Surprise! I’m in Nicaragua. This country wasn’t originally on my route but was added in during our training camp at the end of October. So with this being said, I’ll be in twelve countries over the course of my eleven month venture. At first I I had mixed feelings about the addition of this country. I was super excited about getting another stamp in passport, but also was nervous because of the political state of the country and thinking that it might not be the safest. I also realized that we wouldn’t be adding an additional month to the race so all the time spent in the Latin American countries would be shortened a little bit. I have now been in Nicaragua for around a week and a half and I can’t imagine being without it in my race. I have learned so much in the short time I’ve been here and looking forward to the next couple weeks here. This blog is going to mainly focus on my first couple days in Nicaragua. Then, next week I’ll focus on all the things we have been doing here, what I’ve learned, my living conditions, etc. (much like my “When in Honduras” blog).
Soooo…throughout my World Race journey there are times that are set aside for us as racers to reflect, rest, and recharge. These are called “Debriefs.” Debriefs are usually around 4-5 days where the full squad (21 of us) are all together, as well as, squad leaders, mentors, and coaches to process what happened in the month(s) prior. Going into the race I expected that this time would be not necessarily be needed. That I wouldn’t need time to fully rest and get ready for the months to come. Wow, was I wrong. After the emotional goodbyes of Honduras, feeling like I was being torn away from my new family and being placed with a new one in a new country, and just the wait of growth and change that occurred my first month I realized that I truly needed this Debrief. It was a time to verbally process with the leadership team what I had learned, what was tough, what I liked/disliked, and so on. It was time to take naps, and spend time with the Lord, and be a tourist looking at pretty volcanos and sitting by the pool instead of looking at poverty and hungry children every day. And while I knew what I was getting into when leaving for this trip and it was something that I wanted to experience firsthand; it’s also super challenging. So here are a couple things that I took away from Debrief and/or just cool things that have happened since arriving in Granada,Nicaragua.
1. I missed worshiping in English. Also, as a squad, worshiping is one of our love languages. Every night during Debrief we would start sessions with worship and it was so activating in my soul. In Honduras there were times that I was able to sing in English but they were far and few in between (which makes sense) so it was nice to be able to have a large group partaking in worship again.
2. Being back with the full squad seemed like a huge family reunion. Who would have thought that 10 days of training in October and 5 days at launch/traveling to Honduras together would make us an inseparable group. I have never felt this much community in such a diverse and well-rounded group of people. For the next few weeks we will be together (Nicaragua and Costa Rica). Again, at first I was nervous about going from learning to live with 5 other girls to going back to living with 20 others for two whole countries but I’m so excited for the rest of the time together. The past week and a half has fostered so many beautiful conversations and reflections about our past month and so much more…(it is also nice to always have someone who wants to workout / run with me!)
3. Growth happened in Honduras. Through verbal processing and reflection on my time in Urraco, I realized how much different I am compared to when I left for the race. As I left America, I was broken, weak, and scared. But Honduras gave me roots and a foundation for the rest of my life. Honduras taught me how to live for the least of these, be comfortable in uncomfortable situations, and ultimately thrive in the climate of being dependent on the Lord’s timing, plans, and calling for me. The last week in Honduras was a tear me down – build me up kind of week but it was essential to spark change in my spirit. I now do not feel as though there are as many distractions in my life. I now feel renewed, free, and confident that I will be radically changed by the time I return home (especially after all this change in one short month).
4. World Racers are very talented at being flexible and thrive at improv. We were asked to create a skit that reflected our first month. And let’s just say that all the teams (besides one) put off making it until about 5 minutes before the performance time. To my and everyone’s surprise these skits ended up being A-1; debatably Grammy worthy.
5. Granada, Nicaragua is a fairly touristy area. With this being said, there are things that I didn’t have for a month that all of a sudden were abundant. The first being a grocery store. From the moment I stepped into the store I was overwhelmed. There were so many options that I couldn’t even decide on what peanut butter I wanted. Another being regular restaurants and stores. I was able to sit down and have a meal (my favorite being chicken teriyaki from a local Chinese restaurant). I also thrift shopped and found some steals. Finally, I never thought I would be excited to see Americans but WOW was it kind of nice to be able to talk in English and not constantly think of how to translate to Spanish all the time. It was funny though because the first thing I thought when I saw a white person was, “Wow, Gringa! Hi!” I guess you could say that I’ve adapted well to the cultures.
6. Even when we are technically “on break from ministry”, ministry never stops. As Bill Swan says, Life is ministry and ministry is Life. I found that as I was walking around the city and exploring I would constantly stop and talk to the locals who were selling jewelry in the city center. Just to see how their day was or ask how they started making jewelry or what their story was. I seemed to always have the urge to talk and make them feel fully seen and important. No, I couldn’t buy all their jewelry and help them support their newborn baby but I could make them feel important enough to have a name know that their story mattered to me. As a squad we also took the opportunity to purge through a lot of our clothes and donate them to the thrift store that we were frequently buying new items at. This allowed the store owner to have clothes to give out to customers who can’t afford the clothes that are in his shop (which he said frequently happens). This opportunity arose by simply having conversations and creating relationships with those around us.
7. Finally, it is so freaking awesome to watch sunrises and sunsets happen around a volcano and think THIS IS MY LIFE. Iowa has some pretty awesome sunsets but a volcano, come on. I ask myself frequently, “Is this real life? Am I really waking up and seeing a volcano every day? Am I really doing what I’ve been dreaming about for 4 years? Am I really traveling the world and loving on people? Am I really growing in my relationship with God? YES, ALL OF THE ABOVE YES.”
Welp, there it is. Debrief and my first couple days in Nicaragua. This only touches the surface of things I’ve learned or have thought about during my time here so far but, yeah there it is! I’m starting to think that I’m going to have to write a book after the race, Wow. I’m truly overwhelmed by my life and how happy I am.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my blog, constantly pray for me and my squad, keep up with my crazy journey, and supporting me emotionally, spiritually, and financially.
See ya next week ??
– elisabeth
