Time is flying




This update is long overdue so let us get you caught up on how your support and prayers are making a difference in Nicaragua! Before we do, though, let us express how overwhelmingly wonderful it was to see so many of our friends and family during our visit at Christmas. We also want you to know that our internet and vonage phone have been painfully sporadic during the past two months. For a few minutes they will operate OK and then for the next bit of time connections will drop. This has literally been the case since returning at the beginning of January. We have been frequent visitors to the telephone company that supplies our internet and we have been frequent callers to vonage, but these problems have perisisted (extremely frustrating!) While things seem to be clearing up a bit this week, I am taking advantge and preparing this blog report.



Relationships



There is nothing that compares to the specialness of relationships and time with people you love and share a common purpose with. That is what we miss the most and that is what we cherished the most as we spent time with you while we were home. The time spent with our families, our friends, and our home church, Evangel Cathedral, was extremely special. We also enjoyed our time visiting with our former employers, Upward Unlimited, Spartanburg Regional and the Urology Surgicenter and our visit to Legacy Cathedral reconnecting with Pastor's Kevin and Tracie Baird. During our time in Spartanburg we hardly saw our children as they eagerly spent as much time as possible with family and friends. It was a wonderful time and now that we've been back we are missing you all more than ever! We would like to give a special thanks to our family and friends that gave us the wonderful reception at The Hanger at First Baptist Church on January 3rd. It was a perfect way for us and our children to visit with those that we were not able to see one on one while we were home. It meant more to us than you will ever know!


Please know that we continue to appreciate the financial sacrifices you all are making in supporting us. We do not take it for granted. By way of information, we experienced a drop in our support for the month of February. We received approximately 50% of our monthly budget so needless to say we are trusting that March will bring us through. If by chance you forgot to drop your support in the mail for February or if you would like to send a one time gift or a monthly gift you may send your tax deductible donation to the following address:

Evangel Fellowship International Attention: Mark and Cindy Quillen 200 Evangel Road Spartanburg, S.C. 29301

Highlighting January and February

In January we resumed the EFI ISOM Bible College classes, our work and support with Abundant Life Managua Church (our local church), and we worked, along with the other three EFI missionary families here, in preparing for the EFI Pastors Conference that was hosted here in Managua on January 25-26. Bishop Miles, Matt Lutz, from Raliegh, NC, and a team lead by Jan King from our home church, Evangel Cathedral, participated in the conference. The conference was attended by approximately 280 people from different departments of Nicaragua. We even had a small group from the Rio Coco. The Rio Coco area is extremely primitive with few roads. They traveled 1/2 day by boat and on foot, then a whole day by bus (the buses here are old beat-up school buses) on terrible roads to get to the conference. The conference was a tremendous success. At the conference, we had an ISOM Bible College information table set up. There was strong interest from many senior pastors and, as a result, we have attended meetings in several areas and have more meetings scheduled as part of a plan to help these pastors get schools started in their areas. Following is a quick look at these new opportunities.

1) Cuidad Sandino, Pastor Rolando Chamorrio, Church name: Iglesia Comunidad Shalom. Mark met with the pastor and reviewed the entire structure and purpose of the program. The pastor has a background as a Bible proffesor and pastor. Of the members and attenders of this church there are approximately 20 people ready to enroll They will also accept additional enrollments from other leaders and churches in their community. Cuidad Sandino is a large lower class community on the outskirts of Managua. This church and pastor are strong and are doing well. He wants to provide oppportunity and development for his people and sees the college as a great start to this.

2) The department of Chinandega. Pastor Osvaldo Bonilla. Orgsnization name is ACRI. Pastor Bonilla's organization oversees 7 churches, several feeding programs, a medical clininc, a prison ministry, and other outreach ministries. He is also the president of a National Council of pastors in Chinandega. We met pastor Bonilla and his wife at the EFI conference in January. They invited us to come and speak to their pastors organization and we did so this February 20th. Jeannie Kellet, EFI's humanitarian aide director, was in Nicaragua, and Jeannie was able to go with us on that hot, two hour, bumpy ride to Chinandega. There were approximately 40 pastors in attendance and they were excited about the opportunity to host a Bible Institute that would serve all of them. Our goal is to set-up a school in Chinandega, with a coordinator that Mark can train and work with to run the school as an extension of Pastor Bonilla's ministry. Pastor Bonilla and his wife have been serving in Chinandega for 12 years and were sent out by Verbo Church Ministries in Managua. They project that they will have approximately 100 students from their area of Chinandega.



3) On March, 10 Mark traveled to the department of Juigalpa to present EFI ISOM to a pastor's organization. Pastors Henry Martinez and Manuel Romero hosted the meeting. They too want to host an EFI ISOM school that will serve the Juigalpa area and hope to begin as soon as possible.


4) In April, Mark will be traveling to the department of Matagalpa with pastor Pablo Lairos to meet with a group of pastors there to discuss a school for that area.


A pastor from the department of Leon and a pastor from the North side of Mangua have also requested meetings. There seems to be a strong interest for this curriculum and for using it to train and equip church pastors and church leaders.


What is it that pastors are drawn to about the EFI ISOM program:



1) The instruction is foundational, spirit filled, and practical.

2) The DVD quality of instruction is excellent. It is very professional, the set is very professional, and the instructors are some of the World's most recognized Christian leaders in the subjests they teach.

3) There is a real impartation of passion and annointing that comes through the teachings.

4) The classroom setting provides opportunity to put coursework into practice

5) The local facilitator can easily transition from the DVD to the actual class for discussion and ministry times.

6) The school offers a Diploma of Biblical Studies and an associates degree in Biblcal studies from Vision International and Christian Leadership University.

7) It is hosted at a local churches and is designed to strengthen and equip the local church.

8) The curriculum and course materials are provided, by us, at a resonable price, therefore the tuition is very affordable. (In the capital city it averages aprx. $10 per month. In other areas it ranges from $1 to $2 per month)


------- Each location that we are helping set-up is in need of a video projector and a screen. If you would like to donate one or more to these local churches please let us know. We have several teams coming in March and know other teams coming to work with missionaries throughout the year and can have them bring items like this to us.




Mark continues to operate 2 ISOM schools in Managua. Each class has approximately 20 active students. The students represent 15 different Evangelical churches in and around Managua. The students consist of 4 senior pastors, 6 to 8 associate pastors, and the remaining students are leaders in their repective churches.



In Februaury Mark preached at Iglesia Ciudad Shalom which is one of the churches that we will be starting an ISOM Bible school at. Also in February Mark did a Sunday morning service at Abundant Life Managua using ISOM material on the ministry of helps. Along with supporting Mark, Cindy continues to help in New Life Nicaragua Orphanage . In particular, she has been helping two children receive physical therapy and has made trips to the hospital with Nancy, a happy little 1 1/2 year old who has a condition called bilateral schizencephaly open lipped (for those of you who are not medical, it is a congenital brain malformation). With much physical therapy and lots of love Nancy can reach her potential.



Highlighting March



We are also preparing for two teams that will be coming in March. One is a small group from Cokesbury UMC located in Tennessee and the other is a team from Oakbrook Prepratory School in Spartanburg, SC. Both teams will do maintenance of the Abundant Life Church building including paitning etc. The Cokesbury team will be visiting and ministering at a local mothers and infant hospital and conduct a ladies luncheon at Abundant Life Managua Church. The Oakbrook team will be conducting a VBS at New Life Nicaragua orphange and at House of Hope (a ministry to moms who are former prostitutes and their children). This team will also be conducting an evangelistic Upward basketball camp in downtown Managua.



Our Children



They are doing well yet they also miss their family and friends back home. They have made friends with the children at the school they attend and that has helped. Currently both Stephen and Luke are on the high school basketball team which has a record of 5-2. Philip and Markie are enjoying school, but are not doing any extracurricular activities at this time.



Thank you so much for taking time to catch up with us and for your
prayers and support.



Love, The Quillens

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS! WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!

Even though the coconut trees are getting ripe, the banana trees are blooming, and the weather is hot and balmy we are getting into the Christmas spirit, and as soon as we land in Spartanburg and hopefully experience some colder weather and seasonal sites we will know Christmas is here. We will be in Spartanburg December 14 through January 6, and we hope to visit with many of our friends and family while there.


Below I have listed our involvement over the past few months and our direction for 2008, but I would first like to sincerely thank each and every one of you that has provided support this year, both prayer and financial. Everything that we have experienced and been able to accomplish could not have been done without you- our supporters. You have impacted lives for Christ and made an eternal difference.


We welcome your continued support


In October we mailed a letter explaining what we have been involved in this year and what our goals and direction are for 2008. Enclosed in the letter was a pledge envelope. If you have not already mailed in this envelope please take a moment and do so or contact us via email or phone as to your pledge. If you would like to email, please email office@efihdq.org or call EFI at 864-595-0404 and give them your pledge amount for 2008. This will help us with our budget for the next year.



Our Plans while Home

As mentioned, we will be in South Carolina from December 14 through January6. We will be staying with Cindy's parents, Kay and Wayne West. Our plans are to have an enjoyable Christmas time being with family and friends and we desire this in particular for our children. I'm sure we will have a little reverse culture shock to deal with in coming to the U.S. We will probably miss the bumpy roads that have potholes large enough to eat your car, horses and carts on the roads, and seeing people outside everywhere! Everything is so clean, organized, orderly, consistent, and comfortable in the U.S. We are looking forward to it all!




On the Sundays of December 16th and 23rd we are planning to be at Evangel Cathedral in Spartanburg. Sunday, December 30th, we will be at Pastors Kevin and Tracey Baird's church in Charleston, SC, Legacy Cathedral. We will be sharing with their church about our work and vision for Nicaragua. We would be glad to share with any other groups during our time in South Carolina. If you are interested please contact us via phone at 864-595-1582 or email at markquillen@yahoo.com. During our time in S.C. you may reach us at 864-573-9373.



Our Work at the Abundant Life Church in Managua


Mark preached during the Sunday morning service on November 18 at Abundant Life Managua and several weeks prior spoke at the church's leadership retreat. Mark has loved these opportunities to share what he feels the Lord has put on his heart for this country and the people. They are so open and need so much, yet one can sense and see God at work in their hearts. It is an exciting time. An associate pastor at Cathedral of His Glory, here in Managua opened the retreat and the service was awesome. The Holy Spirit ministered His presence to many of the leaders as they were prayed for and refilled. Two weeks ago we participated in a baptismal service at a local beach, Coasta Azul, in which we baptised 9 new members of the church. We also conducted the Sunday service right by the beach lagoon.


Looking towards 2008 with VAM


My responsibilities with the church in 2008 are exciting. I have been assigned a section of the community to develop that is located behind the church. This area is new to the church. The aim is to continue to establish cell groups, conduct outreach and service events and provide pastoral care for this area. A Nicaraguan associate on staff will be developing a program and training for church members to progress through stages of commitment, service, and discipleship. I will be assisting him with the curriculum and possibly the teaching.

International School of Ministry


The two classes of students enrolled in ISOM have just completed their end of year exams and most all scored quite well. Currently we have 33 students representing at least 12 different churches. I can't say enough about the quality of the curriculum and the ministry that takes place during our class time. Each student is working towards an Associates degree in Biblical Studies.


Exciting Opportunities


Several months ago Bryan Hutson and I met with two pastors from the Rio Coco River area that have established a network of primitive churches along the river. They travel up and down the river in a canoe preaching, teaching, and encouraging the people and the churches they have established. They are interested in establishing a training program for their pastors and would like to use our ISOM school as the possible method. The Rio Coco River area is a very poor area of the country on the Atlantic Coast. The conditions and way of life are extremely primitive with few or no roads, making transportation and shipping very difficult. We would like to visit this area and assess the opportunity and needs first hand. It may be possible that we could help them construct a church building that could be used for the school as well. The city of Puerto Cabezas is the main city bordering the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. There are several churches there that are also interested in discussing a possible ISOM school. On our way to the Rio Coco area we will pass through Puerto Cabezas and evaluate this possibility as well. Thirdly, there is a department named Matagalpa located in the mountains of Nicaragua known for its coffee plantations. There are three churches there that are overseen by a local pastor here in Managua. He has asked me to travel with him to Matagalpa to see about setting up a school in a chapel located on one of the coffee farms. This school would serve these three churches and possibly others in the area. These are exciting opportunities for our ISOM program that will require some evaluating, time, energy, and resources. If we pursue each of these I will travel to these locations at least twice this coming year and train coordinators at the local sites to administerate the schools.


Mission Teams in 2008


We are expecting to host at least two mission teams this coming year and possibly three. We will work with the team leaders to put together a ministry agenda, some fun, room and board accommodations, and transportation that will fit the make-up and purpose of each team.We will assist with the Evangel Cathedral team that is scheduled to host a pastors conference in January.

The Orphanage


Cindy has been extremely active at the orphanage this year. In October there was literally an epidemic of the roto-virus. Cindy, as well as many other ladies from the missionary community, joined with the staff at the New Life Nicaragua orphanage to transport children to the hospital, clean, and care for the children. It was quite a job, as they stayed up 24 hours at at time to help. Cindy has continued to organize and inventory all donated items and has provided great care and medical attention when needed. There is one particular baby, named Nancy, that Cindy does physical therapy with almost everyday. Looking towards 2008 Cindy's involvement will continue to be of great value as the orphanage is beginning a building program that includes future plans for a medical clinic.


The Language


Well. We are not progressing quite as fast as our children. They are getting it quick. Cindy and I speak a lot in the present tense and our Spanish is a bit more primitive but we do get our point across. Mark has several interpreters, Roland Meja and Jorge Guadamuz, that help him with the Bible College. Our aim now is to continue to learn the language as we move forward with our work.


Our Children


We can't say enough about how proud we are of them for pressing through this year. It was hard to leave everything and everyone they knew, all of their security and comfort and relocate to a third World country that is indeed a "different country". But, they have made it and done great! They have each made friends, gotten involved, and made the best of their situations and that says a lot about their character. They have adapted to the missionary school's difficult curriculum and their grades are as strong as they were before coming here. Thank you all for your care and prayers for them during this first year.



Getting on the plane in a few days


I guess we better start packing and preparing to come home for a few weeks. We are looking so forward to it! We hope to see, thank, and visit with as many of you as we can while home. Thank you so much, God Bless you and have a great Christmas!


We Love You,
The Quillens

Rainy Season News and Our Work Progress

Hurricane Felix

As you know Hurricane Felix, a category 5 hurricane, hit the Northern Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua early Tuesday morning. It is believed that 8,000 homes were destroyed and 18,000 Nicaraguans are without shelter. We live in the Southwest section of the country and therefore felt very little effect. We are currently working with our local Nicaraguan church to send food and clothing to a missionary contact in the Northern Atlantic Coast Region. If we receive information of a container being shipped from the U.S. we will post the information here on our blog as you may wish to support in the relief effort. The needs have always been great in that region of the country and now more than ever food, shelter, and clothing are needed. We will keep you posted on what we find out. Below are excerpts from a Rueters article listing facts of the effects of the hurricane in Nicaragua (the pictures of the hurricane are from Rueters and CNN):

The death toll from Hurricane Felix, which tore into the Nicaragua-Honduras border area this week, has jumped to about 130. About 70 people still were believed missing after high waves drowned fishermen and battered coastal villages. The dead were mainly Nicaraguan Miskito Indians, including some fishermen whose bodies washed up in Honduras. Hundreds of people were unable to evacuate before the storm and had only their flimsy wooden shacks for shelter. Some tied themselves to trees or boats in a bid to withstand Felix's 160 mph (256 kph) winds, local fisherman said. It mainly hit the turtle-fishing Miskito Indians who live cut off from the world in sparsely populated marshlands dotted with lagoons and crocodile-infested rivers on the coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras.

Following are some of the things we have been involved in these last few months:

EFI ISOM BIBLE COLLEGE

The Bible College that we have begun is now going on it's fifth month. We recently had 26 students complete their first mid-term exam. Please take a moment to double-click on the brief video clip of the school at the bottom of this page (once you double-click you should get a message that the video is loading. It will then play automatically). You will see the school in action!). This term includes the following classes: Fundamentals of Faith, Supernatural Living, New Testament Survey, Praise and Worship, and The Fear of The Lord. Their total mid-term exam grades were derived from exam true/false and multiple choice questions, essay questions, and practical hands on ministry participation. We had 9 A's, 2B's, 13 C's and 2 D's. As you can see, some barely passed while others passed with ease, but the bottom line is all are learning and developing and all are getting hands on experience. Mark is thoroughly enjoying facilitating the classes. The instruction is sound and clear. The Word of God brings freedom and the students are experiencing this freedom personally through the classes. The Word of God also challenges us. The students are being challenged to pursue the calling God has for each one of them.

Below are some of the special things that have happened in the school:

A student by the name of Lester Lopez Avellan was healed by the Lord Friday night after we completed the class on "Supernatural Living-The Gifts of Healing". In response to the class instruction, the class corporately prayed and we began to declare the healing and receive of the presence and healing of the Lord. As we prayed, Lester got Mark's attention and indicated he had something to share. He said that, as we were praying, the Lord spoke to him and told him to swallow three times. Lester said he had been suffering with a throat infection, tonsillitis, that week and his throat was extremely sore. As he swallowed the third time he said all the pain was gone. He said he had never experienced anything like that before. The next day when he came into class I made it a point to check and see how his throat was. He said he had no pain. On Saturday a gentleman named Arnolfo Salinas shared that he really sensed the power of God the night before when we had prayed concerning healing. He said as he went home he could still sense the presence of God so strong even as he entered his home. He explained that he has a daughter that has had some mental troubles and he was impressed that night that he and his wife should declare the healing of the Lord over their daughter. He said when they did, the power of God was so strong that he could hardly handle it and that he believes God is doing a real work in his daughter and in his family as a whole. As Arnolfo shared this he began to cry and share freely. I could sense God's presence in his brokenness. People in the class began to come over and pray for him and hug him and he broke more. It was a sweet time for him. Throughout the sessions others shared how, for the first time, they are getting a new revelation of God. After many of the classes we break up into groups and ask the Lord to minister through each person based on the subject that has just been taught. As we pray the students really minister to one another through words of knowledge, wisdom, healing, etc. It is exciting! It has been a great place for these students to gain practical experience in the teaching that they are receiving. All of you that support us are a huge part of making this possible for these people. It is changing lives and allowing people to experience God in a deeper way. This will in turn affect so many others as these students go out and minister.

What's Happening at VAM?

You may have read in our other blog messages that we are helping an EFI church in Managua named Abundant Life Managua (Spanish-Vida Abundante Managua). The pastor and his wife have become good friends of ours and they recently indicated that they consider us true partners in their work. Just this month the pastor invited Mark to join his staff as an associate pastor and Mark was delighted and honored to accept this wonderful opportunity! This local church has become our base. We love the people and the opportunities we have to serve with them. We will continue to do the things we have been doing while now taking a more direct role in the church serving on the board and leadership team. Several projects we were involved with at the church this summer included: 1) Hosting the Bible College. Hosting a training center at their facility was something the Hutsons had wanted to do for a long time. Of course this project continues. 2) The second, was the opportunity to work with three teams that came this summer to do mission work.

Upward Camp

One of the teams, Cokesbury UMC, we were totally responsible for- itinerary, room and board, etc. This was a great for us all the way around as we gained needed experience and were able to be a part of all the ministry and excitement that took place with this team. With help from Upward Unlimited, Mark's previous employer in Spartanburg, we were able to supply training materials to the Cokesbury team, and shirts and basketballs for an Upward Basketball camp that we did in a park behind the church. This was great way for the church, Vida Abundanbte Managua, to reach out to the surrounding community. 192 children participated from 3 different barrios (neighborhoods) around the park. We completed the camp with an awards night at the church and the church was completely full! We shared testimonies, gave away prizes, and the entertainment was done by Pastor Bryan. He is the best story teller I have ever heard. We completed the night by having every person willing to receive all that God has for them to stand. All stood-parents and children! We then had the Cokesbury team pray over them and award the children with a certificate and a small basketball. It was a great night and a great outreach for the church. As time moves on we are getting more and more involved at VAM. The people there are wonderful.

The Bagwell's Orphanage

Our team from Cokesbury UMC spent two days at the orphanage feeding, holding, and interacting with the babies and conducting a mini vacation Bible school with the older children. They also donated several brand new high-chairs, baby bouncers, lots of formula, diapers, wipes and brand new tennis shoes for the older children. Every time we have been in the orphanage since then the children are wearing their new shoes and the babies are bouncing in the new bouncy seats. It was like Christmas in July for all of the children at the orphanage when the Cokesbury team was there. Thank you so much Cokesbury Team! You were great!

Recently Cindy has been spending time at the orphanage doing her favorite thing; ORGANIZING! Tim and Chris receive many items for the care of the children and have maximized their space as efficiently as possible. Even the rooms for the children are pretty well maxed out. So, with Cindy's help, they have worked extremely hard to go through all inventory, label and store it, as well as reorganize the children's rooms. The Bagwell's ministry, Nueva Vida Nicaragua (New Life Nicaragua), has recently purchased land for a future orphanage facility. Please pray for them as they begin to plan for the construction of the buildings on the new land.

We want to continue to be available to the Bagwells to assist them and help them.



Medical Missions

Recently Cindy spent a full week, even working some 7am to 7pm shifts, working with International Children's Heart Foundation (ICHF), which is a group of doctors, nurses, and medical professionals from around the U.S. The founder of ICHF is a heart surgeon from Georgia, Dr. Novick, who is a friend of Dr. Leylands. Dr. Leyland is a heart surgeon in Spartanburg that Cindy used to work with at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. What a small world that we live in! This team performed heart surgery and helped recover 5 children here in Managua at La Mascota Children's Hospital. The children are doing great and will experience health that would not have been possible had it not been for this team. We also took one of the doctors, several of the nurses, and a medical student from the group to the Bagwell's orphanage to interact with the children. While there Dr. Karen Guillory, a pediatric intensivist, assessed and reviewed the charts of several of the children that needed medical care. We appreciate her recommendations for these children. Please pray for the ICHF here in Managua. It is a great program with much good to offer this country, but due to much resistance with the hospital administration, this program may have to pull out of Nicaragua.


Evangelism

Mark traveled with Larryon Truman this past weekend to Jalappa, Nicaragua to assist him in directing the drama "Heavens Gates and Hells Flames". Larryon and his family are Assembly of God missionaries who have been working in Nicaragua for 7 years. This whole family has become good friends to our family- their oldest son is a great friend to Stephen and Luke and and Aida has been a great friend to Cindy. Larryon directs the drama, "Heavens Gates and Hells Flames" all over the country, in conjunction with local churches. They have seen thousands of people come to the Lord through the ministry of this drama. In Jalappa 183 people came to the Lord and the church was greatly stirred. Mark was very appreciative to have been allowed to be a part of what the Lord is doing through this drama.

Another opportunity that Mark has had with Larryon is ministering to a group of college students that he met through a baptismal service that was held at our next door neighbors pool. At this service Mark and Larryon met a college student who had recently accepted Christ. This student happens to be a Nicaraguan pro basketball player named Julio, who has now invited our families to come and watch him play in a 7 game tournament. This was a real sacrifice for Mark to go and watch pro basketball. Seriously, because of this relationship, the doors have now opened for Mark and Larryon to speak with the local Nicaraguan University Ki Alpha group (equivalent to our Campus Crusade for Christ). Just today they took Bibles to another professional basketball team and lead a devotion time for them. Julio has said that he would be willing to help with any future basketball camps that we may do as outreaches for the church.


Evangel Cathedral Youth Mission Team

The Evangel Youth group came at the end of July and worked at the Bagwell's orphanage. Stephen was able to be a part of this team and we were able to spend some time with them too. How wonderful it was to have part of our church family with us for a week. Derek and Melody Horton, Evangel's Youth Pastors, did a great job of leading the team and we appreciate them allowing Stephen to accompany the team in all their efforts.


These next 4 months

As we are now in the last quarter of the year we will be working on the following goals:

1) ISOM Bible College: October the 8Th is the start date for a 2ND class of students to begin at Abundant Life Managua church. Also, Pastor Pablo Loaisiga, the general pastor at Community Metropolitan Church in the South side of Managua has met with Mark about beginning a school at his church and in a city named Matagalpa which is in the mountains four hours from Managua. There are three churches in Matagalpa that he oversees. He and I will be exploring these opportunities these next few months as these plans will require a lot of preparation and administration.

2) Mark will be working to start a youth cell group and a college cell group in the community behind our church in Managua. There are three large communities with differing social and economic structures and one college all located within a short distance of the church. This summer we did several outreach events into these areas and had a good turn out and a lot of interest from the people. Now we will follow-up and develop.

3) There are preliminary plans for a second team from Cokesbury UMC to come work with us in October. With their first trip in July under their belt they are ready to come back. They feel a real connection to the needs and people here and they do great work. We hope their plans will work out and that they will be able to return, as we are looking forward to working with them again.

4) Cindy will continue to be a part of medical support teams as well as the Bagwell's New Life Nicaragua Orphanage.


Our Children

Our children had a very special summer in that some of their favorite people in the whole world traveled to Nicaragua to visit them. At the end of June Mark's mother, Mama Bonita, came to see us all. While she was here she was able to baby sit for us during the Bible College weekend. She was also able to experience some of the challenges of living in a third world country first hand- such as - having the power go out right in the middle of your shower and then losing water pressure because there is no power for the pump to pump the water to the second floor. Bonita had this lovely experience while we were at Bible College. Markie quickly came to her rescue with a towel and a flash light and lead her to the downstairs bathroom where she was able to get enough of a trickle of water to finish her shower by flashlight! The next night, before we left for Bible College, Bonita had all the flash lights in one place and she had already had her shower! She was ready for ANYTHING! Bonita was also able to help us get ready for the Cokesbury team, which entailed a few shopping trips to the local market. She was quite a trooper as Cindy walked her through the fresh meat and Iguana section. Bonita was also able to be a part of the Upward camp that the Cokesbury team did and is a pro at serving lunch to over 200 people in an orderly fashion. She attended church with us at VAM and the people there fell in love with her and some even came to see her off at the airport. We can't wait for her to come back.

David and Amy Looney along with their children, Olivia, Reagan, and Peyton joined us and the Bagwells for a week. David works at Northwoods Assembly as the praise and worship leader and conducted a worship seminar for the worship team at New Life Managua. The Looney's also spent time with the Bagwells at their orphanage. It was great to see them and spent time with them.

Our family was also visited by some very special friends, the McBrides. Karen, who is one of Cindy's very best friends and her three sons came to visit. They came the same week as the youth group from Evangel Cathedral, our home church. Stephen and Graham stayed with the youth team at a mission house here in Managua and Karen, Allen, and Greyson stayed with us. Our children are learning that when you have a true friend that distance does not stop the friendship. We really have no words to express to the McBride family what their visit meant to us and to our children.

Our children started school on August 6Th and are settling in nicely. Stephen and Luke are playing soccer and Markie and Philip are taking piano. They like their school and we like having them all in one place. If we were in the states we would have children in 3 different schools this year.

Our family has experience some sadness in the last 2 weeks. On Friday, August 17, 2007 Gabi, our German shepherd puppy that we got one week after we moved here, died. She was fine on Wednesday and on Thursday am we could tell that she was very sick. Her symptoms were very vague- not eating, very lethargic, difficulty breathing and acting as if she was in some pain. We took her to the vet Thursday am, but by that night she got progressively worse. During that night she died. Our night guard thinks that she may have been bitten by a tranchula, because on Wednesday pm she was playing in some water (it had rained alot that day) near where he killed a tranchula. We will never really know for sure, but we do know that we were attached to this dog that we only had for 7 months! Philip and Markie have had the hardest time with her death, but are doing a little better each day. For those of you who are not dog people please excuse me spending so much time on this, but for those of you who have ever had a special dog in your life we know that you understand.

On a happier note, we have gotten another puppy. Her name is "Nella" and she is a golden retriever puppy. She is 8 weeks old and even though she will never replace "Gabi" she has helped to ease the pain. She is adorable and we are enjoying her very much.

Thank you for continuing to keep our children in your prayers. While they are gaining so much by being here, they still frequently miss their life in South Carolina.


Thank You to All

Again we would like to thank all of you who support us financially and through your prayers. You are making a difference in the country of Nicaragua.

We Love You,
The Quillens
Mark, Cindy, Stephen, Luke, Markie and Philip

Preparing for ISOM and Cindy's Medical Oppotunities

These last 6 weeks have been spent preparing for the beginning of the ISOM ( International School of Ministry) here in Nicaragua. As mentioned in our last update, Bryan and Mily Hutson have agreed to host the school in their home church, Vida Abundante Managua. Bryan and Mily are EFI missionaries who have been here in Nicaragua for 6 years. Having a Bible College in their church was a desire that the Lord had put in their hearts even before we came. We have had a great working relationship with them and the Lord had given us some wonderful friends in the process. We really could not have accomplished what has been accomplished in the last 6 weeks without them! Vida Abundante Managua is located in downtown Managua and is very central. It is a perfect location for people to travel to, as it is close to a major bus stop. Another plus is that it even has AC!Over the last few weeks we have had fliers printed and distributed around town, workbooks and syllabi are at the printers, banners have been made and hung, and we have begun to accept registration. We also have advertisement on a local Christian radio station, Mark has shared at another church about the college, and the secretary at Vida Abundante is calling the list of pastors from the EFI conference that was held in November to let them know the specifics about the school. To date we have 9 people who have signed up and paid their registration fee. We are praying for at least 30 people.We would like to take this time to thank Pastor Carl Morris and the congregation of Abundant Life Church in Florence, S.C. Pastor Morris is Bryan and Mily's pastor from the States and has been so supportive both spiritually and financially. His church has provided the funds for much of the advertisement (fliers, radio, and banners) and for the tables for the school. Thank you so much!The format and pricing of the school are as follows:There are 5 quadrimesters ( 20 months total)Classes meet 3 days a month: Thursday- 6-9pm, Friday- 6-9 pm, and Saturday- 9:30 am - 5:30 pm with a break for lunch. (lunch will be catered by a local fretonga)Each student pays a 100 cordobas registration fee each quadrimester and then 200 cordobas/ month. This translates to $12.50/ month total in American dollars.We have compared this pricing to other Christian schools in Managua and it is considerably lower. We do have a few partial scholarships available for some students. If anyone is interested in helping a student with their degree you can contact us via email or send the money to the EFI address listed here on our Blog in the contact information. Make sure that on your check you designate that it is for a student of ISOM.

We are also continuing with our Spanish studies and are reminded every day of how much we still have to learn! We will keep plugging away though, because we see how important it is to be able to communicate with people in their own language. Please continue to pray for our language acquisition.

Last week Cindy had the opportunity to visit the La Mascota Childrens Hospital. The initail plan was for her to observe a pediatric heart surgery, but after she arrived the case was canceled. She was still able to take a tour of the hospital and talk with Dr. Fenton. Dr. Fenton is a pediatric Cardiovascular Surgeon from the United States. She arrived here in Nicaragua in December,2006 and is planning to be here for 2 years. She is here to help start a Pediatric Heart Surgery Program at this hospital. Cindy is very interested in her work and we do not feel that their meeting was by accident. We will see how the Lord works in this situation.

All of the children are doing well. They all received great marks on their first report cards here. Stephen and Luke are finished with their Basketball and Soccer seasons and Philip just had his second soccer game last week. Markie did not play any sports this time around, but is very interested in playing volley ball next year. They are all enjoying our puppy, Gabi, and they are trying to teach her basic obedience. So far she knows how to sit and lay down. If anyone knows how to train a puppy not to chew up electrical lights please let us know.Thank you all for your prayers and support for us. We love you and know that we would not be here doing the Lord's work if it were not for you. We are honored to be your representatives here in Nicaragua.We Love You!The Quillens
Posted by ********** at 6:27 PM
3 comments:
Angie Wells said...
Hi, Quillens!Never a dull moment...sounds like you all have plenty to do. Tell Markie to "go for it" in volleyball. That was my sport from middle school through high school!! FUN! The madness continues around our house! Our basement flooded about 3 weeks ago. Pushed my mom out of her basement home a little sooner that we had planned. She's upstairs in the boys old room waiting patiently for her addition to be complete. Our pool is also getting a total makeover, so we haven't had the pleasure of taking a dip yet. We are waiting to see if we have a new pastor at church. THe board invited someone back last Sunday and interviewed, etc. I'm excited to see how it all plays out. Love and miss you!Angie
May 8, 2007 3:44 PM
Guy4God said...
Hey Quillens! I am SO EXCITED about coming to see ya'll on the 29th of July! I cannot wait! Only 29 more days 'til I'll see ya'll for the first time in 7 months! I love ya'll so much and I thank ya'll for spreading the Word of God in a place where I can't personally reach! Thanks for your heart! I'm sure that the new leadership at our church will be a great addition to the church and the mission field! I know that Mr. Langley will help ya'll in any way he can! Thanks again! I love ya'll so much! See ya very soon! Keep in touch and God Bless!
June 30, 2007 9:06 PM
Guy4God said...
Ohh....sry! I forgot to put my name! LOL! That was from Graham! Ha ha! I'll see ya soon! Thanks so much for all ya'll do! Lots of love! GOD bless!
June 30, 2007 9:07 PM
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Wow! It's a bit different here

Que Onda? Well that was the greeting I attempted to give Alejandro Pita, the seasoned Nicaraguan attorney who is helping us work through the process of obtaining our residency. When he gave me a puzzled look I said it again, Que Onda?? Allejandro looked at me this time like I had just fallen off the flat bed full of bananas that we had passed on our way to the National Police station to be fingerprinted (No, we have not committed any crimes while we have been here- it is just part of the process of getting our residency). I glanced at Cindy who was motioning for me to cut the "Que Onda" talk.We have added two additional days of language training to our schedule. We are continuing on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays with Freddy Guadamuz, a degreed Spanish and English instructor and now on Tuesdays and Thursdays with David, who has always lived in Los Torres, a very, very poor, rough, some say dangerous barrio. Freddy is teaching us the proper Spanish, along with things specific to Nicaragua, and David is teaching us with a curriculum that is used in the Peace Corps, but he is also throwing in some Nicaraguan slang. The two separate classes are complimentary to each other. Now we just need to know when and when not to use our slang. Our new motto is- "when in doubt, leave it out!" The "Que Onda" comment I mentioned earlier is translated at best as , "Hey man are you in the wave?" That was the greeting of choice in Los Torres, and since I had recently learned it I wanted to to try it out on the attorney, but not smart.You know when you are the new kids on the block it's good to glean as much as you can from those that have experienced the road a bit.

Unique from most of the other missionaries we have been privileged to spend time with, Bryan and Millie Hutson are a unique blend of Nicaraguan experience and culture. Millie is Nicaraguan. They met 19 years ago while Bryan was serving in the Peace Corps. they were a part of Abundant Life church in Florence, SC as the Spanish church pastors and for 6 years they have served as EFI missionaries in Nicaragua. They know both the formal and "street " language perfectly and have really extended help and opportunity to us as have the Bagwells and the Havlins, also EFI missionary families. The Havlins have been Central American missionaries for 27 years. Mike pastors a fellowship church for missionaries here in Managua and is meeting with us weekly as a type of missions 101 or missionary orientation class. The Bagwells are very gracious and open to us helping them at anytime at the orphanage and with teams they are hosting.

This past Thursday I attended a service at a church in a barrio that was 6 months old. The team that Tim and Chris hosted, Evangel Christian Center in Matthews, N.C. , constructed cinder block walls to enclose the entire church building in 3 days. The service Thursday was a dedication of the completed building.This team also was kind enough to deliver the ISOM curriculum to me, 93 DVDs and a large binder of sample syllabuses, exams, and class notes as a guide for setting up workbooks. ISOM now recognizes us through EFI as distributors of their program. Each supporter has made this possible. Thank you so much!

We have been attending Bryan's church, Abundant Life Managua, for the past few weeks. It is truly a Nicaraguan congregation and they are so welcoming and loving. Bryan is familiar with the International School of Ministry and has been very interested in having a school at his church. He has been very gracious in offering his church as our first ISOM training center location. He has several ministers in his church that he wants to send through and there are other ministers and leaders from the November EFI conference that have indicated a strong desire to attend. Bryan's church will be the pilot church for ISOM and will allow us the opportunity to work out any kinks and make necessary adjustments before offering it to other churches and locations. We are very excited about this and are planning to begin the school in May!This past Sunday, April 1, was a special service at Abundant Life Managua. It was the official inauguration for the new building and new location downtown. All four of the EFI families were present and Carl Morris from Florence, SC preached. At the end of the service we officially ordained three leaders from Bryan's church as EFI ministers.

Cindy and Markie were spending time at the Bagwell's orphanage recently when it was explained to them that the particular baby that they were holding had been diagnosed with an enlarged heart. Chris explained that they now needed to get him in to see a cardiologist. Several days earlier Cindy had met a lady who explained how she had helped a child get heart surgery from an American Cardiovascular surgeon who is here in Nicaragua performing heart surgery through an organization called Babyhearts.org. Cindy contacted this lady who put her in touch with the surgeon, who was then able to schedule the baby for an appointment with the cardiologist. This happened on a Thursday and the baby's appointment with the cardiologist was the following Tuesday! Pretty fast for Nicaragua. The cardiologist performed an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) and stated that the baby's heart is normal!

Stephen, Luke, Markie and Philip are all continuing to do well. They are involved in school and some extracurricular activities such as soccer, basketball and piano. They are really adjusting quite well and we are proud of them for being such troopers and allowing the Lord to work through them at such a young age. We have heard some people say that the parents may be called, but the children are not necessarily called. We believe that our children are called just as much as we are right now- even if it is just for this season in their lives. Please pray that they will each sense God using them as we are here in this country and that their walks with Him will grow deeper.

Cindy and I are doing well, although we have each had our moments of homesickness. We have been told by many that our feelings and emotions are normal. We know that we are not the only ones who have felt these things and others have made it through. We will too! We cherish your prayers for us.Thank you all for your love and support!

We Love You!
Mark Quillen(for the Quillens)
Posted by ********** at 6:19 PM
Labels: 2007, April 2

A Special Visit!

Monday, February 26, 2007
Dear family and friends,

As you know there is nothing more special than a good friend. You know the Bible says that a friend sticks closer than a brother and is with you at all times. We have many friends that we know are this to us. Money can't buy those relationships and when money is gone, things are gone, entertainment is gone, the relationships we have will still be there. One of Cindy's such friends, Karen McBride appeared on our door step here in Nicaragua last week just to encourage and love on Cindy! What a friend! How special it was to have Karen with us for those few days and how special it was for so many of you to send the gifts, food, etc. We are enjoying some of the comforts of home such as pop tarts, candy, zax sauce, and yes even bedspreads from home! We had so many special items. It meant more that you realize. When you see Karen ask her directions to , well anywhere, and I'll bet she'll say, "recto!" Oh, and please don't ask Yvette to pick out any peanut butter for you. It could be hazardous to your health!:) Yvette, thanks for your attempt at sending Peanut Butter. Who would have thought that the one she sent would have the recall lot number!

I want to share with you what I sense about this country and therefore why we chose to come here to Nicaragua. Even though eight weeks have passed since moving here I find myself at times thinking "why in the world did I uproot my wonderful children and precious wife and move to a third world country that is so different in every way from what we have always known and experienced." In the U.S. our children were very successful in school and in extra curricular activities plus the opportunities they were afforded back home were plentiful. We were part of a wonderful church. We were close to many wonderful friends and we worked for great organizations with great people. Why would I do such a thing? This move has rearranged much for my family. In a sense they are having to start over. For that I feel like I'm hanging in the balance and looking at both sides of the coin. On one side, feeling so guilty to put them through the difficulties of a new place, culture, school, language, friends, etc. and on the other side of the coin it could be that they will grow and develop a sense of purpose and a perspective that will strengthen both their relationship with the Lord and their future life pursuits.For years Cindy and I have for some reason been drawn to the people of other countries. Sometimes we feel like we can sense God's outstretched longing arms towards the Nations because He is for all people and the time of His return and judgement is coming soon. He doesn't want anyone to be on the other side of salvation. He "came to seek and to save the lost." In a way that I can't fully explain this burden became more real than ever in October of 2005. It continued to swell until we had to take tangible steps in response. Coming to Nicaragua is a step in response to what we feel to be God's heart for a Nation that is about to experience an outpouring of God's true and sovereign presence and a revival of lost souls that will change and shake this and other Nations. We feel that God may possibly allow us to experience what He is doing and is about to pour out in this country. We also know that if we remain totally open and yielded to God in every way in our personal lives that, as we make ourselves available to serve, He will do a new and fresh work in us and will fill us over and over and over with His fresh fire and passion. Right now we want to see it happen and be a part of it all and to a degree we are, but the day to day reality is that we are still learning the language, attempting to understand the culture and navigate our way around.

Some things that are making us feel like we are at least making some progress are that I did get to speak at the Nicaraguan Christian Academy Chapel service for the K through 6th grades. I have recently put together several rough drafts of activities and short devotions for the children at the orphanage and I hope to share these with them as I have access to an interpreter who can accompany me there. I plan to do this on a regular basis. I am also looking at moving forward in acquiring the rights to the International School of Ministry curriculum which would be the essence of the training centers that we would work to establish in churches throughout Nicaragua. Tim Bagwell has had several calls from Pastors expressing interest and will begin forwarding them on to me to follow-up with. The main thing I need to do is purchase the rights, and obtain the materials so that I can begin to copy the DVDs and create workbooks. There are other things we really want to do in the future such as possibly being a part of a church plant, growing and developing EFI here in Nicaragua, hosting teams, etc. but we just need to exercise patience.We are so excited about the purposes of God and His call to all people. God Bless you and please don't hesitate to contact us if we can do anything for you.Love,Mark Quillen (on behalf of all the Quillens)
Posted by ********** at 7:38 PM
1 comments:
Sabrina said...
Mark, thanks so much for sharing your heart! Just reading your words give me a renewed sense of God's purpose for me :)FYI - Natalie had her baby last week... check my blog for some pictures :)Many blessings!!
February 27, 2007 3:18 PM
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It's an Adventure!

Dear Friends and Family,

These last two weeks have been full of much adventure and even more learning about the Nicaraguan culture. As some of you may have heard, we have experienced first hand how to deal with having your car repaired in a third world country. If you think having your car repaired in the U.S. is inconvenient, try communicating with a mechanic who does not speak English and then going with the mechanic to obtain the part to your car in the oriental market- not knowing that is where you were going until it was too late to back out. (We have been told by other North American missionaries that " the oriental market" is one place that you do not want to go to). Well, Mark went and it was quite an experience! Mark also experienced his first motorcycle ride in Nicaragua when the mechanic insisted on taking him home on the back of his motorcycle. Mark held on with one hand and had his Spanish book tucked under his other arm. We won't mention that there was no helmet involved! Because Mark had such a great experience at the oriental market- I wanted to go. Our Spanish instructor agreed to take us both one day after our Spanish class. Cindy took all her jewelry off and Mark gave our money to Freddy (our Spanish Instructor). We did exactly as Freddy said and we were safe. The people were very nice and quite excited to see Chelles (North Americans). The oriental market is where most Nicaraguans do all of their shopping. You can find ANYTHING that you need there- from plastic ware, clothes, car parts, fish, chicken, beef, fruits and vegetables, electronics, furniture, and even live Iguanas. It is huge! We did not branch out and try any of the food, but we were able to purchase a few things. Just to give you an idea of the prices, we bought a scientific calculator for Luke for school ($1.75), a school uniform skirt for Markie ($4.00), and worm medicine for our puppy ($1.00).

We have also experienced the Nicaraguan grocery store. It is called Pali. Most missionaries that we have met shop at La Colonia, La Union, or Pricemart. These stores have some American products, are air conditioned, and are over all nicer. We are trying to get a feel for how the typical Nicaraguan lives, so we wanted to try out their grocery store. We actually liked it.

Our kids are settling into school.(Markie is doing much better) Stephen is playing basketball and Luke, Markie, and Philip are playing soccer for the school. Hopefully this will help them to feel more at home.We have had several injuries, Cindy broke her thumb (she fell down our steps), Stephen bruised his sternum very badly at basketball practice and had to come out of the first game due to the pain (he is improving each day), and Philip has injured his thumb, but it is not broken. Luke is on antibiotics for a throat infection, but we are all on the mend.

Saturday, Janurary 27, 2007 we attended the dedication for The House of Hope. This is a home for newly saved, former prostitutes who are pursuing a new life in Jesus. The House of Hope was founded by Mike and April Havlin, EFI missionaries from North Carolina. At the home the women and their children are given a place to live, are discipled in the Lord, and are taught a trade such as sewing, simple business principles (running a fruit stand), and their children also have the opportunity to go to a nearby school.

Mark and I are continuing to work on studying Spanish. We are conjugating verbs, developing sentence structure, increasing our Spanish vocabulary, and interacting with Nicaraguans every chance we get. We have so far to go, but we are able to communicate on a very basic level. Most people are very patient and even try to help us. We are ready to DO what we came here to do, but realize that the Language must be the priority at this point. Mark has been able to make some contacts and this may develop into a site for the first Bible College. Please pray that we would be able to learn this language "RAPIDO"!!!!

Mark will be doing the chapel service for the school that our children attend on February 19th. Please pray that he will have the Word of the Lord for these children.We have also met some other missionaries who have been so encouraging to us. They are from various denominations, and are all doing different works, but we all have one purpose- to share the Love of Jesus with the people of this country. Please know that we miss you very much, but as we have said before, we know that a part of you is here with us. Thank you for your support- prayer, phone calls, emails, and financial. We would not be here without you.We Love You!Mark, Cindy, Stephen, Luke, Markie, and Philip
Posted by ********** at 10:23 PM
1 comments:
Sandy said...
Glad to hear from you. All is well in Sparkle City.Basketball season is over at Dawkins, Miss seing you at work. Keep up the the good work and God bless you guys for your work.Sandy
February 11, 2007 12:06 PM
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