MONTH 2: Team Mashach
San Bernardo, Nicaragua- September 2-28
Language: Spanish
Weather: warmest place we stayed in Central America; very humid; 25-35 C degrees
Money: Cordobas 1USD= approx 23 Cor
Hosts: Pastor Eva
Ministry Specifics: This month was about getting out of our comfort zone. I would say that 85 percent of our ministry was door-to door home visits. We would go with several different pastors in the community and visit people, some they knew and others they didn’t. It wasn’t about slamming Jesus in people’s faces, it was about meeting them where they were at and loving them. We got to speak words that brought them life, and got them to think about their lives. We had so many God moments. Those visits did my heart good, and the fact the Lord could use us in a way that would never fly in North America is so cool. We also got to paint cement yard ornaments about once a week. I’m not artistic but let’s just say that is something I never thought I would be doing on the world race. In the first week we spent a few mornings at a school teaching English as well. This was such a relational ministry month and I loved it.
PAINTING SNAILS=WORLD RACE RESUME
What Did I Eat: A LOT OF RICE AND BEANS!! But seriously we ate very good this month. Our hosts took such good care of us.
Where Did I Sleep: This month our team got to stay in a house of our own. It was very basic and got very hot because of the tin roof during the day but it was a place of our own and we really did appreciate it. We had beds this month as well. ( I may have broken one bed, whoops)
OUR HOME FOR MONTH 3
Highs: Our team working on our own (not with other teams), individually seeing so much growth in myself and my teammates, making our own fun, working out with my teammates, preaching, the community of San Bernardo, so many funny random moments because we were in the middle of no where. (Naming random animals, killing the biggest spider, analyzing paintings that were on the walls of our house, writing silly songs)
Lows: The abundance of bugs that would crawl into our house, sweating basically all the time, showering and flushing the toilet with a bucket of water, not having a fan. (I do have a hand held fan though that came in use everyday)
NOTHING LIKE COMING HOME TO POOP ON YOUR IPOD
Firsts: seeing snakes and monkeys that were not at the zoo (eeeek), Preaching overseas.
What did the Lord Teach Me: This month literally rocked me. It was so hard but so good. The Lord showed me a lot of things in my heart that had to change, some things that had been deeply rooted in me. This month I had to learn to rest in the Father’s arms. I continued to learn that I don’t have to compare myself to anyone else on my team. I have unique giftings that God gave me and I need to be confident in that fact. I do hear the Lord, and He does give me words to speak.
The night after I preached (first time on the race) something shifted in me. My team affirmed me, they had seen something in me (confidence/authority from the Lord) and I knew the Lord had showed up in a mighty way. I could continually walk in that authority I had experienced while preaching, that could go with me everyday. I didn’t have to measure up to anyone else, but who the Lord had called me to be. It shifted the way I viewed door- to- door ministry as well. It was no longer a burden but a way to bless others.
The Lord also showed me sarcasm doesn’t have to define my humor, it is not my identity. My words have impact and they need to be carefully spoken. We hurt others with our words too often whether it is intentional or not. I didn’t know how to be any other way, but the Lord is showing me. I was so scared to let sarcasm go, but now I desire to bring encouragement with my words, and not always having to make people laugh on the account of other’s feelings.
What will I remember the Most: Our team becoming known by literally an entire community, planting seeds of truth that will be left to grow for the future in San Bernardo, Pablo the frog coming into the house and freaking out, people from the community finding boa snakes and bringing them to our door for us to see, salamanders pooping on my bed, sweating A LOT, Catherine Ann (it’s a long story), making a dance video with my team, playing games and everyone being super competitive, riding in the back of Pastor Eva’s truck, the last month as team Mashach being so incredible and unified, visiting all homes and the way the Lord touched their hearts and ours.
OUR NICARAGUAN FAMILY
