces together to make it a great experience for the children who will attend. From helping write a script for the bible story that we will share, to planning games, craft, and learning songs. We do this preparation together as a team, and as a team we get to make an impact for the kingdom.

The drama team practicing the story of Jericho. 

Team building during our meetings, it went very well. 

Time is flying by and we will be in Nicaragua before we know it. There are still a few things left on our to-do-lists. First being the Run For Love that is TOMORROW Saturday, May 20th. The run is a fundraiser for the hygiene packs that we will be giving away while in Nicaragua. The hygiene packs give the team an opportunity to bless the Nicaraguans with some items like tooth paste, tooth brush, soap, rain poncho, nail clippers, and a few other things that will enable them and their family to live a little more comfortable than they usually would get to, and also provide us an unique opportunity to share the gospel with every family that we come in contact with.

Edit: We had a great morning at the Run for Love!!   The rain held out for us!

There is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into making these trips a success. Prayer is one of the most important parts of it! You can join our team by praying for us. Here are some specific ways you can join us in prayer...

• Pray for us as we start to prepare our hearts for the working that God will do in and through us.
• Pray for the VBS events that we will host for these children to understand Christ's love for them.
• Pray that any nerves or fears would be taken away and replaced by trust in God and his sovereignty in all of the planning and work we have done to prepare.  We believe he will bless our preparation.
• Pray for the families that will be impacted by the hygiene pack outreach that we get to do.
• Pray for God to show up in mighty ways that surprise even the most expectant member of our team.
• Pray for God to bring unity as we bring two groups of people from different cultures together to work for the common goal, God's glory, as we become one team.

10 Years in Kenya

Ten years ago this month Fox River opened 2 schools north of Mombasa, Kenya in the villages of Vipingo and Bomani. We started with three kindergarten classes for ages 4, 5, and 6. The school year runs from January through October so that first class had some catching up to do. Each year a class was added until the primary schools were completed through grade 8 in 2015.

Our schools have grown from 180 children in 2007 to 800 children in 2017. Two classes have finished their primary education and are now in high school.

The class of 2017 is the first class that has gone all the way through our schools. The students and staff have been such a joy to partner with in this ministry. We want to praise God for all He has done!

2007 Crossroads Academy students, staff and the team from Fox River in Vipingo.

2016 Crossroads Academy students and staff in Vipingo.

2007 New Life Academy students in Bomani.

2016 New Life Academy students and faculty in Bomani.

Missionary Jim Horne and Fatuma in 2007.

Fatuma in 2017 as a freshman in high school.

It brings us great joy to see how these children are growing and finding their full potential. Fatuma is a good student. She is happy, healthy and full of hope for a bright future!

Please join us in praising God for all He has done in the last 10 years!

Soccer Ministry

Soccer League!  Did you know Fox River partners with and supports a soccer league in Nicaragua??

Check this out!! It's super cool and we are so excited to share about it today!  

This soccer league is a growing thriving ministry.   

The league is used to reach youth and give them a place to come and get involved in a relatable, fun and safe way! 

The importantance of this ministry...

In Nicaraguan culture it is very easy to get caught up in worldly influence, as it is in our culture.  These young men could get caught up in various different things that aren't good for them... amongst those things is joining gangs and engaging in violence. 

We don't want that for them.  That is why the goal of the sports ministry is to give them an encouraging environment that they can participate in, an environment that promotes a relationship with Christ that they can be in!

They are also being given practical skills to become leaders in their community and in their families.

To be an active member and to play in the league... they are asked to participate in devotions at each practice/game and are required to attend at least one church service each week.  Although this may sound strange they have seen that is a very effective way of reaching these youth.

Through this ministry teens are realizing their need for a Savior and being saved.

We have seen it... One of these young men is a crucial leader in the church and has plans to attend seminary.  

It is truly beautiful to see and hear about how God is using something like soccer to bring people into his family and it is our honor to have a part in this working! 

Light Up Kenya!

Every evening thousands of children in Kenya sit down and do their homework by kerosene-powered light. However, the soot emitted from the burning lamps is not only an environmental hazard but the toxic fumes could be causing children serious harm and putting them at risk of respiratory illnesses.

The 2017 Fox River Kenya Team is raising funds to provide solar lamps for the children in our schools. A $20 donation provides a solar lamp for a school family and helps send the team to distribute them.

Would you consider giving a donation? Please click HERE for more information or to make a donation.

Thank you!