Hey guys! So I know I posted a brief blog on thanksgiving sharing what I’m thankful for, and then the other day posted about a ministry day here in Granada. But I haven’t yet explained what our ministry actually is this month, or what we’ve been doing as a whole.
This is ATL month! ATL stands for “Ask the Lord,” and it has been a completely different thing than any other month on the race so far. We came into this country with no real plans aside from following the Holy Spirit and listening to God’s voice. Last month in Costa Rica we prayed and felt the Lord putting on our hearts people at risk of living on the streets, working with women, and street evangelism. As we searched into what that could look like, we got turned down from a few different ministries. That led us, in the last few days before heading to Nica, to googling and contacting a woman from Connect Nicaragua, asking if she could help us. From there we saw everything fall into place. Not only did she connect us to so many ministries that the Lord was placing on our hearts, but we also got to stay with her for a week and a half!
So much has happened this month in Nica, and it’s hard to share because every single day of ministry has been PACKED, but beautifully crafted by the Lord. So I’m just going to briefly share what each day looked like. Message me if you want to know more, I could go on forever about how full and awesome this month has been!
Our first day arriving in Managua, we were hooked up with a church that one of my teammates had previously served at on other missions trips! We basically left the bus station, dropped our stuff at our wonderful host’s house, and left to get supplies and head over to the church. I got to lead and emcee my first Beauty for Ashes Event, and we got to see the joy of the Lord radiate from a group of women who were excited to share how they viewed God.
Beauty for Ashes Womens Event with Michaela’s Nicaraguan Church
Wednesday we went to a nursing home. We got to read Bible stories for the men and women there, sing songs, paint their nails, pass out verses for their rooms, and pray over many of them. We all went around in a circle sharing one good thing from the last week, and many of them said having us there was their highlight. They were so wonderful and we said the same thing back to them!
Painting nails, praying over people, and waving goodbye to the Ladies at the Nursing Home
Thursday we drove to a village to evangelize with a Pastor we met. We walked up and down roads, across rivers, and went to many houses to share God’s love and invite them to a small service we held outside of a home in the village. It was one of my favorite days this month – a few kids followed us most of the time and if there was any day I could have done twice I would have chosen this one so I could spend more time with them
Gettin’ to the other side of the village
The kids that spent the day with us as we walked from house to house!
Friday was a packed day. We spent the morning with a youth program called Nima, where kids at risk of living on the streets were able to come together for a feeding program. We did Bible skits for them, did crafts with them, and got to spend time with them while they ate a meal. We had back-to-back ministry days here, so Monday we did the same thing, and it broke my heart a little bit when all the kids were asking, “When do you come back? Will we see you tomorrow?”
Doing crafts with the Kids
Ready for some LUNCH!
We also did another Beauty for Ashes event in the evening for another church we were connected with, and this time we got to share on identity in Christ and how the Lord sees us. That was also a very special time.
The next day we drove to a dumpsite outside of the city and took part in another feeding program for the kids that live in that community. We played more games with them, and sat with them while they ate.
Played board games with the kids – they LOVED it!
Praying over the ministry and the family who runs it before leaving
We did another day at the nursing home, and then spent our next ministry day working with an organization called Tesoros de Dios (God’s Treasures). This is a special needs ministry that is part school, part equine therapy, and part Bible study ministry for the parents of the kids who partake in the program. It was one of my favorite days of ministry so far – I was able to work with some of the kids while they were horseback riding so that was amazing.
Helping with the kids who were doing equine therapy lessons…priceless. <3
After this, we took a bus to Granada, a city about an hour away, and actually the oldest city in all of Central America! We’ve been here for about a week and a half, and we have 1 week left!
Since being in Granada, our main focus has been street evangelism.
Our first day we spent doing a prayer walk over the city. We met many people as the Lord put them on our hearts, and we took time to pray over each area we walked through.
The next day was another street evangelism day (READ BLOG HERE FOR MORE DEETS ON THE MOST EPIC DAY OF MINISTRY: https://jessiejacoby.theworldrace.org/post/the-boy-in-the-red-shirt)
Then we went to another dump community, this one in Granada. We held a church service for them, basically right in the middle of the dump where there is a large population. We played games for over 30 kids, and held a service for probably close to 60 people. It was eye-opening, humbling, and inspiring.
To put into perspective, we learned this month that as the people search the dump for valuables (pieces of plastic or similar stuff), they sell it for money. And for 100 POUNDS of plastic…it’s worth about 300 Cordobas, which is literally equivalent to $8.50 in USD. 100 pounds. It’s all about perspective, and that’s helped me to see each person I’ve met in Nicaragua with the eyes of Jesus.
Walking to the entrance of the dumpsite to get food
Playing musical chairs with the kids!
Lil Amigos
All of the kids ecstatic to get their photo taken!
Our most recent days of ministry were spending a day doing worship in the square, and today, our final day, was spent in street evangelism/prayer walking once again. We have met many people this last month, and today concludes our last day of ministry as Team Evergreen. We are heading into a week of debriefing and will be switching to new teams before we leave for Colombia a week from tomorrow.
Locals we met yesterday as we played worship music in the park
Walked through the city praying over people groups, buildings, addictions, etc.
We have each grown and seen Jesus every day and moment. Also, sorry I have not been able to respond to all of you if you have reached out! It’s been a W I L D month. Thank you all for praying and following this journey that is a gift from God.
If you have any other questions about ATL or our ministry this month, feel free to message me! I would love to share more about the incredible things that happened 🙂
I love this: “our days were packed but beautifully crafted by the Lord.” You all loved so well—and so much! I can’t wait to hear more when I see you soon!