It’s day two of distribution. The teams have at least one day of experience behind them now. One of the “side effects,” so to speak, of having this experience is that we see, with our own eyes, the depravity of poverty.
Many of us have grown up in the States in a land of plenty where even the poorest of people are better off than a large majority of the world. It can be overwhelming to stand in the middle of a village of people who live in tin and wooden shacks with dirt floors. Most homes have no glass in the windows and no doors at the entry way.
They have no indoor plumbing, and sometimes no outdoor plumbing. They cook over open fire pits, and eat their food in tin and wooden bowls. You quickly realize that even if we were to bring in 1,000 18-wheelers full of food, it wouldn’t even make a dent in the amount of poverty here.
So the natural question to ask is why even bother to try? What can a distribution group of 15 people possibly do to help?
In the natural, the answer is nothing. We can no nothing to make a difference. If that is all we came to do, then we probably should just go home. But, we have not come to Nicaragua in the natural, and we have not come to end the physical poverty.
We have come solely at the prompting of the Spirit and in the Spirit to end the spiritual poverty. This is the heart of God for Nicaragua and that truth gives us the confidence that this impossible work is not up to us.
In fact, it is not us doing it at all, it is all Jesus. We just get to be part of His work, and the moving of His Spirit.
Today during distribution our expectations of seeing God move were met!. One of the techniques we use to reach people in the villages, is to call them out of their homes to receive free food. As we walk down the street calling them out, it is amazing to see them begin to follow you to where you will give them the food.
This is what we did in one of the villages today. As we waited for the people to arrive, I couldn’t help but remember the story of Noah. After Noah built the ark, God drew the animals to him. As we waited, it was apparent that the Lord was drawing these people to us. It was truly an awesome experience.
Once they had arrived, we shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ and gave them an opportunity to respond to God’s love. Then we handed out the food, Bibles, and stuffed animals. It was basically an impromptu mini crusade.
There is nothing more exciting than to personally experience the drawing of the Holy Spirit on the lives of people to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This of course is just a preview of what Friday and Saturday will be like when the Holy Spirit draws tens of thousands of people from around the country of Nicaragua to hear this same Gospel. I can’t wait to see it!