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!