Hola Amigos!
It’s ya girl comin atcha live from Nicaragua!! It’s been about two days here and i feel convicted to share a little bit of what I’ve experienced. Most importantly- eating iguana. never . again. This morning, our team went into a small village called San Carlos to preach the gospel to people in their homes. The houses are a sight to see- every stick and every scrap are used for a purpose. Their yards are covered by plants and flowers sprouting out of old metal cans or other scraps of trash. They have a way of making anything beautiful. It’s all really underlined how the Lord’s Word stays true, no matter what language you speak it.
Some people go to third world countries for a few weeks- months even. Nicaragua and Haiti have the place of the poorest countries in the known world and I never understood it until we visited the village this morning. They have to wake up every single morning taking care of others. They go to bed with sweat and mud caked on their hands and feet. Their houses are burdened with illness and brokenness.
This isn’t just a trip for them, it’s all that they know. Their walls are patched, but bursting with love. Their sweetness is contagious. Every soul we’ve come across has opened their arms, hearts and doors to us. In America we think we have everything, yet we never have enough. Here in Nicaragua, they have so little, yet so much that we Americans don’t have. They have compassion, even when they don’t understand. They are so patient with our language barriers and they love hugs!! They are hilarious. Their smiles are normally missing teeth or lined with gold or some kind of metal but it’s the kind of smiles that make your whole face start smiling. Your body smiles, and your tummy aches.
Everything is joyful. Everything is bittersweet- that they welcome us because they need help, and they know it. All the men that work in the sugar cane fields are dying because of the pesticide, and nobody is doing anything about it. It makes me feel sick sometimes, thinking that when I was snuggled up at home worried about something so insignificant, that these people went without water for nine days. That the volcano erupted, and people lost their homes. I’ve most importantly seen how much these people need Jesus, and in that I’ve seen how much I need Jesus. I so need Jesus.
