Remember Jesse, who came to Christ after translating for a mission trip in Nicaragua? Well, Adventures Staff Colby Gardner just came back with this great news!
It was his first job as a translator. Nervous and unsure of himself, Clarence didn’t feel like he belonged.
He translated for my Church to Church trip in Nicaragua. Throughout the weeklong trip, he got to know the men on the team. But even though he was our translator, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t fit in.
Clarence didn’t feel like he deserved to be there, but little did he know, their stories were a lot like his.
Then something happened he’ll never forget.
“One afternoon, we found ourselves sharing testimonies with the guys at a rehabilitation ministry for men. Americans shared, then Nicaraguans. After a few testimonies, I began to recognize a theme: Drugs, alcohol, “living the life,” gangs, major pain and damage done, prison time, and then enter Jesus — through family, friends, or sometimes left-field experiences.
“That is when the light bulb began to come on.”
It was a breakthrough for him: maybe Clarence did belong. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t alone.
On our last day together, I asked the team, “If you could get the answer to any question in the world, what would you ask?”
Clarence pondered as others shared. When his turn came, he humbly said, “I would ask you guys, what do I have to do to stop doing all of the things I’m doing? I’m damaging my family, I’m exhausted, and I can’t do this anymore. What do I need to do? I talk to God and tell Him I don’t want to be like this anymore, but it seems like a few weeks later I’m back in the same addictions and hurting everyone around me.
“I feel like I need to ask God into my life, but I don’t know how.”
Jaws dropped.
We got to lead Clarence to Jesus on the bus that day, and as soon as we returned, we ran into his brother Jesse.
Jesse could hardly hold himself together, as this was exactly how he came to Jesus — with a team in 2011.
“Mom is going to have a heart attack when she hears about this. I mean, she’s been praying for us to come to the Lord for years — since we were little boys, you know? I can’t begin to explain how this makes me feel.”
Our team didn’t do anything magical. We didn’t know Clarence wasn’t a Christian; we were just living our faith and sharing the raw truth of what God has done for us.
Then again, that’s what missions really is anyway — living our faith so clearly that those around us can’t help but ask questions.
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Is God calling you to Nicaragua?
As the poorest nation in Central America, almost 80% of Nicaraguans live on less than $2 a day. More than half the population lives beneath the poverty line. One in four Nicaraguans is starving or suffering from malnutrition.
Ministry:
Your team will partner with our Adventures Base in Nicaragua. You’ll serve with Campo Gonia, a discipleship program for men that helps them find freedom from addiction and the feeling of uselessness, equipping them for purpose-filled lives.
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Discipleship: Your team will participate in morning devotionals, prayer, and worship with the men in the discipleship program. Adults are encouraged to share a morning devotional with the men in a group setting.
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Community Outreach: Your team will also join our ministry partners in reaching out to our community of farm workers through evangelistic outreaches, prison ministry, and feeding the homeless.
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Manual Labor: You will also work on a building project for a men’s discipleship dorm, and farming projects to help the men’s ministry become self-supported.
Click HERE for more information on trips to Nicaragua, including an adult trip and an Ambassador (students ages 18-22) summer 2016!
