Nicaragua or bust!

It's here.  The week has officially arrived that Kevin will leave for Nicaragua.  Saturday is the big day and now that it's here I'll have to say I'm a bit nervous.  I guess because he'll be gone for 8 days and he will be in another country.  It's the whole plane ride and travel stuff that make me a nervous wreck though Kevin thinks nothing of it.  He will be with four other amazing men from our church that he's close too and I think these guys are really going to be used by God for these people in Nicaragua, not to mention, grow a lot closer!

I can't help but candidly admit that I never thought Kevin would've ever been the first one to sign up to go on this trip.  He will laugh when he reads this!  Ha!  It's true that he hasn't always seemed the "type" to jump up and volunteer for something like this in the past.  What he has always been though, that no one except those closest to him may know, is eager to share Christ to anyone.  And usually at the most random times.  For example, one particular instance comes to mind that I remember.  We had gone to Captain D's.  Griffin was a baby and Marley Grace was about 3 1/2.   He had his eye on this man the whole time we were eating though he never told me.  When it was time to go, we all headed out to the car and we put the kids in.  He cranked the car and got in and said to me, "sit right here and wait for me, I need to go do something."  Long story short Kevin went back in and shared Christ with the man in Captain D's. The man was blind.  It's always been so easy for him to do.  It's a "gift."  He can literally talk to a brick wall!  It doesn't matter what Kev has been going through in his own life or what struggles he is enduring at the time, it's always been relatively easy for him to just "share Jesus" or invite someone to church randomly at Walmart. 

As I said before, he is not nervous about any part of the trip except the possibility and quite honestly, the reality of having to "preach" a sermon.  Yes I said preach.  He is very anxious about this and worried that the right words will not come out and that the people will just look at him with a gaze on their face as if to say, "is that all?"  My advice to him has been simply, "you will do great."  Simply because of how I said that it is so easy for him to talk to complete strangers.   Nonetheless, God went before Kev LOOOOONG ago and chose him to do this.  That is why I know that He will enable him to speak the right words and plant the seeds that he needs to plant.  It may be in one person.  It may be in a child or a whole church.  Who knows?  God is going to do something good there and though my heart beats fast just thinking about him walking out the door at 2 a.m. to leave the country and leave us longer than he ever has, I feel confident that great things are going to happen next week in Nicaragua.  Things that can only be explained as "God did it."  I can't wait to see and hear it about it all.

In closing I ask that you lift Kevin and the other 4 men up in prayer as they travel and leave their families to serve.  Pray for their safety and for lives to be changed through them.  Pray that when they are discouraged or weak, they will not give up but persevere. Thank you so much friends!!!  I'll keep ya posted!