1/15/20
Today was our first day of ministry in Nicaragua. Apparently you should be careful what you ask for because the Lord provides.
I asked for construction work in our ministry on the Race and that is what we got here in Nicaragua.
We are digging out the area where a school will be built with a church on top, an expansion of the existing church next door. We met pastor David, who is the one person in town with Wi-Fi that we can use.
Our ministry is 516 NOW and our host Osman is taking such good care of us. We have beds and actual cold showers and toilets! (Just don’t flush the toilet paper.) We also got to go this evening to the nearby town with a Walmart. It’s pretty interesting that this country largely accepts American dollars but they give you change in Cordobas and will often cheat you with incorrect change. So I bought a pack of cookies with a $10 and got 300ish Cordobas back. So, probably the best rate without using an ATM or bank (that probably have fees) I can get and now I’m probably set for a while to buy anything I need/want. Did I mention we road in the back of pickup truck? Yeah, it’s not illegal here and it was fun and mostly not cold till when we headed back and it was later in the afternoon.
The food is delicious. 5 days a week a wonderful lady with our ministry feeds us. So, Sunday and Monday are the days we will fend for ourselves. Every meal we have different juices and half of them are fruits we don’t have in America, so I can’t tell you what we’re drinking. It is such a blessing to not be stuck on water. I feel so spoiled. It’s incredible. Alright, so that’s an intro to our life in Nicaragua.
Now, let me tell you what I saw at ministry. So, we were digging and moving and breaking rocks. There were 2 little girls there, age 5 and 10. I believe they were related to the pastor and his brother who were also working. The girls weren’t required to be there, but they wanted to work. They wanted to be like us. They picked up the shovels they could hold and transferred small piles of rocks and dirt. I was inspired by their work ethic and desire to be like us. They wanted to reflect our image as hard workers. I’m reminded of how important that desire is.
Many people in America will do anything to not work. I’m not sure if it’s a cultural thing here in Nicaragua that those girls wanted to pitch in, but I saw Jesus in them. We all need to reflect the image of Christ. We all need to be willing to do the hard work needed to be like Jesus in the world. We’re slowly refining a small plot of land. God wants to slowly refine our hearts with the end goal of being like Jesus. So, are you willing? Do you have the desire those girls displayed to be like the one you want to look like? I pray that I’ll learn a little bit more about being like Jesus over these 11 months.
