April 12, 2017

As soon as I was back in the office, a co-worker loudly blurted, Quick. Three words to
summarize the mission trip. Go! Flight delays. Lots of waiting
around. One of our sick leaders.
Challenging, Hot, Rewarding Let me explain. She rejoined our team 2 days on
a later flight.
CHALLENGING
To start, we lost a day of activities in Nicaragua due to travel delays. When we arrived
at the airport (LAX), we discovered that our group of sixteen had been bumped off!
After about an hour at the customer service desk, our spots were returned; thank
goodness we did not fly with Delta! (_) However, since we were delayed twice for this flight, it resulted in missing our
connecting flight (Miami to Nicaragua) and had to sleep over, catching a different flight the next day. In a sense it a
blessing to be delayed, as one of our leaders got really sick (keeling over) and we were able change her flight, have her
go home and then rejoin us on Sunday.
Preparing their lesson. Another challenge was cell phones; we must move with the times, but be one
step ahead! With each year, we are met with new mindsets, personalities, &
NORMS. In a world of cell phones, its an unintentional extension of our being,
we thoughtlessly forget to disconnect, and we (myself included) fail to be
present. This resulted in telling students to get off their phones. Social media
uses up too much of our time, attention, especially face-to-face interaction. This
was a big lesson for me. No worries, next year well only allow actual cameras
(digital). The solution to cell phones, well hmmm well think of a plan!

HOT Morning devotions before breakfast.

Oh my goodness! Its our springtime and Nicaraguas summertime. From

the moment we woke up, to the time we got to bed, we were hot, sweaty,
and full of dirt. I came back to the U.S. with great appreciation for my
shower! In Tipitapa, it is ALL dirt. There arent any cement sidewalks or
paved roads. Buckets of water are strategically scattered onto common
areas (courtyard, kitchen entryway); it temporarily helped keep the fine red
dirt from flying everywhere. Mosquitoes & white moths abounded
everywhere, including the bathroom! DEET & ALL bug repellents had no
effect on me; my legs served as a 24-hour drinking well for mosquitoes; they
each had a personal straw. Next year Ill wear harem pants, aka MC Hammer pants! Most of our team did well in this
area, I was the exception.

Walking in town, going for REWARDING

visit to the sick. I am proud of each student.
This mission trip normally takes place in June, but due to the summer
schedule being packed, the High School leadership decided to try it
Spring Break. Despite the short time we had to fundraise, meet for
training, come up with skits & crafts, including study material, the
students stepped up to the plate, and took care of business!
Each group (3 4 people) was responsible to study and present a book
of the Bible (ex. Philippians). The study expounded on history, context,
background, and author of the book. Short skits were presented as application. Thereafter, we broke into four groups to
answer written questions like, who was the author, what was he feeling/thinking, who was he writing to, why? and
also, what was hard to understand, how can we apply this today? The lessons were presented to their youth (ages 12-
80) in the evenings.
Sprinkled in between, during the day, our team had Vacation Bible School for the smaller children (ages 2-15). In the
past wed average 40 to 50 children. This year we had 48 - 70, it grew bigger at each meeting! CRAZY! Our team did a
phenomenal job in presenting the Gospel via skits (the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan), crafts, and games.
Despite the heat, sweat, and dirt, our team tirelessly played with
rambunctious non-tiring kids! It seemed as if the longer they played, the
more energetic they became; we actually had to tell them to go home
imagine that. On one occasion, our team put together an obstacle
course; they couldnt get enough of it!
At the end of each day, we would meet as a team and debrief our day. We
would have a time of prayer, singing, and talking about our day. We were
encouraged to share how we saw God in a team member that day. I was
very grateful for that, as this was a good team builder after a long day of A skit in progress; application
for a Bible lesson.
nonstop interaction, studies, and fun.
 6 year old has Leukemia
Part of our trip involved visiting this sick and strayed. We went into homes of
church members that ailed from diabetes, kidney disease, to Leukemia. We had
the privilege to interact & pray with each of them.
We visited the strayed church members. Pastor
Smerdying would introduce them like this, ..and this is
David, he was a devoted member of church, I know he
loves God, but because of drugs, friends,(fill in the
blank), he has strayed. We are here today to tell him
that God still loves him, and we know that in Gods
name he can come back Lets pray. WOW. Also, depending on the type of visit, our
students were able to share their testimony. Pastor Smerdying praying for our
One of the most rewarding aspects of this trip was that church members, sister in Christ.
but especially Pastor Smerdying, shared how this model of studying (context,
history, chapter by chapter in a group, etc) the Bible was very impactful; they
learned a lot! Pastor Smerdying remarked (several times throughout the week)
how much it brought the Bible to life. As a result, he will be applying the same
style of study, including his sermons! Praise the Lord.
Another rewarding aspect of the trip was getting to know more their
youth (ages 14-25) group better. Among their church body is a young man, Frank
(age 25-ish), he comes from a difficult background. He uses his talents in dance
to serve God; hes co-started a dance group. This group is a combination of local
churched kids & unbelievers from the neighborhood. They had created
two dance routines, practiced, and then performed them in two of the
services during the week we were there. This expression of worship was a
first at Iglesia Bautista Monte Sinai; it was a hit! The dance routines (set
to Christian music) were then taught to our team, who enthusiastically
performed it (together) at the farewell service, the night before we left
Tipitapa. It was a sight to see; so much joy & energy!! I find it so amazing
that even with a language barrier, we could praise God together in dance!
The day before we returned home, our team was rewarded a
restful time at a nature reserve, Reserva Natural Laguna de Apoyo, a
dormant/extinct volcanic lake. We had a time of debriefing, singing,
praying, sharing what we had learned, how we had been stretched
emotionally, physically, culturally, and spiritually. Each student shared
their challenges, their highlights, and what it would look like to return
home after being away from their families and everyday life. One
common thread shared was their gratefulness of this experience, and
Top: The Dance Team.
seeing how God works, even in
Our group practicing!
Nicaragua!
Please keep praying for Iglesia Bautista Monte Sinai, Pastor Smerdying Aleman,
his wife Martha, and their church leadership. Some of the big challenges are teen
pregnancies, drugs, and poverty, of course. But more so, be in prayer that they would
keep on reaching the unsaved in their community, he genuinely cares for each & every
person there! Pastor Smerdying is an enthusiastic loving man of God; its hard to not
like him!
In closing, Im very thankful to everyone who has prayed & supported us (me &
Robert); we are always honored and privileged each time we are asked to return as
leaders/interpreters. Despite the CHALLENGES & HEAT mentioned previously, our
Pastor Smerdying &
students worked hard to share the Gospel; we are so very proud of each and every one Hermana Martha
of them! Thank you once again.
Our team at Laguna de
Apoyo Nature Reserve,
In His complete Service, getting ready to return
home

Mireya Olmos
(& Robert, too)

mireyao@rhchurches.com
olmosbob@gmail.com
A glimpse into our week in Los Laureles, Tipitapa, Nicaragua! We stayed at Iglesia Bautista Monte Sinai with Pastor
Smerdying, his wife Hermana Martha, and other group leaders.

Jeffrey, his
wife Tanya,
and their
daughter
Sophia. Jeffrey
is a Costa
Rican Co-
Laborer, who
ministers and
mentors
church leaders
in Nicaragua.
x

Top Left - Right,

clockwise:
Grandmother
& granddaughter
Working
outside
Laundry day
An outhouse
Stray dog
A nicer home

This is Tipitapas main source of water. It is regulated &

treated by Hermano Alejandro. He monitors the
pressure, the chlornine content, including the turn-
on and shut off flow to the town (5am -11am).