Hi pals! Since I last wrote to y’all, we left Costa Rica, arrived in Nicaragua on October 8, had mini-debrief for a couple of days, and started ministry on October 12. Here is a bit about life lately…
Mini-debrief
Mini-debrief was I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E. We (K-squad) had two days of teaching one another and leading one another in areas that God has been growing us in. We had sessions about selah, abandonment, lesson-planning, photography, story-telling, vulnerability, homelessness, forgiveness, suffering in congruence with God’s design, social justice, breaking the boxes we put God in, identity, leaning in to Holy Spirit, listening to God’s voice, feedback, spiritual authority, and diving deeper into scripture. Y’all. My squad is amazing and wise and fun, and I am so blessed to be able to live and learn with these people.
Host
We (K-squad) are staying about 10-15 minutes from the city of Granada, in dorm-style housing on a 70-acre farm that is tucked between the mountains and volcanoes. It is a dream. Also, our hosts are super invested in our growth in our relationships with God, so we have optional 5 am prayer, Friday fast, and we’re reading Spiritual Slavery to Sonship together, which is cool.
Ministry
We just finished our first full week of ministry in Nicaragua yesterday! Ministry this month is super cool and relational and kind of all over the place in the best way.
Local dump: where people try to find salvageable items to resell and earn their living; we go to share a short message and deliver meals to the workers and their kiddos who come along
Tamarindo project: we’re creating jewelry out of tamarind seeds harvested on the farm so that we can teach local women how to make the jewelry; the goal is to create a sustainable company that creates jobs for local women and can be completely run by them
Church partnerships: each team is partnered with a local church that we evangelize with a few days each week; we get to learn from the pastors, build relationships with locals, and teach them about relational, loving, grace-driven evangelism
Manual labor: it seems that each month will contain at least some manual labor projects for our ministry hosts; this month, we get to use machetes
Sports ministry: sports ministry is huge here on the farm, and our weekends contain lots of playing games with local kids, sharing messages with teams, and interacting with athletes and spectators during the adult games
Nursing home: much like nursing home ministry in Panama, we get to love on the residents, listen to their stories, and share stories of our own
Hospital: we visit the hospital and pray for Yahweh’s healing power over the patients
Adventure
I swam in the crater of a volcano! It was still and peaceful and beautiful and fun, and God is such a creative creator, wow.
Praises and prayer requests
I am super stoked that we are living on a farm, surrounded by mountains and volcanoes and fields and horses and stars and beauty
We get to travel to ministry standing in the back of pick-up trucks most days
My squad is amazing. My team is amazing. I love them and am so proud of them.
Y’all are amazing, too. Thank you for being you and offering constant encouragement and support and for praying faithfully
We have incredibly fun and wise and understanding and accommodating and patient and hospitable hosts
This farm feels more like home than any place I’ve been on the race thus far, which is wonderful, but it also makes me miss home more than I have on the race thus far
Legalism in religion tends to rule Nicaraguans’ understanding of Jesus, so pray for softened hearts that are open to receiving the grace and love and freedom that God has to offer
Our access to Wi-Fi is more limited this month than it has been in months past – we’re all pretty excited about this, but please be praying that relationships with our loved ones will remain strong
Continued prayers that we will all grow in trusting Holy Spirit as we learn more and more about abandonment and surrender
Fundraising – I need $3,674 by the end of November to stay on the field for the rest of my race! If all of my subscribers donate $33.40, I could be fully funded! Wowza, that’s exciting. Please consider helping me get there – also, you can tell your friends and your neighbors and your co-workers and your classmates and maybe your waiter or mailman that they can help me, too, if they want!
