Light and Salt Ministries (LASM) has a few programs to help meet the needs of the community. One is the boys formation school (see previous blog), one is a sewing program for abandoned and single women, and the last is Mercy In Action, which feeds the elderly. In addition to helping with the formation school, last week I also had the privilege to be a part of Mercy In Action. 

Unlike the US, in Nicaragua if you can‘t bring in money to help the family they don’t think you should get to eat from the families money. Mercy in Action came from a need in the community where the elderly who cannot work anymore are still able to eat. Typically once a week, but with COVID it’s been every two weeks, food is brought to the elderly in the community. We carried pounds of beans, rice, and oil to different people and got to pray over them and encourage them. It was so eye opening. 

The first house we went to, the man who we brought food to lived out behind the house in a shack that was falling down and wasn’t bigger than a port a potty. It was hard to see. The man struggled to come out to get the bags of food. I was shocked at how he was being treated. He cried and talked about how hard things were and my heart broke for him. I prayed for him, but wasn’t sure how else I could encourage him. As we left the house, I was completely silent. How can people let their parents live that way? How am I supposed to process what I saw as we continue to go love on others like this? What else can I do to help? I wish I had answers for the questions, but I don’t. What I do know is while we were there I got to love on people who had been forgotten. I got to tell them Jesus saw them and pray for them, but it doesn’t seem like enough. 

I came on the Race expecting to help others, but it isn’t looking like I thought it would. I’m realizing why we partner with long term missions, to come along side those who live the day to day and help support the efforts they are already doing. People need to know they are cared for and need to hear the gospel.