Your Nicaragua questions answered

WHY ARE YOU MOVING TO NICARAGUA?

The decision to move our family to Nicaragua was not made quickly or easily.  It was something that had been stirring in our hearts for years, but we were not aware of until more recently.  I'm not saying that we knew for a long time that we were going to be missionaries to a foreign country, not at all.  In fact, I still look at Tim sometimes (often) and say, "I can't believe we are moving to Nicaragua!"  What I am saying is that God has been preparing us with different challenges in our lives that have forced us to answer this question, "Are we doing what God has asked us to do?"  Each time we answer that question we are either brought closer to his plan for our lives or further away; it's our choice.  We believe with certainty that God has invited us to follow him to Nicaragua, and we want to answer him with a firm but humble yes.  (I blogged more specifically about this HERE.)

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO THERE?

We are going to be joining the ministry of New Life Nicaragua, which was started by Tim and Chris Bagwell.  (You can visit the website HERE.)  I wish all of you could meet this amazing couple, and perhaps if you come to visit us you will.  Their example of Christ's love has changed my life, and God has used them to turn our hearts towards Nicaragua.

Here is a 5 minute video from a few years ago of Tim and Chris introducing you to these ministries.

Their ministry provides orphan care with a nutritional emphasis that specializes in abused and abandoned children, most who are under the age of six.  They also host short term missionary teams and internship programs that center around building homes for the poor, discipleship, and skill training to help end the cycle of hopelessness and poverty.  I do not know what our daily lives will look like, but I've been promised there is plenty of work to do.

I do not plan on being employed as a nurse in Nicaragua.  Certainly, if the opportunity presents itself through this ministry to use the skills I have learned I would gladly offer them.  I do however plan to keep my Ohio nursing license active at this point, mainly because I'm not sure I could pass the NCLEX again if I should ever need to. 

WHEN ARE WE MOVING?

We are planning to move there next summer.  It may seem like a long time from now, but we have a lot to do!  The first thing on our list was to find a sending missionary organization, which I will say more about below.  The next big thing is to sell our home.  We are looking to do that this summer, then move in to my very generous sister's basement (Nancy and Chad are saints, I tell you!) until we make our final move to Nicaragua.  This helps us in two ways.  One, it gives us time to sell our home without the stress of an impending departure date, and two, it will allow us to save money to restart our lives there.  My sister lives in the same school district as we currently do, so our children's lives will be minimally interrupted in that regard.

I'm sure we could accomplish all of this in less time, but we wanted to minimize the strain on our children, and allow them to finish out the school year in familiar surroundings.

HOW LONG WILL WE BE THERE?

The short answer is that we don't know.  We are walking into this with our hearts open to whatever God has in store for us, whether that is two years or twenty.  We are, however, planning to be there for an extended time.

We will be coming back to Cincinnati to visit.  How often will depend on our work schedule, as well as finances.  

HOW DO WE MAKE A LIVING?

Tim and I are going to Nicaragua as volunteers, which means we are completely reliant on the financial support of others.  Our missionary organization is Commission To Every Nation (CTEN) and they will be handling our donations, helping us with news letters, and supporting us with pastoral care.  They fall under a 501C3, and are ECFA accredited while boasting 4 stars on Charity Navigator.  All money that is donated to us through them is tax deductible.

I can tell you that it is not an easy thing for us to ask for money, but God has really helped to change my perspective on this.  If you feel that God is asking you to give to this ministry, you are not giving to the Mohr family, you are giving it to Him.  We are your partners and co-laborers, investing our lives and our financial blessings into work that he has called us to do.  

Our giving link is http://www.cten.org/timothymohr/

Here is what our CTEN giving page looks like.

WHAT DO OUR KIDS THINK ABOUT ALL OF THIS?

I am telling you the truth when I say that my children were my biggest hesitation with making this decision.  God placed a strong desire in my heart at an early age to be a mother, and my children have given me so much joy and purpose in life.  Isaiah, Thia, Ella, and Eliza are our first calling, and Tim and I have declared before God that we would raise them to know Him.

As we considered the move to Nicaragua, we had a lot of questions with regards to our children.  Would they be upset?  How will they handle it?  Are we doing them a disservice?  Is this fair to them?  But all of these questions took us back to the beginning of this process with the first and most important question, "Are we doing what God has asked us to do?"  When we were clear and confident on that answer, we knew that all of the other ones would be taken care of even if we didn't know how.

I wish I could tell you that all of our children were extremely excited and eager to move, but that's simply not the case.  Two of them are ready to leave tomorrow, and two of them are a bit more hesitant.  I can put myself in their shoes, and see the magnitude of how this changes their lives.  This is not an easy task to process and commit to, and Tim and I have been in deep prayer for the past few months over our children.

Can I tell you?  I have witnessed very few things that are more beautiful than watching God woo the hearts of my children.  We are powerless to convince them and change their minds, but God in his grace and mercy knows just how to speak to their needs.  We have witnessed slow but steady changes in their view of this calling, and it has encouraged and settled our anxious hearts.  I don't expect this move to be easy on them, but I know that they are going to be just fine.

WHAT ABOUT SCHOOL?

As stated above, I love my kids more than life itself, and I really want to keep it that way.  This is why I do not believe home schooling is a great option for my family.  I wish that this type of teaching was part of my gifting, but it simply isn't.  The greatest news regarding this, is that I have another option.  Nicaragua has an English speaking school that is U.S. accredited, and the plan is for all of our children to attend there.  It is called Nicaragua Christian Academy (NCA).  If you're curious, you can find their page on Facebook or visit their website HERE.

WHERE WILL WE LIVE? 

Is it strange that I don't know where we will live?  Not exactly anyway.  We will be looking to rent a house in the capital city of Managua, and hopefully near the orphanage.  I am just as anxious as you are to see what that looks like, and I will share pictures when I have them.  Our hope is to have a home large enough to allow visitors to stay with us, as our family and many friends have expressed an interest in visiting.

WHERE WILL WE SHOP AND WHAT WILL WE EAT?

They actually have a really nice mall near the airport in Managua.  I've never been inside of it, but I've been told they have a Radio Shack.  I was also in a club store that looks a lot like Sam's club, but I can't remember the name of it.  They had samples of Oreos, which I felt obligated to test for the purpose of research.  (If you are wondering, my research was inconclusive so I will have to sample them again.)  Other places that would be familiar to you are Payless Shoes, Pizza Hut, and of course McDonald's.  The grocery store there is called Pali, but Nicaragua also offers open markets where you can buy fruits and vegetables.  When I visited last summer, many of our meals included beans, rice, and plantains.  A lot of the food was fried.  In addition, if you want to stay clear of the bathroom,  avoid drinking the water.

WILL I MISS NANCY HARVILLE?

She didn't ask me this specifically, but I know she wanted to.  And the answer to that is, more deeply than she will ever know, or could possibly imagine.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE US?

I know many of you are praying for us.  Please, please don't stop.  There are very few people who walk this road, and it can feel a bit lonely at times.  In the midst of our extreme busyness, we are still aching for connection.  We feel those prayers, and when you tell us that you are remembering us this way it strengthens our hearts and dispels discouragement.  We have a few specific requests that you can intentionally pray for with us

- Our children: that God would continue his gentle care of their hearts

- Our marriage and relationship: that we remain united through the stress and busyness of all that we           

   must do

- Selling our home and many of our belongings: the emotional impact, time commitment, logistics

- Learning Spanish

- Financial support: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Matthew 6:21  Our  

   hearts are already in Nicaragua.  We hope to bring many of yours with us.