This blog is about how I survived an earthquake and still came within 20 yards of Jesus…
But before that let me tell you how I am doing and what this journey has been like so far. I kept having this idea of how I would be doing if I had started the race the way I had intended- which was ready, strong, enthusiastic. But instead I was weak, unstable and full of anxiety. But I can’t keep saying that if I had been in a normal state that this journey would be different, because that’s not where I am. This is where I am and it’s the result of how I started the race and how I started is how I was supposed to start. The Lord just started working a lot sooner than I had anticipated and had to bring me to a place of absolute dependence on Him.
The word the Lord gave me for my first month was, “trust,” and the word for this month is, “rest” and they build on each other. Resting shows trust. My first challenge was anxiety, and then I got sick and then debrief was rough for me, and then coming to a new place with my team for the first time, all the changes; there is no normalcy. Only trusting, seeking, pressing in and resting in His goodness. And overall being open to growing and walking in and finding everything the Lord has hidden for me along the way.
I’m learning what healthy boundaries look like. I’m learning there is freedom and joy when you walk in what you know in the Lord. I’m learning how to walk this journey out with the Lord, not only when I desperately need His power and presence in a situation, but to desire to walk this out closer and closer with Him in all conditions and circumstances. Because I came on this journey knowing that His presence was a promise.
I was raised in a strict Christian school where I always kept sight of where the lines were drawn so that I knew how to behave and what was expected of me. But coming on the race, especially as the Safety Coordinator and not knowing what the exact expectations and check mark boxes looked like, not only in my role as Safety but as a racer, period. I’ve felt frozen at times, not sure of anything, nothing defined. I like my check lists. Because it puts my security in my own hands, knowing if I do everything correct I’m good. But here, especially here just living with these people I’m beginning to understand the huge unknown space of freedom where you’re figuring things out.
I don’t know what the Lord’s going to do or where He’s taking me or what it will look like. But I know that every step of this process I’m trusting Him more and more. He told me a while ago, “One step at a time. Step by step.” So I thought that’s how He wanted me to walk out this race, present in the moment, blooming where He plants me. But that was only half of it. He told me that because I wouldn’t be able to see the next step even if I wanted to! But He’s got me and He sees the big picture and where He’s taking me and I trust that unflinchingly.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we face death all day long, we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:35-39
I trust that. Which leads into the title of this blog….
An earthquake struck Central America night before last and roughly 1.3 million people felt it. I was one of them… Curled up on futons, my Warrior Bride team and I were in a dark room watching Pride and Prejudice when everything started to move. It took a few seconds to realize what was happening. One of our teammates yelled, “Earthquake! Get to the doorway!” And we struggled up and congregated in the nearest reinforced doorway and as we stood there I remembered the 3 volcanos we can see from the property. And I prayed that it wasn’t some kind of volcanic eruption.
The earthquake was a 7.4 off of the coast of El Salvador and was closest enough to us that we were under a tsunami warning for the next couple of hours. Funny thing was, along the movie options last night was The Impossible; a movie about the terrible tsunami that had struck Southeast Asia several years ago. I was thankful we weren’t watching that when the earthquake struck, since we are only 20 minutes away from the Pacific Coast…
But we are all safe and sound here in Leon, Nicaragua! After a 23 hour bus ride from Guatemala, through El Salvador and Honduras, we made it safely to the beautiful backpacker city of Granada where we enjoyed quality squad time, hammocks, almost 100 degree weather, and a hike up an active volcano that was 720 meters high if memory serves…. We made it to the top and then surfed down the side of the volcano on boards. On CNN’s Thrill Seeker’s list it ranked second after flying a fighter jet in Russia for $70,000.
Our squad split up into teams after Granada and now we are stationed all over Nicaragua. We are staying and serving at El Ayudante (The Helper) and in the morning we go visit impoverished families and talk to them about their businesses and how to improve their livelihood. Day before yesterday was our first day. We loaded up into the back of a pickup truck and they drove us into a very, very poor neighborhood. The house we pulled up to was made of stone and bricks and some plywood. The floor was dirt and the woman who lived there had 7 children. This woman was humble and kind and her eyes had so much soul. I saw that as she pounded out dough into round tortillas and threw them onto a hot, flat, outdoor grill that smoke was rising steadily and filling the small covered area. She makes 300-400 of these tortillas every day. And she sells them for 1 cordoba a piece. 26 cordobas makes 1 dollar. On a very good day she may make 16 USD worth of cordobas… And it’s hurting her.
She’s allergic to the smoke that never stops rising from the grill. She wants to take out a 5,000 cordoba loan from the bank (200 USD) to stock her own little convenience store out of her house but the interest rate is 20% and everyone’s telling her not to do it. It’s not worth it. So she’s stuck. What does she do? If you could have seen this woman’s eyes.
After this we come back to the compound where we’re living which is also where the kids come for tutoring after school and I meet with Jes?s. He and his brother, Franklin are orphans and they live here. Their house is about 20 yards away from our building and they are always over here playing. Yes, I’m living 20 yards away from a little deaf boy named Jes?s. Hence the title of this post!
He’s 11 years old and has been learning sign language for less than a year. I meet with him for 2 hours a day, one on one and teach him sign language. He can point to a tree and make the sign for a tree, or an ant, or a lizard. But abstract ideas like, “How are you?” or “Nice to meet you” we’re having trouble with. But we’re making progress. I’m also going to start teaching the teachers here sign language so that it won’t end when I leave but they will hopefully be able to communicate with him more. That is the ministry I am sinking my teeth into this month.
Prayers are appreciated!
I’ll keep you guys posted… Also my next deadline is December 1st and I still need $2,900 to make it! Love you guys!!!
With a thankful heart,
Sarah
