Unbelievable Beauty, Incomparable Pain

We made it to Nicaragua! We had a great travel day and everything went smoothly! Our squad has also settled in to our ministry base and are enjoying the incredible view of mountains and volcanos that surround us. 

Coming to Nicaragua, I honestly had no expectations of what it would look like. I knew the ministry we would be doing, but tried to limit my expectations as to how everything would be. And I think that has made coming here and beginning ministry all the sweeter. It is not hard at all to see God’s beauty in creation here. The lush tropical plants with a mountainous backdrop. The constant chirping of birds with colorful feathers. All the fruit trees on the farm we’re staying at. The magical sunsets and sunrises. It all points to God. No one can deny that a beautiful God made all this beautiful creation. During our 5am prayer time, I can’t stop thanking God for the beauty that surrounds us. And I honesty can’t wrap my mind around it.

Because next to all the beauty is a whole lot of pain. On the car-ride from the airport, I was thinking “Why does it always seem to be the most beautiful countries that have the most pain?” And I don’t know. This first week of ministry has been hard in that everything we have seen, all the ministry we have done, has placed us in new environments, each one with its own hurt. One of the main ministries we have done this week is prayer walking. This could be compared to evangelism, but most people in Nicaragua know who Jesus is and what He’s done. We go from house to house and share the hope of Jesus with others, encouraging them to continue to seek Him. In one of the houses we visited, the lady had so much joy and welcomed us in so quickly. She had such a deep desire to be encouraged and hear what we had to say. Being one of the few true followers in her neighborhood, it was hard for her to keep going and encouraging others, especially while she has her ow difficulties. But she longed to be a light to others and bring hope to her neighbors. I think of Hebrews 10:23 which says”Let us hold unswervingly to this hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. To her, the hop of the gospel is everything because there is nothing else to hope in. No other reason to live. I was so impacted by her and her longing to share the hope of Jesus with others. Because while many in Nicaragua know who Jesus is, they do not actively follow Him or have a relationship with Him. Through this, the Lord has been convicting me of how much I desire to share Him with others. Do I really desire that much to share the hope of the gospel or am I content with keeping that hope to myself. Doing ministry on the daily, it is easy to share the gospel, but if I was at home or at college, would I really be that willing to share? My guess is no. Another thing the Lord has been working on in me is if all I had was Jesus, would that be enough? Our host asked us this question. Then he asked us how we would feel if we got here and our ministry was really to just spend the whole day with Jesus. How would I feel? And that really got me. Because my answer should be that I’d be overjoyed, but really I’d be quite frustrated. If our greatest command is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, then for me as a follower, Jesus should be enough. 

Prayer request

1. The hearts of those we encounter would be ready to hear and accept the encouragement we have for them
2. That I would be willing to walk in step with the spirit and obey him
3. A renewed hope in all of Nicaragua. That all depression and anxiety would flee