Hola de
Nicaragua! (Hi from Nicaragua)
We
are so thankful to end this day with unforgettable memories and endless moments
where we encountered Jesus. Each team experienced Nicaragua in a unique way and
we are blessed to be able to have the technology to share each experience with
friends and family on a daily basis.
Senior Group 1
Senior Group 1 (Craig, Dante & Tim’s small group,
Christa’s small group)
Today,
senior group 1 had the opportunity to make a day trip to Leon to visit the
church that our Student Ministries kids and partners financially support. The
kids were introduced to Pastor Ramone, who gratefully shared his story and
thanked the group for all the ways that we have blessed him and his community
in Leon. During their time in Leon, the group prepared and delivered a
VBS lesson based on the passage found in Philippians 4:13, which describes the
strength that we can find in Jesus. In addition to the VBS lesson, a lesson
about personal hygiene was given. Then, the niños colored pictures that
our team had previously printed out, so that they could take something home
with them to help them remember the things that they learned. Overall, senior
group 1 showed incredible strength and endless energy as they passionately
pursued relationships with the niños. It has been inspirational to see the ways
that our team is growing in their relationships with each other, with the
niños, and ultimately, in their relationship with Christ.
Senior Group 2
Senior Group 2 (Alexis, Steven & Andrew’s small group,
Christine’s small group)
Senior
Group 2 was very excited to return to Esperanza today to continue to build
relationships with the niños that they had met yesterday. Our team was given
the opportunity to present two VBS and health lessons to two different age
groups of children in the Esperanza community. It has been amazing to see high
school students delivering lessons about Jesus and the love and the strength
that He gives us to many kids who don’t even speak the same language as us.
With the assistance of translators and with the simple understanding that
actions can speak louder than words, it is evident that language is not a
barrier in Nicaragua and that the love of Christ can be shared to anyone. Senior
group 2 was also given the opportunity to speak with the woman who started the
school that they have been visiting in the Esperanza community. As the woman
shared her story, the seniors learned that she ran the school while it was
still located in the Managua Dump. Recently, the school has moved with the
people who have found homes and jobs outside of the Dump. This woman has been a
constant conduit of the love of Jesus in this community through all transitions
and has a huge heart for all of the children in this community. Through this
story and through all of the kids that our team is building relationships with,
it is obvious that Jesus is present in the Esperanza community and our team is
witnessing Him working through people in miraculous ways.
Junior Group
The group of juniors visited the El
Faro business initiative that the seniors had the opportunity to visit yesterday. The juniors witnessed the transformation of women who had previously
worked in the Dump scavenging through trash, into women who work extremely hard
with sewing machines. These women sew material similar to Under Armour, which many
people in Nicaragua have not had experience sewing before. After visiting El Faro, the juniors
returned to Nueva Vida to visit the same kids that they had met the previous
day. One of the team’s favorite memories of the day was when they spontaneously
busted out in a loud song of “Jesus loves me”. The translators did not miss a
beat as they quickly translated the song into Spanish and the niños sang the
song back to our Chapel team. It has been remarkable to see the lessons that
our team and the niños are learning about Christ. A special moment for our kids
each day is when the niños ask a million times when we are returning to spend
time with them. This not only shows us that the niños enjoy spending time with
us and want to see us again, but it also is a great example that reminds us of
all the ways that Jesus wants to encounter each of us on a daily basis.
Sophomore Group
The sophomore group was thankful to
return to the same church that we visited yesterday in Ciudad Sandino to kick
off our Thursday morning in Nicaragua. Our team was able to give a VBS lesson
and a health lesson to some of the younger niños. The health lesson was about
washing your hands and was followed by the creation of macaroni necklaces which
the Nicaraguan kids had an incredible time making and wearing for the rest of
the day. The sophomore team also had the opportunity to assist the caretakers
in serving food to the children at their designated lunch times. After a fun
morning of a VBS lesson, macaroni necklaces, jump ropes, and soccer, the
caretakers gathered the niños to prepare them for an afternoon with our team at
the pool. Our team experienced Jesus in this moment as the niños and their
caretakers formed a circle before stepping on the bus to pray to God to thank
him for His blessing of allowing them to go to the pool. The pool was an
exciting time for the niños and our team as we continued to strengthen our relationships
with each other. The sophomore team experienced Jesus today as they saw niños
smile with a joyful recognition from the day before.
Porch Time
Each
night our team has the opportunity to come together to worship God and to
reflect an all that He is doing during our time here in Nicaragua. Last night,
Hawley gave a message that focused in on the question of why we come to
Nicaragua. He introduced the idea of incarnational ministry, which occurs when
we place ourselves in-between God’s love, and the needs of the world. Tonight,
Alexis used the story in Numbers 13 of the Israelite spies going into Canaan to
introduce the idea that God calls us to do His works and has sent us here to
Nicaragua for a purpose. She encouraged us that God has called each of us to
love Him and to love others and that we are fulfilling that call this week as
we serve here in Nicaragua.
