Obsessed? I think so.

I think I can, I think I can.

A To Do List Before Nicaragua:

-Spanish Essay (800 words in complete and fluent Spanish by Friday) :(.

-World of Water Exam (tomorrow) Really?

-Crazy Amounts of Reading for Spanish Lit.

-Pack

-Go to Classes

-Visit Library East to Find a Book or Two for another Spanish Essay after Spring Break

-Declare my Spanish Minor

So right now, I feel a world away from Nicaragua. So many things are piling on top of one another and it's hard for me to keep in my mind that I will be in Nicaragua this time next week.

This is my prayer:

Lord, I thank you for your salvation and Jesus' saving grace in my life. I am so humbled by how much You have worked in my life to bring me to this mission team. Father, as I go through the remainder of this hectic week before Nicaragua, please fill my cup. Give me strength and courage to meet all the requirements of school and the responsibilities I have here. I want every part of my life to be a constant worship to you and I lift up my daily routine...I want it to be more than a list of what I am supposed to do and an abundance of what I am called to do. Please remind today, tomorrow, Thursday and Friday that while my world seems so separate and far away from Nicaragua, it's not.

Love your daugther, Sara.

Amen.

Luke 4:42-5:11

Am I Ready?

So in a town not too far from mine, there is a chant that the high school football team says every time they step onto the field. They shout, "We ready! We ready! We ready!" about one hundred times as they huddle because they are ready for everything that a football game is.

They are ready to hit people,

to be hit,

to hear the Belle Glade fans cheer,

to play for a win,

to prepare for a loss,

to give it their all,

to show off their talents,

to do something they were made to do,

to defend,

to score,

to run,

to block...

basically, to do anything that football calls out of them.

What an awesome chant! Really, it says "We are ready for it all!"

I am working on applying this to Nicaragua and the preparation part. We have had one meeting and a retreat. Both have had so much planning time that sometimes I wonder how much more there could possibly be? And that's a good thing! I want to feel ready and prepared with all the tasks and activities that we have for the kids. Yet at the same time how ready can I be? It is sometimes a very discouraging process to plan activities upon activities for these children when you have no idea what the mission field will bring.

I guess it is one thing to be ready with crafts, games and songs, but a completely different thing to be ready for what God will call out of us?

Sure, I am going down to Nicaragua with about 25 laminated flashcards in my suitcase intending to teach some English words to Nicaraguan children in an attempt to connect with one of them, so that I can show the love the Lord has for him or her. Part of me wonders, is this it? How is this even going to happen? Where are these opportunities to share Jesus going to arise from? It seems like we (not God) are planning so much just to create opportunities to shower God's love on these precious children. I am not leaving room for God to work in this mission. I want to bring everything to the table that I possibly can, but I also want the Lord to show His strength and power in a real way. I want to make plans before we go to Nicaragua so that the Lord can break them.

Am I Ready to ask this? Am I Ready for it? Am I Ready for God to show up on a real and relevant way on this mission trip? Am I Ready for my hardwork to be transformed? Am I Ready to be humbled? Am I Ready to be broken? Am I Ready for all of it?

Please pray that the LORD molds our team's hearts so that 'We Ready' for it!

On our retreat last month, each member of the team chose a verse that is our "Nicaragua Verse." Mine comes from Colossians and I cling to it like a magnet to your refrigerator when I feel anxious for Nicaragua.

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:2-6

By His grace... I am willing,

Sara Lee

23 Days and Counting!

Where do I even begin? It has been a while since my last post. I will probably play "catch up" post for a while to get you caught up to speed with all the happenings, but be excited because what a fabulous month it has been!

So I guess I will start off with one of the coolest ways God is working through our team (and one I got to be a part of). About three weeks ago, an opportunity came up for me to talk with my friend Katherine, who I met in Spanish class this semester, about Nicaragua. As soon as I mentioned that we would be working with children in Managua, the first words out of her mouth were, "I want to go! Can I still sign up?" I was slow to encourage this because I was confident that the Lord had already picked everyone and there was no way someone could sign up the week before our weekend retreat. Yet Nicaragua kept coming into our conversation, as I tried to dissuade Katherine from going because I did not think there would be room for her. Long story short, I ended up contacting our Collegiate Minister, Craig, about the situation and the next thing I knew Katherine was going to Nicaragua because someone was not able to go. It was the neatest thing to watch the Lord go right around all the red tape and bring a willing servant to the table in Katherine. The Lord has been working in each of our lives up to this point in order to prepare each of individually so that we are prepared as a team to travel to Nicaragua and mission to His children.

Philippians 2:14-16

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing."

Please Pray For Our Team:

-Amanda P. -Kaitlin G.

-Asha D. -Katherine M.

-Autumn N. -Kayla O.

-Beth K. -Kelly N.

-Brian S. -Leah G.

-Caleb G. -Matt N.

-Cherysh K. -Silvia R.

-Craig N. - Sarah H.

-Jake J. -Scott K.

-Sheila L. -Natalie G.

-Stephanie P. -Tanner H.

-Sara S.

-Continued Prayer for the Lord to Reveal my role in this mission trip. Pray for the family, friends, and situations that I leave back here in the US while I am in Nicaragua. Ask the Lord to soften the hearts of those people we are going to meet. Finally, I would like for you to pray for our team's safety and unity.

Thank you so much for your love, support and prayers right now. They are felt.

Love,

Sara Lee

Beth Guckenberger

So I was inspired tonight after watching "Julie and Julia" with my grandmother. Julie in the movie posts blogs...and I thought to myself that I post blogs, too, so here I am. There is really not much on the Nicaragua mission trip front, but lots of prayer for what is to come. I go back on to Gainesville on the 3rd/4th of January and from then on I will be in preparation mode for Nicaragua.

I am so excited! One of the people that make me excited for this trip is someone who works with the orphan child in Mexico. Her name is Beth Guckenberger.

Beth Guckenberger has a true passion...here is a video that is just a glimpse of Reckless Faith.

Happy New Year!

christmas day.

Today I was thinking of what Christmas is like for the children in Managua's city dump. Most of them are orphans, children that no one has a place for. They do not know the excitement from opening presents at 6 am or playing all day with the toys Santa brought for them, rather I imagine their excitement coming from something greater. I have never been to Nicaragua and I do not know what brings joy to the children in Managua...but I have feeling it has something to do with when God came as a child with no place to stay just like them. Merry Christmas!

Until I See You Again by Mark Schultz

Oh child, precious one
Let your life shine like the sun
But you say "How long 'til I can come home
'Til I can rest in your arms again"
And I say "Not long but don't miss this life and I'll be
Waiting 'til then"

[Chorus]
Live with the wonder of a child
Pray with your arms thrown open wide
Love with a love that has no end
Until I see you again

Oh child, precious one
With each breath know you are loved
But you say "How long 'til I can come home
'Til I can rest in your arms again"
And I say "Not long but don't miss this life and I'll be
Waiting 'til then"