Be Still and Know

  Last month when I was in Nicaragua, I wanted to post a blog but I didn’t want to be repetitive to what my teammates had already posted, and I was also nervous about what people back home would think. But I realize now that those things don’t matter! 

  So, once I got to Nicaragua I was in complete shock for the first two weeks since I had never left the country and had never seen anything like Granada, Nicaragua!

  Everyday day those two weeks would look a little different, but was so meaningful! We got the blessing of serving lunch at the landfill twice a week, going prayer walking everyday, and handing out rice and beans for families. During that time I saw God moving and touching hearts with the people, which was exactly what I signed up for! We also got called out to two houses that had demonic presences, and as believers we learned to walk in authority and what that means regarding our identity in Christ. 

  However, Covid cases began to spike and we were directly exposed to Covid by one of the houses we went to pray for. So, for our last ten days of ministry were shut down and we had to stay on our base (REAP Granada). At first, I felt extremely discouraged and was thinking “I came all this way and fundraised how much to just sit here”. Later on that day as I was expressing my struggle, I was immediately  encouraged by a friend that “God knew this would happen, and this was His plan for your team all along”. That touched my heart instantly and was a word I found myself meditating on for the rest of the time in Nicaragua. Looking back, my team and I got the opportunity to do a three day water fast, and learned what it means to simply be still in the Lords presence. 

  The fast was extremely humbling, yet also empowering at the same time! Isn’t it crazy how two opposite emotions/feelings can be present at the same time? Learning how to ‘be still’ was the hardest for me because in America we are typically very task oriented, and if we do have moments of stillness it is often looked as being lazy—but that’s not true at all!

“BE STILL in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.” Psalms? ?37:7? ?

“BE STILL, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”” Psalms? ?46:10? ?

Here are two Bible verses where being still is a good and biblical thing! As I look back on my time in Granada, I can see how everything has worked out for Gods perfect plan, and the obvious blessing He has placed upon my team and I!