Sorry it has been awhile since I have updated on here. My squad and I made it safe to Granada, Nicaragua. We have been really busy since coming to Nicaragua and we have very limited wifi for the month.
When we first arrived, we had a debrief with our squad leaders, coaches and mentors. These are people who live in the states and help us on our journey via emails, facebook and our blogs. It was really good to see them and connect with them even more during the few days they were here with us. Debrief is really a time with the whole squad where we get to review the past months, work through how we are doing, and how we can better dig into the race, ourselves and God. Costa Rica was great, but it was also great getting to spend time with my other squad mates who I rarely got to see the last month.
This month is all squad month, where our whole squad is living together at El Puente (The Bridge). It’s a church that was started by an American family and there are many ministries that are based out of it. There are ministries to feed children, visiting the elderly at a nursing home, a sports ministry, manual labor on a farm and helping build a wall around a property where a Christian school is being built. We are helping out at all the ministries and rotating throughout the month between the different teams.
For our first ministry, my team and I were working on clearing area for a wall to be built around the Granada Christian Education Center (GCEC). We were working with a man named Juan who has been building the wall for the past several months. We used machetes to clear the land of the brush and trees for where Juan will build next. We also got to watch Juan make cement and build a wall out of little materials. It is amazing to watch how much they can do with the limited technology they have. They have one level they use, have a weight on a string, and they use wood, and string to make sure the wall will be level. I really enjoyed the work we did at the GCEC, I like to see how my hard work is making a difference for others.
Our second ministry opportunity was at an island, a two hour boat ride from Granada. We lived there for four days with another team, and were helping them to build a church. Again the labor was really intense and working days were long but it was probably my favorite so far. There were so many members of the community that would come help us dig trenches, move dirt, sift sand, mix and pour concrete. Even the children were helping us with all the work. It is really humbling when it’s hot, your tired, and you can barley lift the bag of sand over your shoulder, but a child younger than ten years old takes a heavier bag of sand (probably heavier than they are) and runs ahead of you.
We got to live the simple life on the island, there was very little electricity, no running water, and one room for fifteen of us to sleep in. Every meal was made for us, mostly rice, beans and fish, sometimes we had a treat of pasta, eggs and even an armadillo!! (it tasted like chicken if you were wondering) We bathed in the lake where we also got to watch the beautiful sunset and we spent our time with each other instead of on electronics. At first I was amazed at how little they had on the island, yet how happy and full of life they were, but thats not true at all. They did not have little. They had so much in the things they had and they were so happy and grateful for all of it. I realized that I have to much to take my time. Phones, tv, internet, books, so much food, so much everything takes away from the relationships that I could have.
I am so grateful for all that I have and the opportunities I have had the chance to have, but I realized I am constantly living in a world of want. I want to talk to people from home, I want my favorite food, I want more clothes, I want, I want, I want. Are all those things nice? Yes. Do I need them? Absolutely not. I need to learn to not just be content, but happy with what I have now, and where I’m at, at any point in my life.
I head back to the island tomorrow for another four days. I can’t wait to really enjoy it in its fullness. I can’t wait to dive into the people on the island, those I came with, myself and God.
Thank you all for continuing to support me! I love hearing of the prayers, comments on my blog and those on facebook. I feel so loved knowing I have all of you back at home thinking of me. Currently I am a little less than $1,000 from being fully funded. I ask that you continue the prayers, the words of encouragement and messages, and if you feel called, to support me financially. I could not do any of this if it wasn’t for all of you. This isn’t just my journey, it’s our journey. I want this blog to be more for you than it is for me. If you ever have any questions for me, want to know anything or have any suggestions for me or my blog please share them with me 🙂 I would love to hear them!
