Guest Blogger: Susan Nesper
I’m Susan Nesper and in the summer of 2014, I went to Nicaragua for seven weeks to serve God through a ministry called Twelve Churches as an intern. Before I left for Nicaragua I was nervous and excited about what God was going to have me do, living in another country, and being away from my family for seven weeks.
The first week, I had the opportunity to serve alongside a group of youth and adults from my church that I had traveled with. This made the transition easier for me. I remember the first night in Nicaragua; our whole group went to one of the Twelve Churches.
We piled into the church and were welcomed by warm faces, hugs, and kisses. After a time of worship and hearing the sermon, the pastor wanted some people from our group to speak. Eduardo, one of the adults from my church, told me I should be one of us to speak.
Right at that moment I felt the feelings of “I can’t do that” or “I have nothing good to say,” yet at the same time I felt God pushing me to just have the willingness to say “YES!” at that moment. So I went up in front of the small congregation and spoke in English because my Spanish is not that great HAHA…and someone translated what I said. The reason I mention this moment is because God wants us to be willing to say yes to what He asks us to do even when we are scared or not sure we have much to offer. Trusting God and willing to go and do what He asks is the biggest lesson I learned in Nicaragua. 
After the mission team left and the other intern Rachel arrived. We worked alongside Aaron, the youth coordinator, for the remaining time. Every day was a new chance to meet different people from the Twelve Churches and hear their stories. Twelve Churches serve lots of children, so we got to spend most of our time ministering to them. We would have days where we helped to serve food to the local children of each of the twelve churches. Before eating, we would spend time telling a bible story and singing songs, such as, “Father Abraham”. The children loved having us there to play with, braid hair, or even just take pictures. These children just wanted to be loved and have someone to laugh with them. Oh man, do they love to laugh, especially when Rachel or I tried saying something in Spanish and it was bad LOL!!
In the afternoons, the three of us (Aaron, Rachel, and myself) would have dance practice or teach the English classes. Aaron is a brilliant dancer and God uses his dancing to bring children to the church. It was beautiful to see how Aaron used his talent of dancing to connect with the children and to minister to them. The English classes were a great time to hang out and become friends with the youth from Aaron’s church. Rachel and I become very close to them. When I think back to my time there, it amazes me how God used our individual stories and struggles to encourage the youth we met there. Regardless of the language barrier, nothing stops God from doing Hid work and showing His love.
One of my favorite things about Nicaragua and the people I encountered was how they served God. They showed me that they put all they have into serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When presented with an opportunity from God, they ran with it. Saying yes and have the willingness to trust God was so evident in His servants in Nicaragua. God is inviting us to be a part of His perfect will and His kingdom. He wants to use us when God invited you to say YES! And know that Jesus is by your side through it all
