Good evening lectores, amigos, y desconocidos!
It has been quite some time since I last wrote here, but I am ready to get back into the game. A lot happens in a year time, and I will expound on the events in greater detail in more posts coming soon. A quick recap of the major events so far in 2013. I GOT MARRIED!!! And, yes, she is the most wonderful woman I know. I have continued into the ministry here in Nicaragua. I am still working with the youth at One by One, and teaching self defense to the girls at the House of Hope. I have opened up MMA classes for adults, cornered three fighters, and taken my team into the barrios to reach out to the youth of the harder neighborhoods. I also had my first two fights, both of which I won in the first few minutes by submission. We opened up a new small group in one of our target neighborhoods, and our youth services are growing every Saturday. So that is the retrospective view, so let's look ahead a bit.
I am not just returning to writing now, but in the next week I will be returning to two other places. On May 20th, my wife and I will be going back to the United States for three weeks. We will have a wedding there for all of the friends and family who could not come to Nicaragua when we got married here in January. We will also get back in touch with the churches at home, and will go back to train with my martial arts family at Invicta Academy. We will also visit my first home as a full time missionary, the Christian Activity Center in East St. Louis. It will be a packed itinerary, but I am excited to see what will be in store for us and what lessons God has to teach us as we go there.
The other place is the ring(no, not an octagon, I go back there in June). I have my third fight here for a Christian promotion (unique idea, no?). Instead of having female dancers at the intermission, they give testimonies, and the whole show is opened with a prayer and a short sermon. The whole thing is run by a pro fighter friend and missionary, Brian Green, who hales from my birth city, Des Moines, Iowa. He also almost beat Kimbo Slice in a straight boxing match weighing 60 pounds less! Now he lives here in Nicaragua running his sports ministry and Bible studies. He is putting me against a Central American champion boxer for his show this Friday, so it won't be a surprise if I greet my family at the airport three days later with a black eye. Nevertheless, it is an exciting challenge, and I am happy to support my friend's work for the Lord in doing so.
There is always a feeling of nostalgia that accompanies us as we go back to an old place. Sometimes they are warm, fuzzy feelings. Sometimes we go back with tense fears. Introspectively speaking, it is always good to review where we have been to get a good grip on where we are and where we are going. If regression provokes feelings of comfort, we have to be careful not to become stagnant. If it is a place of fear, we must be strong enough to confront our past and overcome it. Going back to the U.S. is going back to my comfort zone. However, I know that God still has lessons for me to learn there, so I cannot just move into vacation mode. The ring is a scary place. I will be assailed with punches, and maybe some kicks and knees, yet I cannot be deterred from entering because every victory is a victory for my students and a chance to reach out to new people.
If you read this and you need to go back to God, don't be held back by your past, or you will miss out on His future! We all have baggage, so don't miss your flight. He has a plan for your life, and He is faithful to forgive those confess their sins (1 John 1:9). Keep fighting the good fight for the faith!
Que Dios les bendiga!
Seth
"Therefore tell all the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says, 'Return to me,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty." - Zechariah 1:3
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