Hope Fields

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2008-11-02T14:23:00.002-06:00

a summary of some things from nicaragua -- stats and facts style:http://daytum.com/esmithhave fun with it :) e <><

the night before..

2008-09-25T23:06:00.002-06:00

so much has happened in so little time...87 days...countless friends, memories, heartaches, and hopes...to process all this now would never do it justice... the processing will come - look for it soon... but suffice to say the following:know this.God is good. God is big.take a literal leap in your life. do it tonight. do it now. don't wait. not only will He catch you... He will save you. and

gracias.

2008-08-07T14:05:00.001-06:00

yesterday my friend timo - a nicaraguan boy who's been adoped into a loving family - gave me two stickers. one sticker said veggie tales, and the other had a picture of larry the cucumber, smiling in happy-go-lucky sort of way. timo placed them directly on my shirt. i said thank you - "gracias" - and we both wondered out loud what it would be like if your whole body was covered in stickers. i

Why?

2008-08-05T12:58:00.002-06:00

(part 1 in a 2 part series about why i'm here and what i'm doing in nicaragua)I need to clarify something, and I beg your pardon, because this is mostly for myself, but indulge me for a second. I want this to be very clear:No one is forcing me to be here.No one in the U.S., no one in Nicaragua, no one in this whole earth, and, I include, no one in heaven is forcing me to live in Nicaragua. God

What?

2008-08-05T12:55:00.004-06:00

(part 2 in a 2 part series about why i'm here and what i'm doing in nicaragua)So what have you been doing in Nicaragua?After about a month into my time here, I thought I'd answer this question so you:a) know where I'm blessed to work and who I'm blessed to work withb) can rest assured I'm not just watching Spanish soap operas (telenovelas) all day, eating fajitas and drinking Coke from glass

TOP 5 things I'm thankful for...

2008-07-15T19:45:00.003-06:00

5. Moto ("el Poderosito") - even though i bit the big one a week ago (see here), this guy has been a trooper - it's carried me around very faithfully. we even survived gale force winds, flash floods and utter downpour the other day. thank you Lord!4. Church - i went to a church named Verbo last Sunday and was so blessed to be surrounded by brothers and sisters. highlights included talking to

incredible.

2008-07-05T09:38:00.000-06:00

today marks day five of this incredible journey. i use the word incredible because there have been so many times this past week where i have simply stopped myself in awe and disbelief: it's incredible that i'm here in Nicaragua. it's incredible that this dream of Latin American missions has become a reality. it's incredible that the Lord led me first to the hostel, then to the moto, then to

Day of.

2008-06-30T09:36:00.001-06:00

wow.(as an addendum to what was written last night... check out psalm 49.)

1 day left: camels and needles

2008-06-29T20:14:00.005-06:00

the camel is trying... he's struggling to breathe.tomorrow i leave.tomorrow i leave a lot of things...the statesthe comfortsthe complaintsfriendsfamilymy lovemy thingsmy way of easy lifemy sense of place, of homei'd be lying if i said this has been easy... if only 8% of the population of the whole world has a car, then those of us with cars truly are rich (see rob bell's nooma video about this).

the most important question.

2008-06-16T00:50:00.002-06:00

what is the purpose of hope fields?simply, there is a dump with 1000 people living on/around/in it; we don't think that should continue.but who are we to determine where these people should be placed? and if we 'bring them out of poverty', where are we bringing them to? is that new place/situation 'better'? where is the code that determines what type of living situation is better and which is

the beginning...

2008-06-13T16:47:00.000-06:00

something new is starting...hope fields is not about bringing hope to people.hope fields is about celebrating the hope that is in people... and growing that hope.