What a day! It has been our last day of project work. I had the pleasure of getting to see all of the project teams in action. I am so impressed by what each team has accomplished! I saw pictures of the jail, but could not have imagined how horrible the conditions actually were. The guards at the jail were so appreciative of what the jail team had done that they held a ceremony for the team and gave each of them certificates! At the hospital it was great to see the creative work that the team had done in painting the rooms. They had made a bleak place brighter for everyone. Also, I finally was able to get a better grasp on what the hospital team had been experiencing. It was so hard to see a room of more than a dozen premature babies just fighting to survive. The teams have seen where there is a need and have done a great job in finding creative and sustainable ways to improve upon the circumstances. Seeing the fruits of each team’s labor really solidified that we have accomplished our goal of compassionate justice in being with the people and for the people.
While I say that we have accomplished our project goals, I don’t at all want to ignore that this trip has been about God’s work being accomplished through us. We have showed up with our plans and ideas, but it has been God that has been here preparing the harvest for us to bring in all along. This morning we had an event for the homeless drug and alcohol addicts. Around eighty people showed up, and one of the volunteers for our project was literally carrying people in off the street. Like many of the people who were there, the guy sitting next to me was obviously drunk and reeking of heavy liquor. Though the event did not go as any of us had planned, twenty two people accepted Christ! As if that is not enough to make one’s day, I was able to go to the jail and witness at least twenty five more people accept Christ after watching the JESUS film and hearing Mike’s testimony! Apparently a lot can be done when we are willing to go to people right where they are, being with them even if it means sitting amongst drunkards and criminals. After our group leaves, God will still be in Jinotega and the work that our project teams have done will still be able to be used for His glory. Please pray that our projects (jail, hospital, and Celebrate Recovery) will continue to reach the people in Jinotega and that the church will stay involved in each these ministries.
Our work and purpose for coming here could not have been made complete without the unity that we have had with the church in Jinotega. Tonight we got to celebrate the outcomes and successes of this week with the church; it was such a great sending service! To begin with Janna gave a very inspiring testimony encouraging us all to recognize and live in the freedom we have in Christ. Janna your passion is amazing! After this the church requested that more of us all give little testimonies of our experiences throughout the week. About seven people from the team went up to express their hearts to the church. Everything from our gratefulness to encouraging the church to keep the momentum they had gained through the week was said. They captured everything and more than what I was feeling and I know the church was very appreciative. It has been incredible to see how much dedication the church has shown to the ministry of our different projects! As we all stood up in front of the church everyone came by to give us hugs and say “Dios te bendiga” (God bless you). It was very special to be included in their church family. Once again the church showed us their great generosity in giving each of us a gift bag full of various Nicaragua souvenirs.
After the service we had a great time discovering that we had all been given a Nicaraguan flag. We waved around our flags and sang the Star Spangled Banner together, after which some began the Canadian national anthem. I’m sure we would have gone into the Nicaraguan anthem next but no one knew it. I think that everyone from the trip would agree that this was definitely a memorable night!
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