What Love Looks Like
What do I say? As I sit here, posting my last blog in Nicaragua, I am at a loss for words. Is it possible to summarize or even express the impact this summer has had on my life? Last night, as I sat in our evening devotional, my throat closed up with emotion as soon as we started singing the song, "God is Love."
Love one another for love is of God,
He who loves is born of God and knows God...
Tears rolled down my face as I thought about all the places my feet have stepped and all the people that my hands have touched. This place has become a home to me, and these people are my family. I could hear Marina calling me her daughter. I could feel Maykeling in my arms, whispering "I love you." I could feel all the tickle-fights and hugs of Jaxarela, Yeslin, and Kimberly. I could hear Efren and Lester singing "I love you in the love of the Lord." I could picture working with Eliud, Jimmy, and Miguel, laughing with them and learning from them. I could feel Alyeri's baby in my arms as I held her in Casa Materna. I saw the smile and heard the laugh of Heilym and Brenda, my sisters and dear friends. I look across the room and see Lacey, Emily, Megan, and Mark - and I think about how many experiences and memories we share as we have served side by side all summer.
God is love, God is love, God is love.
I could hardly sing the words, but my heart beat with every note. What my mouth could not say, my heart shouted. I have seen God in this place because I have seen love. Because of my brothers and sisters in Christ here in Jinotega, I now know what love looks like.
All the people here that I have come to love have welcomed into their homes, into their church, and into their hearts. They have treated me as family by taking care of me both physically and spiritually. They have been so open-handed to everyone, not only to me but to their fellow Nicaraguans. I have watched them work hard, give generously, love endlessly, and serve faithfully. I have been able to serve Jesus beside them as I work with them every day. They have set a beautiful example of what it means to share the grace of God with others.
If there is one thing that I can take away from this summer, it is that I am a part of a beautiful family, the body of Christ, where every member is different, unique, and gifted. Every part is valued by God and valuable to His kingdom. Every brother and every sister has the Spirit of God inside them, shining through them. Spending the summer in Jinotega has opened my eyes to see how beautiful this body is. I now know what love looks like because I have seen the body of Christ.
My family in Christ here in Nicaragua has inspired me to live as a member of the body of Christ wherever I go. Tomorrow, that means Little Rock, Arkansas. Thanks to my brothers and sisters here, I am never the same. I have a new perspective, a new attitude, and new emotions regarding the reality, the vastness, and the beauty of the body of Christ. The result of this revolution is a new lifestyle, and this new lifestyle seeks to show the world what love looks like through everything that I say and do. I no longer know this lesson in my head, I feel it beating in my heart.
To my family in Nicaragua, thank you for showing me what it means to be the body of Christ through the way that you serve me and the people of Nicaragua. Thank you for welcoming me into your family. Thank you for showing me what love looks like.
Love one another for love is of God,
He who loves is born of God and knows God...
Tears rolled down my face as I thought about all the places my feet have stepped and all the people that my hands have touched. This place has become a home to me, and these people are my family. I could hear Marina calling me her daughter. I could feel Maykeling in my arms, whispering "I love you." I could feel all the tickle-fights and hugs of Jaxarela, Yeslin, and Kimberly. I could hear Efren and Lester singing "I love you in the love of the Lord." I could picture working with Eliud, Jimmy, and Miguel, laughing with them and learning from them. I could feel Alyeri's baby in my arms as I held her in Casa Materna. I saw the smile and heard the laugh of Heilym and Brenda, my sisters and dear friends. I look across the room and see Lacey, Emily, Megan, and Mark - and I think about how many experiences and memories we share as we have served side by side all summer.
God is love, God is love, God is love.
I could hardly sing the words, but my heart beat with every note. What my mouth could not say, my heart shouted. I have seen God in this place because I have seen love. Because of my brothers and sisters in Christ here in Jinotega, I now know what love looks like.
All the people here that I have come to love have welcomed into their homes, into their church, and into their hearts. They have treated me as family by taking care of me both physically and spiritually. They have been so open-handed to everyone, not only to me but to their fellow Nicaraguans. I have watched them work hard, give generously, love endlessly, and serve faithfully. I have been able to serve Jesus beside them as I work with them every day. They have set a beautiful example of what it means to share the grace of God with others.
If there is one thing that I can take away from this summer, it is that I am a part of a beautiful family, the body of Christ, where every member is different, unique, and gifted. Every part is valued by God and valuable to His kingdom. Every brother and every sister has the Spirit of God inside them, shining through them. Spending the summer in Jinotega has opened my eyes to see how beautiful this body is. I now know what love looks like because I have seen the body of Christ.
My family in Christ here in Nicaragua has inspired me to live as a member of the body of Christ wherever I go. Tomorrow, that means Little Rock, Arkansas. Thanks to my brothers and sisters here, I am never the same. I have a new perspective, a new attitude, and new emotions regarding the reality, the vastness, and the beauty of the body of Christ. The result of this revolution is a new lifestyle, and this new lifestyle seeks to show the world what love looks like through everything that I say and do. I no longer know this lesson in my head, I feel it beating in my heart.
To my family in Nicaragua, thank you for showing me what it means to be the body of Christ through the way that you serve me and the people of Nicaragua. Thank you for welcoming me into your family. Thank you for showing me what love looks like.
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