March update 2012

We had such a great visit back to United States! We appreciate all our family and friends welcoming us into their homes and churches. When we returned back to Nicaragua the ministry has been even more wonderful than ever! We really have been revived and renewed on our trip back home and God has opened many new doors for us to minister.

Upon arriving home we found a few obstacles that we had to overcome the first few hours. We had no electric the first two days then the second day a pipe in our street had broken therefore we lost water also. This is nothing to a lot of the Nicaraguans that live here but for us it was a little challenging. We ate dinner by candlelight and the kids enjoyed it. A few days later we had to return to the airport and found a city shut down by rioters. The Pan America Highway was completely shutoff to vehicles. We spoke to several men who said we couldn’t get through because they where shooting at the police. Needless to say we found ourselves driving through rivers and farming roads trying to find away around. The Lord kept us from any danger and we returned home safely. Only a normal day in Nicaragua.



One of the new opportunities is going into the High schools. Prayer and bible reading has been banned from many public schools, but here in Matagalpa, we were invited into the class. The teacher stopped everything and the students listened as we gave forth the gospel message right in the high school classrooms. It is an amazing opportunity! We are very excited about this new door of ministry that has been opened up. Also the prison ministry has grown and we now have permission to go every Tuesday for the next several months to speak to both men and women. Between working with the people in the street, churches, prison, and now schools we have become very busy. It is wonderful and humbling to have such opportunities.

When we were in the United States, we had asked a few churches to pray for us. One specific prayer was that the orphans in the streets would trust us more, so that we could help them more and begin to build relationships with them. Although some people here think we are crazy for inviting them into our home, and feeding them, that is a prayer answered. Lately we have had up to 15 orphans a day coming into our house. Therefore we purchased 100 lbs of rice, 100 lbs of beans. This went very quickly! Later in support we were sent more money and we went and bought clothes, different sizes, but mostly for boys. This week alone we have gave new clothes to about eight boys, and one girl. We also bought shoes for four of those boys. Girls are much sweeter and easier to care for, but honestly there is so much more need here to help the boys. They range from five years old, to fifteen. One little boy who is about nine, we seen sleeping on the street, on a cardboard box. Sometimes the need here is overwhelming, but we are so thankful for the prayers and support that is given. These boys come to our house and we fix them rice, beans, and other treats. Today it was corn that they were very excited about. But through all the wrestling, fighting, eating, and playing, there is a sudden reverence that comes when we mention Christ. They know who is giving them food. They know who gives them life itself. It is Christ! We are only vessels. So in all that is done in Nicaragua, or there in the USA, may God receive glory and praise!



Christ came to be like us, so that we could be like Him. Zac Poonen