First and foremost- I want to thank all of you so much for your support.  Financially, God provided everything, and your prayers were a necessity.  There were so many times during the trip when it was so evident that God was watching over us, and changing our plans to suit his own.  So again, thank you very much.  I just got back from Nicaragua on Wednesday, June 15^th, so everything is fresh in my mind, yet still a whirlwind.  We went with Ignite International, an organization started a few years ago by Judy Fox, who played volleyball and basketball under Skip Lord at Houghton College.  Going into the trip, I must confess that I was not ready for missions work, or so I thought.  However I learned that despite my less than perfect relationship with Jesus, he could take my life, draw me so close to him and use me to love the people of Nicaragua.  This, among many others, was such a valuable lesson for me to learn- that God uses me when he wants to use me, not when I think I am ready. 

We arrived in Managua, the capital, on Monday night, the 6^th.  The very next morning, we left for a town called Diriamba, where we met a very strong woman of God, called Sister Nubia.  She runs a missions house and also started the Donna Holland School relying completely on God for funding and teachers.  The first day in Diriamba we just hung out at her house because of cancelled plans due to rain.  This turned out to be a great time of worship with our team.  Like our leader, Judy, always said, “I don’t question God’s change of plans.”  The second day (Wednesday) in Diriamba we visited the Donna Holland School.  Here we had a chance to talk to the kids in the best Spanish we could muster, perform a skit, sing some Spanish songs, and share testimonies.  It was amazing to see how this school started solely from Sister Nubia’s dream. 

On Thursday we went to the beach at San Juan del Sur.  It was so beautiful and we got a chance to play beach volleyball with our translator, Michelle (who was on the national volleyball team last year), and the team’s assistant coach, Jairo.  The rest of our time was spent in Managua.  Friday we went to the church in Managua where missionaries Dave and Claudia Albrecht are located, called Iglesia Mundo de Fe.  We were able to do some work for the church sweeping and setting up chairs for children’s church. 

Saturday, we went on a Canopy Tour, which is a series of 15 zip lines anywhere from 10-100 feet up in the rain forest.  With a lot of encouragement from my teammates and plenty of strength from the Lord, I conquered my fear of heights and completed the tour.  Sunday we went to the same church we worked at and sang a couple songs for the children and worshipped with the people at the adult service.  It was awesome to see that even though I couldn’t understand the sermon, I could still hear the pastor’s love for God. 

Monday was spent shopping, Tuesday we went to the orphanage in a town called Tipitapa.  Again, the language barrier didn’t seem to matter as long as I had a smile and/or a ball to play with.  The kids were so responsive and just loved every minute of interaction. 

Besides all of this activity during the day, six nights out of our time in Nicaragua were spent playing the National Women’s Volleyball team.  I am proud to say that we won one match, and that all the games were fairly close.  At each match, between the 2^nd and 3^rd games, Judy shared about Ignite International and one of our team would share her testimony.  Through this, we had chances to reach the fans at the games and the team itself.  Three girls in particular (Heidy, Heissell, and Mercedes) spent some extra time with us on the Canopy Tour, at the pool at our hotel, and going out to eat with us a couple times.  They didn’t know much English, and we didn’t know much Spanish, but we could still communicate and laugh together. 

At one particular game, our first in Diriamba, we were scheduled to start at seven.  However the volleyball poles and net were not found until around eight.  Once again, we did not question schedule changes because while both teams were waiting, we got a chance to play some fun games like elbow tag, which I’m sure the fans did not expect to see.  Many of the girls were hesitant at first, but they all loosened up when they realized that we were not just opponents, but we were there to be their friends. 

My experience in Nicaragua was life-changing.  I loved every minute there and honestly didn’t want to come home.  Our team is considering a return trip next year, Lord-willing.  Again, I want to thank you all so much for your support.  I pray that God would bless your lives as much as you have blessed mine.