Well, we just landed in Columbia, so I guess it’s about time I tell you all about Nicaragua!!
Nicaragua was not a country I pictured capturing my heart. I’m not sure why I didn’t have overly high hopes going into month two. Maybe because me & Abba have been working on putting expectations in there place, maybe it was because Costa Rica was so incredible, or maybe simply because Nicaragua just wasn’t on the list of places I’ve wanted to travel all my life. But either way,I was greatly blessed & my expectations (that didn’t really exists) were completely blown away!
This month we were serving at Light & Salt Ministries(LASM). Wow, this place is incredible! One of the main mission of LASM is running a boys program, which accepts boys from the ages of 9-15, for a five year discipleship program. Here they supplement schooling, share the gospel, teach English, love deeply & train up the boys in the community to end poverty cycles. They have about 45 boys enrolled in the program right now that make up both morning & afternoon classes.
This however is not all LASM does within their community. They also have a sewing program for the women of the community to come & learn a skill, which in return makes an income for their family. This program has been momentarily put on hold due to Covid, but prayerfully will begin again soon!
Another way LASM gets involved in the community is by doing a program called Mercy in Action. Here they go out to the elderly of community who don’t have any income or family that is willing to help provide for them & they provide meals. Every two weeks they load up beans, rice & oil to do house visits. Here they build real connections with those who are seen as burdens on their community. They do this by bringing them the love of Jesus & a listening ear when they feel/ are seen as worthless in their town. The elder rly are often not honored in Nicaragua, so this is such a beautiful ministry that provides such life!
We had an all squad month, which means all three teams got to serve in partnership with LASM. Our host let us choose the place we wanted to serve in, which was not limited to these ministries above. Some of my teammates were on the marketing department, we had construction workers, some were in the classroom, in the kitchen, gatekeeping & my group was painting. I will get more into all that God taught me while painting later, but it was so fun to watch everyone tap into their God given gifts & talents. Sometimes this was in the day to day role, & others it was in the small intentional interactions.
Our host at LASM has the most beautiful heart for her community & sustainable, wholesome ways of helping. Their goal is not simply to fill a temporary need, but to bring freedom for the next generations, by taking away the mindset of poverty & bring life skills & love to grow in its place. Her heart is not just to make a momentary difference, but a community wide, lifelong change!
There hearts for the unloved, unseen, & unchangeable in the world eyes is just one of the ways Nicaragua stole my heart! There is so much more to tell you, but this is getting long, so keep your eyes out for my next blog!!
Look at those people! Here is my team & I outside of the Light & Salt Ministry walls! Don’t worry, I will tell you about those walls soon, they taught me a whole lot!
Love you lots!
KEN
Amazing and wonderful, Kendell. So good to read of you and others out there and really doing the loving work of our Jesus. I am awed and proud of you. I will pray for your impact and safety! Joan
Awe Joan, you’re so sweet & I miss you so much! Thank you so much for your prayers & encouragement!!
How sweet to have your expectations blown away by how impactful LASM was and the role you got to play in it! I’m looking forward to hearing more!