you have a purpose.

Hola, mi amigos!

I'm coming to you from just outside of Leon, Nicaragua right now. It's sunny, hot, and wonderful. We've been in the country for a week now and God has blessed us so hugely during our stay here. Our first several days, we stayed with a man named Pastor Manolo and his wife, Tonya. He is an amazing man of God who is working in his community to proclaim the Gospel and encourage people to live it out in their everyday lives.

One of the main things that he shares with his people and shared with us while we were with him was that God has a purpose for each of us. God is using us and working in each of our lives. His words full of wisdom blessed each of us. As we hiked up a mountain, he shared with us how our faith journey is much like a hike. Sometimes you're moving quickly. Sometimes you need to stop and take a break. No matter the pace, you overcome and make it to the top because of Christ. We walk together up the mountain as a family, as a Church. We learn and experience and are different because of each step. Christ comes and invades who we are and we can't be the same.

This is one of the many amazing things he shared with us.

I saw this analogy play out first hand with a young woman I talked to from the orphanage named Francis. She is 18 and has been at the orphanage for about 10 years. She told me how the orphanage was good to her, but she'd waited and waited for God to send her a family. Two or three times families tried to adopt her and it fell through. She said, though, that she prayed for years and knew that God was good and had good things for her. He has His purpose in mind. Three months ago, one of the women that runs the orphanage adopted her, her sister, and her brother. She couldn't be more thrilled because she didn't want to leave Jinotega and her new mom. She said her mom was never married or had her own children, but she has become a great mother to many. I thank God for Francis, for her story, for people who love orphans, and for God's purposes that are always unfolding even when we have to wait for them.

Paz,

Shelly