Thanksgiving in Nicaragua.

Psalm 56:12 

“God, you did everything you promised, 

and I’m thanking you with all my heart.”

 

This month we are working with a beautiful woman named Anita. 

 

 

She is incredible and I instantly felt a connection with her. She has never had a WR team before. She had been praying for some extra help and she said that our team arrived at just the right time!

God is so good like that.

 

She has a story very similar to mine. God captured her heart from a dark past and around the age of twenty-two, she went to spend seven years working with YWAM. She even spent a few years in Thailand working with the women trapped in prostitution! Three years ago, she returned to Nicaragua (where her family lives) to start a ministry to feed the hungry. 

 

She feeds the street kids of the slums here in Rivas, Nicaragua. She found a property that used to be an old bar and turned it into a Bethel, which means house of God. It is a feeding center for the kids and also a safe place for them to come and play games with eachother after school. She feeds anywhere from 60-80 kids on a daily basis. This involves cleaning, cooking the meal, serving, and providing the kids with a short bible study each day. For some, this is the only meal they get each day.

 

 

She just recently started a baking school for the moms as well. Out of her own home she teaches them to make bread to sell. They are learning a skill that can help them make enough money to provide for their family. 

This woman truly inspires me. 

 

Being here is the perfect place to be spending Thanksgiving. Not only do we have a kitchen to cook a delicious thanksgiving meal in, but have an amazing host to spend it with. We are also daily reminded how thankful we should be. 

 

The other day a few of us went for a run. About a mile into our run, we passed a huge trash dump literally right on the side of the road. My heart got so heavy as I watched the sweet people of this little town picking through the trash to find what they needed. I have never been in such poverty where I have had to result to digging through trash for necessities. 

 

 

 

I was instantly reminded that I have SO stinking much to be thankful for. 

 

I may not be with my family for the holidays this year, but I am extremely blessed to be spending my thanksgiving with these girls and be a part of this incredible journey. 
 

 

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On the World Race, you start to become thankful for the little things…

 

I am thankful for Jesus time and getting to read books and relax in a hammock. 

I am thankful that I hear God speak to me and feel His spirit moving in my life every day.

I am thankful for laughter and tears.

 

I am thankful for days off at the beach.

I am thankful for my testimony and all that God has brought me through.

 

I am thankful for precious children with hope in their eyes.

I am thankful for our cold showers this month and a kitchen to cook a thanksgiving meal in!

I am thankful for episodes of Bones and movie nights with my team.

 

I am thankful for the skype dates and the internet when we have it.

 

I am thankful for a beautiful baby niece (Kelsey Leigh) that came into this world on November 9th 🙂

I am thankful for accountability, encouragement, and community.

I am thankful for weeks when make-up is replaced with sweat and learning to feel truly beautiful through it all.

 

I am thankful for jogs with friends, adventurous hikes, and sunsets.

 

I am thankful for restoration with family members and friends back home.

I am thankful for long days and short nights because I feel more alive than I ever have!

I am thankful for moleskin journals and different colored pens.

 

I am thankful for incredible new friends that I know will be friends for a lifetime.
 

 

I am thankful for my squad leaders and how much they invest in me.

I am thankful for long email updates from the ones I love.

I am thankful for children's giggles and hugs.

I am thankful for coffee, cold purified water, and tea.

I am thankful for a great dad who has shown me what a true man of God looks like.
And an amazing mom who has become one of my best friends.

I am thankful for the woman I am becoming through God's power alone.

I am thankful for a smile that comes from the purest joy I've ever experienced. 

I am thankful for the opportunities to share my story with others.

 

I am thankful for incredible worship and the family we have created within L-squad.

 

I am thankful for church in our pajamas as a team with a speaker and a podcast. 

I am thankful for car rides with the windows down and the breeze in my hair.

I am thankful for all the beautiful places of the world I am getting to see!

 

I am thankful for my life today and where I am at,
the unconditional love and extended grace I am given over and over again. 
 

Happy Thanksgiving from Nicaragua 🙂