I lived on an island in the middle of a lake in the middle of Nicaragua for three weeks. That sentence sounds crazy, but it was my reality. It taught me many things and God has been working there for many many years. Days are not much different than my life at the states. Wake up. Quiet time with the Lord. Get dressed. Eat breakfast. Do ministry. Eat lunch. Do ministry. Play with the goofiest kids. Spend time with friends. Eat dinner. Play with kids some more. Spend time with my teammates. Play a card game or two. Get ready for bed. Repeat.
In that time, I still slept for about 7-8 hours every night and ate 3 meals of day. Life still had the same patterns. But life on Ometepe was filled with lots of Spanish, rice and beans (for every meal), laughter and little technology. Now you might be thinking, Brooke, you forgot to mention that ministry was different than the states. And to that, I would say- LIFE IS MINISTRY AND MINISTRY IS LIFE. It’s a common saying on the race- and it’s very accurate. Every conversation, kind gesture and smile is an opportunity to do ministry. So, I can tell you that you are fully capable to be mission minded right where you are. Look for the people around you who need a relationship with their Creator and the God of love! God wants to use you to reach them- be willing to say “Yes!” Now ministry in Ometepe looked like cutting up wood with machetes, teaching English, lots of cleaning, working on plantain farms and in gardens, spending time with some kids who do not receive a lot of love at home, LOTS of praying, uplifting ministry hosts and locals, speaking with tourists, and uplifting my squad members. Some of that might look much different than the ministry in the US, but God can use everything to benefit His kingdom!
And so, what is the adventure of a lifetime?
When my squad was washing feet, we had our translator, Josué, join us. Josué and I had spent many hours prior practicing my Spanish, singing jams in the car to the farm, talking about life and pranking each other. We had gotten to know each other pretty well; in that time, he learned about my love for adventures and hiking. And so while washing feet, he told me that I was on the adventure of a lifetime. It clicked- every second is an adventure. Every second I seek the Lord, serve, eat new foods, talk to new people and experience new cultures are all part of the adventure of my lifetime. And every step of the adventure, I have the Lord before me- guiding my steps and with me. I will never be alone on this adventure and the adventure of my lifetime is sooo good because I have the most amazing, patient, generous God with me!
Wherever your adventure is right now, I encourage you to lean into the Lord so He can make you new and guide every step of your adventure – you won’t regret it.
UPDATES:
-My team member, Mickie, got baptized!
-We left Ometepe. My squad split into two and I am with 8 other girls in Palacaguina, Nicaragua working with 516NOW.
-I am the main translator for our group if we aren’t with one of our ministry hosts- so I would love love love prayers for my Spanish abilities to grow and improve.
-We said goodbye to CICRIN which was hard- God is moving in that place so well. I ask for prayers for them!
