Nicaragua (MNN) — Last month, protests in Nicaragua turned violent enough that the US State Department pulled embassy staff from the country. Yet there is no place so chaotic that God’s love can’t reach it.
Take a Trip, Share Christ
During a recent e3 Partners trip to Nicaragua, a volunteer met a 63-year-old man named Miguel. Miguel, who lives alone, only has half of his left leg and his right leg is constantly swollen. To complicate life further, Miguel uses a barely functioning wheelchair he made himself. With that said, both legs were in constant pain and Miguel spent most days alone and feeling like there was nothing to have hope in.
(Photo Courtesy of Guillaume Baviere via Flickr) https://flic.kr/p/TwBZLj
That was until Miguel met a man named George. George was a volunteer with e3 on the church planting trip in Nicaragua. One afternoon during the trip, George knocked on Miguel’s door with the intent to share his testimony and the hope of Christ. But while Miguel was intrigued by what George had to say, he was still skeptical.
“George asked Miguel, ‘Is there anything that I can be praying for you about?’ And Miguel explained to him the pain that he had in his legs and how it was just this constant, almost unbearable pain, and asked if he could be praying for that,” e3’s Jeff Johnston shares.
“[George] did right then and there. So, George prayed to God, asking for God to relieve some of the pain in Miguel’s legs. And Miguel told him that immediately after that, immediately after he ended that prayer, he could feel some of that pain go away.”
Hope Found in Nicaragua
George continued to visit Miguel every day after the answered prayer. Upon his first visit, Miguel was moving around his home nearly pain-free. During the visit, the two men dug into the scriptures and George shared more stories about God.
“And so it was on that third day, that George came back, that Miguel accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He accepted Jesus into his life. He said that he finally had hope again and he was just filled with joy,” Jeff explains.
“He told George that he was grateful for all that he was teaching him, but he also told him he was sad that [George] was leaving because he was still so hungry to learn more about God, about Jesus, about the Bible. And he wanted someone to be able to teach him.”
Living Out Acts 2:42
(Photo courtesy of e3 Partners)
What Miguel soon learned, though, was that e3 wouldn’t leave Nicaragua without securing someone who’d help disciple Miguel. In fact, at his neighbor’s house, the e3 team was teaching a woman named Adrianna how to share her testimony, the Gospel, and how to lead a Bible study.
When the last day of the trip came, George brought Adrianna along with him to Miguel’s house. There, the two were introduced and Adrianna agreed to lead a Bible study with Miguel. In fact, she promised to come over every day to teach him more about God’s Word.
“It really drove home what we see in Acts 2:42 where it says, ‘they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer,’” Johnston says.
Be Prayerful, Be Active
And this story gets even better. That’s because you can be a George in somebody’s life, too. Start by praying for people who have yet to encounter the Gospel and Christ’s transformative love.
Try setting a daily alarm on your phone to pray, asking God to send more people into the harvest, for Him to continue working in the hearts and lives of people who’ve been reached with the Gospel, and for hearts to be softened to God’s love. Pray also for the continued perseverance for the people who are dedicating their lives to reaching others with the hope of Christ.
Another way to get involved is by joining an e3 Partners trip and sharing the Gospel somewhere you’ve never been.
Find an e3 Partners trip here!
*Names have been changed for security reasons.
