Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Today was a very special day for me.  A small group of us began our day by participating in a prayer walk with our friends from FBC Matagalpa.  We left the hotel at 5:30 am and watched as the city came alive.  We began on our knees in the church, then divided  into small groups.  We selected 2 major roads through the city, some walking on each side of the road and praying for each business we passed, all the owners and people who would enter, and specifically the people we passed on the street.  As I walked and prayed, I sensed God beginning a new work in me:  a new love for the people of Nicaragua and a new appreciation for the culture surrounding me.  I also became very aware of how little I really new about a city and a people that have visited for 7 years straight.  Some of the things that jumped out at me were:  there are many casinos and farmacias; many "mom and pop" stores (I wondered how all of them could stay open - each one seemingly selling the same things); many people working very hard (manual labor); people literally carrying heavy loads - usually on their heads; many older (as in OLD) people working hard - it dawned on me that there was probably no such thing as retirement and wondered how they managed to make enough money to live.

I was suddenly very ashamed at how little I knew about the people I had come to serve.  But God in his great mercy and grace reminded me that when I pray for others, He gives me his heart for them.  So, I gratefully walked the streets, took in the sites and prayed for his Nicaraguan children.  I'm beginning to see things in a new light and my heart is full.

Pug

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