Nicaruagua Update #12
Monday, July 27, 2026
Dave was up at 6:30am to finish packing. Rudolpho was outside to open the gate for him to leave at 7:30am. They said their goodbyes and it was a sweet time. He was at Regan and Blanca's house at 8am, where Blanca had coffee ready for him. They had planned to leave as soon as Dave arrived, but most of the students in the VEA morning class had already arrived. Regan asked Dave to say some words of encouragement. They spent the next 45 minutes having a give and take with the class. He shared that it was another very sweet time. The team left about 9am headed for the airport. On the way to the airport Regan told Dave that Pastor Johnny called early this morning to say that his daughter, Angie, wanted to start VEA and that she would be in class this afternoon. That makes eight new students this week. Three at the 8am class and five at the 1:30pm class. They made it to the airport at 9:30am. Once Dave got through the ticket/bag line, the team met to do their end-of-the-trip business meeting. He made it through immigration and security easily. The travel day was relatively uneventful, with seemingly normal flight delays on the Miami to Atlanta route due to inclement weather. Fortunately, there was space remaining on the 12:20am shuttle from the airport to Bethlehem, GA where I usually pick him up. Who knew there would be a several mile stretch of road paving in front of our newest elementary and middle schools at that time of the morning that would cause a 20-minute delay in me being able to reach him? By the time I got to the dropoff location (which is a convenience store that is not open in the wee hours of the morning), the shuttle was long gone and he was standing in the middle of the dark parking lot, with his suitcases, waiting patiently for me to arrive. We were home and in bed by 3am. He said it was another awesome trip that went even better than planned.
Thank you for reading all of the updates and for joining us in prayer over this work God has called us to in Nicaragua. We are so very grateful for your continued support, both prayer and financial, that makes all of this possible! Your partnership in ministry with us means so much as we could not do it all without you! And if God is tugging on your heart to learn more about the ministry or get involved in any way, please call us to discuss further! We would love to find a way to get you involved even more. (I Peter 4:8-10, Matthew 28:18-20, I Corinthians 12:12-31, Mark 10:43-45, Galatians 6:2, Hebrews 10:24-25)
In Christ,
Katy, on behalf of Dave and the team in Nicaragua
Nicaragua Update #11
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Up at 7am, Dave was at the Downs home by 8:30am. Their oldest son, Isaac, made pancakes for everyone this morning. Church at Verbo Veracruz started at 9:30am. It ended early today, at 11:35am. After church, Dave was talking to some of the youth, including Angel and Jenny. Angel and Jenny had both returned yesterday from a "vacation" to their homes to visit with their families. They are the two older students who resided at the orphanage and were allowed to stay when the orphanage was closed a couple years back, right before that year's trip. They start back to school at the university tomorrow. These young people get up at 4am, get ready, then walk to where they can catch a local bus at 5am so they can make it to class at the university in Managua by 7:30am. They arrive back home on the bus from Managua around 8pm, doing this four to five days per week. They are truly committed to their education and consider it a privilege and not a hardship or trudgery (you can check out the Urban Dictionary for that definition) to be able to receive the education that they do there.
While Dave was speaking with the youth, Regan called him over to introduce him to a couple from Iglesia Verbo Guanacaste. The couple lives closer to Veracruz than to Guanacaste and had decided to visit the church here in Veracruz today. They had shared with Regan that they were praying for children and had been married 15 years. Regan told them there was someone he wanted them to meet. He interpreted as Dave spoke to them for a while about our journey to parenthood. Regan and Dave were able to pray for them before they left. They shared with Regan that they felt visiting church in Veracruz this morning was clearly designed by God and they were grateful to hear our story and for the prayers. They also said that after hearing our story, they were both encouraged and anxious about what God's plan is for them. Dave warned them if they prayerfully made any “deals” with God, they needed to prepare themselves. Duglas said that’s exactly why he was anxious. After spending this time, the guys missed the outreach event to the homeless being hosted at New Jerusalem church. The leadership sent Dave some videos of the event so he could get a glimpse of the happenings there and it seemed to have gone very well.
The team then left for Managua to meet Dr Bayardo and his family for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. They had more time to discuss our upcoming trip in March, 2027 to Bluefields to conduct medical clinics. Dr. Bayardo said the Mennonite community has re-opened the door for him to receive over-the-counter meds again for his clinics. Dave told Dr. B that he could plan to meet with the Mennonites during his next trip, but we aren't sure when that will be right now. He agreed to keep us informed, and they parted ways, both having follow up work to do. The conversation and planning for this trip continues. Let us know if you might be interested in going. We are always happy to get together to talk about what the trip will look like and answer any questions you might have. You do NOT have to have any medical expertise to be an active participant on this trip!
Regan, Blanca and Dave returned to Veracruz and met with Pastora where she gave Dave all of the receipts from both the CBS breakfast yesterday and the outreach event today. From there, they headed to Buena Vista. They were planning to worship with their church tonight as they were having a special service following their outreach event today. Regan called to let Pastor Manuel know they were going to be a few minutes late. When they arrived, they were waved to the front where they asked Dave to share some encouragement. He was not expecting that at all. There were over 200 people from five churches in the area gathered at an outdoor service. He started praying immediately as he shared with Regan what Pastor Manuel asked. As he started praying out of sheer fear, he said he heard, "You shouldn't have to get ready, you should always be ready". (2 Timothy 4:2). This is also something Dave has said repeatedly in his work in law enforcement. He told me he said out loud, "That’s not much help right now". Regan asked Dave, “Excuse me?”. He thought Dave wanted him to interpret something. He was really on the spot, so he started with humor and was not 100% sure what Regan interpreted, but he was assured that he did great.
While the food distribution was in progress, a woman in her 20's turned around from the row in front of Dave. He knew right away that he knew her from the past but couldn't quite place her. She told Dave that she knew our daughter. She went on to say that she resided at Verbo Orphanage and attended Verbo school when she was young, and that our oldest daughter, Dani, was always kind to her. While we were living in Nicaragua in 2008 adopting our daughters, Dani was still in school at Verbo. We paid for her to eat a Nicaraguan lunch with all of her friends at school before we picked her up so that she could still have some foods that she was used to eating (prepared properly, instead of my attempts at cooking Nicaraguan food). Interestingly enough, Dani always came home from school asking for something to eat. We were curious at the time, but didn't push the issue. One day while Dave was at the school, the lady who cleaned there told him that her daughter was also at the orphanage and she thanked Dave for buying her lunch every day. We figured out then that Dani was giving her lunch to Alina everyday. Alina was a few years younger than Dani. She is now 27 and married with two children. After the service they had a good visit and were able to reminisce. She asked Dave to share her gratitude with Dani when he returned home.
After the service, Regan and Dave helped put away speakers, chairs, etc. They spoke for a while with Johnny, the Pastor at Buena Vista. His daughter has learned some English in her public school and is currently in her last year of high school. She expressed an interest in studying at Veracruz English Academy (VEA) along with another teenage girl from the church who was a friend of hers. The guys shared the expectations for VEA students, and asked them to discuss it as a family because it was a big commitment. The team left there at 6:15pm, returning to Veracruz. They stopped by Edgar’s house and finally received the invoice and receipts they needed. He admitted he is not good at completing paperwork. Dave consoled him and said he could not throw stones. Edgar's oldest daughter, who is 9 years old, confirmed that she will begin classes at VEA tomorrow. They had a great time with the family as all of Edgar's children stayed up to visit. The team finally realized what time it was and how gracious they were being, so they left around 8:30pm and headed to Darol and Olga’s house. Olga was sick. Dave was able to share with her quickly that we were leaving money for her next semester of school. She perked up a good bit and confirmed that she would send her grades for last semester as soon as they were accessible online.
Dave took Regan and Blanca home, and he was back at his home by 10:30pm. He visited for a short time with Rudolfo and Amelia, then showered, did a little packing, and turned in around 12am after working on this update.
Nicaragua Update #10
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Saturdays begin with the Men of Prayer meeting, so Dave was up at 4am. Saul, the Director of Community Bible Study (CBS) in Central America, who came from Ocotal, Nicaragua to present at the event, went with Dave to the meeting this morning. They picked up Regan and were the first to arrive at the park, a little before the sun began coming up. Dave said they had a good group with only two regulars missing, who were both sick. They caught the attention of several people who were out walking at 6am. Those two stopped to inquire what was going on and joined the group for coffee and conversation after the time of prayer. Arturo brought delicious pastries from his bakery to share with everyone in attendance. He had Dave's favorite type, and said his wife, Arecely, told him to be sure Dave got one of those. While they were gathered, they noticed a homeless man who was sleeping in the park near the group. He woke up to the activity and one of the men invited him over and gave him a pastry. The man hung out with the group for a while, then picked up his large tree branch, put it over his shoulder, and started down the street for the day. Dave said he was told the man also has some mental health problems. No one knew why he had been carrying the large branch with him recently. It was clearly heavy and cumbersome, but he was diligent to carry it. They all watched him, curiously speculating about its purpose. Dave said the way the branch appeared and the way the man carried it made them all think of the same picture in their minds: the picture of Jesus carrying His cross. And then thinking about how we too, must take up our crosses and follow Him every day. Saul was encouraged by the gathering and shared some words to that effect with the men. Afterwards he thanked Dave for inviting him.
The guys left to pick up nacatamales (a traditional Nicaraguan weekend breakfast) for Regan’s family and delivered them to his house, then took Saul back to Dave's house for him to gather up his CBS troops and get ready for the day's training. Regan and Dave then went to Verbo Church, the host site for the training, where they were greeted by 20 to 25 people who were there early. Breakfast was to be served at 8am with the training to begin at 9am. Participants began arriving before 7:30am and Verbo security was keeping them at the gate until someone from the church arrived.They all went in together and the guys got the coffee started.
Regan served as emcee for the training. Participants from New Jerusalem Church arrived at 8am and served breakfast. Dave said they barely had enough food. We were expecting 80 attendees based on the advance numbers given by the 12 participating churches, but we had 97 in attendance! This was a tremendous praise! At the last similar training about one year ago, we had a little over 50 participants. For some of the 97, this training was a review, but for many others it was brand new. We have increased our partnering churches from nine to 15 now, while having one church fall away. Iglesia Hermanos en Cristo is having some internal conflict. The details seem puzzling. Please keep them in your prayers that they will be able to work through the difficulties and stay together as a united church body. They are electing a pastor soon, and our friend and current pastor may be replaced. With everything happening, they have stopped their small CBS groups, and Lord willing, they will pick them up again on the other side of these difficulties.
Prince of Peace Church served a beautiful typical Nicaraguan lunch, but were 6 plates short. They made a run to a local street vendor and bought 6 plates. Regan, Blanca and Dave didn’t eat. The final six without food were grateful, but it was clear they were disappointed because the food was not near as good as what the church members had prepared. About half an hour into the training, the participants split into two groups; one for leaders working with adults and one for leaders working with youth. It was about a 60/40 split. The training went until after 4pm. At the end, everyone visited for a short time and then began loading buses, vans, and walking on their way. As they were leaving, many spoke to Regan and Dave, thanking them for the opportunity and blessing. It felt very well received. Please be in prayer for all 15 of our partner churches as they organize themselves and begin their individual and group study times with the Lord and His Word.
Afterward, Regan and Blanca, along with the trainers and Dave went to a local coffee shop to debrief a bit and discuss future plans. Every time they come to Veracruz, Dave gets a sense that the Nicaraguan CBS trainers and leadership are more and more encouraged that their efforts/energy/personal resources/hearts are seeing fruit. They have conducted six trainings and one weekend Youth Conference, over a period of seven years for us. In that time, CBS has grown from zero churches in the area to where we are now with 15 churches who are making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ through caring, in-depth Bible study, enduring through the civil unrest in the country and two years of COVID. One By One, Inc. was able to share our commitment of a $5,000 gift to the national CBS ministry and worship team, which is all volunteer and funded by their own resources. We gave them $2,500 now and committed to $2,500 more by the end of the year. We were also able to give them smaller gifts for their personal use, to express appreciation for their time away from home and work, and for their hearts for everyone all over the world being transformed by the study of God's Word. Then the trainers headed out on their, at least, six hour trip back to Ocotal, in northern Nicaragua. They had planned to stay in Veracruz for two nights, but there were two small children with them, and one of them was beginning to get sick. They are special people and we are grateful to know them and for all they do to advance God's Kingdom there in Nicaragua.
Regan, Blanca, and Dave returned to Verbo church to help clean up outside. Dogs had gotten into the outside trash cans and spread trash all over the yard. There were youth from Verbo Church cleaning also, to get ready for their church service in the morning. Afterwards, they went to dinner at La Chante restaurant in Managua where they further debriefed the day. The Downs had eaten breakfast this morning because there was plenty of tortillas, beans, and cheese, but they skipped lunch since there wasn't enough food for everyone and Dave hadn’t eaten all day so they were definitely hungry. It sounded like it was a delicious dinner. Regan and Blanca were dropped home by 10:30pm and Dave was back home before 11pm.
Nicaragua Update #9
Friday, July 24, 2026
Dave was up at 6:30am and at the Downs home by 7:30am for breakfast. Regan and Dave met Pastor Juan at Casa Bernabe at 8am to pick up mattresses for the CBS trainers to sleep on at Dave's house over the next two nights. Elias Blanco met the group in his truck and they were able to move four mattresses after somewhat cleaning them.
As they were pulling out of the area of Dave's house, the mother of a current VEA student was walking with a friend and her daughter. They approached the guys to inquire about the possibility of the friend's daughter also studying at VEA. The guys went through their usual conversation about the rigors of attending regular school, English classes, and studying outside of class. At 10 years old, this usually requires a huge commitment from parents also, and especially so for a single mother. Both the mother and the prospective new student agreed to make the commitment and so Regan invited her to start on Monday. That makes six new students so far on this trip.
Next on the agenda was to go by Jaritza‘s work where she serves as a housekeeper, to give her money to purchase the food for lunch for 80 people who will be attending the CBS conference on Saturday. Then the guys went back to Reagan's house to load up David’s bed to take to Dave's house for some of the CBS trainers to sleep on. Dave has been sleeping on Isaac’s bed that the Down's set up for him in the house before his arrival. Blanca and her sister, Maryelena, cleaned the house and made the beds for the incoming trainers. Thank you for the sacrifice of the Downs young men; instead of giving the "shirts off their backs" to people in need, they gave up the beds they sleep on each night to others who came to Nicaragua to serve the Lord. What a great example of counting others more significant than ourselves and looking to the interests of others and not only to our own interests (Philippians 2:3-4). And a huge thank you to Blanca and Maryelena for helping to get the house that Dave is utilizing on this trip cleaned up and ready for habitation! They truly shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:15).
After getting the house set up for additional company, Regan and Dave went to a local coffee shop where Dave did some work while Regan responded to phone messages and initiated calls to confirm things for Saturday's conference. Earlier in the week, Dave saw Arturo at a pulperia on the street in town. He asked if Dave had time to meet before he left. Dave asked him to call Regan so they could make a plan. While there at the coffee shop, Arturo called to ask when Dave was leaving and if he and his wife, Arecely, could have dinner together with the team before Dave had to leave. The CBS trainers had called just a bit earlier to say they were going to be at least two and a half hours late arriving, so Regan told Arturo that tonight was open. The group met up for dinner at La Nani restaurant at 6:30pm. A few years ago, A&A were really struggling in their marriage, and had been meeting together when Dave was there. They love each other and want to be together, so they have been committed to making things work. They have always had an encouraging time together. After some talk about the couple, they spent most of the time talking about the relationship they have with their two children. At the end of a three hour dinner, they closed down another restaurant. Security was putting the chain on the parking lot behind them as the group pulled out.
The CBS trainers arrived at Dave's house just before 10pm. This is the beginning of a two day period that One By One, especially Regan and Blanca, has been working toward for several months.
Thank you again for reading!
In Christ,
Katy, on behalf of Dave and the team in Nicaragua
Nicaragua Update #8
Thursday, July 23, 2026
With no Veracruz English Academy classes today, Dave got to sleep in a bit. He was up at 7am and went to Regan and Blanca's home at 9am where he had breakfast with them to begin the day. Regan and Dave went to see Edgar to pay him for his work at Pastoras and visit with his family. Edgar didn’t have his invoice ready, but they had a great visit. They talked more about the English school with Abril. She is very excited to begin learning English!
Regan’s grandson, Elias, shares the same birthday as Regan. Elias went with the guys this morning as he was in desperate need of a haircut. He was resistant at first, but Blanca insisted. After a birthday wash and cut, Elias hugged Dave as they left the barber shop. Regan said, "uh oh, we may have set a standard he can’t maintain". They decided it will give Elias something else to look forward to upon Dave's return. May both Elias and Regan number their days that they may get hearts of wisdom; may You, O Lord, satisfy them in the morning with Your steadfast love, that they may rejoice and be glad all their days; and may the favor of the Lord our God be upon them, and establish the work of their hands (Psalm 90: 12,14, 17). Amen.
After taking Elias home, they were getting out of the vehicle when Darol and Olga rode by. They asked if they could return in a half hour and bring receipts from Olga’s school expenditures and the invoice for Darol driving his bus on the VEA outing. They were back in 18 minutes. Olga said she didn’t have access to her grades yet, but she knows she passed everything because they let her register for next semester that begins August 3rd. Dave told them he would review everything and to call him on the weekend.
They left for the Galarias at 3pm to see a movie, Moana, with Elias to celebrate his birthday. The theatres there are very nice, and air-conditioned, a welcome respite from the heat. The Downs' sons, David and Isaac, met the group at Papa John’s for dinner. After eating pizza they went to Casa de Cafe for a birthday dessert. Elias was very grateful for the opportunity for the celebration. His oldest brother Ian was with them, but his other brother, Caden was sick and his mom, Sidara, had been bitten by a neighbor's dog while she was doing laundry. She was hurting and needed to stay home with Caden. Dave dropped them all at their homes by 10pm and was back at his place and in bed by 11pm. Dave enjoyed this opportunity to celebrate another milestone with the Downs family.
Nicaragua Update #7
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Dave was up at 6:30am again today, stopping at Verbo for coffee, and then was off to VEA for class. Camila was in class for her first day. She was all smiles! This is Dave's last day at VEA for this trip. He said it was a great, but sad day of class. There are always a lot of “hasta la proxima's” (see you next time) at the end of each class. There was a rainstorm in the afternoon that was so loud it was hard to communicate. Lucero was not in class today, so after class, Regan and Dave went to search for her. She was at her cousin's house who lives down the road from her house. She said she had wanted to come, but because it was drizzling and they knew hard rain was coming they did not want to set out on their bicycles because her dad was concerned. She introduced the guys to three of her cousins who said they wanted to attend VEA also. They talked to the cousins about the workload and they were not discouraged. They spoke to one dad who was grateful for the opportunity. The other parents were not yet home from work, but the dad they spoke with said he would give the other parents Regan's number to call tomorrow if they wanted to discuss their children attending VEA.
After this, the guys went to see Edgar to pay him for his work at Pastoras, but he was at a meeting at their church. They were able to confirm with his wife that Abril (April) will begin VEA on Monday. From there, they picked up Blanca for dinner and they went over details for the CBS conference to be sure they had everything covered. Dave dropped them at home at 9:30pm. Regan and Dave hung out in the road outside their home for over an hour talking. J came by and wanted to talk. He saw them from down the street. J is a man in his 20's who has mental health problems and has spent most of his adult life in prison. Dave said he doesn’t make much sense when he starts on a rant, but he has moments of clarity. The guys gave him their leftovers and Dave even parted with his brownie. J was very grateful. He sleeps on the street most of the time, and folks around town are afraid of him. J has been known to throw stones at some people and has even caused injuries. He told Regan and Dave that he appreciated their kindness. J knows a few English words and likes to use them with Dave. He carries a Bible around in his front waistband behind his belt buckle and says he loves the Lord. He would have talked to the guys all night, but they gracefully headed home after a while. Dave was home by 10:30pm and in bed by midnight after doing his journal and update.
Thank you for reading and praying for the trip!
In Christ,
Katy
Nicaragua Update #6
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Dave was up at 6:30am again. This morning, he stopped by Verbo School for coffee with friends before going to VEA at 8am. Blanca had breakfast ready for Dave when he arrived. Lucero was the first student to arrive at class and her dad was with her. They both rode their bicycles about two kilometers to class. Her father sat through class with her.
During the class break today, they went to see Pastora to ask if she could provide 30 chairs for the CBS conference on Saturday and confirm again that she had a plan and budget for the breakfast they are preparing for conference participants. They also discussed a potential outreach project for her church. Edgar was hard at work on the repairs to her bathroom at the time. They spent $50 on materials and he is charging $20 in labor to replace most of her plumbing so everything works correctly with no leaks. What a bargain compared to U.S. prices!
In class today, Dave worked with several of the more advanced students individually. He said that it was a lot of fun to see how they have grown and improved their English skills. VEA classes again wrapped up a little after 5pm.
After class they went back to check the status of Pastoras bathroom and Edgar had done a great job. Next, the guys stopped by Danilo and Ericka’s house and visited with their family. If you’ve been following Mission Nica for a while, you may remember that Danilo is one of three brothers who grew up at Casa Bernabe Orphanage, married, and started his own business there in Veracruz. The team helped celebrate the birthday of their daughter, Amy, during Dave's trip last October. Her younger sister, Camila is 8 years old and is now old enough to study at VEA. She will begin class tomorrow and Dave said she was very excited. They caught up and ate fresh-out-of-the-oven donuts from their bakery. The staff bake until 11pm and Danilo leaves each day to deliver the pastries at 4am.
Dave took Regan home from there and they sat outside his house talking about everything for about an hour. Then Dave headed to his home so Amelia could call her daughter. Elena wanted to thank Dave for fixing her front door lock and putting a new shower head on in the bath. She told Dave he didn’t need to pay her anything for his stay and he was welcome to stay any time he comes back to Nicaragua. She said she doesn't want to rent her home and doesn’t want people staying there. But she expressed her gratitude for what we do when we are there and said it was an honor for her to have him stay in her home. She and her family left for the U.S. three years ago. They live in Miami where she and her husband are painters. They have a twelve year old daughter who has learned English in school over the last three years who interpreted for them during the conversation. Dave told Elena he was thankful for the opportunity to stay in their home. After a long shower, Dave was in bed, early, by 9:30pm.
Nicaragua Update #5
Monday, July 20, 2026
Dave was up at 6:45am and arrived at Regan and Blanca’s home at 7:45am. Blanca made breakfast for Dave, and the students began arriving before 8am for class at Veracruz English Academy (VEA). Dave taught at VEA all day, four different classes, until a little after 5pm. See below picture of VEA students testing and a small group working on classwork, with Reddy (the red van) in the background.
During the lunch break in between classes, the guys went to see Edgar to give him money to buy the materials needed to fix Pastora’s bathroom. His wife and children were home. His oldest daughter, Abril (April) is 9 years old now and after some discussion, they invited her to attend VEA. The family is going to talk it over and let them know. Attending VEA requires more work for the students outside of their regular school and additionally, transportation plans to and from class have to be considered. Abril is a bright little girl and would likely do well. They all prayed about it together. On the way back to class the guys crossed paths with Lucero. Lucero is an 8 year old little girl Dave had never met who lives near Rudolpho and Amelia (Dave's new neighbors on this trip). Dave said she smiled as she rode her bicycle past him. He asked the neighbors about her and they told him who she was and said that she was brilliant. They introduced Regan and Dave to her mother. Long story short, she is starting at VEA on Tuesday!
Immediately after classes ended, the team left for Managua. They met with Dr. Bayardo and his wife and three children for dinner. It had only been a few months since they had last seen one another, but they still had a little catching up to do. They spent most of their time working out the details of our medical clinics planned for March, 2027 in Bluefields. Tentative dates were set for March 19-28, 2027. They plan to meet again on Sunday for church at Verbo in Managua and go to lunch afterwards to discuss more. Both Dave and Dr. Bayardo needed to look into some things to prepare. Dr. Bayardo's oldest daughter, Karen, should finish medical school in early March and may be able to go with the team before she reports to her first assignment. Will you please join us in prayer over that timing?
Regan, Blanca, and Dave stopped at Casa De Cafe for coffee to debrief what Dr. Bayardo and Dave discussed. They made plans to invite our partner church members to team up with us on this mission trip to Bluefields next March. Dave will announce that at the CBS training on Saturday. Dave dropped the Downs at their home and was back at his place by 10:30pm. Amelia and Rudolpho were still up and told Dave their daughter Elena, who lives in Miami, wanted to talk to him. She owns the home where Dave is staying on this trip. Amelia called Elena but it was 12:30am in Miami and she must have been asleep because they missed her. They will try her again tomorrow.
Nicaragua Update #4
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Regan's birthday! Dave was up at 7am and at Regan and Blanca's home by 8:30am where Blanca made breakfast. In addition to the Lord's Day and Regan’s birthday, it is also a federal holiday. The trio and the Downs' youngest son, David, went to their church, Verbo (that means "the Word" in Spanish), in Veracruz at 9:30am. Dave mentioned to a friend at church that today was Regan's birthday. They called both Regan and Blanca up during the service to pay tribute to him and to pray for them both.
Church ended at 11:50am. They visited with people there until 12:30pm and then went to Don Juan’s restaurant in Veracruz to have lunch and watch the World Cup final. Half the restaurant was for Spain and the other half was rooting for Argentina. Dave said there were 5 TV's at the restaurant but none of them were synced. A TV they couldn’t see was two or three seconds ahead of theirs. So they heard the crowd screaming for joy or moaning in agony on the other side of the restaurant before they saw it. He said it was not the optimal way to see the game, but the restaurant was packed and they couldn’t move.
After the game, they hung out longer and visited and planned and reviewed the agenda for the week. They were at the restaurant for over three hours. Their waitress was very gracious and served them well. Dave went on to say that they gave her a tip that would have made our daughter, Bethany, very proud. When they left, they picked up the Downs' oldest son, Isaac, and headed into Managua to see The Odyssey at the Galerias movie theater to celebrate Regan's birthday. He dropped the family back at their house at 11:30pm and was home around midnight. He shared that he showered and was asleep moments after his head hit the pillow.
Thank you Father, for Your extravagant love for us. Help us extend that great love to others today and every day. May people see less of us and more of You in all we do and say. "and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you," I Thessalonians 3:12
Thank you again for reading and praying for the trip!
In Christ,
Katy, on behalf of Dave
Nicaragua update #3
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Dave was up at 4am for the Men of Prayer meeting. He left the house with Rudolpho, they picked up Regan and were the first ones at Alvaro’s mechanic shop at 4:45am. Ten men gathered for the meeting this morning. As folks arrived, everyone discussed what to pray about. After the time of prayer, Alvaro shared a miracle healing he experienced, then Rudolpho shared, and then Jairo asked if Dave would share a miracle he’d experienced. So Dave shared the miracle of having his wife and children in his life. They all agreed it was a miracle.
Around 7:30am the guys took Rudolpho home and went in a continued search for a new front door lock. They finally found one at a small hardware store who had only one left. The lady who owned the store said it had been on the shelf for 15 years because no one uses them anymore. She said “you must be replacing one on a very old metal door and need to weld it”. The lock was for a unique door with the correct size cylinder. They met Javier back at the house where Dave is staying so he could attach the new lock and get the house secure (see picture below). God is so good. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17. Thank you Lord, that you are a God who lavishes us with perfect gifts at just the right time.
Once they were convinced the lock would definitely work, they headed to Regan’s house to meet with the Veracruz English Academy (VEA) students as they arrived for the outing. On the way there, they stopped by Pastora Petronila’s house to make sure she was on track for her church to make breakfast for the Community Bible Study conference being held on Saturday. She confirmed.
The original plan for the VEA outing was to go to the lake in the old downtown Managua, but they determined before leaving that it was closed in preparation for the government celebration of the Sandinista Holiday tomorrow. Instead, they traveled a little further to the original capital city of Grenada, to Lake Nicaragua, where the older students played soccer and the smaller students played on the playground. They ended the afternoon on the beach. The outing was rounded out with a pizza dinner at Papa John’s. They had 64 students and nine adults (see picture below). The group ate at a huge Papa John’s in Masaya that also had a large indoor playground. It seems as though fun was had by all on the outing! The students were all dropped off at their homes between 8-9pm and Dave was back at his house by 11pm.
Nicaragua Update #2
Friday, July 17, 2026
As of this evening, the door key saga is still unresolved. They have bolted the front door shut. Dave is using a side door that leads to another property so he has to get the neighbors to let him in their gate every time he comes and goes. They have been extremely kind about it thus far. The neighbors attend Pastoras church so Dave has known them for many years on a casual basis. But he is getting to know them on a more personal level this trip.
The guys went to four different places during the day before they found a replacement lock, but it still didn’t work. They will look at one more place tomorrow. Meanwhile, they contacted a welder who they will need to remove and replace the lock. Regan and Dave also put a new shower head on his shower. After using it he said the new one was heavenly because the previous one had no pressure and leaked around the connection, pouring down the wall, leaving only a drip to bathe with.
This afternoon, the guys had a lunch meeting with the Director of Verbo School and the Pastor of Verbo Church in Veracruz, a husband and wife duo. We are holding the upcoming CBS conference at this church. The Pastor shared the progress using CBS with their youth. They began the meeting at a lunch place and then relocated to a coffee shop to continue the conversation, meeting from 12-3pm. As we shared yesterday, Dave is not able to stay at the Verbo property this trip. We have stayed there all except two times in the last 21 years. Their water was cut off so they can replace the water tanks and piping. They are installing concrete towers that won’t rust or deteriorate. The new piping will provide better water pressure. There are other improvements also happening, but that was the one that kept Dave from being able to stay. With these improvements, they are going to be more appealing to folks who may want to stay at the team center, but the Director assured Dave he would always have a place to stay and he was “grandfathered in”.
After the lunch meeting, they returned to Regan and Blanca’s house where city employees were working on the road outside the Downs house again. The workers agreed to put a 10” pipe in front of his property for the sewage to pass through. Everyone else had a ditch cut in front of their house and sewage passed uncovered. The guys had to go to five different places before finding a 10” pipe, and they only had one. So they found an 8” pipe at another location, and Edgar is going to build a box to marry the two and cover the additional distance, then cover it all up with gravel. As a result of the road work, the new road is now higher than the Down's entrance gate, so the challenge to work through at this point is how to handle that so heavy rains don’t flood the school area.
Between 6-7pm, Dave and Regan visited a couple of Veracruz English Academy (VEA) students and parents to obtain permission for their children to participate in the school outing tomorrow. The day ended with 67 students confirmed. Six students will not be able to come; four are sick and two are out of town.
After the home visits, the guys picked up Blanca then Pastor Mani and his wife Jaritza and went to dinner to talk about lunch for the CBS training, Mani's new role as President of the pastor group in Menuda, CBS in his church, and the upcoming medical mission to Bluefields planned for March, 2027. Both Pastor and his wife want to go, agreed to promote the trip within their church, and they will lead and be the primary contact with any others from our partner churches who want to be a part of the team. The group closed La Nani restaurant down, as they were the last ones to leave. The security guard locked the gate behind them at 9:30pm (1/2 hour after closing).
Dave dropped everyone off and was home by 10:00pm. When he arrived, Rudolpho, the neighbor, had to come out and let Dave in the gate to get to his place. Dave invited him to the Men of Prayer meeting in the morning at sun up. Rudolpho decided he might as well attend since he would have to get up at 4:45am to let Dave out of the gate anyway. They had a good laugh about it. Dave is excited about Rudolpho coming along tomorrow. He told Dave that he had heard about the meeting but had never been invited. He further shared that he didn’t know anyone well who had gone. He seemed very excited about it.
More later...thank you again for reading and for your prayers for the trip!
In Christ,
Katy, on behalf of Dave
Nicaragua Update #1
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Our oldest daughter, Dani, kindly took Dave to meet the Groome airport shuttle at 3:00am. Thank you so much Dani! His travel was smooth, with no delays or hiccups, arriving in Managua at 11:30am Nicaragua time. We, in GA, are currently two hours ahead of them in Nica. Our partners in ministry, Regan and Blanca (pictured below), once again met Dave at the airport and they had their usual first day routine. After stopping to fill up with gas, they went to Dave's “office", a little restaurant called Casa de Cafe, in the Plaza las Americas. Here, they were able to talk through plans for Dave's time there, through the 27th. With a little nourishment and a well developed plan, they departed Managua for Veracruz around 3:30pm.
The trio stopped on the outskirts of Veracruz to visit a former Veracruz English Academy (VEA) student who you may remember if you’ve been following Faith's Nica Missions. Maritza is a talented artist, now 19 years old and is in her 2nd year of college studying Psychology. We met her when she was 10 years old and first started at VEA. One By One and Faith supported her attendance at VEA for many years. On our mission trip last year, Maritza asked Mason, our grandson, what his favorite animal was. He told her that wolves were his favorite animal and Maritza went home and drew a picture of a wolf for Mason, and gave it to him the next day, our last day in the country for that trip. Dave told her we had the picture framed and that it was sitting prominently in our house where Mason wanted it. This was a good chance to thank her properly for the picture and to catch up with her. They also invited Maritza to the VEA outing on Saturday as an alumnus.
From there, they headed out to meet with Edgar who is a construction guy. Pastora Petronila's bathroom that we built out several years ago needed some attention. You may remember that the church itself did not have a bathroom, so the church members were using Pastora's personal bathroom that did not have a toilet or a real sink or an overhead shower. She had a 30 gallon barrel she kept with water to use for bathing and handwashing. We were able to add a church bathroom and a nice bathroom for her personal use. Her personal bathroom has developed a few leaks, etc. over the last few years, so Edgar is going to fix it up properly. They visited with one another on his front porch for a while and as the sun went down Dave said the temperature was nice with a slight breeze. Edgar shared about his family’s church life, confessing that he doesn’t study the Bible as he feels he should. His church is one of the few in Veracruz not active in CBS, so they shared what some of the other churches in Veracruz are doing through Community Bible Study (CBS). Edgar loved hearing about this way to explore the Bible together with other believers and indicated that he may join a group with his wife. They were able to pray together for him and his family.
From there, they went to Regan and Blanca's house to pick up some things they were contributing to Dave's stay. This is one of the few trips we have made to Nicaragua where we were not able to stay at the orphanage team center. Because of that, Dave doesn't have access to the things we normally have available to us when we are there. They made it to his home away from home for the next 11 days around 8:30pm. It is a large house that is very well secured. Overall, the house is in good condition. However, it has been closed up for three years, so it is very musty. Regan and Blanca did some cleaning of the house prior to his arrival. They focused on the areas he would mainly be using, so you can tell the difference from what the unclean areas look like. They were kind enough to move a bed in for Dave, because the only bed there was full of mold. He left the house open all night, which wasn’t very secure, but was much more comfortable. When Dave was taking his bags in as they first arrived, the key got stuck in the lock. That started a long saga that is still not resolved at this writing.
These are the chickens that greeted Dave as he was leaving the house Friday morning.
More later...thank you for reading!
In Christ,
Katy, on behalf of Dave
July 2026 Nicaragua Trip
It All Begins Here
Hi, Faith family! Please return back / refresh this page to read updates and see pictures from Dave’s mission trip to Nicaragua.