Missions Minded

We’ve been blog slackers for more than a month now! Today’s blog entry is my attempt to plead for your forgiveness — and to catch you up on what we’ve been up to since our last post. So, before I go any further, please forgive us for neglecting our loyal blog readers (i.e you!).

Are we friends again?

Okay, good!  Now here’s a run-down of all of the latest news from the Babcock household:

• As you know, August wrapped up our summer tsunami of short-term mission teams. Between us, Amber and I served with three mission teams in July and August (Amber with two medical teams, me with one of the medical teams and one you team). You can read all about these short-term teams in our last “Field Notes” newsletter.
• September was supposed to be a recovery month, but it turned out to be just as busy as the summer slam! My aunt (Dawn) and uncle (Keith) called us to let us know that they were flying to China to adopt their new daughter (Sarah). The news was not unexpected, but sudden (the Chinese government sent word that Sarah was ready and that they should come and get her…now!). They were in a bind to find someone to watch their three boys (ages 13, 11, and 9) for the two weeks while they were away. We decided it would be good practice for us; we hopped on a plane and flew to Northwest Florida! For two weeks we were acting mom and dad…and teachers (they home school)…and chauffeurs (to piano lessons, soccer, and football).  And we were honored to be the welcoming committee when Keith, Dawn, and Sarah arrived!
• During and after our two weeks in Florida, Amber worked diligently on researching and applying for grants for the Nueva Imagen ministry.  She’s been doing an incredible job — along with Hellen Castro — at caring for the women and working on their behalf. The goal is to see that all of the women in the Nueva Imagen program have the resources they need to leave “the life” and become self-sufficient, fully devoted followers of Christ. We’re praying and believing that God will provide for the needs of the women and for Hellen as she serves in the ministry full-time.
• Last week the CFCI-Nicaragua team participated in two days of 2009 evaluating and 2010 planning. It was a productive time of looking back at what God accomplished — through us and in spite of us! — and looking forward to mission teams and ministry opportunities in the upcoming year.
• This weekend we will be serving in a national medical outreach in a rural area of Nicaragua. While I’ve been on numerous medical mission teams, this will be my first national outreach. I’m looking forward to working in the pharmacy and seeing patients get the medicine they need. Please join us in praying for a fruitful outreach, with many Nicaraguans receiving medical attention and hearing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Now you’re caught up!  I promise to be more diligent in posting blog updates; be on the look-out for October’s e-newsletter, coming up in the next couple of weeks. As always, thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Que Dios les bendiga.

We survived the summer tsunami of mission teams!  Three awesome mission teams in two short months. We now have a brief reprieve before life picks up steam again!

Upcoming: trips to Florida in September, the Carolinas and Tennessee in November; Nueva Imagen/Seacoast Women’s Mission Team in October.

Read about the mission team trio in July and August, plus what’s on the horizon for us this fall in this edition of Field Notes.

Thank you for reading –- and thank you for supporting the ministry! Que Dios le bendiga.

[Note: If you would like to receive our monthly newsletter via email, please email me to let me know.]

I had an amazing week with the youth team from Seacoast Church last week in Rivas, Nicaragua. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time to write about our experience because I’m getting ready for the next Seacoast mission team, this one a medical team arriving on Saturday. So here are the pictures and another 140-character Twitter-style day-by-day recap. Enjoy!

• Day 1 - Monday, July 27 - The team arrives. Tip Top for dinner. Nicaragua’s fast food chicken place is a hit. (It always is!)
• Day 2 - Tuesday, July 28 - Orientation to Nica culture, quick tour of Managua, 2-hour bus ride to Rivas to meet our host families from La Iglesia Lluvias de Gracia.
• Day 3 - Wednesday, July 29 - VBS for an orphanage across the street from Lluvias de Gracia. The kids have a blast. We do too. Soccer night w/ the youth group. Fun day!!!
• Day 4 - Thursday, July 30 - Singing and visiting w/ the sweet folks at a nursing home. Training workshop for youth group leaders. Nica+Chele worship service = amazing.
• Day 5 - Friday, July 31 - Host families treat us to a San Juan Del Sur beach day. We say our goodbyes and head to a weekend youth retreat on the shores of Lake Nica.
• Day 6 - Saturday, August 1 - Sleep? Who needs sleep?! Operating on adrenaline, the Holy Spirit, & fumes, we sing, praise, play, and laugh all day & night w/ 38 campers.
• Day 7 - Sunday, August 2 - We close the camp w/ a rousing “Mega Relay Race”. Great connections, friendships formed during the weekend. We’re off to Ometepe Island.
• Day 8 - Monday, August 3 - “Debrief Day” on Ometepe. Re-lax-a-tion. Some ride horses. Some nap in hammocks. I opt for reading/floating on the lake. Back to Managua.
• Day 9 - Tuesday, August 4 - After a nice farewell dinner, sharing time, and all-night games for *some* team members (not me!), we’re off to the airport at 5 a.m.!

I hope this gives you a nice snapshot of the mission trip! If you’re a member of the Seacoast team, the Lluvias de Gracia host families, or the youth retreat campers and would like to share your thoughts on the week in 140 characters or less, please comment here!

The second big wave of the Summer Tsunami of short-term mission teams begins today!

Amber will be with the medical and construction mission team from Grace Church. They will serve in the village of El Apante, near Villa El Carmen, Nicaragua. The team will serve the community, along with a partner church from El Apante, doing medical clinics and construction projects. The Grace team arrives today.

I will be with a youth team from Seacoast Church. We will be serving in Rivas, Nicaragua, doing a variety of outreaches and activities for kids, teenagers, and the elderly — quite a range of ages! We will stay with host families from the Lluvias de Gracia (Rains of Grace) church in Rivas. Then, next weekend we will host a youth retreat for 35 area teens on the shores of Lake Nicaragua. The Seacoasters arrive Monday night.

Finally, the Seacoast medical team will follow closely on the heels of the Grace medical and Seacoast youth teams. Amber and I will be serving with that team together, beginning August 8. We will serve at another church in Rivas, doing medical clinics all week, plus a one-day clinic in the Los Torres neighborhood of Managua.

As you can see, it really is a short-term missions tsunami!

Obviously, Amber and I will be offline for the next couple of weeks. We’ll update you with stories and pictures from all of the teams when we return. Until time allows us to get back online to share our experiences with you, please be in prayer for us, the three teams, the host church volunteers, and the people we’re going to be ministering to.

Que Dios les bendiga!

This Sunday, July 19, marks the 30th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua. Here is a description of this important day in Nicaraguan history from ViaNica.com:

Every year on July 19, hundreds of people from all over the country gather at Plaza La Fe (also known as Plaza de la Revolución) in Managua to commemorate a historical and inspiring event: the fall of the militarized Somaza family dictatorship. This family ruled the country in a harsh and unscrupulous way for more than four decades. The dynasty was overthrown after the National Sandinista Revolution, which took place when people from all sectors – workers, businessmen, peasants, students, and guerrillas – joined forces and finally defeated the Somoza dynasty and the National Guard on July 19, 1979.

This year’s celebration promises to be especially grandiose since it is number 30, plus the first major anniversary since Daniel Ortega’s election to the presidency in 2007. Parties are planned for Saturday night, all day Sunday and in to Monday (which is a federal holiday). Think of this weekend as Nicaragua’s 4th of July…with a lot more fireworks!

For personal reasons (my disdain for traffic), not for political ones (which you can probably figure out), we will be staying far away from Central Managua this weekend. But if we see anything particularly interesting on the news or online, we’ll be sure to post some stories, links, and pictures.

Have a wonderful Independence Day weekend!

Amber and I are going to enjoy our Saturday chillaxing at Laguna de Apoyo, a beautiful crater lake in Nicaragua. (We’ll snap some pictures for you.) We hope your 4th of July weekend is just as fun and relaxing. Shoot some fireworks for us!

Summer is here.  And that means the summer tsunami of mission teams! This month, read about swimming, splashing, and silliness on the Seacoast 20-somethings mission trip; the national medical outreach in Nicaragua’s sugarcane country; a big answer to prayer regarding the Nueva Imagen sponsorship program; a Medical Interpreters Workshop; an adoption update; plus more praise reports and prayer requests.  As you can see, the tsunami is already here! Thanks for checking out the June edition of Field Notes.

Thank you for reading –- and thank you for supporting the ministry! Que Dios le bendiga.

[Note: If you would like to receive our monthly newsletter via email, please email me to let me know.]