Amazing Discoveries
By Natalie T.
Today was a really good day! We worked on the wall that we have been building the past couple of days and it’s coming along nicely. After working we all pitched in and helped make sandwiches and “bag” juice for the hospital (360 of each). We had about an hour after lunch to have a “siesta” and then we headed to the hospital.
This is my second time in Nicaragua so I have already been to the hospital. I don’t know what I expected coming into it today. I didn’t know whether to expect the same feelings or to feel something completely different so I went into it with an open mind and heart. It turns out that the feelings that I felt two years ago returned. I have celiac disease which means that I am highly allergic to gluten. All of these years, I thought that this was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. I acted like it was the end of the world. However, this is far from reality. It wasn’t until I saw people lying on a hospital bed surrounded by fly nets, day-old babies lying next to their mothers in the same bed, and people laying there, waiting to die, that I realized my problems are so insignificant. This is true for both emotional and physical pain. We all have pain and, yes, it is valid. However, our problems are often not as significant as we make them out to be. The hospital reminded me that I should be thankful of the blessings I have and not focus on the little things that may not matter as much as we think they do. I am glad that I got to return to the hospital because it brought back feelings that I need to keep in mind each and every day.
After the hospital, we played with the kids and had dinner. We were then given the option to go to church or stay back, to make bracelets and listen to worship music. I decided to stay back and it was amazing to see how God can reveal Himself and be present when we’re ready to listen and be in touch with Him. I felt such a sense of peace while worshiping Him. This trip has been amazing so far and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next 4 days! Thank you guys for all of your prayers! We can definitely feel God’s hand on this trip! God is so so so good!
P.S. Hi mommy, daddy, and Meagan! I miss you guys so so much but I am having a blast here and can’t wait to get home to tell all of the stories! Thank you for your notes. I love you guys and will see you in 4 short days!!!
By Destiny
First off I just want to say that this trip has been a true blessing and I can honestly say it’s been changing me in ways I didn’t expect. I want to thank you all for the prayers and the things you have done to help us get here. It’s incredible that we can experience this kind of thing so young and be able to help the people down here with God’s presence and protection.
Today was amazing just like every other day since we’ve arrived! We had some freedom in choosing what the day was going to be like: working on the wall, going to the hospital, playing with the kiddos, having some down time to sleep and rest or going to church. Everybody’s day was a little different so I will just go ahead and tell you a little about mine.
I hung with the the workers that were working with wood today and surprisingly I love construction and cutting wood! Ha-ha! Whether it’s at the wall or the construction zone, the workers are so open to talking and they are very kind. I had a wonderful time connecting with Juan (worker) today and heard a lot about his life. He asked me how to say many words in English because he wants to be a pro at carrying on a conversation in English. Now he knows the word sneeze! Lol! He asked me a lot about my life and even though he is 37 years old, this relationship was one of the strongest ones I’ve built on this trip. Juan is an amazing human being that loves God and sings at the church as I found out tonight. He told me about his singing but never spoke about his role at the church and it’s pretty cool that he was one of the worship leaders that stood out to me the first day and now are besties!! Tonight at church a pastor from Georgia, (which is actually where I was born- fun fact), spoke to us about God being our highest priority. This really got to me because even before the trip I was realizing how the things such as sports and school were becoming so important and I have often wondered what my life would be like without track. I thought I had no meaning in life without my sport. But that’s not the case anymore! As the school year started to end and the state track meet was happening, it was clear to me that track is not my whole life. It was crazy to experience the thing that used to mean everything to me was nothing in compared to the importance of my relationship with Christ and that track is just a stage of my life that does help shape who I am but God will always be by my side and be present in every part of my life! In the end it’s not about how many state medals you won or how famous you are; it’s about your faith in Christ and the journey you’ve had with him despite the losses or wins or the fame because we are all famous and precious in Gods eyes.
Through this time in my life I’ve seen the greatest importance of living and even though I have my doubts and questions too, I know that God has a plan for me and I’m excited for the journey he has already and will take me on. This trip is a big part of my walk with Christ and I’m beyond thankful and blessed for these opportunities. Hope you all are doing well back at home and we all miss you!
P.S. Mom I miss you a bunch and I have so much to tell you about what I have learned and how I’ve changed. I miss your hugs and I can’t wait to have one again right when I see you in the airport! Tell Dude (my dog) I miss and love him too! Hope you’re doing well! There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you.
Today was a really good day! We worked on the wall that we have been building the past couple of days and it’s coming along nicely. After working we all pitched in and helped make sandwiches and “bag” juice for the hospital (360 of each). We had about an hour after lunch to have a “siesta” and then we headed to the hospital.
This is my second time in Nicaragua so I have already been to the hospital. I don’t know what I expected coming into it today. I didn’t know whether to expect the same feelings or to feel something completely different so I went into it with an open mind and heart. It turns out that the feelings that I felt two years ago returned. I have celiac disease which means that I am highly allergic to gluten. All of these years, I thought that this was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. I acted like it was the end of the world. However, this is far from reality. It wasn’t until I saw people lying on a hospital bed surrounded by fly nets, day-old babies lying next to their mothers in the same bed, and people laying there, waiting to die, that I realized my problems are so insignificant. This is true for both emotional and physical pain. We all have pain and, yes, it is valid. However, our problems are often not as significant as we make them out to be. The hospital reminded me that I should be thankful of the blessings I have and not focus on the little things that may not matter as much as we think they do. I am glad that I got to return to the hospital because it brought back feelings that I need to keep in mind each and every day.
After the hospital, we played with the kids and had dinner. We were then given the option to go to church or stay back, to make bracelets and listen to worship music. I decided to stay back and it was amazing to see how God can reveal Himself and be present when we’re ready to listen and be in touch with Him. I felt such a sense of peace while worshiping Him. This trip has been amazing so far and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next 4 days! Thank you guys for all of your prayers! We can definitely feel God’s hand on this trip! God is so so so good!
P.S. Hi mommy, daddy, and Meagan! I miss you guys so so much but I am having a blast here and can’t wait to get home to tell all of the stories! Thank you for your notes. I love you guys and will see you in 4 short days!!!
By Destiny
First off I just want to say that this trip has been a true blessing and I can honestly say it’s been changing me in ways I didn’t expect. I want to thank you all for the prayers and the things you have done to help us get here. It’s incredible that we can experience this kind of thing so young and be able to help the people down here with God’s presence and protection.
Today was amazing just like every other day since we’ve arrived! We had some freedom in choosing what the day was going to be like: working on the wall, going to the hospital, playing with the kiddos, having some down time to sleep and rest or going to church. Everybody’s day was a little different so I will just go ahead and tell you a little about mine.
I hung with the the workers that were working with wood today and surprisingly I love construction and cutting wood! Ha-ha! Whether it’s at the wall or the construction zone, the workers are so open to talking and they are very kind. I had a wonderful time connecting with Juan (worker) today and heard a lot about his life. He asked me how to say many words in English because he wants to be a pro at carrying on a conversation in English. Now he knows the word sneeze! Lol! He asked me a lot about my life and even though he is 37 years old, this relationship was one of the strongest ones I’ve built on this trip. Juan is an amazing human being that loves God and sings at the church as I found out tonight. He told me about his singing but never spoke about his role at the church and it’s pretty cool that he was one of the worship leaders that stood out to me the first day and now are besties!! Tonight at church a pastor from Georgia, (which is actually where I was born- fun fact), spoke to us about God being our highest priority. This really got to me because even before the trip I was realizing how the things such as sports and school were becoming so important and I have often wondered what my life would be like without track. I thought I had no meaning in life without my sport. But that’s not the case anymore! As the school year started to end and the state track meet was happening, it was clear to me that track is not my whole life. It was crazy to experience the thing that used to mean everything to me was nothing in compared to the importance of my relationship with Christ and that track is just a stage of my life that does help shape who I am but God will always be by my side and be present in every part of my life! In the end it’s not about how many state medals you won or how famous you are; it’s about your faith in Christ and the journey you’ve had with him despite the losses or wins or the fame because we are all famous and precious in Gods eyes.
Through this time in my life I’ve seen the greatest importance of living and even though I have my doubts and questions too, I know that God has a plan for me and I’m excited for the journey he has already and will take me on. This trip is a big part of my walk with Christ and I’m beyond thankful and blessed for these opportunities. Hope you all are doing well back at home and we all miss you!
P.S. Mom I miss you a bunch and I have so much to tell you about what I have learned and how I’ve changed. I miss your hugs and I can’t wait to have one again right when I see you in the airport! Tell Dude (my dog) I miss and love him too! Hope you’re doing well! There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you.
Comments
Post a Comment