On Saturday May 30, at 4:30 AM Jordan and I slowly pulled up to the Monroe airport curb. “Are any of these people in your group?” At that moment, I realized I was about to embark on a mission trip to Nicaragua for seven days with 15 strangers (with the exception of Emma Mae, a high school student in my Sunday school class).
Little did I know that by the following Saturday, this collection of unique individuals would have become like family members.
More happened on this trip than I could write down thoroughly in my daily journal entries, but this is my attempt to share the best I can about this experience with you. My hope is that you would not read these words and see me in a certain light, but that you would recognize the hand of God moving in the lives of the people we met there and in my life personally. If there is one overarching lesson I learned two weeks ago, it is that our God is powerful- over our circumstances, our trials, our joys, our abilities, and our weaknesses.
Day 1 (Saturday, 5/30/15)
- Monroe –> Houston –> Managua, Nicaragua
What trip would be complete without transportation issues? With the sun still resting below the horizon, we neared our take-off time… with the flight attendants and pilot stranded at their hotel without a ride. Before leaving Louisiana soil the saying “It is what it is” was spoken truthfully, and was repeated almost more frequently than the term “yeet” in the hallways of Ruston High School (which we all learned the correct usage of, thanks to Emma Mae). We waited, and waited… drank coffee, and waited as our nerves rose and I wished for this extra two hours to be spent with Jordan. But after this testing of Christ-like behavior, we boarded in the nick-of-time and transferred onto the Houston flight with the added bonus of a power walking session through airport terminals. We probably needed those endorphins.
- Lunch at the McWhorter’s
After landing in Managua, we were offered flowers shaped out of some kind of fibrous plant made by young men at the airport arrivals station. Luckily and disappointingly, I had been warned that they were not free even though they were persistently being offered. We were greeted by the familiar faces of the McWhorters- a family from Ruston who moved to Nicaragua this winter to be full-time missionaries. Joseph works with local churches and international groups who come to build homes for families who wait their turn on a long list to receive a safe, stable home; Susan has immersed herself in the culture as a faithful housewife and mom, learning Spanish and the art of cooking everything from scratch. Their kids, Emma and Caleb,take Spanish lessons, work with the short-term missionary groups, and will start school there in the fall. This family is a true example of faith and being around them was refreshing as I witnessed their life of boldness in following God’s call for their move to this country. If you know them and/or support them prayerfully or financially, I wish you could witness them in their environment- God knows what He is doing (not much of a shocker!) and it is exciting to know that there are faithful followers investing their entire lives into this community. Good things are goin’ on.
- The Compound
Apparently if for some unimaginable reason we got lost, we could tell any driver to go to the “House of the Gringos” and they would know exactly where to take us. This gated, guarded estate surrounded by mango trees and tropical vegetation was our home-sweet-home for the week. Us seven girls piled into one room of bunk-beds with plenty of shelving and cubbies for our communal toiletries and snacks; the eight guys divided between three bedrooms. If these numbers don’t make sense to you, you probably have missed out on the delirious conversations and bonding that occurs among females after sharing deodorant and watching K-Mart commercials in a sleep-deprived state of mind. Just take my word for it: girls in close quarters is healthy for the heart and soul.
- Shopping- Catarina, Masaya
We had time to kill so we decided to take advantage and shop at two marketplaces. The men weren’t Not everyone was thrilled about this, but I was glad to find a beautiful handmade bowl, a handmade leather wallet for Jordan, a colorful woven headband, and $5 “Ray Bands” (fake or not, my eyeballs thanked me). We were in a time crunch by the time we got to the second market, but at the top of the hill where the storefronts stopped, my eyes fixed forward in awe and the hustle-and-bussle of the crowd seemed to digress. I stared over the sparkling lake, sunken into a deep bowl of greenery that reflected crisp images around the edges of the calm water. People sat ascending along the wall of the bowl in theater-style bench seating, watching the still-picture scene of God’s beauty and creativity play out.
How often do we look at something beautiful and not recognize it’s maker? A photo or piece of art is admired, but is the artist recognized and appreciated fully for capturing such beauty? There are many times a day I feel joy and pleasure but neglect to credit the Giver of these gifts in life. The plump shape of our garden cucumbers, the subtle rainbow in the stream of water shooting from the water spout, the sweet companionship of my dog-children. Reminders of God’s presence and care are everywhere- am I paying attention? Sometimes it takes a big lake in the middle of hot, humid Nicaragua to remember to look for His reminders that say “I am here. I love you. I am in control.”
- Dinner and whole-group devotional
Plantains. That is all that needs to be said for dinner.
Just kidding.. but really. As chips, caramelized, or baked- anyway you slice it, I’ll eat it. These banana-look-alike’s were cooked up and served daily. I didn’t write down the specific dinner for each day, but food is important and should be discussed so I’ll summarize. Most nights consisted of some form of plantains, pineapple (yellow AND white- yes, yum), rice, pico de gallo, 1-2 veggies (potato, squash casserole, salad greens, avocado), and a meat dish (barbecued pork ribs, chicken tenders, beef stew (?), smothered baked chicken). We sat along a long table on long benches and served ourselves family style. The head cook’s name is Annabella and she is a gem. I wanted to sit and watch her work her magic all day long to learn her ways and laugh along with her good-humored self. She even made brownies on three nights, and the most delicious caramel cake that has ever melted onto my taste buds for the night our team member, Ms. Lou, had her birthday. If your birthday falls on the dates for the next trip, expect a recruitment call.
Every night, Joey, our “boss”/team leader led a devotional discussing a passage that had a personal impact and connected to the trip. Tonight was over Isaiah 6:1-8:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
I am going to mess up… pretty frequently… but my guilt is taken away and my sin is wiped clean. So even though I remain imperfect, God can still use me. I just need to have a willing spirit to say “send me!” and trust His lead. To be honest, I was hesitant about going on this trip for several reasons- Jordan had to stay home for work, I didn’t know the team going, I was one of the youngest members, and I wasn’t even sure what I’d be doing once we got there (which challenged my Type A tendencies). But the Lord used other people to nudge me to go and even though the details were unknown, I knew I needed a willingness to obey and to serve whenever and wherever God leads. Daily, even in our hometowns, we should be reminding ourselves of this passage and truth- send me into my community, my home, my church, my workplace, and show the whole earth His glory.
- Street Soccer
Before bed we had some free time, so Emma Mae and I went outside of the Compound gate to play/watch soccer with Caleb and four of his friends. “What will the other adults think about me if I go out with these kids and they stay inside talking? Will I miss any important, interesting conversations? Will they think less of me? Will I be seen as immature?” In the 0.25 seconds these thoughts attacked my mind as we passed through the screen door, I realized these questions were mostly based on fear of judgement. “Am I willing to sacrifice my pride/selfishness/comfort for an opportunity to experience joy with this individual?” became a combating question I confronted myself with multiple times this week, and I started to realize the best way to break this subconscious pride was to act against it. The cool night air energized our bodies, dirt and rocks lodged into the crevices of my Chaco sandals, we laughed (and were laughed at) as we double-teamed as the goalie, and experienced an authentic street soccer match in the dirt roads of Nicaragua.
“Here I am. Send me!”
From the Hart 
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