A Nicaraguan Christmas

Dec. 24, 2016

Team Nicaragua - Day 3- Prayer Walk

Day 3 in Managua was a very powerful day.  Jeff and FCA Nicaragua supports a local Nicaraguan church called Iglesia Nueva Jersusalem, who had organized a prayer walk through their community called Loma Linda for Team Nicaragua.  We had plans to meet a friend Ebert, who is involved with the church, and he had scheduled for us to visit about 5 families.

We drove over to Ebert’s house which was not far from the park where we had spent the previous morning for Barrio Basketball.  We were basically in the heart of Managua, areas that you would possibly envision when thinking of a Central American city.  The streets, sometimes not even paved, were filled with litter and trash, lots of street dogs running around, and plenty of hustle and bustle from the locals hanging out and buzzing around here and there. 

We spent a few minutes connecting with Ebert and learning about the people we were going to visit today.  They all knew we were coming to see them and pray for them, so it was good to open ourselves up with some prayers outside of Ebert’s residence before we left for our walking tour.  Ebert was the perfect host and guide, being that he was a part of the community where we were walking today.  Everybody was upbeat and excited to be out in the community, and we had plenty of time to converse and talk about our journey as we toured the neighborhood of Loma Linda. 

I can’t even begin to express the blessings of this day; it’s always spoken about mission trips that the missionaries are the ones that are supposed to be doing the blessing. But, what undeniably always seems to happen is the fact of reciprocating blessings, meaning we are being blessed too!  And this was one of those experiences. 

As we walked the streets, it was obvious that we were the “out of towners”.  And even though we got many stares and glances, practically everybody offered us smiles, “holas”, and general welcomes.  We turned down an alley and followed Ebert down the street to our first house.  Here we were visiting Marcella, an elderly woman who had some health issues.  She lived in what seemed like a compound of houses where other family members also resided. We were welcomed into the home, and the communication between our interpreter Cesar, and the host family and Ebert provided a fascinating exchange of spirituality and faith, as well as appreciation and thankfulness. The bilingual conversations were directed with love and respect, and such a tenderness affection that was spoken with each word.

As we circled up for prayer, it was a common expression for us throughout our morning to lay hands, hold hands and share in that physical bond of touch.  It is mentioned throughout the Bible of the laying of hands to help with healing, as in Acts 28:8, where it says “His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him”.  This was indeed a pouring out of His Power and Glory as we truly connected with our welcoming guests on many spiritual levels.

We went on for several more hours walking through this neighborhood, stopping along the way as we visited with Rosa, Ana Gladys, Margherita, and Joel.  The conversations we had were intentional, as much as they were received with open hearts.  Having been thanked over and over and over again for our presence, to me it is only a natural feeling of being humbled by our Gracious Father by His outpouring of Grace and Love that is intended for us to share; Here, There, and Everywhere.

The living conditions that we encountered throughout the day were not always the best; but they were inviting, they were hospitable, and they were spiritual.  The fact that these people had no idea who we were and would invite us into their homes with open arms and stories to tell, is just a testament to His purpose for His people.  I hope that we left behind the feeling that we serve and share a loving God.

Believe me, we have stories to tell from our journey today, especially with one particular stop where we met a woman named Rosa.  Rosa was not on our schedule of visits today, so she had no idea that we were coming.  The story that she shared with us pretty much blew us away, and I would love to share this story, but would much rather do it in person. Please ask when you see us, we would love to share it.

I think that each of the 5 houses that we visited today deserves it’s own story. This prayer walk was a first for many of us today, especially for our kids.  I can’t even begin to say how proud we are of our children today that they were so respectful, so mindful, so caring and compassionate for these people, a true testimony of how His light can shine in Nicaragua and many other places all around us each and every day.

After visiting the Iglesia Nueva Jersusalem church, and the home of the pastor, Uriel Gonzalez, we spent the rest of our day back at our house getting ready for our Christmas retreat, and for Christmas eve service.  We went to the Nicaraguan Christian Academy for church, where we enjoyed their Christmas pageant and some Christmas worship, as well as some super cool fireworks.  In Managua, the locals celebrate Christmas at the midnight hour by rocking the city with fireworks, and I mean truly lighting the city up, it was fabulous to witness.

It was a heavy day full of heavy spiritual things for our group, so it was nice to sit down during the evening for some group worship and de-briefing.  It was so cool to hear some of the kids talking about their experiences so far, and uplifting as we share in this journey with each others families.

This concludes day 3, Buenas Noches.