Travel journal: Friday - day 1 of the Bethel Missiontrip to Nicaragua
I lay my
hands on the school seats and pray that there will come world changers,
revivalist and leaders of this nation out of these chairs. Positive statements
in Spanish, drawings and learning tools are displayed on the colorful walls of
the classroom. The bright colors of the paint reflect the hope this
‘lighthouse’ brings. Miriam, wife of pastor Ramon, just showed us around in the
school, daycare and church. Normally, these rooms are filled with many children
from the neighborhood and the trash dumps, who enjoy the care, education and
protection of the ministry. But now it’s Spring break, so the rooms are only
filled with 14 Bethel-students who are walking around and releasing blessing.
The power of intercession is bigger than we can ever imagination, so it feels
like a huge privilege to be able to pray for this place. I walk around the
rooms as I pray and observe. Stocks of colorful, little chairs remind me that
we were just told that in a room, that’s smaller than my bedroom, they take
care of 31 toddlers. We can only imagine what that must look like after the
weekend, when school starts again.
The sun
shines bright in my eyes and the wind takes my hair when I step outside. I look
up to the sky and declare that the glory of God will shine on this place as the
sun is beaming down on it, and the Holy Spirit will move as the wind blows through the palm
trees. As I walk by the kitchen and pray for more than enough food for all the
kids, the words of Miriam resound through my memory. “God provide for my
heroes”. She told us about her teachers, who are her heroes. They can’t pay
them as much as they would want to pay
them, because the kids go to school and daycare for free. It’s inspiring to
hear how the pastor’s couple are living in trust and dependency of the
donations of Gods people for Gods people. I pray for provision for her heroes,
the teachers, and I pray for provision for my new heroes: the pastor and his
wife.
--
We’re taking
a tour through Managua in the van. Through the car windows we see the environment
change and become poorer and poorer, until we arrive at the dumps. Charity is
surprised when she sees the streets full of colorful houses. “Wow, these
weren’t here a couple of years ago!” Mario, our guide and translator, explains
that Spain has supported the build of many houses for the people who lived in
the dumps for more than 5 years. Where there once was nothing but dirt, dust
and trash, are now cleaned out streets with small, cement houses in the colors
of the rainbow. Of course everybody is excited to hear about the improvement of
the living conditions of the people. But Mario also points out that these
people are still in need, especially spiritually. “You can get the people out
of the dumps, but you can’t get the dumps out of the people. They need a change
in the way they think and therefor they need God in their lives.” We all agree,
that’s the reason why we want to serve the pastor’s ministry in the trash
dump these weeks. Even though we’re
driving through some extreme poverty, we are all convinced of the hope that
there’s available for the country. “I love my country, I want to serve my
people. My favorite part of Nicaragua is their hospitality and their social attitude,”
tells Mario while we are driving past many colorful houses where families are
sitting on their porch. Kids play in plastic pools to escape the tropical heat
and older people are talking to neighbors. “I grew up and was raised in
Managua. My favorite part is that everybody always meets outside. I would meet
my friends on the corner. God has placed me here for a purpose.” The love for
his nation and passion for his people is contagious. Yes, Nicaragua is a
beautiful country full of potential.
©ElineMillenaar
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