I had mixed feelings coming to this ministry site, and many uncertainties. What will our living condition be like? In what ways are we serving in the ministry? Are the hosts friendly? All of these questions faded when we arrived at Tara’s (our host) house. Their house is much cleaner and modern looking than all the other houses we’ve seen the past few weeks. Tara gave us a brief tour around the house, showing us where we will be setting up our tents, wash clothes, showering, etc. (They placed new tiles literally 3 weeks before we came, so praise God we don’t have to sleep on dirt!) Same as the previous site, God threw away the misconceptions I had and provided with a comfortable and safe home, with extremely loving and hospitable hosts. Tara even brought us to a local ice cream shop to rest after a long day of travel; not too far away from the ministry building, been there a couple times this week because of how close it is (and refreshing in this heat).
The next day, Tara brought us to the ministry site, which is about a 10-15 minute walk from her house. She shared her spiritual testimony, how she met her husband while on a mission trip to Honduras, how she adopted her daughter Molly, who is a Miskito Indian, and how she and her husband were called to start and found Light and Salt Ministries. It was really amazing hearing how God blessed and worked through Tara and Alex’s life, being with them through every aspect of their lives.
Light and Salt Ministries – Nicaragua (LASM, Nicaragua) hopes to equip young boys with a strong biblical foundation and understanding so that they can be the generation to overcome their mental state of poverty and bring about long-lasting change to Nicaragua. Tara shared how we would be serving for the next few weeks: teaching English and aiding teachers with Bible studies, devotional sharing, helping in the kitchen, playing sports and chess, helping with the women’s sewing course, art class, and home visiting. However, the men on our team (me, my friend John, and our leader Matt) helped Alex with construction in a plot of land they bought recently, which will become a new facility for the ministry. It was a very humbling experience, digging deep holes and removing boulders for the foundation of the building, all while using hand tools and a wheelbarrow.
Overall, serving at this location has been incredibly eye-opening and fun. When we went to the ministry for orientation/welcome day, all the staff were eager to get to know us, and all the boys were enthusiastic and curious to learn more about us. However, it has been slightly difficult for me to keep up in my devotions and quiet time, maybe because we have a slightly earlier start than before, and the work we have been doing is much more draining… just feel very burnt out by the end of the day. Through Psalm 24:7-10, I am reminded that it is important to glorify God by serving obediently, but obedience at the cost of serving without a heart of adoration and love becomes stale and corrosive to my soul. Really need prayer to remind myself that my strength does not come from myself, but from the joy and salvation of Christ’s finished work on the cross.
For this week, our hosts are actually out of town, so we will all be at the ministry with the boys; it’ll be incredibly fun building intimate relationships with them while teaching biblical values through our activities. Really excited for the home visitations as well. John, Matt, and I will be returning to construction work next week when Tara and Alex return, so hopefully we can cherish the time we have with the boys. Since splitting into two smaller teams, it has been much easier to connect with my team and the intimacy and teamwork we have built is truly motivating. Can’t wait to see how much closer we can grow as disciples of Christ as we continue serving here.
Also, I’ve been gone for exactly a month now (31 days)! 1/3 of the way, and I’ve already gained so much from this experience. A part of me really wants to come back now and share, so continue praying that I can keep an open heart and mind for what the Holy Spirit still has to show me and keep my focus on God always.
