Oh Ometepe, how I miss you! I miss your beauty, the sunsets over Lake Nicaragua, the lightning storms over the lake, the quaint town of Moyogalpa, and the breathtaking volcano’s that could be seen everywhere on the island. Most of all, I miss the beauty of the people, and the laughing of the children at CICRIN.
This past month I was blessed to spend my time at an orphanage on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. In one word, it was incredible! I loved it. My time there was filled with a variety of things. They included construction, gardening, cleaning, working with the children, and serving families that were affected by a mudslide. While our time there looked somewhat different on a day-to-day basis, the one thing that was at the forefront of ministry for us was serving the children.
CICRIN, is more of a boarding school than an orphanage now. It currently houses children whose parents either cannot afford to take care of them, or children who are not wanted. During my month at CICRIN, our mornings consisted of an early breakfast, quiet time (which I loved having next to the lake), and working around the property. Some days it was cleaning, other days it was digging, or gardening. During the afternoons we would gather to pray for the people of Nicaragua and for the staff and children at CICRIN. Before dinner, time was spent with the children. We played with them, did arts and crafts with them, threw water balloons at them, prayed with them, and so much more.
I am currently in Honduras and as I reflect on my past month in Nicaragua, the one thing I realize is I am changing. Being at CICRIN has made me more grateful of a person. I have come to realize that so many of the things I get upset about back in the States are absolutely meaningless. Just to think I would let things like traffic, my football team losing, or me not getting a paycheck on time ruin my day make me embarrassed. Every time I go to complain about my circumstances I am reminded of these children that choose joy, despite not having a family. I am reminded of the fact that a staff member at CICRIN told me that some of the children at CICRIN were so happy when they started getting little bellies due to the fact that they were so skinny when they arrived there as a result of their family living in poverty. I am reminded of staring in the faces of elderly people who had lost everything in a mudslide, yet they still chose to have smiles on their faces when they greeted us. It seems as though in the States we have it backwards, we get upset over things that don’t matter, things that will never matter. Yet I have encountered people that are so full, so rich, in spite of the fact that in the world’s view they have nothing.
This month I truly saw that family is so much more than just sharing a last name. Hellen, the head of CICRIN, and Karla our main contact there showed me how to truly love people with the love of Christ. That love at times may mean adopting two girls (Hellen), or leaving a comfortable life in the States to serve in a small community (Karla). They have inspired me with their incredible connection to God through prayer, their willingness to put God at the forefront of all they do, and most of all they have reminded me that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being spread to the ends of the earth by ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the name of Christ.
