The Bread of Life

Sorry for taking so long with this one. It happened a while back, but I really wanted to share it with everyone because it has touched my heart and grown me in my love for Jesus and my understanding of the Gospel. If you've seen a change in me lately, the reason is written below. Thank you, Jesus, for never letting me go...


Dan Clark is one of the members of the team we helped lead in August. He graciously recounted the story for all of us involved, and I added some parts to clarify what had been spoken in Spanish. Thanks, Dan!


On Saturday, August 6, 2011 everyone was given a choice to go to the Laguna, Zipline or participate in a ministry opportunity. Deann, Pam, Brett, Jacque and I chose to do ministry. After lunch we discussed the various groups of people to reach out to and different ideas on how to do that. Then we prayed for God to guide us to the right people and the right place. We also prayed for God to prepare the hearts of whomever with whom we were lead to share the truth.

We decided through God’s leading to go to the park and make balloon animals on the steps of the gazebo to provide opportunities to share Jesus with children in the area. We sat down and began to make the balloon animals. Kids quickly gathered and were really excited. A couple of the kids got a little demanding and had a hard time keeping their hands off the balloons and pumps. One of these kids was the one with whom I felt the need to share Jesus.
So with the help of Jacque translating, I began to ask him what he knew about Jesus. During this conversation he seemed distracted, but another kid seemed like he was really listening. I continued to tell them about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and what it meant for them, asking what they knew about Jesus, which turned out to actually be a lot. As Jacque and I spoke to these boys, Deann noticed some boney knees poking her in the back and turned around to see two skinny young boys inhaling glue out of baby food jars. One boy was ten years old, and his name was Francisco, and the other was 12 years old, and his name was Oscar. When she noticed this, she asked Jacque to translate a few sentences for her about how Jesus loved them and wanted to be their friend. As this was happening we gave the boys balloon animals, and Francisco was making crude gestures with his balloon. Then Deann asked me if I wanted to say anything to them, but I was at a loss for words. I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing these young kids high on this glue. We asked Jacque if she had anything she wanted to tell them.  She also, at first, was at a loss for words. Then she began sharing a little bit about how Jesus is the Bread of Life and how we were there to share that Jesus could give them so much more than bread to fill only their stomachs, how God sees them and how He didn’t plan it this way for them, how much He loves them and wants good things for them. All they could respond with was, “I’m hungry.” She went further to tell them how this glue was robbing their minds and not giving them anything, and even then, they couldn’t see past their hunger to understand that what we were giving them was so much more than the single thing they found in their glue. Then Jacque fell to a loss of words. What more could we say to convince them that glue was not the answer, that Jesus really is everything they need? So Jacque and I decided that we weren’t going to be able to share God’s Truth with these boys until we showed them we cared about them and loved them by feeding them. They couldn’t understand the bread of life until they had bread in their hands and their stomachs. We were desperate to find some way to make it clear: there is more for them in God’s plan. At this point we walked through the park looking for bread but didn’t find any. We knew if we brought food over we would not have enough to feed the entire crowd of about 20 kids that had gathered, and it would have caused a frenzied mob. So we decided through God’s leading to take Francisco and Oscar to another location where we could get them food and talk to them with less distraction. As we were leaving I noticed two skinny older kids, Fidelia and Ernesto, at the bottom of the steps inhaling glue as well (I believe Deann, Brett and Pam noticed them earlier). Fidelia told us she was pregnant (she appeared to be about five months along). Fidelia, Ernesto, Francisco and Oscar walked with us about a block and a half away to a porch of what looked like an abandoned building, which we later realized was the side of a school.

As we arrived at this porch, Francisco immediately laid down on a piece of cardboard, making it seem as if this were his home.  I remembered that morning we had eaten breakfast at a nearby restaurant that was owned by Claudia, a Christian friend of Don and Jacque, so Deann, Brett, Pam and I stayed with the kids while Jacque went to get four plates of food from Claudia. When she was gone Deann led most of the conversation with the Spanish she knew. I was amazed at how much she was able to communicate with them.   

We were able to figure out that Francisco and Oscar were brothers and Ernesto and Fidelia were boyfriend and girlfriend. We also found out that Francisco and Oscar came from Managua on a bus because they heard about the glue.  They all told us that they lived on the streets.  A couple minutes before Jacque returned three other kids had gathered.  When Jacque arrived she asked Francisco, Oscar, Ernesto and Fidelia if they would share their plates of food with the other boys. Ernesto took this news well and began to distribute the food.  He gave Fidelia her own plate because she was pregnant.  Everyone else had to share, but Francisco refused to eat because he did not have his own plate and immediately pulled out his glue and began to inhale it.

 

 

Oscar, who was supposed to be sharing with Francisco was, at first,  shoveling his food in his mouth with his fingers.  When he was a little more than half way done with the plate, Ernesto took it from him and tried to give it to Francisco.  Francisco smacked the plate to the ground and rice and beans spilled onto the dirty porch.  Ernesto and Oscar frantically began scooping it off the filthy ground and into their mouths.  As we were watching this happen, Deann, Brett, Pam and I began to break down and cry. During this time Jacque was telling the kids about how bad the glue was for them and that God had a better plan for their lives. She told them that using glue was not filling their stomachs and was robbing them of their lives, that it was a lie of the enemy and that it was stealing their lives from them. She pleaded with them to give up their glue, sharing that just that morning she had helped a man in their church who used a lot of glue, how he couldn’t even do things that were easy because glue had robbed him of his brain. She told them again that God sees them and cares about them, and she asked if they knew what the Garden of Eden was and if they knew how it used to be perfect but now it is like this, Sin is in the world and is robbing the lives of the ones God loves. God wants a good life for them, and Jesus made it possible to have a life full of goodness, not lies, of freedom from sin. She asked them, “Do you want a good life?” Ernesto and Oscar said yes. But when she asked Francisco, he yelled, “NOOO!”, and Fidelia said, “I just want to be dead.” We were saddened by the responses of the second two, but we trusted in God’s timing to work in their hearts and bring them to His freedom. Then she asked if they wanted to know Jesus personally and if they knew what that meant, that Jesus could free them and teach them and lead them. Again, Oscar and Ernesto said yes. Oscar repeated a prayer lead by Jacque to accept Christ (Francisco repeated a few words of the prayer).

 

 

Ernesto seemed very interested in what Jacque was saying and had many questions.  Soon he prayed out loud on his own to accept Christ, admitting that he sinned and knew that it was separating him from God. Jacque continued talking to them, telling them that now that they were free in Christ and part of God’s family, they needed to be part of a church family, a community to encourage and support and teach them. She said that she went to a church named El Puente and invited them to come to church the following morning, or at least to be part of some church body. She said she would meet them at this porch at 8 o’clock and walk with them to church.  Oscar and Ernesto agreed, but Francisco yelled “NO” very loudly.  We knew after sharing the Truth that we should pray and trust God that He would continue the work. 

The next morning after breakfast Brett, Pam, Jacque and I got together to pray for God’s guidance and continued work in these kids’ hearts.  Jacque felt the Lord leading her to ask the kids to give up their glue before going into church with a promise to give it back later after service, and she asked us what we thought about it.  I told her I thought it would be difficult for the kids to want to give up their glue before church, and it would be very difficult for her to give the glue back after church, but if she felt that was what God was leading her to do that is what she should do.  So Jacque decided she would indeed ask the boys for their glue before service. We prayed that God would draw these kids to the porch where we said we would meet them.  I prayed that the boys would be willing to give up their glue before church service and that they wouldn’t want it back after the church service.  Josh, Kristen and Stephanie (from Colorado) joined us as we headed to the meeting place. 

We arrived a few minutes after 8 o’clock but no one was waiting for us.  Immediately Pam began to pray and ask God to draw the children to us.  Then we all began to pray.  Brett prayed God would direct our steps if we needed to go somewhere to find them.  It was time to leave to head to church, but I felt God leading us to make a walk through the park first.  So we headed for the park and about halfway through the park, I spotted Francisco in the road.  As we got closer we saw Oscar and Alex (one of the kids who shared a plate of food).  Francisco and Oscar wanted to come to church, but Alex was sick and had a headache, so he did not want to go.  We prayed for Alex.  Jacque asked Francisco and Oscar for their glue, and they immediately reached in their pockets and handed it to her.  She put the glue in plastic bags and wrote their names on the bags and put it in her backpack.  Then we started walking to church and Oscar and Francisco seemed willing and almost excited to come with us.  When we arrived at church we found some seats and Pam, Brett, Jacque and I sat next to Oscar and Francisco.  Charles, the pastor at El Puente, came over and greeted the boys making them feel very welcome.  As worship started a boy came and sat on the other side of Francisco.  Oscar and Francisco clapped their hands to the music and seemed happy to be there.  After worship it was time for children’s church, so Oscar and Francisco got up and went with their age group.  After that, we had to leave to get on a bus to the airport to catch our plane home. 

A few days after we got back from Nicaragua Jacque shared this update:

"I know you guys are dying to hear the rest of the story, and there's so much more to tell! I'm trying to get some time to write it all down so you can bask in the joy with me! It's a slow go, for sure, but God showed that His eyes and hands were over all of it. The short version is that the boys were welcomed into our church by Jessie (the translator from Ometepe), and many others. They both learned the memory verse from Luke 10:27 and earned a bracelet each, which Francisco was SO proud to earn and receive encouragement for learning. Charles, our pastor and boss, and Mario and Jessie all sat down with the boys and told them they were always welcome at El Puente but their glue has to remain outside and that they need to leave the glue behind if they are entering into a new life with Christ. I gave them the option to give me their glue to get rid of after the service, but they quickly took it back and put it in their pockets....so the road goes that is narrow and hard for many to walk. We are still reaching out to them and even brought a new family to church on Wednesday when I went to get the boys for Bible Study. The boys weren't there, but God just kept the door wide open for more to come.
 We're praying as a ministry about how to reach out to the boys because they need a lot of special care, more than we have the capacity to give at El Puente, but we are praying about being a flow through to get them to a rehab center that is actually out on Ometepe, or one here in Masaya or Granada. Crazy, right? Please be praying for direction.God's amazing, isn't he? I have been so moved by His work this week. Always with us, never allowing us to be alone, even giving more than just himself, a whole church to welcome them in. Amazing. I'm working on getting the whole thing written up so everyone can share in it. Thank you for praying! Thank you also for sharing all the glory that God has arranged for himself. It's incredible. Thanks for being a strong prayer team for us here!!! Love you guys!"

 *Through that Sunday, God blessed me (Jacque) to see Him work in the hearts of two of the toughest little girls in our church: our neighbor Ingrid and her friend Fernanda from El Puente. Both had their hearts broken and God showed me the hope of His glory in His ability to reach the compassion He has placed within each of them, Ingrid in her compassion for me when I was crying, and Fernanda in her pleading with the boys to quit sniffing glue and in inviting them to her school. Both are the most challenging people I have encountered in need of so much love, and yet God showed how simply He could make His way into their hearts and win. What a blessing as we live and work with these girls and attempt to show them God's love and raise them up.*

I feel like because of this experience I was able to understand how Jesus’ heart aches for us when we look to other things to satisfy our needs when He is all we need.  Just like my heart ached when I saw these boys trying to satisfy their hunger with this glue. That is why it is so important to share the Truth so they know they have someone who can satisfy their needs and carry their burdens.  Jesus is so much better than anything else we look to for satisfaction.

It is no small task to break the chains of addiction. I have to say that this story is very much still in the process of God’s unfolding, and that it is now, more than ever, that we need to lift up our swords and shields and fight the battle. This story is not a light and fluffy one. Granada is ridden with addictions and struggles and spiritual need. They are strongholds that need to be broken. We need to know that entering into this work is no light task, that the road since has not been easy. Sacrifice for another’s sake is required. I found out I had lice just a few days later and came to the living realization of what a sacrifice it is to come to others living in poverty—poverty of things, poverty of spirit, poverty of encouragement—and just BE with them. There are things you have to give up that you wouldn’t have to if you just stay away. I have become so aware of the battle and have found myself in so much need spiritually since this story took place. I have begun to understand the sacrifices of giving fully of yourself to God for the sake of the lost. I have been afflicted with spiritual struggle that has required me to tear down lies and put up Truth in my mind, a struggle I thought had passed. God is showing me that our struggle on this earth against the rulers of this world is not over, except that by the power of Jesus, we have everything we need for life and godliness. God has given us everything we need. We are living a good life, not a life full of things or pleasures, but a life FULL of Him, His glory, and His excellence.