Nica Living

I'm here in Nicaragua again this summer for 5 weeks. I've been here almost a week now. When I first arrived, I wanted to go straight home. I have NEVER in my life felt like that. I'm usually excited for new adventure and change in my life but perhaps because I knew or thought I knew exactly what to expect, the thrill of being in Nicaragua again didn't exist for me.

As I prepared to come down and even this first week I have had absolutely no energy...to the point of spilling glasses and dropping bottles because my body is so weak. But the longer I stay here, the more in tune I become to the spiritual darkness that exists here. Often the physical is closely tied with the spiritual. How much more I must depend on God for strength, for desire to do his will, for love for his people, because I feel depleted of absolutely all strength on my own.

I was sitting church the other night watching Pastor Flores teach (in Spanish - of which I understand about 27.2% of) and it hit me how much of a light he is to this community. As I hear of the problems that go on in their church (very similar to our churches back home - except we hide ours under a rug. they deal with it straight up) - how much a shepherd he is to his flock - it blows me away that he has been such a stronghold in the community. It becomes so evident the power of the cross. He's doing what he's doing with no other reason than the grace of Christ.

The needs here are exactly the needs at home. The difference being, people in the U.S. use material and monetary substitutes to fill their needs, and as consequence, don't think they need a Savior... because things 'fulfill them'. Yet, I come to Nicaragua and see that the most basic need is for people to know the love of God. I realize I personally had to come to grips with the fact that I need to know the love of God. Same with my American friends, same with my family. Yet we try to make Christianity so complicated and wonder what our problem is.