It’s been nearly 5 years since I was last in Nicaragua, and I couldn’t be more excited to be back! In High School I spent part of three summers with the youth group of Christian Fellowship Church in Ashburn, VA volunteering in an orphanage in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. These summers changed my life and set my heart on fire for serving God’s people. I realized there was life outside of our superficial and worldly desires, and I wanted more of it. I overcame the bubble of Loudoun County and the suburbs of Washington DC. The World Race has brought me to new cities in Nicaragua I have yet to visit, Granada and Palacaguina….and I already cannot wait to come back to this beautiful country!
Our first few days in Nicaragua were spent in the beautiful tourist town of Granada for a leadership development program with our Squad Leaders. Granada is beautiful. In between trainings, exploring the town, eating great food, browsing the vendors, and enjoying wifi at coffee shops, our squad was able to enjoy a wonderful morning on Lake Nicaragua as part of a boat and kayak tour for only $11! I told myself I would wake up for at least one sunrise in every country, and the day we left I woke up at 5 am to walk down to Lake Nicaragua with about 7 others to see the sun rise over the lake. The breathtaking view was another example of God’s beauty in his creation.
My ministry this month is located in the Northern part of the country in a small town called Palacaguina. Team Awakening, along with three other teams from the squad have all been placed amongst three different pastors and their families in this town. We have been blessed with an amazing couple, David and Damaris, and are staying in the church located up the stairs from their house. This month is definitely a true World Race adventure living in our tents on the tile floor of the church, bathing with bucket showers, and an outhouse for our bathroom…and I surprisingly love it! This humbling experience is allowing me to live a new way of life and truly be thankful for the things my parents have blessed me with over the years. It also helps that David and his family are absolutely amazing and they have been so warm and welcoming.
Our work this month varies, but so far it has included coffee with the Mayor and praying with her and her council before they start their city planning, walking around the community to meet the people and lay the foundation for building relationships, praying for a sweet little baby named Secia who has a disease where her brain has swollen with water, visiting a children’s center and nursing home, cooking and feeding the children of the community on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and digging holes on a mountain with the three other teams in the town.
I’m really excited to see all that God has in store for me this month. I fell in love with Nicaragua at the age of 15 and I’ve fallen in love all over again at the age of 22. The people are amazing, the scenery is beautiful, and I couldn’t be happier.
Please pray for my squad, my team, and the impact we will have through our ministries in Nicaragua.
