11 Things I Learned in Nicaragua
1. In Nicaragua, ice cream is a daily necessity. Thanks, Eskimo man for relentlessly coming to the compound for our daily fix!
2. Living with 45 other people is great and exciting, but it is difficult. Setting boundaries between “me” time, Jesus time, and people time is imperative.
3. While volcano boarding is a lot of fun, the hike alone is worth the time, money, and effort. As far as actual volcano boarding goes… it’s a lot more difficult to go fast than you would think!
4. Door to door ministry is intimidating, but planting seeds brings glory and honor to the Kingdom. We walked in many houses this month, and we talked to many people. While we had faith that the Lord would do something big, that was not always evident in every situation. Not many people accept Christ on the first time that the hear the Gospel, but the Lord uses a variety of different people and experiences to pursue His children. We didn’t see someone accept Christ everyday, but I have faith that the Lord with continue to knock on the hearts of everyone we encountered.
5. Landa Landa (which is apparently tag) is a universally adored game in Nicaragua! I can always count on surrounding kids to scream and chase each other (and me) around screaming!
6. Even through language barriers, it’s completely possible to know and love others. Last month I often found myself intimidated by the language barrier, but I overcame that and found a family in Nicaragua. Through learning names, seeking them out, and simply asking how they were daily, we developed a deep love for for each other. No matter what, I know I will always have a sweet Nicaraguan mama named Maria!!
7. I want to be bold as I serve and share my faith. It’s really easy to become intimidated in evangelism situations, but what do I have to lose except to look silly? I want to share God’s love out of the overflow of love that He bestows on me daily. I am here to boldly proclaim the Gospel, and I want to honor the Lord by freely doing so.
8. God is the most amazing artist. We rode in an open truck bed to ministry each day, and I was continually amazed by the sheer beauty of Nicaragua. Between the lush, green landscape, the volcanoes, and the people, Nicaragua is absolutely breath-taking. I hope that I never lose the sheer wonder that God instilled in me this month.
9. I have so many things to be thankful for. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, my squad put up a thankfulness tree where we would write something we were thankful for at the end of each day. I’m thankful that God is taking me on this journey. I’m thankful for the lessons that He has taught me so far. I’m thankful for the lesson He will continue to teach me. I thankful for the sights that He has shown me. I’m thankful for the people that He’s put in my path. I’m thankful for all of my friends and family back home who love and support me so well. I’m thankful for every single person who has supported me spiritually, emotionally, and financially on this journey. I could go on and on. Our God is so good.
10. The Lord is in such an intentional pursuit of me everyday. I just need to stop and recognize the ways that He speaks to me and loves me. It took an actual guitar for me to realize this one. (Read about it here! Guitar blog!) He sees me. He knows me.
11. Confrontation is hard, but it only brings understanding and growth. Community living isn’t always the easiest, but I’ve learned to talk to others about hardships rather than just stuffing them away for later. If confrontation is approached with love and considered with prayer, then it will only clear confusions and break down unnecessary walls.
Nicaragua was a challenging month, but I definitely learned a lot. God showed His faithfulness all throughout the month, and I’m excited to continue to learn as I continue with the Race!
Now on to Honduras!! Prayers for my squad as we take a bus to Tegucigalpa!
Adios!!
Jor
P.S. I’m so sorry about the lack of pictures! I haven’t had great wifi in a while, but hopefully I will get some up sooner or later!
