On the Road Again…Rivas, Nicaragua...less than 25 miles from Costa Rica

back to our Walk of Faith

Thursday, September 13^th

Time to walk...we think it will take us about 2-3 more weeks to reach the border with Costa Rica. We're hoping for more time to get to know the people and the places of this country.

We walked for several hours...as we walked rain clouds started gathering...we just prayed for God to hold the rain or provide shelter from the storm. Sure enough about 5 minutes later it started sprinkling just as we were walking up to a store with a huge shelter. As soon as we ducked underneath the shelter the bottom fell out!! Our God is right on time!!! We waited about 30 minutes there until the rain cleared up. We were able to talk with two other people who were seeking shelter from the rain. The door didn't open to talk about God though...when we tried to talk about Jesus they looked away or changed the subject.

Time to keep walking...a couple of hours later the sky had turned black...we were praying again. Yet again, God answered. We were passing through a little community called Buena Vista (Good View) or Tierra Quemada (Burned Land...there's an active volcano nearby). We asked people on the road if there was anywhere close by to eat lunch. They told us to turn off the main road and to go into the community. We did...still noticing the huge black storm clouds. The first two places were closed, so we kept walking. Finally we arrived at Adelina's place...she had delicious food!! Grilled beef, rice, fried plantains, and beans!! As we were finishing up, her father-in-law, Fernando, came up to us and started asking us questions about our packs. We explained our purpose, and Adelina came over to listen. We asked them if they knew Jesus...Adelina explained that she hadn't met Him, but she could see Him everywhere and feel His presence! Wow! We had a good talk with the two of them. We even got to meet Adelina's husband, her two daughters, her niece, her sister, and her nephew who is now her son...she adopted him when her sister tried to abort him. We enjoyed our time off the road with them!! Adelina wouldn't let us pay a dime for our meal, and she packed a snack bag for us to eat on the road. The rain had cleared off, so we kept on walking.

An hour or so later, we were walking into Nindirí...there was nothing on the road there either, so we walked into town...we met a bunch of kids on our way to the central park...They had tons of questions and we shared about God as long as they would listen. We even got to see a performance in honor of Independence Day (Sept. 15 for 5 of the Central American countries). We sat down on a park bench after the performance and continued to pray for an open door. Two boys came up...one with a cough...the other boy told us that his friend was sick and needed some medicine, but that his mom had left him home by himself. I went over with the two boys to talk to the pharmicist, and she told me the medicine that he needed. As soon as he had the medicine, the two boys thanked me and continued on their way. Other than that, no doors opened, so we walked on. We finally found a hotel just as it got too dark to walk any further. Our God again...providing just in time!

Friday, September 14^th

We walked again today...we were a little sore after having walked 17.5 miles on Thursday. We were feeling every day of our break from walking in Honduras!! (It was completely worth it though!!) We stopped to get a little breakfast in Masaya at a gas station. While we were there, a little boy came up to us and asked for money...he was there with a lady (we guess it was his mom) and a smaller little boy. We're always hesitant to give money because we don't know if they'll make good choices with it. So we bought chocolate milk, orange juice and a loaf of raisin bread for them. We also talked to the lady about Jesus...that He wanted a better life for her and her children. She thanked us several times...all three of them seemed to be so hungry. It has really broken my heart to see hungry people everywhere...especially the little kids. I'm really sad when people use their kids to beg. I don't know what the answer is...well, I do...it's Jesus! I just wish we could help everyone understand the truth. I guess that's what we are called to as Christians...to share Jesus with as many people as He will allow us to talk to! Some of them will accept...some of them He will make radical transformations!! I'm still amazed that He uses us to do such important work...makes a lot of sense why He left the Holy Spirit to live in us and to work through us. Without Him, we don't have anything that it takes to minister to others.

After breakfast, we walked on...we came to a fork in the road...Granada or Catarina were our choices. Granada is supposed to be beautiful, but filled with American tourists. Catarina is also supposed to be gorgeous...it's a Nicaraguan tourist attraction. After praying, we chose Catarina. It turned out to be completely uphill for 4-6 miles. We were struggling after about 3 miles...we were both praying for God's strength for Him to carry our burdens...about 5 minutes later, a truck pulled over. The driver, Omar, asked if we wanted a ride. We quickly agreed and scampered into the back. We didn't even care where he took us...we just wanted a little break! He stopped right at Catarina and asked if we wanted to see the overlook. We said, "Sure!!" When we got there, Diana (Omar's wife) and their kids Leo and Omara got out! What a sweet family!! The view was gorgeous...we could see two lakes...the one furthest back is Nicaragua Lake...the largest in Central America. It's also the only freshwater lake in the world that has sharks living in it! We could also see the entire town of Granada!!

We sat and talked for awhile, and then Omar invited us to eat lunch with them. Leo and Omara rode in the back with us. We went into another small town Masatepe, and we had mondonga for the first time. It's soup made from the cow's belly. We shared stories of God's faithfulness on this journey and how we had seen God at work. Lunch was a good time of fellowship with them! Omara is a ball of energy, so she kept us smiling. Leo has a really sweet heart...he also likes to tell jokes, so he kept us laughing!!

We climbed back into the truck...we figured they were going to drop us back off at the road, and we'd just keep walking. Nope! Leo was keeping us entertained with magic tricks in the back of the truck and time passed quickly. Before we knew it, we were pulling off the road underneath a tree near Nandaime (a town about 16 miles down the road). Shelter from the rain again right on time!! So we thought that they would let us out there...nope! They kept driving...it started raining again, but this time with strong wind and heavy rain. (Did I mention that this is Central America's rainy season until mid-November?) So Omar pulled off and told us to get in the cab of their Mitsubishi truck...4 adults and 2 children...I'm sure it was a funny sight. All the while, we were praying that our packs wouldn't get wet. Although it was pouring, so we weren't sure how they would stay dry if God didn't intervene. The rain finally stopped near Rivas where they dropped us off...altogether they carried us 50 miles...3-5 days walking. AND God protected our packs...the entire truck was completely wet except for where our packs were!! Praise God!!!

Wow...we have zoomed across Nicaragua...we are only about 25 miles from the border of Costa Rica...just a couple of days! (How God moves us makes me smile...He's full of surprises...we thought that we'd only be in Honduras 7 or 8 days max, and we were there 3 weeks...we thought that we'd be in Nicaragua about a month, and we've only been here a week and we are almost in Costa Rica. His plans are so much better!! We just have to surrender to Him and move with Him instead of resisting what He wants to do! This has been a really hard lesson for me to learn, but Praise God, He doesn't abandon us when we fail!)

We prayed for open doors in Rivas, and we started walking though town...we walked around for over an hour, but nothing opened up. We ended up finding another hotel...the cheapest one yet...it's only $5 per night! It's safe and clean though...the most important things! Both of us were exhausted, so after making a few phone calls we went to bed early.

Saturday, September 15th

We woke up this morning...both sick again. Not sure what God's trying to teach us, but we are seeking Him. It looks like we won't be walking today or tomorrow since it's Sunday. We've just been laying around most of the morning. I think we are going to try to find some lunch in a little bit, and then work on e-mails and pictures this afternoon. Then go to bed early. It's amazing how God designed our bodies to heal from minor infirmities if we'll just rest!!

We are praying that our eyes and our ears will be open to what God wants us to see and hear while we are in Rivas...we're excited to see what He does through our weakness!

Unless something opens up tomorrow we are planning on walking on towards Costa Rica on Monday. We'll be praying for y'all! God bless you and keep you! We love you tons! Keep walking for Jesus!!

A flower from the journey...