We have been in Nicaragua for just over a week now, and let me tell you…it’s been tough. Just knowing that it’s our last country brings its own set of feelings, but on top of that I have had to deal with plans for the “future” quite a bit more lately—a future that came a lot quicker than I anticipated. Not only has that been overwhelming, but it has also affected my thoughts, my attitude, and even my desire to be here. Sometimes I think that it would just be easier to be home right now—I don’t do well with goodbyes or ends. I tend to just “get through” them. However, I do not want my last experiences on this trip wished away or simply endured. I want to not only enjoy my time but continue to grow and make a difference as well. My team has been praying a lot for a focus while we are here; to be fully present for the last few remaining weeks. It has been especially difficult when I know things are going on back home. For example—today is the 4th of July and though I’d rather be with my family versus sitting in my bunk bed in yet another temporary room, I am learning to be content. Hah! Contentedness—it’s been a process all year that is constantly changing faces.
We (Ignite) and Beloved One are staying in Jinotepe in a hotel owned and run by our missionary contacts here. Glen and Lynn use it to help traveling missionaries as well as generate some support for their ministry here. For the past week Ignite has been going to a compound in the barrios called La Quinta that has a children’s home, clinic, preschool, and church. Our first day at “work” was a little scattered—they hoped we could help lay stone for a walkway around the church. However, the stones are about 115 lbs. a piece, making it difficult (but not impossible *grunt*) for us girls, and it turned out that we were too many hands for the task, anyway. So the girls ended up hanging out with the kids and washing all of the chairs for church. Since then, the six of us girls have been painting up a storm while the boys continue to lay the walkway. It has been pretty amazing to see how much nicer everything looks with a fresh coat of paint and I know that it has been a huge blessing to the families that live there as well as to Glen and Lynn (they started the compound).
