I wish I paid more attention in Spanish class.
There is little more frustrating than trying to have a conversation with a local and knowing you were taught how to say something, yet you have no clue how to actually say it. There is little more frustrating than not being able to communicate in the way you expected to with a whole three semesters of Spanish under your belt.
I am rarely at a loss for words. I am one who, once you know me, has plenty to say. I love words; reading words, speaking words, creating with words, and listening to others words. Words are immensely powerful. They have the potential to ruin relationships, careers, and nations. They have the power to restore lives, and embolden entire societies.
Since I arrived in Nicaragua nearly a month ago, I have been gripped by a loss of words. Enslaved by a fear of failure, I haven’t been bold enough to try. To try to communicate and try to understand. To be willing to put myself out there and let my ego go. I simply do not want to look like a fool.
My God is a God of all languages.
He understands. He understands my prayers in English, all while he is answering prayers in Spanish. He lowers His ear to those who worship in Spanish, while we worship Him in English. He hears the pleas of the Thai, the Chinese, the French, and the Arabic. He speaks to us in whatever language we chose to listen to Him in.
I am here to make His name known all around the world. My sole purpose on the earth is to bring glory to God’s kingdom. I should not let a fear hold me back from fulfilling that. I should not be not sharing His name simply because I can’t speak someone’s language. The Holy Spirit shines through me, and that is more than enough.
He is so much greater than my petty little language barrier.
Dios te amo,
Jill
I arrived in Nicaragua, my last country, at the beginning of March. We started our time off here with team changes! I am now on a new team called Daddy’s Girls. Our parents came to visit us for a week while we were in Granada, and we got to spend time doing ministry with them. It was absolutely amazing to be with them again after six months! I am now living with four other teams on a volcanic island in Lake Nicaragua called Ometepe. We are living and working with an organization called Circin. They have eighteen kids from ages 5 to 16 who live on the property, as well as a school. They also host many short term teams that we have been working alongside. Ministry varies day to day from doing construction projects, to chores on the property, to going into local schools, to prayer walking in the community. Our focus is building relationships with people in the community, and loving them any way we can. It’s hot here, and rice and beans are plentiful, but God is working in huge ways!
