mike booth
TRANSCRIPT
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8/6/2019 Mike Booth
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that they might know HimPhilippians 3:10
.. Sorry its taken awhile to write. Things have been kind of nonstop since I arrived here.
Los Cedros
Im staying at the Northshore Baptist missionary house on the campus of the Colegio Havila. I came to
Pastor Manuels house not quite knowing what the living situation was going to be like and then saw
that they are actually extending their house, basically building an apartment onto their house for me. I
never dreamed they would do something like this I will be moving into the apartment this week. It
has taken awhile to get it prepared, but has been worth the wait.
In the beginning, the pastors girls were sort of shy. They are Anna age 13, Mari Joseph age 16, and
Ercilia age 22. The family and I get along really well. They love to laugh and have fun, but are also very
spiritual. I have been taking the daughters out in the school field and letting them take turns on my
motorcycle. They love it. The youngest one is actually getting the hang of driving it; they were
screaming and laughing the whole time. Now we are all really good friends. I have been encouraging
the three girls to help with the youth group. Anna has been singing with me during worship.
The School
At the school I am getting to know a lot of the kids. They have needed a lot of help with translating
letters that need to be written to their sponsors. Its a real challenge trying to translate letters that the
kids have written with incorrect Spanish and tons of spelling errors. And even though its challenging,
Im learning more Spanish doing it. I have been super busy with the youth group, church and mission
teams; however, the English teacher just approached me and asked if I could help her teach English. I
think it will be another great opportunity to serve the kids and keep busy using my gifts unto the Lord.
Please keep this in prayer.
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Youth Pastor
Now for the crazy news, the pastor told me that he wanted me to be the youth pastor/leader and take
charge of the youth and young adults. In essence Im to lead Bible studies, worship, youth group
activities, and basically come up with a plan to help get things going. We have officially had two Bible
studies, and they both went great.
The first Bible study I purchased ten bibles, notebooks and pens and presented them to the ones
without Bibles. I introduced the worship song by Hillsong United called Came To My Rescue inSpanish.
They love it! I spoke on Salvation and the importance of them understanding that its an act of
confession and belief in their hearts. Its not words forced from their lips, its a cry from their hearts
unto the Lord for Salvation.
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So I am basically trying to start over with these kids. I feel like they have been caught up in a whirlwind
of rules and regulations and have missed the resurrected, ever interceding, indwelling, liberating, full
of Grace upon Grace, Christ the Son of God that we have had the pleasure of getting to know, love and
abide in for so long.
Last week I spoke on what a new creation we are in Christ and what are the gifts of the Spirit. I
encouraged them to check their hearts and look back upon their lives to examine if they have ever
experienced a new birth in Christ. Have they seen the fruits of the Spirit in their lives? Have they seen
that they are more than conquerors in Christ?
I want to love them into wanting to read the Word and be in fellowship, not scare them into it. My
burden for these kids is very strong. I love them dearly and want to continue to walk this road with
them, and be there for them during the hard, sad, happy, challenging times. This past week there were
about 30 kids. Thats ten more than the week before. I pray that the Lord would continue to grow and
challenge us to abide in Him.
This next week I will possibly start the Inductive Bible study course. I think it will really open their eyes
to see that there is more depth to the Scriptures.
I am getting really close with the young guys in the youth group. They are very interested in my life and
just hanging out and getting to know me. I am thinking about maybe starting a discipleship program for
some of the young guys that are really interested in going deeper in the Lord -- something like we used
to do on Monday nights.
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Church
We have church nearly every night of the week, except Thursday. Monday is Youth Group; Tuesday -
Prayer; Wednesday - Church; Thursday off; Friday Church Plant in Monte Fresco; Saturday - Church;
Sunday Morning - Church; Sunday night - Mens Meeting/church.
The first week I was here the pastor asked me to lead the Mens Bible Study. I was a little apprehensive
but felt the Lord saying go for it. I opened up to Romans 8 and spoke on Spiritual vs. Carnal and gave
my testimony. This was a great chance to get to know the men and share my heart with them.
Worship
The kids LOVE the guitar and box many want to learn to play.
One night I got some of the youth together and we lead worship for a married couples retreat. As
everything else goes here you have to be flexible and do things that are crazy hard and totally rely on
the Lord. I led several worship songs in Spanish with some of the youth. It was neat to see the kids
step out of their comfort zones and get up in front of people and sing.
I continue to introduce a new song each week and review the one we learned the week before. The
kids really love our time of Worship and seem to be responding to new songs well. I have been telling
them that its easy to sing a song to sound good, or get lost in daydreams, or be so concentrated on
getting the words right that we miss Who we are actually worshiping.
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Spanish & The Gopel
Speaking of comfort zones, my Spanish is getting pretty good. I am actually getting comfortable
praying out loud in Spanish where before I would never, and I mean never, pray out loud in Spanish. It
was just too hard thinking in English and then trying to translate in my head to Spanish before I could
even speak. But now Im praying, leading worship in Spanish and leading Bible studies.
Mission Teams & Outreach [music, bibles giving away, guitars, prayer]
Last Sunday we had a mission team from the states come and visit. I was able lead worship again and played
songs in Spanish and English, like Kari Jobe's Revelations song, Hosanna by Hillsong, Came to My Rescue by
Hillsong, Open The Eyes of My Heart, and others. In other words, it went well enough for everyone to really
worship the Lord.
The outreach that night was particularly special since the leaders from that group told everyone that night the
Lord is probably tugging at your heart right now and although you might be a little uncomfortable coming up to
one of us, Im sure there are those around that you can talk with ,so seek them out and let the Lord set you free.
Well, he pointed to me and Pastor Manuel and so later several came up to me afterwards and we were able to
talk about some important things going on in their lives. We were able to talk frankly about their sin and pray
for forgiveness. God is good and how wonderful He is to meet us in all of our circumstances.
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Prayer Needs
I miss you guys. This week has been the hardest yet, but also very fruitful. I cant tell you how much I
appreciate your prayers, notes on Facebook and E-mail.
I especially appreciate your praying for Monday nights with the youth. Thats the night we do our Bible
study. I talked the first week on salvation. This next week will be a new creation in Christ including fruit
of the Spirit and what a new creation looks like. Well move on from there studying the Word over the
next few weeks focusing first on observing the text and moving onto it application to our lives. Brads
notes have really helped me get things started PTL!
There are a lot of good things going on here, but there are tragic and very hard things as well. Its like
someone dies or is killed every week or two. Four or five people have people have died since Ive been
here. One of my youth kids brother was just murdered. As he told me my heart broke I grabbed him
and prayed for him and he started crying. I told him that Im not here to lie to him and tell him
everything is fine and that he shouldnt be sad. I told him that it will be hard. It is a sad thing, but most
importantly the only advice I had for him is that his brother is dead and he needs to see that life is
fragile and what is he going to do with his life? He grabbed me with tears in his eyes and told me Im
his best friend and that if I try and leave for the States hes going to follow me to the airport , tie me up
with a rope and take me back to Los Cedros. Not exactly the response I was looking for, but kind of
funny.
Last week the police came and notified us that armed bandits were coming to attack us. They woke
me up, and we all gathered at Pastor Manuels home to maintain a watch that night. About 20 of his
extended family came and we maintained vigil with my trusty dog. Actually hes a mutt that nobody
likes because hes just a little runt who bites everybody except me. Well he doesnt really bite
everybody, he just acts tough. For some reason I like the little guy and he helped us make it through
the night. The truth is the Lord is so faithful, He protected us as we all gathered together in His
wonderful name!
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It just lets you know that life is never easy here and some sort of incident or event is just around everycorner. So thank you for your prayers and thinking of us.
Financial Report
Thank you all so much for giving to this ministry. I cant tell you what it means to be here knowing this
is only possible by Gods grace and the generosity of His church. Just to let you know: Most of my
monthly needs of about $500 USD are being met, so for those who can continue to give thank you so
much. Im still praying about the finances for Visa renewal and reentry cost: $200 - $500
approximately for re-entry to Nicaragua quarterly. I am also looking into residency, which would
make me a resident for up to 5 years allow me to have more privileges. I would be left alone byimmigration. The cost for residency is about $500.
Below are some special requests and if the Lord puts it on your heart, then you canmake a note with
your support that you would like it to go toward any of the items below:
Special request:
$250 - $300 for youth group activities and events.
$400 - $500 for community ministry.
$200 for Bibles. The Bibles cost $7 dollars. I was able to buy ten of them, but have had a lot
more requests from kids in the youth group and people at the church. Its crazy to think that
most people in the church dont have a Bible but its true. So this is a very special request.
Motorcycle
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I hate to bring it up but the motorcycle has become one of my most pressing and expensive prayer
requests. Literally, it is falling apart on these incredibly rough washboard roads filled with endless
potholes. I keep repairing it, welding parts and it keeps breaking. It simply is not made for these types
of roads and yet I have to do many errands for the school, the church and mission teams.
Screws are now missing, parts have fallen off and others are completely bent. I can possibly sell it for
about $1,000-$1,300, but the cost of a more adequate one is at least $2,200 - $2,600 USD. That leaves
about $900 - $1,600 which I know is a lot, so Im just asking everyone one to pray.
Again thank you for all your prayers and support. It is making a difference in the lives of these kids that
literally face life each day living on the edge. Gods eternal truth and loving-kindness is being shared by
your wonderful support. Thank you again and God Bless!
In His Wonderful Name,
Mike Booth
For those who want to contribute, you can send a donation to:
Calvary Chapel Living Hope
Attn: Nicaragua Mission Mike Booth
625 Seagaze
Oceanside, CA 92054Ph# 760 967-6869
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]