Nicaragua was not a country that really stood out to me when I was choosing which route of the race I wanted to go on. As we drove to the Young Life Camp that my team would be staying at for the month I was in awe the scenery I saw before me. Here I was, driving up a mountain looking out at sea of mountains that go further than the eye could see. A photo would not be able to capture the vibrant colors that I was seeing. When we arrived at the camp we found out we were going to be sharing a log cabin and we basically had the camp, 150 acres, all to ourselves. It was a breath of fresh air to be able to really explore the world around Us. My feelings about enjoying Nicaragua were quickly growing.
This enjoyment came to a halt as I learned that we were going to be doing intense physical labor the whole month. If you know me, you know that I have limited skill in this area. I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to hang with my team or the workers. Regardless, I took this as a growing and learning experience.
The first week we were there, my team and I were suppose to dig out a ditch that was about 300 meters long. We shoveled Monday through Friday for 6-7 hours per day digging away the mixture of dirt, clay, and sewage so that the camp would have a better irrigation system.
My five teammates and I worked alongside a worker named Maynor. We quickly learned that he knew very limited English. Thankfully, a few of my teammates knew Spanish pretty well and we were able to communicate with him. The conversations were pretty limited at first but as the week went on the conversations got longer and we began to joke around with Maynor. The digging and moving dirt that I was worried about before was tiring but not as hard as I thought. However, something beautiful was happening while I was digging sewage. Love was being cultivated between my team members and Maynor as we grew in our friendships.
An example of this happened at the end of our digging work week. We were finished digging out the ditch. We turn around to look for Maynor for further instruction of what to do and he is nowhere to be found. Not knowing what to do next, my teammates and I just chatted with one another. A few minutes later we see Maynor coming up with a 3 Liter of Pepsi and seven plastic baggies for us to drink out of. To some, this might not sound like a huge gesture. Let me note that this man makes $25 a week to support his wife and two children. He does not have extra money to spend on buying people pop. But that was not the point of this gesture. We created a bond with one another. He was showing love and care for us. He gave up the little that he had just so we could celebrate the end of our work week together. He was showing the kind of love that Jesus talked about numerous times in the Bible.
I think back to the culture in the states. We spend $5 on one drink at Starbucks which is the equivalent to what this man makes for one day of work and we complain if that drink isn’t made to our liking. We have so much and yet it is never quite enough. We might give away but expect to get something in return. We are too busy to get to really know the people we are working with due to our own agenda. People overseas think that America has it all. Yes, we might have it all in terms of financial status and job opportunities but what about the heart of our country? Are we a country that cultivates genuine love, care and unity amongst ourselves or have we become so self absorbed that we can’t even realize that we are lacking in that area? These thoughts really make me evaluate how I treat people and act when I get home.
Throughout the month this act of selfless love was demonstrated time and time again through the workers that we worked alongside. True friendships were being developed between the workers, my team and I. There are too many stories to count. Some examples: Maynor surprising us with getting photos developed from our time in Jenotega. Various people taking my own team out to eat and payed for everyone. Various people passing out cookies to us during our coffee break. Laughing constantly with one another even when there was somewhat of a language barrier. Cheering and playing soccer or baseball with the workers during lunch break. Developing inside jokes with multiple workers. Having devotions and praying as a staff before every work day.
As we left early Thanksgiving morning there was no conversation as we headed down the mountain back to the bus station. My team and I sat in silence with tears streaming down our faces and broken hearts. You see, this month started as a work project. Yes, we did do work but what was more impactful were the relationships that were built. We developed friends who felt more like family.
Before I left the race, people told me that I wouldn’t be able to make an impact because I was only serving for three and a half weeks in one place. As we hugged the workers goodbye, mind you these are grown men, a number of them were crying or had tears in their eyes. The workers told us that we have a place in their heart and we impacted their lives. What they didn’t know was that each one of them had a piece of our hearts and they impacted our lives more than they will ever know.
As I looked out the same car window and saw the same scenery that I saw for the first time only a few weeks earlier. It was still breathtaking and absolutely beautiful. However there was a difference. It no longer was just a piece of land to me. My mind was no longer focused on the scenery but on the people that live in this country. This country demonstrates what love authentic love really is. Truly loving one another is really what makes the world the most beautiful.
