Rev. Mrs. Tame Lambert recently led a Women's Ministries mission team of 15 Spirit-filled IPHC from coast to coast to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with women of a poverty- stricken third world country that still sits in unrest.

Upon landing in Nicaragua, the journey to the southern town of Rivas began, according to SEC Customer Service Representative, Susan Todd. A long road and a packed van provided the opportunity for the women to get to know each other. As Tuesday morning dawned they set out on our first day of ministry. They expected only 20 or so pastor's wives but quickly saw that word had gotten out: the Americans were coming and church was not just for them. This became the case in both cities where the group ministered.

Each location was treated to a day of pampering that included a craft, a scarf accessorizing lesson, a facial and a manicure for the women in attendance. The second day of the conference provided the ladies an opportunity to attend a workshop on Girls' Ministries. While team members provided a day of ministry that included the preached word, testimonies, and teaching on spiritual gifts and why we have Women's Ministries. The ladies were richly blessed and even shared their own testimonies with the group at the end of that time. There were reports of deliverance, healing, and freedom received in those sessions and around the altars.

Of course there were obstacles to overcome, Todd said. A couple of injuries sustained by team members and extreme 105 degree heat made for a difficult time, and water became a valued commodity.

By far the most compelling obstacles were overcome by the Nicaraguan people, Todd said. After one of the services the group was asked to pray and intercede for a group of women traveling in by public bus to the conference. They were stuck in a roadblock where civil unrest was happening and had to spend hours and hours in the extreme heat, waiting to get through. They arrived late, but they arrived nonetheless.

'Truly these women were committed to not being denied their blessing! With what could be called more than challenging circumstances to simply attend a series of meetings began to think about what we would have done here. I seriously doubt any of us would have persevered through that. Most of us here would have simply turned around and gone home saying that it must not have been the Lord's will for us to be there, but not these women. They were determined to arrive at their blessing. But that's not the whole story. When I realized where they were staying I quickly surmised that I, too, would have thrown in the towel on my trip. On a brief tour of the church facilities we saw a few rooms with sleeping bags piled high. The explanation stunned us all! These women weren't staying in a hotel or even in a house with a friend, they were sleeping on cement slab floors in a sleeping bag. But even that was not the end of the challenges overcome by the good people of Nicaragua,' Todd said.

Thursday the team was ministering in Managua and was extremely excited because the church had air conditioners. When the units roared to life the team cheered in joy, but it was short-lived, Todd said.

'The demand on their system was too much and the service pole in front of the church exploded and burst into flames, causing the electricity to be cut completely. Not only were the fans gone, we didn't even have lights,' she added.

The next day brought a small earthquake that didn't disturb the service, Todd said. In fact, it caused a time of worship to erupt.

'My first instinct was to go stand in the yard for the remainder of the day; theirs was to dig in deeper and grab His presence even more fiercely than before,' she said.

On the last Sunday, when Todd thought she couldn't be amazed anymore, part of the team traveled to a third church to preach. This particular location only had half a roof and little ventilation with one small fan, yet they filled the place.

'The people came and worshipped and they didn't drive or take a bus or a taxi; they walked. Most of us grumble when we don't get the parking spot closest to the door, but these great people didn't have a parking lot, just a driveway for them to walk down to get to church,' she said. 'To say that I was the one blessed by this trip is a gross understatement. The team was wonderful and I so enjoyed getting to know each lady. It was my privilege to witness their anointing at work. What a joy to see what I've never seen and do what I've never done.'