WOW!
It’s been a HOT minute since my last blog post and I’m soooo sorry about it, guys! Not trying to leave y’all in the dark, and not trying to justify it, but I feel that I’ve had a little bit of bloggers block lately and I’m more about quality over quantity when it comes to sharing!
Man, I just can’t get over how quick Costa Rica flew by. It feels like we were just arriving there yesterday and now we’re almost halfway through Nicaragua! So many wonderful things happened in Costa and I’m going to try and encapsulate that for you a little bit and give some sweet deets about what ministry has been like here in Nicaragua so far!
Month 2:
So month 2 was Costa Rica! We partnered with an awesome ministry there called Ocean’s Edge where we had the privilege of working with many mediums of ministry. I was primarily involved in the Playa Azul project where me and a team of 3 others planned/designed the layout of a tire park (yes, a park made out of tires). This park was located in an impoverished community where it was rare to find a safe place for kids to play. It was a humbling experience to be able to be involved in manual labor ministry again this month, digging trenches for tires, painting them, and helping construct an obstacle course. On top of that, I was involved in babysitting, prayer walks, and evangelism. God truly stretched me this month, digging into my past and calling me to walk into obedience; even when it brought discomfort. Through that, here are a few things Costa Rica taught me:
-
Costa taught me that there are holes in my heart that God wants to fill and is filling.
-
Costa taught me that I don’t have to forsake my self worth out of politeness; specifically pertaining to cat calls by men.
-
Costa taught me how to co-exist with 33 people and 1 very annoying dog.
-
Costa taught me that independence isn’t always priority.
-
Costa taught me that relational ministry IS ministry.
-
Costa taught me to sit in tough seasons because that’s where God will refine me.
-
Costa taught me to never be without mosquito spray.
-
Costa taught me that upper lip sweat is real.
-
Costa opened my eyes to the darker career paths, teaching me to be thankful for the one He has called me into.
-
Costa taught me how to see people and how to love the most unlovable.
Month 3:
So here we are in MONTH 3!!! WHAT?! It is another all squad month, meaning all 34 of us are living together/doing ministry together this month! My squad and I arrived in Granada, Nicaragua last week. We are hooked up with REAP ministry here and it is so incredible! We are living on a beautiful farm on the outskirts of town and our primary focus will be evangelism and children’s ministry. So far we have had a few days of teaching within the squad which we call MDB (mini debrief). It’s a time for people on the squad to teach the whole group new things the Lord has taught them. For example, two other Elementary teachers and I taught a lesson on how to plan lessons for Sunday school or teaching English. Other people taught on abandonment, hearing the voice of The Lord, homelessness, and much much more.
Only being here for a few days, I feel The Lord calling me into a season of abandonment. He’s teaching me to depend more on Him than myself and I’m LOVING IT!!! One of my teammates challenged us to talk to God about what He might be calling us to abandon. I felt the Lord pushing me to trust that He will provide through the three meals that we are already given a day, abandoning snacks. Through this, he is showing me how He provides and that His provision will always be an element in my life, a lesson learned that I can apply in my life at home. Seriously, God is so cool guys. I wish it were possible to convey in words how much clarity I have and how connected I feel to Him.
So far our focus has been in children’s ministry where we spend hours with 20-50 children whose ages range between 2 months to 20 years old. We play, pray, sing and dance, and teach them parts of the Bible. We’ve also attended a conference and church service where 8 pastors in the community are coming together to teach evangelism and discipleship to locals. We went out in the community 2 days ago to evangelize, pray over people, and invite them to church.
Our adventure days will be on Mondays and our Sabbath days will be on Tuesdays. We have 3 adventure days a month, which is a time for us to go out explore the area we are in. Yesterday we went to an inverted volcano. We swam, we jumped off of 25 foot platforms, and basked in God’s beautiful creation. Our Sabbath days are more of a time to mostly relax. We can spend it praying, writing blogs, or speaking with family and friends back home.
This life just doesn’t feel real, you guys. I can’t get over it and I can’t be more amazed by it and thankful for it. I’m getting to share the gospel, explore the world, but most importantly build an incredible relationship with Jesus.
In order to stay on The Race and continue ministering, I must be at my final financial deadline by November 30th! I am currently $3,320 away from that!! Isn’t that wild?! I remember beginning fundraising and looking at that end goal of $18,600 and thinking, “there’s no way I’m ever going to raise that amount of money.” And I was right. I didn’t raise it, God did. His promises and provisions never fail. I know there is still plenty of time between now and the end of November, so I just encourage you to think about it, pray about it, and if it is something The Lord is calling you to support it would be an INCREDIBLE blessing.
I love you guys and I thank you so much for your love, generosity, and support!!!
