Nicaragua

I mentioned this in my last post, but I am helping God lead a trip to Nicaragua! :) I can not do this alone, only with God. He is leading and I am prayerfully listening to his voice! Isn't that amazing. I feel like I am getting closer to where I need to be with God daily! Back to Nica..

2008-My sweet friend Elizabeth told me a group of our high school class was going on a mission trip to Nicaragua..I immediately said I am going, too. Here's the deal: Missions have always been so close and near and dear to my heart. I want to THANK Jeff Ivey(my youth minster when I was in junior high and high school) for this. He did a great job giving us opportunities to serve God on mission trips. I went to Houston, Gulf Shores, & Chicago! Back to the trip....we met, we had some responsibilities, and my parents slowly were okay with me going! I was in NO way prepared for what I would see! We first worked in a community in Chinadega. The place we went was called the triangle of death, because it is surrounded by a dump, prison, and cemetery. We feed the kids, played with them, & the boys did construction. We got to know the college students in the church we were working with. It was amazing! After I had been there a week...I broke down. We fed the kids three days a week at lunch time...most do not get food other than these times. On Sunday, a 2nd team came down and we showed them where we had been working. It hit me, some kids may have not had food since Friday at lunch. To this point in my life....this was not a reality to me. It hurt to the depths of my sole. We take everything so for granted and throw so much away...That $2.00 I spend at Sonic every other day could feed a family...YES a family, for almost a week. Talk about reality check for a 23 year old. PEOPLE ARE STARVING...everywhere, not just in Nicaragua. People are hurting right around...how are we helping others? Are we helping anyone? I struggle with this all the time!! That trip ended with a 2nd week of VBS in a school and church in La Paz...Since this time Hearts to God(the organization we went with) has decided to center their work in this area. It is great to have a focus!

2009-I felt strongly that God was calling me to go back. So, in June I went to do a week of VBS! God was amazing! My heart was melted, once again....and I was brought back to reality. I helped to lead the crafts. We had decided to limit the number of kids that could come, because we had over 300 the first year I went. This makes crafts very hard! Well, our 100 became about 150. Let me tell you the most amazing thing...I counted the crafts before we left....I know their were only 100, but we were never short on crafts...every kid had one, every day. Isn't God amazing!! I hate when people say God does not perform miracles, because he does!

2012-I am going back! Please join me in prayer, NOW! God is going to do amazing things! If you are interested in going...let me know! I would love for you to join us! If not, please join me in prayer! Our team will leave on July 7th! I am pumped! More to come...as details get more nailed down!

SIDE NOTE: I have many people say to me when I talk about Nicaragua, "Why would you go there when so many people are in need right here around you?" All I can say to this, is I know this is where God wants me right now! It is a God thing, and when I am not there I strive to help people around me, too! God placed me in Nicaragua...right now it has only been short term missions, but I can not say that someday it might be more. This has been something on my heart lately. What if God called me to serve him in a 3rd world country..Would I go? What would my family say? What would you do?