Costa Rica / Nicaragua Spring 2009 - Hitting the Beach and Riding the Waves

My awesome spring break in Costa Rica, along with pictures from my ministries.

Update To My Supporters

This is just a little update of what God has been doing in my heart recently during this semester in Granada. I wrote this letter to my supporters a month ago and just sent it out last week by mail. I wanted to give some time to allow them to see it, and now I would like to share it with everyone else.

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Dear Friends and Family, Originally written Feb. 11, 2009

I write to you with a humbled heart and a blessed life. I couldn't be here without all of your support. Thank you so much for the prayers when I am unaware; they keep me going day to day. I am definitely on a journey of learning, maturation, and strengthening. This new year is bringing fresh opportunities down here in Nicaragua, and I am excited about where God has me involved. My weekly schedule is packed with spending time at Vida Joven (Young Life), Hogar de Ancianos (a local nursing home), and Corazon Contento (Happy Heart), a school for mentally-handicapped children.

The Lord has been so gracious with me these past two weeks and has been meeting me in such a powerful way. My joys started out Sunday night when a group of us went to Restoration, an electrifying church that is full of the Spirit. We were also joined by our new Christian brother (Andy), who we helped lead to Christ during the Fall of last year. If you would like to hear more about that God story, I would greatly encourage you to go to my blog, jdrussell.myadventures.org, and see my post entitled, "What a Glorious Day". It has been amazing to see such a powerful transformation take place in his life, one of God renewing his mind, tenderizing his heart, and rejuvenating his spirit. He once was a slave to sin, ravaged by sorrow and despair, but now he is a servant to Christ, empowered by joy and hope.

Another exciting thing I would like to talk about is our Prayer House. It has been such a refuge and solace for me since returning to Nicaragua. The idea of having a sacred place set aside for prayer and worship began in the heart of one of my team members, Caleb Spitler. He was inspired by IHOP, no not the pancake house, but the other one, the International House of Prayer. He went to one of their conferences over Christmas break, and God pierced his mind with a vision for our own House of Prayer down here in Nicaragua. I have gone out there at nights roughly 2 to 3 times a week and it has been amazing to see God come and meet me at my innermost needs.

Last week, I came to Him with uncertainty and doubt about the future and specifically about what I will be doing after this trip. I paced around this little 10 x 20 ft. rocky space of four concrete walls and no roof, looking up into the twilight expanse and petitioning to the Lord. I was so desperate to hear from Him about what was to come next for my life. Then all of sudden, I heard a chirping noise come from one of the holes in the wall and I didn't know if it was some type of bird or even possibly a bat. I wondered if it was God's way of saying that He was ready to speak. Therefore, I decided to take a seat in the middle of the room and see how God would show up. I remained silent for quite sometime and desired for God to speak to me in a new way. I continued to look from a distance at the hole where I heard the noise come from and I wanted to see if anything would fly out. Instead, that specific hole began to fill itself in and look exactly like the rest of the wall. I pondered what this could mean and then more of the holes in the wall began to fill, until only a few gaps were left. Then, at the center of the wall stood a distinct, black cross.

Now, I believe there could be a natural explanation for this occurrence, but nevertheless, I believe God was speaking to me in a new and alternative way that night. He was calling me and inviting me to take part in History (His Story). And He is not only inviting me, but He is inviting all of us to play an active role in His kingdom as the Bride of Christ. I believe each hole that was filled represents the work that the Church has already completed, and the remaining holes signify the work that is still to be done before Christ's return. There are still gaps in this grand story authored by God, and we are called to fill these gaps. There are still places to go, faces to encounter, words to speak, relationships to resolve, and miracles to be done. And at the center of the whole illustration, God reminded me that it all revolves around what Christ did on the cross. He filled the void in our life and bridged the gap between us and the Father. Likewise, our role is to bridge the gap between culture and Jesus, and to demonstrate to the world how He is the only thing that can fill the empty space within our hearts.
A group of fellow believers who have really taken hold of this concept are our friends at Torre Fuerte (Strong Tower), a local church that is right in the middle of one of the poorest parts of Granada. These witnesses for Christ are caught in the fray against gangs, drug abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and sexual immorality. In the midst of darkness, they are lamps that brightly shine for Christ everywhere they go, and prayer is the one constant that sustains them and unifies them. Since the end of last year, they have gathered together to pray for Granada and their community, starting each morning at 4:30. Some team members and I had the chance to go one morning this week, and it was an experience that I will never forget. We had at least twenty people all joined together, bowing down with their faces to the floor and their hearts raised to God. Despite speaking different languages and coming from contrasting cultures, we shared a fervency to encounter God and meet with Him intimately. We sought not only a change and revival to take place within Granada, but we also sought for a change within our own hearts and desires.

This has been the greatest fruit I've seen from persistent and passionate prayer; a transformation of my will towards God's will. As I get to know Him more intimately, God shapes and molds my desires to become more like His. And even though He has not been specific about my near future, He keeps whispering to me, "It's o.k., don't fret. Place all your anxieties on me." He is calling me into a life that is in complete trust of Him and utterly free from worry. I am constantly reminded of the passage in Matthew 6:31-33, which states, "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." I hope many of you will find comfort in these verses during these difficult economic times, and remember that if we seek God first, He will provide for all our needs.

Thank you for being a part of this ministry and being involved in what God is doing in Nicaragua. I pray that God will give a ten-fold blessing to each of you who have supported me. I am eager to see what God still has planned for me during the rest of this trip and also for the next season of life. He has been pressing on my heart a new desire, and I am excited about the prospect of what is to come.

A fellow actor in History,

JD Russell
jdrussell.myadventures.org

Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle

My first music video. I simply love this song, and I hope you love it too.

Devotional - Daniel 1:17

“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”

God, what favor you showed on these four Jewish youths. They were not willing to relent of their personal convictions and give into culture or ungodly authority. They were steadfast and faithful to You, even if death was the potential outcome. And because of their faithfulness You blessed them immensely. You gave them the gift of memorization, understanding, and recollection. They had the capacity to be wise beyond their years and surpass their counterparts in knowledge. Then you picked Daniel out specifically to be able to interpret dreams and visions. Lord, I ask for gifts such as these; for an extraordinary ability to understand scripture and interpret visions. Let my nights be focused on You and my dreams give You praise.

Devotional - Titus 3:3-5

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy...”

Lord, thank You so much for the person that I am now, instead of the person I used to be. I am so grateful that my desires are changing and I am becoming less and less of a slave to the world. I cannot stand on anything I’ve done, but only kneel on what you’ve done. Mercy is the only thing that holds me together, because if justice had befallen me, I surely would of been crushed. The weight of guilt and judgment I would not of been able to carry. Christ is the only one who could carry my burden. Thank You for taking me from a life of sin to a life of sanctification. I am a work in progress, but thankfully I don’t have to do it on my own.

Nicaragua Winter 2009 - Staying Busy

A little work, a little fun, and a whole lotta action.

Devotional - Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

It is amazing to read about all these men of faith You had raised up. Their faith and confidence in You is something I admire and desire to attain. They lived by faith till their death and did not even receive the things promised to them. Only from distance and time could they enjoy what was given to their offspring. Thank You for the faith You have given me; I simply can’t believe my faith can please You. I pray that You will stretch me in this area even more and that I will be certain of the future and the unseen. Thank You for drawing me into a knowledge of Your existence and that You have rewarded me with so many amazing things in my life. All I have to do is earnestly seek You, and You promise that blessing will come. Thank You for pursuing me first and tenderizing my heart. I desire to know You more intimately and that I could share my story with others. In reality I want to share Your story, so that others can have a story of redemption. I feel that this story of grace is coming to the climax of Your return and that perfection will come on earth as it is in heaven. All of Your elect have a role in this story, and everything we do is to bring You glory. It is the greatest story ever told; one starting with a fall, turning into redemption, and ending in glory.

Devotional - Hebrews 10:29

"How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?"

God, You say there is less severity in judgment for rejecting the law of Moses as there is towards rejecting Your Son. I have trampled on His broken body so many times in my life and I do not know why You keep giving me grace. I am sorry for my deliberate and intentional sin that has been accompanied by knowledge of the truth. I thank You for turning me back to Yourself and convicting me of my sin. I don't know why it has taken me so long to realize the bottomless pit I put myself in. I constantly continued to return back to my own filth and vomit to indulge in selfish desires. I broke every commandment with full knowledge of my actions. I thank You for turning this enemy into an ally and now I can call You friend. I get to call the creator of the universe an intimate friend. I never again want to insult the full measure of grace that has been given me, but rather I want to share with others what has been revealed to me and that they can have it too. Thank You for the blood that continues to sanctify me.

God at Work in Granada

I have some exciting news of what God has done in the past 2 weeks. I wanted to share with all of you guys about how God has been using our ATL (Ask The Lord) ministry. Laura Overs, Joann Weng, Caleb Austin, and I decided this semester to devote four hours each Friday to seek out the Lord’s will and act upon what we hear. We have rooted our ministry in prayer, worship, and evangelism. Two Fridays ago brought our ministry into a different direction and definitely showed us that God is actively at work in the city of Granada.

This particular Friday started out with all us in the House of Prayer in the back of El Puente. We were also fortunate to have two other people join us for this outing; our new leader, Seth Barnes Jr. and our faithful translator, Mario Rincand. We all gathered at the House of Prayer around ten in the morning and we spent ten minutes in silence to see where God was leading us. Then we broke out into corporate prayer and asked for God to utilize us. We then discussed what we felt God was pressing on our hearts, and both Laura and I felt God pushing us to walk down to the lake. As my eyes were closed during our time of prayer, God put colors of blue and green in my mind and kept speaking the word water to me. So that was enough confirmation for us and we all headed out to see what God had planned.

We decided to only take one guitar that day and Caleb Austin did the honors of carrying it on his back. As we were about to approach the lake, we had some fruit vendors from across the street shout out to us to play a song. So we thought this was a great way to introduce the gospel to these guys and perform two of our goals by worshiping and evangelizing. However, God had something else in mind. As we approached the four Nicaraguan men, one of them instead wanted to play a song for us. So we let him pluck away and we got to enjoy a semi-intoxicated version of the Beatles’ song, Hey Jude. I bought an orange from one of the vendors and started to strike up a conversation with another man that was with them named Bismark. I asked about his family, his job, where he lived and if he went to church. He was a very soft spoken man in his late 20s and he talked about his wife, son, and baby on the way. He also shared of his love for Christ and his involvement in their local church. And disheartening, he told me of how his wife had been sick for the past four days with a strange illness. He described to me that she was suffering from a horrendous fever and small, painful sores all over her body, which burned and itched constantly. I then asked him if we could go to his house and pray over her, and he was more than eager to invite us over. I now knew why God initially brought us down to the lake this particular day.

We walked through a wooden door that was basically an entrance to what looked like a tiny backyard with a small shack in the middle of it. The space was enclosed all around by concrete bricks and the shack was made of rusted tin. The outside was adorned with a few metal rocking chairs, clothes lines, a washboard to clean clothes, a brick oven, various trees, and other plant life. We waited for a few minutes for the wife, Yanira, to join us and we talked a little more with the husband about why some random gringos from all four corners of the US were doing in the middle of Nicaragua. We shared with him how we had seen a life change in us from our relationship with Christ and how we wanted to share that with the people of Granada. We expressed our desire to bring to life the church of Acts 2 by devoting ourselves to teaching, fellowship, healing, communion, worship, and prayer. As his wife came out to join us, they were both in somber moods. We told them how we believed in the power of prayer and the laying of hands written about by Paul in 1st and 2nd Timothy. So we all gathered around her to petition the Lord for a miraculous healing upon her life. We prayed fervently for about 15 minutes, and then Seth shared through Mario’s translating a blessing over the family. He also shared with them that God does not always answer the way we expect. It is sometimes “yes”, sometimes “no”, or even sometimes “wait”, nonetheless, He does answer. We encouraged them to have hope in the Lord and that His ways are above our ways, that His understanding is above our understanding, and that His will always takes precedence. We ended our time together by all praying one after the other, seeking God’s will in the matter and that He would be glorified by whatever outcome. We left our new friends’ house with invigoration and anticipation of what God was going to do it. I couldn’t wait to come back next week and see the power of God’s mighty hand.

The following Friday started out as chaotic, and it caused our schedule to get backed up. Also, our ministry team got cut in half that day because of confusion and conflicting schedules, so Caleb Austin and I decided to head out alone to see what God had planned instead. All week, God had put that Christian couple on my mind, and I so desperately wanted to see God work a miracle in their lives. Therefore, we decided to head back to their house and find out if God had showed up. Upon our return, we met the husband, Bismark, outside and his spirits looked rejuvenated. He took us into their backyard and we were over-joyous to see the wife, Yanira, completely healed. Her fever had dissipated, her sensation of burning and itching had subsided, and her small, swollen sores had vanished. Bismark also gave us some more insight into this amazing God story. He informed us that the previous Friday was unusual for him to be where he was. He usually works in the morning selling fresh donuts around the neighborhood, but God had told him not to work that morning and instead work in the afternoon. If he had been working, we most likely would never have had met him. It was only by the providence of God that our crossing of paths was orchestrated. We were so ecstatic of how God brought us together and how He brought healing that we thought it would be a great idea to praise God with some worship songs. So we played a little concert for the couple in Spanish, which included the songs, Here I Am to Worship (Vengo a Adorarte) and This Is the Air I Breathe (Eres Mi Respirar). We finished together by holding hands and lifting up prayers to God of gratitude, adoration, and praise. We were so thankful for what God had done for this family and we asked for continual blessing their lives that would spark life change in those around them and that this would spark a revival in their church and community. We left feeling like we got to play a small part in this grand story of God and it was amazing to catch a glimpse of Him at work.

I am so thankful for what Christ is doing in me and through me, what He’s doing on this team, and what He’s doing in Granada. We have so many different ministries going on and this is just one story of how God is changing lives. I thank everyone of you who have allowed me to be a part of such an amazing trip through your prayers and financial support. I pray that I will continue to seek out and know God’s heart beat and compassion for this city.

Devotional - Hebrews 4:9-10

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his."

Thank You Father for the gift of rest, reflection, and rejuvenation. You have set aside a special day each week to break ourselves from the worries of work and instead find solace in You. Thank You for calling me as part of Your elect and allowing me to be Your child. I find satisfaction in being able to enter Your rest. May I cherish these moments each week that allow me to put work aside and focus on You. Allow me to find these moments in each and every day. You set the example and all we have to do is follow and abide in You. Lord, I ask you right now to calm my spirit and free me from this burden of regret and what-ifs. I have often been reflecting on my college years in recent months and it is eating away at me on the inside of the things that I wish I did. My passions and pursuits at that particular time caused me to miss out on growing more in Your Word, diving deeper into meaningful relationships, and partaking in more active adventures. Let me learn from the past, delight in the present, and embrace the future. Send a resounding peace in my life that I am wrapped up in Your will and that I am exactly where You want me to be.