CPE is an organization based in British Columbia that emphasizes evangelism that partners North American and national churches. Once we arrived in Nicaragua CPE divided us into groups of four each and we went out to various churches in the Managua area. From there each Canadian was partnered with a Nicaraguan Christian and they were sent to evangelize door-to-door. Each Canadian's testimony was translated into Spanish and read at each evangelistic visit. We were involved in two campaigns, each of which lasted five days.
Managua is a city of approximately one million people. It has survived a major earthquake and a revolution, and presently faces an upcoming election. Crime and violence are serious issues there. It was common to see machine guns around the city. There are different social classes in Managua, but we were struck by the poverty of the majority of the people. There were many homes made from scrap metal or cardboard.
Throughout our stay in Nicaragua, we were tremendously encouraged by the people we were with. They were warm, friendly, and always made time to be with us. Building relationships was important to us as a team. By the time we left Nicaragua, most of us had made some strong friendships.
There were many challenges to face during our time away. Overcoming the language barrier was difficult to say the least. One person on the team explained that it took her two hours to communicate what would normally take five minutes. That extra concentration and effort can be quite tiring after awhile.
Often in cross-cultural experiences it can be the "simplest" elements of life that are the most difficult to adjust to. Eating different foods and adjusting to a more "relaxed" pace of life were some of the issues we confronted. The campaigns themselves were a wonderful opportunity to share our life stories with the Nicaraguan people, and how God had been active. The people we visited received us warmly and listened intently to what we had to say. Many people we visited, just over 1000, made decisions to follow Jesus.
Kerri Schellenberg tells the story of visiting with one man. He listened as she and her Nicaraguan partner shared the good news of Jesus and gave him a Spanish Bible. The man responded by saying that before he had not known where to look to know how to follow God, but now he knew where to look. Kerri writes "The Word of God is powerful and active. One of the most amazing experiences was watching the look of joy transform the faces of those who found new life in Christ."
Many of us are still struggling with how to integrate our missions trip into our lives in a meaningful way. The people of Nicaragua taught us much about giving, living simply and making friendships a priority. I believe that God opened our hearts a little wider to receive more of the grace, peace and truth that only God can give. I also believe that God has challenged us to give in a deeper way than we ever would have imagined previously. Above all, we learned about love. Corwin Thiessen writes: "God showed me that love cannot be bound by culture or language. The love of Christ was clearly evident in Nicaragua, and its power has forever changed my heart."
Ruth Wallace, associate dean of students, BBI