So here's a page out of my Nicaragua book … step into my shoes (or more likely, my brain):
-Pile into the back of our pick up truck, sweaty arms touching sweaty legs, the sun beating down, and feet dangling off the side. Put your sunglasses on and turn the ipod on shuffle because usually you don't know how long the ride is going to be. Enjoy the "alone" time in the back of the truck.
-Arrive at an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. Get handed a bucket of paint and a paintbrush. Look around at the very large room you've been asked to paint and be thankful for the people you have around you to talk to and help. Try not to think about the increasing heat surrounding you in the sauna-like room. Be happy you can do anything to help a place that's giving a home to children who really need it. Thank God for being blessed beyond your comprehension.
-Go to the nearby community of Bethel. Play in the dirt with some hyperactive children. Talk really fast to them in English when you can't understand them. Love them. Act out a telenovela with a 4yr old boy named Jeffery. Hold a baby or two. Walk around and talk to strangers and think of how weird that would be in the states.
-Stop in a community you don't know the name (& most likely can't pronounce). Look around and instantly have your heart break. Notice the children digging through the trash dump to make a living for their families or find food. Want to do something. Get frustrated. Get mad. Get inspired. Prepare yourself.
-Enjoy a fabulous meal made by the cooks at the ministry site. Unwind at dinner and soak in the cooling air. Collapse on your bed. Turn the fan on high and pass out.
My time in Nicaragua is rapidly coming to an end and I can't believe it. We've already been here three weeks and on Monday we will be venturing off to an entirely different continent. I've learned a lot in Nicaragua…how much love people need and how love is an action. If you love someone, you'll do something about it. And I want to do so many things about it. God's teaching me so much about the needs of the world and inspiring me to do something about it. I want to keep learning so I can be prepared for the change I want to (and I know God wants me to) make.
Goodbye Central America, Hello Southeast Asia…
