Seeing Nicaragua Through HIS Eyes

This past Saturday I returned from a 2 week trip to Nicaragua with the DTS. We did some classes and some outreach there. It was an awesome experience! It really got the students out of their comfort zones... I love that!! haha. I love seeing people be stretched. We got to do ministry in the university there for a week and it was really amazing. We just talked to people and made friends with them. If we had the change to talk about Jesus and what God is doing in our lives or pray for someone, we did, but for the most part we just got to know them and talked to them about culture, language, and whatever else. We also went to a place for kids who have cancer and we just played with them and did some dramas for them. It was so sweet how happy they were to have people there just to love them and play with them and it really brightened their day. It was so hard to see these precious little kids and to know that they are dying. It really made me ask a lot of questions. It was pretty uncomfortable for us at first and we didn't know exactly what do do but when we started playing with them we totally forget that they were sick. I hope that, in that moment, the kids could forget too. The last thing we did in Nicaragua was go the "La Chureca" which is the city dump of Managua where many people and children work and live. The best word to describe it: Hell. I've never seen anything like that ever before in my life. Being in there really started me thinking about community development again. All we could do in there as a team was pray. We just walked and prayed and listened to God and declared his promises in that place. There are some amazing missionaries working in there who see things in this totally different perspective. They have so much vision for the Chureca. They are looking through God's eyes. There is also a school in the dump that is so incredible. It is a light in an extremely dark, heavy place. God was stirring up something in my heart while I was there. I left a part of my heart in the Chureca. The images are burned in my mind. I haven't really stopped thinking about it.
I've been really exhausted since getting home Saturday night. Leading even 2 weeks of outreach was so hard. I can't imagine what the next 6 week will be like when we do them. I beleive we did a great job as the 4 of us staff who are leading outreach and I think it will be fine.... neigh.... AMAZZZING! I can see the way God used this trip to bind us together as team and teach us more about working togther, as well as laying down our rights and having compassion for the lost and hurting. We could see God move in some huge ways in and through our team so I have great expectations.

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