Diary for Wednesday, (I actually wrote this on Wednesday when we were
down there, but haven’t had a chance to transfer it to computer until now. Also, I know this is out of order, but I have days 3 and 4 on another guy's computer and I haven't gotten him to send them to me yet. I will update the blog accordingly when recd):
Wednesday was in some ways very difficult and in other ways
very rewarding. In the states, we call Wednesday “hump day” because you’re
getting to the middle of the week and you’re halfway to the end of your work
week. It felt like this was indeed a “hump day” for us. In many ways we were
very tired because each day we were working, ministering, traveling, and
thinking. We have started each day at 6:00 when the roosters started crowing
outside our rooms, and then working until 9:00 or so at night. In my case my
brain was really tired because not only was I trying to think about how to
teach and communicate, but since I had some training in Spanish, my brain was naturally
trying to translate everything I heard to English and vice versa. I felt bad
for Patrick and Mario, our interpreter. Patrick didn’t get to split up his
teaching time, like Harry and I. Poor Mario had no breaks throughout the day as
he was constantly translating for Patrick, Harry, or myself, (because I needed
help too). In addition, we all missed our families, and as much as we loved the
food, we were all craving some Chick-fil-A and some sweet tea. (Sorry if I sound
like I’m whining...because I suppose I am).
Even amongst all this, we were still happy to be here
working with the Nicaraguans. We continue to meet more of the people and hear
about how God is working in their lives and ministries. It is such a blessing
to hear of how they are serving the Lord in Matagalpa. We got to meet a
wonderful young lady named Keila who works with the youth in Matagalpa. She and
her church have held several youth camps where the kids can play games, be
silly, and learn about Christ. It was clear to see her heart for the Lord and
her desire to care for the children in the area.
Patrick continues to do a great job teaching the Peacemaker
material. The material is so Biblically based so it provides a great example to
the Nicaraguans of being based on the Word in all they do. It also provides
wonderful practical material for how to handle conflict in their lives and
churches. The people have responded well to his teaching as the week has gone
on and they’ve gotten more comfortable listening to us Gringos.
Harry taught this afternoon on 1st Timothy 3,
explaining the Biblical model of church leadership. (I don’t think they were
ready to hear me again after I talked about the role of women yesterday in 1st
Timothy 2). Harry, as usual, did a solid and thorough job in handling the Word.
It led to some good questions and answers from the audience. I’m glad I didn’t
have to teach this afternoon because I was about to fall asleep out of
exhaustion.
That afternoon most of us chatted with our families via
Skype, Vonage, or FaceTime. What a blessing it was to hear the voices of our
loved ones. I had to laugh because I was thinking about how nice it would be to
go back to my home for some peace and quiet, but when I called home to my wife
all I could hear was “Mommy! No, put your brother down. Waaaaahhhh!”, and so
forth.
After another fabulous Nicaraguan meal, we headed to another
church in the area for an evening service. I was going to be preaching that
evening. I was praying that God would give me the strength to finish the day
well because I was so tired, just like everyone else. God was faithful though,
and helped me preach through Romans 4:1-8. I spoke of how God justifies by
faith as evidenced in the lives of Old Testament saints Abraham and David. And
I reminded the people of how God justifies the “ungodly”.
Finally, we got back to the hotel and crashed in our beds.
We look forward to tomorrow, our last day, hoping to finish well in our lessons
with the people.
Dios te bendiga, (God bless)
Travis
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