God Moved in Ways We Didn’t Expect | Elliana Norton & Joel Amancharla

During spring break, a group of Northwestern students partnered with OneChild and traveled to Nicaragua on a missions trip to serve kids. God worked in ways they did not expect.

In this episode, hear from Elliana Norton and Joel Amancharla (current UNW students) as they share memories and takeaways from this life-changing trip.

The lessons they learned are powerful reminders for all of us: simple obedience, intentional presence, and a willingness to show up can create space for God to work in meaningful ways.

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💬 Know an alum, faculty member, staff, or student of UNW doing amazing things out in the world? Let us know at alumni@unwsp.edu. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:02

Join as we highlight the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern. This is the Unwavering Podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:24

Hey everybody, this is Monty and Cassie. And welcome to a pulse episode of the Unwavering Podcast. And today we have not one, not two, but three guests. We have Brett Heider, our VP for Student Experience, and two current UNW students, Joel Amancharla and Eliana Norton. And we have the chance to hear from them about a recent trip that they took over spring break. So this is gonna be a great episode, and we're excited for you to be here with us. Um you just got back from Nicaragua, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:05

We did. Great trip. Are you sunburned? You know, I'm over it. The UV was 13. Kids love this UV number, and it was 13 at the beach, which is pretty awesome. I don't even know what that means. I don't either.

SPEAKER_05 1:17

What's Minnesota?

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Two.

SPEAKER_05 1:19

Oh, wow. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

One.

SPEAKER_05 1:22

Okay. I feel it.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Well, congratulations on your now tan. It looks great. Thank you. Um well, you all just had a chance to take a trip here over spring break and go serve in Nicaragua. And um, in just a second, we get to hear from a couple students that were on the trip with you. Um, but can you tell us uh what is the vision behind Northwestern spring break missions trips?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

So these came around because A, it's awesome to travel. It's great to get out of the state of Minnesota in the spring. And uh students when I got here two years ago, students were making it very clear that they wanted service. They wanted opportunities to go out in the community and uh around the world to make a difference. And so um, when you look at our mission statement, if we want to produce graduates who can impact the home church community and world, we have to give students opportunities to do that. By 2030, our goal is that every student can graduate from here having served in some capacity, whether it's here locally, which there's tons of need, or uh embarking on one of these intercultural trips. And uh those are just super fun, which we'll talk about in a second. But I think that the Bible makes it clear and we see it firsthand when we're on the ground, is that the the harvest is plentiful and there are a lack of people that want to go do it. And so uh if we can instill a heart of service with our students, I think that's a win. And the trips or spring break tend to be further away from campus, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:42

Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Correct. They are currently uh we we took two this year. One went to the uh US Mexico border, which was timely, and learned kind of a Christian perspective on immigration and all of the pieces that are playing into that complex topic. And then uh we took a group back to Nicaragua for the second straight year. Northwestern Media has a cool relationship with one child, and they have a satellite spot in Nicaragua, and it's been great to work with the local church there and impact students, young, young students there. Oh, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 3:11

And why why is it important that students not just step up and learn how to serve in our local community, but also to step out of our normal environment to serve?

SPEAKER_00 3:21

You think a little bit about the things that break Jesus' heart. And sometimes you can see that in your typical day-to-day, and sometimes you have to remove yourself from the day-to-day. Um, and if we want to care deeply about the things that Jesus cares about, sometimes you have to go somewhere and experience it firsthand. And for our students, uh, many of whom had not been out of the country before, seeing life in a third world country changes the way they think about their life in a in a positive way, right? The goal was never is never to uh make students feel like they're guilty of something. It's to for them to come back and feel like they've been empowered to to do something in their lives with their faith and with the means that they have.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

That's good. I resonate with that a lot. I know like in the trips that I've taken, it's like a disruption where you're you step out of your normal environment and it causes you to focus your attention differently. I know when we had when we had Dr. Teez in here, he likes to do that in his classes. In each class session, is do something to disrupt what the students are used to, and then there's a uh deeper level of learning and engagement. Sounds like that is one of the parts of getting out of your normal environment, right? What is your hope as you know in leadership with student experience that the students actually experience on this on these trips, like at a deep level?

SPEAKER_00 4:36

A few things. One, exposure. We want to expose students to the world. I've already mentioned that. The second thing is um it's not to say that works save you, but there is something about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when you are when you're in a classroom, you're in chapel, and you are here at this beautiful campus and you're getting filled up day after day after day. The natural inclination of your soul should be to give some of it back. And so that's really the the heart posture we want students to graduate with is this ability to like go back to their homes and start a life of, man, how do I take in? But how do I give out um to some degree even more than what I take in? That's how Christians should live. That's good.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

It's like compelled. Two words already, and this disrupted and compelled. Right. So last question, Brett, uh, before we actually have a chance to talk with a couple students that were on the trip with you. Um how have you seen these trips shape students when they come back to the normal environment, when they come back to campus?

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Gosh, it's the coolest thing. And I'm excited for you to hear from Joel and Eliana because um they actually went last year and their hearts were so shaped by this random third world country in Central America that they wanted to go back to Nicaragua. And I would say most people who are listening are never going to go to Nicaragua, and it doesn't have to be that place. The the posture that we love seeing when we come back is just a recognition of what God's doing all over the world, that we are just a grain of sand in the grand scheme of it. And I think the coolest takeaway from both of these trips is just show up. Just bring yourself and students realize that they don't have to be trained in any particular thing. If they just are obedient and show up, God can do cool things through them. Oh, come on. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_05 6:19

Nailed it.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Nailed it. Um, Brett, thanks for thanks for joining us. And I know if for you listening, if you're a a student, a current or prospective student, uh, hopefully this episode will encourage you to think about going on a trip like this in the future. And if you're an alum, um, hopefully this episode and this conversation is inspiring for you to remember to get out of our normal environment and to serve as well. So let's let's kick Brett out of the studio. Let's get these students in here.

SPEAKER_06 6:43

All right. So now that we've kicked Brett out, we can really get into it. Thanks for joining us today. Um, can you give us some quick introductions? Give us your name and your major and why you chose Northwestern.

SPEAKER_07 6:55

Yeah, my name is Eliana. Um, I'm an early childhood education major. And I chose Northwestern really because that's just where I felt the Lord was calling me. Wasn't necessarily what I had planned, but the Lord really led me here.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Uh my name is Joel, I'm in Charla. I am a biblical and theological studies major. And uh I chose Northwestern because my mom told me to go here. Uh yeah, shout out mom, because uh I love it here. It's my favorite place in the world, and I'm blessed to be here.

SPEAKER_06 7:23

It's awesome. So you went to Nicaragua, which we'll get into, but what made you decide to go on this trip?

SPEAKER_07 7:28

Well, I went last year. So for me, it wasn't even really a question about whether or not I'd be on the trip, but just like it's I don't think I've felt more joy and purpose than I have in Nicaragua. So it wasn't really a question in my mind. Yeah. What made you choose to go the first time? I've always really had a heart for missions in that way and always wanted to do something like that. And so I was just really thankful that Northwestern had the opportunity to go. I had been praying about an opportunity to do something like that for a long time. And so I feel like the Lord had just really opened the door for that trip. Awesome. How about you, Joel?

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Kind of a similar thing to Eliana's, where this year I was just, I was sure I wanted to go. Me and Brett had been talking about it all year, scheming and dreaming. But first year, it was a really special opportunity because I I just had this revelation in my life that, like, in college, we're so busy, we're so caught up working and doing school and all these awesome things that are blessings. But we also don't do a lot for others. We do so much for ourselves. And I was like, Lord, I want to do something for you and for somebody else. And then I get this little notification on my UNW that says there's a spring break uh mission strip meeting. And yeah, showed up, heard about it, and was just sold from the first moment and so blessed to be able to go.

SPEAKER_06 8:40

That's awesome. So you went to Nicaragua. Where in Nicaragua did you go?

SPEAKER_01 8:45

So we love this spot. It's a little city in the mountains called Hinotega, uh, which is from a farming community in I I would say northeastern Nicaragua. Uh, so that's where we were for the first half of the trip, and the second half of the trip we spent in the capital city of Managua in kind of the suburbs around it.

SPEAKER_06 9:01

Sweet. Okay, so this was your second year. Did your expectations change from the first year to the second year, Iliana? What were you expecting the first year you went?

SPEAKER_07 9:11

I don't think I really had any expectations the first year, just because I had never done something like that before, so I just didn't know what to expect. And so this year I had a lot of expectations with how I thought it would go and how I thought I would feel based on the first trip, and it was very different than I was expecting. Oh, interesting. Yeah, just a lot of questions I didn't know I'd be asking, and just even like the trip itself was just very different than the first year. But the Lord has used that in so many ways, and I'm really thankful.

SPEAKER_06 9:45

Sweet. Well, I hope we get to hear more about how your expectations changed and what you learned while you were there. Joel, how about you? What were your expectations?

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Yeah, first year had basically none. We met like one time and we're like, all right, we're going. Uh, we didn't know much. It was kind of a just a brainstorm project that we all were passionate about and jumped on and it happened. And it was so sweet going in with no expectations. And then yeah, this year uh was expecting the Lord to do some big things because that is the power of our God. Uh He loves, He delights to use simple people like us. Uh, and he absolutely did, like Eliana said, not at all in the way I expected, but he absolutely did do some amazing things on this trip. So I'm excited to get into it.

SPEAKER_06 10:27

Joel, can you tell us what was the goal? What what kind of work did you do while you were there?

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Yeah, absolutely. So we partner uh with OneChild, which is an organization that does child sponsorship uh similar to Compassion International, for those who know of that. And our goal is just to serve kids there. So we uh volunteer at local churches where One Child operates what they call their hope centers, uh, which is basically an afterschool program that tries to meet the needs of impoverished kids. So they're providing uh spiritual education, English education, they're providing medical care, uh, nutrition, exercise, uh, and just emotional well-being to these kids through relationship. And so we get to go there and partner alongside them, feed them a meal, we get to lead a little worship, maybe give a message, uh, get absolutely destroyed by them in soccer because they're just so much better than us, uh, the little six-year-olds are running circles around us. Uh and the goal is just to be present, I would say is the goal. There's there's lots of teams out there who are going to help build things and feed people, and those are all awesome. And uh, our heart behind this trip is just to be present uh and to show them that someone's willing to come across the world and and sit with them and be present and show the love of Jesus in that way. So, what is life like for those kids?

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Like, how is that different, like how life would be like for kids here at home?

SPEAKER_07 11:41

Yeah, it's crazy because even being there, we see like we did a couple home visits and gotta go see how they live, and their homes are slabs of like wood and there's cracks in between them, and they have dirt floors and electricity, but it's like really sketchy, just like there's wires everywhere, and some houses have plumbing, some don't, and so it's just very different than here. And yet they have so much joy, and it's crazy because we have so much here and not a lot of joy, and they have so little and they're so happy, and it like that was yeah, always impacts me every time I've been there, just really impacted me just to see see their joy.

SPEAKER_06 12:26

It's really special. Um, so I'm sure lots of great connections were made while you were there with those kiddos and their families. Can you share a moment when you saw God at work? Maybe it's the the same moment or you have different moments, but we'd love to hear just what you saw and how God worked through it.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Yeah, absolutely. I can share. Uh this is kind of a random moment. Uh Eliana, I'll probably share a little bit more about the work that we actually did. But just one of those cool things that only happens on Christian missions because of the Holy Spirit, because we have this unique connection between us all that nobody else in the world gets to partake in. Uh, special things can happen anytime, uh, even over breakfast. And so one morning, Brett, being his usual optimistic self, comes downstairs and he's looking at Josie, who has had just the roughest week ever. Shout out, Josie. Shout out, Josie. Um and and looked at her and said, Josie, are you ready for the best day of your life? And I kind of laughed to myself. And then I thought about it and I was like, you know, if we really know who our God is and how powerful he is and what his presence can do through us and through the kids we're going to interact with and the hope center staff, this really could be the best day ever. And this was coming off maybe a first half of the week that didn't go exactly the way we planned and wasn't feeling like we wanted it to feel. And just to carry that mentality into the day was so life-changing to look at every kid and think that this could maybe be the best day in their life. Not because we're like amazing superheroes or anything, we're just kids from the United States, but because the Lord can work through simple little things like missions. And that's why we go is to be obedient and then trust that that kid could have the best day of his life interacting with us again, not because of us, but because of who our God is and the power of his presence. So that was a cool revelation to come away with and to see the impact and the joy that we can spread through that.

SPEAKER_06 14:19

That's amazing. So we shout out Josie, she's my niece, and I asked her how her trip to Nicaragua was, and she said it was amazing. I can't wait to go back. And she didn't tell me anything about her basically injury a day. Um because the joy of the Lord was present, and she just had an amazing time working with these kids, and she can't wait. So that's that's the power of the Lord working through. Um yeah, Eliana, tell us do you have a story about how God worked through this trip?

SPEAKER_07 14:47

Yeah, I think Joel's gonna share a little bit more of just one specific story that was just really impactful. But for me, one of my favorite things was Joel and I got to be student leaders on this trip. And so just seeing I just felt like I was so proud of our team the whole trip. Just seeing them step out of their comfort zone in different ways and just letting the Lord use them. It was like it was so so special to see I feel like the Lord worked through me, but then really seeing how the Lord worked through others was like so special. And there's just so many moments so it's hard to pick like one specific one um about that. But yeah, just really seeing how the Lord used others too, and really just the intentionality of the Lord through like every conversation and interaction with the kids and with the staff and even our team, um, and just the experiences that the Lord put together and yeah, like the intentionality of the Lord was just so evident the whole week.

SPEAKER_06 15:46

So you said people had to step out of their comfort zones. What were some of those challenges that you guys faced while you were there?

SPEAKER_07 15:53

Oh yeah. Um, I think for me the biggest challenge was just sometimes I feel like I need to be doing something. And so there was times on the trip where I was just sitting there holding at one point just holding a little boy who was sleeping, and I was just really wrestling with like I need to be interacting with these other kids or doing more, and just feeling like I wasn't doing enough. Um and when really like I think the most important thing I could have been doing in that moment was sitting and just holding him while he was sleeping. And so I think for me, one of the biggest challenges was just just really realizing like the Lord is using me to impact others no matter what I'm doing, and like as long as I'm just faithful to the opportunities that he's given me, I know that he'll use that. That's super sweet.

SPEAKER_06 16:42

Um, when Brett said offline that you had kind of an army of children following you around. Yes, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

Everywhere she goes, they're following her around.

SPEAKER_06 16:51

That's so sweet. That's so sweet.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

Uh I'm a pretty like confident try anything, do anything person. And so first year coming in, I was like, oh, this is gonna be great, it's gonna be pretty easy. And language barrier just is very real, uh, especially with kids, because they're so young, they don't understand that there's a language barrier. Uh and and so when you first show up, I'm trying I want to give you guys a mental picture. You know, you're walking up these poorly made stairs in a small village in basically what's a jungle for us Minnesotans here, and there's probably 40 to 60 kids, little Nicaraguan boys and girls, staring at you, cheering, holding a sign, welcoming you in. And none of them speak the same language that you do, except for maybe a hello. And so to try to think about what you can give them possibly, how you can encourage them, is uh it's a little tough at first to know how to interact, what to do, what to say. You know, we only have three translators between the 14 of us who are trying to to interact with these kids. Uh, and so to step out of the comfort zone by just being and just sitting in the awkwardness and just nodding your head and smiling at all the things that they want to tell you uh is not what we like to feel because we like to feel like we're profound and we're, especially me uh being the way I am, I love to feel like I have some articulate nugget of wisdom. Uh and this four-year-old doesn't care. He just wants to, you know, bowl with his water bottles and soccer ball and play around and have a fun time. And so to to let go of our expectations of what impact is and to just be a kid with a kid is a little bit hard and so, so powerful and so rewarding.

SPEAKER_06 18:31

Yeah. So it was like really a ministry of presence because of the language barrier, just being with them.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 18:39

So these these trips can be really impactful for your spiritual life. How do you feel like your faith was impacted while you were there? Or even since coming back, what are you reflecting on?

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Yeah. Uh and maybe this is a good place to kind of share one of the bigger stories from the trip and just give an overall uh perspective of both years. Me and Eliana were both on the first trip, uh, which was awesome and new and surreal, and we were just like, it's happening, we're here, we're traveling, crazy, short trip, packed a ton of stuff in, and then we were gone. Uh and and all we could think about was like, there's more work to do. I think we said that a thousand times after we came back from the first year that there's more work to do. We need to go back, there's more kids, more need. And so going in this year, we were really excited. Like, oh, it's fine, it's been a whole year. We've been waiting, we've been thinking, planning. Finally, it's four in the morning, we're in the lobby of the student center, getting ready to go. Uh and it was a really hard first half of the week for both of us because things were just not the same. And I think like Eliana hinted at earlier, we both had to ask a lot of hard questions because it wasn't so surreal this time. It was familiar. And so the questions came up of like, why are we here? What does this really do? What what impact does this have? And I know that that's a a broader question, I think, in the Christian world and in the church is like, what is the purpose of short-term missions? And I'm not here to give a conclusive answer on that today. But I know that the Lord really shaped our hearts because we were really wrestling with like, is any of this worth it? Are we having any impact on the kids? We show up, we spend a couple hours with them, and then we leave. What could we possibly give? And so that was the first half of the trip was just really, really wrestling with that. And I think going into the second half, we just our prayers started to be Lord, we like we give up our expectations. Uh, we're here, like use us. Don't know why we're here necessarily. Don't feel like we're doing great at leading or being with the kids or really anything, but use us because we're here. Um, it's too late to go back. So going into the final day, we had a really sweet opportunity to go to a hope center that's actually sponsored by Northwestern Media. Uh, shout out Northwestern Media. It's a really special partnership there. And so the first half of the day we spent interacting with kids in a kindergarten uh sort of uh school program. We sat in their classes, and instantly these two twins, uh Camilo and Andre, just had our hearts. They were super precious, a little shy, but just so wanting to be loved on, uh, running up to us every second they could and not talking a ton, but just wanting to be held and hugged and played with and having almost a desperation for affection to the point where it was like, dude, I gotta play with somebody else. Like, give me a second. But was super sweet. We then got to hang out for about two hours in the afternoon with them while we were setting up for the after school program. And there's not a ton to do, so we're just trying to, again, interact in simple ways, be present, teach them how to bowl with water bottles and play soccer or hold them on our shoulders. And towards the end of the day, they just one twin fell asleep in my arms and the other in Eliana's, and they were just out. And every time they woke up, they just wanted another hug. Uh, and their sister, too, was with us, and the three of them just wanted love. Uh, and it was so clear. And finally, the way the story is getting to, we had a prayer time where our translators were like, Just go pray over them in English, which is like weird. Like they they don't know what I'm saying. Like, okay, we'll do this. So it was a little bit awkward, but we spread out amongst all the kids and we're praying in English over them. And I was praying over Andre and Eliana's praying over Camilo and his sister. And they just both started weeping, like sobbing. And and then, you know, they're trying to speak in Spanish, but obviously she doesn't understand that, and neither do I. And so it's just like a mess. And then uh Mario, our tour guide from One Child, came over and we asked him to translate, and he starts to translate, and then he starts crying. And and eventually he gets it out that these two boys and their sister had lost their dad a year ago. And I at that point we were both sobbing too. Uh, and it was just a mess. And losing a dad is the hardest thing in the world. Nothing we could ever do could replace that. And yet, for them to come tell us, like, hey, you're an answer to prayer. Because we lost our dad, and our mom's busy providing for us, and we're at the hope center all the time, and we just want to feel loved. We want somebody to show us that we're we're worth their time, we're worth their effort. And for us as Americans, uh living our comfortable lives here, to step out of that, get on a plane, fly south into a world we don't know, to a language we don't speak, and spend a couple hours hanging out with them meant the world to them. And it showed them that they were loved and that Jesus did love them, and for us to be able to say, Hey, your dad would be so proud of you if he's here. You're gonna grow up to be an awesome young man or young woman. The Lord is gonna do powerful things for you and through you, for your country, for your people, for your future kids one day, Lord willing, and to be able to tell them that, hey, Jesus does love you. And we're here to tell you that. That's why we came here. And for us to see that, hey, this whole week, we've been wondering why are we here, why are we here, why are we here? And if it was for that one moment, then it was all worth it to tell one, two, three kids that, hey, Jesus loves you, then all the money, all the fundraising, all the planning, all the time spent is worth it. If this was a visual podcast, I'd pull up a picture, but I have a picture on my phone of all three of these kids just tackling Eliana to hug her as they left, and all of us crying together because that's the love of Christ that she embodied to them. And that's the power of the love of Christ is can't speak the same words, uh, don't have the same culture, background, thoughts, and yet this moment of just overwhelming emotion and love and connection because of the love of Jesus. And that's what it's all about.

SPEAKER_07 24:35

I think for me, just thinking about that story too, and there's also just uh stories from people on our team about who have lost their dad, and so just how the Lord knew that, like just so intentionally picked every single person for our team to get to go and um spend time with these kids. And I just think like I just love the thought that we got to go and show them the love of their heavenly father as they're missing um their earthly father, and just how one day um I think about the line of the song it Homesick for Heaven where it talks about I want to see my children run to the arms and worship the Savior who wears their scars and like that's just my prayer for these, I mean, for these three kids, but then for all the kids we're with. It's just one day. We may never know the impact that we had on their lives, we may never see it this side of heaven, but one day I really believe we'll get to be in heaven and see them just running to the arms of their heavenly father, and I just yeah. It's just I'm so excited for that day.

SPEAKER_02 25:35

That's incredible and so tender and so powerful. Thank you for sharing that story with us and inviting us into that moment that you both experienced. I love how you're processing out just the questions that you had on the trip of like, Am I doing enough? was the question that you would ask Deliana and and Joel, you're asking like what impact does this have? You know, you're wrestling with these questions and then to have that moment to say it was all worth it. And the Lord used you to speak life and to give love.

SPEAKER_03 26:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

And it happened once you surrendered to him and just let him define what that purpose is.

SPEAKER_03 26:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:13

What does this I want to kind of bring it back home now that you've had this experience and it comes back into this world? Because we, Cassie and I didn't go on this trip, but we ask some of those same questions in our life, right? Like, am I doing enough? What impact is is what I'm doing making? How do you feel like this experience, this moment that you had on this two-week trip? How does that shape how you live going forward?

SPEAKER_01 26:39

Yeah, I think that's the question. Whenever you do something like this, is uh not all of us who are on that trip are gonna be called to full-time missions or spend the rest of our life in Nicaragua or anywhere around the world. And so we always come back wondering, okay, what do we do now? Uh and it's been really sweet to debrief at the end of both trips and sit and just talk with everyone, like, okay, what do we do now, y'all? And it's a hard question because there's no answer that feels good enough, right? The the right answer feels like I need to come back here. I need to spend the rest of my life here uh as a monk on missions. And that's just not what the Lord has for all of us. And I think the takeaway has been tell the story. And that's what everyone in Nicaragua told us, the one child staff and the children. They said, Don't forget about us when you go back, tell the story because somebody else will come back next year and somebody else will come back next year. And so I think that's our hope is that as we come back and we tell the story, we wouldn't forget, but that others would hear the story and they'd want to go. They'd want to go see Camilo and Andre and visit those twins and show them love again and remind them, hey, that that love has not run out. It's not stopped, it's gonna keep continuing, and we're here to remind you, uh, if even for a short minute. And so the goal is just to tell the story. And I think that's what's awesome about what you guys do in here is you're telling stories, not necessarily about Nicaragua, but about Northwestern and about life here and about people's experiences. And that's just another way that we encourage each other as believers in the body of Christ to be inspired, to go do great things for the Lord, to work, to give our lives, to serve, and to remind one another that, hey, it is enough because we're being obedient to the Lord. Uh, and so we're so grateful to be on here uh and able to tell the story because that was our hope. So thank you guys for having us.

SPEAKER_02 28:14

Yeah, it is very fun to interview people and hear what the Lord is doing through them. And it's fun because as we trust in the Lord for his strength and as we surrender our will to his to be faithful and let him do what he wants to do through us, when we get to tell stories of what happened in our life or what we did, we know we know why it happened and we know who gets the credit for doing it as we walk faithfully. So a couple closing questions. What would you say to another student or an alum considering a trip like this? And maybe Eliana, let's start with you.

SPEAKER_07 28:42

I would say, I mean, if the Lord opens a door to take it, I think sometimes people get so worried about the money side of it and like how, or even just stepping out of their comfort zone to do something like that. But we talk so much about Matthew 6 going into this trip and even after this trip and how the Lord truly just does provide. And so I would say, yeah, if there's an open door and you feel the Lord leading you, just take it because it's so life-changing.

SPEAKER_01 29:11

Yeah, I mean, she hit the nail on the head. Matthew six is where I was going too. I think as college students, especially, uh, we're all we're all broke. Like, we'll just be real. Um, money is not flowing out of the walls, and yet the Lord provides. And that's not a one-off miracle. I think sometimes we look at these cool stories of missionaries. Uh, I think of George Mueller and his orphanage, who the Lord provided for over and over again, and we think that, oh, that's miraculous, that's crazy, but that's not me. And yet that's what our Lord loves to do when we're obedient. Uh, we've used that word a couple of times now about just being obedient to the call. When we're obedient, the Lord loves to provide financially and spiritually and culturally and everything that we need to go and be able to serve.

SPEAKER_06 29:52

Well, thank you for sharing your stories. This was amazing. I feel encouraged in my own walk with the Lord and what we're doing here, and I'm grateful that you could tell your story, like you said, to just keep keep bringing people back to Nicaragua and to the obedience that God has for them. As you know, we are on the Unwavering Podcast. We're unwavering here at Northwestern. So, what does that mean to you to live an unwavering life?

SPEAKER_07 30:17

I think for me, it's just really realizing that I don't have to be in another country to be on mission. And so, like, I think the Lord calls all of us to be on mission. And that may mean like He's calling us to go, but that could just be to the person in the room next to us or the person sitting right next to us. Or it may mean going to another country and, you know, sharing the love of the Lord that way. But I think being unwavering means just continuously doing it. And so I think often we can just wait for the moments that the Lord is gonna put in our lives for us to like be able to share the gospel and to share his love. But like our hearts should be just focused on every moment and every interaction that the Lord is putting in our lives to be able to unwaverly. Unwaveringly share his love for just the world.

SPEAKER_06 31:10

And sometimes that means holding a baby when it feels like the world is busy around you. Yes. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Yeah, I'd absolutely agree. We we have purpose everywhere. And and sometimes it's actually easier to go across the world and evangelize and love on people that you're never gonna see again. And sometimes it's harder to talk to the student across the hall or that one coworker you don't get along with, or whoever it might be in your life that the Lord is calling you to be on mission to and to show that unwavering love for. And and I think I think about the story of Jesus ascending into heaven, and I don't remember which gospel it's from, but the disciples watch him go up, and he's given them this command to go wait in Jerusalem, receive the Spirit, and then go out and do missions. And they stand there staring into heaven, and the angels are like, What are you doing? Like, don't don't stand here staring. You know what to do. Go. Uh, and that's kind of the purpose that that we have in life, and the call we have in life is like Eliana said, sometimes we wait for the big high, for the emotional high to hit, for the Holy Spirit tingles to just give us something. And and those are awesome and so special. It's amazing when we get to take a trip like this that that is almost like a greenhouse, an intensified version. But every day there's that same call. We're not called to just stand staring into heaven, we're called to go and we're called to do. Uh, we're called to worship and then respond by showing unwavering love to the homeless man on the corner of the street, the person in our class that we just don't get along with. That's somebody in our hall who says they're a Christian and they're just not living it out. Whoever it might be, we are called to show that unwavering love. And that and that's the only response of someone with unwavering love, unwavering love for God's world and God's world, is that we'd go out and love as people.

SPEAKER_02 32:55

Let's go. Let's go. By the unwavering goodness of our God that you're just talking about, Joel, may we continue to go out and live with an unwave unwavering love for his world, right? Yeah, amen. Amen. And um, thank you again, Joel and Eliana, for joining us. If you're listening and you're a student and you're thinking about going on a trip, um, there will be more trips next spring. Yes. Whenever you're listening to this episode, the next spring. There will be more trips, Lord willing. Yeah, there will. Um, so do consider that opportunity. If you're an alum listening to this, um, you can go on trips as well. But there are also opportunities to get out of your comfort zone, out of your regular uh environment and serve somebody, whether that is uh on a random day throughout the year, or if you want to join us on the day of prayer and service. If you're listening into this in time, it's April 23rd, 2026. You can serve in your community, you can serve here in Northwestern, you can serve wherever you live. But let's go out and let's go live out our call to be unwavering. So thank you all for joining us. This has just been our pleasure.

SPEAKER_03 33:51

Holding up to your promises.

SPEAKER_04 33:54

Holding up to your promises. Thank you for listening. To hear more, subscribe and leave a rating wherever you listen. And if you know an alum, faculty member, staff, or student of Northwestern doing amazing things out in the world, let us know at alumni at unwsp.edu. The unwavering podcast, highlighting the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern.