I don’t even know where to start….I guess I should fill you in on some more of our ministry happenings here in Jinotepe, Nicaragua….
This past week has been filled with new places. The first place I was able to go to finally was the hospital. I went with a group of girls in our group to the women’s wing. A lot of the women we were praying for were recovering from a surgery that they had. The big thing that stuck out to me in this place was the hope and peace that filled the rooms. As we were talking to the women and their families also, we asked them if they knew Jesus. This being my first time there I had no idea what to expect. It was super encouraging to see the joy in their faces and how some would light up with a smile when we talked about God.
The second time I went to the hospital was on Thursday. This time we went by the children’s wing and I met a woman named Corrina, who was with her daughter, Elizabeth. She was there because Elizabeth had a rash on her stomach from a peanut allergy. As I was talking with her I found out her husband works with a mission organization in Nicaragua. We told her what we were doing and the encouragement she gave us was so touching.
This week my team had the opportunity to go to the dumps. It was the first day that it had stopped raining so that was quite pleasant. Just walking from pretty nice houses in the outskirts of Jinotepe into the dump where people have there cardboard homes set up. We were all speechless as we walked down into a whole different world that these people live in. There were people literally digging through the garbage to find bottles or anything worth selling or saving. It was so hard to see. My heart was definitely broken for these people and it seemed only right to speak to them about how God loves them even in their brokenness.
This is the backyard for the people in the dumps. Just on the other side of the
road was where they set up houses made from garbage bags and sticks.
We split up into two groups and I went with Jake and Brittany. We went to talk to some ladies who were cooking lunch and sorting through some bags of bottles and such. God gave us boldness to speak to her and find out more about her. She had lived there for 18 years and from what I could tell is no family is with her. She lived with two other compañeros (partners, companions) as she called them. Their house consisted of 4 branches set upright and plastic material around the edges and over the top as the roof.
We decided to ask her if we could help with something or if anyone in this place needed prayer. She went straight away to get a man whose feet were inflamed. Through his tennis shoes we could see that his feet were puffy and hurting. Kneeling down we touched his feet and prayed for them to be healed. It was great that we were able to pray, but God had more truth he wanted to tell this man. Jake had some truth he really wanted to share with him so he starts to talk and I was like okay I guess I should attempt to translate for these people. I honestly don’t remember what said to that man because the words were just flowing through me. Random vocabulary words would just come to my mind so I could help this man best understand what Jake was trying to say.
Lots of men were getting what they could to sell or use at their homes in town.
The roads were so flooded and muddy from the rain, but they had no choice
but to keep working because that's all they had.
The one thing we said to him that stuck out to me the most was that God sent us here from the United States just to tell this man that He loves him so much. After telling him this there were tears in the man’s eyes. I could tell he understood through our motions and broken Spanish. The lady next to him also was explaining things further as we were talking which made me think that she knew what we were trying to say.
These few divine appointments were so wonderful. God placed us specifically so that we could meet these people where they are. It was great to go to some new places and even though we only have a little more than 2 weeks here, we want to go back to the dumps and seek out those people God still wants us to reach. They are hungry for truth in the dark and lonely place they live and work. It is our job to answer their questions to the best of our ability and come to give hope and smiles in Jesus’ name!
Lastly, as I mentioned in the last paragraph, we are leaving in about 2 weeks. For me it will be so hard to leave because I feel like I have such a heart for these people and this church. So many people here have become like family and it’s going to be very hard to say goodbye. Please pray for the rest of our time here. Thank you so much for your support and prayers throughout these past two months. It’s a great feeling to know that as I am here serving the Lord, you all are walking alongside my team and me and covering us in prayers. THANK YOU! Love you guys so mucho grande!
