Sunday In Bluefields

Today was our first full day in Bluefields.  It was warm, and the sun shone for most of the day with minor periods of welcomed clouds.  With the humidity of the ocean and nearby river, it feels hotter than the thermometer indicates.  Juan (the gentleman who has been hired to cook for the group) made pancakes and fruit with yogurt for breakfast. Juan was a chef in Coasta Rica with his own TV show.  He is amazing and we are so thankful that we have him to ensure the food that is prepared is safe (and also delicious).

Each morning we have (and will have going forward) a short devotional.  Bill, our SP team representative, lead this morning and we sang a few songs.  It was good preparation for church at Verbo.  The bus showed up and took us all to the church site.  We were a little early and it was nice to walk around in the building that we helped to finish in 2007 as their Sunday School facility.  There were a number of people who helped us with that task on this trip and we recalled some of the things we did as we walked through the completed structure.  It was powerful.

Church began with lively worship, singing songs and praising God.  A few of the ladies with some of the younger girls were all dressed in white and they carried colored scarves with which they danced as the worship team sang.  One song was done in a Calypso style and it was very moving.  Maybe we should try a couple like that at SHBC?  Henry Meyers (one of the elders) spoke a message about finances and how everything we have belongs to God.  We are only stewards of these things.  It was good to see Henry again as he was our project manager on the 2007 trip.  For those of us who have been before, it was nice to be reunited with people with whom we had got to know previously.  After church we stayed for a while and mingled with the congregation.

Lunch back at Pastor Ed's house led to a little time to pull together all of the things that we had brought with us for the School.  Packages were assembled and they caried up for storage when we will be able to deliver them.  We also had a little free time to explore the area, so a few set off and walked around the neighborhood.  The streets are filled with immense disparity.  We came across one opulent house with white pillars and two cages with very large parrots.  It was amazing.  right next door was a small shack that you could see through the walls.  The contrast is tenuous.

Dinner was served and we gathered together for our evening meeting.  Bill handled the usual business items and then a lady who had arrived at Pastor Ed's house the day before we got in (Jenny) gave her testimony.  It was yet again, another powerful experience for the day as Jenny described her conversion.  She lived a existence that she described as "dark" with no interest in God or Church.  She now is on fire for the Lord and is helping out with projects in Nicaragua.  There is a vision that agriculture could really change Nicaragua, and she seems very passionate about following up.  They are about to test plan some carrots and see how things go.  Keep Jenny in your prayers.

Tomorrow we get down to the work site and get started on the school.  Please pray for safety, strength and that God's hand would be on all of the team.

We, again, thank-you for your prayers.

Curt

VERBO Church - after service