Jennifer Springston - Romans 8:37-39

last week in Granada...how bitter-sweet!

Thu, 7 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Today is the second day of debrief for our team in Costa Rica. I cant believe this year is so close to being over and soon I will be back in Ga with my family and friends. As excited and ready as I am to reconnect with so many people my heart is also breaking at the thought of saying goodbye to so many new loved ones i have come to know here in Nicaragua. I think something I am having to realize is that saying goodbye does not nesacarily have to mean forever. God may have more for me in Nicaragua but who knows...i need to rely on him and have faith that whatever he has prepared for my future is good and he is my strength in any situation i may face. His strength is what sustained me during this year when i would miss home or ever felt discouraged and his strength is what will sustain me as i head back home. the thought of leaving here scares me in a way because i am leaving such a community of believers here and going home to many old familiar temptations and situations that have not been a problem for me here in Nicaragua. Its such a different culture and i have so adjusted to this one that I'm in right now and i hope the transition will be a easy one. This week I have been going through the book of 1 Samuel. I dont think i have ever really spent a significant amount of time reading that book but God has been teaching me a lot through it. Mainly about what it means to have integrity. True and complete integrity in whatever you do. I think sometimes i act like eli's sons who made the sacrifice to God but still kept some for themselves. How often do i do the similar thing. Do the right thing for God making sure that i still benefit from it in the end. If not why worry about doing it? I want God to strip away all my selfishness and double-mindedness about things and seek after making sure every act i make is done with integrity. I know i have not always acted with integrity this year in certain situations but God is starting to reveal those moments when i didn't to me and convict me with how i relied on myself before him. As much as i have grown and changed this year...i still see so many areas in my character where i need more of God's Spirit to chip away and mold me into the woman he desires me to be one day. I'm only half way through 1 samuel right now but i would encourage anyone to spend time studying the first 12 chapters and think about how God has called us to live lives of integrity for him and although we wont always get it right...God sees our trying hearts and that means more to him than our failures. (thank you Beth Moore for that little nugget:)

Thank You God for using my team this year. For molding us and changing us into passionate seekers of who you are. Sorry for the many times we or i know i screw up and get caught up in myself. Bless this last week that we have together in Nicaragua. Be with our families and friends at home. Dont let us choose not to take hold of every conversation and opportunity at home because its easier to be different in Nicaragua. Create bold hearts in us in America. Fill us with your joy and peace about the upcoming new season in all of our lives. You are our rock and the one who brought us all here together for a purpose.Now help us take what we have learned and apply it in a different culture and dont let us become discouraged from seeking more of You. I love you and thank You Lord!

Amen.

Time Flies!

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I am not feeling so great right now. It's been a tough couple weeks but God never fails to remind me that he is still a good and merciful God and will never change. I'm just really exhausted this week and it's not so much from ministry and what not but more from thinking and worrying about things that I really have no control over. At some point, and I'm not sure where but I became the type of person that feels like they have to and deserve to know the next step before they have even stepped off the other one. Honestly this summer is looking like a big question mark and even after the summer is still unclear. I really am uncomfortable with that feeling. It sucks not to know where your at or where your going especially when you're a person who usually enjoys being in control (which I do;). I have seen in myself over the last few weeks that not having control over the big things in my life causes me to seek to have control in every other situation around me during the day. I want to change this about myself and learn to trust God in not only some but all of the situations that arise in my life. I only have a few weeks left here in Nicaragua which makes me so sad but I am determined to use that time fully and not stress about every tomorrow before it gets here. Right now I'm sitting on our porch watching some of the guys here work on the roof of the prayer house. It's awesome how it is coming together. I cant wait to hear how God uses the prayer house to reach people in the upcoming years. This whole place has changed radically since we first came here in September. El Puente does not even look like the same place at all. The work in the room that is going to be the library was finished the other day so hopefully kids will soon be able to come there to read and learn. I feel like there is so much that is happening in the next few weeks. The race is coming up this month to raise funds for Vida Joven. Bible Studies are going strong in the neighborhood, and other ministries are happening. It's going to be hard to leave some things that don't feel finished but I have to remind myself that He who started a good work in us will carry it out to completion even if that means other people get to finish it.

Jumping Back In!

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Well I haven't blogged since returning from spring break...sorry...but it has been great being back here in Granada and getting back into the swing of things for the last couple months here in Nicaragua. I cant believe how fast May is coming up on us. This year has been a blur for me and I'm not sure how I'm feeling about leaving Nicaragua. I absolutely cant wait to see everyone at home but as happy as I am about that is about how bad it hurts to think about leaving this place but I know God has a plan and I have to trust that. I feel like talking about Young Life in this blog. The last couple of weeks I was really starting to get discouraged with being a leader in Young Life. I think a lot of that had to do with how much I have had to step out in front of the teens and that's intimidating but I almost got to a point not feeling like I could keep doing Young Life but for some reason this past week of Young Life has been awesome and really has helped to recharged me to strive to be a better leader. Thursdays is when we have Club for Young Life and everybody really got into the party theme and went all out. Everybody's faces were painted and I felt like everybody was having a great time. God is really using Young Life to minister to the teens in this town. ESL was also a blast this week. Tuesday, we overall had a great day teaching about going to the store and how you would handle any situation that might come up. Thursday we took all our students to La Colonia and had a scavenger hunt for them. It went really well and helped our students to get out of the classroom for a little bit and use the English that they have learned. I hope everyone is doing well and everyone is in my prayers!
Love,
Jenn

Spring Break!

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Yes, I have not blogged in a while and i end up deciding to do it on my last day of spring break here in San Juan Del Sur. This has definitely been an interesting week for me spiritually. Me, Amy, and Jessica have had a great time here relaxing and spending some time at the beach and are getting ready to head back to Granada tomorrow.

I really am getting ready to go back. I have really missed my ministries this week. This part of mission trips are the weirdest for me. The week where we turn into tourists again:) I like walking around Granada with a sense of home and not feeling like i have to take pictures of everything like a new gringo in town.

But for one week i have turned into the picture taking gringo again in San Juan which is not a bad thing but I guess i just feel weird about it since the reality of how quickly the end of the trip is coming up and Im not sure if im ready to leave yet. I love my life here and the completely unamerican culture that im surrounded by everyday.

As excited as i am to get back and see friends and loved ones; it will be redicuously hard to leave the friends and loved ones i have came to know here. The thought of "what more can i honestly do here with only 2 months left" has definitely crossed my mind but i have realized that is such a lie and a temptation to take on a spirit of laziness during the remainder of our time here. I want to go back to my ministries next week with a new zeal and passion to really pour into them.

Another interesting thing that happend this week for me was God giving me some peace about what i might do this summer after the trip. I was worrying about it because the last thing i would want to do would be to go back home and sit around for the summer but i found an opportunity for a summer job to be a camp counselor. I think it would be a lot of fun so it is definitely a thought but im not sure yet.

Me and Amy were talking last night outside of our hostel and the conversation got a little off topic and the thought of "dating"God came up. At first it really caught me off guard when she said it and i think my response was something like "i understand what your saying but thats kinda weird" And honestly, that is a uncomfortable thought for me but why not date God. So many times I tell God with my actions "i dont want to be with you" and yet he keeps pursuing me.

Growing up i heard the saying "once a cheater, always a cheater" and for the most part i think its probably true and i probably would not be able to give somebody a second chance for doing that to me, but how often do i cheat on God when I claim that hes the love of my life... he always lets me run back to him again knowing that Im probably going to screw up again...i dont know...i just think its interesting how easily i judge people that do it to other people here but i do it quite a bit in my relationship with God...

anyway its just been on my mind since we were talking and felt like sharin so not sure what other peoples thoughts on that are but i hope everyone is having a wonderful week and also that my youth group back home had a great time at winterfest this weekend:)

jenn

busy!!

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This second part of my year in Nicaragua is really starting to fly by which is pretty bitter sweet to me. Last week was a pretty good one here. I was definitely kept busy! Mondays and Wednesdays me and Caleb Austin have been working at a feeding center at Santa Rosa in the mornings and afternoons and I am really enjoying it. The ladies there are so sweet and fun to be around and have taught me how to peel about anything you could think of and being with them helps me with my Spanish so much. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have been teaching ESL with Joe and Sarah and our class is going really well. We had two students in our first class and now have ten students. It's been really exciting to watch the class grow and to see them learn as the classes go by. I am spending Fridays with Young Life playing Volley Ball and Soccer and love doing that. Granted I spend more of my time talking to people there than I'm actually playing sports but I would just hate to impress everybody with how (not so good) I am. Saturdays I get a good chunck of internet time in the mornings and then come back to El Puente in the afternoons for children's ministry. This past Sunday all of the girls and guys split up and went out to spend the day together. I'm not really sure what the guys did for their guy time but the girls went to Managua to eat at Papa Johns which was amazing!! After that some girls went to see a movie and some walked around in the managua mall. After that we went home and did facials, nails, and watched a movie. It was a nice day to spend together and get away from Granada for a little while. It's only Monday but I am pretty excited about this week already. Natalia came by today and invited me and Amy to hang out with her at some point this week. We don't really see her as much anymore because she hasn't been translating for us as much so I am excited to catch up with her. Me and Sarah Kaye are going out to eat one day this week for discipleship time. I'm enjoying her being my discipler. She has a good way at looking at things. I also have my ministries this week and have spent a good amount of time preparing for a couple of them so I think those will go well.

Faith

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This past week has been a faith struggle for me. The girls on our team have been doing a Beth Moore Bible Study on Fridays in the morning and I honestly wasn't into it from the beginning. I have actually began to enjoy it though as we are about to go into the 4th week of it. The main message of this study has been faith. I think my biggest hang up about the topic being faith was knowing that I already believe in God. I want to learn about different topics, but anyway I think it was week two that talked about there being a difference between believing in God and believing God. I want to actually believe God for everything he says and what he says about me. So many people believe in God as far as existence goes but to believe God for what he is, speaks about the relationship. Tuesday night during our Vida Joven meeting for Bible Study, I just had to leave. I got up and went out into the yard and just cried. I felt defeated and I knew at the time that it was just a spiritual attack but at the time it just felt awful because it was the first time I have ever truly questioned God to an extent of just wanting to throw in the towel. God has always been the strongest force in my life but all the circumstances in our lives can have a way of causing us to lose heart. So I'm sitting out in the yard at this point still very upset and look up and of course the clouds had covered up all the stars. The stars have always captivated me and been the greatest way God has ever really shown his glory to me. I know it sounds corny but oh well...I started praying "God, I want to see the stars. I need to see your beauty right now because I'm falling in a hole of faith right now". A few minutes later I looked back up to find a crystal clear sky with some awesome stars. Yes, you can chop that up into weird Nicaraguan weather but I know what my heart was feeling at that moment and I believe God sees the desires of our hearts and opened up the clouds for me where I was sitting. For some reason that provided me with the hope that I needed to remember why I put my faith in God in the first place.

Memorization...

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So I hate memorizing stuff...but it has been such a huge part of this week for me. I remember memorizing Bible verses for Sunday School and even memorizing different things for school and I would always do it but then let myself forget whatever it was after I recited it or got a grade for it. Recently I heard that memorization is the best way to learn something by repeating it over and over again. I always feel such a lack of knowledge when it comes to the Word of God and have beat myself up about it because its not because I'm not reading it...but I haven't been storing it in my heart in the right way. Charles Kaye really challenged me one week when he asked us what we have been memorizing...and my response was somewhat like "why would I be doing that...because for some reason I always imagine little kids memorizing verses". Anyway it really convicted me and showed me how powerful it can be to just pull those treasures out when you need them without having to carry your Bible around everywhere with you.J So I started memorizing a few verses this week in Acts and have just been sitting on them all week thinking about the fullness of their meanings as well as I understand it. It was kind of ironic on Wednesday because Yener told me that as a leader in Young Life I was going to need to memorize all of the books of the Bible in Spanish this week. So far I have the Old Testament down but am still working on the New Testament. I didn't really see a point for doing this until I started doing it and have had a pretty good time because I'm a lot faster now at finding stuff because now I know what book comes after what.

Over all the week was fine except for having a case of food poisoning last weekend. That was not fun at all but it gave me some time to rest and watch some movies and catch up on a book I've been trying to get through. God has a way of making you rest sometimes when you need it because I am really bad about not letting myself make that time to chill out when I feel like I have a ton of things to do.

Here's a couple pics from this week!

2nd Week Back!

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Going home for a few weeks was great and I needed it very much but I am so excited to be back here with the people and a place that I have come to know and love very much. I believe God started a good work here with our team and he is going to carry it out to completion in the next few months. I really believe Christmas Break served its purpose in renewing my desire to come back here with fresh passion to impact lives with Christ's love and see things happen in Nicaragua. Before going home for Christmas anybody who knows me could tell you how much I was stressing out about the future and they would be dead on, and I don't know if its just the excitement of being back here and starting new ministries but this week I have just felt such an overwhelming peace about some of the things I was worrying about; like what I will be doing after this year. Its almost like before and I still feel this way sometimes but now I know its wrong...that I don't have the all the time I need to do the things I want to do but I'm starting to see that the only time constraints that we have are the ones that we put on ourselves and that is what stresses me out.
   Right now I really just want to be focused on the next five months and deciding which ministries I really want to pour into. I really love having the option to be involved with the type of thing that I am passionate about. I have really enjoyed working with the kids down here but God's really starting to show me that I like working with young people around my age. Young Life is one ministry that I definitely want to stay involved with just because of some of the fruit we have already seen from it.
ESL is the other ministry that I didn't know I would enjoy so much but I really have and there are a few ways that I can keep doing that this semester. God has really started to show me that I really enjoy teaching...especially in a class room setting. Sisters of Charity is not starting back up until February but I am looking forward to that because I enjoy working with those girls so much.
   We also have a new leader that came this week and I think we all have enjoyed meeting him and hope that he feels like a part of the team very soon.
God is just so awesome and he has really been showing me that this week in my quiet times. We started a new Beth Moore Bible study in our Girls Bible Study and I really think I'm going to enjoy it. The first week was about us as children of God being the spiritual descendents of Abraham and God wanting to pour out his blessings on us. I think I needed to hear that because sometimes its hard to remember that when things get tough or decisions need to be made. Christ is amazing and I'm thankful for all he has done already and will do in the next few months.

Christmas Break!

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Coming home for a couple weeks to catch up with family and friends has been great! It has been busy in some aspects but also relaxing too. I have definitely been catching up on my Starbucks and American junk food:) I'm thankful for getting to come home for Christmas because my family had a great one and I hope everyone else did also.Coming home from Nicaragua has been challenging in some ways. Its been easy to feel a little bit out of the loop with everybody's lives here because I haven't been here. I have also noticed how much more confident I can be in Nicaragua doing certain things than I am at home doing the same thing. I'm not completely sure why that is but it is definitely something that I want to work on. I can't believe we are already half way through this year. It has been so awesome and I thought the way that our team left in December by talking as a team about all the funny, challenging, awesome, and bad things that have happened so far was so great. It made me appreciate those moments so much more. I think being home has recharged me in some ways about the next part of the year. The one passage in the Bible that has been a huge encouragement to me the last few weeks has been Jeremiah Ch. 1. I want God to speak HIS words through me instead of me just talking all of the time. I only have a few more days here with my family and friends before we go back and I really plan to enjoy every moment that I get to spend with everybody. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a Happy New Year!

Love,

Jenn

A week in Omatepe and flying home tomorrow!

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I'm down to the last week (actually day)before we go back home for Christmas break! This week has definitely been a challenging one. Our team has been in Omatepe which is an island in Nicaragua and we worked at an orphanage there. It was a great experience and I enjoyed working with those kids and workers there so much. It has always been a struggle for me to build relationships like that for a week or two and then have to leave but i guess in those situations all you can do is hope that God gave you the opportunity to plant a seed in a heart. We did several other ministries there outside of the orphange like working at a medical clinic and a feeding center and cooking meals for the kids at the orphange. Coming back to Granada was pretty exciting for me because i love living here and seeing everyone we have been living with on a daily basis. It was weird because now we are living at El Puente so that is definitely going to be an adjustment. I cant wait to see everyone tomorrow and get some rest at home that you can only get at home around old friends and a great family! This has been a great first half of this year and thanks to everyone who has supported me and been praying for us down here:)

Love,

Jenn

2 More Weeks Till Home!

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Pictures!

This week has been a good week to close up on doing certain ministries and getting ready to leave. This weekend we are packing all of our stuff up and taking it to El Puente and getting ready to go to Omatepe also on Tuesday. We will be there for one week working in an orpahnage there. I'm excited about doing that but am not looking forward to moving around so much because two days after that we are flying home for Christmas break.

Quick run through of the week:

Monday and Tuesday we did ATL's and they went pretty well.

Wednesday we had our last trash pickup and did childrens ministry afterwards. I really love how Laura and Annie have been so awesome about wanting to keep planning with me for it when the second part of the year starts.

Thursday we had to go to Managua for the day and get our visas renewed which we will have to do again before we leave in May. Vida Joven was really good Thursday night. We had a pretty big group of teens there so it really cool to see how its growing every week and how certain people are getting so involved.

Friday the girls had our last Bible study on Esther. We spent the rest of the day cleaning the house because we are moving everything and everybody out this week. Friday night we didnt go to the usual movie outside on the corner of the street because the girls went to Charles and Sarah Kayes house to watch the movie One Night With the King which is based on the book of Esther. I had already seen the movie one time at the Lundberg's house so it wasnt all that exciting for me but i think the other girls liked it.

Today we are spending a little time on the internet because we may not be able to next week since we will be in Omatepe so the next time i talk to everyone i'll be home in Georgia! Thats so weird to think that our team is almost half way through.

Hope everyones having a great week!

Jenn

Thanksgiving Nica Style!

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I am a little frustrated with computers right now because my blog that i spent a good bit of time writing and talking about what i learned this week was just erased and now i am willing myself to write another one...i guess that is another example this week of how Nicaragua always wins! I hope everyones Thanksgiving was good! Our team had a pretty good one. We tried to make it as Americanized as possible and im not sure the Nicaraguans that ate the meal with us really enjoyed it. It was funny how surprised some of us were that they could not like sweet potato suffle or green been casserole but then again we have turned our noses up at some interesting things we have had to eat here also so i guess it just all comes down to the different culture:)...oh well. Thank goodness for neighbors! Our electircity went out Thursday and didnt come on until Saturday and we didnt have water Wednesday and Thursday but our neighbors were nice enough to let us cook our turkey at their house and use the bathroom when some of us got locked out of the house on Saturday. Sometimes i would really like to know what they really think about their crazy gringo neighbors! Anyway the week was good but pretty busy. We had a great childrens ministry on Wednesday. I really love doing that ministry and working with those kids and am trying to think of a way i could keep doing something with those same kids after we come back from Christmas when our ministries will look pretty different. I really dont want to lose those relationships with those kids becuase it has been so great getting to know them the past several weeks. Saturday we all went to Mosatepe( a mountain with a huge cross on it) to have a day of solitude. It really was a challenge. Being quiet all day was pretty hard but i enjoyed the time to just read and think about some things. We have been reading this book called Celebration of Discipline and we started another one this week by Donald Miller called Searching for God Knows What. I like the second one better but the first one had a great chapter in it about solitude. It talked about how solitude is more of a state of mind and heart rather than a place and that silence and solitude are different.

This is going to be our last week of regular ministry here before we leave for Christmas because next week we are going to Montepepe for one week to work at an orphanage there and then we come home for Christmas!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Jenn

Carrying Our Rocks Around...!

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I cannot believe how fast November has flown by. There are only 4 weeks left until I come home for Christmas. I'm excited about coming back in January and living at El Puente since they have been working so hard there to get it ready for us.

I would love to say that this week has been awesome but its actually been a very challenging week for me. Monday was my last day tutoring at Sisters of Charity for ESL because the girls had their exams this week and are going home for Christmas break so I was kind of sad about that but cant wait to see them next year.

Tuesday during class, Charles made us go outside of El Puente and find some really big rocks. So we did and then he told us that we would be carrying them around with us on our backs for four days. I'll be honest and say that the first day I was not seeing the point to this exercise at all and annoyed by these rocks that I could only take off for a shower but by the third day I really got the point.

How inconvenient and uncomfortable are our sins? Carrying those rocks brought a whole new meaning to me about carrying our burdens and holding on to crap in our lives. It was an interesting week trying to do everything with those stupid rocks. Ministry was hard, sitting in a chair was hard, having to explain to people why I was taking rocks with me everywhere was annoying, and rolling over on them in the night made me angry...but now I can say it was worth itJ

Friday in class we had some worship, had communion like Jesus and the disciples did for Passover and washed each others feet. At the end of all that we went outside and got rid of our rocks. It was a pretty cool day for me. I had a thought though while one of my teammates washed my feet. If I felt that uncomfortable letting someone else wash my feet like that...imagine how unnerving it must have been for peter and the other disciples when Jesus the God of the universe washed their feet...which is a very dirty job!

I think the most challenging thing this week for me has been how Friday as soon as I laid down some rocks how fast Satan tried to bring me down again. I think that showed me though that regardless of if we give our burdens to Christ...we still live in a sin-filled world and the enemies attacks on our freedom in Christ don't really ever stop.

Here is a verse that has been a big help this week:

"Do not worry about anything but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace which is so great we cannot understand it will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Lessons Learned...

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We started a new book this week called Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts by: C. Peter Wagner. It had an interesting point about distinguishing between your talents and your spiritual gifts. I am really liking it but sometimes our discussions about it tend to turn into heated debates because I have realized many people even on my team have different ideas than me about how the Holy Spirit moves today. It was good to see in our class time that even though we may disagree we can still be respectful of the other opinion.

There is something about living in another country other than America that makes you realize how truly "Americanized" you are. Every day we walk down this street usually going to the internet caf or somewhere and there is this old lady who grabs your arm as you pass her begging for money. After you pass her she yells "Gringos" until you are out of sight. I have realized being a Gringo basically puts dollar signs on your face regardless if its true or not and is interesting to be faced with so many views on Americans and the way most of them live.

Here is a little run through of our week.

Monday- We had a day off(was needed and appreciated)

Tuesday-Taught ESL at Sisters of Charity

Wednesday- Had Trash Pick-up but changed it up by having a little kids service afterwards. It was cool because we got to talk about Jesus a good bit and many of them had no idea what we were really talking about. They were fine when we were talking about God but got a confused look on their faces when we mentioned Jesus. Its almost like the word "God" has become so common to people but as soon as you start talking about Jesus they get pretty uncomfortable.

Thursday- Me, Heather and Jessica did an ATL and it turned out pretty awesome. We heard about this lady from a local missionary here who is really involved in witchcraft and has some serious health issues. We made chocolate chip cookies for her and went and spent the afternoon talking with her. It was pretty nerve racking knocking on her door since we had never met her and going into her house that was covered with things dealing with witchcraft. She talked to us a lot about the witchcraft but she did mention the Bible and showed interest in learning more. I'm excited about going back next time and being more prepared to talk about what she's involved with because it was a stretch for me coming face to face with that type of spiritual warfare.

Friday- Me, Joe and Amy went to Collegio San Antonio which is a school/feeding center here and cooked lunch and hung out with the kids there for a while. It was a lot of fun and we are looking at getting involved with a couple more feeding centers deeper into the barrios.

Some people on our team are doing a 7 day fast this week so please keep them in your prayers.

Elections USA and Nicaragua

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Another good week in Nicaragua...this week has been full of a lot of class time. We still have been doing ministry time this week but have been having a seminar for our group and some local nicas to learn more about doing outreach in communities the right way instead of just temporary relief but actually developing a system that will stay in place long after you leave the community. It was pretty interesting and I hope our team will be able to apply some of the things that they taught us.

I'm having a hard time blogging right now which is probably because even though it has been a good week; nothing really out of the ordinary has happened. We had our Bible Study on Esther, and did a study on how to Study...(kind of ironic but was good because I learned there are better ways to study the Word of God than maybe how I'm doing it.)ESL went good this week and Wednesday we talked about how we could begin to do more work in the Barrios here which are the poorest places in Granada.

Two people had their Birthdays this week which was nice because there was cake and our team basically looks for any reason to throw a party. It was interesting this week hearing about how the elections went. I feel so out of touch with the news and missed watching the debates and the elections happen. I think it would have been fun to see everyone's reactions at home to who was elected but the ones in our team were pretty good to because several of us have pretty different political views. Granada is having their mayoral elections on Sunday and its crazy how different they do things even for an election for the mayor. We had two huge parades go down our street this week for the Sandinista party and these parades get pretty loud and crazy.

They close down school for elections and I got to have a pretty logical conversation with my taxi driver this week in Spanish about Nicaraguan politics that God really helped me through. It will be interesting to see if things calm down around here after the elections and the same thing at home.

I hope everyone is having a blessed week!

Love,

Jenn

The Hike

Sat, 1 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Sunday several people on our team and some young people involved with Young Life went on a hike to the top of one of the mountains around here. It was really beautiful and a great time to worship God and get to know some more of the teenagers that live here. I have never worshiped God from a mountain top before but I would definitely suggest it if you ever have the chance because its definitely an experience. I had an opportunity to share about Christ with this little kid named Carlos who lives on the mountain. That has honestly probably been the best moment for me since I have been here in Granada. Doing ministry has been great but to get to sit down with a little kid and just talk about Jesus was pretty cool.

Here's a little schedule of how most of our weeks look although there's always changes:

Mondays: We always start our mornings off with an hour of quiet time with God then we have class in the morning and then we go to Sisters of Charity to teach English and then come home for chores, team time and usually end the day with a soccer game outside our house with the kids on the street.

Tuesdays: Usually look the same as Mondays although some people on our team coach soccer instead of teaching English.

Wednesdays: We have class In the mornings and then do trash pick-up outside of El Puente (in front of several barrios we are working with.) for our ministry. After that we come back home to do chores, and several of us have free Spanish lessons outside our house from the kids on the street. We have dinner and then team time (which is usually just giving a debrief of our day).The last thing is usually a meeting at El Puente for Young Life leaders.

Thursdays: We have "structured" ministry in the morning which is normally doing an ATL( Ask The Lord) which can go in any way depending on how the Lord directs your group to work in the community. After that we normally have class at El Puente and then finish up the day with Young Life, chores and team time.

Fridays: We usually have ministry in the morning which usually involves working at Sisters of Charity with the children's feeding center. After that we have class time at El Puente and then go home for chores and end the week by hanging out with the kids on the street by watching a movie they play outside and playing soccer afterwards.

Saturdays: Are our free day to get things done like blogging, emailing, and keeping in touch with home. Even though these are our "days off" they tend to be very busy.

Sundays: Every other Sunday we go to El Puente for church and are able to choose what church to attend the other weeks.

That is a pretty basic schedule but things will change a lot in January when we individually get to choose what ministry to dive into and don't have as much class time. I enjoy everything I am learning in class but cant wait to jump into the ministry I am passionate about after Christmas.

Hope everyone has had a blessed week!

Love,

Jenn

Beauty of Creation...here in Granada!

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I could write about some of the things that have happened this week but I realized something interesting I thought I would share. Charles Kaye has been teaching a study on a book that we are reading this week and pointed out something really cool. The first three chapters we read this week talked about how we as Christians need to understand our faith as much as possible. The Bible talks about being ready in season and out of season and I guess God really convicted my heart of that this week. I have always (especially in high school) tried to argue my case as a Christian with people and tell them why I'm right and their not. I'm starting to see that being so defensive is not the best way to go because it can turn people off of what your saying pretty fast so its better to talk in love. Anyway, he pointed out how well studied most Muslims and Jehovah Witnesses or people in other religions were about their faith. It just made me question how much devotion I put into understanding God's Word and being able to stand firm in future conversations with somebody who knows their stuff too.

Off that...we have had a pretty good week here teaching English at the schools and picking up trash again today. We went to Masaya which is another city in Nicaragua with some of the guys from El Puente and had a great time. They took us to this really pretty outlook at all the volcanoes and stuff like that and once again I got caught up in thinking about how awesome creation is and the God who did it all. I love being able to have random moments like that to take a little break from the hecticness (I don't think that's a word) of life here to see something gorgeous like that and thank God for it. So that probably has been the highlight of my week so far but its only Thursday so anything could happenJ We lost a team member this week and she flew back home today. I admire her so much for trusting God like she has and please keep praying for her also as she goes back to everything at home.

I think my blogs are starting to get shorter and shorterJ so I will work on that but that's all I have right now. I miss you all at home and think about everyone often. I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Love,

Jenn

Living Life Here

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This week It has been very cool just running into random people I know. I love that about this country or at least where we are at because it has such a community feel to it. Its so neat to see some of the same people everyday and becoming a fixture in their lives. I have never had this type of community living before at home and am really loving it here. Doing our structured ministry everyday is great and a blessing but the greatest ministry to me so far has just been playing soccer with the kids that hang out on our porch everyday waiting for all the gringos to come out so they wont be bored any more and sitting on my neighbors porch getting to know about her life. I am really excited about tomorrow afternoon because I am getting my first real Spanish lesson by this sweet little kid named Jeebron who also wants to learn English. Those things don't feel like ministry sometimes but they really are in their own way.

We have been doing this really cool study on the book of Esther in our girls Bible study and I've realized that its really good to dissect scripture sometimes. Many times I just read a huge passage and get a basic idea of what's going on but really taking it verse by verse is opening up things I never realized before. One parallel with Esther that I noticed this morning was how she was living with many other women in the palace all there for the same reason. One of them was going to be crowned queen and the rest would become King Xerxes concubines. Obviously that's not exactly the same situation but in a way its similar because as a team we are living together and working in a new territory where we have never been before for one reason and that is to serve God so I thought that was pretty neat. Esther was taken out of her familiar place and had to face many challenges that I'm sure she didn't know she was capable of.

The verse we used was Jer. 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you". "declares the Lord." "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you and to give you a hope and a future." It was interesting because that verse was actually written for the captives that were taken out of Babylon and God was promising them a prosperous future as his people. Esther (being a Jew) probably knew this and was expecting good things for her life until it got turned upside down when she was taken to the palace. Even through all of that she was able to rise above her situation and even stood out to the Kings eunuchs she was under and was noticed by the king which led to her saving her people. I can see this type of thing to in the story of Josheph after his brothers sold him into slavery.

I just think its interesting how God can take impossible circumstances and bring beautiful things from it. Please keep praying for the other people on our team because several people are getting pretty homesick and some are still raising support.

Hope everyone has had a great weekJ

Love,

Jenn

me and Jeebron

New Experiences!

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This week has been full of different ministries. Monday we started our Bible study on the book of Job. Pastor Garcia who is one of the pastors down here who led it for us did a great job because I learned some things about that book I never had thought about before. Our team has been giving timelines since we got to Nicaragua which are just brief run-throughs of our lives. It was a really tough thing for me to do Monday night but there's something about talking about how God has got you to where you are or where you are trying to get to that is very freeing. I was really nervous about it but it turned out to be a cool experience because right before I started talking, the verse 2 Cor. 12:9 popped in my head about God's grace being sufficient for us and it calmed my nerves so much to know that truth. That verse has really just been such an encouragement to me throughout this week.

Monday and Tuesday we began teaching English at Sisters of Charity orphanage and had a great time. At first I wasn't sure how it was going to go because of the language barrier but the girls I was working with were so willing to learn and be patient with my less than fluent SpanishJ . That has really been the best part of this week to me because I started thinking of how much I love to teach and how I hope I can use that a lot while I am here.

As of Wednesday I have been away from home for a month which is exciting to me because I feel like I have already experienced so much that I cant wait to see what the next eight months hold. We definitely celebrated the occasion by Caleb and Laura bringing home a cake from the donut store (kind of ironic)J . I cant believe how fast the weeks go by here. We are pretty busy so I'm sure that's why it feels like that but it still seems so crazy to me.

Wednesday our team went out to El Puente and picked up the trash that is all over the streets in those neighborhoods. At first it looked like there was no way to actually make a difference because there was so much but it turned out way better than I think most of us expected. People came out of their houses and watched us like we were absolutely crazy but after they stared for a while, some of their kids ran out and started helping us. The parents and others standing around were pretty taken aback but eventually they helped to. We are going to go back to that same street every week for one day and just pick up trash and maybe the people living there will see what we are doing as a good thing and start trying to make a change themselves. Its also a great way to get to know the people we are living near and invest in their lives.

One morning this week some of us got up at like 4:30 and went to the lake to watch the sunrise. It was so awesome. I think many times its easy to take the beauty of God's creation for granted. I took tons of pictures so those will be up! The craziest thing that happened this week was when we caught an iguana at El Puente and put a leash on it. We almost kept it as a pet but decided it would be better off in the wildJ Yesterday our team went to Sisters of Charity again but for the daycare/feeding program they have there. I had a great time just playing with some of those kids and then getting to make and serve them lunch. More ministry doors are starting to open up so that is very exciting. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as everyone at home are in mine.

Hope everyone had a blessed week!!!

Love,

Jenn

Expectations

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Before I came on this trip to Nicaragua I had so many expectations of how it was going to look. How my team was going to be, how ministry was going to look, what I would get out of it all, what the people here were going to be like...all kinds of expectations. My expectations were completely wrong so I'm really trying to stop having so many expectations and just let God lead this year. Many people that go on mission trips and come back talk about how they brought back more from the trip than what they gave. My team is wonderful and I have realized that I don't care how much I get out of this or how much it changes me as long as I have the chance to impact someone's life here and the people here are beautiful. Ministry here is different than I imagined but that is a good thing. I expected to come, jump full force into going to feeding centers, orphanages, and hospitals but God is really starting to redefine my image of ministry. My leader Tana said something pretty cool. "Ministry is life and life is ministry". I didn't get that at first but I'm starting to now because sometimes the greatest way to minister to these people is just to live with them and be a constant in their lives.

Our team is the first FYM team here in Nicaragua and so we have the exciting opportunity to help develop some ministries here and break some new ground. I think some of the people and kids here at first expected us to just stay for a couple of weeks and leave but I think its cool to see them realize that we are here to stay for a while and want to invest in their lives. Ministry or loving people is not just giving them money on the street or buying a meal for them but it is sitting down with them while they are eating the meal and starting a relationship with them. I honestly would think that's how Jesus would do it.

We have had so much rain here in Nicaragua. Last night the bottom level of our house flooded but thankfully we had time to get all of our stuff to a higher part of the house. The only reason our house flooded was because of some random things like rats and nerf footballs being stuck in our drain. It was crazy and I think because there is so much rain is why I haven't seen any carpet in any of the houses hereJ These folks are smart! We have been doing a lot of work at El Puente this week. I love going there and will try to get some pictures of it up soon. I miss everyone at home...hope yall are doing great! I love showing kids around here pictures of my family and friends and I think they enjoy it to.

On Friday nights an American couple living near us have been showing a movie on the side of their house(all the houses here are connected to each other) and that has been a great way to get to know some of the kids and teens that live near us. Another cool thing that has happened the last couple of weeks has been getting to know our translators Mario and Natalia. Both of them have been such great helps around the city and also just getting to know about their lives has been great.

I hope everyone has had a blessed week!

JennJ

This Week!!!

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Yay! I just finished my book Blue Like Jazz and am pretty excited about it. It was pretty good but I started The Shack today and so far I'm really into it! Honestly the last few weeks I have read more than I ever read at home so I think I'm turning into a bookworm. Our team is required to go through eight books during our first three months here. We are in our first one and I'm actually really not liking it. I think its important though to read things sometimes even when you don't necessarily agree with it so you are aware of what other people believe and you can form better opinions yourself about why you agree with it or not. The book is Victory Over Darkness and I'm hoping it will start to get better. We have had a pretty good week. Some people have been getting a little sick from trying to get used to the tap water here but we have been able to do a good bit of ministry this week. I really love how we are spending our days here right now. In January we are going to be doing so much more outreach ministry but right now I am just enjoying soaking up everything we are learning like a sponge. Right now we have about a three hour class in the morning discussing the book we are reading and really dissecting certain verses in order to get the fullest meaning possible. I love it because sometimes reading the Bible it is easy to read big passages and never really spend time trying to understand what it is saying. After that time we spend the next four hours doing scheduled ministry in the community and it has also been great to get going with that this week. We did an ATL this week and it was really cool how God worked through my group of three people. When we started off we prayed for God to give us direction on where we needed to go. All I could see in my mind that whole time was Central Park which is a place here where people try to sell many things. I asked my team if we could go there and then God led another person on my team to pray with a mother and baby sitting on a bench. The mother told us how sick the baby was and how the doctors kept sending her to the witch doctors. The mother told us nothing was working and wanted us to pray for the baby so we did and that's all I know. I really hope us taking time with her had an impact to her and the baby in some way. We haven't been very busy this week because we are still trying to get into things here. We spent a lot of time this week at El Puente working with the guys that live there. The first day we cut a ton of vines and tall grass down with machetes. It was different especially when your used to a lawn mower and weed eater but we really got a lot done and now El Puente is starting to look awesome. Our soccer games at night with the kids who live on our street are still going strong and we are forming some good relationships with some of them. I have completely fallen in love with this food called picos here. They are so good and I'm not sure what I'll do when I get back to Georgia. Its like a sugar and cheese type pastry and its great! I love the freedom of time that I have had this week to spend with God. At home and in my routine it is easy to push it to bottom priority but this week has been so cool just chilling with God at random parts of the day if that makes sense. It was pretty funny yesterday how Heather (one of the ladies working with our team) was talking about how she had this cynical outlook at one point in her life about this shirt that said "I am a princess because my father is the King of Kings". A few minutes later I told her how I have that shirt from a Winterfest conference and I loved it. We both busted out laughing because it was kind of ironic. So I wore it the next day just for her but the point to all that is that its easy to forget I'm able to be so close to him and at the moment I really needed to hear those words it was like the Holy Spirit reminded me that I am his princess and beautiful to him. I just about started crying in front of everybody but just having that truth in my heart that day made the all the difference in how my day went! I'm missing home in a big way right now but am having a blast serving God at the same time so its all good!

Hope everyone is having a blessed week!!!

Love,

Jenn

Nicaragua

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hello Friends and Family,
This is my first blog from Granada, Nicaragua. We had an awesome week at training camp learning about our team mates and tons of things about missions in our locations. We did many team building obstacles which were pretty tough but was well worth it because our team has grown much closer through them. We had some amazing worship times in training camp. I learned so much there and would not trade the experience at all except for maybe all of the aunt and mosquito bites. We did some outreach work in Little Mexico which was cool because I was basically at home! My team mates are amazing and I think we are going to be doing some pretty amazing things while we are down here. We had a very safe and smooth plane ride down here and it was fun getting to sit by a couple people on my team that I haven't really got to know very well. We had a very good day and it was great to land in Managua and meet Charles and Sarah Kaye. They are a great couple and have two really cool kids. The first thing I saw when we stepped out of the airport were some soldiers with some machine guns which honestly freaked me out a little but everyone I have met here so far seems so friendly. The food and coffee here is rockin!!! Our house in Granada is so cool. It is a very Spanish style house with the clay roof and primitive doors and a open walled in area. We have a tiny little pool here which has been nice to dip our feet in at the end of the day. The guys don't have it quite so nice though because their house is not furnished but they spend a lot of time at our house. Yesterday we walked around some with our translator and he showed us some really neat things. There is a huge active volcano right outside of our house and you can see the smoke come out of it after it rains. We are going to take a trip up there one day. The sixth largest lake in the world is here also that has freshwater sharks in it which is pretty cool. Today the girls on our team got a chance to walk around with Natalia(one of our translators) and go to the open market which was so much fun and we found a internet caf that has amazing coffee and free WI-FI if you have your laptop so I feel very blessed for that. I have enjoyed everything here so far but cannot wait to actually begin doing the ministry type things. This week has kind of just been a very chill week to let our team settle in and bond. We went to Charles and Sarah's church they are building last night and had a great meal and a wonderful time of worship. Charles talked about how the church in Nicaragua (which there are only a few) have been praying for missionaries to come to this area and how our team is the first long term people to come and start things. There are not many programs for anything in this area and Charles and Sarah are the only missionaries from the states to live in Nicaragua. I think its great that our team is going to be the first ones to break some ground here for the future teams that come to Nicaragua. I have been able to use some Spanish here already and am not as bad as I thought I wasJ The people so far here have been very patient with us trying to communicate with them. Please continue to pray for us as time goes on and for our team to remain unified. I should be blogging about once a week to keep everyone informed of what we're up to!

Have an amazing week everyone!
Love,
Jenn

2 weeks left!

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Well tomorrow there will be two weeks left until training camp! Im so excited and cannot believe how fast September 8th has come! It seems like it really was not very long ago when I decided to go to Nicaragua. I had origionally planned on going to Lima, Peru but it seems like God had much different plans and now Im getting ready to go to Nicaragua for nine months with a team of awesome people which i have already gotten to know a few pretty well. I will be honest and say i was a little dissapointed about not being able to go to Peru this year because of the chance to see some pretty awesome things there but God knows far better than me that it is and was best for our team to stay together in Nicaragua. Since I found out we would be spending time in Nicaragua everyday i am more excited about seeing the country and being involved there. The next couple of weeks I am just going to be trying to prepare myself and get everything done that i need to before I leave. I really hope that everyone who has supported me are reading these updates because they are a great way for you to see and read about what we will be doing in Nicaragua. Please continue to pray for me and my team and that God will cause us to be very close and to be able to do some awesome things this year. To let you all know how support is going right now: I have raised enough to pay for my trip and airfare but I am still trying to raise some support for things like shots and travel insurance. Please pray about supporting me for those very nessasary things. God has been so great in providing for me so far and I can wait to see what he is able to accomplish through us this year.

This verse really has encouraged me this week! I hope it does for you to.

But Lord you are my shield,

my wonderful God who gives me courage

I will pray to the Lord

and he will answer me from his holy mountain

Psalm 3:3-4

I hope everyone has a great week this week:)

Thoughts...

Sat, 9 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Yay! I finally bought my Christmas flights tonight!!! I feel so much better now since i have bought them and can think about everything else now. I cant believe how fast everything is moving right now but I am trusting God to provide and take care of me through all of these things and really stretch who i am:)God has been so faithful so far so why would i think he would ever stop?!

I know this verse is well used!! but im going to give it anyway:)

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you"declares the Lord,"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Sometimes we need read around these really popular passages because its so easy to miss some big points.

verse 12-14
"Then you will call upon my name and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. I will be found by you" declares the Lord "and will bring you back from captivity."

In this verse God is talking to the Jews about turning back to their first love(him)..because he wants to bless them but cant because they are serving false gods and other kings...which could also be said about us in this day in age. Christians have so many little idols that take up so much of our time and then we wonder why our lives do not seem to be blessed or our prayers are not being ansered. We need to return to our first love and he will be able to pour out his blessings on them like he really could and wants to do.

Update

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Here is where you can send letters while i am in Nicaragua. We can only have letters sent because the mailing system there is not so good so no packages can be sent.

Jennifer Springston

In care of Charles & Sarah Kaye

Apartado 123

Granada, Nicaragua

I have not blogged in a while but things are going really well! I cant believe training camp is so close and our team will all be meeting soon! Im excited about forming relationships with everybody on the team.

I heard this song this week and thought the lyrics were really good!

What if the armies of the Lord

Picked up and dusted off their swords

Vowed to set the captive free

And not let satan have one more

What if the church for heavens sake

finally stepped up to the plate

took a stand upon Gods promise

and stormed hells rusty gates

whatif his people prayed

and those who bear his name

would humbly seek his faith yeah

and turn from their old ways

and what would happen if we prayed

for those raised up to lead the way

then maby kids in school could pray

and unborn children see the light of day

what if the life that we pusue

came from a hunger for the truth

what if the family turned to Jesus

and stopped askng oprah what to do

If my people call by my name

If they'll humble themselves and pray

If my people will call by my name

If they'll humble themselves and pray

casting crowns

I hope everyone is having a very blessed and great week!!

Jenn:)