As
I look back on this entire week and all the fun times that were had with our
amazing team, the children from each of the villages, and the Ninawachi
students, I have a hard time trying to pick out something that stood out to me
the most. One of the highlights of my trip was the adventure into the Amazon
Basin and the fact that we were able to play with and love on the kids of each
of our villages. It was truly a blessing for me to be able to spend time with
the kids during VBS and learn more about God through the love they showed for
us even though they didn't know us at all in the beginning. Passing by the
houses, built from mere planks of wood and blocks of cement, broke my heart and
gave me joy at the same time. Not joy because these families live hard lives in
extreme poverty, but joy because of the opportunity that God blessed our team
with to be able to go into these communities and minister to them. One thing
that will never leave my mind is the sight the adorable children in 24 de Mayo
(my ministry site) surrounding each of my team members and climbing on every
one of their limbs. It was great to see that even though all of us had a hard
time communicating with the kids, we didn't let that stop us from building
strong relationships with the little ones and showing them love. After a hard
day of work with construction in the morning and VBS in the afternoon, we would
come back to Ninawachi Mission School and hang out with all of the students
from the school. We built even stronger relationships with them and learned so
much from them, even though there was a little bit of a language barrier. We
communicated through, not only choppy Spanish, but through crazy loud games of
Egyptian War, jam sessions down in the prayer hut, and a mutual love of God.
They showed me what it was like to truly live out a Christian life and to
follow God with their entire heart. They were so sincere about their faith and
didn't try to hide anything from us, but clearly laid out their lives in front
of us with absolute honesty. Oh, and they were like the craziest, funnest
people ever. It was super hard for me to say goodbye to them because they are
our brothers and sisters in Christ and it feels like we were leaving family
back in Ninawachi. Through the massive rain storms, gigantic bugs, trips down
to bathe in the stream, VBS with some of the sweetest kids ever, devotions in
the prayer hut, slashing through the forest with machetes, pouring concrete,
stomping through the jungle to find the sweetest sugar cane and cacao beans,
exploring caves, swimming under waterfalls, and experiencing God's incredible
creation, I feel closer to the Lord and my family in Christ than I ever have before.
- Christina
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