Our final full day in this beautiful country began with a typical Nicaraguan breakfast at the resort restaurant. As we ate, the team enjoyed a beautiful view of the lagoon and the surrounding hillsides. Once breakfast was over, each small group headed to their individual houses for our second small group time of the debrief. The team dug deep into the questions provided, really tackling some challenging issues head on, guided by our pre-trip study of Moses' encounter with God. After processing as a group, each team member was given some alone time to write a letter to themselves which will be sent to them some time over the next few months. The letter will serve as another reminder of all that God has done and taught us during out time here.
Lunch was again provided at one of the restaurants at the resort, and it was delicious! After eating, Lex shared a brief devotional thought on the parable of the Good Samaritan before the students were allowed some free time in the afternoon to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. In the middle of the afternoon, three students (Riley, Jill, and Justin) publicly professed their faith by getting baptized (or reaffirming infant baptisms) in the lagoon. It was so exciting to see these students each take another step on their spiritual journeys.
Free time ended with dinner at 6pm. Immediately following dinner, the entire team headed to our final Porch Time of the trip. We enjoyed a time of extended worship before Lex gave the message, urging the team to really allow the presence of God to change us as we head back to Williamsburg. She spoke on Exodus 4 and showed us that, just as God used what Moses had in his hand to demonstrate His power and presence in Moses' life, God also wants us to use what we have to glorify and honor Him. After burning cards that contained excuses we were making for not following God, the team sang together and prayed for God to help us carry these lessons home with us. With Porch Time finished, we headed to our final small group time of the trip. Each group shared openly about their hopes and fears returning home, and a true desire to allow God to transform our lives. Everyone will soon be headed to bed so that we can get a little rest before our early flight tomorrow.
Our flight is scheduled to depart from the Managua airport at 6:45am (our time). We will send a text when we have arrived at the airport and are ready to take off. We will continue to keep you updated on our travels and our ETA at the Chapel via the text list. Simply text NICAPARENT to 41411 to get on that list. This will serve as our final blog post for the trip.
Thank you, once again, for all of your support and for all of your prayers. We are so excited to share with everyone, in person, all that God has done in us and through us.
