Not Alone

Be honest… how many of you saw this picture of painted pregnant bellies that I posted on Facebook recently, and thought, “That’s weird!”?

Okay, so I’ll admit that it might be a little strange, but something amazing happened as a result:  within minutes of posting the picture, a fellow NCA mom, Marjorie, posted on the picture saying, “Please invite me someday to make bracelets with them!” The next day I got a similar message from another fellow NCA mom, Lissette, saying that she would like to come talk to this group of women about how to be empowered as women.  And so I did! 

Last Wednesday, Marjorie came and spent over an hour teaching the women how to make simple jewelry. 

Making jewelry may seem like an insignificant task, but I assure you this was very signigicant for these women.  At our next meeting one of the women, Carolina, explained how she went home and showed the key chain she had made to her husband, and he did not believe she had made it.  He questioned her several times before he was finally convinced that she actually had made it, at which point he ran out to show the neighbors the beautiful thing his wife had made.  He even took it to work to show it off to his coworkers. Carolina's smile was contagious as she told us how proud her husband had been of her.

Yesterday, Lissette came to do her presentation about empowerment.  And she was amazing.  It was incredible to hear her, as a Nicaraguan, speak to this group of women in ways that I would love to but can't--in perfect Nica Spanish, with a deep cultural understanding.  She talked to them about the value that they have in Christ, about setting goals and sticking to them, about taking time to celebrate and rest.  And they hung onto every word that she said. 

When she was done, one of the women thanked her profusely for her preaching, and I think that is a very accurate description of what went on that morning.  All of the women in this group face hardship, especially now with the current political and economic situation in Nicaragua, but Lissette empowered them to use their resilience, their quick thinking, and their strength as women to persevere.

At the other ministry that I am involved in, House of Hope, I have often struggled with feeling alone and knowing how to relate to the women there in meaningful ways.  I was sharing these struggles with a friend who offered to start coming with me to provide support.  After coming with me for the first time, she right away said, "I know who I should ask to come and help--Maribel!" Maribel is a godly, wise woman with experience working with a similar population, and best of all, she was ready to jump right in! She has been a huge blessing to me and to the women of House of Hope. 

She teaches these girls with so much love and a deep understanding of God's word.  She prays with them imitately and follows up with how things are going in their lives.  After a just a few weeks of coming, she is already building relationships with many of the girls. 

I am amazed at how God has brought these 3 wonderful, servant-hearted Nicaraguan women to serve alongside me in the ministries that I try too hard to make work on my own.  It is such a great reminder that this is not about me, and that if I just sit back and let God do his thing through his people, it turns out much better than I ever could have planned.