The Calling/La Llamada

When I accepted Christ in 1999, I was heading out the door to begin my life as a College student. While at Adams State College, I met an amazing group of friends who, like me, were all looking to find what it meant to live for Christ. We shared tons of discussions and experiences. We got all fired up and started a church for College Students, and I soon was invited onto leadership for our local Campus Crusade for Christ. We made mistakes, but together as a community we worshipped God in Spirit and in Truth. (John 4:23) our Campus Crusade group went each Spring Break to Xalapa, Mexico, and in my senior year of college, I figured that as president of the group I should probably actually participate in one of these mission trips, although missions had never really grabbed my attention. I had tons of great plans about how I could impact the Mexican people. I was going to being an amazing asset with my Spanish, and I was going to do great things. I. I had a lot of pride in my life, and God chose this week to show me that I can not do anything without Christ who strengthens me. (Phillippians 4:13) It was the worst week of my life. And I decided then and there that I would never go on another mission trip again in my life. But our thoughts are not the Lord's thoughts, and our ways are not His ways. (Isaiah 55:8,9) The following month I felt the Lord start calling me to missions again. I told Him he was crazy, but I started looking into it. In October of 2003, Greg Johnson, the director of Str8way Ministries came to the Campus of Adams State College as a guest speaker. At the end of his "sermon" he mentioned that he was taking a trip to an Orphanage in Masaya, Nicaragua. It wasn't an invitation, but I felt my heart jump, and knew that the Lord was saying, "to this I am calling you Kari." After the meeting, I approached Greg and told him that I felt like I should be on this trip, and he informed me that the trip had been full, but that one person had just backed out, leaving one available spot.
When we arrived at the Children's Home in Masaya, I fell in love. With the kids, with Nicaragua, with missions. (I was already in love with God, but He shared more of His heart with me.) We spent two weeks with the kids and working in the nearby barrio (neighborhood). I had always seen Compassion commercials asking me to sponsor a child, but having lived in middle class America all of my life, I thought they were just making up all of that poverty in order to get our money. I never imagined that it was real, let alone that they didn't even show us half of it. By the end of the trip, I had decided that I would be moving to Nicaragua...
I applied for a job at Nicaragua Christian Academy and was accepted as an ESL (English as a Second Language Teacher). At the point of signing a contract however, I felt that still small voice of the Lord saying to me "Did I tell you go? Or did you decide on your own?" Sadly I had decided on my own. The Lord had not released me yet. I figured He must be calling me to visit short term and to raise awareness in the states. In the following five years, I spent three as a substitute teacher and two years as a fifth grade teacher, visiting the Children's Home at least once, if not twice a year and at the end of the2008-2009 school year, God stirred in me again. "Now."
During these five years, the Nicaraguan government had shut down the Children's Home I had been visiting and we (Str8way) helped move 8 of the youth to a new facility in Diriamba. This is where I would be heading to work. The Lord kept me in this ministry for 8 months. After that time, due to many circumstances, God released me from working in that ministry and led me to a new work He was doing in Diriamba in a barrio called Quebracho...
I have been serving in Quebracho for two years now. For more information on the ministry in Quebracho, please visit the Ministry Areas page...

Cuando acepté Cristo como mi Único Salvador en 1999, yo iba a entrar la vida de una estudiante en la universidad. Durante mi tiempo a Adams State College, conocí un gran grupo de amigos, quienes, como yo, estaban buscando como vivir sus vidas para Jesucristo. Compartimos varios discusiones y experiencias. Nos alegramos por Dios y aun incluso ayudamos a plantar una nueva iglesia para los estudiantes de la universidad. Muy pronto, me invitaron a ser una líder para el grupo local de Campus Crusade for Christ. Nosotros fallemos, pero junto como comunidad adoraremos al Padre en espíritu y en verdad. (Juan 4:23) Nuestro grupo de Campus Crusade fue en un viaje misionero cada vacación a Xalapa, México. Y en mi ultimo ano de la universidad, decidí que como presidenta del grupo, debo que participar, aunque realmente los misiones nunca me llamaron atención. Yo tenía muchos planes de las grandes cosas que yo haría. Yo podía impactar los mexicanos, y yo podía usar mi español para algo grande. Yo. Yo tenia mucho orgullo en mi vida, y Dios uso esa semana para enseñarme que yo no puedo hacer nada sin Cristo quien me fortaleza. (Filipenses 4:13). Fue la semana más peor de mi vida. Yo decidí en este momento que nunca volvería hacer otro misión en me vida. Pero los pensamientos del Señor no son nuestros, y sus caminos son más altos que los de nosotros. (Isaías 55:8,9). El mes siguiente, yo sentí la llamada a misiones otra vez. Yo dije al Señor que era loco, que yo no iba a ser otra misión, pero comencé a investigarlo. En octubre de 2003, Greg Johnson, el director de Str8way Ministries predicó en una reunión de Campus Crusade. Al final, él dijo que iba a una casa hogar in Nicaragua. No fue una invitación, pero mi corazón salto adentro de mi, y yo sabia que Dios me dijo que << Kari, a esto te estoy llamando...>> Despues de la reunión, hable con Greg y le dije que sentí que necesitaba ir en este viaje. Él me decía que solo había un lugar disponible, y que salimos al final de diciembre. Yo me enamoré. Con la gente, con Nicaragua, con misiones. (Ya estaba enamorada de Dios, pero El compartio aun mas de su corazon conmigo. Nosotros pasamos dos semanas con los ninos y trabajando en un barrio que quedaba cerca. Yo siempre habia visto los anuncios por la organizacion de Compasion pero habiendo siempre vivido muy comoda, yo pense que estaban inventando la pobraza para ganar nuestro dinero. Nunca imagine que era la verdad, y que aunsea peor. Al final de este viaje, yo habia decidido que iba a vivir in Nicaragua. Yo aplique, y fue aceptado como maestra de ingles en Nicaragua Christian Academy. Pero antes de firmar el contrato, Dios me reclamo, y me dijo que El no me decia que iba para Nicaragua, que yo habia decidido sola. Por los proximos cinco anos, yo trabaje como maestra en los estados unidos, visitando a Nicaragua por lo menos uno o dos veces al ano. En 2009, Dios me hablo otra vez, y me dijo <<Ahora si>>