"The Waterlog" June, 2008 Even if I tried I couldn’t come up with the scenario that played out on our last experience in Nicaragua. It started with Rich Grant, an engineer specializing in water projects from Michigan, wanting to come and see what we were doing. Rich decided to bring his 17-year old son (which is a wonderful method of teaching your children to be servants) and so we started planning. A month before the trip date, Mark Bremmyr told Rich that he felt led to go, but really couldn’t afford it. His son wanted to go also, but lacked a passport. Major hurdles, right? Small stuff for God. Mark’s employer decided to pick up the tab (something I wish more employers would do) and the passport came through in time, which is a miracle in itself. I usually fly on Continental Airlines, but for once I chose Delta because of a better price and arrival time. On most flights I’m tired and like to sleep, but this time I visited with Brent Smith, who has a business in Nicaragua. Brent was actually given the wrong seat assignment (or was he?) that put him next to me. We talked about SWIM and he was extremely interested. Oh, did I mention that he is a Spanish speaking engineer with Peace Corps experience in water projects as well as a believer in Christ? Upon landing we excitedly exchanged contact info and agreed to keep in touch. I had never met the Michigan group until the airport in Managua, but we couldn’t have gotten along better. They enjoyed everything we did and really fit in with their attitudes, skills, and interaction with the people. We looked at some possible projects larger than anything we’ve ever done before and met with health departments and government officials. They also got to work with Pastor Eduardo who has helped us on 20 water projects in the La Rica area. He’s a humble servant who has never asked us for anything in return for his help. We visited a hospital, street kids, a Christian radio station, and church services that were all a spiritual blessing to us and them. I felt like things couldn’t be better. Then Brent called. He decided to change his schedule and go out with us also for a couple of days. What a great time we had! I dare say that this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing about him. As a matter of fact, he later took some supplies down to Rafael and has a way of shipping down equipment for us in the future. God is good! So now after helping plant some crops in Iowa, we are preparing to head back once again for a couple of months. We have a large group coming from Arizona in July to prepare for and more people and places to visit than a politician in an election year. We spoke at several new places this spring and sent out CPUs to be used in needy areas by other groups as well. Tom Young took 6 more units to Venezuela with him on a medical mission trip. Engineers without Borders took one to Belize, another group went to Liberia with a CPU, a work team took a unit to Mexico, and a church from Wisconsin made a trip to Panama with one. We’ve had inquires from the Philippines, Pakistan, and several parts of Africa. The Lord continues to expand our vision and His ministry. We are so thankful to all of you that consistently pray and support us so that safe water and the love of Jesus may be shared with so many throughout the world. Blessed to serve Him, Greg & Vickie Stout

After dealing with heat, dust, and mosquitoes in Nicaragua, it seems odd to again visit Iowa and battle record snowfalls and below zero temps. The 80 degree difference in climates is hard for the body to adjust to. Maybe with all this global warming (ha) the Lord is trying to tell us to spend more time in Central America.

It’s wonderful to have our trusty pickup to safely travel the rough roads in northern Nicaragua, but so difficult to find a secure place to park it at night. It seemed the best option was to build a garage at Rafael’s house. The garage is large enough for the motorcycle (instead of inside Rafael’s living space) and for storage of water equipment. I enjoyed getting in on some of the manual labor, although the building process is much different than in the US.

Vickie and I became weary of living out of suitcases in rented rooms and searched for a solution on this trip. After checking out almost every house ever built in Esteli and all available lots, we finally found something workable. It’s close to downtown, the bus stop, and all other places we deem important. It’s an answer to prayer as it’s also affordable and at the same level of living of most others in this area. This means it’s still about 75 years behind what we are accustomed to in the States. Sorry visitors, no hot showers or air conditioning. We hope that it’s also more secure. Our rented house was broken into while we were a block away using the internet one day. Praise God nothing was taken.

Rafael has enrolled in a weekly English language class and is excited about the possibility of communicating better with future American visitors. Vickie works with him every spare minute on his pronunciation, as well as tutoring a couple of other people. On a sad note, the first day of registering for classes, someone stole Rafael’s bicycle. This was ironic, as he is always reminding me to lock mine up.

We continue to do follow up and more training of churches using various Bible materials. Rafael & Vickie both have a wonderful ability to teach children, which is an ability most of the churches lack. Of course, my favorite part is the piñata party at the end of the lesson series to celebrate their accomplishments!

In rural Nicaragua, it’s very common to give rides to those you pass by. They almost always come to the window after exiting the back of the pickup to express their gratitude. We have started giving out Christian tracts and a blessing at this time as a form of witnessing. It’s been an exciting experience as many are very grateful and sometimes return to ask for another pamphlet to give to a friend. Who would have thought!

We had planned on a quick trip to Venezuela after sending out this newsletter, but our plans had to be changed. My Dad’s been in the hospital and we have another group coming to Nicaragua in March to prepare for. Water projects keep multiplying as do the blessings as we expand our territory. God has graciously given us many wonderful people to work with and share the gift of safe drinking water. There are times we have to pull back on the reins a little and keep our focus on ministry. If the spiritual aspect of people’s lives is not impacted or changed by what we do, then we are missing the point. We don’t want to just do humanitarian works; we want to work for Jesus. He’s the reason for it all. Thanks for being a SWIM team member with us. Please continue to pray with us about upcoming needs and direction in all we do.

Serving until He returns,

Greg & Vickie Stout

"The Waterlog"

November 2007

For those of you that believe miracles don’t happen anymore, think again. We received our missing suitcase with all its contents seven weeks after returning from our Swaziland trip! I have no idea where it’s been, but it would probably have some stories to tell if it could talk. Speaking of stories, I didn’t get to relate the whole Swazi experience last time. It’s hard to fully describe the devastating effect that AIDS has on this little country, and then to have poverty and water problems on top of that is just unfair. With the droughts drying up the wells and ‘good’ water sources, people were resigned to using any water hole or stream that still had water in it, no matter how filthy. They were thrilled to receive the water disinfection help and it was a blessing for us to be able to take part in it all. The British influence made for an interesting cultural experience and the people and the land were truly beautiful. We even took time to visit some of God’s creatures at a game reserve.

The African continent received another SWIM team last month. David Spencer and Gary Badgett took 6 units with them on their 3 week trip to Kenya. They were accepted warmly and felt that people really picked up on the disinfection method quickly. They were able to speak at several churches and had 2 people receive Jesus as savior at one of the presentations, one being the motorcycle taxi driver they hired to take them there. PTL! That’s what it’s all about.

In Nicaragua news, Rosario is busy evangelizing in the hospital and prison with the materials and Bibles we left with her. She has led several more to the Lord and is a constant inspiration to us. Rafael’s wife had to undergo an emergency surgery to remove 35 large gall stones. Thankfully she’s doing great. It’s always a scary situation when you go to a hospital in a developing country. We were overwhelmed by everyone’s response in covering the expenses for the $550 operation. Rafael & Karla send their warmest appreciation for everyone’s prayers and support. We plan to start a special fund for medical emergencies such as this to help others in the future. We are always seeing needs where we can be a blessing to others and show the compassion of Christ.

We’re looking forward to getting back to Nicaragua and continuing the work there. Greg leaves November 19th for a month. We have another medical mission organization that is asking for chlorinators and help with disaster relief in areas hit by the recent storms and floods. Lots of opportunities! Please pray that we make the right decisions on which ones we go to and who we help. And finally, we are told the paperwork is done for SWIM to be recognized officially in Nicaragua! This will lessen the hassles we undergo every time we bring in equipment as well as open doors to work with other organizations and agencies.

A special thanks this Waterlog to Kevin & Tracy Klucas who produced a fantastic DVD for SWIM. Anyone interested in obtaining one to promote this ministry- let us know.

We pray that your giving of thanks this season will be directed to the One who is worthy and that your celebration of Christ’s birth draws you closer to Him. Experience the real JOY- Jesus, Others, You.

Gladly giving of ourselves to others for Christ,

Greg & Vickie Stout

"The Waterlog"
September, 2007

What a process to simply buy a pickup in Nicaragua! First, with the condition of the roads, it’s a problem just to find a decent used pickup. Second, everyone’s out to make a buck on an American. Third, cash is the only way to buy anything and there’s a limit on how much you can take out from your credit card daily (forget about trying to transfer funds if you think that would work), so it’s necessary to make a trip to the bank every morning and stand in line for an hour with everyone else trying to do the same thing. After a week of this and you are walking around with more money in your possession than most Nicaraguans will earn in the next 10 years (which makes you a little uneasy), your fun is just beginning. You have to get the deal done at an attorney’s, pay taxes on the sale, get a title transfer, a license transfer, an inspection, a windshield sticker, insurance, three other mystery forms, copies of everything, oh, and did I mention that none of these are in the same location! After all that I was told a Resident Visa is needed to own a pickup in Nicaragua, which I can’t get until we get the NGO papers we are waiting on. Ay caramba! And they wonder why I don’t have any hair. The good news is that God has blessed us with an excellent 1998 Toyota 4- wheel drive diesel pickup that will make it possible to accomplish much more than before. Thanks to all of you for your support and prayers that saw us through the ordeal.

We were also successful in upgrading the motorcycle Rafael uses. Many times he takes trips 3 hours away and it was always a concern keeping the older one in safe working condition. This one is much more suitable for the terrain he travels and has a large rack on it to haul Bibles and equipment.

We finally found batteries that we can buy in Nicaragua, and we started using rollable solar panels, which takes the worry out of breakage and weight concerns in our baggage. Even though we managed 9 water projects, this trip also served as an organization time for all the documents and follow up that we try to keep tabs on. One of the high points of the month was doing a baptism of a young man we helped lead to the Lord. We provided him with a guitar and lessons last winter, and before the baptism he gave us a mini-concert of Christian songs he can now play. He’s really good! SWIM’s focus is on saving lives by providing safe drinking water, but our higher purpose has always been on pointing others to eternal life through Jesus.

A week after getting home from Nicaragua, we packed up and left on our 24 hour plane ride to Swaziland, Africa. Due to a delayed flight, we were rerouted through London and when we finally arrived, our luggage didn’t. In fact, they are still searching for one suitcase. This complicated our 20 day trip, but it didn’t keep us from doing water projects in 18 different areas. It will explain though why we have on the same clothes in about 400 pictures. The Anglican Church was wonderful to work with and the trip was quite an experience. We haven’t fully organized our thoughts and pictures yet, so the next Waterlog will be devoted more to the SWIM in Swazi story.

If you’ve ever had the desire to be a part of what we do and see how the rest of the world lives, now is your chance. There are a number of worthy projects in Nicaragua. We know friends in health clinics that would appreciate volunteers, there are farm projects wanting help building cattle pens and planting trees, churches are asking for building assistance, a small Christian school for problem children has many needs, and of course, we have water projects coming out our ears. We can’t handle large groups, but if you have an interest in making a difference in some lives on your next vacation, please contact us.
Willing to serve Him,

Greg & Vickie Stout



"The Waterlog"

June, 2007

Where has the time gone? It seems we just returned from Nicaragua to do some speaking and catching up on home duties and now it’s time to head back again. We really enjoyed the opportunities we had to share with many of you about this ministry. While we were out running around doing SWIM presentations in 5 states to support our missionary habit, Rafael was busy depleting our stock of water equipment in Nicaragua. Many thanks to Marlin who was brave enough to journey down with 4 suitcases full of supplies to equip Rafael so he could continue with the ministry projects. I say brave not only because Marlin rode on back of the motorcycle with Rafael to a very remote community and survived the wild ride with just a minor “mishap”, but also because Marlin doesn’t speak Spanish and Rafael speaks very little English. What an experience!

As is usually the case, plans have once again been changed. Our trip to Swaziland is being moved back to August, due to an unexpected health problem with one of our team members. Much time and prayer has gone into the plans and we are really excited about making our first trip to Africa, but in the meantime, another trip to Nicaragua before then will now be possible.

We have so many things waiting for us in Nicaragua that we are really going to have to prioritize. Provadenic (a Baptist rural health ministry) has asked us to install 25 chlorinators in all their remaining rural clinics, dozens of churches are asking for us to show Christian videos, and we still have a huge list of locations we’ve yet to work with from our last visit. First, we need to look for a vehicle to make all of this possible. We have a Nicaraguan friend that has offered to help us in our search and purchase. (It’s always cheaper when a Nicaraguan does the negotiating on price.) Please pray with us about finding the right used truck for our needs at an affordable price and then finding a safe place to park it when we are not there. Secondly, we have to follow up on our non-profit status for Nicaragua that we are in the process of obtaining. This is a very important step that will make it easier bringing in supplies through customs (another thrill for Marlin) and being recognized more as a Nicaraguan ministry rather than an American ministry working in Nicaragua. With the Sandinista (Communist) government now in place, that may make a big difference in the future. Lastly, I also want to experiment with a new rollable solar panel and some other things we have in mind, plus check out local sources for supplies and materials we can use in the future.

We are receiving lots of interest in our little ministry from many parts of the world. Since we can’t be in more than one place at a time, we are praying for more helpers and resources to expand into other needy areas. It seems we might have someone willing to go represent SWIM in Kenya this winter. This is an encouraging start!

I just received a heart breaking e-mail from our friends in Venezuela. Over 30 indigenous Warao children have died from diarrhea in the last 3 months, due to the water conditions. We have plans to go back in February and dig more wells, but unfortunately that won’t be soon enough to help those. I know we can’t help everyone, even though we want to. I just pray God will allow us the chance to reach all that we can for His kingdom.
We do appreciate each and every one of you who make this ministry what it is today through your prayers and support. I wish all of you could visit us in Nicaragua and see how God is at work there, and experience the way most of the rest of the world lives. Of course that isn’t possible or realistic, so hopefully you can share our joy of serving Him through the newsletters and pictures. Please don’t hesitate to write or call if you have questions, ideas, or want to get more involved. Have a great summer!

Greg & Vickie Stout



"The Waterlog"

February, 2007

With this visit in Nicaragua half over, we felt it was a good time to report and reflect. Unless something changes we don't expect any more visitors, but the 6 we've had over the last 3 weeks have really added to our experience this winter. All but one were first time guests. We assisted two nurses in doing 3 different free medical clinics. These were in areas where they are using the water chlorinators and asked us for additional help. The clinics were greatly appreciated and needed, but it was a tremendous undertaking to make it successful. It was a definite challenge for us to translate using lots of words and terms that we don't use in everyday language. We have on final clinic scheduled where we will hire a local doctor for the day to make the diagnosis and we will assist with the medications needed.

We've now added a new part to our ministry by showing Christian videos in rural areas where they have never been shown. We hang a big sheet on the outside of the church to use as a screen and people flock in to see what all the commotion is about. The first time we tried this we had six people accept Christ, so we know it is worth the effort. We also had Pastor Kevin from Iowa put his artist skills to work by doing sketches in a church and a public school while Greg tried to explain things. It was something fun and different that the people really enjoyed. Don't ever think that God can't use what talents you have.

Our working relationship with the government here seems to keep moving forward. They have much interest in SWIM assisting them with rural water projects. We are very thankful for Veronica's continued help with this. She is an engineer that we worked with last year, and now she has been promoted to being in charge of all water projects. She is excited to introduce the chlorinator to all those involved. Is that a God thing or what?

We have been looking at used pickups for awhile now. It's something that we need to further this ministry. We rented one from a pastor while we did the medical clinics and it was a real blessing, but also a challenge for my driving skills on some of the "roads" here. I used the 4-wheel drive part a lot!

A building is something else that we are praying about. A permanent location would be a big advantage whether we rent or buy. And even though SWIM is a registered non-profit organization in the States, we also are looking at setting up the same sort of foundation in Nicaragua to move ahead. So many thing that are both exciting and a bit scary are happening with this ministry. Growing pains I guess.

Rafael enjoys equipping and training the struggling rural churches more than anything else that he does. He's very good at it using Bibles, CEF materials and SWIM books that are at his disposal. All the trips on the motorcycle have taken their toll though, and we had to have it overhauled last month.

I got the experience of going to a Nicaraguan doctor after a difficult bout with a fever, throat infection, and cough. Vickie broke another tooth and had to visit a dentist here. Both turned out just fine and cost much less than in the States. Rafael kept telling Vickie that they don't use Novacain here, they just whack you in the head with a board. He has a sense of humor that you have to love.

A special thanks to Renee for helping us with the newsletter this time. Many thanks to all of you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and financial support that keeps us busy serving Jesus. And without God's continued grace, guidance and goodness, nothing we do would have meaning. Gracias Senor!

SWIMing for Him,
Greg & Vickie Stout