Looking Back at my Trip to Nicaragua
It is absolutely incredible to be a part of God's work! Whether it is here in Zachary or outside the United States, the Lord is at work, and He has given us the awesome privilege of participating with Him. We are involved in something much bigger than ourselves; we have the opportunity to touch eternity itself.
A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of this truth in a vivid manner. I traveled with a medical mission team (mostly made up of North Louisianians) to Diriambia, Nicaragua, in order to present the gospel and conduct clinics in different communities. Over a course of four days, we saw approximately 1700 patients come through the clinics, and 240 of those professed faith in Christ for the very first time. I admit that it was one of the best weeks of my life, and I look forward to our return trip in October. Very briefly, I want to share with you some of my "take-aways" from the week.
1. God and His gospel are still powerful! I knew this before Nicaragua, but it was reaffirmed on the trip. People heard the basic message of Christ, and they responded in faith. How many of the 240 were sincere in their faith? I don't know. Fortunately, I am not in charge of a person's genuineness. God does know our hearts, and I believe He has the strength to bring His work to completion. Take Heidi for example. She was an interpreter who had been brought in to help us, and one day she grew interested in the story that I was sharing in the "evangelism" room. After others' encouragement, she listened to the story of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, and she responded by surrendering her life to Christ. Paul's assertion to the Romans was realized: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (1:16).
2. God has called us to go! The Great Commission is the marching orders for the followers of the Lord. He has called us to go into our communities, into our nation, and into our world. When we are obedient to this task, He rewards us with fulfillment and joy. God even grants us better than what we expect! I encourage you to join with us in our missionary efforts this year. Take some time to assist us in "The Church Has Left the Building" outreach to Zachary June 21-25, or put your name on the construction mission opportunities in Denham Springs, or join us for a literacy-based mission to the Texas-Mexico border. Right now, I have had about twenty-eight folks express interest in our medical mission trip for October and only about twenty-five spots available. How awesome! Let's keep going and helping those who do go by providing resources. Let's keep supporting the Annie Armstrong Offering and other mission opportunities.
3. We are materially blessed but spiritually anemic! While in Nicaragua, I witnessed true poverty, and it brought some perspective. We are so materially blessed. God has provided us with wealth unimaginable. I know you may not feel wealthy, but trust me, you are! And yet, with all our resources, we have spiritually anemic churches. No longer do we see the great power demonstrated in our American churches that we did of years past. We have greater facilities, greater budgets, and greater technology while seemingly less spiritual strength. We believers are drowning in materialism and our unquenchable thirst for more and more. We have forgotten that we have been blessed to advance God's kingdom, not our own. We have become the contemporary Laodicean church who proclaims how rich we are while failing to recognize our spiritual apathy and poverty (Revelation 3:14-22). We are lukewarm in our service and anemic in our response. May God refocus us on the things that are important, and may we see an undeniable movement of the Lord!