This has been an interesting trip for me. The majority of my international missions experience has been to be a manual laborer. This has given me great pleasure because I knew my role and my lack of Spanish was not a significant barrier. 

My role this trip has been more passive as I've been challenged to listen to and ask questions of the local school leaders. This has given me more of an insight regarding the Nicaraguan people, some of their history and hardships. 

The people I've met here have been welcoming and grateful for our presence. The human needs are certainly present and I'm sure the spiritual needs are too, but not in a way more significant than for us all.

Watching a medical ministry effort for my first time has been awesome. I am so thankful for the service that Rhett and the other personnel are providing. This meets a need that the people can't provide for themselves especially not in this way. 

Tammy is a true leader and servant in this effort as she uses her organizational skills and abundance of God's love to bring His message to both children and adults of Nicaragua. Her presence also greatly impacts the success of our team as she shares her passion for this work with us. 

The needs here are significant and God's people are responding and this certainly isn't limited to those of us from the U. S. The local congregation at FBC Matagalpa has Christlike leaders and many members who come together at 6 each morning for worship and prayer. I can't say I've seen this type of devotion before. This congregation has ministries beyond the walls of their church as they serve those in multiple communities. It is this effort on their part that we, as FBC Cornelia, want to support as partners with them in God's work. The challenges will be many, but the rewards will be priceless for all and eternal as well.

I am thankful to have had this experience with these people at this time as I always find myself blessed in serving others and working as a team. 

Moving forward I see the role of both our congregation and the congregation of FBC Matagalpa changing as God continues to work. For now it is time to join others in the morning worship as one people united by God. Adios!

- Tony Reabold

Doing Missions Differently

Doing Missions Differently

My heart is full in so many ways tonight.  I am in Matagalpa, Nicaragua and find gratitude spilling out for the work God is doing within my congregation, First Baptist Church, Cornelia.  As one of my members, Helen Bryson, likes to say - "I love it when God shows up."  

Over the last three years we have been in an intentional missional conversation within our congregation. Individuals, committees, mission teams and small groups have discussed and dreamed and tried out many ideas of what it means to be missional in our global context.  During our visioning season called Walking by Faith, we even developed this incredible, missional vision which blows me away in both its simplicity and its vast, God sized challenged:  "FBCC exists to love the world as God loves us."  Wow!  

This week, I have begun to see the fruit of these years of discernment, experience, relationship building, learning, and growing together.  And, yes, Mrs. Helen, God has shown up.  
I have seen God move in some incredible ways:

1. God brought two global churches - one from the mountains of Georgia and one from the mountains of Nicaragua - together for service.  This has been  happening for several years, but I really see it this year.  On Sunday night, I preached a sermon on what it means to be called by God.  At the end of the service, Pastor Javier, invited all of the FBC Matagalpa team members who would join us at the medical clinics/VBS to join him at the front - over 30 people walked up!  God had doubled our mission team!  Then, in this incredible moment of God - he asked our team to come up.  We stood facing the Nicaragua team, held hands with them - and then were jointedly commissioned to serve the least of these together in the villages.  I can't tell you how beautifully moving it was to me as a pastor see our churches united.
2. God has brought us some great ministry ministry partners.  This week we have joined hands with:   First Baptist Church, Matagalpa, Missionary Ventures (Missionary Brenda Rose) and Rayo Del Sol.  These partners have empowered us, served us, and challenged us to look deeper at our ministry setting.  We couldn't do what we do without these partners - and we certainly wouldn't have as much fun.  
3. God has opened our eyes to new opportunities.  This week we have had a vision team serving beside the medical/VBS teams.  This team has visited schools and medical clinics, coffee plantations, eco-lodges, and individual homes.  They have asked tons of questions and listened to the answers.  They have put their ideas on the backburner to listen to community.  In some poor areas, they have looked and listened deeply for the assests in the community.  They have prayed for wisdom discernment.  
4. We are beginning to see the missional core values which we have named lived out and it is a sign of God's Spirit:  

• Reciprocal – God is at work both in Matagalpa and Cornelia.  We must share this experience of the Spirit together. 
• Contextual – First Baptist Church, Matagalpa knows its mission field.  We desire to come along beside them to further their kingdom impact in the world. 
• Mobilized and Sent – Jesus commissions every individual Christian to go into the world to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).  We desire to develop a mission vision which engages as many individuals as possible to use their gifts and passion.  For example, we want more individuals to have the same experience as our medical personnel who use their gifts and passions.  These gifts are varied as the individuals and include:  educators, carpenters, artists, and business people.
• Community Development/transformation:  In the name of Jesus, we desire to see individuals, families, schools, and communities transformed by the Kingdom of God. 

I know God is at work.  I am full of the joy of seeing that work in front of my eyes.  I look forward to seeing how God now challenges to walk by faith into the world - especially into mountains of Nicaragua.  It has started out as a great journey already.  

- Dr. Eric Spivey

In between medical relief, visioning, building relationships and planning, several of our team members took a little time to enjoy a Circus here in Matagalpa. Some were even stars of the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdC3iKUnL10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdC3iKUnL10

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:11-12

Whenever we set out for the field in the morning, we aspire to be an example of this "agape" love God shows to His children. The beautiful, self-sacrificing, enduring love that changes people's lives. A love that only comes from knowing The One who is love. However, it never ceases to surprise me how much is reciprocated back to us. Today we were in Santa Emilia, a familiar place for many on the trip. We set up out typical medical stations, the intercessory prayer, stations, and VBS. The love of Christ is so abundant in the lives of the people we interacted with. From the women who came early to set up for us, the mothers who brought and prepared mangoes for the team, the gratitude of families coming through the clinic, to the children giving away their toys and food to other children, God's love was moving all around us. It was one of those beautiful days where you can sit back and watch the body of Christ work together to reach the community. While none of us have seen God, and some people in Santa Emilia may not have even stepped foot in a church, we were all able to partner together to make God's love tangible to everyone there today.

- Cara Martin

Visions of Nicaragua through first-time eyes

Trash in the gutter below wild hibiscus flowers.
A hen and her chickens searching for insects among the potholes in the street.
Walking through a house with three walls, a tarp, a metal roof, to be greeted with hand shakes and smiles.
The barrios, the mud, the busy streets, all overshadowed by the Flame of the Jungle in full bloom.
A church with no walls and a concrete floor being filled with songs of praise.
The giggles when a malnourished little boy is tickled.
The sinner and the saint standing at the foot of a cross.
The Holy Spirit moving through a land that the world cast aside.
Open your eyes...God is creating something beautiful.

Dustin Thomas

Sunday - Sarah Spivey

We landed in Nicaragua last night around 8 pm. After a bumpy bus ride to our hotel we arrived at Matagalpa Inn! This morning (Sunday) we headed to First Baptist Matagalpa for a wonderful worship service where we were reunited with friends and family. Reconnecting is always one of my favorite parts of the trip because you get to catch up with individuals who you haven't seen in a year.Worship was followed by a delicious lunch prepared by the ladies of FBC Matagalpa.


After lunch we made our way to a local nutrition center near Matagalpa. This center helps children who are malnourished.  This was my favorite part of the day! Taking time to give one on one time with the babies at the center was impacting. I met one little girl who was 18 months old named Isaura. She had been living at the shelter for 5 months now. My Dad and I played with her for about 30 min before she cracked a smile. The nutrition center was a great place to physically show God's love to His children.



The day ended with a evening service at FBC Matagalpa. At the end of the service, Pastor Javier asked us to join hands and pray with members of the church who will be joining us in the villages this week.

I am looking forward to this week and being able to share God's love with the people of Nicaragua!

- Sarah Spivey

Pursuing God’s Call

First Baptist Church, Cornelia, Georgia                                                                                                         First Baptist Church, Matagalpa, Nicaragua

History

   In 2006, First Baptist Church, Cornelia carried its first medical mission team up into the mountains of Matagalpa, Nicaragua.  On that trip we began a relationship with First Baptist Church, Matagalpa that has radically shaped and transformed our understanding of our mission in partnership with God in the world.  In these seven years, God has developed and deepened many wonderful relationships between individuals in our two churches.  These relationships form the foundation and freedom to pursue a new calling. 

Calling

   Over the last 3 years First Baptist Cornelia has prayerfully asked to God to prepare us for our calling in the world.  Based on the relationships built in Matagalpa, we feel very strongly that God continues to call us to join First Baptist Church, Matagalpa in its kingdom work in Nicaragua.  

   At the same time, we have begun to sense that our calling goes beyond our current once-a-year medical mission trip.   We sense God calling us to pursue a more focused, holistic, kingdom impacting, and encompassing partnership in the Matagalpa community. 

   A few mission values have arisen in our prayer and preparation:

• Reciprocal – God is at work both in Matagalpa and Cornelia.  We must share this experience of the Spirit together. 
• Contextual – First Baptist Church, Matagalpa knows its mission field.  We desire to come along beside them to further their kingdom impact in the world. 
• Mobilized and Sent – Jesus commissions every individual Christian to go into the world to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).  We desire to develop a mission vision which engages as many individuals as possible to use their gifts and passion.  For example, we want more individuals to have the same experience as our medical personnel who use their gifts and passions.  These gifts are varied as the individuals and include:  educators, carpenters, artists, and business people.
• Community Development/transformation:  In the name of Jesus, we desire to see individuals, families, schools, and communities transformed by the Kingdom of God. 

Discernment

   Based on these relationships and these mission values, we feel God calling us to join the work of First Baptist Church, Matagalpa in one of its two mission settings:  Santa Emilia or Quebrada Honda.  We desire to enter into a discernment process with First Baptist Church, Matagalpa to pursue the shape, nature and function of this calling.          

   Knowing the shape of this calling will be developed together, we offer this possible vision.  What if …

   First Baptist Church, Cornelia made a long term commitment to work with First Baptist Church, Matagalpa in Santa Emilia (or Quebrada Honda).  As part of this commitment, we will assess the spiritual (evangelism, congregational life, spiritual leaders, etc), physical (health, housing, etc) , educational (school, parenting, etc), and financial (employers, employee, banking, etc) needs of the community.  FBC Cornelia then works with FBC Matagalpa, the community and other partners to develop a comprehensive, long term commitment to make steps in addressing these needs one day at a time.  We want to work alongside FBC Matagalpa to impact these communities for the Kingdom of God. 

Process

   What we present here is a result of many years of listening to the Spirit of God in the life of FBC Cornelia, FBC Matagalpa and the lives of our members.  In our discernment process we were challenged by these three questions:

1. Is it good news?
2. Does this seem impossible to accomplish?
3. Is there a good chance that we will fail?

   We felt that if the answer to these questions was “yes”, then God must be in it, and we should move forward together!

   One of the ways we have felt God move recently has been a new ministry contact with an NGO started in Atlanta and working in Matagalpa.  This ministry uses a model which invests time and resources into a specific community, by initially partnering with a public school.  Rayo de Sol has been working in the school at Barrio Tule for several years, and their model for focused community transformation has struck a chord with the sense of calling we are feeling.

   First Steps: During our medical mission trip (5/31 – 6/8), we will send a 4 person vision team to pray, discern and pursue this calling with First Baptist Church, Matagalpa.

This is a possible schedule:

• Sunday:  Worship with the communities of Santa Emilia or Quebrada Honda at the FBC, Matagalpa mission sites (this would be 4-6 people of the larger team).
• Monday:  Site visit with Rayo de Sol at Barrio Tule.  Conversation with Peter, national director of Rayo de Sol. 
• Tuesday:  Site visits at Santa Emilia and/or Quebrada Honda and conversations about next steps. 
• Wednesday:  Community visits
• Thursday:  Vision team participates with Medical Team
• Friday – Vision team will be a part of the regular medical mission team. 

   After our return, the vision team will work with our partners to begin developing a process and steps for moving forward.

- Posted by

Dr. Eric Spivey

Pastor, FBC Cornelia