This past month has been spent serving in beautiful Nicaragua at REAP Granada. As I mentioned briefly before were staying on a 70 acre farm with views that never get old. My favorite view is probably the one at 5am prayer of the sun rising over the hill in the distance, God is truly just showing off.
It’s hard to explain all that REAP does because their impact is being felt by so many in the community of Granada. Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten a little taste of each ministry they do. I have served at the city dump, participated in sports ministry, worked on the farm, prayed in the city hospital and prayer walked in the community.
What I really want to tell you about is the little library down the street and sweet Marisela who works there. Day one of ministry I went prayer walking with my team. What that looks like is a group of about 8 of us walking through the neighboring streets with a translator. The translators already have a lot of connections throughout the neighborhood so we are guided by them and the Holy Spirit. We are often welcomed into peoples homes to hear their story and then to pray over them. The public library was one of our first stops.
Marisela is the only one working at the library. There’s only one of her and sometimes over 30 kids that visit daily. The library is the only source of books for most kids in the neighborhood and because they don’t have access to computers or WiFi books are needed to complete any sort of school project. Some of the kids are in school but many are not. Kids of all ages come to the library for all different reasons.
Marisela wears a lot of different hats at the library. She’s the teacher, the janitor, the book repairer, and the front desk lady. Despite her business Marisela makes it a point to make every child feel seen and cared for. Needless to say Marisela desperately needed help. My team has been able to go back to the library almost every day this month and each time Marisela beams with joy. She is often filled with tears when we leave because she’s so grateful for all our help. It takes us only a couple hours to complete things that would take her over a week. I have gotten to read Spanish books with kids, reorganize furniture, and help spruce up the interior with crafts.
It has been a fulfilling experience encouraging Marisela and the children, but she has truly encouraged us. Her faith is unshakeable and she lived each day as it is a gift from God. On Tuesday my team and I head out to our second country – Costa Rica! 
