Extremes

One thing we've noticed down here in Nicaragua, are the extremes everywhere we look. What can you expect from a country called the land of fire and water? There is so much beauty around us and so much ugliness right next to it. The people either have much wealth or live in complete poverty. I have moments where I feel  incredibly brilliant as an American with a lot of answers, and moments where I feel incredibly dumb as I try to communicate in a new language. We've never felt more enthusiastic with what we are doing and also never more exhausted, happy or cranky and all in the same day.  Even the weather is extreme, there are drought like conditions for 6 months and then flood like conditions for the next 6 months. In all of these extremes, one thing remains constant. We know without a doubt we are doing what God has called us to do and He is taking care of us each step of the way.

As many of you know, I was anxious and excited to know what I would be doing once I got down here. There weren't any expectations on me to serve full-time since having a family and homeschooling is a big job already. Still, God has been calling me to do this since college and I couldn't wait to get started.

The kids and I are getting to really know the kids at the New Life Center, which is the orphanage and feeding center on our street. It is the only center in the country called a re-nutrition and not just nutrition center. They send the most malnourished children here. Some of them have really hard backgrounds and obstacles to overcome already. Ella and I go back in the evenings from 5:30-7:30 and help feed the 9 babies in the nursery. The one Ella is holding in this picture is almost 3 months old, but the size of a newborn. I was really shocked when I saw their birth dates. Developmentally and physically, the babies are way behind.  They have all been sick with a bad cough the past month and need breathing treatments frequently. They are super cute though and it's a great way to end our busy days. New Life Ministries has a feeding center out in one of the poorest barrios, where they feed 200 children everyday. The people there live on less than a dollar a day and many have acute starvation issues. We are going to be helping with this program too in the next few weeks.

Prayer Requests:

• We are so thankful for the vehicle we purchased last week. It's a 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser and it was in our price range and runs well. Just pray it stays that way because vehicles here have a bad reputation.
• We are thankful that we've found a great online school for Gavin next year too. I like the structure of this school as we start the high school years. He likes the freedom to spend more time at the shop serving with his dad.
• Please pray for us next month as we enroll in the language school here part-time.
• Please pray that we will raise funding for woodworking tools at ESVO.  We are extremely thankful for those of you who have already contributed to this need. Cory would like to buy a chainsaw so he can take advantage of the fallen trees lying around our area. Tools like this tend to cost a lot more here than they would in the states. He would also like to eventually build a kiln to dry out the wood for big projects. If you'd  like to make a contribution in this area, click on the button "Become a Ministry Partner" at the bottom.

Here is a link to ESVO's website: http://esvoministries.com/ESVO_Ministries/Home.html