Serving Him in Nicaragua: Eagle volleyball on a mission, Day 3
DIRIAMBA, NICARAGUA – The following is a series of first-hand accounts of Carson-Newman volleyball players and coaches on their missions trip to Nicaragua. Speechless. That was my reaction to our worship tonight (Saturday).
DIRIAMBA, NICARAGUA – The following is a series of first-hand accounts of Carson-Newman volleyball players and coaches on their missions trip to Nicaragua.
Freshman Sara Fairley
Speechless. That was my reaction to our worship tonight (Saturday). A Nicaraguan family came and led worship for our team tonight, and it was hands down the best worship experience I have ever been a part of! I had tears in my eyes towards the end of the first song. I was amazed at the woman singing; her love for the Lord was flowing from her face and through her voice. God was so evident in that room, we all felt his arms around us, loving us, holding us.
Tonight our team grew closer as friends, as teammates and, most importantly, as sisters in Christ. I cannot begin to describe how thankful and blessed I am for being led to Carson-Newman. I pray that we can bring God's love that we felt tonight back to campus and share it with our fellow students. I know in my heart that this trip has prepared the minds and hearts of our team, and no matter the outcome of our season, we have a perfect record in his eyes. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13
Head coach Shannon Mincey shared her experience from the morning's events.
Head volleyball coach Shannon Mincey
We departed from the Hotel and drove to Managua. Our bus drove through the windy streets to the Villa Esperanza. As we stood at the gates of the Villa preparing to walk in, I wasn't sure if I personally could go through this learning experience. The director of Forward Edge shared with us what their ministry was about. It intentionally rescues girls ages 9-18. I am the mother of a 10-year-old little girl and can't even imagine that such a lifestyle exists. My daughter isn't with me in Nicaragua; I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and tell her how much I loved her. There is so much hurt in our world. We are shielded from it at Carson-Newman. This YouTube video tells the story of at-risk girls being rescued from a garbage dump in Managua, Nicaragua. Encouraged by their families, they are transferred to a safe home where they receive the love of Jesus, education, life-skills training, consistent health and emotional care, as well as tools for ending the cycle of poverty in their families. I hope you watch the video and experience with us what God allowed us to experience with such an amazing morning with these girls.
Our players and the girls in the Villa danced and did cartwheels. Senior Angelle Hayes shared how we tend to plan our lives and get everything in our order, yet God's plan is bigger and we should keep Him at our focus. Angelle brought with her to Nicaragua many small wooden crosses with Spanish written on it.
Each player sat with a girl and gave them the cross and drew on paper who Christ was and how important He was. They used pictures to communicate so that the language barrier wasn't so large.
After our visit at the Villa we drove three hours to Matagalpa. We checked into the Hotel Lomas De San Tas. This will be our new home for two nights. There, we were introduced to the Nicaraguan National Team. Kianna Sedlacek, Rachel Harper and Kristen Pickett shared their testimony with the volleyball players. Each spoke of personal experiences and how great God is. We ate dinner with them in the hotel after. A worship team visited our team after dinner and sang with us.
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