Nicaragua

In Nicaragua we find one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, as well as a country rich in culture, life and hope.  Living Hope has begun to link arms with a wonderful, indigenous Nicaraguan ministry, The Samaritan Foundation, which is serving the poor through medical mission, education, church planting, and evangelism.

Additionally, in Nicaragua, Living Hope has partnered with Living Water International, an international relief organization that specializes in well drilling, water security and water hygiene.  We will travel with Living Water to Nicaragua, drill a new well, and train the villagers in water pump maintenance and water hygiene.

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Nicaraguan Reflections

Living Hope sent several teams to Nicaragua in May.  These teams were made up of men and women, moms and dads, teenagers, children, construction workers, office workers students and teachers.  While in Nicaragua the teams drilled wells, played with children, sang songs, taught workshops and shared the great news of Jesus.  Listed below are thoughts from some of the team members.  These writings are from both, pre-departure thoughts and post-trip reflections.  They give insight into the people God uses overseas and the way God uses such trips to make a difference in Nicaraguan barrios and American suburbs.

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From Angie:

Last July, my husband was laid off from his job. We’ve lost our home, a car and had to give up our dog. I have been praying my way through the whole ordeal. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I feel that God has given my peace and opened my eyes to others in need. When I first heard about the She Community’s trip to Nicaragua I got so excited, but then I remembered my financial situation and became discouraged. I really felt like God was pushing me to go, so I began praying. Eventually, I realized that if God wanted me to go, then He would provide a way. I was filled with such a peace; I knew it would be o.k.

I also felt like my 10 year old Bailey, should go with me. Her whole world was turned upside down when  my husband lost his job. She had to leave the school and friends that she had known since kindergarten. She went from having a house with her own room, to sharing a room with her 2 siblings. She also lost a pet that she adored. Her attitude has been amazing through this but I wanted her to see that there are people in the world with a lot less than us and who are happy to just be alive and to have Jesus in their hearts. I also wanted to give her the chance to help people who are less fortunate than her. Although this doubled the cost of the trip, I really felt God speaking to me and telling me that this was what he wanted for us. We have been so amazed at the kindness we’ve been shown and people’s obedience to God in helping us. Not just for the trip but also through this whole situation. It’s truly amazing and so humbling.

Besides praying for the means to go on this trip, I have also been talking to God about my fears. There was a time a few years ago when I was told that I had agoraphobia. I went almost a whole year without leaving my house unless I absolutely had to. I was so broken and afraid that my only option was to turn to God and hand Him my fears. I have gradually become less afraid, but going to another country, taking my daughter with me and leaving my two small children and husband here is a HUGE step! One that I believe is possible because of the peace that only God can give.

I am so excited about the experiences that God has in store for us. I am so eager to get there and help in any way that I can, to allow God’s love to shine through me. I am also excited to watch my daughter as she finds joy in serving others. I hope to be able to teach the ladies I meet how to sew a product that they can then sell in order to provide for themselves. I’m also going to be helping to capture in photographs the wonderful opportunities that God provides for us to interact, teach and worship with the people we meet.

As crazy as it may sound I feel like the loss of my husband’s job has been a blessing in many ways. It has taught us what is really important in life. We’ve been forced to see how money was really interfering with our spiritual life and our family life. Helping others around us is something that has become very important to us. Last but not least, it has shined a light on the kindness in others and their willingness to give freely of their time, their money…whatever we needed and that God laid upon their hearts to help us with. It has just been awesome!

From Kevin:

The thing I’m praying most for is to be comfortable on this trip. I know that God can work through me in anyway He chooses but I want to be comfortable enough in Nicaragua to be able to step back and see exactly what God is doing in my life and others’. I really just want to be a light to people. I’ve been incredibly blessed to be able to go on this trip and I don’t want to waste this opportunity. My expectations are to see lives changed, but not by the people going. I want to see God be given all the glory He deserves when He changes these lives. I don’t want to get so caught up in the American-Nicaraguan, poor-rich privileged-unprivileged thing, I want to be on a person-to-person level and be able to connect with people through God’s love.

My biggest fear is my diet, I’ve grown quite accustomed to chicken tenders and barbeque sauce in my 17 years of living. Mexican food is one of my least favorite ethnic food choices so I’m just worried about offending someone by not loving the food.

I think God wants me to go on this trip because I need to see what other people are going through in the world with my own eyes…Not on commercials or internet ads. I need to have a genuine heart for these people and I can do that best with face-to-face interaction.

I’m most excited about being out of the country to be honest. It’ll be cool to experience what is “normal” for other cultures and make awesome memories!

It still hasn’t really sunk in that I’m going to be in a foreign country in less than a month but I know that God will have me ready for it when the time arrives.