We all made it home safe and sound. :)
I, however, caught some kinda bug and haven't been feeling the best the last few days, but I'm hoping that it will be short lived.
There is so much I could say about our trip to Nicaragua! SO much! But, really, I just want to take you back with me next year. I'm serious. Whoever you are, wherever you are, PLEASE consider joining me next time.
Guys, my heart beats for adventure! I'm not an discontent person at home in the US. Really, I am honestly humbled by the GREAT MANY blessings the Lord has bestowed upon me. But, the taste of eternity is so sweet and so worth it, I'd gladly give up everything to live in it full time.
And I plan to. Some day. I'd be a fool not to.
Our little village of Casa Blanca stole my heart. Well, the kids did. We arrived at about 2pm Sunday and went right to work praying in every room of the school we stayed in and then setting up the clinics.
Amanda and I were assigned to put together an Evangicube and then I had to step out of the clinic for a minute. When I came back, there was Amanda, surrounded by children who adored her instantly
Amanda's Spanish was actually really good, and she rather became my own personal translator/Spanish teacher. :) What a blessing.
We worked in the children's ministry together with a couple other members of the team. And we played with the kids and we worked in the pharmacy and we showered under the stars and we ate in the sun. We were covered in dirt from head to toe and the bathrooms were outhouses.
I could tell you all the details, the food, the bugs, the heat, the wind... but really, I'd rather you just go experience it for yourself.
The biggest details for you to know is that Jesus came with us on this trip and he was waiting for us when we got there. He was the reason for everything we did and his love made everypart of everyday SO FULL of JOY that I cannot even begin to describe it.
There was no smell too awful or bug or bat or spider or lizard that could have possibly made the trip difficult because God's love was too big for it. No sunburn too painful, no language barrier too frustrating, no food too different.
With joy I would brush the dirt off my bed before crawling under my sheets every night. With joy I would wake up at 5 to the roosters crowing. With joy, everything. EVERYTHING was joyful.
Last night I was talking to a friend about the trip and he asked, "So is it nice to be back home?"
I've been thinking about it. Of course I'm thankful! God placed me here and I am blessed, so i cannot complain. But it is hard for me. Because I am a people person. And I realize that I'm very isolated with my life in America. I work all day and then come home and we sit around on our tablets and phones and computers. We only see people if we make effort for it and we stare at our electronics even if we've "Made the effort" to hang out.
In Nicaragua, there was no facebook or cellphones or anything like that. Just people. You'd find someone to sit by for a meal and you'd talk to them. You'd talk in the pharmacy, or the dentistry. You played with the kids and they'd say stuff to you in Spanish and they'd ask, "Como se dece "Mi Amigo en Engles??" And you'd say, "Friend" and they'd light up and say, "You...friend!"
And we laughed. OH how much we laughed! My abs were sore coming back from the sheer amount of laughter the WHOLE week. One of my teammates had asked me during the week, "Are you having more fun this year than last year?" and I thought about it and said, "You know, I can't imagine that I am. Last year was great and this year is great." And she commented, "But you seem so much more happier this year than last year." And she was right. My heart was in love and joyful LAST year, but the Lord has grown MAJOR fruit in my heart in the last year and this year my heart couldn't contain the love or the joy or the peace that FLOODED every crack and crevice of it.
My third world heaven. It doesn't have to be materially rich to be the most wealthy place in the world. Because God is there. HE is SO there. As thick as humidity in the summer. You reach out and touch him every time you reach out at all. And He loves you. He loves you so much! And I cannot comprehend that I should be so privileged to have been there.
I sat in on a church service one morning rather than teach in the Children's service and I was so overwhelmed by God's love. And then they invited people to give their lives to Christ and being apart of that was incredible. And as I began to cry at the love that so filled my heart that there wasn't even room for it, God whispered so gently, "I have redeemed you, Fern Kohl. I have called you by name and you are mine. And I want you to see this. See how I can use you. See how I love my people. See how much joy there is in my love. And I chose you for this. Because I love you. Because I want to do great things with you." And He said much more, of course. And He is saying the same things to you.
Loving God is a grand adventure. You don't have to go to another country to experience it. You just say "yes" and then sooooo many adventures just come. EVERY day. And they are joyful. Not always right at first, but joy cometh. Always, it will come. If you are growing the fruit of the spirit that is.
Guys, as much as i'd LOVE for you to experience the joy I do in Nicaragua. More than ANYTHING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, I'd love for you to experience the joy I do in knowing God. He makes me heart SO happy! I am SO loved down to the very bottomest deepest places of my heart. And I belong.
I want you all to know the same love and joy and happiness and peace. It's so peaceful.
I LOVE adventures! I LOVE them. And I would love nothing more than for you to join me on my adventures! Alls you have to do is say, "Yes, I'm going to let Jesus love me heart."
Let me know if you have any questions or comments. :) I'm praying for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment