Madagascar Update

Hello again!  It's me Ryan Brazile form over in Toliara, Madagascar!  I have been here about three months now, and as the weather continues to get hotter, there continue to be more and more exciting opportunities.  I just got back from another conference for the youth here in Southern Madagascar.  This time, the conference was on the opposite coast in Ft. Dauphin.  We had about forty people come and it was a very exciting week.  There are some strong young leaders at the church in Ft. Dauphin.

Me teaching the book of 1Tesaloniana 

Now I am back here in Toliara.  I have gotten teach a lot of English this last month, which I really enjoy, as it allows me to get to know many of the Malagasy.  I have also gotten to start discipling a couple people.  This is Johnson, a brilliant young guy from here who teaches the beginners English class here.  He is a very faithful and devoted follower of Christ, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to disciple him.

This next week, I will be traveling to several small villages to help set up water collection tanks before the rainy season comes.  I am very excited about being able to go see the villages, as I hear the churches there, though small, are very zealous.

Sorry that I haven't updated the blog more recently.  I feel like I just tried to cram a lot of information into a tiny space.  Know that things are going well here.  You can pray for me, that I would continue to have joyful energy as it moves into the hot season here in Toliara.  It get REALLY hot here, and it can be a bit draining.  Pray that I would find joy in Christ, even when days are a bit hot and miserable.  We are doing the Lord's work, so really should have no reason to complain.  And finally pray that the church continues to grow with people who are passionate about making disciples.  There is a ton of work to be done here in Southern Madagascar, but that makes the harvest that much more exciting!

Ethiopia Day 7

Our prayer has been that our hearts would be changed. That we would not allow them to become calloused by what we are seeing and experiencing in Ethiopia (even for those of us who have been here before).  That we will allow our hearts to feel exactly how God wanted them to feel- just like His.

I would say it has been a success. God has been a success! AGAIN!

 Our hearts were changed this week. Our hearts were changed by the lentils and injera we shared around a large table in the middle of the drop-in center. Our hearts were changed with every handclap routine with a brown-eyed little girl so eager to share her favorite song. Our hearts were changed with every tough patient getting a tooth extracted in the crowded confines of a small, windowless room. Our hearts were changed by the mother of 4 small children infected with HIV. Our hearts were changed by the 862 Ethiopians who came through the clinic for medical treatment.  Our hearts were changed by the smiles of each child who was so content in where they were that it didn’t matter where they would find their next meal or their next place to sleep. Our hearts were changed by tear rolling down a 15 year old boy’s face as he described the hope he had found at Onesimus and in his personal relationship with our God.

This week, God has continued introducing us to a new normal. He has continued to show us life through His lens. He has given us grace in our darkest hours. He has given us dependence on Him because we could not endure this without Him. He has given us the opportunity to love His children they way he does- with no judgment. In short, He has changed our hearts. Amen. 

Posted by Nicci Feathers

Ethiopia Day 6

We had another amazing day at Onesimus! The medical team saw over 270 patients today! The pace seems to get a little quicker every day.  Tomorrow is the last official day for medical care and I can only imagine that God is going to continue doing BIG things. Several members of our team are going to share how being here is touching them and how they feel about what they have seen thus far. Enjoy! 

“How would I describe the week? Physically exhausting, emotionally draining, and spiritually exhilarating! What a blessing to see God at work in the hearts of His people and to be put in a place where we can more clearly appreciate our dependence
on Him.”
– Dr. Ed Cattau

“Words cannot describe how much joy this trip to Ethiopia has been to me. Praise the Lord for His many blessings.”
– Dr. Steve Rice

“The Ethiopians are a beautiful people. It has been a true pleasure to teach them about our Lord’s strategy of disciple making. They will forever have a place in my heart.”
– Karly Hines

“I love seeing my kids again and meeting new and wonderful people. I have loved the experience of working alongside the medical team- both the Americans and the Ethiopians.”
– Kelly Dawson

“I’m loving it here in Addis. Great team! The drop-in center staff has been gracious hosts. Hope to come back and do this all over again!”
– Aileen Bearden

“It is a privilege to be here in Addis serving the sick. They are some of the sweetest people I have ever cared for. I can’t wait to come back to Ethiopia on another medical team.”
– Dr. Gene Scobey

“Impossible to sum up the week in a sentence. The believers of Ethiopia have served and blessed me far more than I could have ever had hoped to serve them. What a privilege it has been to see the spirit of God at work on the other side of the globe. “
-Shad Berry

“God has a heart for widows and orphans. Joining in with what He deems valuable, loving and serving these precious children, is an investment we will never see the true value of. Pray God will continue His work in us and in the children we serve to
accomplish what we
never can.” 
– Jason Collier

“Today, I learned a hard lesson. God’s timing is not our timing. My son, Jonathan, had to have an emergency appendectomy and I was away. I really had to lean on my God and your prayers carried me. Thanks for continuing to pray for his continued healing
while I am away.”
– Sylvia Hawkins

“Although, I said, “yes!” to this trip, I could never grasp the purpose for God wanting me back here so soon! However, this week, God has continued to change my world and He has really put some questions in my head about the next step in my life as His servant.
God only knows what He is
up to and I sure can’t wait to
find out!”
– Nicci Feathers

Please continue praying for our entire team! We only have a few days left and we want to make them count!!! You truly have no idea how your support has carried us throughout this week! There may be 14 of us in Ethiopia but our team is much larger! Thank you for taking this journey with us!

Posted by Nicci Feathers

Ethiopia Day 5

We have successfully finished another day here in Addis Ababa and we are all back at the guesthouse reflecting on another great yet heart-wrenching day! We are each being affected greatly by what our eyes have seen here and how our hearts are aching. Being here gives such insight on the pain God endures daily and how his heart breaks by the second from the evil and sin that exists in this world. Fortunately, we can find our hope and comfort in that this world is not forever and, one day, we will all be rejoicing in heaven together. Praise God!  So, while we may not always understand why Ethiopia is suffering the way it is, there is great joy to be found in that one day for those who believe the pain will end.

 Medical Clinic at Onesimus (drop-in center)

“I find serving on a medical mission team to be one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences possible. I came to change people’s lives, and I find that it is my own heart that is changed.”
-Dr. Gene Scobey

The medical team did amazing things today! The doctors alone saw over 180 patients in 7 short hours. They were rocking and rolling and God, again, showed up and showed out! Aileen shared a story tonight about a small child with scabies and we did not have the proper medicine to treat this baby. As she dug hopelessly on a shelf of Onesimus supplies for any type of topical cream she could find, God did HIS thing and provided the exact medicine the child needed. It was not a prescription we had brought with us and yet, there it was! He is so much bigger than anything we can comprehend. The dental team saw a slew of patients, as well, and they pulled a great number of teeth. Kelly, our hygienist, pulled her first tooth with Dr. Collier’s assistance, of course! Lastly, Dr. Rice shared about his experience in the clinic. He said that he expected to treat many more patients with clinical depression here because of the conditions and yet, there have been few. Hearing this made the truth ring even louder in my ear.  We have too much STUFF in America and we complain when things don’t go our way. These people have absolutely nothing and yet, they are completely content. I have a lot to learn from them and the joy they find in what they do have. For a brief moment, I thought, “They just don’t know what they are missing.” But, truly, it is I who is missing the bigger picture. The STUFF really can’t provide the happiness~ only God and God alone. My prayer is that I will hold steadfast to this picture and when I feel like I have it a little rough, I will remember that I have ALL I need~ God’s grace and His mercy.

Posted by Nicci Feathers 

DownLine Conference Training Day 2 with Pastors and Church Leaders

Day 2 of the conference ended on a very encouraging note!  Steve, Dr. Cattau, Karly and I continued our discipleship training.  We have been getting great feedback everyday and have felt very appreciated.  The challenge is determining whether or not the principles and strategy of discipleship and multiplication are being clearly communicated and received.  We know they are grateful we are with them and they appreciate the training, but our prayer is that at least one member of our conference would catch fire with a desire to return to the biblical method of evangelism and discipleship.  After the first three sessions one of the leaders of the seminary came walking up to Steve and I with a large smile and a chuckle in his voice because he had overheard some of the pastors coming to the realization that they have plans for buildings, programs, and universities, but the have NO PLAN for discipleship.  The chuckle seemed to be out of a sense of satisfaction that the training was causing these leaders consider their strategy as pastors and teachers and what the purpose of their roles. 

It is pretty common that the translators that assist us with these conferences are among the first and most profoundly impacted by our message.  This week has been no exception.  Our translator is a pastor and teacher at a local Bible college.  He appears to be very strong in his faith and a committed pastor and leader.  You can tell his heart is in the right place and after each session he has been coming to us asking us questions, seeking clarification, and confessing that he has gotten too busy and distracted.  There are some very faithful men serving here.  We firmly believe they will be powerful witnesses and disciple makers in this city and hope to support them to the best of our ability.  Tomorrow we will teach two more sessions on the Biblical and practical aspects of discipleship.  Steve and I are especially excited about tomorrow afternoon because we are going to lead a discussion and Q & A with the pastors at their request.  They want to learn from one another and share thoughts and ideas about the best approach for them to make disciples and teach others to do the same. 

Posted by Shad Berry

 Team Fellowship

Tonight, we enjoyed great fellowship as a team at Yod Abbyssinia, a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. The food was delicious and the entertainment was even better. At the restaurant, they have traditional Ethiopian dancing. We enjoyed watching this unique style of dance for some time. But, the best part was mid-show, when the dancer on stage singled Shad and Karly out from the back of the room and pulled them on stage. They did their best to keep up with this very fast paced dancing and they did a great job of entertaining the full crowd. An impressive video is to follow!

Again, thank you for all of your prayers. They are carrying us throughout each day! We pray that God will continue to use us to do His will and His work.

God Bless!

Posted by Nicci Feathers

Ethiopia Day 4

It was a long day. But, it was a strong day. The medical clinic kicked into full gear, the DownLine Conference continued with a new group of pastors, and we were able to fellowship with some pretty amazing people this evening. All in all, our day was filled with an abundance of God's passion and mercy. Shad Berry, John Ozier and I will try paint a small vignette of what each part of our day looked like from start to finish.

DownLine Disciple Training with Pastors

September 19, 2011

The vision and purpose of our trip and partnership with The Forsaken Children and Onesimus came into full view today.  Our strategy and hope is that through this partnership DownLine can play a role in helping support and build stronger churches in this community, which in turn will build stronger families, and thus a stronger Ethiopia.  With the discipleship conference and the medical team in full affect, we were able to get a glimpse of how this partnership could support that effort.

DownLine  kicked off  our second three day conference with Pastors and Church Leaders at the seminary.  Over 50 men and women came with the intent to gain a more in depth understanding of the New Testament standard of biblical discipleship.  These pastors have influence over several thousand men and women throughout the country that attend their churches.

The more we get to know these students and pastors the more we understand the challenges they face as they seek to live out the gospel and make disciples.  On one hand there exists a very real tension between the Evangelical churches of Ethiopia and the state run Coptic Ethiopian Church.  On the other, many of these pastors are leading congregations and evangelical efforts in strong Muslim areas.

I couldn’t say that there aren’t any Christians in the state run church, though many of the testimonies of the pastors and students I have met indicate to me that there is a much stronger faith in the Orthodox Church itself as opposed to a relationship with Christ.  Members of the orthodox church that leave the institution experience significant persecution and hostility for their decision.  The church I spoke at on Sunday morning was new to that particular part of Addis Ababa and they have encountered threats and hostility from their Orthodox neighbors BUT have experienced a gradual sense of acceptance and remain optimistic things will continue to improve.

Other pastors and students are studying to be better equipped to reach their Muslim neighbors with the gospel and disciple them in Christ.  There is sobering mix of conversion stories and hostile responses to some sharing their faith with their Muslim friends and neighbors.

In every case, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope, and the faithful process of making disciples is the strategy.  The encouraging news is that these are committed followers of Christ with a love for their people and a desire to see them transformed by the gospel.  They express their gratitude for our presence here daily and the importance of the training.  We pray that everything we teach will prove to be useful for them as they seek to mature, make, and mobilize disciples in Ethiopia!

It is a wonderful privilege to witness their faith and love for one another and the Lord.  They are a very affectionate people with tender hearts.  They have an evident countenance of peace and trust that is contagious and admirable.  Steve, John, Dr. Cattau, and myself will all teach at the conference tomorrow as well as spend some time with the medical team.  Thank you for your continued prayers!

by Shad Berry

Medical Clinic at Drop-in Center 

Oh boy! Best day YET! The  medical clinic began today and we were at the drop-in center all day!! I got to spend 7 solid hours with the kids! First, I just need to say that for a free medical clinic this was the most organized event ever! In true Nega fashion, no stone went unturned. The medical team was able to see just over 130 patients in a 7 hour day! Beneficiaries and their families were invited to the drop-in center for care.  Dr. Collier and Kelly pulled many teeth and Dr. Cattau and Dr. Scobey checked many patients and wrote many prescriptions.  At the end of the day, many of our new friends were smiling and very appreciative for the help our medical team was able to provide. In describing her first day at the drop in center Sylvia(our nurse) says, "This is a 1st for me- a medical mission in a foreign country. After today, God willing- it won't be the last! Amazing! Such sweet, wonderful people." Eileen (our other nurse) added, " It was magnificently wonderful! The children are beautiful and have the most amazing and happiest spirits. I'm so humbled to be here serving the children of  Onesimus and Ethiopia."

 On a personal level, I was able to pick up the pieces of my heart for a moment today! In truth, all weekend I have struggled with not getting to see the children and I have had to pray for God to show me that this is not about me and my wants but it is about Him and His needs. But, our God is a gracious, giving God and today, He provided and my heart is so full. Seeing those sweet faces, hearing them call my name, and playing with them for hours was pure perfection.  As I was playing with them,  it dawned on me that this is so similar to my relationship with my Savior.  When He sees me, when He calls my name, when I call out to Him, and when I spend time investing in Him, His heart must burst just like mine does here in Ethiopia. I am so humbled by what God is doing in me through Ethiopia. Many times I have said, "Ethiopia changed my life." But this morning, as I loved on my sweet babies, I realized this was not a true statement. God changed my life. He just used Ethiopia as His hands and feet to me. Now, it is my job to carry out my mission for Him- with The Forsaken Children and beyond. Our mission field is endless.

Posted by Nicci Feathers

Dinner with a Legend by John Ozier 

Wow, I'm not sure if there was ever a more encouraging ending to a long emotional and amazing Monday. If I stopped breathing in my sleep tonight and my mind be shuttled into the presence of the King, I feel there's a good chance He might say, "how did you enjoy meeting with my beautiful servants, Marta and Deme???".  Truly, I'm not sure if I've ever met a couple who have LIVED such a dramatic and extraordinary LIFE  with such humility, class, humor and grace.  As I looked into Marta's near 80 year old sparkling eyes, I felt as though I were speaking with the best of both the queen of Sheba and mother Teresa. And Deme's rich life was portrayed to us in warm smiles, quick wit, and humble encouragements to keep following Jesus with compassion.....wherever He leads.

Their personal stories are encapsulated in a book that Marta wrote called Sheltered by the King. It's an amazing story that God is still writing as they are finishing strong with their increasing passion for what God is doing at their own Project Mercy ministry just a couple hours south of Addis Ababa.

Marta actually labored to cook us a traditional Ethiopian dinner while Deme told us stories and answered questions. Her humble elegance and class is unarguably without match. She and Deme gave up a quiet evening to entertain 15 strangers with less than 24 hours notice. They made all of us feel as though we were family and pleaded for us to visit again.  Oh and by the way, she and Deme will be hosting US Senators and Congressmen this time next week.....which is a step down from all the world heads of state that they've entertained in that same living room over the last 50 years.

On behalf of the Team,

John Ozier

We appreciate and covet your prayers more than you could ever know. Our days are long and our bodies are weary and your prayers carry us. Please continue to lift us up so that we may be most effective during the rest of our time here.

Posted by Nicci Feathers

Ethiopia Day 3

God is using us each in mighty ways already! This morning started with us all heading to several different churches. Nega arranged for several of our team members and DownLine ministry teachers to preach at some of the Christian churches in Addis. A couple of of these churches are highly persecuted because they are in Muslim communities but the people are faithful to our God and to being ambassadors for Him. Jimmy Whitaker, the youngest member of our team, gave a sermon on Psalm 1 at one of these churches. In describing his experience he said, "It is such a great privilege to be used as an instrument from God. In some ways, it is intimidating to teach to the people of the churches here, because there is so much I need to learn from them. The passion of the Ethiopian Believers is truly incredible, and it was a great honor to share God's word with them."

After church, we were able to fellowship together over lunch before splitting up to complete several different tasks. The DownLine team went back to finish up their conference with the seminary students while the rest of us stayed behind to sort ALL of the medical supplies. We counted and sorted different medicines for what seemed like hours.

Around 4 pm, we headed to join the DownLine group for the closing ceremony of conference. What a powerful experience AS ALWAYS! We worshiped with the students and celebrated the ending of their discipleship training. It is so amazing to be in that moment and know that God designed that moment just for you and His glory. We praised Him and thanked Him and worshiped His eternal goodness.

Afterwards, we headed back to the guest house to continue preparing for tomorrow! We all pitched in and counted an endless supply of pills to be given to the children and their families during the medical clinic this week. The clinic starts tomorrow and we are all very excited about being there and sharing the gospel with the 150+ Forsaken Children beneficiaries.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers! We are very excited to see the children tomorrow! Please pray that God will bless the clinic and the medical team as they prepare to provide some comfort and healing as well as teach them about Jesus Christ and what He alone is capable of doing in our lives.

Posted by Nicci Feathers

Ethiopia... It's Only Day 2?

From inspiring teachings, to building new connections, to investing and strengthening in our new found friendships, we had another blessed day in Addis Ababa! The start of our day included the DownLine team sharing the practical principles of disciple making. Watching these 90 something seminary students soaking up the Great Commission was truly humbling.  These people are on the front lines of God's army and they  face many hardships in trying to convert the Muslims to Christianity.  But, in a very inspiring way, they put all of their faith in God and they are invested in becoming true disciples and disciple makers.

This  afternoon, several of us were able to go by the drop-in  center so that some of the medical team could see the space and map out the clinic that will begin on Monday. Afterwards, we were able to go and share the ministry with a lady we met on our plane ride. God is so good. She is a faithful servant of Christ and she wants to know even more about Onesimus and how she can help as a business owner in Ethiopia. Our meeting was rich with conversation and God's mighty hand was ever present in this "divine" appointment.

So, after a busy day, some of went to dinner at the "mall". Besides stores, this mall included a gym, swimming pool, and a bowling alley. We were able to unite as a team and debrief about our day with each other and several of our new Ethiopian friends over dinner. Jet lag is definitely still affecting us and double macchiatos were a must!  Bam- we are back and we went bowling! Who can say that? I've been bowling in Ethiopia.  It was awesome to watch our Ethiopian friends Geta and Biruk bowl for the first time. They did great!

Once we arrived back at the guest house, Dr. Cattau and his crew arrived safely shortly afterward. Their travel was smooth and they are ready for a good night's rest so that they can hit the ground running tomorrow.

In closing, I want to share a part of Steve Winstead and John Ozier's messages during the conference today. Building disciples is  about being a disciple and leading non- believers from spiritual milk ( baby Christians) to spiritual meat ( mature Christ-like disciples). As ambassadors for Christ we want to represent what Christ would look like. We are to love others the way that Jesus loves us. So, our prayer is that we may all be ambassadors for Christ- living visibly amongst people and leading people to the king by serving, praying and doing things that can be difficult. Doing this all for the sake of the ONE who sacrificed for us! We are ALL on mission.

Please continue lifting our team in prayer. We are united in Christ and we are truly enjoying every moment God has given us throughout our journey thus far.  Also, please lift up the 5 men on our team (Steve Winstead, Shad Berry, Ed Gillentine, Dr. Cattau, and Jimmy Whitaker) who will be preaching the Gospel in several different Ethiopian churches tomorrow morning. Pray that God will use His words through them to share with the gracious, beautiful people here and that the listeners will hear the great news and they will continue to apply it into their own lives.

Until tomorrow...

Posted by Nicci Feathers 

Madagascar: The First Month and a Half

Hello everyone!  It's me, Ryan Brazile, the former EL that Downline sent to Madagascar in August.  Sorry that I haven't updated this much.  I wanted to let you know that things are going very well, and more and more opportunities are opening for teaching and Discipleship here.  There are a couple young men who I have been watching, hoping to disciple them.  They are certainly faithful and available and I believe they will also be very teachable.

This first month and a half I have gotten many opportunities to travel around the south on evangelism trips, and teaching conferences.  In fact, I just returned from several days in a neighboring town, where we gathered the young men and women from this area for a teaching conference.  I had the privilege of teaching 1 Thessalonians, and thankfully, that went well enough that we also decided I would teach Bible Overview.  The believers here are still very young in their faith, and Bishop Todd and I believe disciplship is the key to raising up leaders in the church.

Please pray that:

• These new discipling relationship would prove fruitful.
• That I would continue to learn Malagasy. (Praise that I am already able to say more than I would have expected at this point!)
• That God would raise up young people, especially men as there are very few of them involved, who will be thirsty for the word and passionate about spreading it here in Toliara, Madagascar.

Teaching at the Youth Conference

The church where we were located

Gospel Opportunities!

Thursday was a great day! We awoke in DC and we headed to the airport bright and early. As soon as we arrived, we were surrounded by the beautiful Ethiopian people and it made where we were headed an exciting reality. We made it to our terminal with no issues and we were able to grab a bite to eat before boarding the plane. We got on the plane and we were all amazed at how God uses even the passengers sitting next to you to bless us. During the lengthy flight, we were each able to share the Gospel with non-believers or be blessed by another Believer. There were several young Ethiopian mothers sitting near us traveling with their small children. Kelly and I were able to love on them and give the mother's a small break on the very long flight. Steve Rice made a spiritual and business connection with an Ethiopian lady who lives in the US and she was very interested in the ministry. She is planning to drop by the drop-in center this week. Also, Ed was sitting with an Ethiopian believer and a young Muslim boy from Kenya. The believer shared his testimony on how He is one of twelve children and his oldest brother led the entire family to know Christ. He is traveling to Ethiopia because his father is in a coma. Please lift this family in prayer. His devout faith in the Lord was contagious! But, he is going to attend the Downline conference this week! Praise God! Also, there was a young Muslim boy sitting next to him and Ed was able to share the gospel. WOW- what an opportunity! Chill bumps!!!! This fourteen year old young man soaked up the good news! Truth in the statement... God is ALWAYS working! Jimmy has been doing life on life with this boy for several hours now and watching it is amazing! He has never heard about God before and he is asking questions and taking it all in. The seed has been planted. Our prayer is that God will allow these relationships no matter how far the distance to continue growing. This is what life is about. This is what God about. He has His hand all over this trip and it's already so powerful!

Watching God work is truly breathtaking! We are all very excited at the opportunities God will provide throughout this week to share His good news!
Please pray for each of that we will be able to get rest tonight so we can be useful for God's Great Commission as the week continues.

Posted by Nicci Feathers

 

Ethiopia Day 1

As many of you will be able to relate, today was a long day (or I should say long two days!). The last time most of us slept was on Wednesday night. We woke up Thursday morning, headed to the airport in DC and lifted off around 11:45 EST. Despite my very best efforts I could not make myself sleep. John Ozier’s headrest display wasn’t working, so I let him pick a movie from the one in front of me. Little did I know I wasn’t going to be able to sleep and that John would pick a romantic comedy. Doubly disappointing.

The flight was very smooth as was our transition from the airport to our guesthouse. The 12 hour plane ride to Ethiopia was filled with gospel opportunity and relationship building! Nicci Feathers will add a supplemental post about the people on the plane and the ministry God allowed us to carry on in flight!

The guesthouse is perfect to accommodate our whole team. Before we headed to kick off our first conference at the seminary we stopped for a quick bite to eat for a great meal. As you can imagine, everyone was lagging, myself included. Knowing we were about to teach we needed energy fast, and that is where the double shot macchiato comes in. Wow – there was enough caffeine in there to power a nuclear sub. Between the coffee and the Holy Spirit we were launched to the conference and what was originally supposed to be a group of 50 seminary students had grown to 95 men and women. Steve introduced the conference with a lesson on the vision and strategy of Jesus Christ and I followed with a study of the Great Commission. Our point of contact, Nega, and his team had done in incredible job preparing for our arrival and getting the students and materials ready for us. The students were very engaged and the proverbial light bulb went off as we demonstrated the power of multiplication and how quickly God’s strategy can reach the world for the sake of the gospel.

The macchiato not only carried us through the training conference, but also powered Steve and I to go on run before dinner on no sleep for 22 hours. And no, I didn’t keep up with Steve to save my life, but an 8 year old boy in crocs had no problem keeping up with Steve while one of his little buddies showed me how to get back home, the scenic route.

Tomorrow is a full day of more training at the seminary so continue to pray that God will illuminate the hearts of the hearers and raise up leaders that will believe the Word of God and FOLLOW his footsteps!

Posted by Shad Berry

Nicaragua Team Update #5

GHO and DL had a great conference. We served around 70 pastors and lay leaders. Some were from Jinotega and some traveled From other parts of Nicaragua. It was humbling serving these precious men and women who were so hungry for God's Word! And you should have seen Pepper really connecting as he taught them in spanish. Karen and I had a great time with the women teaching them about the Thessolonian Legacy and the Profiles of a Disciple. Their faces lit up as they received fresh revelation from Gods Spirit! Our translator Eryka is such a sweet gentle spirit. Our sisterhood in Christ made us instant and lifelong friends.
She shared with me that DL teaching
In Nicaragua was a answer to prayer. She and others had been asking God to show them about discipling and not just converting. God had come before us and paved our way. Thank you for praying. It has been a privilege to serve our great God through serving His people in this beautiful country. Written by Ashley Jones

Manuel the hotel worker trusted the Lord this morning

Nicaragua final thoughts

What a trip! It was an action packed, high energy week that should yield much fruit in God´s Kingdom. One of the pastors from southern Nicaragua really stood out. He told us he was grateful for the things he learned and he pledged to us that he would pass it on to others.

At the close of the conference yesterday we gave the participants an opportunity to come forward to make a commitment to the Lord to become a multiplier. The response was amazing!

This morning everything came together for Manuel. The timing was impecable. We met Manuel yesterday afternoon when he carried our bags to the thrid floor of the hotel. Our friend Ron sowed the good seed yesterday and some must have lodged in Manuel´s heart. This morning Manuel was not working and he was walking down the street in front of the hotel and he saw us sitting on the front porch. He came and sat down in the only empty rocking chair in our circle. After some small talk I opened my Spanish Bible and let him read some key verses. After a few minutes of interaction, he said he was ready to trust the Lord. We saw it happen before our eyes...one plants, someone else waters, but God gives the increase. It was a fitting end to a remarkable trip in this beautiful country.

Nicaragua Team Update #4-Photos