With our time in Nicaragua coming to a conclusion, it is easy to say I have been doing a lot reflection recently on our month here in Nicaragua. There have been many high joyous moments and also not-so joyous moments. There has been gossip, people stabbed in the back, confrontation with one another, and slamming of doors. Just kidding. None of that has happened, BUT this has been a month full of adventure and new experiences. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy this awesome blog of what has happened these past several weeks.
As our squad was leaving Guatemala to go and start our ministry in Nicaragua, it was a very bittersweet moment on the 20-hour bus ride. For the entire first month of ministry, our squad, consisting of about 46 people, had the opportunity to all live together. But this month we broke up into our teams of 6 or 7, and scattered all over Nicaragua. Our team was the first to be dropped off. We said our goodbyes to everyone on the bus and we got off at a bus stop that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Our contact was not there and all we had was a few dollars of Nicaraguan currency. Eventually we were able to get a hold of our contact, was given a tour around the church we would be staying at, and our ministry began the following day.
The ministry was very unpredictable. Everyday we had a different task. This month we performed manual labor in helping clear future construction for several churches in the area, we’ve helped prepare meals for children at a local church/shelter, we have put together and performed sermons with skits and games, we have gotten to share our testimonies at bible studies and church events, we were able to pray over locals for healing and so much more. Through this ministry, our team was able to get to know each other more than ever before.
As the month continued, our team began to reveal more of our own personal struggles to each other and we would continue to uplift each other by praying for one another on a regular basis. We even did listening prayer on a regular basis that involved praying and listening to God in silence to listen to carefully to anything He has to say.
This picture was taken earlier this month and absolutely reveals some of the beauty in Nicaragua at night. The picture shows so many splendors as you can see just about every star in the night sky. It was a night to remember. This was one of the first nights our team really came together and did listening prayer with one another. We sat on the hill and just listened in silence to hear what God might be trying to reveal to us. We continued praying for over an hour and just prayed over Nicaragua, for each other, and anything that we felt lead to pray for. The next few days that followed was an absolute sick-fest. Everyone on the team was in bed, ill, and basically became lifeless, delirious zombies. Might have been because we went swimming in a river a few days prior where people bathed, did laundry and wild animals would cross on a regular basis, but not too sure. Eventually we got over the sickness and got back to doing our ministry.
During the second half of the month, I’ve found myself coming across another sickness I knew was going to be inevitable. Homesickness. There were several times I would wake up in the morning expecting to be in my bed at home. There were times I struggled being present and just kept reflecting on the things I was missing out on at home; family, friends, the food, and just the comforts of being at home. I was eventually able to tune out the thoughts and put my focus back on what we’re here for.
Doing a mission trip in Nicaragua has given us both surprises in big and small packages. Like Christmas, the small surprises have been the best. Over the course of this month, we have found about 11 Tarantulas, 7 scorpions, the largest rattlesnake I have ever seen, and a wasp the size of half a pencil. It’s like some crazy Jumanji stuff I tell ya what. Then the best surprise came the last week, when we had the chance to talk live on a local radio station that broadcast to more than 10,000 listeners in both Nicaragua and Spain. We were able to answer questions about what we were doing, tell a little about ourselves, and give advice that we would like to share with people through the things we’ve learned on the race.
Thanks for reading and I hope you still continue to pray for us! Next month is going to be an absolute leap of faith. For next month our team will be doing Unsung Heroes and traveling around Costa Rica developing contacts for future World Racers to help spread the ministry outreach. So far there is not much of a definite plan and we are putting all of our faith in God in hopes He will provide for us. ALSO! I am sooo close to my deadline goal of $11,000. About $135 to be exact. If you would like to help support me to continue with this journey, I pray and hope you will help partner with me!
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