Team Abandon spent the month of July with Team Fuego in a really small, really poor Nicaraguan village called Candalaria. We were at a mission called “New Song,” started by an American couple named Tommy and Linda. If I had to sum up our month with one word, it would definitely be BLESSED!!!
Psalm 40.3 says:
I am pretty sure that is the verse that gave Tommy and Linda the idea for the name of their mission. I love the name “New Song.” It says so much to me. When I hear that verse I think of new beginnings. I think of how when we totally surrender our lives to God, he completely transforms us. We are given a second chance. All the old garbage is totally wiped out, and we get to start over. We are new creations, with a new song coming from us. We can have hope and freedom in Christ! That is something to get excited about!
New Song is a place of hope. It is a safe place for people to come where they will feel loved and valued. The foundation of New Song’s ministry is building relationships with people. As the relationships grow, Tommy and Linda, along with Diego, an American who basically runs the joint, can understand the needs of the people and how they can best help meet those needs.
A lot of what Team Abandon and Team Fuego did for the month was build relationships with the people who lived in the village. New Song owns a piece of land with a house, a church building, a clinic, and a big field that has a basketball/volleyball court, a baseball diamond, and lots of room to play. There are people there around the clock. And not just a few people, LOTS of people! Walk out the door, and you have a plethora of opportunities to love on people! We spent a lot of our afternoons playing with the kids who were always there. Almost every night there was some kind of service that we had the opportunity to attend.
We got to be a part of the women’s ministry. One Saturday there was a “beauty day.” All the women in the village were invited, and then the girls of the two teams got to love on them by doing facials, manicures, pedicures, and cutting and styling their hair.
One Wednesday morning, 7 of us had the opportunity to help plant a rice field with a group of locals. The rice planting method is quite something. I have never had so much fun planting something before. Some of the team also helped put up a fence and cut down trees with machetes. There was also lots of time to play in the dirt, drag a tractor across the field with a tow rope after it stalled, and play with some children who were hanging around.
Three sisters came to the house everyday to cook us lunch. They were amazing ladies, always ready with lots of hugs and kisses for all of us. They were such a joy to be around. I felt so loved whenever I walked in the kitchen. They loved to mother us and make sure that everyone had lots of food. If you weren’t at a meal, they would hunt you down and make sure you ate. Spanish speaking people cannot pronounce my name, so I became the sister’s “Princesa” for the month.
One of the youth girls, Rosa, was baptized while we were there. Talk about a girl after God’s own heart! What a blessing to see her passion for God and for sharing him with the people of her village.
A group of church ladies did our laundry for us. Cori and I took our laundry to a lady named Connie. She was so sweet, and incredibly giving. She would start crying every time Cori hugged her. She also had the most precious daughter, Juliet. Those two were definitely two of the hardest people to leave behind.
Another blessing was the worship times and devotion times we did morning and night as a group with Diego and a few other Americans who were at the mission for the summer.
July was an amazing month. It was a blessing to be with Team Fuego. I felt challenged and encouraged by them. They are an amazing team, with big hearts and a desire to follow God and make him known. I definitely learned a lot from them.
