And now, our reflections....
Amber Lundskog
Since I was assigned the last day of the trip to blog (Day 10) most of my reflection of the trip is written there so see that post! :) ...
But in short ... I love Central America. I love the people. I love the culture. I love the opportunity to be sent out in His name. I love seeing others grow in their desire to take the gospel to the nations (as was seen in many members of the team). The days were long and hot and hard, but this trip was a great reminder that we have to be willing to be uncomfortable for Christ in order to be used by Him. Every single moment is worth it to see lives surrendered to Him, for there is power in the name of Jesus! God has given me a heart that beats for the nations and longs for all to come to know Christ as Savior - I so cannot wait for the day where people from every tribe, tongue and nation will be worshiping at His throne (Rev. 7:9)! He is faithful!
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Gerry Goede
There are several things that stand out from our time in Nicaragua. One is that I am always amazed at how mightily God works when there are people praying for the team. Being able to love and share the good news of Christ with more than 150 people in one week is awesome. Another is seeing how God built this mission team to have gifting and talents that complimented each other whether we were building houses or sharing with people while going door to door.
As I think of the ministries of Project H.O.P.E. in Nicaragua, my heart often goes out to the many people who serve others. It reminds me that serving people, whether poor or not, takes a decision to serve and then the power of God to continue serving and sharing Christ in the midst of many challenges. How I desire to have a servant's heart like the many people that we saw while we were in Nicaragua.
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Craig May
Reflection????? I like
serving and really like serving with God at the wheel, is what I have found out
about myself. I like to work with my hands so the building/construction
was fitting for me and the talking and sharing was not my first choice.
God pressed on me, though, that He wanted relationships built as I built the
material possession with my hands. That left the glory to Him as I went
about the day seeking for Christ to fill me with what each Nica needed this
Misfit to share with them.
God was so good to us on our
short mission trip. I saw His hand carrying us along as we all found ourselves
capable of handling and accomplishing tasks not even registering on our radar
back home. This group of misfits God put together seemed to be truly hand-chosen,
and I saw strengths in each person as we all learned what God's plan was.
We all learned quickly what we were holding onto. I had no control,
I had nothing to lose and Christ had and would have all to gain through obedience.
At that point Christ was alive; the Nicas saw not only gringos but
the hope in Jesus we share together.
As we shared Jesus with our new
found friends in Nicaragua, it was easy to smile, laugh, cry, hug and pray for
them to hear the good news of Christ's grace and work on the cross as the
only way. This communion with God's people in another country
was, and is, such a blessing to me. I find hope that God’s
plans are soooo much more than what I can put in my little box here at
home. As I struggle or press on in my daily walk, there are times I see
where Jesus was there, calling me to the table, "Come, come,
Craig. Come, for I have plans for you."
Jesus
wants you to know Him and, through that relationship, He will empower you to
live an extraordinary life, full of grace and truth. He calls you to a
miraculous life, one that requires edge-of-your-seat faith to follow Him, where
you find yourself asking in joy, "What's next, Jesus" What are you
going to do through me today?"
Highlight of the trip: seeing
that God is in each of my family members hearts, moving them to a
relationship that glorifies His name. It may get messy or seem better
another way, but through Christ all things can be used for His glory when He is
invited in to transform Misfits like us.
To God be the Glory forever!
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Kristi May
Again
and again I will say what a blessing this trip was for me to spend with my
husband and children. When I reflect back on the trip I have a vast array
of emotions that flood my mind, body and soul...
Starting with the visuals of
the children that burned a spot in my heart. How beautiful these children
are in my mind. The smiles and happiness we shared as we sang, played,
and crafted with them. Why can something so simple bring joy to them, but
we Americans are so not content with the simple things in life?
Seeing a simple structure that
was so easily put together by our team bring so much happiness and an answer to
many years of prayer, bring tears of joy. But again, why can something so
simple bring joy to them but not us….?
I can easily say I want to go
back and serve for a longer period of time. But then fear sets in.
I don’t speak Spanish, could I REALLY give up my material possessions? would my
family be on board? what would we do
with our Company? Those are answers that God will continue to reveal to
me in time.
Truly for me to be back has
been a challenge. I was challenged the moment we arrived. Being
business owners meant that Craig and I hit the ground running. Life was
about playing catch up. The business was back, the smiles were gone, and
it was business as usual. I have been praying that God would show me a
way that I can be just as much a servant in this lost country as well.
What does that look like? Well, at this time, it is day to day…
God has given me a taste of
what He has for me. The Nica people will forever hold a special place in
my heart. The joy they have singing (somewhat off key ;o) ), praising the
Lord (with so little knowledge), and being free to love, touch, and smile, has
forever blessed me.
May God forever challenge me to
be more like them…..
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Tricia Stutterheim
I took
for granted that with given enough time, putting my reflections of my time
spent in Nicaragua would be easier. Quite honestly, it isn’t any easier now
than when I first landed back in Bozeman!
I find
myself regularly scanning through pictures from our time and rereading journal
entries as a means to connect and reflect on our trip. Sometimes I will “LOL”
at some memories, sometimes tear up, and other times just have a “God Stop”
moment of, “WOW! I can’t believe that happened and I can’t believe how God
worked through that!”
All in
all, I found adjusting back to “life as normal” mode a little more difficult
than expected. I went skiing a few days after getting back and was in shock
that I had gone from 99 degrees in Managua to a crisp winter morning on the ski
hill. I was also taken aback with how different “stuff” looked to me after
getting back. I had to make a Target run not long after getting home and I was
in awe with all the “stuff” and all the “choices” we have! I never really
noticed before, but I was hit with a new realization just how much “extras” we
get the privilege of enjoying on a daily basis. Have you ever noticed how many
brands of Kleenex there are? Weird, I know, that all of a sudden Kleenex would
be something I notice! J
I find
myself “thinking” differently having just returned from Nicaragua. Not so much
about myself, but more about how life can get so messy, so fast, with so much
unnecessary burden. I saw what it was like to live day by day in Nicaragua. It
was less about schedule, meeting quotas, filling in calendars and agendas and
more about the “moment.” Being “present” in the time and place that God has
placed you offers so many blessings and frees your heart and mind from
unnecessary worry. Being intentional with the people, talents, and
opportunities that God has given you is such an awesome thing! I am so thankful
for my time in Nicaragua and the lessons I learned!
I find
myself praying for random “faces” of people that I encountered (not even sure
of their name) and I find myself being more specific in my prayers for
missionaries now having seen firsthand the challenges of ministry. Nicaragua
definitely pulled on my heartstrings! Thanks for all your prayerful support! I
loved seeing and being a part of God’s work in Nicaragua! Lord willing, my
prayer is that I will get to go back someday soon!
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Eli Gossack
Having
gone to Nicaragua before, I thought that I pretty much knew what to expect. I
was very excited to build another home or two, because that was the part that I
enjoyed the most from last year. But God was not going to let me get off that
easy. The first night we arrived we were told the two teams that we were going
to be split into. The next day one team was going to build the house for the
pastor and the other was going to evangelize in the village around the pastor’s
church. I was on the team that was to be evangelizing. Knowing that
evangelizing was not my forte and that building was, I figured that I had drawn
the short straw. The following morning, after the first awkward exchanges at a
few of the village homes, I was almost beginning to regret coming on this trip.
The Lord began to work on my heart however after that day. After talking with
one of our translators I realized that the only reason the people would talk to
us was because we were “gringos.” I began to see it as a rare opportunity to be
a light to these people who live in darkness. Even though I enjoyed the days
where I was able to build more, I did not dread the evangelizing days as much.
The
most exciting parts of the trip was being able to minister to one of the
translators named Meykel. One of the first nights we were down there Craig was
able share the gospel and his testimony with Meykel. Meykel also told Craig the
story of his life. After that, he began to ask questions about the Bible to
Tim, Vale, Konnor, and me. We were all able to share the gospel with him
separate times. It was so cool see his thirst for the truth. The best part was
that he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior the very last day we were there.
Some
of the other enjoyable parts of the trip were playing games in the street with
the ninos and ninas, and making crafts with them. I enjoyed playing catch with
the football we brought down and trying to get the Nicas hooked on American
football. We also were able to find a basketball hoop and play with Meykel who
played on the national basketball team. Some my favorite times were when I was
able to talk with and get to know Tim and Joanna better. Over all, Nicaragua
was a blast this year and was a huge encouragement to me.
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Pat Goede
I find it fascinating how God knows exactly what honing and
shaping we each need. And I find it dismaying when I think I know something
about myself and find out that something needs some honing and shaping. And I find it comforting to know that that work is done perfectly by
the One who knows me best.
This was a more challenging trip than I had expected. After
all, it was my third time to Nicaragua so I had a good idea of what to expect
so there shouldn't be any problems. Oh my, I think Jesus was smiling quietly to
Himself at that.
I was expecting hard, dirty, hot and sweaty (but gratifying)
work. I was expecting to 'hurry up and wait'. I was expecting to have plans
change at the last minute. I was expecting to see the looks of dismay or
heartbreak on the faces of our first-timers when they witnessed the poverty
that is widespread. I expected to see the joy and abandonment when they
interacted with the children. I was
expecting to see God work in the hearts of team members.
But I wasn't expecting to see an unlovely trait in myself
that I thought had been changed quite
some time ago. Flexible? Of course, I'm flexible - I've been to Haiti and Nicaragua
several times. I can pretty much roll with whatever comes my way. Wow, was I
surprised when the unexpected events of our first day out stirred up in me some
emotions that about did me in! Whaaat??? I'm flexible! I am flexible! I'm
flexible....I'm flex....I'm...... oh. Looking
at me from the outside, it probably was difficult to see what was going on
inside. But, you know, it didn't matter what others saw; what mattered was what
Jesus saw. And it was a mess.
It took three days of further testing for me to finally say,
"Yup, I get it, Lord. And now You get it; I'm giving this stiff and
stubborn trait to You." Ahhh, there's the peace.
Of course, the rest of the trip wasn't test-free. I was
allowed to continue to practice this newfound flexibility for 10 more days.
Isn't God great to work with us that way?! But, I find that the real test comes
back here at home in our "real" life.
I'm still thanking Him for caring enough to hone me in that area and am
wondering what will be next....
Will I go back to Nicaragua? Are you kidding? Absolutely, I
can't wait!
"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Is. 64:8
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Joanna Borgogna
As I reflect on the time spent
in Nicaragua, the passage from Philippians 1:8-12 comes to mind:
For God is my witness, how
greatly I long for you all with the affection of Christ. And this I pray that
your love may abound still more and in knowledge and in discernment, that you
may approve the things that are excellent that you may be sincere and without
offense until the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness,
which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
To narrow down what God taught
me would be difficult. But two things have been pressing on me:
1) God used my time spent in
Nicaragua to show me that I have such a rebellious heart and as much as I like
to think I'm okay with giving up "my" time, I'm only "okay"
when it's on my terms. Following commands or instructions is not difficult from
an outward perspective: it's easy for me to do what I'm told and to give the
appearance of obedience/submission (easy enough that I can even deceive myself
into thinking I am doing it with the right attitude). However, what God pressed
on my heart was conviction about the heart behind the matter - challenging
things I thought/think are my rights: an early morning devotion time to myself,
15 minutes of time to be alone and recuperate from 100s of children touching
me, a bench on the bus alone when it's 100 degrees and I can't stop sweating,
not wanting to talk to anyone because my heart hurt and I was overwhelmed....
These were things I thought
were my right(s) and every morning, day and night, I was challenged as these
things I thought I "deserved" were denied - whether it was waking up
at 4am only to have a Project Hope employee
want to talk, someone sitting on the bus next to me, someone wanting to talk...
in retrospect, it sounds so selfish! And it is! But even as it's convicting, it
is also purifying as God reveals sins and selfishness that I wasn't even aware
of. Now the real challenge... how do I carry that home into everyday life or do
I have to wake up at 3 am for my alone time
;D
2) Oh, the love I have for you,
Nica team. Paul's words summarize how deep my affection is for you and how
greatly I love you. Being able to serve alongside so many of you that I see
during the week was such a joy!!! You have my heart and my soul and it's my
desire that you continue to grow in righteousness, in love and in holiness.
Thank you for your hearts.
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Dore Stutterheim
First
off, I just want to say how grateful I am for the many prayers throughout the
course of this trip, and the opportunity to be part of this 2016 missions trip
team to Nicaragua. I was encouraged and grown in so many ways, and I could not
have asked for a better group of people to experience it with! The Lord was
faithful from day one and I thank Him for the many answers to prayer for
safety, health, and calming my anxious heart. Prayer is so powerful!
I
must admit that getting back late Saturday
and only having a day to recoup before starting into a full work week was
draining and difficult, but the Lord gave me strength. I knew that the trip had
an impact on my life, but I was not able to see how much until coming back into
my "normal" life. Two days after we got back, I had a team meeting
for work at 7:45 that I was dreading. The
main reason being I was tired. Little did I know to what extent, until I was
asked to share about my trip and I burst into tears. I know I was affected
emotionally through seemingly endless experiences on the trip, and as I was
preparing to share, mental pictures of faces, stories, and places that impacted
me greatly began flooding into my mind all at once. This made it near
impossible to formulate, let alone, recap a life changing trip into a few
minutes.
I went
down with the mind-set to serve the Nica people, not knowing the least bit of
what to expect in how I would impact their life or how they would impact mine.
The Nica people are so precious and overflowing with thankfulness; it was
magnetic. It drew me in a taking a piece of my heart immediately. The children
were captivated by a simple game of "pato, pato, gonzo"(
duck,duck,goose) and their energy and excitement over something as little as a
balloon (chimbomba) was humbling to say the least. How cute they were! I must
admit, that I could have easily taken all of them home with me! In the
interactions with the Nica people, It was so neat to see all of the work being
done in ministries such as the feeding station at the dump, Taellor's House,
and Furia Santa - ministries with such different roles and providing help for
so many different needs, but coming together with the same importance and focus
on Christ. This was such an encouragement, and it is clear for me to see that
the Lord is doing great things in the hearts of the Nica people of all ages as
well as each and every individual who was part of the team. He is not finished.
To be
honest, I am still in the process of getting re-oriented and back to
"normal" life. But even in the midst of that transition, I can
honestly say that I would go back in a heartbeat. What I have shared is just a
glimpse of my reflection of the trip, and I feel as though I could go on and on
and tell story upon story about Nicaragua, the Nica people, and how I saw the
Lord at work. I do not know what the future holds, or if the Lord will call me
back, but Nicaragua will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will
reflect on it often. What a day it will be when we all get to Heaven and we
will have all eternity to share of the Lord's faithfulness! God is good!
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