Where to begin with this past month. Our contacts at New Song are amazing. To see people that came to
Nicaragua for completely different reasons, and then God said this is where I
want you and they fulfilled this calling is truly amazing.
We lived at the ministry; the site contained the housing as
well as the church, basketball court and huge field for sports and corn. Basically it is the one big hangout for the
entire village. When I first got there,
we were told this ministry is about relationship, building it with the people
that flock to New Song everyday all day, just basically hanging out. Give me a task and
I’ll do it, but to just
casually be and begin relationships with people is a little bit harder for me. So to be honest, I was a little nervous. God told me I will send to you who I want you
to connect with this month and I felt a peace.
As soon as the youth and children knew we were there they
would begin to be at our doors early ready for us to come out and play, have
fun, or talk. They are starving, most of their homes are full of abuse,
neglect, lack of love, be it because fathers or mothers are absent all together
or just not there for their children. I
ventured outside and tried to leave the rest up to God. Over the weeks he led me to a few people in
particular. I want to talk about
Esther.
I saw 
a group of ladies sewing graduation gowns for children
and youth and approached them to ask if they needed help and that is how I met
Esther and her daughter Cindy, who is 3, and then eventually the rest of her
family. Immediately Esther and I clicked
and I loved her. She invited me to her house
where I was surprised at the amount of conversation and laughter that occurred despite
the language barrier. Throughout the
weeks and thanks to a few translators I heard her testimony, prayed for her,
encouraged her in who God has made her to be, and went to her house a few more
times. The second time I went to her house
I was overcome with compassion for her family, particularly her husband, who
like most men in Nicaragua, has renal kidney failure due to working at a local
sugar cane plantation that causes its workers to become sick. I fe
lt God say step out in faith and pray for
healing, so I did. I don’t know what
happened, if he’s been healed or not. I
almost didn’t want to pray because then if nothing happened, what would my
faith and his faith be like, but what if I didn’t pray, and with that I
couldn’t not pray.
resting and just with questions I did not know I had. God is still challenging
me with REST and just simply being in a relationship. He wants us to just be
with Him, to rest in Him. It is okay to
rest, there is no condemnation in REST. I
don’t understand or get it yet. I
realized how much I feel like I have to do things for God or do things, my idea
of huge things, for people in order to believe I’m doing God’s will or
accomplishing something. Throughout the
month I asked myself is just being at someone’s house and talking enough? What about playing with a child or giving a
hug?
Aren’t I supposed to have some hugeprayer or healing moment? I actually
thought maybe I chose my course this month and so I could have done more. But, I came to realize God saying everyday
you stepped out of that door, I led you to the people I wanted you to be with
and I led you to do the things they needed; that He is in a hug, He is in a
smile, a moment playing with a child. That
a hug could be HUGE to someone who is starving for affection, maybe they needed
that more than a prayer. Maybe Esther
just needed a friend to sit with and laugh with, and then maybe her husband did
need someone to pray for healing for him.
to wonder why do we only connect to a few certain people, why did Jesus
only heal a few at some locations, when there are so many people that need
help. God chooses those He wants to
speak to at that particular time for reasons I may never know. God would help me through this and in His
answer I would find Him saying you did a good job, my work through you is
complete, I’m proud of you, leave the rest in my hands. I’m just trying to
learn to leave it all up to Him and walk forward, just like walking out of New
Song’s door each day, God truly is in control and He knows, I don’t.
Off to Thailand for month three. We are splitting from the guys and I’m going with ladies from two other teams to Phuket Thailand to She Ministries (shethailand.org). We will be going into bars to minister to God’s daughters. How loving He is, He’s already handpicked those He wants to encounter. Please pray for protection for us and for freedom to be unlocked in us as women and for the women we will meet. Love you guys! Thanks for your support. You are touching people’s lives!
