On Shoveling Human Poop.
This month we work an 8-4, Monday through Friday at a coffee plantation. Every day I wear the same outfit because I don’t want to get anything else dirty. It’s rainy season, which means its rained about 70% of our time here. Work looks different every day. Some days it’s shoveling mud mixed with human poop off roadways for hours (guess it’s good we got all those shots right?), or shoveling grass clippings into wheel barrows all day, other days we carry 500lb logs up slippery mountain sides until our shoulders are bruised senseless.
This month my body is sore.
This month my shoulders are bruised.
This month my hands are calloused.
The month my feet are worn.
This month I’m tired.
…and this month I forgot where I was at.
What I didn’t tell you is that every day we work with the Nicaraguan workers here. They get paid a little bit more than the average Nicaraguan (which is approximately $25/day). Every day these guys wake up around 6 and come to camp via bus from about 30 minutes away. However, never are they tired but always joyful. Morning worship may be out of tune but no one seems to mind as they sing their off pitch heart out. Work starts at 8 and by then I’ve had about 17 “Buenas Dias Tommy!” I carry a 500lb log up a death trap called a mountain with 14 Nicaraguans and nothing but jokes are being yelled. Every day we have coffee at 9am and one of the workers always gets me a coffee cup. Jokes and laughter sneak their way through trees and coffee plants all day long. Anxiety grows as the clock ticks towards lunch, because today will be the day when a gringo scores in soccer. These guys love it. Every day is a day to celebrate.
Every worker has a different story, and I’ve gotten to know many of them. When they may be struggling to provide for their family, or when the thought of Christmas is scary due to funds, these guys never forget where they’re at. They’re in Nicaragua. They’ve been here their whole life. They’ve lived next to these mountains and beautiful views for years, but they never forgot it like I had. They live in what God has done for them every day. They’re joyful they have a job. They work in a beautiful place, with beautiful people. They see how far God has brought them and what He’s done for them thus far. They have faith because they’ve been through it and they know He’s good. They’re thankful for what He’s done, they’re in His hands, and they haven’t forgotten it.
So in light of Thanksgiving, here’s to not forgetting where I’m at. How one year ago I applied for what seemed like the mission trip of a lifetime. How God’s put me $300 away from raising $16,255 (Yes, you read that right). How God’s given me a great home with a great family. How he’s brought me through Central America and blown my mind through young and old along the way. How I have a toilet this month. How I can open my front door and see mountains. How I have food every day. How he’s shown me that thankfulness isn’t a day it’s a mindset. So Happy Thanksgiving from the mountains of Nicaragua!
