Dex Aie

Test

CJ Nissen — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:30:26 +0000

test

Day 9, Thursday – Heading home

CJ Nissen — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:33:54 +0000

We leave for the airport at 4.30 am tomorrow morning and board our plane at 7:45 am. We arrive back in Minneapolis around 10 pm. Thanks for all your prayers and we look forward to sharing all the video and stories!

Day 8, Wednesday – Shopping in Chiguanas and Hindu Temple

CJ Nissen — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:32:49 +0000

Today we visited the local shopping hub and get some last minute gifts. We found Trinidad futbol jerseys so everyone on the team got one!

Finally we visited a Hindu shrine to the deity/idol/monkey god Hanuman. I asked our host what the legend is surrounding it was, this was the story I heard. Apparently Hanuman is famous for being dispatched to a particular mountain to collect a specific flower for medicinal purposes. When he arrived, he forgot what flower he was looking for and just returned with the whole mountain. Apparently Hindu gods are long on strength but short on brains. I’m thankful that we serve a God who never forgets!

Day 7, Tuesday – VBS and Prayer Meeting

CJ Nissen — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:20:05 +0000

We set out to meet and entertain kids at an orphanage, but when we got there, all of the kids were at a local VBS. So we decided to crash the VBS (with the director’s permission of course!). We had fun painting faces, making clay figures, beading and doing sidewalk chalk. We finished by leading a couple of songs and sharing the Gospel. The director pulled me aside and said that she had been praying all morning for help because they were overwhelmed and didn’t have a real plan. It was a blessing for us and we exchanged contact information. They would like to have us come and put on their VBS next year!
Then we went to a closer church that we had arranged to help with VBS and did the similar ministry. The pastor there also said that we were to contact them so we could run their VBS next year. I’m sensing a theme!
Finally, we ended the day be participating in a bible study with folks from the local church. Stacey and Bethany were able to give their testimonies. I led worship, but halfway through had an allergic reaction to something and my eyes swelled shut and were watering like crazy. They assumed I was having an emotional experience and layed hands on me. Fortunately we were able to continue and had a great time!

Day 6, Monday – Maracas Beach

CJ Nissen — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:16:32 +0000

Trinidad has the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to and we got to spend the day there. It’s not very busy because most Trini’s can’t swim and don’t like the surf. We started out enjoying a world famous “Bake n’ Shark” a delicious sandwich made from fried shark and topped with your choice of 8 sauces (most of them can also melt concrete) and vegetables.

Andre and I had the great privilege of baptizing 3 of our team. Stacey Wenzel, Breanna Jilek , and Tiffany Carlson all shared their testimonies with us and we were pleased and blessed to baptize them in the warm water with all the beachgoers watching. It’s hard to hold hands and pray when you are getting pounded with 4 foot waves though!

Day 5, Sunday – Church and Teen Fellowship

CJ Nissen — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:13:36 +0000

We had a great day Sunday as we attended church in Caparo with the church we serve when here. The pastor allowed me to preach and Breanna and Sabrina both shared their testimonies. We were blessed by the small but passionate group there. We arrived at 9.30 for the service. We were done some time around noon-thirty.

We were invited that evening to an elder’s home in a nearby town where we were joined by the youth group there. We set up the best slip-n-slide ever that quickly degenerated into Team America vs. Team Trinidad World Wrestling Championship. Trinis cheat at wrestling.

Day 4, Saturday – A whole lot of nothing!

CJ Nissen — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:14:58 +0000

I’m not gonna lie. We were exhausted after last night, so we slept until noon, did some cleaning and then had an awesome Barbeque at Bally and Sheri’s. Those people are awesome! Breanna made homemade apple pie from stuff she bought here. I’m stuffed.

Day 3, Friday (Part 2) – Youth Outreach

CJ Nissen — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:09:07 +0000

Also on Friday, we had the opportunity to go to the “Savannah” the local ball field and participate in a youth outreach. Students from Caparo, Los Lomas, and several other communities came for a long night of volleyball and football (the kind you play with your feet, not your hands. I think we call it soccer!) I had the unique opportunity of sharing a brief devotional and then we ate. We didn’t get a great count of how many attended, but we had no problem finishing off the 85 hot dogs we had bought. (They were told 1 each, but who knows??)

We also did a few odds and end jobs. Andre replaced a toilet and fixed some windows.

Day 3, Friday (Part 1)

CJ Nissen — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:58:50 +0000

Friday was an immensely busy day for us! We spent the morning and afternoon at the local church here in Caparo painting. The front of the church faces the town was built with these beautiful arches and a front patio. It’s really breathtaking as it overlooks the town. Unfortunately it had never been painted, so the concrete was bare and unsightly. We fixed that. I’ll let you be the judge.

Day 2, Thursday – Food Baskets

CJ Nissen — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:50:07 +0000

On Thursday, we bought and filled 16 boxes of food to be delivered to people in need. We met a sweet woman named Michelle who is left to raise 5 children while her husband serves in the army. We met a couple who live in nothing more then corrugated metal leaning against posts, no water, no electricity, and no plumbing. We also met Cindy and Radich who live with their children in a 2 room shack on stilts. We were also able to bless the associate pastor of the church who is paid $30US a month.