Faithfully following God, by Erik Plato

Our family was excited at the prospect of Holy Spirit’s Mission trip to Nicaragua from the moment we heard about it. We felt called by God to go and act as witnesses of God’s love in a place that desperately needs it. As a result, God has used our journey, and the preparation for it, to teach us many important lessons.

We applied for the boys’ passports in January, but they were not initially given to us. After months of jumping through legal hoops, we were told the passports would arrive a week before our departure date. However, just a week before our flight, the Passport Agency recanted and said the boys would not receive passports. We scrambled and did everything in our power (we even called our Congressman) to get those passports but we failed. Heartbroken can’t begin to tell you how our entire family felt. We prayed that we accept God’s will, even if that meant our boys not going. However, due to God’s grace, the boys were approved for passports at 3:30PM the Friday before our Monday morning flight. Lesson 1: It’s only when we truly give our problems to God and confess we are powerless that we give Him room to work miracles.

We traveled nearly 24 hours and were awake for almost all of it. We arrived at our guesthouse exhausted, dirty, and surprised. The house was much more primitive than many of the missionaries had imagined. There were cold showers, cockroaches, geckos, toilets that wouldn’t accept toilet paper, cramped sleeping conditions, and very hot, humid weather. More than one of us felt like turning around and going home. However, once we slept and came to know the welcoming and loving staff, we viewed this house as our home. Lesson 2: God always provides for our needs, even if we don’t believe Him at first.

Our work was physically exhausting. We were doubled over digging ditches in heat that was more intense than anything we had ever felt. Despite all that, there was always a Nicaraguan next to you doing twice as much work with a smile on their face. They saw that this work was going to bring water to a home that had none. Lesson 3: Rejoice in your sufferings, for even those are a gift from God.

Our visits with the Nicaraguans were emotionally draining. We met people living in conditions so dire, no American would have to experience it. Still, there were smiling eyes and laughter everywhere. They had such joy, the lack of material wealth meant little to them. Lesson 4: The biggest blessings God has given every person on this planet have nothing to do with money or creature comforts.

There are hundreds of stories to tell and thousands of blessings to recount. Every missionary who went has been changed and brought closer to God as a result of this trip. I encourage the parish to ask them about it. We have been blessed with an incredible experience and would love to share it with you. We give our thanks to all of you who helped to make this trip happen. Thank you for sacrificing your time, talent, and treasures. God bless you.