Hola Mi Amigos!
    I was privileged to have the first team from my church in Forest City,they arrived on Sept 27 and returned home on Oct 6. The group included Tammy McDaniel, Roger and Tonya Bailey and AJ. Ken Pounders arrived the next day.
    Ministry began on Sunday morning at Foursquare Church #4 with Bubbles the Clown (Tammy) ministering to the children,and Tonya and Roger speaking to the church. After church,I left to pick up Ken and the team had a pill packing party in preparation for the medical clinics. At six that evening pastor Joshua welcomed the team to his church in Esteli where each member spoke and prayed for the people.
    On Monday Ken began the 1st pastors seminar at Joshua's church from 9-3 and Tonya began her 1st medical clinic in a nearby house. Tammy and Roger shared one session of the pastors seminar while the other prayed for peoples needs as they left the clinic. Over 50 pastors and leaders attended the seminar and nearly 100 came to the clinic.
    The pastors here are hungry for teaching on missions and evangelism which our seminar provided!  Also it is a real blessing anytime a medical clinic can be provided for the extremely poor people of these communities. Tanya was working with a friend of mine, Dr.  Alvero and his nurse Brenda, both from here in Esteli.
    Tuesday & Wednesday where our longest days of ministry. Tuesday we left for Condega at 8 am for another pastors seminar. We also conducted another clinic at a New Life church there. Bubbles the Clown also ministered to children at a local Baptist school there in the morning. Around 70 pastors and leaders attended the seminar with the medical clinic seeing another 100 people. That evening we had a church service at a local church. We returned home after 9 pm.
    On Wednesday we left at 7:30 am and journeyed to Ocotal about an hour away.
Bubbles ministered to over 200 kids at a school there and the kids had a wonderful time! It was very hectic but Tammy did a wonderful job of sharing the good news of Jesus and painting many smiling faces. Another pastors seminar was held by Ken and Roger with around 60 pastors attending. We had a nice dinner at a local restaurant and finished the evening with a wonderful service at an Assembly of God church. We got back home after 9:30.
    On Thursday Bubbles visited our kindergarden at Joshua's church and another school that afternoon. We held our final medical clinic in a very,very poor barrio outside of Esteli. It was sad to see people living in such horrible conditions but also a great privilege to minister to them.
    Friday we left early at 7 am for Jinotega, about 2 hrs away located in the higher elevations of the mountains. It is a beautiful drive there although the last 20 km is spent literally dodging potholes. Bubbles the Clown had her last performance at a school that morning, with our final pastors seminar from 9-4 at an Assembly of God church. About 100 pastors attended and Ken taught on missions and evangelism once again. That afternoon Roger had the opportunity to preach on a local radio station.
    About 4:30 that afternoon we left for some much needed R&R at a beautiful German owned coffee plantation called Selva Negra. It is situated in the mountains at over 4000 ft. We stayed the night in a beautiful chalet and dined at their wonderful German restaurant. After a restful nights sleep and a good breakfast (with plenty of strong coffee) we took short tour of the plantation and returned to Esteli for our final service at a local church. After each team member spoke and Ken preached we had one last opportunity to pray for the people.
    The next morning we left to visit the historic colonial style city of Grenada which is over 500 years old. We dined at a wonderful pizza place there and then drove to the top of Masaya, an active volcano outside the city of Managua. The next morning the team boarded a shuttle to the airport and their return to America.
     Seeing my dear friends off was sad, but I know I will see them back here again one day! I was so proud of how these guys ministered to the needs of the people of my country. For all but veteran Tammy (and Ken of course), this was their first mission trip outside the US and they handled their tasks and duties with out grumbling or complaining which is rare for first timers. Also, they ministered with a smile on their faces and the love of Jesus in their hearts.
    Pastor Joshua has told me of many people who have told him how blessed they were by this group and their prayers that they would return again soon.
    I want to thank all of you whose prayers, gifts of medications and vitamins, and gifts of hard earned money made this mission trip possible! One of my cousins even sent little crosses he had painstakingly cut out for neclaces!
    I am looking forward to the coming year with excitement and anticipation of what God has in store for us here! We will be making a decision soon on the purchase of land here and are praying for God to provide the funding for this project. Ken has already began planning for mission team trips here in 2009. If you would like to be involved in any of our work here, the kindergarden, land purchase, or a mission trip here- please contact me at dale@priorityevangelism.org or 828-649-6059 or Ken Pounders at ken@priorityevangelism.org or 828 429 5285. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
                  May God Richly Bless You! Dale
                                       Hebrews 6:10

Nicaragua is a land of tremendous contrasts. It is a amazingly beautiful and diverse land with plenty of resources and yet remains the poorest country in Central America. The people for the most part are very friendly and congenial, and yet throughout its history it has been a war torn country, often divided internally. Even the weather is a display of contrast: half the year the country is dry and brown, the other half its lush and green with torrential rain throughout each day.

These Nicaraguan contrasts do not end at the natural level. They actually extend heavily into the spiritual realm as well. The country is very “spiritual” albeit divided along several lines. There are lines between people of faith and the atheistic socialists, catholics and protestants/evangelicals, and between christians and and those practicing pagan rituals in the remote mountains and the Caribbean coast. In the major cities you often see churches on every corner while in the villages and in the northern mountains you often see no church at all.

While you find much Christian ritual and practice in Nicaragua you will also find that often the conduct and daily lifestyle of the people don’t match the outward profession. I have found that many dedicated pastors have little or no training at all. Years of devastating poverty have led many people, even committed christians to an unhealthy dependance on foreigners and their resources, many times resorting to openly begging for their needs to be met.

In the midst of all these contrasts and obstacles the Lord is raising up His Church. I see them awakening as a sleeping giant. The Lord is granting to them a clear vision and placing His burden into their hearts. An evangelistic fervor is seizing the hearts of God’s people and they are beginning to believe for the Lord to grant them their nation and beyond.

I believe with all my heart that God is raising up  fearless people in Nicaragua and Central America that will do ALL His will and carry His Good News to a world that desperately needs it. He is mobilizing a people who are unhindered by the distractions of affluence, comfort, ease, and security. He is preparing a people who will complete the unfinished task of the Great Commission and will be willing to go to the not yet reached peoples and nations of our world.

My heart burns for these nations and I am so grateful that the Lord is allowing me to play a small part in what He is doing in this great land of Nicaragua. I believe that Priority! Evangelism is going to be used in the next few years to raise up and train young church planters and world changers in Nicaragua and the surrounding nations.
Thank you so much for sharing this vision for world evangelism with us. For more information on our recent outreach in Nicaragua see the related article “Equipped to Change the World!”