This week was one of renewal…in so many ways.
One major
way I saw renewal was in our team and focus. We met to pray and discuss about the trash pick-up day and what to
change, if anything, about it. During
our meeting we decided to stick with picking up trash this week until we had
further direction elsewhere, but we had a renewed sense of purpose within it-to
continue building the relationships with the families on that street and to
look for opportunities to share the gospel. That afternoon we had a blast picking up trash (strange, isn’t it, that
it could be so fun…) and then afterwards we gathered the kids in a field by the
street and played a few games, taught them Jesus Loves Me in Spanish, and then
shared the gospel with them and had a short prayer afterwards. There were probably about 20 kids there and
they seemed eager to listen and engage. I was especially excited the kids we’ve gotten to know over the last few
weeks ran and got their sisters, brothers, cousins, and friends when we told them
we were having an activity, so there is a whole bunch of new kids to get to
know! That day renewed our sense of
focus and was so encouraging to our team.
And another
sense of renewal was simply within myself. I had such a great week with the Lord and my time with him was sweet and
rich. I found so much more time to just
be with him and he was faithful to meet me. One of the scriptures that stood out to me this week was in Psalm 63
where it talks about our souls being delighted as with the richest of fare…and
I felt like God was bringing that delight to my heart in new ways this week. So,
needless to say, I feel renewed. We also
have been reading a book on Spiritual Gifts and it has been really interesting
to dig into the ways the Lord gifts each of his children, equipping them to do
specific work for his Kingdom.
Lastly, I
feel renewed joy in the relationships around me-both within my team and those
I’m forming all around me. I had a great
conversation with my neighbor, Chilu, about her Catholic church and I’m excited
to keep talking to her about her faith. My relationships with the girls on our team have been growing steadily
deeper and stronger with time, too, which is such a blessing. We laugh a ton and really have so much fun
together, and it is a great group to grow and live amongst.
It is hard
to believe this but the Nicaraguan school system takes their “summer” vacation
from the end of November until the end of January, I believe, so they are
almost out of school. That will bring
some changes to our daily schedules as our ESL classes will probably stop being
taught since they are in the schools. So
we are praying about what ministry opportunities will be coming up, and I’d
love your prayers over that as well! I
hope all of you are well. Thank you, as
always, for reading
Much love,
Becca
Thank you for sharing!You all have done such a great job building relationships…and I look forward to hearing more.
It seems nearly impossible that you could grow more or love His work within and around you with such enthusiasm. Enjoy these weeks, months that will fold into a year of service and eye opening experiences. Thank you for sharing a heart that is exploding with confidence and love as He places His own before you to shepherd..
Love
M
Becca, Frank and I have been praying about Nicaragua and the people we met there in October. I pray that the ESL classes are growing you as they grow your students. 🙂
It’s great to hear how the Lord is renewing and sustaining you in new ways as you go deeper in serving Him – it’s plain to see the light and love of Jesus in all that you are doing. I’ll continue to pray for strength and direction as you journey on and look for “what’s next?” after the ESL classes. Loved seeing you! You’re in my prayers… Cheryl 🙂
I thought I’d check up on you, hoping that your FYM experience has been good so far. Glad to hear about the ways God has been meeting you there in Nicaragua, Becca.