My Letter to future Goers:
My husband and I arrived in April of 2021 to Masatepe, Nicaragua thinking that we’d be here for at least the two years we committed to GoCorps. Within the first year, we decided to make our time here indefinite, since we really felt like there was a lot that God wants to continue to do here. We had to learn to be okay with being uncomfortable with things being different than at home and even different than we had expected. We came with the intention to seek after what God wants for our lives and to obey Him in where he would like us to be. We were, of course, away from family and have had a baby since moving here and choosing to be away from family as our son grows up isn’t easy. But, it’s worth it.
I ended up being the manager of one of our initiatives here, a cafe and community center. This is not something I expected to be doing and has pushed me outside of my comfort zone in terms of leadership, conflict resolution, and solving problems. I would encourage everyone to loosen their grip on what you think you may do while being overseas. My background is nutrition, so I never thought that making lattes and mopping the floor would be part of my job here, but that has been an avenue to meaningful gospel conversations.
Another sweet surprise for us is experiencing Christ’s love in a different culture. Our son was born with a genetic disorder, which has led to lots of doctor appointments and has been difficult to navigate. The Nicaraguans around us have come to our house to pray with us and have been the ones to truly believe that God is a miracle worker and will keep Luca healthy. It’s been beautiful to experience the church in a more global sense.
Ask yourself what you’re holding on to and what course you’d like your life to take. Are you willing to let go of financial security and trust that God will provide for you? Are you willing to say goodbye to friends and family and trust God will meet you and give you the community you need? Do you believe that God can use you to further His kingdom and has equipped you with specific talents for a specific place? These weren’t all easy for me to do, but I believe the best place for me to be is where God wants me.