About Me

    I realized that a lot of people have been visiting my bio page and it has been sitting empty for nearly two years. I suppose it’s about time that I write a little bit about myself.

 

 

Background Info: My name is Lisa Smith and I am 29. I am originally from West Virginia where my amazing family still lives. The Lord has blessed me with such a loving a supportive family! They raised me to love the Lord and to have compassion for others. They believed in me and pushed me to run after my dreams. I am incredibly thankful for them! (My family pictured right)

    I studied elementary education and ESL at King College. Then taught elementary school in inner-city Atlanta. I thought I would be a teacher for the rest of my life and then the Lord began to change my plans…

 

Why Nicaragua?: I first came to Candelaria in August of 2008 as part of the World Race. My team and I (pictured left) were here for five weeks with our only instructions being “Live on the land and love the people.”

   I don’t even know how to explain what the Lord did in my heart during those first five weeks except to say that I was absolutely enthralled with His glory displayed in this place and the teenagers here completely captured my heart! (pictured below right with Anthony & Andres, two of the teens that I fell in love with) I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that my heart longed to be in Candelaria and be a part of what the Lord was doing through New Song Mission. I just feel alive here in a way that I had never experienced before!

   I finished the World Race in May 2009 and immediately began selling all my stuff, raising funds, and doing everything I needed to do in order to move to Nicaragua. I have been living here and working with New Song Mission since February 2, 2010. I feel alive here in a way that I don't anywhere else. I love my life with all of my heart and honestly couldn’t imagine doing anything else!!

 

My Role & Heart Here: My role here at New Song is constantly expanding. I am currently overseeing all programs for youth and children.

    I am serving as the youth leader. I teach Wednesday night youth, lead two different small group Bible studies each week, meet together for a weekly time of intercession and worship, and plan Friday night fun activities. (Our youth pictured left at a youth retreat ~ March 2011)

    With the children, I am overseeing a Sunday school program for nearly 200 children here in Candelaria. Our Sunday school classes are all taught by youth from the church. I am teaching the youth and they, in turn, are teaching the children. I am there every Sunday just to oversee, observe, and help the youth to improve their teaching techniques (my way of still putting my education degree to use!). I am also running our Adopt-a-Student program (alongside another long-term missionary). This is an child sponsorship program that seeks to empower children and youth to achieve their dreams and passions by removing barriers that prevent education and open doors for higher education. This program currently serves approximately 300 children in four different villages (Candelaria as well as our outreach villages of La Isla, Santa Matilde, and Nuevo Amanecer). I am in charge of everything on the Nicaraguan side: home visits, writing a short biography of each child, handing out school supplies and uniforms at the beginning of the school year, and meeting with sponsored children and their parents.

    More than anything else, my ministry is relational. While I do have several meetings and Bible studies that I am doing each week, the bulk of my ministry is simply building redemptive relationships within the community. I hang out with teenagers, talk about their lives, have sleepovers at their houses, pray with them, believe in their dreams, and offer them advice as an older sister. I am a surrogate momma to so many children in the village. I am constantly hugging beautiful children and kissing dirty cheeks. I chase them around the church property playing and laughing. I hold them when they cry, I pray over them, I tell them that they are special and valued, I clean and bandage their wounds, I visit them when they are sick, and I love them! I visit homes and build relationships with families eating together, playing cards, and just being a part of one another’s lives. I want to live forth Paul’s words in Galatians 5:6b “…the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself as love.”

    My heart's deepest cry is for the restoration of family. My desire in the Kingdom is to be family for those who do not have one. My long-term dream is to have a home for children that are orphaned, abandoned, and abused.

 

Things I love: JESUS, adventures, hugs, seeing kids know that they are loved, coffee shops and cappuccinos, trying new things, learning Spanish and Spanish pig latins, my family and friends, the beach, teaching Bible studies, seeing my youth walk in holiness, laughing hysterically, my nephew and niece, holding babies, all things chocolate (but especially brownies), sunsets, bromas with Rosita, dancing, berries, worship, sleepovers with my youth girls, surprises, and hearing precious kids shout "Lisa!" or often "Mama!" every time I leave my house or walk the streets of the village