Nicaragua as many of you know was the very first place a long time ago where my eyes were opened to the reality of what lies outside of the States. It was also the second country my squad traveled to for the second month of the World Race and it was surreal being back there but once again it captured my heart. We were in Chinadega one of the hottest places in the country. Our days were spent along side our entire squad, there are 46 of us! We would split into two teams and travel to remote villages via ‘chicken truck.’ It was a strange sensation how the rides to and from the villages were incredibly captivating. Each road we drove down was spotted with trash as it’s a common practice to throw your trash anywhere at anytime. Many of the roads had horses, dogs and pigs that were feeding in the front yards of the locals. The roads were lined with homes that were often times made of sheet metal, tarps and banners advertising the few fruit juices and coke products that many people sold from their homes. Among all of this the backdrop was spectacular views of volcanos in the distance towering above it all. When we arrived in the villages our tasks were to go door to door. Sometimes gathering people and children for activities, skits, and messages, sometimes praying with families, sometimes learning stories of death and sickness and sometimes learning stories of miracles.
The month flew by. Each day a little faster than the last. I had the opportunity to go back to Hogar Belen, the very first orphanage I had ever visited on my first trip to the country. It was so sweet to be back with the residents who call that special place home. A long time ago that place wrecked my heart and left its mark in my life. Now I feel that way about the entire country. I met so many people, so many sweet souls. I can’t believe the month has already come and gone. Looking back I hope that I didn’t take one single day for granted. I can honestly say that leaving Nicaragua I felt a little blue. I felt like there was never going to be another place where so much of my heart was going to stay behind as I marched forward into the next part of my journey. I know that my heart will always have a very special place that only Nicaragua and all of my friends and adopted family there can fill.
I knew our third country would be a struggle because it wasn’t Nicaragua and I knew I couldn’t compare any other country to the country where my love for mission work began so many years ago. Then upon leaving Nicaragua our squad experienced a series of travel day mishaps, bus break downs, police stops and boarder crossing complications as we made our way into Honduras. Our 6 hour journey turned into a 24 hour journey, we were briefed about how dangerous the city we would be arriving into was, especially at night. We didn’t end up arriving until the wee hours of the morning the day after we were supposed to arrive. Solely from the experience of the boarder to the hostel I knew Honduras wasn’t Nicaragua and I was ready to go back to the place I loved as much as home. We finally made it to our ministry hosts house that we would be staying with for the month. I instantly felt peace and comfort and felt like the charming little village we were going to call home for the next month was going to win me over.
Honduras quickly crept its way into my heart. The food, the friendships, the accommodations, the ministry, the church, the city… everything. Something about this month has shifted my perspective, I knew I was on the world race and that I would leave each country and leave each ministry and each new group of acquired loved ones after one month and move onto the next step of the journey. But this month really made me realize that I’m not just on the ultimate mission trip but that this is life. This is my life, this is my work, this is my faith, this is my reality. This is what it feels like to be fully alive and this is what I was made for.
I can’t wait to blog about what we’ve been up to this month but for now I will leave you with this. Honduras has opened my eyes, has filled my heart, has challenged my perspective. After 1 week of ministry I’ve encountered people who are ‘disabled’ who have ‘special needs’ that are far more selfless and wise and joyful than any person I’ve met in my entire life. I’ve met people who are confined to their ‘compound’ but don’t let that keep them from walking in freedom and love. People who have made such an influence in my life that it makes me cry writing this blog and thinking about how much love I have for them and the reality that this month will eventually come to an end. It makes me cringe when my team mates talk about how many days we have left because I just want to live each day here giving 100% of my self and my thoughts and my energy to these amazing people and I don’t want any of that energy to go into thinking about and counting down the days until we are leaving. I can’t imagine not having the blessing of seeing my new friends each and every day with huge goofy grins on their faces and tender hearts waiting to love my team and me so well. This isn’t just month 3 and this isn’t just the world race anymore! This first week of the month has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. These people have become such a big part of my world and being with them feels like we are all already home.
