This summer I spent 5 weeks teaching and doing ministry in the nation of Nicaragua.
11 months ago, at the beginning of my School of the Bible, I felt God ask me to be willing to go to Nicaragua for the summer. I said yes, and several months later Nicaragua became an outreach location option for my school. We had enough students wanting to go, so we started planning!
Since the outreach to Nicaragua was a part of the school, our main focus was teaching the Bible. However, simply "teaching" is not enough.
Let me explain:
I remember these words were given to me by a leader in Nicaragua:
"Teach strategically. You're not just called to teach, you are called to speak truth that brings transformation. So ask for God's heart for Nicaragua, get His desires for the nation, and then teach."
I didn't just go into the nation of Nicaragua and teach what I thought was important. I got to go into a nation that God loves, ask Him what He wants to speak, and partner alongside Him in teaching.
Nicaragua, as a nation, acts like an orphan. Whether that be due to the many individuals who grew up without fathers because of war or because of the nation's political and economical situation is hard to tell. But, that's not the truth of who Nicaragua is as a nation, that's not God's heart.
We know God's heart from John 14:18 -
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you"
God longs for everyone to know they are His precious children! So it only makes sense that God asked our team to teach on identity, value of the individual, and our God given purpose.
My personal highlight was a youth camp called SST (Saved to Serve and Transform).
For 11 days we taught these 15 teens, led daily outreaches with them, and lived life with them!
It was absolutely incredible to watch them discover and delight in the goodness of God. My heart rejoiced as I heard students share, "I didn't know I could hear God's voice, but now I can!", "I didn't know God loved me enough to want to spend time with me!"
Over 11 days I saw lives transformed. Two students gave their lives to Jesus for the first time. Others experienced freedom from lies, fears, addictions to pornography, and healing in broken relationships.
As we taught them the truth of God, their hearts that were searching for belonging found purpose and identity in being beloved sons and daughters of God.
I believe this kind of transformation is the foundation of the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached. Seeing individual lives transformed to understand the purpose they were always created for ~ to be Royal Sons and Daughters of the King ~ paves the way for you to see transformation in communities and nations as those individuals continually grow in their love and desire to serve God.
Jump in with a life changing experience of knowing God. Grow in your relationship with Jesus, and in Godly character. Join a DTS and begin your journey to share God's love to the nations.
