These are the words a man spoke to me while my emotions jerked back and forth as he boldly told me his testimony sitting in his church on a nice Wednesday.
Missions teams from both West Virginia and Georgia are here right now and it is very crazy. This morning I woke up and ran 4 miles in my second to last run before my marathon on Sunday in Atlanta. I spent some time with Jesus in prayer, reading the Word, and singing. I connected with Jesus and had a great time. My friends from Nicaragua came and we all had old sandwiches for breakfast. I had some coffee and greeted the Georgia team as they walked in. Candyn (one of the girls from Georgia) asked if we could ride the motorcycle together. I said, "Sure let's go!" Kayla (another girl from Georgia) had some extra food from the previous night that she wanted to use to feed some children on the street. Since me and Candyn were just about to joy ride I asked if we could just bring the food with us to hand out. The food ministry was Kayla's idea so Candyn didn't want to steal her fun by doing what Kayla had thought of w/o her, but Kayla said, "As long as they get the food it's not important who goes."
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| Candyn and I as we set out |
So off we went into the streets of Managua. The streets I have become so accustomed to over these past 9 1/2 weeks. We handed out some food and then when we just had one sandwich and one plate left I thought of my friend Oneldo who I have been ministering to. He is a man who lives on the street and has some sort of mental illness (paranoia). I wanted to take him the plate last so we prayed for God to take us to a child for the sandwich. God provided someone almost immediately who needed the sandwich and then we went to Oneldo. We prayed for him and gave him the plate of food. Candyn had the faith he would be healed, but my faith was weak. We told him we'd refill his water bottles and told him we'd be back with shoes for his feet the next day. We then headed back to the Chi-Alpha house.
When we got there we didn't realize we had been gone for 45 minutes. People were worried about us. The itinerary for the day was all of the missionaries would split into groups and go to certain students houses. It was chosen by God even though I know humans picked it. It seemed like God put everyone where they needed to be. I was so honored to go to Walmaro and Gerson's house. Their family is super duper cool, very hospitable, and loving. We had a huge spread of food and then we watched a movie about this man who had no limbs and how he overcomes it. I had seen it in convocation once, but this was cool to watch that same movie with subtitles in Spanish in a foreign country.
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| Walmaro and Gerson's house |
We left for a farm Walmaro's extended family has eating mandarina (a local orange). It was the most beautiful place ever. Cilantro was growing out of the ground. We wrestled a piglet down and took pics of it. We saw the national flower. We saw a huge bull. We saw platano tree's and palm tree's with coconuts on them. We saw parrots. I saw man tree's that had the fruit I have been eating the whole internship but never knew what the plant looked like. I mean this was dope.
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| Little Piggy |
We arrived back at the house and Candyn and I started talking about bringing Oneldo water. We re-filled (4) 5 gallon plastic jugs (for the teams) and 2 gallons for Oneldo. We dropped the water off with Oneldo and headed back to Chi-Alpha. We then loaded down and went on a canopy tour of Tiscapa! It was awesome. I went in 2010, but this was so great! We came back to the house and I got some money from the Georgia team to buy Oneldo some shoes. Alex (my best friend in Nica) was with me and we went to buy the shoes. It was totally God because they were all packed up and leaving for the day. We were too late. I explained to Alex that we needed the shoes, "This is for a man on the street." The woman, moved with compassion, consented and let us buy the shoes. Alex and I took the shoes back to the Georgia team's Hotel and went to the Chi-Alpha house to wait for Nadia. When Nadia arrived I took a little shower and we went to pick up the team from the hotel. We went to a church I have never been to (I had met the pastor's son and I am petty close to him). They immediately mistook me for the speaker and were asking me questions about the sermon. They soon found out I was not the one.
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| Canopy Tour |
They tried to usher me to the front, but when I got there the chairs were rattling from the bass and so were my ears. I couldn't take it.I went to the back of the church and worshipped there. I began to dance and had a great time in Jesus. There was a man possessed with a demon who was making signs with his arms, fingers, and body that were anti-God. He mocked the crucifix and was shaking and flailing around. The church we were in was in a dangerous neighborhood and the man was drunk and on drugs. We prayed for him and I commanded that he leave in the name of Jesus because he was disrupting. Immediately he left and I went out to minister to him. Two others came. He was wanting to get violent but I just loved on him and trusted that God would protect me. I asked him to come back in the church and he was fine for a while, but then he started threatening and making the demonic sign's. I asked him was he a brother in Christ and he vehemently denied it and became more threatening. I was not scared. He could have hit me in the head and I would have loved on him.
I listened to the message by the Georgian pastor and was touched by it. After the service was over the local pastor came forward and began to instruct the Georgian team to pray for specific people in his church. He started on one end of the line and I was in the middle. When he got to me he was saying some prophetic stuff. He said I was special from the rest. I had been through pain, suffering, and things that were impossible without God. He told me to pray for this lady. But to pray for her alone. I obeyed and prayed for her. I then asked the pastor's son to ask the lady what I could pray for, she said her knee's. I placed my hands on her knee's and began to pray. I felt the Spirit tell me to kiss her foot. I was thinking, "That's crazy. This lady said her knee was hurting!" But I did it anyway. I asked others to help me pray for her because they were standing around (I forgot it was supposed to be just me). Then they later prayed for others.
The local pastor told me to pray for a man he had under his arm who was wearing a yellow shirt. He said the man was like a son. When the pastor said those words the man broke into tears. I later found out after we prayed for the man that he had hit the pastor with a bat one year ago and almost totally blinded him in one eye. The pastor sees 20% in that eye. I also had two others around me ministering and praying who the pastor called special (they were his leaders and the people who went with me to minister to the guy who was possessed).
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| The only way you can love someone is through the Holy Spirit |
After the service was over I noticed my best friend was crying. I asked Alex what was wrong and almost offended he said, "I have told you many times." I didn't mean to offend, I do remember what his problems were, I just didn't know if it was something different. In the end it didn't matter because we started to cry about missing each other because I am leaving on Friday. We were holding each other and hugging in a way I have never hugged Alex before. We cut up a whole lot, so it's weird when we get close. But this was genuine love and I truly enjoyed it.
Alex and I were sitting on the floor of the church and the pastor came and interrupted us. I gave Alex a scripture I thought God was giving him and talked with the pastor. His son was doing the translation and got pulled away. Cinthya did the translation and although she is not the best translator, it was God's will for her to be there. The man asked the most broad question that could be asked. He said, "How do you feel in this place." I told him, "The devil is attacking my faith." He said, "In what way." I said, "In the existence of God. I know God has done many miracles in my life. But sometimes I get the thoughts that he doesn't exist." This man, sitting on the floor of his church, introduced me to a modern day Saul-turned-Paul.
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| Acts 9 |
He was a drug user for 25 years. His father forced him to have sex with him. He raped his dad's daughter (his half sister) for revenge on his dad. He did every drug imaginable. He wouldn't touch his son because of the way he was treated by his father. He murdered people. He stabbed and robbed people. If you said you were a Christian he would rob you just for that. He lived in the street for years. But strangely as he was telling me these things I felt God's peace, presence, and faith. The man was testifying and I was weeping. He told me, "If you have been weak or low in your faith, I have been lower." He told me that some people have seen me lower and I think I'm not worth it and that God had great plans for me. It was crazy because that was what my Bible study was about on Monday!
The pastor told me that we were the same. He said I am the pastor, but since you sat on the floor, I sat on the floor. Our struggles were the same and the Holy Spirit spoke to him about me. It is such an honor to be told, "You're special" in front of a whole church. He wanted me to pray for his wife's psoriasis and his eye. I consented and I believe Jesus for their healing. Before I lacked faith, but I am strong now. I prayed for the man when I felt God say, "Get on the floor like children." It was weird because the floor is usually dirty and it is dishonorable to get on the floor. We got down on the floor and after I prayed for the man I prayed for the woman and she was weeping. I prayed with Jesus right beside me, it was so cool. We had food and left.
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| Luke 18:15-17 |
I came home and gave Sol (Spanish for sun) a ride on the Moto. And then played volleyball with them in the street. Sol is a party girl who lives across the street. Her and her friends drink and smoke, but I want to reach them for Jesus.
God bless you and thank you for reading my testimony of how I met a real life Saul turned Paul. Walk in His peace, power, love, and presence and don't lose hope. Jesus will never let you down if you put your faith and trust in Him.
