We had such a great time in Nicaragua. I could not have hand picked a better team. We are already making plans for our next trip. It was amazing to watch everyone contribute their energy through the skills and talents that each person had. We started working on the second floor of the Coffeehouse Project. They hope to complete the rest by the end of the year. We got to spend some time at the school this year as well. We are dreaming about future projects that can benefit the students and bring self sustainability to the school. The opportunities are endless. I'll post more information and ideas real soon. Thanks for all of your support in bringing a new rhythm to Nicaragua!

We are heading out on Monday morning to Managua, Nicaragua with a group of 12. We are so excited to head back this year to continue the efforts to construct La Puerta Cafe, a coffeehouse project to bring economic empowerment and social equality to the Deaf Community in Nicaragua. We will also be teaming with missionaries Matt & Eva Barlow to work with the students at Christian School for the Deaf. The school was established by the missionaries over fifteen years ago. They just has their first graduating class last year and their numbers are up to over one hundred students. It has been amazing to be a part of the story that God is writing through that couple in Nicaragua. We are honored to have this opportunity and cannot wait serve.

Noah was faced with an enormous decision as a leader. Did you know that it took Noah about 100 yrs to build the Ark? Noah's Ark was three stories high (Genesis 6:16). Its total deck area was equivalent to the area of about 20 standard college basketball courts or 36 lawn tennis courts. The world had to wait until AD 1884 before the Ark's size was exceeded, when the Italian liner Eturia was built. On top of that, the world had not yet seen rain up to this point. So every single day Noah is out there laboring and hoping it wasn’t bad pizza. Can you imagine what the neighbors must have thought? Or perhaps what his wife and kids may have thought? I cannot imagine working on the same project for 100 yrs and only by faith believing that it will even be used. This was a hard job to accomplish for any leader. There was no immediate gratification, no promotions, no 401k, just 100 yrs of the same old thing. The big question is, how was he able to remain faithful to the call? Because Noah understood that future outcomes can be influenced by our choices in the present. Before the story ever began we knew that Noah was a righteous man and blameless before all the people (Genesis 6:9). He made a decision before the "moment" came. That decision was able to sustain him during the times that he wanted to throw it all away.

Our life can be summed up by the decisions we make. You cannot get away with making zero decisions. That’s a problem because some people are very decisive when it comes to avoiding decisions. You get that later I am sure. From the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night you will have made thousands and thousands of decisions. Some of those are made quickly and more easily. However some decisions are more serious and take time to evaluate. Since such is the case I wonder if it would be advantageous of us to be very aware, very purposeful and very careful when it comes to making the right decisions that will inevitably direct our investments throughout our lives (and I don’t mean financial). Think about it! Don't just wing it!

We are heading to the Reception for International Adoption today. Please pray for favor and many great connections today as we continue to find different ways to impact the orphans of our world. Stay tuned for updates and information on how you can help. Enjoy your day!