Seeking the movement of God

  Heat and the smell of diesel fumes have become a sense of home to me much like the smell of pines of North Carolina. I doubt I will ever truly fit in like a local but I am pretty close now. When I get comments like “that man more Nica than gringo” you kinda feel like you have made it. I don’t know the language as well as I should yet but I know enough Nica slang to get a good laugh when I screw up words. I have been taken in like family. I have been in a way adopted by so many here. I tell people all the time it’s a God thing and it truly is. I have been accepted with my faults and all. I gain true love because of my efforts to do what is necessary to become closer to my friends here. It speaks to me like the love God has for us. He accepts our faults and loves us. The closer we get to him the more we feel that love.

  I have seen God move in so many ways while here. I can recall “big” moments and some small. Just the other day I saw an 11 year old child make a sacrifice for another person in need. There was a teenage girl at our children’s program who is hearing impaired. She can’t speak and only communicates with hand gestures. You could see the sadness on her face when the leader was going over the story and she couldn’t tell what was going on. The 11yr old Aurelli motioned to her and told her to look at the packet she handed her. It was coloring book pages that went along with the story being told. The deaf girl Gabriela got the biggest smile on her face. She was brought in to the group sitting at the table and felt that same joy we get when we feel that love from God. It made my heart smile to see that moment.

  I was chatting with a group of mission workers the other day over a cup of coffee. They were sharing about what they would be doing during their time in Nica. I love hearing stories from others about missions. I have kind of gotten used to my daily grind and it doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. I forget how different everyday life is for me here compared to back home. Little things like having to take a taxi with 6 grown adults in it to church and find a ride back usually on the back of a friend’s motorcycle. The fact that it’s rainy season doesn’t stop the trip. I told the guys a few taxi stories and their response was “God has been looking after you”. In that moment I realized that I had gotten so used to life here that I have started overlooking the blessings from God that happen daily. I felt like a bit of a hypocrite after telling so many friends that they don’t have to be in a foreign country to see God move that they need to be looking at all things every day. I sometimes forget to do that myself.

  God moves daily if you open the eyes of your heart you will see it. It can be a dog chasing its tail or something as big as cancer being healed. Look for those moments in your day search for them with relentless effort.