Month 7: Life in Nicaragua

Hey guys I’ve been in Nicaragua for almost a month now and things have finally settled down! The ministry here is almost as intense as the heat, but every day is so fruitful and I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it!

Where are you staying?
My squad and I are staying at the REAP base here in Granada, Nicaragua! It is incredibly evident that the ministry here at REAP has been active for a long time as it is extremely built up and essentially runs itself. Their vision for us here is to create a community of believers who are living transformed lives in the presence of God, through the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. They have stressed that they want us to grow in discipline and obedience! We are here to help, but it has been made abundantly clear that they do not NEED us. The lord invites us into his kingdom and in the same way we have been invited to help here. As I said, the ministry runs itself, we have been given the rare opportunity to literally choose into ministry every day. 
A 70-acre farm serves as a base for the ministry here. On campus, there is a multi-purpose pavilion for conferences, teaching, and worship. There is dorm space for 150 guests, a kitchen to serve meals to staff and guests, and a farm that bears fruit and opportunity. My squad is divided between men and woman, with all the ladies in one room! We are blessed with a huge bathroom with 3 cold showers, 3 toilets, and at night our dorm gets air conditioning!! 

What are meals like?  
Every meal has some form of beans and rice. Breakfast is always beans, rice, eggs, and fresh fruit. Lunch is always beans, rice, veggies, and some form of chicken. Dinner tends to rotate between tacos, tostadas, chicken tenders, stew, or even kabobs. Lunch and dinner almost always come with plantain chips and tamarind juice. 

What is a day of ministry like?   
Monday through Friday we start our mornings off at 5 am with an hour spent in prayer. Then we have 2 hours before breakfast at 8, this can be spent however we like; getting dressed for the day, bible studying, trying to get some more sleep in, or just hanging out. After breakfast we break off into our morning ministry groups which are usually either prayer walking through local villages, helping in the kitchen, working on the farm, praying over families in the local hospital, watching little kids, or going to the dump! At noon, we head back to base for lunch before continuing ministry after an hour long break. Afternoon ministry consists of pretty much the same opportunities as morning, so I try my hardest to switch it up everyday. We go back to work around 1pm and finish for the day around 4pm to have dinner at 6pm. Our nights are spent helping clean the dishes from the day before showering and heading to bed. 

What are my favorite ministries?  
Dump! In the mornings a group of us load into the trucks and head to the local dump which is about 10 minutes away. We sit down with the local workers and one of us does a little 20 minute teaching, which can be about anything from God’s awesome plan, to just telling the Gospel! From there, we feed the people a cafeteria style lunch, which pretty much always consists of bean, rice, and chicken, before making friendly conversation and heading back to base. 

Farming/gardening! In the heat of the day, we are sent out to care for the 70-acre farm here on the REAP base! There is almost always something new and exciting to be done, harvesting yuca or squash, planting onions and basil, pulling weeds, preparing the ground for the next season, or even feeding horses! It is hot and it’s only getting hotter, but the work is so fun and rewarding, you can’t help but have a good time working with the locals. The gardening brings instant gratification every time because the fruit(literally) of our labor is so obvious. 

Childcare! I get to spend the afternoon hanging out with the sweetest groups of kids! Every time I find myself in this ministry I try my hardest to communicate and joke around with them, and they try their best to fight the language barrier in return! I have yet to meet one kid who isn’t an absolute delight, they are all wonderfully warm and protective to each other and my squad mates. Whether   we’re playing legos, drawing with chalk, or jumping rope, I can always see the joy of the lord in every single smile. 

There are so many instances here where it would be so easy for me to check out. I am blessed with having been given the opportunity to choose everyday, to bask in gratitude, joy, and witness how the lord is constantly providing for his people. I am already saved, but he continues to fills my days with simple delights, which bring me excitement and peace which can only be credited to him.  

Keep praying for me, as I finish off these last few weeks!