A week in the REAP life

     We got into a rhythm in Nicaragua as each week had the same schedule. Of course things came up and plans changed occasionally, but here is a summary of what our time at REAP Granada looked like! 

     Every day: 5 am prayer on your own, 6 am group time. This looked different every day. Sometimes it was a devotional, group prayer, worship, time on our own but in the same area, or a book study. From 7-8 we had some free time to do whatever we needed to do. Then breakfast at 8, and ministry beginning at 9.

     Monday:  We would prayer walk every morning. We would go to different parts of town every week, and our interpreter and/or the pastor we were walking with would guide us to specific homes of people they knew that needed prayer. We would hear their story, give encouragement, and pray over them, their families, and homes. We would then head back to the farm for lunch around noon. Monday afternoons meant teen ministry at the farm. We would plan a short lesson for the teens of the farm workers and talk about the Bible with them. Then we would go play games and just spend time with them. 

     Tuesday: At 9 am we would be ready for farm work! This looked a little different each week but we would head off somewhere around the farm armed with machetes, hoes, shovels, and wheel barrows. The guys would demonstrate what to do and where and we would spend a few hours clearing land and preparing it for planting. One week a couple girls and I got to work in the garden pulling up some squash that had been attacked by some destructive bug (it threw me back to summers as a kid working in the garden). I also found and caught a few sapos (frogs). We would always be smelly and sweaty and gross after that so it was showers and then off to lunch. We would then go out prayer walking which looks the same as Monday just to a different part of Granada. 

     Wednesday: We started our mornings with the dump microchurch ministry. We literally drove across town to the dump where they take truck loads of trash and push it out on the sides of the road. There are people who work at the dump who dig through the trash to find things they can sell to make a little money. Some people even live in/on the dump. We would go in, talk to the people gathering there and set up chairs. Then when it was time to start, someone from our team would give a short message (sermon using a translator). Following this we would serve them a meal (which for some is one of two meals they would eat that week). Once they were done eating, we would pack up the chairs, empty food bins, etc and drove back to the farm for a quick lunch. Then it was off the hospital for prayer. We would go through the hospital with a pastor and translator and stop in various rooms to pray over the patients. This was always a heavy day as we could see the immense need of the people in Nicaragua at their most vulnerable. It was also one of the most powerful days as we could also see our impact on the people as they share their stories and share how excited they are for us to be there. 

      Thursday: We start the day off with prayer walking in the morning, back the farm for lunch and a short break before micro church at the farm. We would listen to Spanish worship songs, hear thankfulness/prayer requests from everyone. Then a message from Alvaro (the pastor of that microchurch who we frequently went prayer walking with). Then we went straight to Jessie’s micro church in town. Here we would set up chairs in the yard of someone’s home, listen to worship again and good news, then someone from our team would share a short message. We always got to eat this delicious pastry and drink some sort of chai/coffee thing. Then we would chat with the congregation before packing up the chairs and heading back to the farm for dinner.

     Friday: VBS This was always our favorite day! We went to a church in town for VBS. We would start by cleaning the church and helping to prepare the meal for the children after the lesson. Then we would have a short devotional with the pastor, and then hang out with the children! It was so encouraging to be with the staff of the church. They spoke amazing English, were so fun, and loved working with us. They even gave us some sweet gifts of encouragement on our last day of ministry. Following the lesson, we would help serve a meal to the children and then we would usually head into town for lunch at a cafe and a trip to the grocery store for snacks. And then back to the farm for dinner. 

     Saturday: Saturday is always a sabbath day which means a full day of rest. We would sleep in longer. Breakfast was still at 8, lunch at noon, and dinner around 5. But in between that we were free to play games, go for walks, nap, read, watch movies, and whatever we wanted around the farm. 

     Sunday:  Sunday means adventure day! This looked a little different every week but entailed some sort of fun. We went zip-lining, saw and active volcano, swam in a lagoon which was formed from a volcano eruption, hiked part of the mountain we lived near, and went to the beach. 

     We also helped watch the children of a family who had just moved the Nicaragua a few days after we arrived. They moved from London and are going to be long term missionaries in Granada. They had Spanish lessons several mornings a week, and 1 or 2 evenings a week to be alone. During those times we would all take turn hanging out with their three children. 

      We loved our time in Nicaragua and it was so hard to say all the goodbyes. We made friends with most of the farm workers, many local families, and the interns at the farm. I learned so much there and I’m thankful for every minute. When we left I remember thinking, God why did you make it so fun, just to make me leave these amazing people and this awesome place to make me do it all over again in a different country. Then I got over the self pity moment, and decided to thank God instead. I have amazing friends in Granada that told our group we had a home to stay in anytime we came back. I learned so much, and now I have the chance to make even more friends and experience and learn new things. I thanked Him for the technology we have that will allow me to stay in touch with most of the friends I made in Nicaragua. So I’m embracing the grief over those I left behind and looking forward to seeing them again someday, while also embracing the excitement of being in a new place with new friends.