We spent a little extra time at the hotel this morning because the church service at the church in Leon did not start until 10am. After putting on our church clothes we headed to Leon to worship together with our friends in Nicaragua. We were impressed by the idea that people in Williamsburg and people in Nicaragua could be worshipping the same God at the same time in different languages. In addition, our team noticed how the lack of projectors, fancy lights, or comfortable chairs did not impact the authenticity of the worship and praise to God one bit. The spiritual fervor and passion of the pastor were a true testament to the work of God in this place and it was an honor to be a part of it. After church we loaded up our bus to head to Posaltega for lunch and another soccer tournament.
There were three Posaltega teams, one Leon team, and one American team in the guys division. In the girls division there was just one American team and one Posaltega team. Everyone was excited for another opportunity to try and get our first American win ever in a Nicaraguan soccer tournament. Our guys put in a great effort with many great opportunities to score, but were unable to get on the board losing 2-0 in their opening match. However, it was a special moment to watch one of the Posaltega teams win the tournament with matching Jamestown high school jerseys that were donated a few years ago. In the girls division we had the most exciting match ever played here in Nicaragua. After going down 2-0 in the first half our girls made a huge come back to tie it up 2-2 in the second half. Since it was a tie the game went into PK's in which the Nicaraguan team ended up winning on their last shot. This was by far the greatest showing any of our American teams have ever had down here in Nicaragua and so our team walked away excited and proud of their effort. However, beyond the excitement of the games it was our final day in Posaltega and so our team took advantage of every opportunity to spend time with the kids that we have gotten to know over the week.
After the soccer tournament we all headed back to Leon for dinner before heading to our hotel for porch time. Tonight, Luke introduced the idea of the "secret of the poor" from Luke 12:13-21 in which Jesus says that our life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions. We have seen that although the Nicaraguan people lack a lot of possessions, they are extremely rich in relationships. Since they have very few possessions to focus on they are forced to focus on each other. This ends up leading to a deep concern for each other and a joy every time they are together. In addition, the Nicaragua people are very rich in their relationship with God because they have a deep trust that God will provide for their needs and that God is worthy of praise no matter what their circumstances are. This was a great topic to dig into in small groups and begin to unpack what it looks like to embrace this secret in our own lives that are filled with lots of possessions.
Tomorrow is our final day at the feeding center and so check back tomorrow for another update.
