The trouble with blogs.....

Today is November 1st, exactly 5 months since my last blog post!! I feel so bad! Trouble is though, it's like going to the gym, or that "Read-the-Bible-in-a-Year-App.", once you get a little behind and miss a few weeks/months, it gets even harder to go back.

Now so much has happened that I don't know where to start. If I try to catch up with it all, you will be asleep before reading to the end. So just a quick summary, then I really will try harder to keep up to date!

Over the past five months Casa Shekinah has welcomed 14 children into the safety and comfort of the home. Surprisingly, many of them have been teens, staying  between  6 weeks and 24 hours. Sometimes they just need a safe place to rest for the night and escape the awful things that are happening in their lives. However long their stay, they always love to stay up half the night talking about their trials and experiences.  Just when I think I have heard it all, there's more. I  try to hide the shock as they sit before me sharing the horror stories of their lives. Children should never have to experience these things. But they do. And Casa Shekinah is always open to welcome them as the Ministry of Family and/or the Police bring them in.

Prevention is better than cure, so in August, partnering with MIFAM,  we started teaching parenting classes in the poorer barios where most of the problems seem to occur.  Each class is for four weeks - 2 hours per session. Our goal is to teach in one neighborhood a month. At the end of the year we will host a big graduation party for the participants and they will each get a diploma to show they completed the class. We want to show them a better way to care for their children, how to implement healthy discipline strategies and ways to avoid violence in the home. If we can stop the situation getting to crisis point, we can prevent children like Deyton from being abused, neglected and abandoned. The classes have been extremely successful so far and the ladies look forward to coming to class.

Casa Shekinah also hosts a ladies Bible Study once a week. We are currently studying The Book of Esther using a Beth Moore curriculum. And a more personal escape is on Wednesdays when I go to Managua to attend a ladies Bible Study Group. Our time together is rich and precious, we are doing an inductive study on 1 Peter. It is my time of refreshment as we dig deep into The Word of God together.
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July: *I had my first and hopefully last attack of vertigo. Praise God, it now seems to be under control.
*Prayed with Ministry of Family Employee for physical healing and God answered with a miracle within days of asking. Praise GOD for such a powerful testimony!!

August: *Started parenting classes.
* Two princess warriors of God, from Servants of Christ Church, Gainesville, FL came to visit.
* Started Ladies Bible Study in Managua.

September: *Casa Shekinah organized and sponsored First Aid/CPR Training with the Red Cross for the new daycare community center in Ciudad Sandino.
* Started ladies Bible Study at Casa Shekinah.
* Celebrated Nicaragua's Independence Day.

October: *My home church here: ELEVATE, celebrated it's 7th Anniversary.
* Started making plans to start two new feeding programs.
* Oct 14th Twin earthquakes 7.3/REALLY felt those!!! Schools were closed for several days.

Casa Shekinah is very involved and active in the local community. We frequently do outreaches at orphanages, clinics, hospitals and wherever God directs. The goal is to share the love of Christ Jesus with as many people as possible and through Salvation witness transformation of lives.

Let's see what November brings :)

Thank you for your continued support with love, encouragement, visits, donations of clothes and toys, and finances. I know I have said it before, but TRULY, verily verily I say unto you: none of this would be possible without YOUR HELP. THANK YOU! Mil Gracias!! You are precious! God says so!!! and as Beth Moore says: "You have Royal blood flowing through you. The crimson bloodline of Christ flows through your veins." Let's share our grand inheritance, there is more than enough for everyone.

Each of the ladies shared what they enjoyed most about the parenting classes.

I was thrilled to see one of the dad's attend a parenting class!!!! Usually it's all women.

First Aid/CPR Training with Red Cross

Deyton celebrating Nicaraguan Independence Day

Celebrating Independence Day at Elevate Church with two of my children.

Two princess warrior women of God came to visit us :) Thank you for all your help!

Reaching out to the community. We brought a crib, bed linen, clothes, food and HOPE through the love of of Christ to this single mother of twins. 

with love in Christ,
andrea @ Casa Shekinah

God is always watching over us!

On the way to the feeding program today my car decided to just stop right in the middle of the road. Check engine light on!!! Yikes!!! We prayed! Managed to get it to a safe place then prayed through it. God was there every step of the way and provided for us all day long! Thank you LORD!!! The thunder was roaring and a storm threatening, I prayed The LORD would hold it back a few minutes while we waited for either a bus or taxi, whichever came first. At one point we could see it raining really hard a few meters away from us, but it never rained on us. Then I prayed for a connection to a local mechanic, and Hallelujah, thanks to Sarah Carnagie Weigand, it happened. Then, when the news was that the car couldn't be fixed until Monday I prayed for a way home, and YES, Kara Shay Westermann to the rescue. All of my prayers were answered, over and above anything I could have ever dreamed or imagined today. Our God is amazing, and still in the business of doing miracles. Trust Him, He will never let you down!!! He loves you!!!!

New Seasons... in more ways than one.

Hi there!!!

It amazes me that the seasons know exactly when to change. God you are amazing! Deyton and I survived April, the hottest month here in Nicaragua. It was hard though with only one fan. We took it in turns to have it in our room!

Deyton keeping cool in our homemade waterpark!

The rain is back, and we are happy to see it, hopefully it will cool down a little soon.

We also survived the earthquakes in April! J  Managua was destroyed in The Big Earthquake of 1972 which has left many people with fear in their hearts. Schools were closed for 4 weeks due to seismic activity as The President declared a Red Alert.  April 10^th was the biggest earthquake I have ever experienced, at 6.6 with more than 300 aftershocks. It was a mere 3 km from my house. We were rocking there for quite a while!

God is providing me opportunities to build relationships within The Ministry of Family here in Ciudad Sandino. I have had Deyton living with me since I started my home in February. He is two years old and full of smiles and energy! But recently I have felt God saying it is about more than just the children. This is an open door to share The Good News.

As President of the local delegation, I have many meetings at my house. I always start and finish with prayer and talk about what God is doing in my life throughout the meeting. I even gave part of my testimony at the last meeting. I am hosting a luncheon on Monday May 26^th to celebrate Mother’s Day, (May 30^th here) and plan to have a time to share a devotion also. May God bring in a harvest of souls, miracles and provision through these events!

Sharing The Good News at a Ministry of Family meeting at my house. I ended up sharing it with everyone present that day!

Another new area of work for me is accompanying my immediate supervisor on investigations into reported child abuse in the poor neighborhoods. (since several people have asked:  no, this is not a paid position, I rely 100% on donations) This has opened the door for more personal opportunities to share The gospel! Some of the situations too delicate to write about here. (let me know if you want more details.)

I praise you Father God for these opportunities to share faith, hope and love.

1 Cor 13v13 The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.

Finances have been challenging recently. On top of usual day to day expenses, I now have to renew my Nicaraguan Residency and my USA Green card within months of each other. Each will cost about $1000 plus a trip back to USA. I value your prayers and if you feel led to participate financially, please pray about it and see the information at the end of this update, no pressure!

Prayer is by far my most important need. James says: “The prayer of a godly person is powerful. It makes things happen.”

Won’t you join me in making things happen for God’s Kingdom?

Love and blessings to you

From me,

Andrea J

Please let me know by email if you would like to donate for a specific cause: Deyton’s medical expenses, diapers, clothing, etc.  Or towards the Mothers Day Luncheon and other Ministry of Family Events, or Immigration costs etc. Many thanks!

CONTRIBUTIONS are all tax deductible. Checks may be made out and mailed to: The Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 3536 NW 8th Ave, Gainesville, Fl 32605
IMPORTANT: please write NICA on check memo, or donate online by going to http://www.vineyardgainesville.org/give/, click on DONATE at the bottom of the page. When you review the donation, type "Nica" in the "Add a special note" box to designate your donation, or the funds will not make it to me!

MANY THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO GIVE FAITHFULLY TO GOD'S WORK HERE IN NICARAGUA, SERIOUSLY, WITHOUT YOU I COULD NOT BE HERE!  :)

blessed to be a blessing, in His hands,

andrea x

God's Jewels.

God's Jewels update..

Angela has done such a wonderful job in Los Cedros at the feeding program over this past year, 2013,  and she finished strong with a big Christmas Fiesta complete with God's Word, prayers, Praise, pinata and presents for all.

I have not been able to go every week since my car accident on December 27th so she has been moving forward without my help. This was one of my goals to eventually phase myself out of the program since it was her vision, as opposed to mine. Never intended it to be like this though, due to lack of transportation!

 My heart was to come alongside her and help and encourage her to reach out to her own community. Her vision was to feed 25 children every Saturday, then teach 3 other people how to run a similar program. It has been a lot for her to handle alone, yet she has done a great job and never complains. No-one seems to want to help without getting paid!

A few weeks ago, her local church told her they would like to run a similar program on Sundays after their service and have asked her to train them.  Hallelujah, part of her vision coming to fruition.

Things have changed a little since we started the program:

* she is now feeding about 50 children each Saturday (double)

* she is getting donations of rice and dried potato from a local ministry here

So I have asked her to come up with a new plan, taking into consideration the changes above, and the fact that we have been running in deficit the past few months. 

Will keep you updated. I try to post photos regularly on Facebook to keep you guys n gals in the picture! pun intended!!

Once again, many thanks to you all, on her behalf and on behalf of the children, for your participation in this program.

I will try to get an interview with Angela soon and post it for you!

Love you!

blessed to be a blessing,

in His hands,

andrea

Guess what?

Greetings from Ciudad Sandino:

We are struggling through the heat and dust of the 2 hottest months here in Nicaragua: March and April. The the rains will come soon after and cool things down bringing a host of fresh, rich colors to the landscape.

Life has been so crazy I haven't had time to stop and write. 

As you know, it has been on my heart for years to open up my own home for children in need here in Nicaragua. I thought that opportunity had finally come when I sent you the update last November. Since then, God has been moving and shaking and doing amazing things. (as only He can!) There are so many miracles woven into this story, too numerous to mention them all, but I couldn't write this update without reminding you guys that God is still a God of miracles in this day and age!) Hallelujah!!

Long story short, the whole plan changed. I ended up living and working around the clock in an orphanage in Managua. I was there alone during the Christmas and New Year holidays since the promised help did not show up. It was even more clear to me during that time that when the ratio of children to adults is high, it is impossible to love and care for them as they deserve. It made me more determined, against all odds, to open up my own home, according to God's plan for my life. And the worldly odds were stacked highly against me. A foreigner with no transportation and no money.

My car was wrecked in an accident back in December leaving me without transportation, and my meagre bank account had been frozen for some reason. Thankful to be alive, after the awful car wreck, I was now completely dependant on God to do anything!

 Again, to cut a long story short: with God's amazing provision, direction and favor, on February 20th 2014 I got my final approval from The Ministry of Family to receive children in critical need into my own home to love and care for them until such time as they could either return to family or be adopted into a family. Phew, long sentence!

I think it is similar to the foster care program in USA. They are called "hogares solidarias" here/translated Support Homes. I am the first foreigner to be accepted into this program in this delegation! Thank you LORD!

Within hours of me getting certified they brought me a two year old, and a few days later, 4 siblings who had been abandoned. That was full house for me. I have decided not to take more than 5 children at a time, so I can love them fully and operate as a normal family unit, the way God intended. 

On top of that, I was voted as President for the local delegation of support homes. I have to plan the annual calendar with a monthly event/teaching. I will kick of the program next Wednesday with a testimony on how and why I am here doing this and a presentation on childcare and keeping records of the children. May God be glorified in ALL I do and say. I could not have done any of this without Him, neither can I get through a day or even a minute without His help. 

My friends, I appreciate your continued support with prayer, love, encouragement and finances, especially now my family has grown! Please pray that I may have wisdom when making decisions concerning the children regarding doctors, dentists, schools, menus, etc. and for continued provision. Thank you so very much!

So that is the latest news here!

Now it's your turn! Please do write back and let me know what God is doing in your life, or what you would like to see Him do so I can join you in prayer!!

I love you guys!

May you be richly Blessed in all you do!

blessed to be a blessing,

in His hands,

andrea

YES!!

Hi Folks!

Pinch me, for real? Yes, it is really happening!!!!! Overflow, abundance, dreams coming true!

On December 1, 2013 the doors will open at the home I've been dreaming of for the past 5 years. A place where I can care for children in need in a family atmosphere. Those of you who have partnered with me at various stages of this  adventure know that this has been a long time coming!   

I will start out with 8 children living with me: two 6 year olds and the other 6 children ages 2 and under. I am partnering with another missionary couple to help meet the current needs in Nicaragua in conjunction with the local Ministry of Family. (MOF)

There has been a shift on the adoption scene lately. A good one. God has moved on the hearts of those in authority, and adoptions are going through so much quicker these days. There have also been changes in the adoption laws: one change is for babies who are abandoned at birth in hospitals. They can now go directly to a pre approved family to be adopted immediately, and not even have to go through the doors of an orphanage. This is huge!!!! In the past I have seen such cases take up to 5 years to be approved. The child has then spent the first 5 years of their life in an orphanage and has to then transition into "normal family life."

All this to say, there are now fewer babies and children in orphanages. Great!! May I add,  in the words of a dear friend, that it should never have been our intention to "warehouse children." Our goal should  always be to place them within a family unit as soon as possible and have them grow and develop in the way God intended for each one of us. Let's face it, God designed the family unit.  And that is how I plan to operate this new home.  So no, I am not opening up an orphanage! I am simply opening up my home to those children in need for as long as they need it.  I have the love of a Mother, the love of a  Grandmother and more important, the Love of God to share with them. (and by The Grace of God, I believe we have favor with The MOF!)

I just want a normal life for each one of these children. I want them to do normal things, like going to the grocery store with me, going to church with me, and all the normal things a family would do together! I remember once taking a boy from one of the orphanages grocery shopping with me. He was about 5 years old. He screamed as I picked him up and put him in the trolley (translated cart in USA?). I had no idea why he was so scared, but then found out he thought I was putting him in a cage. He had never seen a grocery cart before and didn't know what was happening to him! 

For me, this home is such a special gift from The LORD, an answer to prayer!

Please join us in continued prayer and praise to Our Father:

* for His continued guidance and provision, we cannot and will not do this without Him!

* safety and protection for all of us in the home

* for the right people to work with us. May God bring us good, honest followers of Jesus to work in unity with the children He places in our home.

* for sincere hearts at all times, may all we do be motivated by a genuine love for Christ and a desire to do His will. May we win others to Christ by example, by being the Living Bible to others.

* May we always have attitudes of gratitude!

Father we thank you for this opportunity to be co laborers with your Son, Jesus.

By The Way: I will still be working with the feeding program in Los Cedros: God's Jewels and will send an update on that soon. Thanks!

Blessed to be a blessing, 

In His Hands,

andrea

Who is your God?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8ZF6FVcSdQ

Amen!