We’ve been in Nicaragua for one week!! Ministry here looks different every day but the majority of what we are doing includes:
Prayer walking/evangelism: a group of about 4-8 people will go around to different neighborhoods and people will invite us into their homes so we can share the gospel with them. Most people here know who Jesus is because Nicaragua is a Catholic country, but not a lot of people have a personal relationship with Jesus. A lot of this ministry looks like sharing with them what a personal relationship with Jesus looks like and encouraging/praying for people as we go. We usually do this for a few hours of the day.
Kids program: My team puts on a kids program every Wednesday afternoon when the kids get back from school. We teach a bible lesson, play games, do a craft and feed them.
Babysitting: The organization we are partnering with (REAP Granada) has a women’s bible study every Monday morning so my team helps by babysitting some of the women’s children so they can attend the study.
Prayer room: The base we are staying at has a room that is dedicated to prayer and worship. My team is scheduled to spend 3 hours a week in this room! It is a great time to sit in God’s presence and intercede.
Dump Ministry: Once a week my team goes to the local dump. This is an area where the poorest people in Nicaragua live. Their job is to dig through trash to find pieces of metal that can be sold. The average income is around $20 a week. My team leads a church service at the dump as well as a feeding program.
Hospital: My team goes once a week to the local hospital to share Jesus with the patients and pray over them.
Micro church: REAP Granada has about 10 micro churches in Granada, these operate as house churches. People who live nearby will come to one of the staff member’s houses and they hear the Word of God, worship, testify, and pray over each other’s needs. My team gets to attend a few of these micro church meetings throughout the week.
Even though it’s only been one week, God has already moved in incredible ways! My team is stepping out in boldness to share the gospel with people, we have seen multiple people healed, and God has given us a supernatural love for the Nicaraguan people.
I have been asking the Lord for more of His presence in my life, and He has been so faithful to provide little moments of reminding me that He is with me. One of these moments was yesterday morning before breakfast started. A couple of us were sitting on the patio where we usually eat our meals and were doing our morning devos. One of the REAP staff members came over with a bird in his hand and laid it on the table I was sitting at. I immediately picked the bird up and it sat on my finger for almost a half hour while I continued to read my bible and talk to the people around me. It was hilarious, and we were all laughing about how absurd it was that I had a bird sitting on my finger for that long. I decided to walk the bird over to some of the local children who were sitting a few tables away so they could pet it, but right before they were able to touch the bird it flew away.
I hadn’t really thought much about it except the fact that it was so random, until one of my squad coaches mentioned that it looked like a dove. I googled what Nicaraguan doves look like, and I believe that the bird was in fact a dove. While I was sitting with the Lord this morning, He reminded me of Matthew 3:16-17 when Jesus is baptized, and the Spirit of God descends on Him as a dove. Then God declared that “this is my son, whom I love; in whom I am well pleased.”
Identity is something that God has been redefining for me these past few weeks. I think it is hard for me to see myself as someone who is fully loved by God when I obviously still have so much that I need to work on to be a “better Christian”. But I am in the process of being stripped of these lies and learning to know that God’s love isn’t dependent on what I do but is always fully present with me. I don’t have to earn His love; it is freely given.
This truth combined with my prayers for more of the Holy Spirit in my life seemed to all be tied into this dove staying on my finger yesterday morning. I might be looking wayyyy too deep into this, but either way, this moment was a sweet reminder that God’s presence is always with me. God used it to remind me that I am his beloved daughter whom He is well pleased. I am resting in this truth today. My prayer is that I will always act out of a place of being fully loved by God and never out of a sense of striving for His love.
A pic for reference ;)
