Day 3: Bible School + > I

Stacy Houser (right) walking outside the make-shift shelter of the Bible School and Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh.

Zach Sizemore teaching at Bible School (assisted by Stacy and our translator, Tony).

Stacy and I (Meredith) learning some Spanish from our students! Hola :)

Lisa Cooper teaching the 7-8 year old group.

Kathryn helping Lisa. :)

Roger being awesome. 

Sandy and Kathryn packing school supplies with Erica (right) and other members of Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh.

Pastor Juan translating for Pastor Mark as he delivers the sermon at Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh. 

Another wonderful day in San Marcos, Nicarauga! We started day 3 with a devotional by Sherry. She did a beautiful job. She spoke about our relationship with God. She explained that if we do not seek Him continually (reading His Word, studying, praying.. etc.) it may seem as if He is very far away. Just like a child that's been left alone by a father, we panic, become fearful, and ask God to come close again to help us; to comfort us in hard times. She emphasized His love for us explaining that in those moments He is closer to us than ever before. 

After the devotional and breakfast, we set out for our first day of Bible School. We were separated according to age groups. Kenny instructed the younger children (3-6), Lisa instructed the 7-8 year olds, and Zach took the lead with the children 9-14 years old. The rest of us helped and assisted as they progressed through the lesson. The language barrier was only a slight challenge as we had fantastic translators and a wonderful group of children as our audience. Soon enough, the nervousness melted away and each group was well into the lessons, arts and crafts, and fun songs praising Jesus. The children seemed to have a wonderful time! Although, I'm not sure they had more fun than we did. :) Several of the students began teaching us Spanish! Stacy should be fluent by the time we make it home. As the festivities were winding down to a close, the leader of the Bible School, Rena, informed us that there were about 50 children in attendance today. Praises. :)

Following our lunch break, we packed school supplies (notebooks, pencils, crayons, etc.) for students at a local school in San Marcos. The work was easy because the workers were many! We had several members of Iglesia Bautista Jehova Yireh helping alongside our team to finish the job. We had so much time to spare before church (4:00 pm), we decided to get some ice cream in town.

The church service was phenomenal. Zach sang with the worship leader, Marcos, to start us off. He did a wonderful job! And Church (Lubeck Community Baptist Church and all those members of "The Church" reading this blog), you should be so proud of your pastor, Mark Houser. He delivered such a powerful sermon and testimony. He read from Acts 27:13-32. Here it tells the story of Paul's journey to Rome. This journey included storms, a damaged ship, relentless winds, and a loss of hope by the crew members. Pastor Mark compared this to our lives as we face our own storms, damage, and a loss of hope; but he reminded us, also, of our hope in Jesus Christ. He shared his testimony with the congregation in attendance. God was surely with him. Four individuals came forward acting as a catalyst for sincere prayer. Pastors and church members surrounded these men, held them, and prayed for them over and over again. It was a beautiful thing to see God working so passionately in the hearts of these men. Once again, words seem inadequate in painting a proper picture for our readers at home. And, again, know your prayers are so powerful and fully felt in San Marcos. After the four men returned to their seats, we prayed for Pastor Rudolfo and his lovely family as they begin their role as leaders in this new church. 

Two more testimonies were given before the end of the service. One by a woman redeemed and brought back to the church. Her story was one of love, forgiveness, and renewed hope for a future that "God has prepared for those love him" (1 Cor. 2:9b). The second testimony was by a young man (maybe 14 years old) who has been in and out of the hospital all his life. As he paced in front of the pulpit, he said the doctors told him he would not walk. As he shared his heart and passion to an entire congregation, he informed us that he has trouble communicating. He was told, years ago, he would not even finish elementary school. Now he can say he is in high school, received a college scholarship, and hopes to become a lawyer. What a testimony. God is good. 

I hope you are all blessed by these stories. How great is our God? :) We love you all and thank you, sincerely, for your prayers throughout this week. They are felt. I can't say it enough. 

Always in His love. 

1 Corinthians 13:13