Ometepe to DR Update!

Ometepe:

Heyooo! It’s been a minute since the last update and there has been a lot of change since then! With that being said, here goes nothing!

I ended my last blog by announcing my team was going to the island of Ometepe in Lake Nicaragua. If you don’t know where that is, you can look it up and find that it just so happens to be the home of bull sharks. For real. The internet calls them “Lake Nicaragua sharks”. Did we still swim in it? Yes, indeed we did.

Moving on…we had the opportunity to serve at a ministry called Cicrin from November 30^th to December 23^rd. Cicrin was first established as an orphanage and over time the Lord has blessed them with the ability to build a school on campus. The kids that live on base as well as those that live in the community now have the ability to be schooled K-12 and are served at least 2 meals each day. Cicrin is a huge blessing to the community. Unfortunately, the Nicaraguan government began kicking out non-profit organizations and Christian organizations earlier in the year and it has affected Cicrin. Now, instead of functioning as an orphanage, the government will only allow them to keep a small number of individuals whose families cannot provide for them. Only 5 girls and 2 boys were living at Circin when we arrived. According to the government they were allowed to live there during the week but on the weekends they had to leave and go home. There were kids coming from as far as 2-3 hours away.

This ministry typically does not host teams during the month of December because December- January are considered the kids summer break. This was the first time our teams split up; both Cicrin and Revel were entering into unknown territory. Between Covid and the government, it had been a minute since Cicrin last had a WorldRace team and they were ecstatic to have us, and we were ecstatic to be there!

Sidenote — To get to the island we had to take a ferry so we have used about every type of transportation you can on the Race besides maybe a train. AND WE GOT TO LIVE ON AN ISLAND! LIKE WHAT?! THANKS GOD!!!!

Cicrin is covered in the Lord! He is present and moving there! We had the opportunity to meet so many amazing brothers and sisters deeply in love with the Lord and hear so many testimonies of His goodness! The staff cared and loved on us in ways we weren’t expecting. It was truly a blessing from the Lord. I would summarize our time there like this: it felt as if they poured into and gave more to us then we could possibly return. They loved us with intention and were so grateful how we assisted their ministry. It was a time of slowing down and smelling the flowers, growing closer to the team and intentionally being present. A time of rest.

Here’s a peak into what our schedule looked like each day:

8:00 AM – Breakfast

9:00 AM – Start Morning Ministry

11-11:30 AM – End Morning Ministry

12:00 PM – Lunch

2:00 PM Start Afternoon Ministry

4:00 PM – End Afternoon Ministry

6:00 PM – Dinner

7:00 PM – Team Time/Time With Kids

Typical Ministry Options:

• The Kitchen: You would think this would be self-explanatory but it’s not. The kitchen lady didn’t like us in her kitchen. Which is super understandable…I wouldn’t want me in my kitchen either. Anyways, she might have us cut up potatoes, we even got to shuck corn one time. It was typically sweeping and then mopping the inside and outside dining areas. We would then rake the dirt and leaves, sweep the ceilings, columns, and use a paint brush to dust the windows.
• Garden Work: They had their own garden! It was so cute! There was one guy who took care of the whole thing, and he did an amazing job. A lot of what we would do is rake, water the plants, move sticks into the plaegue pin, and dig rows for the plants.
• Rancho: The Rancho was right by the water and while beautiful, it got dirty very quick. The daily cleaning process looked like sweeping and then mopping 3 times. The mopping process has been different every place we’ve been and here you barely put water on the mop, just enough to make it damp. The twist is because it’s on the water, the wind blows the leaves and dirt right back up. It’s all fun and games until you’ve mopped for the 3^rd time and a huge gust of wind comes in blowing 12 new leaves up. We would also rake the area surrounding the Rancho.
• The Center: The center was the main area of campus. It’s where staff lived and events took place, it also happened to be an open corridor. We swept it and mopped it 3 times daily.
• Raking: Raking was a continuous job. You might rake in one area yesterday and today you’re going to rake where you did 2 days ago because the leaves are back already.
• Prayer Walking: We had the opportunity to walk around the Cicrin area and visit their neighbors. It was amazing to encourage them in their faith, share the gospel with some, and hear what was going on in their life.

The Lord moved a lot during this time. He taught me a lot about finding meaning in the mundane and how the things we do are about the people not the thing we’re doing. Let me tell you, this was a hard one. I’ll admit I struggled with the thought that the Lord had to get me to Nicaragua to do yardwork. Man did He do a work. He continually broke down my pride and self-righteousness. He didn’t care if I came to Him in anger and frustration, that was simply a gateway for Him to show me His goodness and humble nature. He show me He truly did care about me and was breaking down my walls so I could experience Him in a new way and a deeper intimacy.

Here are a couple testimonies and memorable moments:

• On adventure days Revel went to a volcanic spring called Oho De Agua and hiked one of the volcanos to a beautiful waterfall!
• The girls living at Cicrin gave me cornrows.
• We had the opportunity to go to a missionary’s home on the island and watch the sunset. Luis (our squad mentor) celebrated his birthday with Revel, and we got to camp there as well.
• They burn everything in Nicaragua, and I mean everything. I broke a plastic chair and they burnt the whole chair.
• We had the opportunity to go to Cicrin’s church and the Holy Spirit was moving!!!
• Our team watched the sunset over the water and started reading the Bible in chronological order every night during the time we were there.
• One of my teammates found out on the field she has Celiac disease and they made her different meals for every meal. It was so kind.
• We got to plan and organize an all-day Christmas event for kids that went to the school. It was amazing to love on them all day!! Revel even created a dance to Feliz Navidad. It’s my new party trick.
• One of my teammates family and friends donated money for us to get Christmas gifts for each of the kids living at Cicrin and we had the opportunity to give it to them.
• The staff and kids at Cicrin had a banquet for Revel before we left. It is something I will remember forever.
• During prayer walking one morning we had the opportunity to speak with a man. His wife practiced witchcraft and would not speak with us, but he was more than willing. He had a beautiful property and showed us his cows and plants. It was amazing to see the things he cared about and his life. We had the opportunity to encourage him and pray for him. By that time he looked physically different and was grinning from ear to ear. We also had the opportunity to talk to some of this man’s family down the road and share the gospel.
• Cicrin placed us in our own house! It was incredible! They gave us a Christmas tree and decorations which we were able to decorate together! It was filled with lots of dancing, laughter, and singing.
• Each night after dinner we spent time with the kids whether it was a movie, a game of basketball or smores.

Christmas & Debrief:

Our team traveled back across Lake Nicaragua and back to REAP December 23^rd to meet back up with the other 2 teams. It was such a sweet reunion! We spent Christmas and New Year’s together before leaving January 3^rd for debrief in Costa Rica. Rewinding a bit to Christmas, I am a part of our party planning committee for the squad and got to plan all the activities surrounding Christmas. It was amazing to set the tone and vision for what Christmas truly is about and the opportunity we have getting to spend it together in Nicaragua. This is the vision the Lord set for the squad during Christmas:

To see you high and lifted up shining in the light of your glory. Intentionally setting our hearts to you, to glorify & praise you in expectation that you are here. To praise you for who you are and not what you can do for us. Instead, let us focus on what you have done for us and worship you like you are the creator of the universe and breathed life into us. Because You did. You are He. The air in our lungs right now is from you and because of you, now let us act like it and praise you like it. Let us posture our hearts in a place of gratitude and eternal thanksgiving. Let the history of Jesus’ birth continue to sink in deeper and spread like wildfire, who He was, who He is, and what he was destined to do. What He meant to the nations then and what He means now. The details of His birth and the people around Jesus were intentionally chosen. Absolutely nothing was a coincidence and still today the same rings true, as the Lord has blessed us with spending Christmas together this year.

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together”

Psalm 34:3

In Costa Rica we stayed with a ministry called Oceans Edge. We had the opportunity to meet WR alumni and simply spend time debriefing and resting. Throughout the Race we are given a debrief in between countries and ministries allowing us to process our last ministry before entering a new one. This happened to be both our first and midpoint debrief. We spent 5 days there before leaving at 3 AM on January 9^th to catch our flight to the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic:

Alrightyyyy let do this! I know its long but were almost there! Shifting gears:

We arrived at our ministry host in the DR the night of the 9^th and were welcomed with open arms, pizza, and the Dawgs winning the natty again!! Go Dawgs!! We are currently at Mission of Hope. They have an established base in Santiago but just bought and moved into a brand new base in Jarabacoa not even a week before we arrived. Our time here has looked a little different than our other ministries so far, but it has been such a blessing to get to know the staff members here and step into what they are already doing in the community. Also, Jarabacoa is in the mountains of the Dominican so it’s fairly chilly here in the mornings and evenings.

Here’s what our daily schedule looks like:

7:30 AM – Breakfast

8:30 AM – Start Morning Ministry

11:30 AM – End Morning Ministry/Lunch

12:30 PM – Start Afternoon Ministry

5:00 PM End Afternoon Ministry

6:00 PM – Dinner

7:00 PM – Team Time/Squad Time

Ministry Options: Our squad splits into two groups when doing ministry. Every day they look a little different and so do the groups.

SMT Group: SMT stands for “Strategic Ministry Time”. This is where we drive an hour down the mountain to Santiago and work with the school for the first half of the day on Monday’s and Tuesday’s. We are partnered with a church each day, so either the pastor or his wife will go out into the community with us and go door to door. On Wednesday’s and Thursday’s, the entire day is SMT or going door to door, building relationships with people and families, and spreading encouragement and the gospel.

This is a going to be a brief intermission describing what the culture has been like here. If you don’t know there has been great unrest between Haiti and the Dominican. The Haitian President was assassinated in 2021 and gangs have taken over. It is unsafe to say the least. People are “asked” to join the gang and if they don’t, they kill them. If they flee, they might kill their family. The majority of people and families I have had the opportunity to meet were Haitians that have fled the country. Most, if not all, still have family in Haiti, whether it be their kids, parents, or siblings. There are hundreds and hundreds of Haitians that have been fleeing for years, many illegally. Because of this the rift between the Dominicans and Haitians has continually grown. The government has verbalized their distaste for Haitians and taken action. They now have cattle trucks that take them back to the border. They can stop them up at any given moment and take them back to Haiti whether they have legal papers to be here or not. The police has been described as corrupt. If they pick you up, they ask for your papers, whether you have them or not, they make you pay them off and if you cannot they take you back to Haiti. They then take their phones and wallets and leave them at the border. I recently met a family who has a 2-year-old daughter and another on the way that is due in days. The father just recently got picked up by the police and was in jail for 5 days. They only fed him crackers and his wife had no idea where he was or what happened to him. The Haitian community is living in fear. The government could bust into their house at any given moment and take them or simply pick them up off the street while their walking to the store. Because of this fear and suppression they cannot go out freely, they cannot find jobs, they cannot make money and yet they still say this life is better than living in Haiti. I recently heard a story about how an immigration truck was waiting outside of a school to pick up all the Haitian kids when school dismissed. Not to mention, the kids that are born here do not have a country that will claim them. They are not born in Haiti, so Haiti will not claim them, and the Dominican will not claim them because they are not Dominican. Due to not having a country of citizenship, they cannot leave the country, they cannot go to school and they cannot work. It’s an endless cycle.

On Campus Group:

• Macheting: The new campus was abandoned for 2 months in the process of people moving out and MOH staff moving in. Meaning the grass was excruciatingly tall to the point we had to machete it. All of it. The campus is around 30 acres.
• Painting: We had the opportunity to help MOH begin rebranding the campus. What used to be bright green buildings are now classic baby blue. Some of the squad also got to paint murals of the logo around campus.
• Organizing & Moving: The majority of what we did in the first couple of days and weeks required organizing, moving, and accessing what was left and what MOH brought.

A God Wink:

On a different note, days before we traveled to the DR, I received a message from a friend from high school that said she was going to be interning for 6 months at the school in the DR and wanted to meet up! I had the opportunity to meet up with her and her sister and get a tour of the school. Let me tell you!!! It was amazing!! The Lord is moving there! The kids are covered in truth from K-3 to 12. The education level is unlike any other and it is called prep rather than college prep! They both fundraise to live and work there. Their names are Gracie and Kristin Deltoro, if you feel lead to support them financially or through prayer, please contact me and I can connect you to them!

Updates About Me and Prayer Requests:

The Lord is continually teaching and transforming me! I’m falling more and more in love with Him. He is continually humbling me and showing me that actions speak louder than words but when actions and words are combined, wow the impact they have. The impact they have when the Lord works in and through you and what comes out is an example of His love. Only because He paved the way, He led by example, He is love and showed what it looks like to humbly walk in love and righteousness on this Earth. He is teaching me boundaries. That I have changed, He has changed me and made me new. I no longer walk in my grave clothes and because of that my relationships will change, the way I walk, and talk, and act will continue to change. All because of His goodness and grace.

         Something I laid down at His feet at the beginning of the Race was my future and plans. I want what He has in store for me because His future and plans for me are soooo much better than anything I could make happen and plan in my own power. It does help that He created me and knows me better than I know myself. Over the last couple of months, I have been praying about what direction He wants me to move in and He has slowly opened and closed doors. Currently, He has opened the door to a discipleship/leadership school with AIM called CGA. After much intentional prayer, I believe this is the road He wants me to walk down right now and it’s the door I am going to walk through until He tells me otherwise. I am going to write another blog talking more about CGA so stay tuned!

• I want to thank everyone who has supported me thus far and is praying for me! I would like to ask for continued prayer for guidance from the Lord and for my cup to be filled daily.
• I would like to ask for prayer for the new MOH campus and the staff that are working there.
• Prayer for our squad and teams, to find rest and restoration in the Lord.

Other Important Information:

Our teams are splitting up for the last time! For three weeks we are separating to different ministries in the Dominican Republic! Team Revel will be at a school called Makarios! I have heard a lot of amazing things about this ministry and would love continued prayer over travel, settling into this new ministry, and giving Revel eyes to see the Lord working all around us!

This is all the information I have for now but there will be more coming! Again, thank you for all your support and I’m going to end with this verse!

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassion fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:22-25