Update #1

Thank you so much to Nathan Pettigrew for the 2am ride to the airport!  Dave arrived without incident in Nicaragua just before noon, Nica time (1:45pm ET).  

Regan, Blanca, and Marielena, Blanca’s sister, met Dave at the airport.  After stops for gas and water, and lunch at Plaza Las Americas, the next order of business was a stop at Huembus Market to buy groceries needed for the Community Bible Study (CBS) trainings on Saturday and Sunday.  One By One is sponsoring the trainings that are being hosted by two different churches whose members are each preparing breakfast and lunch for all participants at the events.  

Upon arriving in Veracruz they dropped the food off and went to Nuevo Jerusalem church where they met with church leaders and the cooks from 4-5:30pm.  Following this, they went to Hermanos in Cristo church where Saturday's training is being held.  Pastor Cirilo was there with some of his members who had begun cooking beans and preparing the church.  The Pastor was hot and sweaty and in his T-shirt.  He told Dave, “it may not look like it, but we will be ready”.  Dave said, it looked perfect to him. 

After the meetings, they dropped Dave's bags at V*rb*'s Team Center.  He was able to meet with the Director and her husband who caught Dave up on the latest happenings.  The evening was rounded out with dinner at Viejo Ranchito (a lovely, outdoor restaurant that we frequent there) with the CBS trainers to talk through plans for the upcoming trainings.  One of my favorite young people in Nicaragua, Angel, the only youth that remained on the V*rbo grounds when the orphanage was closed, also joined the group for dinner.  Dave noted, "that little boy can eat!".  They were back at the Team Center by 10pm (12am our time) and wrapped up the night. 

Dave noted that since the Team Center has been closed for about four months, many things have gone missing.  There have been issues with theft since V*rbo has only one security guard now (and it is a large property) and the grounds do not have very many people on them like they did in the past.  Please continue to pray for VChr*st*anMin*stries.  Please remember all the children who were displaced and whose lives were disrupted in this chaos and all of the staff that had to be let go since operations were so greatly reduced.  I am thankful that we serve a God who "changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings...He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him" (Daniel 2) and I continue to rest in Matthew 16:18, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  I know that the battle belongs to our Lord, Jesus Christ.