Our last full day in Nicaragua was a full one!

This morning we visited the Masayah Volcano. It is a live volcano that was pouring out smoke and sulphuric gases. Fields of dry lava from a huge eruption over 150 years ago surrounded the YOM group as we traveled to the volcano. It was a unique and very cool experience that none of us will ever forget! Be sure and check the photo album for a look at all we got to see.

We ate lunch at Papa John's. In case you see the photos and were wondering - yes, we did play in the play-place for a while after we ate. =)

Tonight's service and our final one in Nicaragua was at a church called Tabernulco Viva in an area called La Fuentes. We sang about 3-4 worship songs and then the Holy Ghost began to move. God took control, and we yielded to HIS plans for the service. Bro. Levine preached and people began to crowd around the altar. In the end, 11 people either received the Holy Ghost for the first time or were refilled again, and some were healed. Every YOMer was working in the altar and received a special blessing of their own through their worship and ministry.

After we came back to the hotel, we had our annual Missouri Youth on Missions last-night pow-wow. We handed out some funny awards (which are listed below), shared some serious moments from the trip, and each YOMer and staff member talked for a moment about how the trip has changed their life. Each person had great things to say about this year's YOM trip, and the group was unanimous - our lives are changed forever. God has broken, shaped, and molded each of us in the past week. Thank God for a wonderful mission trip to Nicaragua!

You can view the photos from today at http://picasaweb.google.com/MOYouth09.

See you all in St. Louis Lambert International Airport at 5:15pm (local time)!

In a word - awesome! Today was the designated sightseeing day for the YOM trip to Nicaragua.

Before we left the hotel, we were ministered to by Cecilia Thornton who gave a short devotion to the YOM team. We had a time of prayer and then we departed for a big day of sightseeing and fun.

Our first activity was the zip-line adventure over the jungle in the city of Managua. However, because of a meeting of Central American leaders to discuss the unrest in Honduras, federal police and military had blocked off the area of the city that our activity was located within. We were able to improvise and go to a different zip-line location in Granada. Each YOMer strapped on a harness and zip-lined 50+ feet above the ground through the jungle. It was a blast! Only the photos and personal stories can truly relate the fun we all had doing the zip-line adventure.

Next, the YOM team went out to lunch at a great "lookout point" over the jungle and a huge lake formed by a volcano. We ate a tasty meal and were entertained by a small local band that played some Nicaraguan music.

We then traveled to Lake Nicaragua (an enormous lake over 100 miles long and the only place in the world where there are freshwater sharks) and took a boat tour of the lake, bouncing between small islands formed by a volcanic eruption over 150 years ago. One of these islands was called "Monkey Island", where monkeys jumped onto our boats and ate out of our hands. Once again, only the photos and personal stories can do justice to the Monkey Island and boat tour experiences. The scenery on the lake was beautiful beyond words.

When we left the lake, we headed back into Granada and visited a nice coffee shop where YOMers together enjoyed desserts and coffee. We went back to the hotel in Managua and chilled out, resting up for a very full day tomorrow.

Photos from this extraordinary day can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/MOYouth09.

This evening we had service in La Concepcion; this is the same church that the YOM team painted two days ago. The pastor expressed his and his congregation's gratitude for the hard work of the YOM team, and presented Bro. Levine with a special gift: a wooden plate with leather on it, inscribed with an outline of Nicaragua.

The YOMers ministered throughout this entire service as well, with testimonies by Emily Payne, Emily Howard, Braxton Thompson, Kerrie Gruwell, Sarah Sapp, Johnnie Peyton, Christina Parks. The leadership of Amanda Tate with the Sign Team implored the congregation to worship God as they never had before.

The YOM Choir and Sign Team once again led in worship and praise, setting the stage for God's Word to be preached by Dustin Williams. There was a tremendous move of God and a life-changing altar service, and 21 people received the Holy Ghost! There was such a spirit of joy and happiness that after altar service we had another short praise service, singing a couple more songs and rejoicing for the great work that God had done.

We ate dinner tonight at a familiar American restuarant - T.G.I. Fridays. Although we have greatly enjoyed the local food for the past 5 days, everyone was glad to have a "taste of home". Tomorrow is our official sight-seeing day and we will visit volcanoes, islands, and do the zip line over the jungle.

Photos from both of today's services can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/home.

This morning we had Sunday service in a town called Camilo Ortega. Service began and the local pastor led a time of praise and worship. In this service, a few members of the YOM team testified:  Kristen Serpette, Amanda Godbey, Brooke Smith, Marc Stepp, Tyler Mays, and Danielle Thomas. The YOM Choir and Sign Team both ministered with songs, and the local congregation was moved to worship and praise. There was a powerful move of God and lives were changed! Preaching this morning were Ryan Tate, Blake Compton, and Wes Strickland. All three did a great job delivering God's Word and a powerful altar service ensued, resulting with six people receiving the Holy Ghost for the first time! Praise God! After service, the YOM group went out to lunch at the food court at a mall in Managua - the nicest mall in the entire country. We then returned to hotel for a short while to recharge and get ready for evening service in another city.

Greetings! We've just returned to the hotel from Chinadega, where the YOM team participated in a Holy Ghost Rally. When we arrived, the local church surprised us all by having rented an outside location to hold service in. It was a large service with around 300 people in attendance. We had worship service and the local church youth group ministered with a drama. After that, a few of the YOMers testified: Justin Lee, Rachel Adams, and Rachel Niffen. The YOM Choir then sang 2 songs in Spanish. The Holy Ghost moved during the second song and prayer and worship ensued. The aftermath:  17 received the Holy Ghost for the first time (one of which was our own bus driver) and many received a great blessing. A side note - because the service was held in a rough part of town, the local church hired federal police to escort the YOM team in and out of the area. After service, we enjoyed dinner at a restaurant called "Rosti Pollo". It was a delicious meal of roasted chicken and other side dishes. We then hit the road once again, taking a 3 hour trip back to Managua to get some rest for the night. We have service tomorrow morning and evening. Thank you for your prayers and blog comments! Photos from tonight's service can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/MOYouth09.

This morning all the YOMers went to the park in Managua and played baseball, volleyball, and kickball with the young people from the local church. We played for several hours and had a fantastic time playing sports and talking with our Christian brothers and sisters on a hot and sunny Nicaraguan day. We ate lunch at a restuarant called "Pollo Campero", a fried chicken meal which many YOMers compared to KFC back in the States.

Also, today is the 18th birthday of YOMer Rachel Niffen! Happy Birthday, Rachel! The entire YOM team sang her Happy Birthday on the bus earlier today. We're about to clean up, get dressed, and hit the road again (this time a 3-hour trip) to tonight's church service. Check back tonight for the report! See today's photos so far at http://picasaweb.google.com/home.

What a full day we've had today in Nicaragua! We left the hotel at 8:30am for a town "La Concepion" where the YOM team painted a newly-dedicated church building. The YOMers applied a base coat to the concrete walls, and after it dried they applied the yellow-colored paint. The church looked great inside and out! After about 3.5 hours of painting and clean-up, we had a delicious lunch of grilled chicken, rice, and platano chips with the local church group (which they provided). Later in the trip we will be having church service in this very same church building in La Concepion.  The pastor was overjoyed at the quick work our YOMers did! Since we finished painting early, after lunch, the YOMers hopped on the bus once again - this time heading to the Pacific Ocean! We visited a secluded beach and the only people there were the YOMers and a few Nicaraguan children. It was about a 1.5 hour drive there, but it was completely worth it! For most, it was their first time in the Pacific Ocean, and for many it was their very first experience with any ocean. Everyone had a blast riding the waves and swimming around enjoying the beautiful scenery.  It was a completely incredible experience! After watching a breathtaking sunset, we left the beach at about 7pm and headed to dinner in Managua. We enjoyed dinner at a restaurant where we ate beef and pork steaks with rice and beans. Just before we left the restuarant, the YOM team presented the Missionary family and AIM family with gifts of foods and products from the U.S. that they cannot purchase anywhere in Nicaragua.  They were so thrilled.  They were totally shocked at the amount of gifts the YOMers brought.  It was very cool to see. We've just arrived back at our hotel for the night, resting up for a morning tomorrow that will include baseball, volleyball and a day at the park with the youth from local churches.  Then we have a 3 hour drive for another church service. New photos from today can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/home.

We just rolled back into our hotel in Managua from a tremendous Youth Rally in Juigalpa, Nicaragua! It was about a 2.5 hour trip there. Once we were in service, 4 YOMers shared their personal testitmony and words of encouragement with the local church:  Drake, Haley, Blake, and Amberea. Then, the YOM Sign Team, led by Amanda Tate, ministered in sign langauge to the song "Lord You Are Good". When the YOM Sign Team finished their song, the people of the local church were chanting for more! The YOM Choir then ministered in song with "More Love, More Power" and "When the Spirit of Lord Comes Upon My Heart" - in Spanish! The YOM Team also preached tonight, with Dustin Williams, Cici Thornton, and Randall Lee each speaking for about 10 minutes (through the interpretation of Missionary Steve Nix). The Spirit of God continued to move as people began to crowd around the altar. The official report from the Youth Rally in Juigalpa, Nicaragua - 6 received the Holy Ghost for the first time, 22 claim miraculous healing, and many others responded to the Word of God through worship, praise, and prayer. After service the group was served a catered dinner of grilled chicken, rice, potatoes, cooked bananas, and flan. We had a wonderful time getting to know the local pastors (there are 3 apostolic churches in Juigalpa) and enjoying another great meal. Everyone has gone to bed for the night; we have an early morning tomorrow! We will be painting the interior of a newly dedicated church tomorrow morning. Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and encouraging comments you've left on the blog. All of today and tonight's photos are posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/home.

YOM 2009 is going great in Managua, Nicaragua! Today we spent the morning at the marketplace buying souvineers and meeting local Nicaraguans. You'll have to wait see what all we picked up when we get back to St. Louis! We ate lunch at a restaurant at the mall called "Taconcento" -  a meal of soup, beef tacos, and strawberry chimichangas. Everyone enjoyed yet another GREAT meal! In moments we will board the bus and leave to go to Juigalpa for a Youth Rally service. We have been in prayer for this service and God is going to do a great work at our first service in Nicaragua! There will be MUCH more to come later tonight, after we get back to the hotel. It will be a late night, as the trip to Juigalpa will take at least 2 hours each way. Keep us in your prayers! Check back later tonight. Photos from this morning are already posted; go to the same place as last night to see them all!

We just got back to our hotel in Managua. Tonight we had a great time eating at "la Frinca" with the Missionary, Steve Nix and his fellow workers. Afterwards, we went to his home in Managua for home-made cake dessert called "tres leches" which means "three milks". We had orientation and prayer with the entire YOM group, and then learned three new (Spanish) choir songs to sing at tomorrow night's service! The MO-YOM Sign Team is up late practicing right now for the song that they'll sign in the service. We're all excited about visiting the market tomorrow morning, and even more excited about the great work that God is going to do in tomorrow night's Youth Rally service! Keep the service in your prayers! All of today's photos are posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/MOYouth09