Mission trips are a great opportunity to open your eyes to things we don’t think about. Or maybe we do think about these types of things, but seeing them with your own eyes is a whole different ballgame.
I have been blessed to go on several mission trips. The best ones are always out of country basically because people in third world countries are starving for a Savior. Let’s face it… we are selfish North Americans that fill our lives up with everything besides Jesus. I wanted to write a quick post about the things that touched my heart in Nicaragua.
Their Worship!
His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. ~John 4:24
Almost the first thing we did was go to church. Churches there are a little different than in the states too. For instance: they go every day of the week except Mondays, the services last around three hours, the music is super loud, they may have 10 different solos… and so on. But the main thing that was so wonderfully different was the freedom to worship however you wanted. I could just tell that nobody was concerned with the others around them. If you wanted to stand, you stood. If you wanted to sit, you sat. If you wanted to raise your hands nobody was staring at you.
Genuine worship. Why can’t we do that here? There are too many distractions and we let ourselves be concerned with everything around us. Being in the church office, and the wife of a minister, I hear complaints everyday. The lights weren’t right, the music was too slow, the music was too fast, we stood up to much, the lady in front of me put her hands up and I got distracted. I do it too… every Sunday I am thinking about how the service is going, how we look to visitors, or how our song service is led. Nothing should be on our mind besides Jesus. We should be unashamedly praising His Holy Name!
In our very traditional church, people would flip a lid if I started to pray out loud while someone was praying on the stage. In Nicaragua, when the pastor would pray the congregation would start praying their own praises and needs out loud. It was a beautiful moment where the Holy Spirit was so evident. The whispers of genuine worshippers calling out to their God is something I will always remember.
Their Boldness!
Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
~Acts 28:31
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. ~Acts 4:31
Not being able to speak Spanish, we had interpreters with us everywhere. Getting to know them was one of the greatest parts of the trip! They were always willing to help and wanting to learn. I explained to Juan one day how much I appreciated his boldness to go up to a person and tell them the good news. In the United States, it is almost impossible to just go up to someone and say, “Hi, I’m Whitney and I want to tell you about Jesus.” But that is literally what our translators did everyday. They went up to their own people and talked one on one about Jesus. O that we would be that bold!
Nate and I with Oscar! Salvador and Jonathan
Oscar and Juan Hollie and I with Javier
Their Poverty!
Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
~2 Cor. 8:2
I don’t think of myself as materialistic at all. Nate and I are happy with less than most people, but at the same time… I got really depressed when we were without a house of our own for a year… I wouldn’t mind having an iphone someday… my closet is full of clothes… and just the other day while Nate was watching basketball, I was looking up prices for a new truck. After going on this mission trip, I would confidently say that nearly all North Americans are materialistic. Even when we try not to be, it is just ingrained in our world full of newer and better.
We went to a small village where every house was made completely out of trash bags and cardboard. It was extremely humbling and honestly sad. They were relocated to this small lot of land after a volcano took out their homes. They worked the sugar cane fields for the government. And, hearing what we did about their corrupt government, I wonder how often and how much they were paid. I am sure it was next to nothing. Actually a really good wage in Nicaragua was $100/week… $400/month… $4800/year. Makes me think twice about every dollar I spend.
Their Hunger!
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ~Matt. 5:6
I’m talking about two types of hunger here. Yes, they were physically hungry. When I went to help cook for one of the feeding centers, I learned that they like to cut the bones of the chicken into bite size pieces because the marrow is nutritious.
But, the real hunger that stood out was how they were starving for a Savior. They needed Him to provide. They needed Him to heal. They needed Him to be a friend. They needed Him to listen. They needed Him to perform miracles. They needed Him! A lot of times we run to everyone else when we are in need of anything, when we should have God as number one on our list to call. We simply don’t need Him here as bad as they do in Nicaragua.
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There are so many stories and so many other things that impacted me from this great trip. If you have never had the opportunity to go…I encourage you to pray about it. It is something everyone needs to see and experience at least one time in their life.
Today, take some time to think about your own worship, boldness, poverty, and hunger. Let God work on your heart…. unless you’re perfect, we can all find things that need to change.
For more information on the organization we worked with, to schedule your own mission trip to Nicaragua, or to feed a child for an entire year for $45, please check out:
Voice of Hope Ministries
