It’s been 2 weeks here in Nicaragua. The Lord is already working here in the hearts of the squad, teams, and locals! The Lord’s favor has been upon us ever since the departure from Atlanta. Before we left, we got word of some crazy boarder issues. The Nicaraguan government was hesitant about letting big groups into their country especially big groups of missionaries. The Lord was with us every step of the way. We made it through the Costa Rican customs with no problems and drove a bus for 6 hours to the Nicaraguan border… this is where things got a little interesting. We arrived at the border and literally walked from Costa Rica to Nicaragua. On our walk, we were stopped in the dark street by guards in front of customs. They checked out passports and made sure we were Covid free. We made it through to customs and then had our passports checked again. Here Clayton was intensely questioned about everything. Praise be to God because we made it through the border after sitting in customs for 2 hours. We then got on another bus and drove 2 more hours to base. 

We are staying at a base called REAP which is on a 70 acer farm right next to a volcano. For all my ESPC people I’ve got a fun fact: the school that Charles and Sarah Kaye started is right next to base!! Even cooler fact, the Esposito’s who started REAP know Charles and Sarah. Ministry here is really cool. Every weekday we start with 5 a.m. prayer. This time is so precious because it protects our first love. We get to start our day by having quiet alone time with the Lord. Another plus to this time is the fact that I get to watch the sun rise over a mountain every morning. At 6 a.m. after prayer, we have a group devotional time. This looks different each day. We have had a time of grattitude, intercessory prayer, practicing silence and solitude, singing hymns, and more. After devotional time, we have an hour to get ready for our day. We eat breakfast at 8 a.m. and then by 9 a.m. most of our ministries start. Ministry is different each day. The ministries we do are prayer room, prayer walking, childrens ministry, dump ministry, micro-church, Hospital ministry, and farm work. Prayer walking is usually 3 times a week and we just get to go walk around neighborhood talking to people and praying for them. Childrens ministry is like VBS. It is 1 day a week and we get to prepare a Bible lesson, do crafts, and play games. The dump ministry is quite interesting. Nicaragua has one location where all the trash goes. There are people who live at the dump and get paid to sort plastic and glass. Our ministry is to go put on a church service for the dump workers and provide them with lunch. Each week someone different shares. This week, I got the opportunity to share and tell the people about how the Lord is our true vine. I got to explain to them what it means to bear fruit and what it means to abide in the Lord. The hospital ministry is where we go into different rooms to pray, encourage, and talk to families there. Micro-Church is usually held in someone’s home. Here we can share a message and they can ask us any questions they have. Our ministry days are Monday through Friday. Saturday is our sabbath so we stay on the farm and rest up for the week to come. Sunday is our adventure day where we get to go explore different parts of Nicaragua. Last Sunday, we went into town and sat at a coffee shop.

Interesting things that we see and do in Nicaragua: 

• fantastic sunrises and sunsets
• dogs, chickens, horses, and cows just roaming the streets…
• people have pet pigs
• kids drink coffee
• we eat rice and beans for breakfast
• we ride in the bed of a manual truck literally everywhere we go
• we cut grass with machetes 
• super bright colored houses
• copious amounts of sweet coffee and fruit juice
• lots and lots of fruit like papaya, oranges, star fuits, and guava 

Living in Nicaragua is definitely a change, but the Lord’s favor is upon us. Please continue to keep us in y’all’s prayers, specifically for open hearts and minds of the Nicaraguans! People have already been so receptive of the words we bring but just continue to keep us in y’all’s prayers. 

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” -Romans 12:12

With Love, 

Kate