The past couple of weeks have been quite eventful, to say the least! Here’s an update:
Last weekend, we had Month 2 debrief in Managua, Nicaragua. And to get there from our respective Month 2 locations, each team (who opted in) RACED to the debrief site! Years ago, the ‘World Race’ began with actual racing from country to country, but since the early days, that had stopped. Our squad leaders, however, decided to bring it back! It was more of a scavenger hunt than anything, but it was fun! Our team actually ended up winning, though we didn’t think we were very competitive about it! It involved things like jumping in Lake Managua, sharing Jesus with people, eating nacatamales, giving hourly updates, and having a $10 travel budget from Honduras to Nicaragua. The entire travel day, apart from the Race itself, was such a learning experience. We were all stretched and tested, pulled in different directions, but we came out more aware and more knowledgeable. We had our first border crossing (Honduras -> Nicaragua), which was interesting. Definitely went more quickly and smoothly than expected, but definitely not easy. We walked around like ‘pregnant turtles’ (daypack in front, big pack on back!), getting new SIM cards for phones, emigrating and immigrating, and finding our next bus. We were scammed at the border, too. A man came up and shoved little white slips into our hands, telling us that the next bus tickets were $1 each. I was careful about not taking these mysterious tickets so quickly, but he pointed to the right location for the bus and seemed legit with his clipboard and calculator and all…. But sure enough, we learned our lesson. As we loaded the actual bus, we found out that those tickets were for a nonexistent bus, and the real bus collected fares after loading. And of course the man who’d sold them to us was now nowhere to be found. So, live and learn, right? I was thankful it wasn’t more than a dollar per person; it could have been so much worse!
Debrief itself was great! We stayed at the Instituto Biblico Nicaraguense in Managua, a small Bible school that graciously shared their space with us. Each team had debrief discussions with the squad leaders, but other than that we had free time. It was a prayerful and worshipful time overall, and we even did our first 24-hour prayer/worship vigil as a squad! I didn’t think our team’s 24-hour vigil in Honduras ministry would carry over to the squad, but it’s such a beautiful and unifying thing- it could be the start of a new norm for our squad, for the Race, and for all Jesus lovers! We went from 9pm on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday, sharing hour-long shifts with various squadmates to intercede on behalf of L Squad and our future ministries contacts and countries. It ended with such a powerful night of worship on Sunday, during which the Holy Spirit totally came and touched us. I was high on the Spirit, laughing uncontrollably because I was so full of His joy and dancing with a contagious energy as we sung our hearts out in praise. Some people encountered the Spirit’s manifest presence for the first time, which was incredibly exciting. We prayed for even more chains to be broken. More abandonment, more of the Lord’s heart, more boldness in prayer, more of Jesus. 🙂
And my promised (belated) update on our team’s 24-hour vigil at Hogar Miqueas! It was an awesome, challenging time for each of us. We fought sleepiness, but learned that it’s okay to fall asleep while praying- what better way to enter dream land than resting in the arms of your Daddy? We fought hunger to varying degrees, but our spiritual hunger was so much greater than our growling stomachs. We entered into battle with our weapons ready, which is why we most certainly felt the enemy’s attempt to attack us. (I, for one, started getting sick just after an amazing two hours of opening prayer and Spirit-led worship, singing and playing guitar.) We meditated on a different verse during each shift/watch, and we used those to fight for the children of Miqueas… because God created them for greatness. We worshipped with and prayed for Melody and Jacob, the parents of Hogar Miqueas, to end the vigil. And I couldn’t have asked for a better, more worshipful beginning and ending to it all. Those were for sure my favorite moments. At the very end, we were able to pray over Melody and Jacob. They then shared how God had spoken to them through us, which was so, so encouraging. I’m truly excited to see what the Lord continues to do through such a faithful, obedient couple. And I hope that as I leave each month’s ministry, I’m eternally exchanging bits of my heart for bits of theirs. I don’t want to forget or stop praying for these beautiful people, the people I have not just met by accident.
