“Could all that is lost ever be found? Could a garden come up from this ground at all?”
As I sat in worship singing these words by Gungor, my heart immediately went to the broken families that I am surrounded by in this community. Addiction and abuse are such strongholds in this place. Brokenness permeates homes and families.
I have heard countless stories of atrocities committed within families and relationships. I have 
held women in my arms as they sob and recount stories of childhood rape. I have stood beside numerous women as they tell me, without the slightest emotion, how their boyfriend or husband becomes violent when he is drunk. I have listened to stories of nightly beatings, a woman being burned across her chest when her boyfriend threw hot soup at her, a young girl who slept every night for 17 years in a potato sack under her mom’s bed to avoid being raped in her house, or a young pregnant teenager whose boyfriend nearly threw her through the plastic wall of their home. Domestic violence and abuse run rampant in this nation and particularly in this community.
held women in my arms as they sob and recount stories of childhood rape. I have stood beside numerous women as they tell me, without the slightest emotion, how their boyfriend or husband becomes violent when he is drunk. I have listened to stories of nightly beatings, a woman being burned across her chest when her boyfriend threw hot soup at her, a young girl who slept every night for 17 years in a potato sack under her mom’s bed to avoid being raped in her house, or a young pregnant teenager whose boyfriend nearly threw her through the plastic wall of their home. Domestic violence and abuse run rampant in this nation and particularly in this community. A couple nights ago, I was walking down the street with Rosita and Gato going to visit their family. I pass by a neighbor’s home where the grandmother is running towards her daughter’s house screaming at the top of her lungs, machete in hand. She runs into the little tin hut, scoops up her granddaughter in her free arm, and begins shouting at her daughter’s boyfriend that he will NOT lay a hand on her daughter or granddaughter. She holds the machete in her hand letting him know that if he comes near any of them, she will call the police. Rosita whispers to me, “Gema’s boyfriend is drunk again. This happens a lot, but Martina doesn’t let anyone mess with her family.”
My gaze drifts across the street and I see another drunken father lying in the hammock in his yard. He has a 1/2 empty bottle of liquor in one hand, a machete across his chest, and his infant daughter in the other arm. He is yelling at the other men passing by, stirring up trouble. I just wondered how long it would be before his rants brought fighting and violence into his home.
A little farther down the street another drunken man was shouting at people in the streets, throwing things at them, trying to start a fight. His 5 year old daughter runs over and grabs his hand. She follows alongside him as he walks around the house, runs out into the street ranting, and returns home. You can see on her young face that feels a responsibility to protect her dad, to keep him safe. A burden that a child should never have to endure. My heart breaks to see the reality of life for these beautiful women and children.
It seems that this night in particular there are groups of drunken men on every corner. It took me a few minutes to realize the reason: today was the last payday for those working in
the sugar cane fields. They received a pocketful of money and will now be without work for the next 6 months until the planting and harvest season begins again.
the sugar cane fields. They received a pocketful of money and will now be without work for the next 6 months until the planting and harvest season begins again. There are so many factors that contribute the the brokenness in this community. The depth and prevalence of it seem impossible to overcome at times. There are moments, like the other night, when my heart wonders if it’s even possible to see the restoration of family here in Candelaria. I sat singing, “Can all that is lost ever be found? Could a garden come up from this ground at all?” wondering the same thing in my heart. My heart, my dream in the Kingdom, my desire for ministry center around the restoration of family. I sat asking the Lord, “Is it even possible? Here in this place so full of brokenness, addiction, and abuse.” And then come the very next words in the song…
“You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You”
And my heart filled with HOPE. Yes, restoration is possible because my God is a God of renewal and restoration. Change doesn’t happen over night, but it can happen. I see it in the eyes of some of my youth; a real hunger for something better and a willingness to wait for it. As some of them fall completely in love with Jesus they are choosing new life. Some of them will wait for spouses who love the Lord and who love and respect them. Some of them will love their children better than they have been loved. Some of them long for transformation and are willing to work for it.
As my heart filled with this newfound hope, my spirit cried out, “This is something I’m willing to give my life to!” Linda shared a prophetic word with me a few months ago. Part of it was:
“Against that lie, against the bigness of the wound that the enemy left on a people group, I speak the name of El Shaddai [God who is all-sufficient] as a blessing over you, the child who was designed by God and raised up for this task…the calling of God on your life is deeply rooted in the name of El Shaddai. Almighty God triumphantly pits the all-sufficiency of His name against the petty wound that the enemy has magnified and amplified. He is all-sufficient for the wound, for the culture, and for the community that you have been called to, and for you, blessed child of El Shaddai.”
I don’t know exactly what this will mean for my life and my future. I don’t know the steps to take to see this redemption come forth, but I know that it’s the heart of my God. And it’s something that He has planted so deeply in my heart as well. Restoration is coming and, in the Lord’s grace, He is going to allow me to be a part of it. Let’s see where this El Shaddai adventure leads!
Your heart for Candelaria is incredible, and God is using you there to raise up leaders and change the next generation through the youth there. Continue to speak words of LIFE and HOPE over that place. Love you!
Lisa,
I believe so much in my generation. In the ways that God will use us to heal this world and raise up his people.
You are making an incredible difference in the lives of the youth in your community, and they are going to be the change in their world! God showed me this over and over again while I was with you guys.
They are SO lucky to have you as their friend and mentor. Sometimes, such problems seem too massive to have an end. But one person can change a lot. Way more than is conceivably possible. You are changing Nicaragua, one relationship at a time. I love your heart and how passionate you are about the vision God’s given you.
Thank you for inspiring me with this blog, it’s exactly what I needed to read today.
I’m praying that God is blessing you today. You are a warrior!
Wow, what a poignant and disturbing story, so true I know only too well. How heart-breaking. I’m so very glad God has given you this burden for His kingdom in this particular place. God will walk you through the steps He has planned and you will make a huge impact with Him by your side. Jennifer
Continued prayers for you, the mission, and Candelaria!
Well said, friend! It amazes me that God allows us to be part of what He’s doing in this “not-as-it-should-be” world to communicate that in Christ, all relationships are made right. Not just our relationship with God, but increasingly our relationships with others & our environment through the guidance of His Word, the power of His Spirit & the encouragement & help of His people. While we live in between “how it should have been” and “it won’t always be this way,” God can give these glimpses, foretastes, snapshots of His Kingdom, and I see Him doing that in so many different areas in your blogs! How brightly that Good News shines against the hurt & brokenness of sin! We have an amazingly awesome God!
I’ve been behind on reading blogs and Cassidy keeps asking me if I’ve read this one. =) I finally just did, and once again I am filled with joy, hope, and ENCOURAGEMENT as I see God’s work in your heart as you follow HIS heart for restoration!! You are a constant inspiration in my life. Love you, friend!!