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Newsletters
Nov 2011 |
Newsletters - April 2010Alongside Ministries en Nicaragua Dear Friends, Life is heating up here in Nicaragua… thankfully it’s only the temperature. Typical of April we’re experiencing temperatures in the upper 90s. We sure appreciate our floor fans and the cool evenings out on the porch. Life is going well. We manage to keep busy with the daily activities of life, enjoy fellowship with the “family” God has brought into our lives, and continue to grow through the joys and trials of life in a third world country.
Our own personal family is growing and facing new changes and challenges, too. Our oldest son, Brandon, and his wife have recently made a life career change and have purchased a small sign making business in the Tri-Cities area. This, of course, means that they will be moving to eastern Washington and have even purchased a house already (to take advantage of the first-time buyer’s rebate). They are excited but know that this new endeavor will bring many challenges, too. Please pray for them that God would protect their marriage and family through all the stresses this kind of change brings. Our middle son, Britton, and his wife Chelsea are expecting their first child in June. They, too, are excited about this change soon to come upon their life. It has been fun to watch Chelsea grow and to watch both of them prepare physically and emotionally for the arrival of their new little one. Please pray for them that God would cover Chelsea during these last months of her pregnancy, that her delivery would be easy and that their little girl will be born healthy. Our youngest son, Brookes, is finishing up his final years of study at Northwest University and will be graduating with a degree in English and a minor in Biblical Studies on May 8th. We are amazed at how time has flown by and that, here we are, with our youngest son finishing college. Please pray for him as he is on the threshold of the next chapter of his life. After graduating he is planning to come to Nicaragua for a short visit, then will return to the northwest to work at a Christian camp this summer and will take a position with Youth For Christ in the fall. Please pray that God will guide his footsteps and decisions as he seeks to serve God in his life. We will be up in Washington state for Brookes’ graduation and are looking forward to seeing all the boys, their wives, grandchildren and friends and celebrating all these exciting events with each of them. We are looking forward to seeing many of you, too! Library Expansion Update: The new library addition which got such a great start in January with the St. Paul United Methodist team is progressing well. The roof trusses and zinc roof are complete and our workers are preparing the inside walls for the smooth concrete finish. Our electrician is putting in the electrical system and before long we’ll add windows and tile floor. While we had the roof of the existing library exposed Halle was able to clean and repair the air conditioning unit and place insulation over the ceiling. Hopefully the library will not only be bigger but a little cooler and a more comfortable place to be.
Prayer Requests Please pray for Alan. Alan is a young man that lives in our neighborhood. He has attended our youth night activities in the past and has become a good acquaintance. Lately Halle has been having good, spiritually rich conversations with him. Please pray that Alan keeps asking questions and searching for that missing piece in his life and that Halle will be available with just the words from the Holy Spirit that Alan needs to hear. Please pray for our continued safety. There has been a rash of break-ins lately – 3 of our friends in the past 3 weeks, which is 3 too many in our book. We are so thankful for our faithful guards that work for us round the clock but are still aware that our safety rests in the hands of God. Please pray for His protection over our loved ones, home and property. As we travel for 3 weeks in April and May please hold Nick and Megan and their children in your prayers. They will be living independently, driving around Managua, and keeping tabs on life around the sports center while we’re gone. They are more than capable and we are confident they will be just fine but please pray against the unexpected (like flat tires, broken water lines, extended power outages, etc…) so that they can enjoy this family time while we’re not around. Thank you so much for your friendship and partnership with us in ministry. Serving Together, Thank you for supporting our ministry in Nicaragua. Eastside Development |
Our “family” here in Nicaragua grows and changes from time to time. Lately we’ve had a growth spurt! On March 1st we welcomed into our home Nick and Megan Vinther and their 2 children, Drew and Abbey. They moved into our guest room and into our lives and have added a wonderful new dimension to our home. Wanting to get a taste of family life on the mission field they are learning how to balance children and work, how to deal with dust, dirt and a crawling baby, and how to manage and adjust to cultural changes not just as adults but also through the eyes and life of their 7 year old son. They’ve experienced power outages and water shortages and are still smiling, a sick baby with a high fever and yet they stay calm, and a little boy missing his old school and friends and they remain confident that this is going to be an experience that will enrich and bless the whole family in the years to come. We have been blessed, too, as having a family with small children in our home reminds us to slow down, take a day off now and then (Halle), enjoy family dinners, 
children’s questions and the opportunity to share God’s love through relationships right within our own walls. One of Drew’s weekly activities is to go to preschool with Kathy for the last hour or so of class to play with the children and then to stay for feeding program afterwards. He has been a real trooper as he works hard to learn the language and practice his new vocabulary with the children of the preschool and feeding program. He also demonstrates a real confidence to try out the new food offerings at the feeding program – finding some very good and tasty and some that he tries but then says, “No gracias!” Drew seems to love the outdoors, too, and most afternoons you can find him playing over at the sports center. A week ago Drew, Nick, and Halle planted a Resurrection Garden on Easter Sunday afternoon and 3 days later… “up from the ground they arose…” the radishes and cucumbers had sprouted! Amazing what will happen with good soil, water and lots of warm sunshine!
Our other “family”, Amanda and Thomas Gutierrez, has also experienced some recent growth. On March 12th Amanda gave birth to their second child, a boy named Anthony John. He is a sweet, healthy and beautiful little boy and big sister Samantha just loves him. His birth brought Grandma and Grandpa visiting from Menlo Park, CA for 3 weeks or so. John and Denny Van Deman (Amanda’s parents) are wonderful friends and it has felt like we’ve had family visitors, too.
