Hello from Honduras! I’m super loving my time here so far, but I lefft a little piece of my heart and Nicaragua and want to share that with you guys before I tell you about what we’re doing this month.
For those of you who read my previous blog, you now know a little bit about the epidemic, Chronic Kidney Disease Nontraditional, or CKDnT for short, which is affecting Chichigalpa and other rural areas of Nicaragua where sugar cane farming is the main industry. I also shared with you that I met a man named Mauricio whose life has been changed forever by this disease. A week after my first encounter with Mauricio, thanks to the help of the wonderful local pastor here, Pastor Antonio, and our ministry host, Ron, I found myself sitting across from Mauricio, as well as another local pastor, Pablo, who also has been affected by this disease.
Mauricio comes from a very humble background in rural Nicaragua and worked in the sugar cane fields for many years. Like Mauricio, there are tens of thousands more with stories like his. But, like I mentioned before, statistics have a way of keeping us desensitized to the suffering of the people behind those numbers. Since I had the pleasure of sitting with Mauricio and listening to his story first hand, hearing about both the joyous times and the painful times, I want to share his story, with his permission. My hope and prayer is that the Lord will use my experiences this year to touch the hearts of others to act, in whatever ways that may be. My prayer is that those who feel like they don’t have a voice can have their story heard.
So here is Mauricio’s story:
Mauricio was born in Chichigalpa, Nicaragua and is currently 43 years old. When we first arrived at his house and I saw Mauricio, I was taken aback when I was reminded of how young he really is to have such a debilitating disease. He quickly offered my squad mate, Nayelly and I chairs, and began to share his story.
Mauricio had a difficult start in life when his father was murdered when Mauricio was only 5 years old. He shared that to this day there has never been closure or justice brought to his father’s death. Mauricio shared that shortly after his father’s death, his mother started a new relationship. Unfortunately, this man decided that he did not want Mauricio and his 3 month old sister. Because of this, one day, Mauricio’s new step dad left him and his sister on the street to fend for themselves. Mauricio described how terrifying it was to not be much older than 5 years old and forced to take care of yourself and your baby sister. But thanks to the grace of God and the goodness of Mauricio’s paternal grandmother, they were eventually taken in and lived with his grandmother for the rest of his childhood.
Although the legal age to be hired is 18, Mauricio started working at the age of 14 for the San Antonio Sugar Factory or Ingenio San Antonio, to begin to help provide for his grandmother and family. Eleven years later, Mauricio was diagnosed with CKDnt when he was approximately 25 years old, and he has been fighting this disease ever since.
Actually, Mauricio has remained a fighter through many different trials in life. In 1998, Mauricio survived Hurricane Mitch, which devastated much of Nicaragua. At one point, Mauricio was even caught in a mudslide, which has left his hearing damaged to this day. His house was completely destroyed, and although some survivors were lucky enough to receive assistance from the government in Nicaragua, Mauricio never received any help, which is not an uncommon story for people here in Chichigalpa. Mauricio eventually married, and he and his wife had a baby girl. However, because he was unable to work due to his kidney disease, Mauricio found himself without a home for his family. However, Mauricio shared that a few years ago his community rallied together to purchase the land he now owns, as well as his house.
Although Mauricio’s life has been filled with trials, Mauricio came to know the Lord through a group of missionaries 5 years ago. He shares that he now has the hope of eternal life which keeps him alive. However, he shares that his home is currently in need of many repairs that he is unable to afford. Because Mauricio is unable to work because of his sickness, his wife leaves for the capital of Managua to work as a housekeeper for 15 days at a time. During this time, Mauricio is left to care for himself on his own. He describes his symptoms as a continuous headache, fevers, burning at the bottoms of his feet, and vision problems. Mauricio cannot be active and constantly has to relax in order to not provoke the symptoms more. He receives dialysis on a weekly basis. Although Mauricio no longer can work in the fields because of his illness, he shares that he also is skilled in repairing electronics, which he would like to be able to do for work. However, Mauricio does not have money to purchase the supplies needed to do this.
Mauricio shares that one of his biggest blessings was the birth of his daughter. Mauricio consistently prays that he will be able to live to see his daughter grow up. However, the worry of not being able to provide for his young daughter is a burden that stays with Mauricio on a daily basis.
Throughout my time spent with Mauricio, listening to his story, I fought back tears the entire time. Depression is a very common among these men, and Mauricio shared that is a struggle for him as well. Part of me wants to share a story of victory. I want to tell you that Mauricio has found work, is providing for his family, and is feeling great. But I can’t tell you that because that is not Mauricio’s life at the moment. I don’t write this blog to bring you down, I simply want you to be aware. And I want these men’s stories to be heard, because here in Chichigalpa, these men’s stories often don’t get heard. This is just the way it is. I want you to know that tucked away in these small villages I have come to love this past month are fathers and sons. There are men who are pranksters, who love soccer, who have dreams, who love to learn, who love their families, and who love the Lord, who want to work, but are sick. Who want justice and want their voice to be heard.
To be honest, I consistently wrestle with the question of “Why me?” I still don’t know the answer, but in my short 25 (almost 26!) years, I have seen a lot of things that make me ask this question. I don’t believe we will ever comprehend suffering in this world, but I can tell you that because Mauricio knows Jesus, he has an unshakeable hope. He is never alone, and he has, in fact, experienced victory in his life through Jesus, although he still experiences pain. He knows that one day he will never shed a tear again and his body will be made new. That is something worth holding on to.
I wish you could have met all the wonderful people I met this month. I wish you could know Pastor Antonio and see how big of a heart that he has to meet these men and families where they are at and share with them the love of Jesus. He has so many dreams of serving these men, but he is also limited in what he is able to do. And if this touched your heart in any way, I ask that you would ask the Lord if he is asking you to help fight for these people. There is a wonderful organization called La Isla Foundation who is fighting for justice for these men. I myself, am still asking the Lord for how he is asking me to be involved. But I’ll just leave this here for now, and hope to update you more on what’s going on in Chichigalpa in future blogs.
Thanks for reading 
-Marisa
