Anyone who knows me will tell you that Children’s ministry is not when I am at my best. I enjoy it the first day, but after that struggle to be excited about participating. There are some on our team this year who are so gifted with kids and have found their calling with the kiddos.
When we arrived in Puerto Cabezas the first thing the Pastor told us was how important his schools and orphanage were to him. He wanted those two things to be our first priority in ministry this month. Inwardly, I groaned, but figured it was no big deal with the amount of teachers and “kid people” we had with us. Funny how none of them wanted to do schools when I approached them about it and I was left going 3 days a week to teach.
Courtney and I teamed up with our Nica friends and off we went Monday – Wednesday mornings. Neither of us are much for “lesson plans”, so we literally went on a wing and a prayer each day. We had some excitement nearly every day getting there–including a minor car accident (don’t worry, Mom) and it took us awhile to get used to Latino time (about 45 minutes behind the real time), but we made it.
Courtney and I honestly dreaded going to the High School classrooms. The kids were typically disrespectful and it was obvious they had no desire to listen to a bunch of missionaries. We would give testimonies, sermons, songs, etc…Each day we would whisper a prayer before we went in the rooms and pray that we would make it out alive. 
The classes in Nicaragua are very large and typically have about 50 students in a very small space.
On our last day at the school we were trying to hit as many rooms as possible and just do a quick hello and goodbye. We were trying to sneak by the room full of Juniors (our least favorite), but the teacher caught us! We ducked in to say our goodbyes and the Holy Spirit fell powerfully.
One of our Nica friends shared a little from Luke and as she was speaking the Professor caught her vision and encouraged the students to share with us a little thank you before we left. The room was silent until one tall guy stood up. He stood amidst cat calls and applause from his classmates and I couldn’t help but wonder what he might have to say. He was clearly the natural leader of the “popular” kids and you could tell he carried clout with the rest of the students at the school. He stood and my jaw dropped.
He admitted that we had made an impact on his life and that he wanted to change. He wanted to follow Jesus!! You could have picked us up off the floor. He stood before his classmates and admitted his desire for change and that he needed Jesus. Another girl approached us and apologized for their past behavior and wished that she had listened more. I was astounded by their humility and grace in speaking with us. We left the room and went outside to give GOD thanks for our new brother and were quickly approached by 4 more girls who wanted to give their life to the Lord. It was a morning of miracles and I was blown away how the Lord works.
He taught me this month how to continue in obedience to HIM, even when it is hard and uncomfortable. We may not always LOVE what He has called us to, but he will always be faithful.
Praise the Lord for new brothers and sisters!!
