March 1, Saturday
7:00 Breakfast and Dishes
8:00 Devotional at the River
Purchase building materials
11:00 Lunch
12:30 LaCarpio Feeding Program (feed, love and minister to the children).
4:00 Return to Mission, clean up pots, pans et
5:00 Dinner and dishes
9:00 Lights out
The day started with confidence that I would discover what I was looking for: …where I fit with God. Later that morning, reading Waking the Dead (John Eldredge), the author suggested I stop and write down what I love to do… here it is:
Helping others
Connecting Dots… Solving problems
Creating beauty
Playing with my son
Finding what other’s revel in, their sweet spot
Finding God with Others
After breakfast we took a walk though the mountains, past the coffee bean pickers, the “cattle on a thousand hills” and ending at a large creek with bubbling water and beautiful trees. We were there for Lisa’s devotional, which made me think of the song “You make all things new”. Next to the water, she read from Isaiah 43:18-19, John 4:13-14 and John 7:37, and carried down into God’s heart for our relationship. “Expect something totally new or you won’t see me sneaking in or springing up. Expect Him to happen. Never put God in a box, but allow him to show his presence in all His glory…Overflowing from us. Our souls deep thirst…We can come to Him, he will fill our heart….Springs of water welling up to eternal life. Praying more, asking more, to Love Him more, know him more.” This is what our Dad longs for, a full relationship.
Later, the men left to move some heavy re-bar from a truck, while the ladies got ready for our trip to La Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp. We returned to Villa Esperanza for lunch, where Anita described to me the moments with other ladies where she felt most at home and at peace with God. Then she asked me one of those double edged sword questions that I didn’t expect: “Do you see God as your Father?” Looking back, she may have been asking for insight, but it penetrated me and I had to say truthfully “Not as often as I should. I don’t have that moment to moment relationship that I want to have.” It was a breakthrough moment when I felt God reaching out to me.
On the ride to La Carpio , we learned that over 30,000 Nicaraguans live in this camp next to a rock quarry, afraid of the conditions in their homeland. We arrived to see children already lining up for the food we brought, but the time actually started with games and crafts. We found ourselves making crafts, blowing bubbles and playing games. As I looked at the children the thought came to me that God loves them so much. He longs for them, the best for them, not because of what they do but because of who they are...his creation. I thought about the Dan’s comments the night before to “Love them, hold them, play with them.” . His desire was to break the “generational curse” thievery, prostitution, drug abuse. Some were rougher than others around the edges than others, but they all needed that love from the Father.
Bendiciones (“Blessings”)
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