Prayer Walking in L.A.

But really, I went to L.A. The town where CICRIN is located is called Los Angeles and, funnily enough, down the road is Sacramento. My Tuesday morning assignment was prayer walking with four of my team through Los Angeles. Before we left, we stood together and I prayed for God to guide our steps, thoughts, and words. After, we walked out onto the main road past houses, people riding bikes, bus stops, and convenience stores.

About ten twenty minutes in, one of teammates suggested we turn down a down a small dirt road (not that uncommon, most of the roads are dirt). It was beautiful and jungle-like. The road slopped down a great deal and there were many rivets where water flows. The road cut through the ground like a canyon with ten-foot-high walls. Trees hung over the road from the top of the walls creating a tangled, green roof. We passed people on horses and bikes until we ended up at the lake. There was a woman about 100 feet out in the water doing laundry. On Ometepe, they have laundry stations in the lake— tables placed knee deep in the water with a covering made from leaves overhead and washing boards on the table.

We stood for a few minutes looking out over the water and pondering what to do, if we should pray for her from shore or talk to her. Then, out of nowhere, one of my teammates yelled “Hola” (which is funny because she can’t yell and is quiet for the most part) and the woman called back. We asked if we could pray for her and she yes and then began to walk to shore. Although we had just been discussing how we would not be going in the gross, hot, poop filled, muddy water, we all started walking to meet her. We asked how she was and if she had any prayer requests. She told us about her two-year-old son and the hardships of single motherhood. After we prayed, we asked if she needed help with her laundry and we followed her deeper to help.

We talked while scrubbing her son’s pajamas and tiny socks on wash boards made from volcanic rock. She told us about her family and it turned out that is the daughter of one of the cooks at CICRIN. She had always lived on the island and has been living with her mother since her husband left her and her son.

After we finished, she told us we should swim so some of us (not me but I did dunk my head) jumped in.

After that, another teammate wanted to bring some baby clothes to a family we had met a few weeks prior on another prayer walk. The family is somewhat spread out throughout Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and  Miami but the family’s parents and one of their daughters live in Los Angeles. We went to the old couple’s house which they built when they first got married 54 years ago. They have a room in their house where they used to house college students in exchange for money but that has unfortunately stopped because the organization head has been MIA. The old woman, Juana Maria, invited us in to sit and talk with her, her husband Carlos, and her daughter Kenya. She also called for Kenya’s son Sheldon to come talk to the gringas and learn English.

Kenya rocks. She’s currently eight months pregnant and is studying to be a lawyer to work for women’s and children’s rights and be active in the government. I loved talking to her, one, because she speaks slowly and clearly enough for me to understand, and she knows a lot about Nicaragua’s history and current events. I had very much wanted to hear from a native about Nicaragua’s trade, politics, agriculture, history and past war and Kenya delivered. Also, education is important to her, which shows in her son who wants to be an engineer.

I love that we’ve been able to build a relationship with a native family. At least some of our group end up at their house once or twice a week and Juana Maria is always welcoming. And hilarious.  One of my teammates jokingly asked if she would be her grandmother and she replied “Why not?”. She’s also given us relationship advice and when she found out of my teammates is getting married next June, she said she’d book a flight to the U.S.