The following report is nearly 2500 words and 4 full pages as a word document. I know that some of you only want a quick recap, while others will enjoy the full detailed report. Below you can see bullet points, or key facts, of the report. For those of you who want to print the document, please download the attachment and print copies to share with your friends, families, and churches.
· 2009 has passed quickly with many highs and lows for our mission, but ended on very high notes. God’s planning and faithfulness has our mission healthy and blessed for a great 2010!
· We have had many trials and staff changes this year, which currently leaves our Nicaragua staff stronger and made up of 3 Americans and 7 Nicaraguans. Of those 10 people, 7 are 32 years old and under, and of those 7, 4 are 25 years old and younger.
· Our mission house is seeing great results, thanks to God and the support of many of you, this house will be full by February 1.
· By February 1, we will have 8 young Americans, including myself, living on the land and working in Candelaria from 3-12 months as long-term missionaries. 5 of them have been there since December 2009, and all are open to staying with us longer if God calls them to it during their commitments.
· We had over 80 people serving in lengths of 7-21 days throughout more than ten groups from mid-November until the first week of January. They all came with different ways to bless our mission and community, and this momentum has our mission so excited for 2010.
· I cannot share enough about God’s timing and perfect plan for our mission, as He has called Tommy, Erick, and I into other ministries in January, but supplied our mission staff with great Christians to keep things going with Linda, and our staff will be even stronger when we return.
· W cannot say thank you enough to those of you who have supported the many projects in 2009. The adopt-a-family, goat house, mission house, bakery, clinic, and other projects have been blessed with funds, and those funds have been used to see amazing progress in all areas. We are also receiving blessings for our outreach communities, which is so exciting and encouraging for us, but even more so for our villages.
· We are currently asking for prayer and support in our general fund, and are hoping to see it blessed in 2010 the way our projects were supported in 2009.
· My next project is starting a computer lab, this project does not need money raised, it needs donations of all computers, laptops, and electronics. More info coming in February, but please start letting people know I want their old electronics.
I am headed to Kenya for 2 weeks on a mission trip with my dad and other NC Baptists. I will have a weekend in North Carolina, 2 weeks in Kenya, and return to Nicaragua in the last days of January. I hope to see many of you during this short trip. I will also be back in North Carolina for two weddings in April, and for those I miss in January, I hope to get some time with you in April. Thanks to everyone who has stayed interested in my mission work, thanks for the prayers and support these first 2 years. I still feel at home here, and hope some of you will come visit when time allows.
Jim Bob “Diego” Norman
Make ‘em Smile
New Song Mission Nicaragua
A Big Welcome to 2010
Well 2009 has come and gone, and it seemed to go by faster than 2008 for me here with New Song Mission Nicaragua. It has been a year of ups and downs, joys and disappointments, tears and laughs. Through everything this mission has faced in 2009, we have stayed confident just as we are told to do in Philippians 1:6 knowing that God who started this great work will see it carried to completion until Jesus Christ returns.
God’s Amazing Timing and Faithfulness
I am always amazed at God’s timing and how He truly orders things to work for His perfect plan. Allow me to give you a real example. From March 2009-September 2009, our mission faced some storms. I am talking about some powerful storms, like we hear about in Matthew 7. Storms that had this mission not been built on the rock, it would have certainly fallen with a great crash. We lost some key members of our Nicaraguan staff, the drop of the United States’ economy caused lower contributions in a year with greater in-country costs closing the old and legalizing the new organization. Also, some of the short-term mission teams were unable to come, or fell short of results they had planned. But God was only giving our mission and its staff a trial of faith through these months, as He strengthens us and provides everything in His time.
Staff and pastor changes over the past year, have caused the responsibilities of locals to grow and they have matured indescribably in the process. Walter is leading and pastoring multiple communities in real Christian ways, and Erick is being a great assistant to him in the churches and running the projects, as if he is three people in one. Yader and Juanita have jumped in whole-heartedly to help wherever they are asked, from women ministries to project managing. Daniel has really been restored, and is doing great leading our worship and helping with the projects. Julio’s English vocabulary is growing every day. He is a great interpreter and is now teaching English two times a week in the community. Yaharia and Darling seem to have matured 5 years in six months and are running many things on their own. They are great examples in the community to the children, youth, and adults. Everyone is really buying into their part and growing!
Current Nicaragua-based Staff
Our mission staff and project workers have changed almost more times than we can count, but we feel God is forming this mission for what He wants here in 2010. After many successes and failures, we or God rather, has shown us the best way to form our current Nicaraguan-based staff going into 2010:
Tommy and Linda Gable as founders and spiritual and project heads respectively
Jim Bob “Diego” Norman as head of youth, Candelaria property manager, and state-side accounting
Walter Varela as senior pastor of Santa Matilde and leader of New Song Church of Candelaria
Yader Sanchez as project and in-country accountant
Daniel Campos as project manager, marketing and sales, and worship leader
Julio Briones as full-time mission interpreter and English teacher
Yahaira Gonzalez as Director of Children’s Ministries and assistant to Darling
Darling Matamoros as New Song Medical & Dental Clinic administrator and assistant to Yahaira
Erick Rocha started a good full-time job in Leon January 4, but stays committed to the mission, helping the whole staff and working to legalize our Nicaraguan organization and medical/dental clinic as time allows
Mission House Progressing
Thanks first and foremost to God, and then to many of you and your churches, our mission house is making great progress. All of the rooms have tiled floors, painted walls, drop ceilings and ceiling fans installed. We are still raising funds to add furniture and air conditioning to bed rooms. Thanks to God and all of you that have been such a big part of this project. Because of you, all of the people listed below are living on the mission property, where they can help our community and me full-time. Donations to the house project can be made by mail or online, please mark them for construction.
Long-term Missionaries
A new chapter has begun in our mission, and it is very exciting. After the Gables move to Nicaragua in June 2007, and mine in February 2008, God has sent an uncountable number of short-term missionaries and mission teams (Short-term being anything under one month). Starting 2010, He has called a large number of young long termers, many of which made it a week before 2010 started. They have their own blogs!
Brittany McManus, age 24, FIU graduate, from Orlando, FL came September 2009, and plans to stay until mid April 2010 or longer http://blog.brittanymcmanus.com/
Jacob Willingham, age 22, ASU graduate, from Hendersonville, NC came in the last week of 2009, and will be here through June 2010 or longer http://wordsfromawillingham.blogspot.com/
Ashley Willingham, age 22, ASU graduate from Hendersonville, NC is Jacob’s wife and came in the last week of 2009, and will be here through June 2010 or longer http://wordsfromawillingham.blogspot.com/
Evan Dixon, age 20, UNCC student, from Huntersville, NC did 11 months here the summer of 2009, and got back the last week of December with plans to be here until April 2010 http://evandixon.com/blog/
Kelly Young, age 20, UNCC student, from Huntersville, NC is Evan’s girlfriend and came the last week of December with plans to be here until April 2010 http://kelly89.com/
Lisa Smith, age 26, King graduate, from Beckley, WV did the month of August 2008 with us during her World Race and after completing it, is headed back for the 2010 year http://lisasmith.myadventures.org/
Lindsay Dobner, age 21, Campbell graduate, from Indian Trail, NC will be with us by February 1, and plans to serve for five months http://lindsayinnicaragua.blogspot.com/
All of these missionaries come with their own talents, gifts, and ideas for helping New Song, and we are tickled to have them with us this year. Some of their gifts include, but are not limited to: marketing and sales of local business and projects, construction, dance and worship leadership with hearts to teach children, photography, graphic and webpage design skills, audio/video talent, children ministry, sport ministry, and hearts for abandoned children, youth, and young women.
They have plans to help our projects productivity, build and repair, teach dance and worship, improve mission website, liven church services, and be disciples and Christian examples for all age groups and both genders. All of them are self-supported, so please pray for them, and support as you can as they work for God’s kingdom alongside us at New Song. All of them are current college students, or have just graduated. People always comment on how young I am to be doing what I am doing, and to see God call so many more my age and younger has us so excited. To see them all answer that call and step out on faith and obedience is so encouraging. Pray for funds for others who have made contact and might join us later in the year.
Riding the End of 2009’s Momentum
In the last 7 weeks, He has opened the doors and poured a waterfall of blessings on this mission. We have had over 80 people stay between a week and three weeks serving with us between November 16 and January 5. In the final two weeks of November: Bice, Cindy, Dwayne, and Nancy led our staff and community through powerful teaching and prayer in spiritual warfare, World Race sent us 13 more racers who encouraged our youth and adults in many activities and graduations, Atlanta City Church brought a small team that worked like a huge team; leading evangelism, worship, and services in new, creative ways.
December was a month like no other, starting with Rachel, of WWOOF, helping in our gardens and construction of Francisca’s house for a week. The Armstrongs provided an unbelievable children’s Christmas party and blessed the Garcia family during their Christmas vacation trip. Living Water brought a group of 22 made up of college students and graduates, the Roberts family, and the Greenes for three weeks that closed 2009 with a bang and gave us an amazing momentum starting 2010. They blessed churches with music instrument and audio equipment, dance, drama, artwork, and puppets. They did house construction in the community and on our mission house. They taught worship, dance, art, and other skills while leading many to Christ through: home visits, prayer, and interactive services for children, youth, and adults. On the heels of their encouraging and motivating trip we had a team of six from Independence Hills Baptist and Steele Creek that blessed the community of Santa Matilde with tables and swing sets, and encouragement for big progress in 2010. We currently have a team of thirteen college students from Concordia University of St. Paul, Minnesota serving in Candelaria and building off of that momentum from the last six weeks of 2009 and sharing in our community until mid January.
More of God’s Amazing Plans and Timing
I told you how much I love seeing why God does what He does, and how His timing is so perfect; knowing that He is up to something, but not knowing why, and later figuring out parts of it. I find myself questioning His timing, not getting an answer, and learning to practice patience until He is ready to let me understand part of His plan. So here I am bragging on Him again in this aspect. Tommy and I have both been called out of Nicaragua for a big part of January to do some other ministry. Tommy will be in Charlotte, and I will am headed to the NC mountains followed by a trip to Kenya. Tommy’s trip happened very suddenly, whereas mine has been planned for a few months, but neither one came as a surprise to God. He had already equipped New Song with everything it needed in our absence. God put Darrell Roberts and his dynamite Living Water team in our community to lead services in Tommy’s absence. He also got 5 of the 7 long-term missionaries into the community two weeks before my departure, where they have become a great team that understands managing things on the property. Just a few days later, we got the news that Erick had accepted a good accounting job in Leon. We were happy for the opportunity he was taking, but worried how Walter and the church, our clinic and other projects, and Nicaraguan organization would suffer in his absence. Darling was out of the country visiting family, but God sent her back a few days early to train to not only do accounting and reception for the clinic, but fully administer it. God gave her and Yahaira willing hearts to help wherever else they are needed during this transition and they have a couple months to train full-time before starting their senior years of university classes. Erick is also committing to help on weekends when they are in classes and teaching Sunday School. Classes. I am fascinated by God’s timing!
Thanksgiving for Project Funding & Prayer for General Fund
The waterfall of blessings that God is pouring on us that I mentioned above; it has not just been with people coming, but He is also releasing funds. In the final two months of 2009, God has allowed us to nearly complete the mission house construction and Francisca and Edwin’s house construction. The oven for the soon-to-come bakery was finished January 7th and a large contribution has been given to the medical/dental clinic. This will help legalize the clinic and allow it to be open more days a week. It will also get containers shipped to provide dental equipment, and much more. Our outreach community of Tonala has also had a great amount of funds raised for purchasing land and beginning construction of a church shelter. Our faithful Sunday School students had a great Christmas party with: a message on giving, individual gifts, and a big lunch.
We want to extend a very large thank you to everyone who funded these projects and came to work in country towards completing them in 2009. We want to encourage everyone to contribute towards the mission’s general fund in the beginning of 2010. These projects are wonderful and give a sense of ownership to contributions, but be that as it is, none of these projects can exist without the mission, and the mission cannot exist without its general fund needs met. We are trusting God to provide for our general fund, and know He will be faithful with it as He has proven faithful in all of our project fund raising. Once again thank you to everyone who has given faithfully in 2009, we know this was as difficult a year as any, your contribution statements will be mailed out from Atlanta City Church the last day of January.
Near Future, My Next Project
For those of you who follow me closely, you know that I enjoyed taking on my own personal projects throughout 2009 in trimesters. One of my personal goals when I left in February 2008, was to start a computer lab within 2 years. Well, let me tell you that two years is right on target! In February, we will have 2-3 computers with Windows XP Spanish installed and available for our youth and pastors to use for school and bible research. We have had internet on the land for the past year now, and a few donations of routers and CAT5 has us networked and surfing. No money is being asked for this project, as I stated above, we want money contributions to go towards the general fund. For those of you replacing your desktops, laptops, printers, monitors, keyboards, mice, and networking devices please do not get rid of your old parts. Any computer from year 2000 and newer would be a blessing to this project. The official project awareness letter, with more info, will be sent the first week of February. For now, please start spreading the word among your: family and friends, workplace, church, and school who have replaced or no longer use their computers and electronics to donate to our mission and not just throw them away. I see this lab, one day, running in its own building, serving as a library with a classroom for computer technologies and greater education possibilities than the local schools provide.
Closing Thoughts & Prayer Requests
In closing, I want to thank all of you who continue to have an interest in our mission work here in Northwest Nicaragua. I cannot tell you how excited I am to see what God has in store for 2010. Please pray for my travels between Nicaragua, NC, and Kenya throughout January. Please pray for all of the new people we have with our mission and the new roles our staff are stepping into this year. In Christ, JB/Diego
