The richest man is not he who has the most but he who needs the least.
Why do we live so complicated? It’s beautiful how simple it is to make a child smile or to laugh. We play with children every day and I am constantly watching them be content and joyful when they don’t have nearly the amount of possessions that we do. They just have a flat soccer ball or a kite made from a plastic bag! I played with a little girl who had made a kite out of a plastic bag and some twigs while running up and down the road with the biggest smile.
Our first Sunday in Chinandega and we had to give a church service. We walk in with a message prepared, a few testimony’s, and songs to sing. It was simple and it was fun to see that the church wasn’t a building but we were in the someone’s backyard. Yet the people enjoyed it, they didn’t need a building to get them together, we were together to worship and learn about the Lord and the lack of 4 walls didn’t change that. The morning continued in the same manner; we sang songs without a guitar or slides on a projector, we just enjoyed the simple fact of singing.
After we had given our testimony’s and sang we started playing with the children. Two of the kids start playing the drums on their stomachs and we all sat watching, because they were on beat and making different sounds, which was fun to connect and play with them. I enjoyed hearing them laugh while other kids ran around us, just getting to be in that moment was so fulfilling. As we sat listening to the kids play they started talking to each other and then suddenly ran away looking for something. One of them came back with these small pipes with rubber on the ends, another has a tall bucket, and then the third child comes over and pulls the big pipe from off this work table. They pulled all these things in front of us and started playing on them hitting the sides and the top of the bucket along with the metal pipe. They are laughing and smiling and are having a good time and all the while being on beat and making a rhythm. The thing that I am learning is that so often you think you need more to have fun and to love what you are doing, but you don’t. These 3 boys 11, 13, and 14 years old, were drumming using a bucket and a pipe. It sounded good and they knew what the rhythm was while staying on beat with each other. That is all they had and they made the most of it, they didn’t just give up because they didn’t have a drum set, they made their own.
I think all too often we make more out of a situation than it needs to be. We think that because there is something out there that is the “best” and we don’t have it that we are lacking. I sat there talking to Sazar and Andrew, they asked us about the USA and if it was beautiful, and how we liked snow. They said how they have always wanted to travel to the US and make a snow angel and be on a drumline team. How often do I take for granted the simplicity that is snow, or just being in cool weather? How often do we take for granted that we can take lessons or a class to learn pretty much anything or even go to college! Yet these children aren’t letting that fact that they don’t have a brand-new drum set keep them from playing and being joyful.
I am excited for winter in the states next year to be wearing sweaters, jeans, and not be sweating buckets all the time. I am so grateful for this experience to truly learn something new pretty much every day. I am learning how to acknowledge everything that we are given in the states and to appreciate the small things, I know I am person who doesn’t like to own a lot of things, but I’m learning to be more grateful for things like a shower, or simply being able to speak the same language and communicate with those around me. Even the simple action of drinking water, I never need to worry about if the water is going to make me sick or not, yet as we travel it’s always in the back of my mind. I am grateful to have these reminders because going on this trip is going to grow me in more ways than I ever thought. So again, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To all who are praying for me and donating to me which keeps me encouraged, because without you all I wouldn’t be here! I could never say thank you enough!
