I had the honor of doing the devotional this morning. In the beautiful setting of the ranchero I shared a devotional about answering God’s call, even if it is not necessarily something we would choose to do. God doesn’t make the wrong choices for us. This seemed so appropriate since all of us made the choice to come here, even if we had doubts along the way about the role we would play. And while here we often were asked to do things outside of our personal comfort zone. Stretching yourself for God is a great way to exercise!
This morning the workers went to child protection center for 30 girls. We carried treats and lessons, fun jewelry and love, and a pew bear for each of them. All the faces in the room lit up when the bears were placed in the girl’s hands. Sally briefly told them of our bear ministry and that the bears are in our pews to take and give to someone who needs a hug. She told them that we were here to share our love with them and that anytime they needed a hug they could hold that bear and know they were getting a hug from us. The director was particularly pleased as so many of these girls have emotional problem and that holding something soft is often helpful to them.
The construction teams went to
spend one more day at manual labor. At
Carlos Fonseca some painted poles while others dug trenches. On the ride over, some of us had the treat of
riding in a truck – an air-conditioned truck!
However the real joy was not so much the cool air, although I promise we
did enjoy it, but the radio. It was
obvious that the driver was a Christian as, even with our limited Spanish, we
understood the first words he spoke, “Be thankful for what you have.” Amazed at our ability to understand most of
what he said, we were more amazed that this message was preached here, where everyone
has so little. We listened all the way
to the construction site as he spoke of not putting your faith in material
possessions, but in the Lord. And to worry
only about today, because yesterday is gone and tomorrow will take care of
itself. We were grateful for this
opportunity to see so clearly that God’s message is the same, no matter what
the circumstances.
At Paula’s house, the kitchen was
finished – the stove installed. Our team
would have loved to see her face when she first saw it, but she was out with
Teresia purchasing supplies when it was delivered. These much needed supplies
were also purchased with money we donated.
Many of us stopped by later in the day to see her kitchen for
ourselves. She greeted us warmly, both
she and her son dressed in some of the clothes we had provided. To see the joy and gratitude on Paula’s face,
you would have thought we had given her a gourmet kitchen complete with
stainless
appliances and granite counters.
But, no, this was a free standing structure, about 3 feet away from the
house with concrete floors, half walls, a roof and a door. The only thing in it is a stove that looks
nothing like anything I have ever seen, but then I don’t have to add wood and
build a fire in order to cook a meal. It was square, had pipes running through
the roof to vent the smoke with a hole on one side where a large round pot fits
and a built in griddle on the other. And
it is so much more than so many here have.
Paula grows vegetables, keeps an impeccably swept yard and raises her
son. With this, she will someday be able
to bring all of her children home to live in this house of which she is so
proud. She expressed her gratitude to us
for these blessings from God.
This afternoon we headed to the
barrio – the poorest of all sections around Leon. These are people who have been evicted from
their former home, the city dump. The
dump seems no place for anyone to want to live, but at least there they had a
way to make a living, scavenging for anything to recycle. Now that the dump is off limits to everyone,
they have moved into a community of homes that they have fashioned from
cardboard boxes and tin, from wood and plastic, I suppose from whatever they
were able to scrounge before their eviction.
We were led by Pastor Felix, the pastor
of the local Baptist church. Bill told us that he, and the mission teams
that he sends there, are the only people for whom it is safe to walk the
streets – and then only in daylight. The
streets were like half-dry river beds.
It was a heartbreaking sight.
This is the same barrio that was visited by our youth this summer. The scene here so touched one youth, Brooks, that upon his return home he asked his parents to please donate whatever money they would spend on his birthday to these people. So it was with this money that we purchased the bags of food that we carried with us.
Each of our teams visited ten homes, and each of us could probably tell you a different story of our experience. At each door we told the inhabitants that we were there to pray for them, that God loved them and that there was hope for them. When asked what they would like us to pray for, most said strength and for a job. Two young boys said their moms were at work. We dared not ask at what.
We all walked away from there, having share a bit of our faith and having handed them enough food for a few meals along with some toothbrushes and toothpaste, and had a new perspective on our own life. The things we find to complain about are so trivial compared to what these people are living through. How can I ever say, “I am so hungry” again without thinking of the 6 children whose huge brown eyes seemed so sad? But the moms were grateful. My group didn’t see any dads. Many of these homes don’t have one. And we are profoundly grateful for men like Pastor Felix and Bill whose heart is so large, who show them daily what a man of God looks like. They are bringing the kingdom of God into these people’s lives. Bill also told us that this afternoon is also about how God speaks to us through this experience. I am sure there a 28 different views on that. It is certain that none of us left there without a personal message.
The Volcano climbers made it home safely (I am sure all of their loved ones are relieved to hear that!), excited for the experience, awed by the view and grateful to the assistance of other team members to make it to the top.
Tonight’s devotional was by Jack and Linda who were inspired by a letter from home that reminded them that if you get in trouble and need guidance, there’s a really good book you can turn to! Linda read Psalm 91 and Jack, who is a self-proclaimed worrier, shared with us his daily ritual of Bible reading and reading of the Upper Room devotional. What he advised us is that when you pray, you might not hear the answer right away, but you will get an answer. And, instead of worrying, we should give it over to God and let him battle our giants.
Glenn came here with a heart to provide an education program. Towards that goal we are looking into the idea of helping to establish a computer lab at Las Tias Community Center – the school we visited on Wednesday. With Bill, he talked with the director and it appears there is a room that, with a little work, and about $5,000.00 could make this idea a reality. This group is excited about making this a goal for the future.
We shared the moments of our day where we saw God in others. There was Kathy, who happened to be there to give peace of mind to a woman in the barrio. And Ellen, who, with her bag of “cositas” (little things) brought smiles to many kids faces, and who, without even knowing it, put another missionary at ease. There was Paula’s face when thanking us, and the women in the barrio, who just want strength to make it through the day. And, of course, in Bill, who guides the work of this mission house with a heart as big as there are children in need.
It was a long and emotional day, and our last night at El Ayudante. Tomorrow we leave for Managua, a hot shower and the beginning of our journey home. We will spend tomorrow evening recapping our week here, being grateful for the experience and knowing that we have made a difference.
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