I am writing this blog from the island of Ometepe, Nicaragua (which is the fourth city we have stayed in in 2 days) while watching our host’s pet monkey run around in the front yard, I showered for the first time in two days this morning, have to hike across the yard through a plantain tree forest in order to reach the outhouse (something I will never do again in the dark!), and currently don’t have any power or running water…now this is how I pictured living on the race. Even though I knew what I was signing up for, it didn’t become a reality until I was actually living in it. These past few days have been tough, the hardest days on the race thus far. I have been pushed to my limit in so many areas, but the Lord is starting to teach me so much about contentment and joy in all situations. The transition period into this month of ministry has been a struggle for me. When we arrived at our contact’s church we were told that we would be leaving for another city in the morning and then we would be visiting three other cities throughout the month. Packing and unpacking for just one night or a few days is not such an easy task when everything you own is in two bags, so we were not too excited at this news. However we were excited to see different parts of Nicaragua, including an island! After staying for one night in Riva, Nicaragua, we headed to the island we will be staying on for nine days (the longest period of time we will be in one place this month). Little did I know just how much my non-outdoorsy, shower everyday self would be tested. I have had a couple of moments over the past few days, one after being told we had no running water (aka no shower after 2 days of traveling with no shower) until morning, and the other after about stepping on a tarantula in our living room (yes that’s right a tarantula). I don’t like the outdoors, I don’t like having to walk across the back yard to use the outhouse full of cockroaches (hundreds of them!), I don’t like being swarmed by flies and other crazy bugs (inhaling and swallowing them when I gasped after seeing the spider was another plus), and I don’t like the idea of traveling all month. BUT I know that this is what the Lord has called me to and He is going to walk me through this challenging time.
Me with our host’s pet monkey
I knew saying goodbye to the boys we have grown to love in Honduras was going to be hard, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. After spending time with the boys in their house giving them picture books we made for them, the time came for them to walk us out of Los Pinos for the last time. I had pretty much been a hot mess that entire days so I knew that this final goodbye was not going to be pretty. The hardest moment, one I will remember forever, was driving away and looking back to see our boys waving goodbye. My heart ached as we drove away, knowing we will probably never see those boys again. However, the Lord reminded me that He loves them even more than I could ever love them and that He will be there with them even though we were leaving. I miss the boys SO much and have moments of sadness, but I do have joy knowing that our Creator and Lord is watching over them and showering them with His amazing love. The Lord is SO incredible, and has placed two more world race teams in Honduras for this month to continue to shower them with love and affection that they so desperately need. I am forever changed because of those boys and they will always hold a special place in my heart.
The boys that stole my heart
The first church we spoke at this month…please not the pigs to the right
Our ministry this month is mostly preaching and evangelism. We visit a different church each day, and a different person from our group preaches each service. We will be traveling to four different cities this month to preach in churches, on buses, and in parks. On the list of possible ministries preaching is probably at the bottom of the list for me. I knew that I would be preaching on the race but I did not expect for it to happen month two! It is hard to sit through church service after church service in another language, and not let my thoughts drift off to another place. I know the Lord is going to teach me SO much during this month, but right now it is a daily struggle to have my heart in this ministry. I know the Lord would not put us here without a purpose, that we are supposed to be in every single church we enter and that God is going to teach me SO much during this time of brokenness.i am choosing to fight to keep my heart in this ministry and to give it my all everyday! I am excited to grow and change in so many ways this month, and I can’t wait to reflect back on this month on how much I have learned!
