Highlights from November in Nicaragua: Impossibly blessed!
One day I realized how impossibly, awesomely blessed I am.
Walking into the school yard and standing awkwardly as we waited for their silent baseball game to be finished I thought “How am I going to communicate with these people?!� But the kids were quite friendly and as soon as their game was done they took out some puzzles and dumped them on the floor. Easy. Kids just want to play.
I sat on the dirty floor with a little mentally handicapped boy who was about 10. We had a few puzzles for ages 2-4 but they were quite difficult for him despite their only being 5-8 pieces. He was gentle and patient and waited quietly as I held up a puzzle piece and traced its edge with my finger then traced the edge where it was to be placed and gave it to him. We did this with each piece in each puzzle over and over again. He just smiled at me with doe eyes not fussing once if another child came up and took over his puzzle, he waited and started over when they were done.
This sweet little child sat next to me at lunch still just smiling and enjoying his food, eating my leftovers. The shabby but love filled little school served us heaping plates of fried fish, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, plantains and veggies that they probably didn’t have to spare and did it happily.
Visiting incredibly poor people day after day expecting to give them something, to serve them, I can only feel catered to not only because of their consistent generosity but because of how happy they have been to give us whatever little bit that they have. I thought that on this trip I would be the giver, but I am constantly blessed by others love and openhandedness that they give so freely and without hesitation. I thought I was going to be the teacher but I am constantly being poured into whether it is learning how to make tortillas from scratch or to plant and keep a small farm, to build a door, to teach English, to scuba dive, to climb back into a boat without a ladder, to give the truth and receive it, to listen and be taught by God Himself and so, so much more!
I feel like I cannot help but be blessed this year. It hasn’t been easy but I honestly thought it would be so hard that I would be calling home in tears asking my dad for reasons as to why I should stay (there’s still 7 months and Africa). But when we answer the call of the Lord and follow Him, desperately trying to do His will how could we be anything but blessed? God is awesome!
