Before, During, and After Nicaragua
Going on a mission trip was never on my radar until last year after Mike started a new job and lost vacation time meaning I had three weeks compared to his one week. I never really had a heart for missions and we didn't even have a church home at the time but I knew I was giving a week's vacation to the Lord.
Right after we started visiting Fellowship Church Pellissippi, a mission trip to Nicaragua was announced. This trip got my attention for several reasons but one reason was because the team would be working alongside the Weber family and I was familiar with their ongoing ministry in Nicaragua. I knew God was calling me to this mission trip so I stepped way out of my comfort zone and I said yes to God.
During . . .
Salinas Grandes, Nicaragua is unlike any place I'd ever been before.
We started most days with feeding programs where we prepared and served food, played with the children and taught them a Bible story. These were the most well behaved children I had ever been around.These children had nothing and were so grateful for one broken crayon and a very small piece of paper. When we collected the crayons, no one tried to keep them, they politely handed them back. When we shared a Bible story, they were so very attentive. We never had to discipline a single child.
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If kids in the states were this well behaved,
I would have no problem working in childcare.
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| You could tell how much the older children cared for the younger ones. |
The children brought their own little bowl, bucket or whatever they could find to the church and we filled it with rice, potatoes, and soup. Several of the kids only had one bowl so we filled it with two or three servings (sometimes even four) for them to share.
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| This is the kitchen where we cut up vegetables. It was so hot and there was an open fire right beside us. |
Working with the pastors in the villages, we went on home visits in the afternoons and shared the gospel. One visit was with a young 18-year old girl and she was absolutely beautiful. If you would see her on the street, you would never know that she lived in a home like the one pictured below. She had a 6-month old baby fathered by a married man twice her age. This man lived in the same village with his wife and their children. We tried to tell her that she deserved so much more than someone else's husband. We could see the shame and the guilt she felt but she was unwilling to turn from her sin. In that same village, we visited another young mom with a beautiful newborn baby who did accept Jesus. We were able to pray with her and give her the assurance that one day she would live in a much better place.
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| The homes were made of sticks and black tarp, and had only dirt floors. No furniture, just plastic chairs. |
One afternoon, Melissa took us out to the middle of nowhere to meet an elderly woman she knew well, with the gift of prophecy. She could barely see and she wore an orange glove on her arm to cover her missing hand. When we arrived, she immediately told us about the dream she had about us coming to visit. Then she started telling us about one person in our group, a woman, who could not be with us because she was very sick. It gave me chills because one of our team members had stayed back at the house because she was very sick. We had a very special prayer and worship time there in the woods with this woman who is unable to go to church. We brought church to her and it was such an encouragement to all of us.
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| This is the home where this elderly lady lives by herself with her cats and dogs. |
This trip was not easy. God opened my eyes to poverty like I had never seen before. I left Nicaragua feeling thankful; thankful to be born in the US and not in a remote village in Nicaragua or anywhere else. I left Nicaragua with a much better understanding of why Eric and Melissa Weber left Knoxville about six years ago to serve as full-time missionaries in Nicaragua. I saw that their life is not perfect and the struggle is real when you give up everything to follow Jesus. As they will tell you, full obedience will cost something and they need our prayers. They will also tell you that Jesus is worth it and they would do it all over again. I learned so much about faith and obedience through my friend Melissa Weber.
When I came back to Knoxville, I had my own struggles to face. I felt like I was under attack after serving only a week on the mission field so I can imagine what it must be like for full-time missionaries. I was hit hard with struggles in the workplace, in my church, and in my family. Anxiety and depression began getting the best of me and I'm still pulling myself out of that. I'm still trying to figure it all out and trying to understand what God wants to teach me and how He wants me to serve Him. My goal is obedience and I don't want to waste my life.
Prayers for my brothers and sisters in Christ who live in Nicaragua. Jesus is better than anything this world has to offer.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly." ~John 10:10
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