I’ve started, and re-started, and re-started AND re-started this blog the past 3 weeks. My words don’t do justice to how amazing this month in Nicaragua has been for me, but I think this is a good place to start.
Nicaragua! This place speaks for itself–BEAUTIFUL. We live by a volcano, which I absolutely love. These massive, complex creations are some of my favorite… My Father is a genius. At the moment, I’m still not 100% sure why I find them so fascinating, but I do. We also live 20 minutes from the beach, which means we have an AMAZING breeze that hangs around all day! And to top it off, this place has the most beautiful and clear night sky that I have ever seen! It is one of the most majestic views I have ever seen. And my Father created them! I never get tired of looking at the stars, and occasionally catching sight of a shooting star as it dances its way across the sky. Honestly, I think those moments are when I’m happiest.
But, it’s the people that capture my attention the most. The moment I got here, I felt like I was part of a family and I felt God tell me this would feel like home to me. I didn’t just step off the bus to do physical labor and become part of a travelling church. I stepped off the bus and into these peoples’ lives. I stepped off the bus, and they stepped into my heart. I stepped of the bus, not into a new place but to a place that felt like home.
This month, we have two wonderful ladies who make our meals. We are greeted with constant hugs and bright smiles. We are told we are beautiful. We are called daughters and friends. They love us so well.
We have Mario. He loves laughing, a lot of times at our expense–whether he walks up behind one of us and scares us or he drives under the low hanging palm tree branches in the driveway just to watch us duck in the back of the truck to avoid getting hit. 🙂 His laughter is contagious! I also see how much he cares for and is protective of us… He reminds me of my brother. 🙂
We have Papa Grande and the rest of our construction crew, who we claimed as our Nicaraguan dad and brothers. The way they stopped everything and cared for Lauren when she got hit in the head with a mango-apple or Mollie when she sprained her ankle was so special!
We have our travelling church group! Watching these people worship God… Words don’t do it justice. They are a beautiful picture of the church. We sit in plastic chairs–normally in someone’s yard. While we worship, it’s no shock to see a chicken walk by, a rooster crow, a goat and/or a pig tied to a nearby post, or a horse in the distance. I like it this way. I love the simplicity of it all. We don’t need a building. We don’t have a band. We have our voices, and an occasional guitar. Some people clap on 1 & 3 while others clap on 2 & 4…so you’re never really off beat, and it wouldn’t matter even if you were. These people pour their hearts out to God every time they worship. They don’t focus on if you wore that same outfit 2 days ago (with only one shirt option and two skirt options, they’ve seen me in the same thing multiple times this month). When you visit with them for the first time, you don’t get away with sitting on the back row and leaving before anyone can ask your name–they don’t give you the opportunity–because you are immediately invited into their family of worship. The way they worship God makes me think of the stars I see every night. It’s so beautiful it’s hard to put into words. Again, I feel like I’m watching something magical in that moment. I’m watching the created worship their Creator. And I gladly join in as a created worshipping her Creator. <3
With love,
