Last month, my team spent our time in the town of Rivas, Nicaragua with a ministry called the Bethel Center of Hope. The Center was started by an amazing woman named Ana who had a dream of bringing the hope of the Gospel to people everywhere. She knew she wanted to be a missionary, but she never expected God to call her back to her hometown. But time and time again, God showed her that Rivas is exactly where He wanted her to be. A friend from the States who believed in what God could do through Ana was willing to buy her a home to start a ministry. They took one look at this property and knew it would soon be the home of the Bethel Center of Hope.
An American couple previously lived in this house and built a bar out front. But in a small town where many families can’t even afford to put a meal on the table every day, you can imagine how slow business was. When they sold the property to Ana, the house became a home of hope and the bar became a feeding center.
Eventually the ministry expanded to ministering to the employees at the dump, outreach in the community, organizing the construction and maintenance of a well in the town, a thriving feeding center with multiple bible lessons a week, and so much more!
As Ana’s ministry began to grow, friends equally as passionate about Jesus came alongside her to make the Bethel Center of Hope what it is today.
Living in the home with her are Martin, Grethel, and Abi, a married couple and their adorable 13-month-old daughter. The Hebrew word for “work” and “worship” is the same, and Martin displays that, giving glory to God in everything that he does. Grethel, I believe, is the definition of a humble servant. In any given day you could see her doing dozens of different tasks around the house and the center while also mothering Abi with so much love, and she always does it with a smile. Did I mention Martin and Grethel are only 21? I learned so much from this beautiful family.
The rest of the ministry team includes some of the spunkiest ladies I’ve ever met: Christina, Mykeline, and Isa. Christina is a two-year volunteer from Switzerland, and she is so incredibly thoughtful, always serving with the kindest heart. Mykeline has such a motherly love for the children and everyone she meets, and a simple smile lets you know she cares so much for you. Isa is the sweetest, sassiest little chica I ever did meet, and she is so motivated to share her heart for Jesus. This tiny 21-year-old is basically fluent in English after studying it for 5 years with the goal of ministering to more people around the world! And then there’s Ana. She’s crazy, compassionate, and so driven. She leads the ministry with such strong conviction while somehow also managing to make everyone feel so incredibly welcome.
For a whole month I got to know these men and women and watch them serve with their whole hearts. To say it was a blessing is an understatement. The word “bethel” means “a holy place,” and I found that so fitting for the center. It’s not about what they’re doing but why they’re doing it. They all serve in such different ways, but they all do it with the love of Jesus in their hearts. If your motive is to glorify God, you are cultivating the very presence of God and building His Kingdom, and God is going to bless that! That’s what God’s doing through the Kingdom people at the Bethel Center of Hope, a holy place filled with His presence, and that’s what He can do through anyone who believes it!
The Kingdom of God is inside all of us, and we have the power to release it wherever we go. Let’s bring the Kingdom!
Last month was such a blessing, and I’m incredibly excited for what God has in store for this month! It’s “Manistry Month,” which means all 9 men of iSquad are together. We all arrived in Honduras on Sunday, and us men got to our house in La Ceiba Monday night. We are renting a house in a gated community, which means we’re safe AND we have a homey place for Christmas time! We have no specific ministry contact this month, which means there’s so much room for the Holy Spirit to move! These first few days we are searching for different ministry opportunities – everything from churches to street evangelism to golf ministry – and seeing what God has in store! Please pray that we keep our eyes open to whatever ministry the Lord may have for us and stay focused on bringing Kingdom to this community!
