Hey all! I have invited my dear friend Carlee to guest blog this week. I met Carlee when I was in 7th grade and we became fast friends. Our friendship grew as we took many trips to Nicaragua to love and serve our friends there. As some of you know, there is a lot of civil unrest occurring, which has been hard for both Carlee and I. Reading Carlee’s blog was a great encouragement to me. Even though we both want to be there this summer, God is continuing to teach us about surrendering our expectations and leaning into his Spirit.
Love you, Carlee!
“I was quite humbled and felt a little unworthy when Megan asked me to write a blog this morning. Encouraging others seems a little hard right now because truthfully I need some encouragement myself. Right before I received Megan’s message I had just decided not to go to Nicaragua. I was supposed to be there for a total of six weeks this summer. It would have been my eleventh trip celebrating eight years of knowing my Nicaraguan family, yet God is telling me no. This is the hardest no I have ever heard, because the call to missions in my heart is so strong and the “yes” I have heard to take this trip has been so strong up to this point. So why is God now saying no?
Part of God’s no has nothing to do with me; it has to do with a country that is suffering and that needs change and freedom. Although I know that the trips Megan and I have taken to Nicaragua are a great encouragement for the people we so deeply care about, right now God is moving in far bigger ways and He is telling me it is time to encourage through prayer even when I want to be giving hugs.
The other part of God’s no has everything to do with me. During the month of May I had the opportunity to serve in Zambia. I put everything into connecting with the Holy Spirit while I was there and realizing what an honor it is to have God inside me, guiding me. I felt the Holy Sprit in a more tangible way than I ever had before while worshiping in Africa and I was so ready to feel that again in Nicaragua, to lean into the spirit and worship wholeheartedly. But that’s the thing; God does not want me just leaning into the Holy Spirit when I am following His call of missions in my life. He wants my full surrender everyday. The days I am dancing in Africa singing His praises, the days I am teaching English alongside my Nicaraguan sister, the days I have to say no to going to the place that is dearest to my heart, and everyday in between.
So while I am here state side I will lean into the Holy Spirit, in where God has called me to be right now. I am still heartbroken and have shed too many tears to count but I know this is only because of the beauty I have seen in God’s nations and because of the ever-growing call to serve the Lords people. While this “no” is still hard to understand, the overwhelming yes of God’s invitation to surrender to Him daily is what I will lean into.”
