Roots Make a Strong Foundation

“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.” Psalm 127:1

There was a lot of foundation laying today for us Mids. In the beginning, Don preached about the importance of a strong foundation after four testimonies were read on the radio this morning. A tree only stands because of its roots he said. That is why no matter the strength of the wind a tree cannot be blown over. Those roots are the foundation of the tree and unfortunately the foundation of the place we were trying to dig. When we jumped out of the truck that morning ready for a day of digging and the wise words of Don took on a whole new meaning to us. Shovel by shovel we dug out the foundation of the house and encountered the holy roots of that land. Those roots did not want to go! Thankfully, midshipmen are more stubborn than roots and rocks. We eventually won against the land, clearing out those pesky roots and rocks. The foundation was laid for the house. Our success was fueled by Mama Maria’s delicious breakfast.

We visited the village of Cana Fistola after lunch (once again another delicious meal from Mama Maria). Driving in we noticed the dogs were a little fatter and the cattle a little more plumb. Today there was no large field for playing games but never the less the games were played. The street was teeming with activity. A group of little boys shadowed by tall Mids played soccer. Groups of giggling girls had their nails painted or their hair braided. A single kite floated past as a little boy sprinted down the road trailed by his friends. Balloons lazily floated up then down, up then down, as small dirty hands smacked them back and forth. We seemed to have gotten into our grove as a group visiting these villages. We each had an idea of what we wanted to do or say to these little children to show our love. At a point in the evening a group of girls and boys gathered and they heard the gospel through the use of the Wordless Book (a small circular book that used colors to show God’s unfailing love). The children sat quietly, their eyes big as a familiar story was told once more. Then another story was told, the story of Job. The call for food came and everyone ran to the lines with their hands full of bowls, cups, and containers. Each container was a different color, shape, and size. It reminded me of just how unique each of those children were and that God had made them perfectly in his image. The children happily sat down with their sopa de pollo. Slurping and dripping they consumed the healthy meal grinning ear to ear. The last few minutes of play consisted of bubbles, borrowed Go-pro cameras, and soccer. We hopped back into trucks ready to pour donations out to the people lining the roads. They ran down the roads smiling and chasing the trucks catching shirts, pants, and shoes from the hot air.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway we heard the call to go hiking. We quickly filled our bottles of water thinking of the stories we had heard of this infamous climb. Arriving at the bottom of this hill the climb looked daunting but we were ready for anything! We started up and before we knew it (we were of course sweating and barely able to breathe) we had reached the top. Our feat was well rewarded by the amazing view. We stood on top of a building looking out every direction at the beautiful landscape that could have only been painted by God himself. We saw farms, fires, volcanoes, and cattle roaming the countryside. The immense beauty we saw could not justified by any picture but we took some anyway. What’s a spring break trip without a selfie or two? We learned the history of the building we stood on and the claim God had to that building. We all gathered to pray for one another and each other’s countries. We were told that God always looked upon this building with favor. As we stood so close to the radiant blue sky it seemed as if God certainly did hear us. Our week here is going by so fast and none of us seem to want it to end. Pray that the next two days are filled with God’s glory, not only for the Nicaraguan people but also for those who are relishing in the newfound beauty of this country. God bless!