This is What I Prayed About

My first week at my new home, Finca del Niño.

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WE HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED!!

After 6 weeks in Antigua and two long days of traveling, Rachel, Teddy, and I have finally arrived at our mission and home for the next two years – Finca del Niño.

Driving into the Finca was a surreal experience – a moment I’ve been thinking about for months. As we drove through Trujillo (the nearby town), I heard Nate send a message to the people at the Finca to go to the *portón* – the gate – to meet us as we arrived. “This is it,” I thought, “this is starting now.”

We arrived at the gate, piled into one of the Finca cars with our suitcases in our laps, and all the children and staff members were waiting for us. As we stepped out of the car, the only thing I could think was, “This is what I’ve prayed about.” Finally, I had arrived at the place I didn’t even know existed a year ago, but which I’ve spent the majority of this year thinking about and praying for.

The community greeted us with donuts, juice, and a welcome sign that brought tears to my eyes. At first, I didn’t know what to do – I was nervous and shy to talk to all the strangers around me. Pretty soon, though, a game of tag broke out on the playground equipment with the kids. I was out of breath from chasing the little ones up and down and around the equipment. They would call out to me “Abuelita!” and laugh (that nickname stuck around for the next few days; we’ll see if it sticks for the rest of our time here).

Games of tag and races around the *campo* (the soccer field) have broken out several times this week – they’ve been my favorite moments. Filled with laughter, tickling, and kind-hearted teasing, it’s in these moments with the kids that I know I’m where I’m meant to be.

What I’ve Been Looking For

The rule for new missionaries at the Finca is that they cannot be alone with the kids for the first two weeks of orientation. After that, we’re free to stop by their houses, take them to the beach, and generally spend time with them without Nate present! This week, we spent most of our days in orientation meetings with Nate, learning about the rules and policies of the Finca. It’s been a lot of information and a little overwhelming, but it also makes me excited to start day-to-day life at the Finca!

Nate is a *gringo* and the service coordinator at the Finca. He’s been a missionary here for 3 years and has built an incredible community. His number one advice to us has been to always love the person in front of us, no matter what we have going on. And he sets such a great example of this – everywhere we go, around the Finca or in the nearby town, kids and adults are always calling out and greeting him. We always stop to chat for a few minutes and introduce ourselves. I’m excited to form relationships like this over the next two years!

I won’t start teaching until February when the new school year begins, but my days until then will be filled with plenty of other tasks! There are always chores to do around the missionary house – Casa Santa Teresita – or meals to cook. In addition, there are other programs at the Finca that I’ll be helping with, one of which is PAVI, a program aimed at preparing kids for life outside the Finca. In my free time, I can take the kids to the beach, spend time with the Tías or maintenance team, or visit the nearby town. There never seems to be a shortage of things to do here!

I’m not going to lie, this first week has been full of physical discomfort – bug bites, sunburns, exhaustion, you name it. At least once a day, I think about how nice air conditioning, an iced coffee, or a washing machine would be. But I also know this is the life I’ve desired. I know the Lord has been calling me to detach from my creature comforts and distractions. At the Finca, He is showing me what I really need, what I’ve truly been looking for – Him, and Him alone.

Beach Time!

As a farm girl from small-town Iowa, I had some nerves about living next to the ocean (the ocean is literally my front yard!). But once I arrived, I was in awe of its beauty – the endless water, the sound of crashing waves, everything. On our second night here, Teddy, Rachel, and I went for a night swim. This was only the third time I’d ever swam in the ocean. The water was warm and shallow, and the stars were breathtakingly brilliant. There was so little light pollution that we could literally see the Milky Way. To say I was in awe of the Lord’s beauty in that moment would be an understatement.

The kids had this week off from school because of the national holiday – Semana Morazánica. So, on Wednesday, they all went out for a beach day! I chatted with the girls, played football with the older boys, and pulled the younger kids around on a surfboard. I’m beginning to understand more and more what being a missionary here means – at times, like this one, it’s just being present to play, talk, and have fun. My Spanish is still improving, so I’m not always able to communicate or understand very well, but I’m learning how love is communicated without words – sometimes just through actions or by being present.

I was tuckered out (and sunburned) after a couple of hours at the beach, but the kids were there for almost the entire day! Pray for me that I’ll have the energy to keep up with them!

Spiritual Life

Spirituality is one of the most important pillars at Finca del Niño. Every day, we’ve had some sort of spiritual event in the chapel – La Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia. Central American worship is a little different from North American worship. There’s a lot more singing, call-and-response, and group prayer. I’m falling in love with it. There’s something so incredible about singing together loudly with all the kids, staff, and other missionaries. The Hondurans all have the hymns memorized, while we missionaries are frantically flipping through the hymnal to find the songs!

My own personal prayer has been all over the place. Like in Antigua, when I arrived, I would ask the Lord, “What do you want from me now that I’m here?” At times, it’s been hard not to feel overwhelmed by doubt and anxiety over my level of Spanish, my place in this community, and my role at the Finca.

On our first Sunday here, we watched a play by the kids about the life of Saint Francis. In the middle of this performance, I was struck by the presence of the Lord’s hope here. The Finca is full of people who have experienced suffering in their lives, no matter how short they’ve been so far. But here, in this place, there is so much joy – more joy than I’ve encountered in almost any other place. This seems counterintuitive, yet it’s a testament to the joy and hope of the resurrected Jesus. I realized that in my own life at the Finca, there is no reason to fret or feel hopeless about my Spanish or my place here, because in the Lord, there is hope.

Serving at this mission is what I prayed about for months; the Lord promised to change my heart and my life here. And the Lord always delivers on His promises; with Him, there is always hope.

Nate, Teddy, Rachel, and I in the Finca Chapel - La Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia