Our last night in Nicaragua our host threw us a party. They went all out for this party and bought us soda, made us fried tortillas, and even got us a pinata. It as supposed to be a surprise but one of the kids got excited and told us about it. I still was surprised about how much effort they put into decorating the church and making the food. So at the party was all of the world racers and the Nicaraguans we lived with, plus this one kid we had never seen before. Well this kid was the one who was controlling the pinata, and while he was doing that I was talking to Tia about him. The reasons being one because he was the cutest teenager I have ever seen, but mostly because something in my spirit was drawn to him. I was determined to have a conversation and learn more about him by the end of the party. Honestly, when your in another country saying your going to talk to someone is way easier than actually doing it. Ironically he ended up sitting directly across from me at the dinner table, and he just kept staring at me. In my spirit I knew I had to talk to this kid, and I think he felt like he needed to talk to me too. So during dinner both of us accidentally put too much chili sauce on our food, which made us laugh at each other. Then after dinner he challenged me to a chili/hot sauce eating contest. Well I usually can't refuse a good dare, plus I had Gabe, Luke, and EJ encouraging or taunting me (I'm not sure which one). So i agreed, and we both ate about a tablespoon of chili sauce, which by the way is really freaking hot, I was drooling and he was crying. Well we tied so they wanted us to eat more to break the tie. I wasn't so sure but at this point everyone was in on it, and it had become USA vs. Nicaragua. I didn't want to lose to a 17 year old boy but I also didn't want to burn my esophagus. When they brought out the second bottle it was a hot sauce that wasn't nearly as hot as the firs, and by this time I couldn't feel my tongue. So I decided to go for the tie breaker and drink half the bottle with this kid. So we drank the hot sauce and had no problems with it, because compared to the first round it was easy. After about 5 minutes of neither one of us taking a drink they called it a tie again. I had just become an honorary Nicaraguan and earned the respect of a kid I didn't even know, but I knew it was important. Afterwards the kid came up to me with a sucker (thank God) and we started to talk a little. He told me his name was Danny, that he was our cooks son, and that he lived in the barrios (neighborhood beside the property). I asked him if this contest now made us friends and he said yes. He then proceeded to give me a bracelet that he had made, and he asked me to always remember him. I obviously agreed because once you drink hot sauce with someone you are bonded for life. Honestly, I'm not sure if it was my pride or the feeling that I needed to know this kid that drove me to do such a stupid thing, but it doesn't matter. I knew God wanted me to talk to that kid and since I can be shy sometimes this contest was a way to break the ice. Even to this day I'm so glad I did it, because it helped me reach out to someone I usually wouldn't have been able to. I still where the bracelet he gave me and every time I look down at it I say a little prayer for Danny. I don't know what he has experienced in his life or what he is going through but I do know that my God loves him so much, and that means I should too. Who knew that God would use something so silly like a hot sauce eating contest to bring Him glory!!
This is the first time God really put someone on my heart to the point where my spirit is restless if I don't pray for them or talk to them. Ever since that day God has been putting random people on my heart, and every time it has brought comfort to those people. God is really using me in some crazy ways and I love it!!
