“People will try and grab things out of your hand, but tell them to wait.”
That was our hosts advice before we went out to the village for an outreach. It was the first time our ministry in Nicaragua had been to this village,so we didn’t know what to expect. She explained to us how when they give out the clothes or food, people will grab the clothes from us, in an attempt to take more than what we’re giving. I had given out clothes before, but never in in the village. Normally the people come to us and it’s on the grounds in our compound. I really didn’t know what we were walking into.
When we arrived to the village, we split into groups of 6-7 and it was 2 racers, 4 students, and one staff member. By this time, I had started to be able to pick out enough Spanish to understand (for the most part) what people were saying. The staff member with my group, explained to the people in the house (and the crowd of kids following us) that we are Christian’s, and that Kevin and I are from the US, and the boys were from the Christian center in the nearby town. She continued to explain our faith in Jesus, why we’re giving out clothes, and that we would be giving food to the children at the church by the entrance of the village. She also told the family in the house that we would only give clothes to children that were actually living there and present. We wouldn’t give her 9 shirts for her 9 children, if they weren’t there to receive them. The families nodded in agreement, and we started to pick out clothes for her children. I had no idea I was about to pick my jaw up off the floor in pure amazement at the character of the young men from the center.
As we opened the suitcase of clothing, their hungry eyes grew 3 sizes, and tiny hands didn’t take long to work their way into the pile. A shirt gets taken out and passed around the little girls of the village, and a boy named Josmar, that we taught from the center, looks over to the young girl. He speaks to her with a stern but gentle stare on his face, and explains to her that when we get to her house, she would get clothes, just like the kids in this house got. If she takes them now, it won’t be as helpful as it would be if she waited. The girl gave him back the shirt and nodded in agreement. This continues to happen with other children and, then Emmanuel speaks up, along with Felix and Bernie, about the importance of waiting until we got to their house.
As we went throughout the village from house to house, I saw each of the boys who are all the age of 12 or under, explain what we were doing there, what they believe, and invite them to food later. They talked to people who were passing by and gave them bibles, they handled sticky situations with tact and integrity, and they treated each woman they encountered with the utmost respect. When it came time to hand out food they did the exact same thing. People were getting pushy and they simply told them to get into line, and that they could only have one at a time. These boys aged from 9-15 were showing an incredible example of not only what it’s like to be a man of God, but to be a true follower of Jesus. They exemplified him in every way, and did it all without any griping or complaining.
It really encouraged me to see these young boys not only treat us, but everyone around them like PEOPLE. They treated them like they matter in the world whether they had a lot, or next to nothing at all. It was awesome to be apart of an outreach where the people who are apart of the community went out, and put a face to the faith that we follow. We won’t ever see those people again, but those boys are choosing to make a lasting impact at such a young age. They’re the faces that will be around the community after we leave, and they have the power to change their communities. Having us racers come in to preach, and give words of encouragement is completely awesome, and God ordained, but to have them take us along side, as they led the way was a truly humbling, and incredible experience. It is a highlight of my race for, and something I won’t soon forget.
Love,
Alisha
