11 Lessons Learned In Nicaragua:
- “Never forget that God loves you more.” I hope to never forget these words that were spoken by a ministry contact, Jaime one morning after telling him how loved and well taken care of by my team and his family while I was sick.
- Trust in the Lord to use the ugliest part of your story to share the beauty in His.
- God intertwines and connects people in the most unexpected way. In learning about our opportunity to meet new ministry contacts in Nicaragua, one of my teammates Katy said that she may know one contact through a friend she knew in Young Life back home. The one person our team may know in the whole country just happened to be in the one city that Adventure in Missions asked us to go to. Katy was able to get the contact information from her friend and emailed Miguel, a missionary who works with Young Life in Matagalpa. Miguel met us at a gas station in Matagalpa and welcomed us to the beautiful Young Life camp. During the night we spent at the camp there we met many people who absolutely changed the city from being unknown to friendly and comfortable.
- The beauty in self-sustaining ministries. One trend that we saw in multiple ministries in was the idea of being able to sustain itself. Examples included having gardens to feed the men in a discipleship program, coffee farms to fund programs, shops to support schools or an ice cream shop to support a foster home. We continued to see projects that had a stability and would be able to work long term.
- Sometimes it is worth the journey for a chocolate muffin. Pouring cats and dogs is an understatement of the type of rain that Matagalpa can receive. The skies opened up and poured buckets of rain while we were out to dinner, making our walk back to the hostel and adventure. The streets were flooding and the water was knee high during our trek back. While dancing and singing in the water, we decided our night could be complete with a delicious muffin from a local market. With locals looking at us very strangely, we splashed our way to the market. Best tasting pastry of the month!
- There is such brokenness in the world and it is truly heartbreaking. Our team met Harvey and Rosemary at a local church one Sunday and was invited to see how they have been serving in Matagalpa. This couple moved to Nicaragua recently after years of short term mission trips to the area. They have been working with a local feeding center for children and have been feeding the kids that are living on the streets. The morning after a downpour of rain, we met them near a city park and woke up boys that had been sleeping on cardboard in the bushes. Harvey and Rosemary hugged the boys as they sleepily stretched their arms, rubbed their eyes and brushed the dirt smudges from their cheeks. My heart broke as I thought about how cold they must have been in the storm last night. We prayed, read from the Bible and chatted as the boys ate breakfast. It is incredible to me that they do this every morning; showing the boys how much they love them. Later, while talking with Harvey, we learned that there is a large population that is addicted to huffing glue, especially amongst the kids on the street. The glue that is used is made for shoes and is illegal in the USA. The kids start using glue to suppress hunger pains and become addicted quickly. The glue’s high can cause disorientation, psychosis, loss of muscle function, behavior change and loss of pain. Long term use of glue can lead to loss of oxygen, heart failure, liver failure, lung disease and death. Detox from the glue requires medical intervention and he said that there is no facility or treatment resources available for these kids. The feeding center requires that the kids not have glue on them; but the kids will often choose to keep their supply over having food that day. It is difficult to see the sleepy-eyed kids from the morning be high one glue and pickpocketing on the streets by the afternoon.
- You can’t always believe the facts. I had a very eye-opening conversation with one of the missionaries during a walk home from the feeding center one night. Rosemary informed us that the government in Nicaragua has closed orphan homes to look better on paper. The number in poverty, on the streets or in need has not changed; but the process of getting approval to open a shelter or home has become difficult. Many people are denied licenses. Also, she said that there was a trend of pedophiles coming to Nicaragua, opening orphan homes and abusing the children. Lastly, girls from homes are being trafficked and taken to underground markets in Managua. The conversation was difficult to hear; but gave perspective on what is really happening in this area. It showed how difficult it could be for people to come in and serve and for locals to trust them.
- You have to be creative to stay on a $5 a day food budget without a kitchen. One challenge that our team had this month was finding ways to remain in budget when you are travelling and on the go. We found a great traditional breakfast of rice, beans and eggs for under $2. We also tried out local street food places and got to know the owners well. Local markets, pastry shops and cafeterias were also a frequent stop. There were debates on whether it was worth the save Fruits and vegetables were a little tougher to find and clean; but the burritos were always a win.
- There is a joy that comes from kids that can change the world. One night we had the opportunity to babysit kids of missionary families we knew in town and to make them dinner. What a great time! It is such a gift to see their imagination, creativity and endless energy! We had a blast singing, dancing around, playing soccer, running around and playing hide and seek. It was so refreshing to see the bright way they see the world!
- Sometimes all you need is ice cream! Through a friend in Matagalpa, we heard about an ice cream shop that was just opening. The shop raises funds to support a foster home for local children. We knew the owners would be very busy the week before the opening; but our team attempted to contact them to see if there was anything we could help with. After a couple voicemails being left, we peeked in the windows of the shop one evening while walking to dinner. We were welcomed into the shop by the most cheerful woman who was so happy to meet us. Ben and Sheena, the owners of the shop are an inspiration. They are following their dreams, so intentional in listening to God and are extremely joyful in it all. I feel so lucky to have met them and to have been able to help them during opening weekend. I was smiling ear to ear, washing dishes, as I got to watch customers’ responses to trying their ice cream, cookies and other treats for the first time. It was thrilling to see them sell out of ice cream and to see Besame ice cream be such a success. It was so difficult to say goodbye to them when we left Matagalpa. I hope to help in their shop again one day soon! (Thank you Taylor for the photos!!)
- When it doubt swim it out. At the end of the month, our team took a couple days process and relax on the beach. We took an express bus from Matagalpa to Leon and was surprised by the hostel paradise that awaited us. Sunsets. Surfing. Swimming. Sand.One day at the beach, our team helped a woman who drowned in the ocean. After the woman was taken to a doctor, we debriefed the situation, and I was still feeling at a loss. I went back into the ocean, knowing that sometimes the best way to process difficult topics is to let the waves crash over you. What a way to end a month of adventures.
