Hello friends and family! I am currently writing this from the beautiful country of Nicaragua, where I have been living at an orphanage on the island of Ometepe for the past month. This is where I will be living for the remainder of my time overseas. The orphanage that we are living and serving at is called Cicrin and is host to about 30 of the coolest kids on the planet whom I have the privilege of living with.
Our ministry here is split up into three different categories. One day we will be teaching in the local school that all the kids also attend, the next day our team does maintenance and cleans the entire facility, then the following day we get the awesome opportunity to go prayer walking in different neighborhoods around the island. Our team has had some amazing conversation with local people and gotten to pray over a lot of really awesome Nicaraguan people. I am extremely grateful for my best friend back home, Paco Contreras, and his entire family for teaching me Spanish over the past 11 years! It has really paid off and God is opening up a lot of doors for me and my team.
One of the things God has been teaching me, not only during my time in Nicaragua, but really my entire journey has been what thankfulness is all about. One morning I woke up, got out of my tent, and sat in my camping chair staring out at the beautiful lake while the sun was rising. The noise of the birds, the crisp air, and the color of the water as the sun reflected off its glassy surface was astounding. God just hit me with a such an overcoming feeling of gratefulness. I didn’t know if I was going to start screaming at the top of my lungs or begin to weep. The feeling of joy deep in my soul was indescribable.
I am going to take you on a quick journey back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve lived with God in perfect unity. They didn’t lack a single thing. The garden was unimaginable, filled with tons of luscious fruits of which only one was forbidden to eat. During this time, thankfulness was as natural as breathing to Adam and Eve. Satan’s temptation pointed them towards the one thing in the Garden and life that they couldn’t have. This darkened their minds and their thankful hearts were quickly changed to covetous and desirous. This led to the Original Sin. However, I am not going to talk about original sin. Instead, I am going to talk about Original Glory. We were designed to be with God in perfect harmony and union. That is why we were built. To give God glory by being in perfect communion with Him.
I haven’t been alive on this earth that long, and I haven’t been in an intimate relationship with Jesus for that long, but one thing I can say is that when I am living life and being simply grateful that I get another day on this beautiful, breathtaking earth, and that I’m able to walk every step with the Creator of the Universe right alongside me, even cheering my name, my life has never been and never will be as full(until the day Im with Him eternally in paradise). Jesus really does offer a life to the full. I found that in my life, too often I will take for granted life, salvation, sunshine, a cool breeze, or one of the thousands of ways God demonstrates His beauty all around me. God has blessed me with the greatest family I could ever ask for. Honestly, one of the greatest things I have learned on my trip has been how living in a state of constant thankfulness can allow God’s love and joy to radiate through you.
My encouragement to you is to be thankful for life, this incredible journey that we are all on, and remember that God is with you every step of the way and will never leave you or forsake you.
Thank you for reading this blog and following my journey! I look forward to seeing y’all Soon. Stay safe fam and keep crushing it!
