As I write this I am sitting on the pavilion at
Cicrin Orphanage on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua. I feel like I am at
home here because I am surrounded by water. The orphanage overlooks Lake
Nicaragua and is so serene.
Before I begin to process the transition of
coming here I want to reflect on time we spent in Granada before we came here.
The 3 teams who are working in Nicaragua stayed in Granada for a few days to be
briefed on the country by our AIM contact, Charles Kaye. From the moment he
opened his mouth every single one of us became captivated by every word he
spoke. It wasn’t just the calmness that he spoke in, it was the authority and
freedom in Christ that drew us…me in.
I have to admit that I am overwhelmed by the men
of God I have met since joining the AIM family. I see the picture of what a man
of God is. He is a warrior. He is not afraid to talk about how Christ wrecked
him and wants to do the same for you. He stands in the authority that Christ
gave us and rises up to live in. He is bold. In Granada, he has a pony tail and
his name is Charles Kaye.
Charles grew up Catholic. I see God using using
his knowledge of the Catholic church to reach Nicaragua since the Catholic
church is huge here. He told us how he started living a wild life in college
and that it continued for about 15 years.He worked on wall street in NY and had
the ideal job. After he started his own business it all fell apart. He was in
major debt and the people he thought he could count on left him. On his 3rd
date with his next door neighbor he went to church and out of his brokenness
God drew Charles to Him. The next door neighbor is now his wife Sarah. The
story of how God prepared them both for marriage is a beautiful story, but I am
not going to share it. You will just have to ask Charles yourself when you come
and serve next to him!
Charles and Sarah are such an inspiration to me.
They had a beautiful life in the states living on their farm, but that is not
what God had planned for them. God called them to serve in missions overseas
and they were obedient and followed. They have two children that are 9 and 10
years old, Banks and Willa. Charles told us how he and Sarah answered God’s
calling and followed Him, but it was not Willa and Banks calling. But because
they are obedient children they will be blessed. There is such truth and beauty
in that.
I wish I could express how deeply Charles
touched my heart, but I am not sure this blog can do that. So this is what I
felt: A calmness came over me when he talked, I hungered to hear more from
Charles, he brought tears to my eyes about 4 or more times, and I saw Jesus in
him. When Charles looks you in the eye, it is as if he is looking into your
soul through Jesus’ eyes. It felt the same way when Charles hugged me. Thank you
Lord for living through Charles.
I am not saying to be a Christian man you need
to resemble Charles. I am saying that Charles lives with the spirit of Christ
in every ounce of his being. Christ consumes him and I love that. His life is
not about himself, it is about serving Christ and serving others.
I pray that men like Charles rise up all over
Nicaragua. A country where men are consumed with pride, lust, and complacency I
pray that love, humility, and respect replace those lies. I pray truth over
this nation, I rebuke the lies satan is speaking into the hearts of men. They
are lies and they are not welcome! Rise up this nation Father. I feel your
Spirit Father, you are welcome here. Breathe your Spirit onto the Nicaraguan
people. We will worship you and only you!!
