Arrival Day for Early 8

Early on Saturday morning, the first small group of 8 from the Kenya team arrived in Kenya with gratitude for uneventful flights. After a few hours of sleep we had the afternoon hours to reconnect with some very special ministries that touch ours.

LIFE SPRING RESCUE CENTER

The rescue center in Vipingo takes in children who have been abandoned or rescued from unsafe situations. This center was born out of the heart of our Medical Missions Director to care for these children. That desire brought together several organizations to make this important ministry become a reality. To date, 26 children have been rescued with 14 currently placed in this wonderful home.

SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOL

Many years ago a Fox River Kenya team member saw a boy with Downs Syndrome wandering the streets of Vipingo and asked if we could help him. He attended the school for several years before we knew we had to find a place that was designed to care for him. God lead us to just the right place and in February of 2016 we were able to get him in the school. When we visit him, we also visit some of the 800 children in the special needs school. This school is an amazing ministry with some incredible kids!

It was early night for the 8 weary travelers. Tomorrow we will represent Fox River in 3 different churches connected with our ministries. Guy will be speaking at our sister church, Crossroads Fellowship. Team members will be in Vipingo and Pastor Allan's church in Majioni. 

Thank you for praying for us and for the rest of the team that will be departing on Sunday to join us!

Kenya Team Commissioning

The 2017 Kenya Mission Team is ready to go! Saturday we packed the supply bags and over the weekend the team was commissioned at each of our campuses.

The first group of 8 departed Thursday afternoon and the rest of the team departs on Sunday afternoon. Will you join me in praying for:

• Safe travel
• Health
• All luggage to arrive in Kenya
• Our loved ones left at home
• Our partners in Kenya preparing for our arrival

#FRStudentsInNicaragua 2017

Oh the wrap up...  So many things to share, not enough words to even scratch the surface.

We have been home for just under a week and as we try to grasp at all we have experienced the emotions still run high! 

The Spiritual warfare was real on this trip.  Every turn we made there would be another obstacle to face.  Many things could have broken our team, many moments could have been over taken by fear, sickness, rain, mud, bugs, trees and power lines, etc... but God walked right beside us the entire time.  OUR GOD SHOWS UP!!!  He never ever ceases to leave us in awe as we walk through these trips and I wouldn't want it any other way!  In awe of how our Creator works is a really cool place to be! 

With spiritual warfare you better believe there is Kingdom work being done! 

We take a yearly trip to encourage and fuel the ministry that exists there on a daily basis.  We go and we partner with the clinic and the church in La Esmeralda!  We go with them as they do their ministry in their communities!  God is doing great things in this place through some very special people!

Fox River Students are awesome!!!  They jumped in feet first to all that God had in store for them. From handing out hygiene packs to playing games with the kiddos at the schools, the students were there and ready to show God's love. They didn't allow language to stop them from building relationships and walked away knowing that our God has no language!  Many students stepped out of their comfort zones on this trip and saw how faithful God was to meet them there and do work in and through their lives. 

Our prayer is that each of these students has walked away knowing who God is and how he works in their lives! 

As I sit here writing I wonder what 'those' numbers are... how many gave their lives to Christ, how many hygiene packs were given, how many kiddos were at VBS, teens at teen outreaches... and so on.  Are the numbers what really matter?  Do we really need to know the exact number? The people matter, the numbers do not!  I fully believe that this team made an impact, this team fought the good fight, this team conquered fears, this team FOLLOWED!  I believe that our God knows the numbers and that He has multiplied that since we have come and gone!  There are numbers, I just don't know them and tonight I'm okay with that!  One day we will stand next to the lives that were changed this week!!

As you have read before, coming off of trips is an emotional roller coaster, and this year is no exception.  As a leader I help others process and then will take my turn.  I don't know what it is about this year, but it wrecked me!  I can pin point the spot, the moment, the hour that I walked away from my heart.  It is still sitting in that place right now... leaning up against the motorcycle in front of the church as I watched my team take in the last moments of this trip. This spot brings so much peace, somewhere I undoubtedly feel the presence of God!  Needless to say, I don't feel whole.  Maybe this year this place took the remaining pieces of my heart that it didn't already have, maybe God is stirring up something inside me. Through the privilege of following Christ comes the heartache for His work!  Until He tells me otherwise I will continue leading teams over to share in the experience of joy that this place brings me!  It never gets old! 

As we recoup, as we work through our feelings, as we strive to make the changes God has asked of us... Will you pray for us?  Will you pray for those kiddos, teens, families... that we crossed paths with?  Will you pray for Pastor Denis and his team?  Pray for the ministry of the clinic and church in La Esmeralda?

Fox River has a home in La Esmeralda, Nicaragua!  Just let us know when you are ready to go visit with us!

#JuntosSiempre

Pictures!!!

We had a great week!!! Thanks for praying for us! 

Here are some pictures to show you a little bit of what we did!

Check back later to see our wrap up post!  

The last day

As I sit here this morning after saying goodbyes my heart is full and yet so heavy.  This just never seams to get any easier. 

The students have experienced life change and are leaving pieces God has asked them to set down as well have pieces of their hearts.  We have students who have decided that their lives would be so much greater if they chose to follow Christ!!!

This week was full of spiritual warfare, yet God pulled us right on through!  He is so good to us! 

Yesterday we had a great day of celebration of the week!  We were able to take our Nica team on a fun and exciting day!  We went zip lining!!! So many faced some fears and jumped!  We then had a very long bus ride down to Managua!  After we made it to Managua we went to the port for some shopping and ended the night at Pizza Hut!  We had time to share what God had stirred up in each of us this week!  God fills this time with is presence and always leaves us in awe!  

We we are so grateful for our time here and even though we aren't ready to leave, we realize what God has done this week and we celebrate and take that with us as we go!  ​

​We are waiting for the shuttle and we fly out around 12:30.  Will you pray for us?? 

Our hearts are heavy, we are still tired, health and safety... it's a very long day of travel​ and at this point we are ready to be home.

See you soon! ​

It's coming to an end

A story from yesterday...

Emily Price--

"We went to a waterfall yesterday that isn't to far from where we are staying. ​ It was a long walk to the bottom of the waterfall.  We walked over a few bridges and got some beautiful pictures.  Once we got down some people started getting in the water and more and more went in after that and by the half of the group was in and playing with the Nica's!  We got so many pictures of us in the water and it was a happy time for everyone!  God's work was beautifully shown at the bottom of the waterfall because it was sunny out with no rain and joy all over!"

Today was was our last day here in La Esmeralda! This morning we came together, Fox River and Nica's to share in encouraging each other​.  We had been given a name at the beginning of the week of someone we were supposed to get to know throughout our time together.  We were asked to find an item that would represent the person that we had been getting to know and then share why we chose this specific thing with some word of encouragement!  This was a precious time as we all sat and listened to what others saw in each other!  

We then spent the afternoon packing up and hanging with our friends! ​

We ended our day at Church service.  Seth shared how fear can so easily take over our lives and how the only way out of that fear is to give it all to Christ!  Pastor Denis then called the Fox River team up front to allow his congregation to thank us and to say goodbye! This service always pulls on the heart strings as all the people we have come to know come up and give hugs.  

As we prepare to leave tomorrow morning bright and early will you pray for us?  ​

For the Hearts that are heavy with goodbyes, that travel goes smooth, and for those who get motion sickness. 

​We will be home soon, but first a day to celebrate what God has done with our Nica's!

Buenas Noches​

More Stories

It is just so much better when the team shares....

Delaney-- 

Our final VBS was bittersweet. Being able to plant seeds in these little ones is truly an amazing experience. Knowing it was are last time was sad but we did some amazing work all to glorify God and further his kingdom. This crowd was a bit smaller and younger than the others but that allowed us to be more up close and personal with them. Watching their faces light up from the dances or the simple high fives from winning at a game has truly made me think about the things I find myself not showing gratitude towards and how back home I take for granted all the things that can make me happy, or even smile. Being apart of VBS was my favorite part of what we did. Getting the opportunity to be easy going and full of energy with the little Nica's brought me much joy. Knowing that now they know there's an all powerful God that loves them through any circumstance or situation brings me even bigger joy. Those smiles are just the beginning of Gods plan for them and I'm so grateful God allowed me to be a part of planting a seed to further his kingdom.

Elijah--

This trip was amazing so far and I hope to be able to come again. The VBS were very fun and I enjoyed the kids, they were hard to control but knowing that God is with them and they want to be there just makes me very happy! I am very happy that I was able to come and be a part of this team.

Stephen--

After dinner each night, behind the clinic and under the pavilion, we've been blessed to share and listen to each other's 'stories': the ways that each of us have come to know Jesus and the ways that He now personally works in our lives. Nightly, 2-3 from both the Nica's and the FR team have shared.

I've been amazed, from the beginning, how open and detailed the Nica's stories have been. Of course, it's been moving to hear the different ways the teens on our FR team have trusted God in their lives, but it's difficult hearing some of the stories from the Nica's and not knowing how to comfort them after. While their circumstances are very different, the setting of their story in Nicaragua is far from my own, the hurts that they feel and the ways God brings comfort through His Word and Church is the same. Praising God and joining together after, in prayer, is something I hope I never forget. - Stephen

Rain, Rain Here to Stay

After lunch, we headed out to the soccer field, which was an open grass area where horses roamed. As soon as we got there, it began to rain. But, the rain doesn't stop us, not in Nicaragua. We grabbed some soccer balls and had some fun. I'm pretty sure just about everyone left muddy and wet. We had tons of fun enjoying the rain, even if we weren't playing and just cheering on. The cold and wetness of today's soccer experience did not stop us from from getting to know each other more and build relationships with people all around us. Also taught us to be patient as we waited for showers afterward. -Sara Powers

Today for our VBS opportunity, we walked to the church that we are familiar with here in Nicaragua. I enjoyed today's VBS because we recognized the kids, and could strengthen our relationships with them even more. I felt very welcomed and comfortable with the people at this church when we worked with them all day. First, we sang songs with them in Spanish. I still enjoyed it even though I didn't fully understand what the songs were saying. The love that the kids show is so powerful, and it opened my eyes that Gods love has no language. After songs, we played games with them, taught them the story of Jericho and made some crafts. It was a good day! -Megan Price

Full day

​We had a very full day today!  Check out what the students have to share...

Abby Buck--​

This morning we had the amazing opportunity to go to la escuela de Paraiso, a public school, and teach the kids there a bible story, sing, dance, and play games. Each kid was also able to make a hacky sack. I loved seeing all the kids playing and enjoying what we brought for them. Even though we didn't get to spent a lot of time with them, we know that it a huge impact and it's something that they will remember. But what's more important is that We were able to show God's love to kids and teachers who might not see it everyday.

Maggie--

After lunch we all loaded onto the bus and traveled to Las Nubes. We were able to pass out more hygiene packs to the Nica's and pray with them as well. Many of the families that we encountered welcomed us into their homes to pray. After handing out all of the hygiene packs we lined the property where the church is going to plant another site. We were able to pray for the upcoming church and bless the people involved in the process. 

Emily Buck--

When we were done handing out hygiene packs, we all got back on the bus to head to El Leon to watch Inside out with the people in the town. The movie was in Spanish with English subtitles which was amazing because we all could finally understand and experience something together. I remember at one point during the movie, I looked beside me and saw everyone laughing. Everyone! We could all enjoy the moment without trying to figure out what each other was saying or needing a translator. That moment was raw and genuine. The experience helped me bond more with the Nicas and I think others can say the same. 

Church day

Here just a quick update from today...​

​Today we had a low key day, yet an adventure none the less!  

We started our day by attending church and participated as much as we could!  Some of the students jumped in for Sunday school with the kids and the rest of the team participated in the service! ​

In the afternoon we spent time preparing for our VBS events by practicing the drama, music, craft and games!  It's fun to share what we had planned with our Nica team! ​

​We then went back to church for the evening service!  I will say this... These students are eager to serve!!! It's so awesome to watch them step up and out! 

​Health is a big prayer for our team right now!!