It was 5:30 AM when our team from Christ’s Church of the Valley rolled into the Lazy Bones Hostel. Their already late night flight was delayed several times and left them hanging out at the airport until the wee hours of the morning. Despite their lack of sleep, jet lag, and long travel the day, the team was full of spirit and joy as they scoped out their new surroundings. After an initial scramble of finding rooms and choosing beds, it only took minutes for silence to reign once again throughout the hostel.
The next day began with a lunch at the church. After such a long night, it just seems cruel give them an 8:00 AM wake up call. After a belly full of Nicaraguan breakfast, the teams set out on an adventure to explore the city of Leon. A scavenger hunt sent them on the lookout for a local market, an ice cream shop, a Central American Wal-Mart called La Union and many others. The team discovered some of the best places that Leon has to offer and a love for this college town grew quickly in their hearts.
Even greater than the city itself are the people who inhabit it. The teams got to spend that evening meeting the youth of the church by playing games and attempting to communicate through broken Spanish and sign language. The joy that filled the room was palpable as the two youth groups and cultures collided. There was little doubt in anyone’s mind that it would be a life-changing week, filled with the new experiences and the love of God.
Now that hands had been shaken, relationships had been formed and plan developed, it was time to head out into ministry. One section of the group branched off to go a home for special needs children and the others loaded up in the back of a rattling cattle truck (el camion loco) to village school where they would lead a VBS for the students.
Now it wouldn’t be a true mission trip if everything went exactly as planned. When the teams arrived they learned that school had already let out and the students were no longer there. But have no fear, this team would not be stopped. Instead of packing up and heading home, the team walked throughout the village, knocking on doors and telling people about a fiesta por los ninos! The typical VBS was turned into a party that the team and the kids of village would never forget. Complete with songs, games and a brightly colored piñata, this party attracted dozens and dozens of children and their parents who would hear all about the Gospel and God’s unconditional love for them.
It was incredible to see this group of young people step up and hold nothing back as they declared who Jesus was to them and what He had done for them. They acted out Bible stories and shared their personal stories and loved on the children as if it was what they were made to do. Perhaps that is the point. Perhaps this is exactly what they were made to do. Nicaragua is the setting for them now, but students have challenged each other to not let their boldness stay here. They have declared that they want carry this sort of people-serving, God-loving lifestyle for “el resto de mi vida” (for the rest of my life.)
