I am on the third week of my trip and it’s been one wild ride. To tell of all the crazy things God has done would take a million blog posts. These past few weeks, many of my doubts and fears have been silenced. God has been speaking truths to me through the beautiful people I encounter along the way.
I remember our first ministry day so vividly. In the afternoon we visited a children’s school where we got to sing songs, share a short message and play games. While we were dancing around to Father Abraham, I met one little girl who has had a lasting impact on me throughout this entire trip. Her name was Soraya. It wasn’t a coincidence that we met. The name Soraya happened to be what I go by in my high school Spanish class. We connected so well that day. When it was time to leave she clung to me and whispered, “I wish you were my mother.” Hours before I was having so many anxieties about my presence on this trip. When I heard those six words, my entire outlook changed. It made me believe that I could do this, that I was meant to be here.
The very next day we visited a village that would later become my favorite out of all of them. The people who lived there were so kind. The women lined up and gave us hugs and kisses to welcome us. They brought out their beautiful parakeets for us to hold. People were truly alive, you could feel the love in the atmosphere. Coming to this town was like finding a beautiful little gem. We sang songs, shared testimonies, and afterwards we got to play with the kids. That was when I met Larry. We played frisbee in the street and we connected so well. I knew that meeting this little boy was not an accident either. Larry is not a common Nicaraguan name. About a year ago I lost my grandfather who was also named Larry. When I met this little boy it encouraged me so much.
Later on in the week we set up a medical clinic in another nearby village. As we were distributing medicine I had the chance to sit and talk with a Nicaraguan nurse named Connie. Her fiery spirit and witty jokes had us laughing the entire afternoon. After going back and forth in Spanish I remember her happy face suddenly became very serious. She looked at me in the eye and said “You are very intelligent.” Normally one would shake off the compliment with a thank you, but it really meant something to me. I’ve always struggled with thinking that I was not smart enough. Connie is also the name of my grandma, the one who was married to Larry. There God was again, silencing another doubt in my life.
These are some of the people God has used to speak truths to me during these past couple of weeks.