Worlds Apart . . . part 4.5

Still on day one at House of Hope . . . (don't say I didn't warn you about my numerous posts, hah)

After lunch and hearing Angela's powerful testimony, we got ready for VBS with the kids - the girls who had been rescued, along with the kids of the women who live on campus.

I had never helped with a VBS before, but Talia had put together a fabulous structure for us. The kids rotated through different stations - I helped with crafts, AKA folding boats out of paper :)

I see you cheesin!

I think the spanish word for fold is "doblar." I said it. A lot.

We did VBS with the kids for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours each day in the afternoon (We did this at House of Hope Monday and Tuesday, then at the church in Managua Wednesday and the church in Leon on Thursday) . . . the stations (if I remember right) were crafts, snacks, games, worship and teaching.

I had a scary thought during all of this . . . doing VBS in Nicaragua made me want to volunteer with kids at Summit . . . and I never, ever predicted that thought could/would cross my mind. I'm at least waaaaayyyyyy more open to working with kids than ever before. Especially the preschool age kids - they are just so stinkin' cute and they just stare at you . . . and you don't even have to know much spanish, they like you anyway.

At one point in the afternoon, I happened to look over at the worship station. Christine was playing guitar, singing and jumping with the kids along with Nicole who was also dancing/choreographing. The kids LOVED it - you could see how excited they were and how they were totally into it. Then I noticed Oscar - there he was dancing, singing and laughing with these kids. Oh man. Tears welled up in my eyes as I reflected on this scene. This man who has been absolutely transformed . . . this man who used to be an addict, a hit man, a violent person . . . is now rescuing children, and he's actually dancing with them, filled with the joy of Christ.

I hope I never forget that image. Oh, it was such a precious sight. What a beautiful picture of the Gospel and worship and a glimpse of heaven.

Oscar

I will seriously tell anyone who will listen to me about this man that we met . . . (well sort of - we saw him on campus) who is now the onsite director of House of Hope.

April (founder of House of Hope) briefly told us his story. Oscar came from a very dark and violent past, at one point was a hitman under Fidel Castro . . . then was transformed radically when his life was interrupted by Christ. He now rescues young girls from brothels and brings them to House of Hope. There is a documentary in the making about his life called Hit Man to Hero - and here is more about him:

Hit Man To Hero is the true story of a 47 year old man named Oscar who was born and raised and continues to live in Nicaragua. Oscar experienced terror and hatred in his childhood and was recruited to be a soldier for the Sandinista Army in the 1970s as a young teenager. Filled with rage from abuse and violence in his life, including witnessing his brother being burned alive, Oscar sought revenge. Proud of his accomplishments with the army, Oscar was honored to be sent to Cuba to train for six years to become a General. Returning as a "hit man" for the Sandinistas, he continued to seek vengeance through violence and to search for his brother's murderers, eventually killing one of them. 

Oscar became a drug smuggler, an alcoholic and cocaine addict and experienced the deepest of human suffering. At the very peak of despair, Oscar searched to understand the meaning of God, and found personal strength to not only forgive himself and his enemies, but to self-rehabilitate and leave behind his life of alcohol and drugs. Oscar eventually met an American woman, April, who was on a self-awareness journey stemming from her own experience of abuse. Through this process, April was reaching out to women involved in prostitution in Nicaragua. Today, Oscar, married with three children, works with April to rescue women and children from sexual slavery. Oscar's journey teaches all of us that we have the power in our own souls to find freedom, love and beauty.

Source: http://www.hitmantohero.com/


This man's story is, without a doubt, the most powerful story of redemption I have ever encountered. I cannot get over it. To see God's power blatantly on display in Nicaragua through the stories of the women, Oscar, and the movement of these ministries is huge. Lives are being redeemed and transformed through the power of Christ and it is undeniable. The darkness feels overwhelming, but there is hope . . . God is working.

You can argue a lot of things, but you cannot argue a changed life. I firmly believe that with every fiber of my being.

I still just stand in awe . . . my jaw drops and I want to fall to my knees when I think about the stories and testimonies we witnessed.

When I think about him, I think about the movie Taken. Oscar actually has to communicate with spies who tell him where to go, then raids the brothels . . . wearing a ski mask and breaking down doors to rescue these girls.

It's amazing to see how God is using Oscar's past to save innocent children. Seriously - his past has equipped him for these raids, and for the dangers that he regularly faces in his job. It goes to show you that satan never has the last say . . . God can redeem any, and I mean any situation. The darkest of pasts have not only been redeemed, but are now being used to bring hope and freedom.

I still can't believe that his story is real. I don't think I'll ever get over it.

God has a way of knocking me off of my feet. Yup.

Source: http://houseofhopenicaragua.com

 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
- Romans 8:28

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
- 2 Corinthians 5:17