Change in title

This past week I was thrown into something very unexpected. Every 90 days I need to leave the country to renew my visa. (I'm on a tourist visa and can stay in the country 3 months at a time, I need to cross the border for 72 hours and can come back for another 3 months). One of the other Vineyard churches was planning a missions trip to Nicaragua during Holy Week (Easter week), but the trip was cancelled at the last minute on monday. This put me into a scramble...What was I going to do? Where was I going to go? Who was I going to go with?!?!?!? I looked into flying home, but the cheapest ticket ANY WHERE in to the US was $700. Thanks, but no thanks! After much freaking out and even more prayer, I decided to take a road trip to Nicaragua with one of the ladies from our church, Elidey (most people just call her Elli)...And it just happened to happen ON my birthday! God definitely stretched me on this trip and I know He did it on my birthday on purpose. Everything was last minute and with complete trust that God had it all under control. Here are some of the lessons I learned on the trip:

I thought of changing the title of my blog to one of the following:

• The Adventures of Peeing on a Moving Bus on the Road to Nicaragua
• Travel Toilet Paper: Never Leave Home Without It
• 3 Marraige Proposals at the Bus Stop: How to Choose a Nico Husband
• Caution: Climbing Sand Dunes at High Noon May Cause Foot Burn
• Following the Gringo Clock: Come Early, You Never Know When You'll be Told the Wrong Time (The "11:00" bus showed up at 9:00. Fortunately we were there at 8:53....)
• Rocks, Shells, Sand, and Sticks of Nicaragua: Elli's New Collection
• Man Cannot Live By Bread Alone, But if it's Nicaraguan Sweet Bread, Woman Can Live for a Day

Some of the verses that really spoke to me this trip were the following:

"I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses."
 ~Joshua 1:3.

(Elli and I spent time praying for every place we went,
carrying the Light of God with us) 

^"19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. ²⁰ Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God."

~Ezekiel 11:19-20

²¹ Whether you turn to the right or to the left,

your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

“This is the way; walk in it.”

~Isaiah 30:21

 ^"Stop trusting in mere humans,
   who have but a breath in their nostrils.
   Why hold them in esteem?"

~Isaiah 2:22

Jeremiah 31:3

 ³ The LORD appeared to us in the past,^[a] saying:

   “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
   I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Jeremiah 6:16

 ¹⁶ This is what the LORD says:

   “Stand at the crossroads and look;
   ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
   and you will find rest for your souls.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (New American Standard Bible)

²³Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;

 ²⁴but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.

Micah 6:8 (New American Standard Bible)    

⁸He has told you, O man, what is good;
         And what does the LORD require of you
         But to do justice, to love kindness,
         And to walk humbly with your God?

Something I was reminded on during this trip is that God requires us to be like Him. That's our purpose. We are to be examples and models of who God is. It's what He requires...because it's what He delights in!! He requires us to be just like Him. And what is that? Loving, kind, just, righteous, and in relationship with Him. My favorite part of this trip was having opporutnities to demonstrate this concept to the people around me. I loved being able to pray with various people along the way, who ever happened to be in my path. To be able to share a word of encouragement, hope, and love was amazing...and to see God move in the lives of others was incredible! I am excited to see what God has in store for this next year....and to celebrate this birthday as a way of ushering in a new season of my life, too. More, Lord, more!!