Intimacy In the Jungle

 

Far too much happened to try and fit into one post so over the next couple weeks we will be posting some of the more exciting and memorable events and miracles we experienced on this trip along with some

photo’s and video.

Last Thursday we made it home safe from our trip to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. It

was a powerful time of ministry and refreshing for us.

Each trip out to Nica has brought with it a new view of God and His glory; this trip was no exception.

We knew He was going to be doing something big when we realized we had unknowingly booked our trip to coincide with Shavuot/Pentecost. I’d love to pretend like that was a coincidence but we all know there are no coincidences with God.

If I could sum up this trip in one word it would be “intimacy.”

For me that was the core lesson. Intimacy with friends, intimacy with family and last but certainly not least, intimacy with God.

Intimacy With Friends

Before we left, Victor (Our missionary friend in Nicaragua) had expressed how excited he was to have a married brother coming over so that we could talk and spend some time together. The more I thought about it the more excited I was also.

I don’t have many close friends who are married and believers so it’s nice when you get to spend some time and get real with someone, even if you have to fly for 8 hours to spend that time together.

Most of the trip was jam packed with evangelism, ministry or travel but the last 2 nights we spent at a beach in Nicaragua.

During this time Victor and I went boogie boarding and shared about our marriages, what we’ve been learning in ministry and about life in general. It felt really good to open up and connect like that. I don’t think I had realized how much I needed that time.

Intimacy With Family

This came in 2 parts:

1. Finding ways to connect with my wife during our busy schedule and

2. my mother in-law came with us on this trip and so it was a time of getting to know her and see her be used by God.

First, my mother in-law: Life has been hard for Mama Ana lately. There has been a lot going on that she needed some time to get away from and this was perfect for her. Not only did she spend time as one of our primary translators she also lead a few people to the Lord on her own during our times of evangelism. God also gave me a prophecy for her that changed my personal view of her and helped confirm for her that she is on the right path.

Next, my wife: Vanessa is a huge quality time person. If we don’t make it a point to connect and spend some intentional time together every day she begins to feel it fast. By about the 3rd day of ministry she was feeling neglected.

We went for a walk, just the 2 of us and reconnected.

It reminded me that there is never enough time for everything. You need to prioritize what is important.

Intimacy With God

Finally, there was intimacy with God. This trip showed me the importance of prayer and intimacy with God. This was all stuff I already knew but I was reminded in a huge way about it’s importance.

It is during our times of praise, worship and prayer that we behold the glory of God. It is during these times that we become more like Him, that we are changed from glory to glory.

It is through these times of intimacy with God that we are transformed into the image of His Son. We will never be able to achieve our callings without these times of intimacy. It is through these times that we receive the grace to overcome the world, the flesh and the enemy.