In The Airport!

We are sitting here in the Managau airport waiting for our plane to arrive and I figured I would blog quick.

Wow I cannot tell you what an experience this trip was. We were so very blessed by all of the things that God did in us and the people here. We are so looking forward to being home and sharing with all of you. We will be ministering int he PM service on the 17th of August. Please plan on being there with us as we share from our hearts what God did here. So many stories to share with you all. God bless you and thanks again for all of your prayers!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl

We Are Coming Home!!

Today we will leave Nicaragua but Nicaragua will never leave our hearts.

Last night was another powerful time in the presence of our God. He helped us minister to thousands of people. 10 more gave their hearts to the Lord and too many to count came forward for prayer. It was absolutely amazing. We will leave here today knowing that God has given us a burden for these people. Yes, we are tired and ready to come home, we definitely miss our families, but our hearts burn for more people to come to the realization of who Christ is and the manifestations of His Holy Spirit.

Pray for us as we travel today. God is so very good and so very faithful. Thank you all so much for your continued prayer and support!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua
Final Post

Wednesday again!!

We made it back to the hotel after a great day so far. We went back to the church that we were at last night and ministered to the kids at their school. They were great. We did a 20 min. program and then had a Pinata for them to smash. It was a lot of fun and the kids were really blessed. From there we hit the road toward the area that we would be zip lining. We arrived there and they loaded us into trucks and took us up a steep hill. We were in the jungle for real!! There were coffee trees/ bushes all around us! It was spectacular. We got harnessed up and had an instruction session and then began our 13 platform journey! Basically there was a hook that went over top of the cable and attached to the belt that we were wearing. Then there was a safety harness attached at all times as well. We wore some heavy gloves and hung from a line. All that you had to do was pick up your feet and away you went over top of the trees and bushes. It was unbelievable. I have tons of video and pictures to prove that we actually did it!!

Now we are relaxing for a little while until it is time to leave for our last church service. I have to make a correction to my previous post. There will be around 3000 at the church service tonight. They have been advertising for a few weeks and are very excited to have us here!

We are looking forward to our voyage home tomorrow. We will be leaving here at 8:30am to begin the trek homeward. I will call when we are on the ground in Houston, TX. God bless you all, pray that our flights are on time and we are safe getting home!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Wednesday Morning

It was great to get some rest!! Understatement... Well, we are only hours away now from returning home. Today we have a school to minister at and the evening service at Hosanna Central. There will be around 1000 people there at the church tonight. During the day today we will be traveling to a tourist site to go zip lining. It should be lots of fun! We have been looking forward to it.

We came to Nicaragua with high expectations of what God was going to use us to accomplish. He really blew our minds on this trip. Far more than we could ever expect or imagine. But it seems as we wind down the ministry that this fact is easy to see, and that is, that yes we saw God move, we saw Him pour out his greatest gift of salvation on hundreds of lives, and we saw a demon cast out of someone, and even saw several healings. But what I want to say this morning is that not only was Nicaragua changed but I am changed. Andrea, Tim, Katie, Jenessa, Breanna, Whitt, Britt, Kristi, Lindsey, Lori, Andrew and James are all changed forever and ever. God is so good to us and as I think about this trip I can only imagine what God has in store for each of these students. God, have your way in their lives. Speak to them, call them and use them for your purposes and goals. Keep them sensitive to the power and moving of your Holy Spirit! En el nombre de Jesus, Amen!!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Gloria a Dios! Praise the Lord!! Tuesday!

We started very early this morning. I was up and out of bed at 5 am!! Tim and I went to the Hosanna Central church and led devotions at the school of ministry for their pastors. Tim preached a powerful message and it was awesome! Then we had the staff devotions at 8 am with all of the workers at the church. I was supposed to have the team their and I was planning on using two of the team members to help me speak to the staff. Long story short the team didn't get their until after I was already finished speaking. I talked about how God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives and He will provide for our future. It went very well considering I had to scramble a little at the last minute to figure out what I should say exactly.

From the church we all left for a school by the garbage dump. We got there and some 200 kids were there waiting for us. We purchased two pinatas for today and tomorrow to share with the kids there. We shared a short program with them and then had the pinata beating outside. They all had fun whacking it with a broomstick, until it finally fell and the kids went wild!!! They all dove into the pile and started tearing the thing apart to get to the candy. It was insane!! We then went back inside to pray for the students and the staff. It was a good time of healing and blessing for the staff!

We left there and traveled a few blocks to the garbage dump. We drove into the dump and were completely overwhelmed by the sights. People on top of the garbage picking through it. Garbage is on fire there all of the time. You can see smoke from the dump all over the city and even from the plane when you take off and land. We saw kids and adults living there completely surrounded by garbage. It is the definition of poverty. There is now real way to describe it all with words, but those images are forever burned into my mind. As we drove away tears rolled down my cheeks as I wondered what I could do to help one more child from that aweful place. It changes the very way that you think about life, and it's one of those things that you cannot fully understand or appreciate unless you have seen it for yourself.

Ironically, we came back to the hotel to eat after that. Our spoiled American life was quickly re-established. I am not saying that we shouldn't eat or that we should not give God credit for blessing us. I am just so upset that more people don't do something for those that are in such desperate need.

We left our hotel at around 1:30 pm and headed for a school in an area that we had never been to before. We ended up getting lost on the way and came to a part of a dirt road that was washed out. There were some large chunks of concrete in the middle and we were pretty certain that the bus would bottom out if he tried to pass through that spot. We all decided that it would be better if we would back up and turn around so that is what we did. We quickly got back to paved roads and right after Tim said, "it is good to be back on paved roads again" we were on another dirt road heading up a pretty steep hill. There were places where the road was somewhat washed out but nothing like the other road we were on. We went probably 4 miles or so going up and winding around. It seemed like it took us forever to get there. After we arrived there, we just had a sense that the students were really not into this meeting. There was a definite spiritual battle that was taking place as we ministered to 150 or so teenagers. As we closed I invited them to come to the front to be prayed for. It was silent and then they actually started just talking out loud to their friends like there was no one their talking to them. It was a weird feeling standing there and it seemed like they were mocking and making fun of us. Our interpretor actually spoke to them to try and get them to settle and they did, but just for a short time. 5 or 6 people responded to the altar and we prayed for them then we closed. We handed every student a tract about God's love and after the principle asked us to pray for that school we were on our way back to the hotel to change and get ready for the evening service.

We went to a church that was very close to the garbage dump. The entire sanctuary probably seated around 75 or so. We started worship and the place went crazy. They were having so much fun just worshiping God. After worship Kristi P. Whittany H. and Jenessa W. all sang a song and then Tim led a song from the keyboard. As he did there was an incredible sense of worship that came over the place. As he came down off of the platform he made an altar call. Anyone that wanted to be free come forward. As he did a lady in the back of the church began weeping. He called her to the front and as she came it was obvious that she was experiencing the presence of God. As we began to pray for her, she began shaking violently and her head smacked off of the floor. I put my hand under her head as we prayed with Holy Spirit Fire. She shook violently for a few more minutes until a calm peace came over her. She had obviously been healed from something, and it seemed a demon had come out of her. She later shared of how she had been mean to her kids and husband. She didn't know why she had been so mean but now she was filled with peace. She committed to changing her ways as she knew what it meant to serve God. It was awesome to see her testify about what had happened to her.

Another lady had come forward at the end of the service and she could barely walk. She shuffled her feet because her knees were so bad. We began praying for her and you could see the healing take place. She began dancing and jumping and praising God!! She was doing what looked like the chicken dance and was filled with laughter!! You could not help but watch as the joy of the Lord filled her life. There were more testimonies but the hour is late and I will write more tomorrow!! Blessings, We will be home soon!
I can't wait to see our kids and our friends!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Monday

What a fantastic day of ministry we had today. We are all so very tired but is has been so very worth the efforts that we have put into it!! Today we started out our day at Hosanna central's Christian school. we had a great time with the students there as we declared what it is to be a part of God's army. They responded very well and had a great time.

From there we moved to a school in the Second largest city in Nicaragua, called Masaya. There we first held and assembly with school students from 1st-6th grades. They were so excited to see us and I am so glad that we were there with them. The building that we were in was packed with maybe 250 kids and probably 95 degrees inside and no breeze. There we presented the gospel to those kids with excitement and love and probably close to 100 kids raised their hands for salvation. It was awesome!!

Then we ushered those younger kids out and in ten minutes we were looking at 250 teenagers. We had a rap group come with us today and they sang one song and then James shared his testimony. Then the group came back again to finish up. Andrea then came and shared about God's favor on her life and how her Biological mom made decisions that God was in control of. The altar call was given and over 90 teens gave their heart to God. We stood there in amazement as God poured His love out all over them. We prayed for them and were overwhelmed by everything that happened. God is so good and these testimonies are all for the glory of God!

Pray for us as tomorrow we have a very busy day. We start at 6:10 am and don't stop until probably 8 pm. We really need your support and strength.

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Sunday

Today was a little bit lighter as far as the type of ministry. First we were up early and were at the church at 8am. We shared 5 kids songs and danced around for a while. It was a lot of fun. Then we sat in on the 11 am service in the main sanctuary. The church Hosanna Central has three Sunday services 8 and 11 then at 5pm. There are around 7000 people every Sunday that attend the church. They start their services on time and there were probably 200 or so people in the auditorium that seats 3000. They filter in throughout the first hour and pack the place out! It is like this for every service that we attend.

Then we adjusted our schedule for our new found friends. Our interpretor Pastor Abdias and his wife Amy (who is 8 months pregnant) are in the process of moving into a new home. So we canceled our 5pm gig and helped them move all of their large furniture. They were so very blessed and overwhelmed. It was great because they are such great people. Abdias is the son of the General Superintendent of Nicaragua. We also saw the AG headquarters. They own 30 acres of great property with some great new buildings and an open air tabernacle that seats 5000. It was great to see it!

Thanks for praying for us, the team is getting weary!

Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Saturday Night!

We just got back to our hotel it is now 11:30 pm. We attended a youth service in Masaya a nearby town. It was great to worship with a great band and then Tim Ministered the word along with James sharing his testimony. We had around 10 first time decisions for Christ!! It was outstanding! Then as the Holy Spirit led a call was given to any and all who had dealt or been dealing with depression or thoughts of suicide to come and be freed from those burdens. The altar was then jammed with many young people crying out and seeking God for a solid half hour or so. It was a powerful moving time for all of us!

After the service we enjoyed a great chicken dinner at a restaurant called Pollo's Narcy and we ate for about $4.50 Per person. A full meal of two pieces of chicken cole slaw, french fries and, of course, rice!! What a great day and a good night. God is so good and so faithful!!

God bless you all and have a great church day tomorrow,
Blessings,
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Friday and Saturday!

We had a great trip yesterday into the northern country area that surrounds Managua. We went to an orphanage that is run by Metanoia Ministries. There we spent close to 24 hours with some of the most precious kids I have ever met. They were all so warm and welcomed us with opened arms we loved them and they loved us. One of the most touching moments was when they shared some of their testimonies. Most of them had come from the garbage dump where they searched through garbage all day for their families. Some worked on the streets selling whatever or washing windshields for change. What an amazing place. One of the other highlights happened in the afternoon when we got to play soccer with the kids. Tim was an all star forward and James missed more times they he connected. They all ran circles around us!! It was so much fun!! We spent the night praying for sleep and God helped each one of us. We were so touched by the kids it was incredible. Lastly, they wanted to pray with us... First we laid hands on them and then they laid their little hands on us and powerfully prayed God's blessings on our lives. Wow, talk about overwhelming... It is one of those times when you don't dare look around for fear of bawling your eyes out!! What an awesome work that these people are doing down here.

Currently it is raining and about 88 degrees that means 100 percent humidity and when it rains the breeze stops blowing!!!! That is a small thing in comparison to all the things that we are seeing! God is blessing us with the people here. Continue to pray as tonight we have another youth service where James will share his testimony! Looking forward to it!!

Blessings,
Hold us up!!
Pastor Carl
Managua, Nicaragua

Thursday night!

After lunch we went to another hospital and prayed for sick kids in a burn unit. It was a smaller area than this morning, and we were only there for a short time. It was very exciting

The food at the house that we are staying is incredible. All of the cooks are local that can cook!!

What a great service we had tonight. Before the service we got to see one of our interpretors from our last trip. We got to meet his wife and he was very excited to see us. He then interpreted for Tim as he preached! It was really amazing. First, Andrew shared his testimony and then Jenessa shared. What a great job they did. We ended the service with a time of prayer and it was amazing. One guy who was in an accident and even in a coma was there and we prayed for healing for his eye and by the time we were finished he could read a bulletin board in the back of the church. Awesome!! We were so excited!!

We are happy to be back at a decent hour tonight. I also wanted to let everyone know that we will not be in contact for at least 24 hours because we will be leaving here tomorrow morning and will be staying over night at an orphanage. It is a little over an hour away and so our ministry will go late there and we will have a blast with the kids there. We are going to try to get to the mall Saturday afternoon or Sunday afternoon so that everyone can call home!

Thank you all for your prayers, continue to hold us up you are our hands and feet!!

What a day!!

Last night (Wed) we went to Hosanna Central in Managua to a youth service. They had a band there that led a few worship songs and then several other songs for about 1 and a half hours! Then Pastor Tim got to preach. He spoke for about 30 minutes and gave an altar call. We had an opportunity to pray with 40 or so students there. We finished the night with Pizza and got to bed around Midnight! We were up and running at 6 am this morning and we had our devotions with James Nutter leading. We left here at 8:30 am and headed to a local Children's Hospital. This is where all of the sick kids come for specialized treatment from all over Nicaragua. We started in the cancer ward. We were given instructions on how to approach people to pray for them. Some of the kids that we prayed for were just holding onto life. All of our lives were changed in just a few hours of ministering to these people. We went room by room all over the facility for about 1 and a half hours. Then we met in a central courtyard where we shared a few songs and gave a clear presentation of the gospel. 30 or more people accepted Christ into their lives for the very first time. It was amazing. After that we filtered through the crowd just praying for people that had sick kids there. It was extremely emotional and powerful. After that Pastor Tim and I went into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to pray for sick kids there. Almost all of them were on ventilators and were very sick. We quietly prayed for 20 ish kids there and it was very moving.

After that we went across the street and prayed for kids that were being treated for cancer. They live at this house and go to the hospital for treatment whenever they need it. We had a good time of prayer with each child there. Then we returned to the house for lunch.

In a little while we will leave here to go to another hospital. We will be praying for the sick and ministering to them similar to how we did this morning. Then tonight we will have a church service. We will be tired later I'm sure. Pray for strength for us as right now we are all pretty emotionally drained.

God Bless You,
Pastor Carl

We Covet Your Prayers

Let me begin by letting you know that your prayers have already been felt. If we would have left Pittsburgh a day later we may have either been stuck in houston or our flight would have been canceled due to the hurricane. We had some bumps in our flights as it was, but it was not too bad. Some of the team was a little queezy by the time we got on the ground in Managua, but were alright.

We hit the ground and got settled into our rooms just in time for an amazing Nicaraguan dinner. Then we went to our first ministry sight. It was a school with around 60 students. The children attend school all year round down here. We had a great time with the kids and the our students did a great job considering they had been awake for 20 some hours. We went to the Gallaria (Mall) Last night to eat and then back to our hotel for bed. Most of the team slept great last night.

This morning we started with breakfast at 7am and team devotions at 7:30 We left here at 8 and went to a large school with around 300 students. Our team did a Great Job and had a great opportunity to pray for students with needs. Then we went to a pre-school about 45 min away. The kids were adorable. We only had about 30 min to spend with them but it was a great time. We then traveled a short distance to a city called Masaya where we met a group of young people that were a part of a rehab program that a local youth pastor ran. After introductions, James Nutter shared an abbreviated version of his testimony and then we layed hands on the kids and prayed. We traveled back to the hotel for lunch and by 5 min into the trip almost everyone was asleep. We ate lunch and then went to a local hospital where we met with the director. He explained exactly what they do and how they run things. It was really a small clinic and they are responsible to take care of an estimated 80 thousand people. The Government subsidizes all of the work there. He then took us on a tour of the facilities and then we gathered in a room and he had his entire staff come in so that we could pray for them!! What a time it was. Tim just spoke to the staff with the power and authority of God. We all laid hands on them and prayed and when we were finished they clapped and some were crying. It was really a moving experience. What an opportunity!! We went from there and met with an organization that helps enable handicapped people here. They provide wheelchairs, crutches and whatever other aid is necessary. We then had prayer for them and their organization. Handicapped people here have no rights. They cannot see a doctor, they cannot work or go to school like everyone else!! It is really a different world here. We have no idea how blessed we are!

I have shared about each place we have been so far, sorry that it is so long but I am unsure if I will be able to write later. We will be leaving here shortly to go to Hosanna Central the large church here in Managua. Tim will be preaching in the youth service there. Continue to pray for us as we need it so much.

We love you all, God Bless you!!

Pastor Carl
Currently in Managua, Nicaragua

Home Again, Home Again

It is great to be away especially when doing ministry, but it always good to be home sweet home. Thank you all who prayed for us while we were away at kid's camp. What a great time we had. We had great times at the altar and in the rooms. We talked about everything from healing to sharing the gospel with our friends. I just love all of the activities and all of the fun that camp provides. I am thankful for a great District that provides these thing for our young people.

I didn't write the last day that we were there because the internet went down and never came on again. I suspect that while we are in Nicaragua next week we will see the same thing. The city of Managua is notorious for roving power outages and limited internet access. So we shall see have patience with me if I don't get to write each day. Pray for us as we finish up the last bit of preparation and finalize everything!

I shaved, then got shaved... kID'S Camp day 2

Tonight I was shaved with water, yes water. I was nominated to have the shaving cream squirted off of my face with water guns as I stood there with my face through a tarp, all while the shavers were blindfolded. Our team won the competition, of course, because the team next to me was squirting me as well as were my own guys. It all worked out in the end. Everything is good at camp as long as the girls lose!!

We had a great service tonight on day 2. The kids were challenged to discover God's gift of healing. Some were weeping, some were praying quietly and some just didn't get what was going on at all... welcome to kid's camp. There are always a few that just want their snack and to get out of there. It was a great night and a fun filled day, but it is time for bed so that we can all do it again tomorrow!!

God bless these little ones and draw them close to you and speak into their hearts!

Kid's Camp #1

Ok so we made it to kids camp without dying. The boys are helping me to write this blog to all of you readers. Noah R. says that the service was great. Sierra thought that the one guy acutually meant what he said? Michael thinks that today was "really great". His favorite part about the day was when we went down the big slide (inflatable) and the Obstacle course!! Darton's favorite part about the day today was the arcade and the pool. CJ says that ping pong and pool was the best. Alex said that his favorite part was when they knocked the tether ball off of the pole and it went flying across the playground! It was pretty funny!

Many kids were saved and rededicated their lives to Christ. That is what makes this so very worthwhile. I had the chance to share Christ with one of our kids and I was really led to give him my Bible so I did. He got choked up and really was excited. I love the way that God touches our kids at camp. I am expecting God to more cool things the rest of this week... stay with me!!

About Next Week...

I was working on my calendar this morning just sitting here in amazement of all the things that I have planned for the next few weeks... I will have to reintroduce myself to my dog at the end of summer!! I will be blogging throughout my adventures so hang with me as I keep you all updated as to where I am and what I am doing over the next few weeks. Beginning next Monday I will be traveling to Kids Camp and will be there till Friday. After that I will be leaving on Tuesday, July 22-31 I will be traveling to Managua, Nicaragua for a 10 day missions trip. Then I leave for Charlotte, NC on Aug 4th till the 9th for National Fine Arts. Good knowing you!! I'll be in touch!!

Just Thinkin'

I was just praying and thinking about our next few weeks coming up and I realized that even though we often feel so inadequate to do the work of God, He will still use us. It's in those precious moments where the Holy Spirit moves in someone's heart and they turn to Him to be the Lord of their lives that motivates and inspires me. We all have our passions and our own personal desires and agendas. Trust me we need agendas!! When God decides to give someone an opportunity to turn to Him it is a powerful, life changing, moment. We need to give people more opportunities to accept Christ into their lives, and stop worrying about what they might think or how it makes us look. WHO CARES!!! We need to get past our own selfishness and put the love of Christ in front of us to do His will!! The end!

Cool Gadget!

Just a quick post about some cool gadgets that I ran across this morning. (Nothing spiritual or magical contained in this blog)

This little bracelet connects via bluetooth to your enabled cell phone and vibrates when you have a call or wander too far away from your needed device! Outstanding, I think I will get one for my wife then I can stop fussing at her for not having her cell phone at the mall!! Great deal for only $49.99 at: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/9e31/

Yet another must have:

Palm-Z Mini Indoor R/C Airplane

A couple of these planes could make your next ho-hum all-nighter into the humdinger of all nighting fun!! Dogfights, mad dashes, and length of flight games could add to the excitement of having all of your friends together! Anyway, here is the link!! Enjoy:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/rc/93cf/

Don't forget to see the video of the guy in the office flying the plane around as the master controller!! Classic!

Young People in Ministry!

As I sit here this morning pondering last night's events and God's Word speaking to me this morning I am drawn back to think about Timothy in the scriptures. God's young servant full of the power of the Holy Spirit and inspired to do the work that God himself called him to do. It reminds me of my own testimony of how one day at an altar God chose to call me into His full time service. Me... he picked me?? I still have to ask myself why, and how, and what do I possibly have to offer Him. There must be someone better equipped, smarter, more talented than I.?? Right God? When I think about it I am always reminded that God doesn't need us for what we can do, He wants to use us for what He can and will do, and there is a huge difference there. I loved having Pneuma from VFCC last night in our church. They did a great job, and it was great to hang out with precious young people called by God to serve Him! It is refreshing to see that God is still working in the lives of our students. Support our schools and support the work of God!! Don't struggle with God's call on your life, simply do what He has asked you to do!!
Blessings,
PC

Back To Life

This is the time to wake up and get back to reality. Our kids this morning didn't want to get out of bed and get going and neither did the parents! Our home and our bed felt so good this morning as we spent our first night home after a week of sleeping in our camper! See our pics on my facebook page.

It reminds me of the loving arms of Christ when we stray. What an amazing place we can be in if we choose to turn from our sin and come back (home) to our God. He will wrap his loving arms around us and we can live there, protected by Him the creator of the universe! What grace he has for each of us sinners! Wrap me in your arms God... makes me think of a song. I will play it now! Thanks for reading, and leave some comments, BE NICE!!

Wrap Me In Your Arms. Lisa Gungor