"A solemn agreement between the members of a church to act together in harmony with the precepts of the gospel."We are joined in a covenant partnership with New Day Church at High Point. The members of New Day have been a constant source of encouragement, prayer and support. During Easter week or Semana Santa as it is called in Nicaragua, we were blessed to have members of the church visit us.
After spending several days in Managua visiting Pastor Eddy and his church, La Casa del Padre, the team along with Pastor Eddy and several of his members came north to Leon. Each time our church family visits it is a time of deep refreshing for us. As much as we love living and working in Nicaragua, loneliness can and does set in. It was a whirlwind 2 days with much activity and lots to talk about.
The visits always begin with lunch; the tradition of Christians gathering for meals is still much alive no matter what country you are in. This is a perfect time to mention a favorite place we discovered and have turned other missionaries on to it, LaRosita's. It is an old colonial style home that was refurbished by the owners and turned into a restaurant. The restaurant is always enjoyed by the guests that we take there. Whatever health concerns a team may have had about the food, it is never an issue when they see the restaurant. 
We spent the afternoon opening gifts and mentoring to the students. Oh, let me tell you about the gifts. We have been wanting a wood planer for the school. All the wood that is harvested in this country is immediately sent to the "tiendas" and sold. It is rough and never dried, thus it is extremely wet. The wood we purchase is needed right away for projects, so handling it is tricky and time consuming. Hand planing the wood is right up there as one of the least favorite tasks of the students. It is hard work. Now we have a new planer that will diminish the time spent on getting the wood ready to use in our projects.
Another gift came as a total surprise. I don't know what meant more, the actual gift or the fact that someone noticed a casual comment I made more than a year and a half ago. There is a very talented artist in the church who paints pictures, murals and instruments that adorn the sanctuary. One of the first paintings that was done was in the fall of 2009. I mentioned how much I liked it to the pastor. This comment was remembered a year later and the church gave the painting to me to be used in my prayer room here in Nicaragua. I was moved beyond words that someone thought enough about me to remember and sacrifice this beautiful painting.
The biggest blessing of each visit by a mission's team is there ministry to the students. They pray for the boys and have prophetic words of encouragement for them. When the team's members speak God's Words over the boys, there are immediate and astounding changes that take place. Visibly there are changes in their appearance. Before long, you begin to see changes in their behavior.
This visit was highlighted by the meeting for the first time of the associate pastor from New Day church in North Carolina, Pastor Eddy from La Casa del Padre in Managua and Pastor Jose of Nueva Restauracion, our local church in Leon. We've sensed for some time that this meeting would be a divine appointment. We all joined together in worship, prayer, neighborhood evangelism and the joy of experiencing the heavy presence of the Lord in our gatherings.
Covenant, it's a strong word. It carries with it promise, hope and power.
