Nicaragua is a small country in the center of Central America. It's primarily known for its' civil wars, volcanoes and various dictators over the years. But in recent years, it has become a destination for human trafficking and predators.
I took my first trip to Nicaragua in 2009, and was stunned by both the poverty and the beauty of the country. Prostitution is legal in Nicaragua, and it's common for women in destitute situations to support themselves and their children by working in brothels. It's also common for young girls to be sold by their families in the countryside and be brought to Managua or other cities to work in the sex trade.
After BRCC had to end its partnership with the ministry we were connected with in Managua in 2012, I came back to Lynchburg prepared to close the door on that chapter of my life.
(But God.)
The faces and stories of the women and girls we met continued to be on my heart and a part of my thoughts. I couldn't shake the sadness.
Over dinner with some friends one night, we began chatting about discipleship and sharing Christ. In the middle of that conversation, God put it on my heart to take my Crash teaching team, plus Shea Foster, Kellie Hunt and Ashley Perilloux, back to Nicaragua at some point and invest in women with a teaching retreat.
So after much prayer across the past year and a half, we will go to love on some women who are reaching out to those trapped in prostitution in August.
For me personally, it's been humbling, terrifying and has built my faith immensely to be a part of this journey. I believe that God has a purpose for each person, location and season that happens in our lives as Christ followers. I also believe that as people of Christ we are called to move toward the mess.
We are teaching on renewal in August, and I would ask for prayer for us to experience what 2 Corinthians 4:16 describes: "yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." Pray that the ladies we are going to be with would experience that renewal of the Holy Spirit. Pray for new life and strength to be poured out on them. Pray for God to accomplish what He wants both in our team, and in the ladies in Nicaragua.
The lyrics from the song Albertine by Brooke Fraser have been engraved on my heart for this journey:
now that I have seen, I am responsible
faith without deeds is dead