Katie McGrew: Seeing Jesus

Josh got on a bus today to travel 24 hours to Panama City, Panama. He will be gone until the 14th of March participating in a conference called HACIA Democracy (Harvard Association Cultivating Inter-American Democracy). He is a Nicaraguan delegate, representing the U.S. on their stand on gun control. He has studied and now will discuss and argue with others about this topic. Dwight said to me yesterday, as we are packing his suit, how did he grow up so fast? And my question was, did we do a good enough job, what have we missed? The time with our kids is so short and I am so thankful to know that every minute of their lives God has been right there loving them, teaching them and protecting them. They love Him and that is all I could ever want. I am so proud of each one of them. They don't spend so much time cuddling together but I know they love each other and desire the best for one another. They always support each other in their work, fun and dreams. They other night we ...

Dear Friends, The month of January was quite a busy month with school starting up again, Basketball starting, and really, just getting back into the swing of things, coming off of a month of Christmas vacation! Going back to school was tough! The teachers decided to hit us right of the bat with big loads of homework, and also, I resumed my HACIA practices. HACIA Democracy is a simulation of the OAS (Organization of Amercian States), organized by Harvard University. They prepare an annual conference, this year located in Panama, where students from all over the western hemisphere gather to practice debate, diplomacy, and consensus building. I am a part of the 15 student team from my school that will travel in March to participate in the conference in Panama. To prepare for the conference, I have been going to weekly practice sessions, writing multiple papers, and meeting with my assigned advisor on Fridays to help with certain debate strategies and topic preparation. Apart from HAC...

I apologize that it has been so long since I updated the blog. At times it seems so funny to write just about our life and then it seems like so much has happened and where do I begin??? I remind myself, I just have to begin... I love the opportunities God gives us living in Nicaragua. I love that I have the opportunity to do ministry with North Americans! This picture was taken in Granada with a team from Allendale Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. I had a good laugh as I watched from a bench as they found their way through the city. This team put on a Vacation Bible Camp in the week that they were in Nicaragua. The VBS was for kids from the neighborhood surrounding the Villa. We had 35 kids in the morning and 15 teens in the afternoon ~ it was great! The team was challenged as they gave the salvation message. Why is that so difficult? If we truly believe that their is salvation and eternal life in Jesus alone and if He has changed our lives ~ shouldn't we be thrilled ...

We are on the look out for a new car. Would you pray with us that God shows us the right car, at the right time and that we would be ready. Please pray for Josh and Maggie that their final weekend in the U.S. would be a huge blessing and that God would be the One preparing their hearts to join us on Tuesday. We are always thanking God for each of you.

I had a great expectation ~ that when we went home to the United States it would be like exhaling after a year of new things, new relationships and new situations. As it turned out that exhale didn't come until we returned to Nicaragua. It is good to be home. It was such a strange, almost surreal thing being home in Edmonds. When we started our car insurance, the people told us our insurance would be more because as missionaries we are riskier, really? But as it turned out, maybe they are right. My first day driving I almost got in a fight in the Costco parking lot. I moved my car a little when there was a couple walking near by and the man started hitting on my car, came to the passenger window, yelling at me. Really I was a little heart broken, I didn't understand why he was so angry. I saw so many impatient people and had a sense of an attitude of "it is my right". One day Dwight and I were at a store at U Village and I saw a bracelet made from wooden bea...

In less than a week we are headed home for awhile... at one time I was just excited, excited to understand things, excited to visit and be with our dear friends, excited to have fresh, cool air, excited to be in our very own church. I am still excited but also feeling a little sad; I am sad to leave our dear friends here in Nicaragua, the warmth, the teams, the unpredictability of each day. I know God has good things planned for our time. I am so excited to watch Josh, Maggie and William experience their old life in the U.S.. I have had these strange thoughts lately, thoughts that come with a little grief. The reality that we are forever seperated from what used to be home. We have set ourselves apart from that life. Really we have no home; we cannot call Edmonds home and we are not yet at home in Nicaragua ~ where is home? The song Dwight and I had at our wedding was Sandy Patty's "Love Will Be Our Home" ~ I always giggle when I think of that song because I remem...

We were at the kids school on Friday night for Maggie's performance of "The Toymaker and His Son", she played a toy bunny. It was a mime performance, telling the story of the cross, it was well done. Maggie sang a beautiful solo. I was so proud of her. We took our friend Mario, he works at the Villa as a guard and gardener, he is a dear friend of Dwight's. While we were waiting for the show to start Dwight was visiting with Mario and one of the stories I overheard was Dwight telling Mario that the 'man in the black bed is a prince'. I was laughing so much and even more as I watched Mario trying so hard to understand what Dwight was saying. What Dwight wanted to tell Mario was that the man in the black t-shirt is the principal. There are so many things that we miss in translation ~ but bring us many great laughs! Praise God that Dwight's spanish tutor comes this Tuesday! A few highlights of our weekend.... the play with Mario was great, he invited us...