Loving the Rich

How beautiful it is to mourn you, Nicaragua.

Coming into month 4, I had no idea what to expect. I had been told very little of Nicaragua, except that it was a very poor country, and that missionaries love to go there.

I see now why missionaries love Nicaragua, as I have fallen in love with this place as well. But, I beg to disagree with the country’s reputation. In my eyes, Nicaragua is not a poor country, it is a very rich country. Despite the large families living in small shacks, despite the dirt roads filled with trash, despite the many hungry people who are struggling to provide for their families, the people of Nicaragua are rich; they are so rich in Spirit.

There is much brokenness in Pantenal (the city we worked in), but it is amazing to see that through their brokenness, these people know how to love. And the ones who are afraid to love, somehow get sucked into it anyway.

Reap Ministries is about relationships. April was all about building on relationships that were already formed, seeking out new relationships, and through that, discipleship. While I was excited to dive in the moment we arrived, I didn’t know exactly what this month had in store for me. I didn’t know I would grow close to people, that I would hold some hard conversations, or that I would be sought out by those I was coming to seek. I didn’t know that these people, who see missionaries come and go on a regular basis, would be so interested in what I had to say; interested in getting to know me.

Nicaragua quickly became my home. I didn’t think about the fact that I would be leaving at the end of the month, but rather chose to invest in the lives of those around me; I dove in. It was hard, but I did it, and I don’t regret a moment. I moved past my pride, past the fear of feeling pain, and because of that, I left Nicaragua well. I said the things I wanted to say, hugged the people I grew to love so dearly, prayed, sang, laughed, and played.

It is such a beautiful thing to mourn the people of Pantenal, and the people of Granada. Putting your all into someone, knowing full well that you will leave, and may never see their face again, is so hard. But how beautiful it is to have a place that is hard to leave; to have good-byes that hurt because the people I have met are so special to me.

Thank you, Lord, for softening my heart; for taking me to the places that hurt, for giving me love for your people. Thank you for Reap Ministries and the impact they have on their community. Thank you for sweet Yadira and her heart for you. Thank you for Janet and the way she cares for her family. Thank you for Jesse and his impact on the men of Pantenal. Thank you for facepaint, complicated card games, kickball, colorful earrings, bright-eyed boys, and sassy teenage girls. Thank you, Lord, for community. And thank you for allowing me to be a part of this body.