Jonathan Lilley

This will be my 3rd time to Nicaragua and my 2nd trip through Woodcreek20s. God has used this trip and the ministries in Managua to open my eyes to the great support system that keeps the World Missions effort alive and strong. Our missionary friends give us so much encouragement and inspiration as they abandon the American Dream to proclaim Christ to another culture. It is a privilege and a treat to come alongside them for a week and provide fresh enthusiasm and love. We are truly a support team – encouraging the missionaries in their work and getting the word out to people like you so that you may share in our joy!

Samantha Lilley

I am a Labor and Delivery RN at Baylor Garland and I am the team leader Jon Lilley’s wife. I am so blessed and excited to go back to Nicaragua this summer for several reasons. Because of where i work i get the opportunity to practice my spanish, and I have always had a heart for spanish speaking people. I am also so excited to see my dear friends who are long term missionaries there. Last years trip was so amazing, i can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us this year.

Erin Mazur

I am so excited about the opportunity to serve in Nicaragua this summer! For some time now, I have felt God tugging at my heart to go on a short-term mission trip; there really is no comparison to the amount of faith and obedience involved in participating in what God is doing in other countries. My heart’s desire is to grow closer to the heart of God and to exhibit His love in all that I do and say. I want to be used by God in whatever way He would be most glorified, and I feel that this mission trip is a way for me to be obedient to His call, while taking a step closer to achieving deeper intimacy with Him.

Matt Hunt

I am very excited about going to Nicaragua. God has really been working with my faith over the past few years. God hasn’t given me a job since graduation from UNT, and He is calling me to go on an expensive mission trip; which is forcing me to trust that He will provide. God has also given me a very recent love for kids; which I can see is very important in Nicaragua. I am very excited to see God’s provision in my life, see Him grow me into the man I should be, and give me a chance to spread His love to those who don’t know it.

Clint Brewer

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in Nicaragua this year. I will be working alongside the rest of our team as well as photographing the missionaries we already have in place, the work that they are doing, and the people they are influencing! For years i have wanted to use my passion for photography to help create change in desperate situations around the world. Throughout college i studied art and photography to understand how to create images powerful enough to generate responses. I have learned that while photography does not make things happen, it has the unique power to create awareness of current realities and can motivate social and spiritual action! “10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides” ~1 Peter 4:10-11

Laura Minjares

I am currently teaching 7th grade science for RISD and am looking forward to my summer vacation! This year has been a year of countless convictions and has stirred true growth in my relationship with Christ, in my love for the Lord, and has created a genuine change in my heart and desire for serving people. As I fall deeper and more in love with Christ, I am experiencing an irresistible and overwhelming eagerness to share the gospel with others and a hunger for more meaningful and intentional relationships. This will be my second mission trip out of the country and just as we prayed for the first, I am praying that this trip be guided by the Lord. My desire is to go and serve the people and children of Nicaragua, to support our missionaries, and to spread the love and knowledge of Christ to an underprivileged people.

Matthew Rushing

My name is matt rushing. I became a Christian at the age of five, but really made my faith completely my own at the age of 18. God has been teaching me so much in the last two years. I have felt a call to stop living just for me and begin to serve others with my life. This trip is a good reminder of why I am really on this earth; to spread god’s glory and gospel.

Kelsey Jensen

My name is Kelsey Jensen. I became a Christian in high school as the Lord revealed Himself to me in the Bible. I thought I was perfect and could do everything on my own, but God has been showing me my need of complete reliance on Him for everything. After I recognized that I was a sinner, in need of the grace of God, I found that I could trust my whole being to be saved through Jesus paying for the debt that I had to pay for my sins, which is death. I am excited to serve God through helping others in need and by sharing His good news of salvation. I have never been on a mission trip outside of America and I am excited about not only seeing other cultures, but also fulfilling the great commission of sharing the gospel, which is a command of God. This is why I desire to go to Nicaragua and I hope that I can do more trips like this in the future.

Luke Henry

I grew up in Plano, TX and graduated from Plano East Senior High School and Texas Tech University. During college I worked for Youthworks!, a short-term youth missions organization. I have been married to my wife, Lauren, for five years, and teach government and economics at McKinney High School. I have been attending Woodcreek for almost two years, and enjoy working with the 6th grade LIFEgroup.

Nathan Cole

I’m proud to be an Okie from Guthrie, which is not very close to Muskogee by the way, attended school at the University of Oklahoma, have lived in Dallas nearly three years and have attended Woodcreek Church for a little over two and a half years. I currently work for a structural engineering firm as a structural design engineer and project manager. Last year I joined up with a team from Woodcreek 20’s for a week long trip to Managua, greatly benefited from the experience and felt God tugging on me this year to take advantage of the chance to return. I’m exciting to be going again and to have the opportunity to love on some kids who don’t get a lot of loving. Thank you for your support and interest in our trip and your prayers are coveted.

Hi there! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kathy Pacheco and I am an 18 year old Nicaraguan. I’ve had the privilege to translate for this mission team for 2 years now, thanks to David Russell who introduced me to the Lillies. It’s truly been a blessing to have this same mission down here for another year and I know for sure that their work here has not been in vain. It’s been interesting to see the team’s responses to what they’ve found here and how their eyes have been opened upon seeing the different circumstances that people here are faced with. However, though hard to believe, it’s also been a very impacting and intense week for me too.

As a Nicaraguan, you would expect me to be well acquainted with what happens around here and what the vast majority of our citizens are dealing with, but sadly I’m not. I had the privilege to visit the city dump for the first time last year when they came down and visited again this Friday, and I was completely blown away by what I saw! You see, the problem with many of us Nicaraguans who live in the upper parts of the city is that sometimes we live oblivious to what is happening down in places like those. It’s a very sad reality, but I can definitely be identified in that group of people at some points. Part of the reason that I like translating and working with teams is that I get to go to places like those and take part in serving my country in some way. I also feel that it helps me understand my people more and it is then that I am fully aware of the great needs they have.

Since I had visited the dump previously, I was already familiar with what happened there and the intensity of the poverty that area has. However, the part of this trip that really hit me the most was working with House of Hope.

I had heard about this ministry previously, but had never been there or much less heard about what it dealt with. Upon hearing multiple testimonies of girls who had been either in prostitution, were sold to be slaves, or were being abused in some way my heart completely tore apart. I have been living in this country for all 18 years of my life and had never heard of such a thing like child trafficking or just prostitution of children! I was completely blown away by it all, but it really helped me open my eyes to things. God has definitely been challenging me to look past my own wants and needs and to really look out for the greater needs of others around me, which are in most cases, way more important than my own.

However, this trip has meant a lot more than that to me. This group of 10 people has been incredibly amazing and I am thankful for the opportunity to have met them and have shared this week with them. Whether it was teaching craft work with Kelsi, talking with Erin while we poured cement, laughing about Laura’s hilarious stories, learning about Clint’s amazing photography skills, singing/listening to songs with Matt Rushing, sharing last year memories with Sammy & Jon, or just talking about random things with Matt, Luke, and Nate, it has all added up to making this week an amazing and unforgettable one! I want to thank the team for being so awesome and friendly to me, to the Russell’s for being a big part of this trip, to all you people in the USA who helped make his trip possible through your financial support and prayers,  and of course,  to God for allowing it to take place and to go so well! It’s been a true blessing to be a small part of this whole trip and I can’t wait to see the fruits of the seeds that these guys have planted here!

Much love in Christ,

-Kathy Pacheco

This morning began another early morning for the Woodcreek 20′s.  After our devotional time our team had breakfast and headed out to La Chureca (the dump).

Today was especially challenging for us; partly due to the fact that the majority of the team was not feeling well, but also because of the difficult things we saw at La Chureca.

As our van drove in to an area with what could literally be described as hills of waste, we were told that there have been many improvements over the past few months.  It was impossible to imagine that what we were seeing was improved because of the amount of waste and extreme conditions people were living in.  But the reality of what we  witnessed, however difficult, didn’t really hit until moments later.

We were headed into the dump to visit a christian school for some of the children that live on the dump site.  However, the path was very muddy and our driver did not want to get stuck so we had to go by truck.  When the driver opened the door to let us out, we were immediately struck by an overwhelming and suffocating stench that permanently fills the air at La Chureca.  It was a 30 second trip from the van to the inside of the truck (for the girls), but it was enough to cause some of us to gag for air.   There were very few words spoken between us as we drove deeper into La Chureca.

When we finally reached the school, I was surprised to see how happy and excited all of the children were to see us.   We spoke to Melissa, one of the missionary teachers who helps run the school and we were able to spend some time playing and interacting with the children during their recess time.  Melissa said something that was really awesome.  When asked if she was “immune” to a lot of the poverty and poor living conditions because she is continually exposed to it, she responded that the poverty was not what she saw in these people, but a lacking of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

On the way out of the dump, it was quiet in the truck as we passed the people who had made their homes at the dump site.  It was difficult to apply what Melissa had said to what I was seeing and experiencing.  While it was definitely evident that there was an absence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the people at La Chureca, it seemed impossible to look past the extreme poverty conditions in which the people were surviving.

I’m thankful for this unique opportunity, however, the reality of what we witnessed today is still only beginning to settle in.

Greetings from Nicaragua!

As Matt mentioned in the last post, last night the Woodcreek team went to Camino de Vida to help out with the neighborhood children’s program. The One by One staff expected around 30 children to attend, but we were blessed with over 80 kids! Jeremy (a member of the One by One staff) led the young ones in songs, games, prayer, and the story of Zacchaeus. His enthusiasm for the children and this country is inspiring and infectious. Christ has truly blessed the community with this ministry.

And yes, I did have to dress up like a dog! It was the hottest I have ever been, and the most fearful I have been that I would be swallowed by a sea of attacking kids.

Today we returned to House of Hope to complete yesterday’s tasks. Nathan’s construction project to cover the trash pit was completed and set in place. It looks fantastic and should enable the residents to get rid of trash, even during the rainy season. We also mixed concrete and contributed to addition of the ladies’ dining facility. It was back-breaking labor, but we learned quite a bit about construction, and completed a very necessary task.

At lunch we listed to O., a man who works at House of Hope and rescues women and young girls from prostitution, give his testimony (I have shortened his name to retain his anonymity). I really cannot describe O’s story. It is replete with violence, hate, and drug use; a story you could only imagine in movies. But through all his troubles, Christ reached this man. If O. has found the love of Christ, I am certain it is available to anyone.

If you can, please consider supporting House of Hope. April, the woman in charge of the mission, brings 300 prostitutes and ex-prostitutes to worship services and Bible studies each week. Over 70% of the women that attend House of Hope leave prostitution permanently, using the skills learned and the power of Christ to overcome traumatic abuse and addictions.
I have learned much about the power of God on this trip, and I have learned it in a way that I could not have at home. Thank you to all our supporters in prayer. Tomorrow, we will report on our trip to La Chareca (the dump).
God Bless from Luke.

Work was on the menu today. We went to House of Hope today which is a safe house and rehabilitation center for children and women that have been trafficked and involved in prostitution. When we arrived we were told about the history of House of Hope and given a tour of the facility. The complex if made up of duplexes and dorms. The duplexes are for women to live in with their children and the dorms are for the young girls. The youngest girls that have been rescued and that live at House of Hope are six years old. All of these girls and women have been so mistreated (that does not even begin to describe some of the horrors that we heard about in the testimony time; I cannot put into words how horrible these situations were). The girls are given a place to live and a school to go to. The women are taught a trade by day; making cards, necklaces, bracelets and other items to sell. The women also have the opportunity to go to lessons at night to learn to read and write. For more on the ministry of House of Hope and ways that you can support them go to their website www.houseofhopenicaragua.com

The work we started for them today was two fold. The first was to finish setting the foundation for an extension of the existing dining hall. This involved finishing the rebar placement and then mixing the concrete and pouring it. The second group’s task was to build a covering for the trash pit, where the trash is burned. It is in need of the roof because it floods during the rainy season and makes burning the trash impossible. Both of the teams were able to complete half of their projects today and we will be going back to finish them tomorrow. We also had the opportunity to hear some of the girls stories at lunch time and meet the staff as well.

Tonight we are helping out at the children’s midweek program at Camino De Dida, the church that Julie and Chase work at. It is going to be a blast! We will be playing games, singing songs, Jon is dressing up as a pirate and Luke is dressing up as a dog (Hopefully we will have pictures of that latter!). Other than that, we will have a busy day tomorrow too, so for now, I have to run and help out with the program, so this is Matt Rushing saying thanks for all your prayers and we love you back home!

Hello everyone,

I would like you all to know that today we had an awesome day of rest!!  Since we have only been here for one day, it doesn’t really seem as though we’ve earned a day of rest.   However, it was a very fun day that we got to spend with the Russell’s.

To start off our day we went to have an amazing breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, gravy, and the most amazing biscuits that I have ever had, courtesy of the Russell family!  After breakfast we got to socialize, and play with Beckett.  We decided that it would be good to spend some time with the Russell’s at the beach, so we told our driver, Oscar, to take us to the beach.

Just as we left for the beach, it started pouring down rain!  The dirt road became very treacherous while we were going down it in a huge fan.  Several times, I knew we were going to have to get out and start pushing in the mud, and the rain.  About 10% of the way down the road, we decided that it would be better to turn around and go do something else, rather than to risk getting stuck for the entire day.  So, we turned around, and made it safely back to the brick highway.  We found another beach to go to.  We found another beach, and had a great day with great food, and great friends.  I really hope that the we were able to bless the Russell’s with the time we spent with them. That’s all from Matt Hunt.

Today, like every day was made by God. I woke up to light pouring into our room and birds chirping outside my window feeling very rested. The fact that I was rested was an answer to prayer because we all had a long day of traveling yesterday and I went to bed exhausted. Then I walked around the place where we are staying and found so many beautiful flowers. I have noticed in the short time that I have been here that there are some really beautiful plants everywhere around Nicaragua which are complimented by the vibrant colors on the buildings. After walking around the place, I decided to make sure that everything was set for the day.

Today our Nicaragua team from Woodcreek church was in charge of facilitating the camp for about 40 children from around the neighborhood. Since I was in charge of crafts today, I began sharpening about forty five pencils with a hand held pencil sharpener and reading my Bible. At seven, our group ate a most delicious breakfast made up of beans and rice, eggs, and pineapple.

Once we demolished the deliciousness, we headed out to the sports complex and set up for camp. As the children were arriving, everyone did a mixture of swinging on the swings, playing soccer, and shooting basketball hoops. After all the children arrived, we started singing praises to Jesus in Spanish which was led by Oscar Hernandez, who is a spectacular musician, and a guy named Jeremy Havlin, who was in charge of teaching the kids the songs with motions. I have to say that was so much fun and the children were having a blast. You can always tell when someone is following there calling because you can see how they thrive in their environment and do what they do with such ease.

I feel that way about everyone involved with One by One. I also knew that God wanted me there and felt so encouraged by everyone around me today. To be completely honest, I was so nervous before this trip because I have never been on a mission trip outside of the USA, I didn’t know a whole lot of Spanish, and I was concerned about my own efforts being enough. Needless to say, I have prayed a lot and I see how God is working in my heart to show me how the less I am in control and the more I rely on Him, the more I can be free to be who God has built me to be. During the crafts, I had an interpreter there named Kathy who helped me to teach the children how to draw different designs and animals to put on their bags. She was a lifesaver! The children loved decorating their backpack bags and were so proud of there creations and they did a great job. While I ran crafts with Matt Hunt there were other stations where the kids did games that our twenties group put on. We had a delicious lunch which included fried bananas. I don’t really like them in the states, but here they are delicious!  We played a scavenger hunt and some more games, which were a blast. After I taught three kids between the ages of 4 and 13 how to shoot the basketball properly (Thanks to my husband Lance, who taught me how to shoot it properly). I left feeling like God was completely in control of the day and feeling so excited about what God is doing in Nicaragua through the missions here. We just had a tour of the church and everyone went out to go invite the kids in the neighborhood to the Wednesday night service. I’m excited about the rest of the week!

We are here in DFW awaiting our flight. So much ahead of us, the team is excited to see our missionary friends and reconvene with Clint!!

This morning I was able to help with the children’s service at Camino de Vida! This is the main ministry that Chase and Julie Russell are in charge of and it was an exciting morning to say the least.

We began the morning helping set up and spending some time playing with a few of the girls who were brought over early from House of Hope. Each saturday morning, One By One sends out three busses throughout the neighborhoods to pick up as many kids as want to come, and bring them back the the church. This morning we had around two hundred children come to play, learn, and worship the lord. It was a great opportunity to see this ministry and how many children and impacted and loved each day by small team of americans and a few Nicaraguans who volunteer to share the love of Christ with all of the kids!

Afterwords, Chase, Julie and myself went to the store (kind-of like a COSTCO) to pick up all of our food for the rest of our team (see you guys sunday night!!)  and then came back for a little rest before we headed back to church to put on the Youth service they hold in the evenings.  We got there a little early and all of the power went out…. so we headed across the street to watch the resident futbol game that was already in progress. Chase and i walked over to the local “restaurant” and picked up some very traditional Nicaraguan food for dinner, which we ended up sharing much of with a lot of the local kids who were ecstatic to get some good meat as a snack! It was a bit sad to know that most of these kids don’t get to eat food like this very often, and it was a very cheap meal (about $2 USD). It was wonderful to see their faces light up when we gave them our food!

Once the power went back on inside Camino de Vida, we headed back to start our worship service. The service consisted of youth from about age 12 to somewhere in their 20′s. During worship, we sang “How Great is Our God” and seeing as my spanish isn’t quite all there (sorry mom) i just sang the words from memory in English. But in that, i could immediately feel the presence of God in the room. Up until this point i had been feeling very disconnected with everyone here, but right then i began to remember just how closely connected we all are in the Holy Spirit! Regardless of age, race, background or Language, we  all worship the same King!

Its great to be here!

Today was my first full day here in Managua, Nicaragua. As some of you know i (Clint Brewer) had the opportunity to come down early and begin to work with and photograph the kids and people here in Managua that One By One and House of Hope work with throughout the week.

I have been spending a lot of time meeting the 1B1 staff and spending time with the Russells… all five of them (Dave, Christina, Beckett, Chase & Julie) as i am living at their house with them! It has been great to see first-had where they live.

The morning opened up with some great Nicaraguan coffee, followed by Dave wanting me to play some tennis with him at a court down the road. His last day of school was yesterday and it’s officially SUMMER for him now!  So after 8 games of tennis… Dave had easily won 6 of them but it was a lot of fun.

After this we did what any Nicaraguan Missionary and his trust photographer sidekick would do. We found a long broom handle and i climbed up into a tall mango tree in search for some tasty treats for the rest of our team to eat. I continued to knock almost-ripe mangos out of the tree while Dave (30 feet below) would attempt to catch them as they fell! All in all we managed 10 nice-sized and mostly in-tact mangos!

The rest of the day was spent with all the Russell Clan, including a shopping trip for Dave to get a new tie for the school’s graduation that we would be attending, and Dave would be MC for, tonight.

All-in-all tonight went great at the Graduation ceremony. 18 Seniors from NCA (Nicaraguan Christian Academy) graduated. Most of the students Dave had taught in the past!  It was a cool time to see the students that Dave and Christina had been teaching since they came down here finally graduate and prepare to move off to college!

Well, thats about it for tonight. It was a great day to settle-in and begin to get a feel for the city. I have seen a lot of things and talked to many people about many of the issues that face this country, and i look forward to not only understanding them more but hopefully document them in such a way that can shed some light on not only the extreme poverty, hardship and needs but the incredible Joy i am seeing from those who have found the Lord!

~Buenos Noches

Clint Brewer

Clint is headed down a few days early to start his photo journal of the Ministries in Managua.  Pray for his safety and effectiveness.  See You soon Clint!

Jon

On June 13th our team of ten from the Woodcreek 20s group will travel down to Managua, Nicaragua! We will be working alongside OneByOne missionaries in their efforts to provide education, encouragement, and Christian love to the multitudes of impoverished children living in the capital. We will provide opportunities for the name of Jesus to be heard by these children and love them with everything that we can! On the sidebar to the right you will see several helpful links that will connect you with the ministries and missionaries we are supporting.

Join with us by donating here

We invite you to join with us! All of our team members are excited to talk about the trip with anyone who will listen and we would love to give you the opportunity to learn more about our Team, the situation of Nicaragua, the four (soon to be five) full-time missionaries that Woodcreek has serving in Managua, and the future that is in store!