Summer of Serving: Nicaragua 2012- "Cuando Volvera"

It’s almost midnight as I begin to write this but my body thinks it’s only
10:00 pm. Earlier today we returned from an amazing week of missions in Managua,
Nicaragua. Last summer God gave me the opportunity to travel with several youth
and adults from our church to Managua. I fell in love with the people of
Nicaragua and this past week that love grew  deeper and stronger. It was such a
huge blessing for me to be back in Nicaragua. I am just beginning to process
everything that I experienced this past week, so this is just the first of many
blogs, I’m sure!


This year I traveled with a smaller team of mainly adults to build a
playground on the Centro ABEM campus and to share the love of God with a
community of people just beyond the grounds of the center. And even though we
were serving different people and doing different projects this year, the
results were the same. God once again spoke to my heart clearly and used a week
in Nicaragua to show me His power and amazing love for His children.


From the moment I stepped off of the plane, I felt such joy and excitement to
be back. I felt like I was going home to visit family. God has put a love for
the people of Nicaragua in my heart and the connections I make are forever a
part of who I am. This year we were in the a community for 5 afternoons and were
able to make some wonderful connections. As I look at the faces in the many
photos that I took, I see their love and welcoming spirit.  I can hear their
giggles and  their singing. I can hear them saying “cuándo volverá” which means
“when will you be coming back?” or “Que Dios los bendiga” which means “May God
bless you”.


When someone who has so very little in the way of earthly possessions,
reaches out and takes your hand and says “May God Bless You”, it is a truly
humbling experience. When you ask an elderly woman who lives alone if there is
anything that she would like prayer for and she says “Please pray for my
community. There are physical needs but more importantly there are spiritual
needs. My community needs Christ”, you realize the selfishness of your own
prayers. When you see two little girls save some of their rice so they can take
it home to their mom and baby brother, God speaks to you and asks “Are you
selfless like that?” When you have church service in plastic chairs outside
under the trees, you realize that “the church” is not a building….it’s a body of
believers.


God has once again used the Nicaraguan people to change me and draw me closer
to Him. I continue to see the “things” of this life as worthless and desire to
do whatever brings glory to Him.