Must try. Hand-shaved ice, doused with pineapple syrup and drizzled with condensed milk. Enrique and his family gave us FREE full-size samples and what he said brought happy tears to my heart :*). The neighborhood sees the local nonprofit, REAP Granada, as the angels of the community. We get to work alongside them on many different “projects.” My favorite, hands down, has been prayer walks. We follow the local leaders – they know the families, the roads and can speak both English and Spanish. I honestly do not enjoy walking around in 10,000 degrees and 10,000% humidity but the encounters with God and my Nicaraguan families has brought so much joy. It feels like I’m popping in at my uncle, aunt, grandparents, cousins and just saying what’s upppppppppp fam.
We got to say what’s up to Enrique and his family one morning. They own and run a raspado cart. The word translates into scraped ice, which is the same as shaved ice back home. He learned the trade by ways of working for someone else. Eventually he opened his own and started out with a very humble cart. He was able to save and upgrade to the colorful cart you now see in the picture. On a slow day, the cart brings in $33 (that’s about 50 cups). We got to pray over the family. For the people to have access to affordable medicine, over health and blooming business. I also wanted to bless them Viet style by being their first (paying) customer for the day. It’s a cultural thing I picked up from my parents. Buying something is a way to bless a family’s business first thing in the morning. Enrique said something that brought happy tears to my heart. After I insisted a second time to let me bless him, he smiled, pointed up to the sky and said, All (of what I have) comes from above. Because all things come from God, Enrique freely gives. HEART BLOWN. Wow, I needed this. Thank you God for reminding me to not hold on so tightly to what’s “mine.” Thank you God that I do not need to worry about the remaining $9k I need to raise, just to focus on the good work that I am carrying out for You. Thank you that You will provide. Thank you for all the people who love on me and give so freely to me. Thank you that I get to do the same for others.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. ~Matthew 25:17
I was burning up from the heat and you gave me shaved iced ~Tee
