Leaving Nicaragua was hard. I love Juanita and all the kids and youth at the Quinta
Esperansa. It was a privilege to
be a part of their lives for a couple weeks.
The night before we left they had a goodbye dinner and
presentation for us. Laughs were
intermingled with tears! The kids gave us with a book with pictures and notes for us. What a treasure! Plus they gave
us a stunning and hilarious dance performance/mashup. We ended the night with a big dance party. I’m just gonna go ahead and quote a
dear friend, Sydney Sample and say that there’s something holy about a good
dance party, when you find a bunch of people free and dancing through the
brokenness and all the experiences that can bring you down.
The first week in Nicaragua, we meet a family in the barrios
(neighbourhood). I have trouble
describing their house… in an edifying way. But the facts are that it’s made from sheets of tin,
dirt, sticks, and plastic bags (ps. Plastic bags have so many uses all around
the world, it seems as though we don’t really take advantage of their many
purposes)…They live on the edge of a cliff so in the rainy season… I can only
imagine…
Raquel, 17-year old mother of 2 is pregnant and due any day
now. She lives with her mom and
her sister seems to live close by.
Raquel has a sweet 3 year old daughter – Jema. I love Jema so much.
She is so lovely. She
absorbed hugs and attention like a sponge. She would curl up in my arms and I wanted her to stay there forever… Jema has a cousin who lived with them named Anavelke. She was a little more reserved but also incredible and precious.
It was not okay for me knowing that these girls have no
food, are not really taken care of, and they just need to be loved on more. The girls went to preschool at Le
Quinta Esperansa, they’d hang out and play on the swings, and we’d feed
them.
Juanita, the director of Le Quinta Esperansa has decided to
open up a room for Raquel, her sister and 5 children to live. Thank the Lord that Juanita and Glen
and Lynne are living out God’s love and living by faith. They are in the midts of so much need
but they are willing to do something about it, and trust that the Lord will
provide finances to make it all work.
I think that sometimes people living in circumstances such as Raquel and Jema’s have a limited perspective. This struck me when I was talking to Raquel and her sister about what their dream job or dreams in general would be. Granted they may not have been feeling like opening up to me, but their response was that they would like to work cleaning or cooking.
It’s not that everyone needs to have some big professional ambition or anything. However, I would love to see these women have more skills that would help give them a greater sense of purpose and more options for using the gifts and abilities God gives us. I would love to see these women and women like these ones gain literacy, and receive a better education, and excel in their identity in beautiful women of God.
I am hoping to keep in touch with Juanita to find out how this family is doing. Praise God who can make all things new, and who is bringing a new life into this world.
