After an unexpected month in Honduras and a few days to debrief in the city of Granada, Nicaragua, my team met up with the rest of our squad (15 World Racers, 4 squad leaders, 1 mentor with us from the U.S.) and arrived at our Nicaragua ministry location: Adventures in Missions base called REAP Granada. REAP is a 75 acre farm that sits at the bottom of a volcano, located just 10 minutes outside the center of Granada. REAP is run by long-term American missionaries as well as long-term Nicaraguan missionaries who live in the community.
On a daily basis, there are no less than 100 people on the farm working, serving, learning, or playing. The base employs community members to work on the farm, cook meals for short term missionaries and base staff, and has a jewelry making business for local women. REAP holds bible studies for men, women, and couples, and partners with local churches to provide a space to come together and worship as one body. Several evenings a week, the base hosts futbol leagues and kickball tournaments that attract hundreds of young people. Before each game, a testimony or message is given and the locals have the opportunity to be exposed to the gospel. In addition to the ministries happening on base, REAP runs a feeding program at the local trash dump where workers sift through trash to earn a living. REAP staff and missionaries ‘prayer walk’ daily through the neighborhoods surrounding the base to provide encouragement and prayer. REAP missionaries are able to create ongoing relationships with locals through consistent prayer walks and home visits.
Discipleship is something that REAP does well, both with the locals and with the short term missionaries that they host. Upon arriving at the base to stay for 3 weeks, we dove into a book study on Spiritual Slavery to Sonship with the base leadership team. REAP is passionate about spiritual disciplines and wanted our squad to understand the Greatest Commandment-to love God and be loved by God, before the Great Commission-to love others. The Great Commission should always be an overflow of what we experience within the Greatest Commandment. We can’t give away love if we don’t have love. Mornings on the base began at 5am with prayer as a group, 6am quiet times, 8am breakfast, and at 9am ministry began for the day. I loved this structure! I was able to pray, read, write, run (!!!) and shower, all before breakfast! Spiritual discipline has always been a struggle for me and I am thankful to the base leadership team for challenging me and creating a space for me to grow in it.
In addition to serving at REAP, my team and I had the privilege to go a few hours north to Ciudad Dario where we served with Light and Salt Ministries for 4 days. Light and Salt is an all-boys Christian school and is run by Tara Germain (HI TARA!!!) and her family. We got to hang out with 7 to 12-year-old boys, lead them in devotions each morning, lead worship, play sports, and laugh A LOT. Ministry itself was really fun, but the best part of that trip was getting to encourage Tara in her ministry. Tara is originally from Canada, is married to a Nicaraguan and employs Nicaraguans in her school, so she doesn’t often have the opportunity to spend time with other English speakers like herself. Tara is joyful, wise, and has an infectious spirit, and it was so fun to spend time with her in her school and in her home, telling stories and giving encouragement in our ministries and relationships with the Lord.
Honduras slowed me down, but Nicaragua brought me peace. Watching every sunrise and every sunset, the view of the volcano outside my tent, and the slow and quiet mornings brought deeper rest and peace and preparation for the months to come.
