A Journey Just Begun

Hola amigos y familia!

It has been a fantastic 3 days so far at the orphange, I originally left for Atlanta, GA on May 31st for 4 days of training camp, and left June 4th for Nicaragua. We arrived at the orphanage; Cicrin; on the 5th.

Thursday was our first full day of ministry and we were each assigned different places that they needed help at. I was assigned to work in the garden which I was beyond excited for. At Cicrin they grow squash, corn, tomatoes, pineapple, chillies, and cucumbers and also raise their own chickens and a mix between a sheep and a goat.

Our job that day was to weed out a terrible grass that had taken over where the corn was beginning to peak. Weeding sounds pretty awful in general but in Nicaragua with the lush backdrop and beautiful smells and sounds it is a peaceful process of ripping up the bad in order to allow the new and beautiful to fight for life.

It is incredible to think that God`s creation began in the garden and how often I forget the imporatnce of getting my own hands dirty.

After only being here for 3 days we have actually already experienced some very real spiritual warfare going on. On the ferry to Cicrin we noticed a lot of tiny gnats(or thats what we are calling them) that appeared to cover every part of the ferry. The bus that took us from the dock to the orphanage was also covered in them; along with the orphanage once we arrived. I wish I could have remembered my camera for this post in order to demonstrate the insane amounts that swarmed every aspect of the orphange.

While working in the garden I found out from one of the staff that the bugs had arrived a day before we had in a black cloud almost appearing out of thin air. They are harmless but made it hard to see because of their constant adherence to your body and eyes. We were also told that the gnats were only at Cicrin and nowhere in town and that they had formed a thick wall around thebuilding in which we were to be sleeping in.

To say we did not complain would be lying, not only was coming to Nicaragua a big culture shift but the fact that bugs came in the millions shocked us even more. The devil loves using creation to hinder us and the work God has for us. We prayed for the Lord to take authority over the bugs, knowing that He has authority over all of creation. The next day the bugs were monumentally less and today I can confidently say there are none left.

Praise the Lord for being so great to us. Although initially the swarm was disheartening we also believe that if the devil has his hand in something that he fears the great things that will come from our ministry here on this island.

We continue to serve here and love on these children who have been abandoned, abused, or have lived in extreme poverty. The orphange is beautiful and each day we get to hang out under a roof that overlooks the water, eating fresh mangos, and playing and laughing with children who show their unconditional love for us.

The 19 women I have gotten to know over the past week have also been such a blessing. It was incredible to hear that how we all ended up choosing Nicaragua was based on the fact that we couldn`t get it out of our heads and felt the Lord calling us to this place we barely knew.

It has been beautiful to see each and every one of their hearts for these children and their pure joy for what the Lord is doing in their lives.

As secluded as this island is from everything sometimes I still findit difficult to be alone, not because I cannot find somewhere but more because I truly love being around the people who I am with.

I am an introvert in terms of needing alone time to process and be reenergized but here I find it hard to honor my time alone because I desire this time with my friends and the children so much. I pray that the Lord reveals to me my need for quiet and peace and to sit alone with Him and process everything He has shown me.

Thank you everyone who has supported me in this journey! I am currently typing this in an internet cafe in town which is about a 15 min bus ride from the orphange. Hopefully I will be able to come about once a week or so but it also costs money (cordobas). Also feel free to check out my team blog, other members of my team will be posting things about our time there so you can get even more glimpses of what it has been like.

For His glory,

Kelsey

P.S sorry this is a long one- I will be more concise next time!