If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or receive my monthly newsletter you know that my ministry for the first couple of months involved a lot of child’s play. Last month I watched 1 year old babies eat, sleep, and play with pelotas and camions (I quickly learned the spanish words for balls and trucks). To help the teacher and give her a break I also changed my fair share of -extremely- dirty diapers and blew a ton of cute, runny noses.
This month we are doing a lot to support a small village called Bethel near Chichigalpa, Nicaragua. I found out yesterday that Chichigalpa is publicly recognized as the hottest city in Nicaragua. This is awesome for us since we spend so much tiime there playing baseball, soccer, volleyball, catch, dancing, singing, and doing whatever else the kids find fun and entertaining … OUTSIDE!
I love hanging out with these little ones and the games have been loads of fun. But I’m a missionary … Missionaries don’t play with kids! Missionaries teach in schools, put on medical clinics, teach in bible studies, and preach life changing sermons. They rescue women from sex slavery and show prostitutes & drug dealers the love of Jesus. I wondered what is the purpose of my ministry these past couple of months and worried that my supporters would not feel like there money was being used as they expected.
God began to open my eyes to what His heart sees. He showed me how He loved these little ninos just as much as He loves His only begotten Son. He showed me that the reason He sent me overseas to “play” with these precious ones is because they are kids who deserve a good childhood. They deserve a childhood like the one I experienced. They deserve to know that they aren’t only loved but they also are liked, they are enjoyed, they are valuable.
There is no mission that God considers small or insignificant, but children’s ministry, in all of its forms, is one of the most important ones.
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” – Luke 18:16-17
Not only am I serving those who God chooses to model the Kingdom for us, but there are many other reasons why God has blessed me to be able to minister love to His children.
- I get the opportunity to experience firsthand what childlike faith and dependence looks like.
- Let’s be honest, kids are exhausting! I get to serve and relieve people who work with the youth daily.
- I get to be the answer to someone’s prayer.
Next week, my team gets the opportunity to put on a mini Vacation Bible School for some of the kids that we’ve been building relationships with over the past few weeks. Now that we have a foundation built on love, trust, and friendship, we feel it is important to also share the gospel with them to let them know that we’re not just a group coming through to have fun.
God’s love is so great and everything He does is for the sake of the world. It isn’t just for my sake, it isn’t just so that people feel like their money isn’t being wasted, and it isn’t even always for me to know. Thankfully, He was gracious enough to reveal these things to me and ultimately to you. Though you may not always see firsthand how you are impacting God’s kingdom, please know that you, too, are answering someone’s prayers. Please know that you are serving who the world considers the least and who God considers the greastest. Please know that your decision to sacrifice is for the sake of the world.
Here is a video of a couple girls who I’ve befriended in a Nicaraguan village called Bethel. These kids are God’s most precious and amazing creations. Thank you for helping impact their lives for greatness!
Fatimah and Cindy singing “Abre Mis Ojos” (Open the Eyes of my Heart)
I am still $3,750 away from being fully funded! Your contributions have helped me to accomplish so much on the race and I’m excited to be able to see it through until the end. If you or someone you know would be interested in helping me reach this goal so that I can continue serving arouond the world, please click the “Support Me” link to give an online donatin. All donations are tax deductible.
THANK YOU! WE GREATLY APPRECIATE IT!
