As my team and I pulled up in our taxi to a tiny cement-walled church with a view of two massive volcanoes to the side and I thought, “I Love that view.” And from that moment on, little by little, I began to give my heart away.
To my ministry host Sara: Her smile and laugh radiate God’s love, her love for children is deep and wide. The way she welcomed us into her home and instantly loved us all as her own daughters, the way she jokes around with us and tries to find us all boyfriends in Nicaragua and the way she smiles at me and says “Anita” every time she sees me.
To the ladies in the kitchen: They are loud, hilarious, loving, caring, warm, patient, amazing at making food, God-fearing woman, God-loving women, and all my Nicaraguan Grandmas that always feed me way too much.
To the boys who quickly become my brothers: They are annoying, obnoxious, loud, caring, loving beyond anything, adventurous, lovers of baseball, God-fearing young men, respectable but wanting you to marry one of them, constantly joking and showing off their muscles.
To the girl in the polk-a-dot dress: Only 7 years old she takes care of her 3 year old brother like he is her child and she is a mom of 5. She sat with him for an hour patiently trying to feed him the rice and beans he obviously did not want to eat. She never gave up or got mad at him and after an hour he had finally finished his bowl of food. She knew exactly how to take care of him as if it was all she did and I am assuming It’s because it is all she does. She is a 7 year old girl, who loved her brother and cared for him with all she had.
To Isaac: He is loving, respectable, patient, kind, and the most mature 9 year old I have ever met. He loves to jump on you randomly, he loves playing baseball, he loves playing slaps and thumb wrestling. He is learning english in school right now and the other day we were sitting at the table he looked at me and said, “Anita, you are beautiful. ” caught off guard I laughed and said, “No, no I am not” and he replied with, “yes, you are beautiful.”
To Marselo, Luis, and Leo: They always come together in a trio, they love to attack me with hugs, arm wrestle, pretend fight with me, and they love each other so much. Their friendship is beautiful.
Little by little, all these people took a piece of my heart and little by little because of these people I fell in love with San Jorge, Nicaragua.
” The most beautiful things in life are not just things. They’re people, and places, memories and pictures. They’re feelings and moments and smiles and laughter.”
San Jorge you are beautiful, your people, your views, your volcanos, your thunderstorms, your sunrises, and sunsets. It’s beautiful and I am so in love.
