Give Thanks.

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Nicaragua! =)

I cannot believe that it is May already! Time seems to literally be flying by here. My four month mark of living in Nicaragua is approaching very rapidly and I just can't believe it. I hope and pray that everything is going amazing for everyone in the States, that God is teaching you more and more as you serve and live for Him, and that you are drawing closer to Him. I think you all need to start blogs also, so I can keep updated on your lives too! Just a thought:)

Here in Nicaragua it has been hot! And when I say hot, I mean at least in the 100's everyday. The rainy season is fast approaching, and for that I am grateful! Here at the mission base, we just ended our spring season of teams. We had a lot of short term teams here in March and April, and I had the opportunity to work with almost all of them. I met some really awesome people and thoroughly enjoyed having the teams here to do ministry with. While they were here, we did many of the same activities I'm involved in on a normal basis, like going to the train station, the dump, Home of the Ancient's, the girl's orphanage, The Jicaro Project, etc. The teams all had wonderful times while they were here, and I was really glad I could help prepare for their time here and go around and do ministry with them.

I mentioned this briefly in my last blog, but something else I have been heavily involved the past couple months is planning the 3^rd annual Vida Joven 5k Fun Fun. I have been attending meetings each week, doing lots of planning and preparations, and going around to local businesses to try and get them to financially support the event and Vida Joven in Granada. The race is this Saturday, May 7^th, and if you want to make a donation, you can do so here à
www.5kgranada.blogspot.com. You can read more about what Vida Joven, known as Young Life in the States, does on the website, but here is some of the major information. "Vida Joven, a Young Life International youth club, is dedicated to raising up teens from some of the poorest barrios in Granada. Over 100 youth participate in events throughout the week, finding alternatives to gangs and drugs. To reach teens more personally, Vida Joven youth not only go to Club each week but also attend 10 camps throughout the year, inviting newcomers to find out more about a personal relationship with Christ."

Something else that I have just started doing is a weekly ministry down at the train station, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Granada. I tend to go down there a lot to do ministry, but now I have an official day to do ministry down there, and I will in charge of planning specific things to do with the kids while there. I will be going to the train station every Wednesday after Bible Study and teaching a Bible story and doing some other activities and games. I'm really excited for this to start happening and for the kids to learn more about Jesus and the Bible, to feel loved, and to know that they are important.

We had children's church last Sunday and I worked with the 3-7 years olds. It was so fun! We taught them about Genesis, Adam and Eve's relationship with God, and how the Garden was perfect. We really tried to emphasize how everything was perfect with God, until the first sin, which caused our separation from God. We had a big white piece of paper and all the kids got to draw what they thought the perfect garden was like. We read and explained the story and it was really neat to see their drawings and hear their questions. Afterwards, we played eye spy and duck, duck, goose. I'm pretty sure I got picked at least every other time, so, needless to say, I ran around the circle at least 50 times haha, but it was really fun! I'm really loving and am so thankful for the opportunity to help with children's church and teach the kids more about the Bible.

If you want to hear about what Semana Santa, "Holy Week", was like here, send me an e-mail and I'll be happy to share!

Thank you to everyone who has sent me letters, e-mails, and encouragement. I so cherish your words and am so grateful you took the time to write.

That's about it for what's new around here. If you have any questions about anything specifically, want to hear more stories, or just anything at all, please feel free to email me at berkleigh.eph52@gmail.com I look forward to hearing from you! You all are in my prayers!!

If you want to read what God has been teaching me…read on:)

"I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free." –Psalm 119:32

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him." –Psalm 62:1

"You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in Your providence watched over my spirit. –Job 10:12

"Rejoice in the Lord
always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" -Philippians 4:4

These scriptures may all seem jumbled together and not make sense, but God has been using these to teach me more about Himself.

God is teaching me so much lately and one of the big things is joy. Joy. Joy in everything.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." –James 1:2

He is teaching me to have joy and to appreciate every one of His gifts, whether it seems like a gift at the time or not.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." –Romans 8:28

He promises us that He will work EVERYTHING, not some things, but every little
thing, for our good. So who I am to say if something that has happened is good or bad?

And also, not just to have joy, but to give thanks.

To give thanks for everything. The things that I take for granted. The "bad" things.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. –Ephesians 5:19-20

The things I can tend to take for granted.

-My relationships with the people in Nicaragua.

-The hugs I receive from all the children.

-The wonderful sound of laughter.

-The gift of friendship.

-God's creation surrounding me. The bright, bright stars at night, the trees, the flowers, the lake.

-What God teaches me everyday.

-I could go on forever…

And to give thanks for the things that I wouldn't normally count as a blessing.

But again, who am I to say what is blessing and what is not?

There are blessings ALL around me and He is teaching me to be grateful for e v e r y s i n g l e o n e.

-The rooster that crows basically 24/7 next door. I am grateful for God's creation and that I am not alone here on this earth. I am grateful that because of roosters, I have a free alarm clock =)

-The heat and the humidity, and the warm sunshine on my face. I am thankful that the sun and rain make things grow. I am grateful that the heat makes a cold shower all the more refreshing.

-The beautiful sound of running water. I am grateful for the days that I have running water and the days that I do not. I like bucket showers J

-The bubbles that soap makes. I am blessed to be able to wash my hands and my dishes and eat from clean plates.

-The fact that I was sick a few weeks ago. I was able to spend more time in my prayer and reading scripture.

-The way the people clap off beat at church and show me that praising Jesus does not have follow certain standards.

-And I could go on and on…

These may sound silly, but really, these are all blessings. These are all gifts that He has given me. These are all things that are little graces throughout my day. I can get so caught up in "life" that I forget to give thanks. To give thanks to a God who saved me. To give thanks for each day. To give thanks for every second of every single day. He has SAVED me, how can I not continually be giving thanks?

All that I am for ALL that He is.

All is Grace,    

Berk-Leigh

"if I had my pleasure of anything, You'd be the One that I'd choose."

God has it all in His hands.

“This girl is absolutely crazy. I would never be able to do this for that long. How is she living here?”

That was the thought going through my head when I first came to Nicaragua in the summer of 2009. I was here on a month long mission trip. I was having a conversation with a missionary I had met who was living here. I thought she was insane for having moved to a different country and leaving the States and giving up everything she’d ever known. God brought this memory to mind last night and reminded me of His great power and how He has changed my heart. Literally, if you would have told me two years ago that I would be living in Nicaragua, I probably would have just laughed it off, or secretly thought you were crazy. Not because I didn’t admire missionaries or think that what they do is amazing, but because I thought that I would never have the strength to do it, and because I loved my life in the States. God is so powerful and He has totally changed my heart. I have become that “crazy missionary” because of His great power and love for me.

I am so grateful for a God who is in control. For a God who has all the power.  For the One Who has done so much, is doing so much, and will continue to do so much. For a Loving Father who cares so deeply about each of His children. For a Lord who hears my prayers and always answers them, even if it’s not in the way I wanted, but that He always knows what’s best for me. I am so thankful that when I pray it is ALL in His hands and that I need to worry no longer. That God has it all in hands. That He gives strength to the weary. That He does things through us to show His mighty power and loving hand. That He can make much out of nothing. That He is our constant joy and strength. That He loves us. That He loves us so.

As for things happening around here, I had the opportunity to co-lead a group of 30 kids from the dump and train station to go to camp last weekend, and that was such a blessing that I was so grateful for. Natalia, Julio, and I started out early Friday afternoon on the bus with prayer before we picked most of the kids up. We were all so excited to have the chance to spend quality time with these children. It was so great to be able to spend continuous time with them and love on them for almost three days straight. God graced me with the opportunity and time to have some much needed conversations with some of the girls from the train station, and that was so good. It was a rich blessing to be able to talk to them, and for them be able to open up about things that are hard for them to discuss and talk about when we’re in Granada. We were also eating three meals a day, which is something most of them do not get at home. It was a wonderful weekend full of crafts, games, science, reading, swimming, sports, and other fun activities, and most importantly, learning more about who Jesus is, what He has done for them, how to have a relationship with Him, and what He calls us to in our lives.

We also had a team of eight nursing students here at El Puente, the mission base, last week and they were an incredible group of girls, and so fun to work with. I love seeing how God works with all different kinds of people and groups to bring glory to Him. When they were here, we worked at Home of the Ancients, did VBS at Luz Del Mundo, volunteered at the girls orphanage and special needs school, and did some activities with the kids down at the train station. From now until August, we have about 22 teams coming through El Puente, so prayers for that would be much appreciated.

Something else that I’m involved with is planning for the Vida Joven 5k in May. This is the 3rd annual 5k to raise money for Vida Joven in Granada. You can read more about that here ---> http://www.5kgranada.blogspot.com/

“Work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” –Romans 12:11-13

Please keep me updated on your lives also:) and if you have any questions about what I’ve talked about in this blog, or other things that I’m involved with here, please please please do not hesitate to ask.

God bless!  You all are in my thoughts and prayers always.

God is Faithful.

First off, let me start with saying that I am so incredibly sorry it has taken me so long to blog! It's hard to believe I have been back in Nicaragua for over a month already. Let me share with you some of my thoughts before I returned here...

I think this is the first time in my life that I am completely giving up everything that I’ve ever wanted, and that I am trusting completely and fully in whatever the Lord leads me to. I was reading in Colossians the other day as to how we are to set our minds on things above, and not on things of this earth. I am striving and seeking after the Lord with all of my heart and trying to take the call of Christ in and on my life more seriously than anything else. He is truly all that I desire, and I can't say that enough. Every action and choice in my life should be sharpening me and making me more useful for Him to use for His kingdom. Full obedience to Him is what I need to do, what I am called to do. To some people, I may be throwing my life away, or not making a wise decision, but I know, and from what I read in scripture, God does not call us to live a normal lifestyle or fit in with everyone else. He calls us to listen to His voice, and follow Him always. We're supposed to be different, we're supposed to be radical. Most importantly, we're supposed to live like Jesus, a simple carpenter, God's son, who died for us and our sins.

God works in ways much bigger than we can understand. I am really learning that. Sometimes He calls us to do illogical things and things that don't make sense others. But like in Matthew, we must seek first the Kingdom, and like His disciples did, drop our nets, and go follow Christ, even if it hurts, or even if it means leaving “home”, or what we may have wanted in the past. But we must pray that His desires become our desires. My sole purpose on this earth is to bring glory and honor to His good and perfect name, because He alone is good, and it is all for His sake and His Kingdom. He is always good and constantly working things together for our good. This is His promise to us. Lean on Him and He will give you strength. He is faithful and good, and so much better than anything else in this world.

So, I am back. Back in Nicaragua. Back in the place where my heart was longing and yearning to be. But if I were to say this has been an easy transition, I would be lying through my teeth. This is also probably one of the reasons why it has taken me so long to blog. This has been one of the hardest and most challenging times of my life. But God is faithful. He is always, always, always faithful. And He has been giving me strength and sustaining me in ways I didn't know were possible. It has been so hard, and it is still hard, but God is always good and I know that I am supposed to be here. He is teaching me more and more of His deep and incredible faithfulness and how He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. I am learning more and more that this earth has nothing I desire besides Him (Psalm 73:25-26). Every morning I wake up and know that I must go to Him for strength to get through the day, that I must cling to Him, and that I must walk by faith, for that is all I have, but that is more than enough.

So, since I arrived, I have had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of things, such as...
-The Jicaro project, which is a jewelry business that El Puente, the church I work with here, started to provide jobs for the youth and single mothers of the community.
-Hogar de Ancianos, or "Home of the Ancients", which is a place I go to clean, cook, and spend time with the abandoned elderly people of Granada. These people are so dear to my heart and I always thoroughly enjoy my time there.
-Children's Church, helping to plan and lead the Children's Church programs at Church on Sundays.
-Planning and preparing to start teaching an English class in mid March.
-Singing with the Praise Band at Church.
-The Train Station, spending time with and loving on the children in one of the poorest barrios/neighborhoods in Granada.
-Planning and checking out new and different ministry options for the short term teams we have coming this spring and summer.
-Attending Bible Studies and Church, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
-The Dump, going to the dump and doing a bible study and feeding program for the children and adults who work there.

As I sit here and think about what the Lord is doing, it is completely humbling that I have a chance to be a small part of the ministries here. All glory to God for all that He is doing here:)

I am so grateful that we serve a God who is more faithful than the morning, and who always, always, always sustains us, even when we feel we have nothing left. He is our strength and our portion. We are not here for us and our comfort. We are here to bring glory to His name alone and to serve Him. It is far from easy, but He brings joy to our souls, comfort to our loneliness, and peace to our confusion. Thank you, Lord.

I promise to try and post more often =) I hope everything is going well for everyone at home and please let me know if there's anything I can be praying for! If you have any specific questions about other things I am involved here, please feel free to ask!

Dios te bendiga:)

Into Marvelous Light we're running, out of darkness, out of shame :)

I wrote this blog a few weeks ago, but never posted it, sorry. I’ll try to post another blog within a few days of everything that has been going on lately, in addition to this.

Sorry it has been so long since I’ve written. Things have been pretty busy! My Dad came to visit for a week, and that was so great!! It was amazing to have him here and to let him see of things I’m involved with here. The day before he left, a group of high school girls came to stay for two weeks, and that has been really awesome too. They leave tomorrow and I can’t believe their time is already up. To think about that the fact that I’ve been here almost two months is crazy to me, because I feel like I just got here. And knowing that I have to leave in less than a month is incredibly sad, but I know that I will be back again soon J.

When my Dad was here, I got to take him to the dump, Corazon Contento, the Bible Studies and Church at El Puente, Home of the Ancients, and the train station. It was so fun to combine some of both of my two worlds together. We also had the opportunity to go to Masaya and Catarina, two beautiful cities! Catarina was overlooking the laguna, so it was neat to see the laguna from a different perspective.

A medical team comes in tomorrow, so we’ve been preparing for that. I sorted through about a thousand eyeglasses yesterday for a lot of clinics we’re holding next week, so that was awesome to know we’ll have so much to give.

Another thing that I’ve really been learning lately is that guilt is NOT of God. If you have done something in your past and have confessed it, God has forgiven you. If you still feel guilty about it, then this a trick that Satan uses to make us think that we are not capable of receiving God’s love. And it’s true that we are not worthy of God’s love, but the beautiful thing is that He loves anyway. He loves us no matter what we’ve done! There is absolutely nothing that can separate you can from the love of God through Christ Jesus. Our sins are as far as the east is from the west. Does this mean to keep on sinning? Of course not, but if you have something in your past that you can’t let go, pleaseee learn to let it go. It is such a freeing feeling! And then you’ll understand the true beauty of Grace, and how incredible God’s love is for us, no matter what. There is no circumstance that could make God love you any less. I lately feel like I’ve been falling more and more in love with Jesus every day and that is the coolest feeling! His love is amazing and I can’t get over how incredibly much He loves us so!! In Psalm 18 when David is writing, this is after his sin with Bathsheba, and he is still blameless, because when God sees us, He does not see us and our sins, He sees Jesus!

Sorry if some of that was random, but I am praying for you all and hope you are having incredible summers! I will try to blog again in a few days about the last few weeks, because it’s been a great time full of growth and good teams!

Over the mountains and the seas, Your river runs with love for me. I could sing of Your Love FOREVER :)

Oh, how He loves us so!

So, this past week was a ton of fun! The team from Covenant school in Virginia left today and it was so great to get to know them and experience different ministries with them. For me, it was so neat to see how God can use everyone to do His work and how He brings certain people together for certain reasons. That was the third team I’ve done ministry with at El Puente, and it’s so cool to see how even though all of the teams are so different, it always works out so well!

They did lots of different ministries, including Corazon Contento, the dump, El Fortine (a church plant), the orphanage, and VBS at Luz Del Mundo and the train station. It was a blessing to see how willing they all were to serve and how much they blessed all those they came into contact with and how they were also blessed.

Today I went to church with my friend Francisco and that was a blast! It was “kids day”, so there was the regular church service, then a special message for the kids, and then a piñata! It was amazing and I got to meet more of Francisco’s family, so that was really cool. The pastor’s wife wants me to come back again next week, so I can help with the kid’s program and maybe do puppets, which I’m excited about!

I just really can’t say it enough how much of a wonderful place Nicaragua is to be and how God is so at work here. It’s been great going to the orphanage on a consistent basis and getting to help out, tutor, and play with the girls there. It's really neat to see how I'm getting to know them more and more each time I go, and how much fun we have.

Home of the Ancients is also such a great place! If you don’t already know, it’s a nursing home for older people, who have been abandoned by their family. It’s run by Catholic nuns, and we go and help them clean, do laundry, and the like, and then just get to talk and visit with some of the people there. I've gotten especially close to Needia, Miguel, and Louis, and they love to see and spend time with those who come.

The train station is still one of my favorite places, because so many of the kids there just need to know that someone loves them and cares for them, because it is a high risk place for abuse and the like. We did a VBS for the kids there twice this past week. One of the lessons was on loving your enemies and the other was on treating others how you want to be treated. Afterwards we did crafts and got to play with the kids, so that was awesome as always!

Random sidenote, but I highly recommend everyone read the book “The Irresistible Revolution”. I just got done with it and it is an amazing book!

Anyway, it’s so incredible and amazing to see how God is at work in so many areas. Please keep everyone here in your prayers, because prayer is the most powerful tool. If you have any questions about certain things I’m doing, feel free to ask :). Please let me know how everything is going for you!

"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." -Colossians 3:12-14

Heavenly Father, You always amaze me

Hey guys!

Nicaragua is going wonderful! Two new interns have come in this last week and they are both great! Laura is from Virginia, and Mara is from Georgia. I can't wait to get to know them better! The weather has been very hot lately, but not too bad. It rained for a few days straight, but now it's back to some warm sunshine.

A new team comes in this Saturday from Covenant School in Virginia, so we're all preparing for that. I'm really excited to meet them and to see what God has in store for their trip! I went with Mario (one of the translators) around town yesterday to set up some ministry stuff at the orphanage, the hospital, Corizone Contento, and Home of the Ancients. While at Home of the Ancients, I saw Louis, and he's one of my favorites there. He greeted me with his normal, "Leighhh!" and his great big smile, which always makes me so happy.

I've also been getting to go down to the train station a lot, and as most of you know, I love it down there so much! Please be praying for the kids down there. I've been getting to know one of the families that I got close to last year even more, and they are always so kind to me, it's truly amazing. They have so little, and yet they are always willing to share anything they have. Joseline, Niancy, Manuel, and Maria are the kids in the family and are all awesome. I'm also trying to start some sort of weekly ministry down there, once a week for the older kids, and then once for the younger, and I am in need of some interesting ideas and the opportunity to do this, so prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Another ministry that I've been involved with is the baseball ministry. Ben and Kyle (who actually just left yesterday) have been running a baseball clinic twice a week, and I've been able to help them with that, and that's been fantastic. I've met some really great kids, gotten the chance to play baseball with them, and share the love of God!

I got to go to the dump again this morning and what a blessing that was! I love it there and the people's happiness there is incredible. Carlos had his guitar and he got me singing some great praise and worship songs! I don't think I have a good voice at all, but it was fun to be able to sing and just have a good time praising Jesus. Then Mario spoke for a little, and then we passed out some gallo pinto (rice and beans), cheese, and bread, and got to talk to some of the people. It was an awesome time!

God's love is truly amazing, and His grace is sufficient for us. It's so inspiring and amazing at how God's power can truly be seen when you do something for God that you know that you're not good at and that you really would rather not do, and then something good comes out of it and you know it has to be God, that is sweet!! Also, I'm really learning how God is the only one you can rely on and how His power and wisdom is sooo much greater than ours could ever be!

I always feel like these posts are so jumbled, but I hope you enjoy reading them, and I hope to hear about your lives soon as well. I pray for you all constantly, and hope to talk to you soon!

Peace,
Berk-Leigh

His love is STRONG.

Helloooo to everyone!

To those of you who don't know...I'm in Nicaragua for the summer!! I was here with my cross country team for 8 days, but now I'm interning here for the rest of the summer. It is such a blessing to be back here in the beautiful city of Granada.

I miss you guys so much! But I am having a blast here. I feel like I’m home again and my heart is happy. Being with the kids here makes me feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and that’s such a cool feeling. God is so good and His providence is so amazing. Did you know that God can do anything? I mean I know we say that all the time, but really, we serve a God of MIRACLES…He is SO big. Sometimes I feel like when we pray we pray to pray but we don’t pray with POWER…God can do anything! Pretty sweet, huh? Anyways, I hope everything at home is going amazing for everyone...please let me know anything I can be praying for!

Here’s a little of what I’ve been doing…

Home of the ancients- (I did this last year as well)- Going to help out the nursing home and clean and then hang out with some of the folks there. They are so sweet and such an encouragement to me.

Train station- This is a place in the barrios where a lot of people live in conditions that are anything but optimum…and you know what? The kids there are happier than most of the kids I know at home. I love being there. We did a VBS program there for some of the kids last week and it was AWESOME. God is definitely at work down there.

El Fortine- This is a new church plant out in some barrios outside of Granada. We do a feeding program there, and then do VBS with the kids and such. It’s awesome to see the happiness that God gives them.

And there’s more, but I’ll write about that later...

But you know what I’m learning? Our technology has destroyed us. LITERALLY. These things that were created to make life “easier” or “less complicated” have completely CONSUMED our lives. We watch television with people instead of just sitting and talking to them. I come here for a mission trip, but the states are just as much of a mission field as this country is. True, there are lot of drugs, alcohol, and other problems here with a lot of the population, but at least those who are Christians seem to truly understand what it means to be a Christian. We get caught up in the lights and the air conditioning and all these things that DON’T MATTER at our church services. Here people clap and sing and dance and they don’t care if it’s off beat or if it’s hot or if there’s no electricity…because they have the JOY that only God can bring. In Psalm 16:11 it talks about how God will FILL us with JOY in His presence…WOW. We look to all these other things for joy, but the only true bringer of joy is God himself. He is all that matters and the only thing that can truly make us happy.

Please come visit soon! If you need some encouragement in your faith come here and you will see the joy that only God can bring…Oh HE IS SO GOOD!

Sorry this was all so jumbled…it’s just really been on my heart lately…God is revealing Himself more and more to me...His love is incredible…I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! And then imagine that God loves you so much more than I could ever love…cause His love IS PERFECTTT!

BerkkkalerkJ