“Love never fails…”
– 1 Corinthians 13:8
The New Year is upon us and I’m headed off to ministry in Southeast Asia for the next few months. So big changes are in store after getting accustomed to life here in Central America. The past month in Nicaragua has provided many opportunities to share the Gospel and the love of Christ.
We set foot at La Quinta, a children’s home in Diriamba, Nicaragua, knowing that we would be working with some kids that would surely need some love. In our first week we found out some disturbing details about the lives these kids have lived and it broke my heart. But I thought my impact would be quite limited, as it had been before, because of the language barrier. It always seemed to be an obstacle to me getting the most out of every place we’ve worked thus far, but God definitely stepped in this month and broke down that wall. Having only 4 or 5 kids to work with made for an intimate environment and the ability to have a lot of quality time with them. As time went on, my Spanish drastically improved, and even when I couldn’t understand what was being said, they didn’t seem to care, and neither did I! We’d just use hand motions, change the subject, or have a good laugh. Our different languages didn’t seem to matter after a while. We were able to show them that we love them and that we care without using words. Whether that involved taking a walk into town, teaching a Bible lesson, having dinner, or playing soccer, either way, they knew they were loved.
I guess you could say we all speak the same love language. Love knows no cultures, people groups, races, or ages. It doesn’t require a translator, and is spoken in every country around the world, but often can’t be written, spoken, or heard. It’s difficult to describe on paper, but I think everyone understands my point. Its origins stem from our Creator and it hasn’t changed at all over time.
The greatest way this love was ever spoken was on Christmas day. The day the world was sent its Savior. And during this year’s Christmas season, I got to share that great story. In the midst of several kids from all around the local slum, I told them of how love came down that one evening, 2,000 years ago. Just straight from the Bible, I shared the greatest story ever told. It was the highlight of my ministry thus far. I was able to use the platform and my influence in that community to spread the Good News. I certainly look forward to more opportunities to carry the name of Jesus in the future.
Along with all of this, I have more great news: I’m nearly fully funded! Thanks to your prayers and support, I’m only $1,500 away from my fundraising goal. Praise God! Please continue to pray that I meet my final deadline coming up in April. If you would like to make any further donations, make checks payable to Adventures In Missions, mail payments to the following address, and be sure to include my name in the memo:
Adventures In Missions
P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
You can also make your contribution online at danlidwin.theworldrace.org. Just click the “Support Me” tab on the left hand column and follow the instructions thereafter.
For His Renown,
Dan Lidwin
