First Week in León

[By William Farelly] It’s our fourth day in León, Nicaragua! The constant noise, the murals, the bootleg Air Jordan stores and the traditional dances give the city an insane energy. It is unlike anything I’ve seen before! I’ve started to fall in love with the Central American culture and how genuinely happy everyone is here. Life is simple, it feels like people here know what the essentials are and how to enjoy life without all the consumerist shenanigans that we Americans (and Frenchmen!) live with every day. 

At the beginning of the service at ICC (Iglesia Comunidad Cristiana) on Sunday, Dan came to four of us and said that the church needed some people to do the children service. That meant that we had to improvise a Bible story and some games. I’ve been really touched by how genuine the kids are. One thing that really touched me was how every kid brought an offering to the children service. They don’t do it by obligation but by sincere love for God. Even if it was half a dozen cordobas (about 15 cents) it was their money, and you could see how much that meant for them. There is also such a joy that these kids have. For some reason the kids here are all extremely sweet and enjoy the simple fact that they are in your presence. There was also not a need for a lot of spectacles, the 30 kids, chairs, and a tin roof. That’s it! All the kids were singing at the top of their lungs, and they had a genuine interest for the Bible story we improvised for them. This experience was really fulfilling for me because we were able to create relationships with the little children of the church while at the same time using our gifts with children to make connections.

I’m also touched by the poverty that we see around here. There are some cases of homelessness, but most people live in what we wouldn’t even call a shed back home. All the cars here are at least fifteen to twenty years old, and a lot of the transportation is done in the back of trucks with tarps over them. It’s a humbling experience while travelling in these because it’s when the poverty outside is the most blatant. You see housewives burning their garbage for lack of a proper trash removal services or extremely thin chickens running out of the way in the middle of the road. It shows us how lucky/unlucky we are to live with such vast wealth all around us that we take for granted. You can see God present all over this city. Whether it’s the church’s ministry in the small villages or the conversations with homeless people. 

Please pray for us; first, that God would give us the energy to be with children in a real way and second, that he helps us to reach people despite the language barrier. This is such a rich time for the team and for me personally. Seeing the world through a different lens helps us more fully understand the extent God wants us to love and serve the people around us.

Continue to keep us in your prayers and thank you for the support!