It’s all squad month! Which means all 25 of us are serving together. This month we are staying at an AIM base right outside of the city of Granada. We are partnering with their ministry here- REAP which stands for Restore, Educate, Activate, and Perpetuate. I want to tell you that life is quiet and simple here on the farm but during the day it’s actually quite noisy and busy. It’s evident how much love is here because there are always a lot of people here and kids running around playing. We get our quiet time in the mornings though. On Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday we are up by 5 AM for an hour of corporate prayer which is followed by an hour of personal quiet time with the Lord. Every other day we are up by 6 AM though to spend some time with the Lord. I’m by no means a morning person and have always done my quiet time in the evenings before bed. However, I am beginning to love getting up first thing in the morning and spending time in the Word. It’s definitely something I want to continue after leaving the farm.
Ministry here looks different depending on the day. We have scheduled ministry Wednesday-Sunday and have Monday as an adventure day and Tuesday as our Sabbath. During the week our teams take turns with the various ministries REAP partners with. The farm is currently home to 6 American missionaries and about 4 Nicaraguan missionaries. Several of them have their own ministries that they run around town and we get to help serve within those ministries. We go to the nursing home, the dump, the hospital, on prayer walks within the community, do sports ministry, and also manual labor on the farm. The days here are long and very hot but they are always very sweet.
I had the opportunity to share a short message before one of the soccer games last weekend. I’m not the biggest fan of public speaking and was incredibly nervous but as I began to speak a peace came over me and I knew the Lord was right there with me. Almost every type of ministry that we do here takes me outside of my comfort zone in one way or another. Which makes me a bit nervous but I’m stepping out of my comfort zone I always learn something new about the Lord. To be honest, when we first got here I was hesitant to love the farm. As we are preparing to leave the farm in just a few days, I really do love it. The Lord has taught me so much here and I’m beginning to actually see and recognize the ways that I’m growing. Which makes this time even more sweet. This ministry has been such a blessing to me and to the whole squad. They have helped us develop important spiritual disciplines, taken us outside of our comfort zones, and loved us well. It will be a time and a place that I always treasure.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers throughout this journey! My next fundraising deadline is just a few weeks away and I’m in need of around $1,500 in order to stay on the field. I’m praying and trusting God for that money to come and I would love for you to join me in praying for that.
