Month 3: Nicaragua
I spent March in Palacaguina, Nicaragua, and it was probably the hardest month on the race so far. There were a lot of changes, ministry was challenging and our team was doing a lot of growing. With all the bigger challenges going on around me, it made the smaller things seem even more challenging as well. But something that I focused on was Thankfulness.
Rice, beans and fried cheese were a staple meal last month. Most days it was two out of our three meals. Our ministry consisted mostly of construction work and attending around five church services a week. Which was extra challenging for me because I never knew what was being said.
But God really worked through me and showed me that no matter what my circumstances are, there is always more to be thankful for. Sure, eating the same meal two times a day might not be ideal, but guess what? I like rice, beans and fried cheese. I am thankful that I got to eat meals I actually enjoyed so often.
Ministry was tough for me. We spent most of our days working out under an incredibly hot sun. Lifting large chunks of rocks out of a twelve-foot deep hole. Also, we attended two-hour long church services where we didn’t get to participate in much. It wasn’t very relational.
But God opened doors for us and showed us different ways we could draw closer to him. I no longer dreaded those two-hour church services, because He showed me that was two hours that I got to read my Bible and spend time with Him.
I started to look forward to construction because there was two neighbor boys who we’d met that would come over and help us. They had the biggest hearts with so much joy spilling over from them that it was contagious.
We got to get creative with youth nights and God made the way for us to host a “Girls Night.” We invited the younger girls in the community over one night to talk about purity and why it’s so important. And we even helped lead worship and Sunday school.
At the beginning of the month what I initially saw was a relational-less ministry, but God showed me that I just have to look a little harder because His gifts aren’t always right there in front of you. God completely transformed our ministry from one of just construction work and attending church services to one of relationships.
“Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleansing house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” Hebrews 12”28-29
