Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
- Psalm 126:5-6
The emotional aspect of being away from home for so long finally sunk in this morning, bringing with it all the normal tears and prayers. God reminded me of this verse which I had underlined in my Bible last time I was far away from the people I loved the most. I am headed to a new field - this time though, my focus will not be as much on the Nicaraguans but on my team of teen girls (you're all praying for me, right?). I am carrying seeds of wisdom, experience, truth, and the presence of Christ with me. And He has promised that my choice to be faithful to whatever He has set in front of me will not be without a harvest. So there may be some tears, yes, but there is also a joyful expectancy and curiosity to see how God fulfills His promise!
I will see you all in about 5 weeks. Until then, don't forget to follow our team blog!
Hello from Hershey, PA! Summer (aka
tourism season here) is getting into full swing and I've realized once again
how quickly time flies. I have less than a month until I return to Nicaragua as
a leader for 5 weeks, and less than four months until my wedding. I am very
excited for both, but it seems there is still so much to do. With preparations
for each event vying for priority in my schedule, I have come to realize that
my support raising efforts have been rather lacking (my own fault in not
prioritizing better!) and I now have three weeks to raise the 1,500 dollars in
support I will need before flying to Georgia on June 13th. This is such a small
amount compared to my last trip, and I know that God will provide because He
always does... will He use you?
If you would like to help financially - there is a link on the left-hand side of my blog that says "Support Me!". I am leading an Ambassador trip, so you will need to select the appropriate program from the drop-down list. Also, if you plan on supporting me through prayer, I'd love
to know! The prayer of a righteous man is POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE. Your prayers
will mean more to me and to the girls on my team than any amount of money ever
could. God will change some lives on this trip; I want to be ready for Him to
use me in whatever way He chooses to make those changes.
My team so far consists of 9
high-school age girls: Anna Z., Anna G., Emily, Lauren, Katie, Megan, Tori,
Taylor, and Jenna. For many of these girls this will be their first experience
with missions, and some are already coming into this trip with the hope that
God will call them into more missions in the future. I will also have one other
leader with me, Rebekah. Our team blog page is up and I will be posting updates
on our trip while we are on the field. If you would like to receive automatic
updates through email, just let me know your email address and I will set that up
for you. Otherwise, to read updates, the web address is: http://10ni0616amb4.myadventures.org/
Feel free to
comment on the posts as they are made, I am sure it will be encouraging for the
girls to read notes from "back home".
"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But
Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She
came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me
to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.' " Luke 10:38-42
This morning I awoke to the thousands of tasks on my to-do list running through my head.
- Do the laundry (but go get quarters first).
- Wash the dishes before my roommate gets home.
- Clean my room.. again.
Now I know I have a tendency to let my devotional time with God slide during the busier times of my life. In fact, I admit it's often the first thing to go. But this morning, I imagined God saying to me "Martha..." and so I was determined to NOT crowd God out in my hectic schedule. So I did what any normal slightly-type-A Christian would do. I added "Do my devotions" to my mental checklist of things to do. (And in the interest of being open and honest with you, I have to admit I also added "Blog about how I almost crowded God out but didn't today" as if He were finished teaching me!)
So, very proud of myself for not skipping my devotions this morning, I reached for my Bible. I started reading. And then I heard God's voice saying exactly what I had imagined Him saying earlier - "Martha..."
I thought, "God, I'm reading my Bible! I'm DOING my devotions! I'm sitting here at Your feet, aren't I?" And yet He is still saying to me, "Martha..."
Stop checking Me off your to-do list.
He sees my heart, and He is not fooled. Reading my Bible is not the same thing as sitting in the presence of Jesus, at His feet, and forgetting about the rest of the world. Of course that's important... but all too often I think I turn it into another thing I should accomplish. Lord, forgive me. Let me come sit at Your feet.
From one humbled servant to another, consider this a challenge: Steal away today for some time at the feet of your Lord. Forget about the laundry, the dishes, the lunch, the room that needs cleaned... forget about checking "devotions" off your to-do list. Jesus is better.
Over a year after leaving (and nearly 10 months after when I had originally planned to return), I am headed back to Nicaragua in a leadership position with AIM's Ambassador program. This trip will be one month long and I will be with a small group of high school age girls. I will leave Hershey, PA on June 13th, and will be back mid-July.
My emotions are at times torn between excitement and uneasiness, between confidence and doubt. I have so many questions I must continually take before God... Will I be a good leader? Can I afford to take off a whole month of work in the peak of tourism season? Do I really want to be out of the country for a month, just a few months before my own wedding? Yet as many times as I ask these questions, I am faced with one of my favorite aspects of God's character - Jehovah Shalom, GOD IS PEACE. I will not have all the answers (or all the necessary energy, I'm sure!) for the girls I will be leading, but God has promised that He is my strength and wisdom. I may be leaving at a time in the summer when others think I am crazy, but God has promised that He is my provider and will supply all my needs. I may miss my home and my fiance to the point of tears, but God has promised that He is my comfort, my lover, my friend, and He will never let me go. Reminding myself of those promises always brings my focus back to the God I trust.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in
him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit. - Romans 15:13
I admit I've put off writing this blog, as it will be my last post and that means that this trip actually is over. I haven't quite grasped that concept yet. I am safely home, though the trip back was quite an adventure. One flight was delayed, then I got moved to another flight, then I got moved to first class (a happy surprise!) then I flew on a little itty-bitty twin-engine propeller plane (full, with 8 people) to arrive home by dinnertime.
I think I am readjusting to life in the States quite well, with no major breakdowns like getting overwhelmed by the abundant choices of cereal at Walmart or anything like that. Most likely the culture shock will come in much subtler forms as I become more and more aware of the different attitudes and goals of the people around me. Many of you have asked "what's next?"... once you find out, let me know! Currently I am living at home again and working at Chocolate World, keeping my eyes open for new opportunities and adventures. I'm okay with not having any set plans right now because my faith and security aren't in my job, in my independence, or even in the chance to be a missionary in a foreign country. God will take care of me, He always does. :)
Thank you so much for your prayers, support, and encouragement over this past year! (Though why stop now? I would still love the prayers and encouragement...) Seriously, you all have been great and I hope that this blog has in some way given you a window into what God is doing in Nicaragua and in my life as well. For those of you who don't have Facebook, I have pulled out some photos to give you a better idea of the surroundings and the faces behind my posts; you can find them here. Also if you want, you can keep up with my life from now on at my own blog, jessicahutt.blogspot.com. God bless!
This past week has been a week of lasts, a week of endings. Ministry at Corazon Contento ended on Tuesday morning with a celebration (yay, pinata!) and lots of hugs. I stopped cooking/planning/shopping for the team on Tuesday night. I already had to say goodbye to a few friends, and I've packed up the majority of my things. As rough and emotionally draining as it is to wrap things up here, there is relief and a sense of pride that I have accomplished what God intended for me to do here in Nicaragua, and I am leaving with no regrets. While I was here, I wasn't afraid to love well.
Our team left early Wednesday morning for 5 days of debrief in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. The hostel is beautiful, the beach is AMAZING, and our time away from Granada is giving us all a chance to brgin processing the past 7 and a half months and mentally prepare for returning to the States. I should probably warn you, in case you haven't been able to tell through my blog, I'm different. The transition to 'normal' life back home in PA will take a while, and there's bound to be some frustrations and tears along the way. I'll need your patience and prayers, and a lot of time.
Traveling plans:
Wednesday morning (the 13th), my team will fly from the Managua airport to Atlanta, GA, where we will stay for 2 nights. The FYM teams from Africa will join us there, so we're looking forward to a reunion with friends we made at training camp in September. Then Friday the 15th I will say my final goodbyes to my team as we all go our separate ways. My flight schedule looks like this:
Atlanta, GA to Philadelphia, PA
leave 10:45am, arrive 12:45pm
Philadelphia, PA to Baltimore, MD
leave 3:30pm, arrive 4:15pm
Baltimore, MD to Lancaster, PA
leave 8:00pm, arrive 8:30pm
With all the airport hopping it will feel like a long day, but I know my family and friends are waiting at the end of it (not to mention a comfortable bed!). I am so excited to see you all! <3 jessica
So this past Saturday was the big
5K run, and I think it went as smoothly as a first-time
gringo-propelled event in Nicaragua could have possibly gone.
Over the course of the preceding
week, we visited about 40 businesses to ask for donations and/or
assistance with the race, cut out and glued together 60 paper apple
logos for the staff/volunteers to wear on race day, made signs with
arrows and Bible verses on them, gathered and organized prizes, held
a rally by Central Park for the gym teachers at the local schools
(and anyone else who wanted to poke their heads in), and filled over
900 small bags of water to hand out to the racers. The majority of
our free time was taken over by cutting and gluing and thinking and
going and writing and praying for the race. As a team, we also tried
to preserve the sanity of those who were putting in the most time and
energy into the planning and organization!
Saturday morning started at 5:30
AM with everyone half-asleep and half ready to go. Some guys from
VidaJoven came to help us load the Kayes' car full with everything
needed for registration and set-up, and once that was unloaded it
came back to El Puente and was filled again, this time with the water
and prizes. By the time everything and everyone got to Central Park,
it was nearly 6:30, with the race scheduled to start at 7:00. There
were over 100 racers of all ages and nationalities, registering and
waiting for the race to begin.
I was put on the first water
station, with the original plan being that I would hold one of the
signs with a Bible verse on it and hand out bags of water to the
racers as they ran past. I walked with Amy and Caleb A. the 8 or so
blocks in the right direction and managed to find the exact place we
needed to be... after calling Heather and making her come find us, of
course. Once we got there, we quickly realized that even with the
kids from VidaJoven helping, we were going to be short about 6
people! So everyone doubled up jobs and I got shifted to directing
both the runners and traffic. (P.S. If you've never tried directing
traffic, don't bother. Cars don't listen to people!)
The actual race took about an
hour, then the closing
ceremony/award presentation and clean-up lasted until about 10:45. I
joined many of my teammates in going back to El Puente for some food
and a little more sleep.
Even
with the bumps that we did have, the event was a big success because
it spread the awareness about VidaJoven here in Granada, and I hope
that this Thursday we'll see many more new kids at club. We raised
$5,400 - Praise God!
Thank you all for your support and prayers, you are such an
encouragement to me. This is my last full week of ministry so keep
remembering me to God... I choose to finish strong.
Hey everybody - plan for a short post today; I have been battling some sort of head cold/flu for the past few days and am running right now on the energy of a piece of toast, which I know will wear off quickly.
This week picked back up with ministry at Corazon Contento and more preparation for the VidaJoven 5K run next Saturday. My discipleship times with Heather have been so good and I just love that girl to pieces. I'm planning on laying low today and tomorrow morning, then tomorrow afternoon our whole team is headed to a farm owned by one of the men doing construction at El Puente, for "the first annual piglet and lamby roast", complete with hayrides and horseback riding and who knows what else. I'm looking forward to it, and hoping that I will have the energy to enjoy it as much as the rest of the team.
My time left here in Granada is quickly coming to an end, and with that come the accompanying mixed emotions of joy and sadness, excitement and fear. As of this moment, I only have plans for two days out of the rest of my life: one is hanging out with a friend, and one is Joe and Debbie's wedding (whee!). I am okay with coming home with an empty slate, for God to fill as His disposal - because I know and trust that He WILL fill it with whatever He has for me to do. I came across this quote today through Elisabeth Elliot's devotional: "The demand to know where we are going is one
which no Christian has a right to make." How perfect in God's timing that He should bring up this particular devotional on this particular day, after an entire week - slash month slash semester - of thinking and praying about the immediate future. :) But then again, He is cool like that.
Happy Easter everyone!
May you be blessed as we celebrate the coolest thing ever to happen
in history, my Jesus conquering the grave! (happy dance)
This week, in honor of Holy Week,
more than half of the city was shut down. The stores, the
restaurants, the schools... Of
course this means that Corazon Contento also had a break this week,
and as working there is one of my main ministries throughout the week
this left me with more downtime than normal. At first I worried that
I would get bored, but the week turned out to be a great
opportunity to catch up with my teammates and join in on some of
their ministries to see what God is doing there.
About a month ago, my teammate Joe
Carter caught the vision to help raise money for VidaJoven
(YoungLife in the States) by organizing a 5K Fun Run, to be held
April 25th. When he first brought it before our team, I thought it
was a good idea but seemed so far away. Well time has flown by - the
race is now just two weeks away and I am starting to get excited! :)
Here is the information that Joe typed up:
I know several of you have
contacted me to make sure that I am fully supported. All my expenses
are paid for by now, but if you are still interested in giving, it
would be awesome to have your support for VidaJoven through this
race. I am seeing God change lives through this ministry, anam
eager for that to continue.
(I think last week's post got lost somewhere in the big blogosphere so I apologize for that... then again I wasn't feeling so well, so it could have just as easily been a user error.)
Last semester a few of us girls met and began something of a friendship with a Canadian "transplant" named Margarita, who lives a few blocks away from us on calle Sta. Lucia. In addition to battling various physical illnesses, Margarita is involved in witchcraft and claims to have a spirit living in her house. She is very open to talking and hearing about anything spiritual, and we have had several conversations with her about Christ.
Margarita was robbed two nights ago. While she was asleep on her couch, the intruders broke in by completely removing the metal bars over her window. They stole nearly everything from her house, from her television and electronics down to the small tank of gas for her stove and a half a package of cigarettes. BUT praise God, they both left Margarita unharmed and also somehow walked right past her purse (though it was in "plain sight") which contained her passport, bank card, and personal information! My God is cool like that.
I was able to talk with her a bit yesterday and she said that though it is unnerving to be alone at night, she is doing relatively well. It's true that everything that was taken is technically replaceable, but there is still the feeling of violation and distrust for her to deal with now. She also said that she has been reading the Psalms and can feel the prayers of my team. I would love if you could pray for more open doors of conversation through this rough time for her, as well as that God would reveal Himself to her in a way that she can not ignore or attribute to "the universe".
