Empty Bucket Ministries Nicaragua Journey

The workers teaching me how to install the irrigation system! 

Walking through the farmland and praying over the irrigation system!

This is sorghum. A grain that they harvest and sell to feed their cows, chickens, pigs, and horses. That in turn will feed them. Helping the people of Nicaragua become a self-sustaining society!

Empty Bucket Ministries. Nicaragua. 1/24/2013

Almost done!!

I have spent the past 3 days here in Nicaragua, the 2nd poorest country in the western hemisphere, watching and experiencing firsthand our FIRST Empty Bucket Ministries water project. I never imagined I would be standing here co-leading my own 501c3 non-profit organization. This trip so far has encouraged and uplifted me in so many ways. A couple months ago, we as an organization sent over funds to Nicaragua to originally fund a water pump for a well but then decided that the land needed an irrigation system to pump water out to the farmland so that the people can harvest crops and sell for a profit. And here we are, actually on-site this week watching the irrigation system be placed into the ground. As I stepped on the land, it became so real and the beauty of the Lord hovered over the farmland. With this system in place, they will be able to irrigate 8 acres of land and plant 64,000 little pepper plants. These will be harvested and sold/exported out. This allows them to be self-sustaining; providing jobs and generating income for the poor. Glory to God!! It is amazing at what WATER can do!! Another awesome testimony is that they actually already have a buyer for these pepper plants. So as soon as they can harvest them, they will export them out!!! Thank you Jesus!!!!

As I walked through the farmland, I began to pray over the abundance of the land. I prayed that God would provide and meet every need of the people there. I prayed that hungry bellies would be filled and jobs would be provided for those that are without. As a team, we all got down on our knees and laid our hand over the tubing to pray for it. My heart was so full. I was humbled. I was amazed that God would use someone like me to be apart of such an incredible project!

So much has happened since we have been here and I just want to share a few stories with all of you. When we first got here, we visited the Donna Holland School in Diriamba, Nicaragua!! We got to meet 15 beautiful children that Empty Bucket Ministries will be working to find sponsors for this year. As an organization we believe so strongly in the POWER of education and we want to fully invest into the lives of children. We laughed, played, and filmed each child. They absolutely LOVED being on camera. From smiles to tears they told us their stories. In their eyes, you could see the fear and hopelessness of their situation; the FEAR that they will never amount to anything. Most were from impoverished situations and broken families. One little boy's mother walked miles to the school to bring him so that he might get the chance to be sponsored. For her, we were her last hope.  She longed for her little boy to be more than the circumstances he was trapped in, but she couldn't financially support any schooling for him. We were humbled and honored to take him under our covering to find sponsorship for this little boy. Here in Nicaragua, children can't attend school unless they have a uniform and school supplies and most families can't afford this for their children. So they need sponsors. Here are a few pictures of the beautiful children that need sponsors...

"Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone." -Andy Stanley

There are so many stories and I can't wait to share them all! Thank you so much for praying for us on this journey!!!