Mission Blog |
A dangerously acute account of 18 months in Nicaraguan Territory.
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Honestly, I want to see you be BRAVE! (Sara Barielles) Quite the interesting week we had, full of interesting stories, interesting people and interesting events. So if you’re interested in these interesting things, please follow your interest to the next paragraph. J
It’s been lovely weather here in Leon, mostly because there hasn’t been a ton of rain, but there has definitely been rainclouds to block out the sun. On a day with such a beautiful climate as this, we were walking along to our next appointment, just like normal missionaries do. We walked past a park area where some boys were playing. We didn’t really take notice of them, that is, until they started throwing rocks at us. When another human being is stoning you, it’s quite difficult to think in that moment, “What would Jesus do?” Fortunately, my companion decided for the both of us and started running. We were not hurt at all (maybe my pride, just a little) and never were in serious danger, but it got me thinking about everything that happened in times of old when people stoned the prophets. I’m definitely not even close to being a prophet, but I am just shocked that someone could lift a stone against a messenger of Jesus Christ, who brings such glad tidings of joy. I wasn’t even calling them to repentance!!!! (at the moment) I guess it’s just a sign that as the world gets more and more wicked, the day of the Lord’s coming is that much closer! Oh how great shall be that day! I realized the other day that almost no one reading these emails would know if I actually can speak Spanish. The answer to that question is…YES! I can! It’s an amazing gift, the Gift of Tongues. It’s a very real thing and I’m so grateful to my Heavenly Father for His help. But just to prove the nothingness of man, I have a story to share. You can usually figure out the significance of a word by the mood and other words in the conversation. So we were talking with this old guy, who was really hard to understand, but I was still getting a lot of what he was saying. It turns out he was a Spanish teacher back in his day. He was telling us that Nica Spanish is really bad grammatically, how the people don’t know anything. “Somos Idios” he said. In my brain: “We are…?” I didn’t understand the word “Idios”. So I kept listening. “us Nicas don’t know how to speak properly. Somos Idios” Once again, here was this word. By the way he was talking and the mood of the conversation, “Idios” could only mean “Idiots”. And he just kept saying it and saying it. Cool. Old man, go ahead and keep calling your own people idiots. As we walked away, I asked my companion how to spell “Idios” so that I could remember it better. She looked at me funny and then laughed and laughed and laughed, finally gasping out that the old man was saying “Indios” as in “Indians”, not “idios” as in “Idiots”. Ay, Ay, Ay, the nothingness of us gringos. Sometimes, I am an “Idio” J Missionary life is hard. There are nasty, stone-throwing children, language barriers, and a million other things to worry about. But I’m so grateful to be here in Nicaragua. I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. I’m changing every day, hopefully becoming a little better than I was. And the best part? I’m learning to love! To love everyone! To love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, to love this life He has given me, and to love every single person he puts in my path. In the words of our beloved prophet “Love is the very essence of the Gospel. Jesus Christ is our exemplar” If we can do nothing else, let us love! Love our God! And Love our Neighbor! With love (haha) Hermana Beatty
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November 2015
CategoriesAuthorhola! I'm Naomi and I love reading, my amazing family, and the color green. |