By Zach Dodd, WEGO Director
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
-Isaiah 7:14
Before these words became synonymous with Christmas, they were meant for war.
Ahaz, the king of Judah, was sure his destruction was soon approaching when Israel and Syria joined forces to overtake his people. King Ahaz was filled with just fear until Isaiah prophesized that the plans of his enemies would come to naught. God then told Ahaz to ask for a sign of his upcoming deliverance, but he refused. Through Isaiah, the Lord gave one anyway: A miracle boy named ‘God with us.’ Even more than a sign, this child became Judah’s very deliverance, along with everyone who called upon his name to be saved.
Fast forward two thousand years past our Lord’s birth, all the way to November 6, 2024. Dr. Sarah Mielke (WEGO board member and friend) and I were sitting at a picnic table in our main room at New Hope School in Nicaragua. We were working on a letter to inform the parents of the upcoming transition of our school to become a government-run institution. It was a heart-wrenching moment for us both.
How do we lead with clarity while still waiting for answers ourselves?
How do we speak peace when we know our words will stir up so much anxiety for our friends?
We’ve prayed, fasted, and strategized over this decision for many months, but can there be another way?
As Sarah edited and reworded my first draft, our ears were filled with the voices of our seniors, our largest and last class, rehearsing an English song for graduation nearby.
All my life You have been faithful
All my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God
The moment hit us heavy at the same time. Our tears marked the occasion. In this battle, God was with us. Our students singing on that stage was the start of a sign we weren’t even asking for. It was the answer to all our questions. God has been good for the 24 years WEGO has been a steward of this land. He was faithful to the abandoned children who called our building their new home and then to the 13 graduating classes who called it their new hope. His faithfulness is not just for the good days. It’s for all of them – even the days when you have to write a letter you don’t want to write. God used our seniors to remind me of it through their worship. He won’t just be faithful to me or WEGO but to every soul affected by this big change.
‘Goodness of God’ became our theme for the rest of the trip and the days following it. I traveled down to Nicaragua again twelve days later to inform our staff, students, and parents of the difficult news. Sarah texted me the song lyrics on my way to the airport, and I listened to it about ten times on the plane. I quoted it in our staff meeting and our parent meeting. The truth in those lyrics brought much comfort to us all. I didn’t think I needed any more signs.
Grateful but exhausted, I traveled to the airport in Managua to head home. I made my way through customs and then collapsed on a hard chair in the terminal like a runner after a marathon. My plane was delayed, giving me another hour to ponder and process all the sacred yet gut-wrenching meetings from the day before.
As I waited in a daze, I began to hear a familiar melody softly floating my way. I leaped from my chair and followed the music. Within a few moments, I was standing in the middle of a restaurant, crying and laughing.
‘Goodness of God’ was playing in Spanish.
In one of the most challenging moments of my life, Jesus showed up. He was Immanuel with a boombox on His shoulder. It was louder than a million-watt amp and more tender than a baby’s coo. It was a sign. It was a miracle. It was His goodness running after me and my family at New Hope. I’ve eaten breakfast at that restaurant countless times and have never heard them play a worship song until that moment. The waitress kept trying to give me a menu, but I already had everything I needed on their TV screen.
God put a baby in a womb without a dad and controls the thrones of nations, so rearranging flight schedules to align with restaurant playlists wasn’t too big of a task. This is just what God does. King Ahaz was terrified by his circumstances, and the Lord sent him a sign. I was doing my best to navigate an impossible situation, and God gave me a song. But the real gift is His presence. These signs and wonders, and even sometimes the deliverance, are just means to an end. What we need most is shown in three profound words, “God with us”.
In every season.
Every battle.
Every day.
Every ending.
Every beginning.
Every everything.
God is with us – It’s what He does.
God with us – Immanuel.
How You Can Pray
One Specific Request – Sell Two Plots of Land
First, pray we are allowed and able to sell two separate plots of land in Nicaragua. These funds are critical to be able to finish our legal operations well before launching our new chapter of ministry in the community. We would be able to cover the severances of our beloved staff, which would then allow some of them to be rehired in the school. The first and most urgent part of this process is to be granted a Constancia, which gives us monthly permission to operate legally. Because of the timing of the required offices being closed for Christmas break, we most likely will need two more months of Constancia’s. Quite frankly, selling this land would be a miracle, considering. Plead with us before God that we can.
One Big Prayer
Please take this month to continually pray these three words, the biggest prayer we can pray: “Thank you, Jesus.” Join us in being aware that He has been and will be with us. Thank Him for His work on our property for 24 years. Thank Him for His Hand during this transition. Thank Him for the future fruit of ministry in the Roman Esteban community and all of Nicaragua in the days and years ahead. For all His goodness, join us in saying, “Thank you!”