Nicaragua

Ok I haven't been very good at getting all of the kids and their stories up. So here's my general reflections on the trip. I may continue the kids' individual stories later on, but for now here are my thoughts.

I’ve spent almost a month trying to figure out what to say about Nicaragua, and I still feel like my words aren’t adequate. How do I describe the people, the culture and the work God is doing there? In one week I was taken out of my own lifestyle, and it changed me so much that when I got back my own apartment didn’t feel like home anymore. I learned that my Christian brothers are gentle, lively and compassionate. I learned that my sisters in Christ are jovial, affectionate and sympathetic. The children at the orphanage surprised me daily with their affection, their loving spirits and playfulness. The kids were able to forget about the pain in their lives and enjoy the situation they were in at that moment. The kids cared for us instead of looking to take advantage of our generosity. They wanted to give back to us for what we had done for them. It made me realize what a perfect model they are for how we should respond to God. Instead of always asking or looking for more blessings, how often do we stop and ask what we can give back to God for all the blessings he’s given to us.

One of the biggest surprises on the trip to me happened on the first day we were there. We had seven laptops to donate to the kids and an abundance of Bibles. We decided to line up the laptops and let them count them to see how many they were getting, and then do the same with the Bibles. About two seconds into the presentation, I realized we’d made a grave mistake by showing them the more glamorous gift first – the laptops. Josh started counting the laptops with the kids, and they were surprised and happy. I got up to start counting the Bibles. I could only hold about four in my hands ; so after four, I just opened the suitcase with the rest of the Bibles to show them how many they were. I had to step back because the kids attacked the suitcase. One by one each child grabbed a Bible, then grabbed a tia or tio (one of us), ran to a corner and immediately started reading. It really made me step back and wonder if I had ever dove into God’s word with that kind of enthusiasm. How many times have I grabbed my Bible and thought “well, I guess I should read some of my Bible before I go to bed.” In that moment I realized what a privilege it is for me to have as many Bibles as I want. Literally the word of God at my fingertips, it is an amazing gift that I take for granted almost every single day.

Luis, one of the boys from the orphanage, and I bonded on Tuesday. It started with a game of chase. We finished the game and were both completely out of breath. He said something about “agua” to me, and I nodded thinking he was going to get himself a glass of water. He returned and handed me a glass of water for me to drink. Only after I convinced him I was done did he take the water and drink. Then he grabbed his Bible so we could read and rest before going to buy new clothes. He loved to point out how much he’d made me sweat to the tias that worked at the orphanage. I’m sure they thought “what is wrong with this crazy American and why is she so sweaty???” When we got into the van to go to the market, Luis had saved me a spot. I sat down and removed my backpack, which Luis helped me with. Then he took the backpack from me to put it on the ground. He made sure I was comfortable and then put his hand on my knee. During the ride, he grabbed my arm and put it around him. I had been trying to be careful about my affection and not make any of the children uncomfortable because of any past circumstance, but here was this child asking for move loving embraces. After that I did my best to show Luis he was loved and to give him the motherly affection he probably longed for. It made me think of my own mom and my memories of her putting her arm around me and letting me snuggle in. I knew how much I missed that even as an adult, and it made me hurt to think that this boy never even got to experience that kind of love from his own mother.

Denis, from BICA (Biblical Institute of Central America), embodied the word servant. The first time I got to really meet Denis was on Tuesday when I went to the market with Chris and Makayla. Toward the end of our market trip, Denis and I were left alone while Chris and Makayla ran an errand. With his little bit of English and my little bit of Spanish we managed to hold a conversation and learn a little bit about each other. My favorite part was when Chris came back and talked to Denis for a minute then turned to me and said “you have little bananas?” I looked at Denis and we both started laughing and Denis said “perro, perro,” and I said “oh no, I have a dog!” We stopped in one more store before leaving, and Denis knew I wanted to look for a particular type of candy. He made Chris and Makayla wait while he took me to the candy aisle, and we searched for it. We couldn’t find it, but Denis gave me a bag of candy and then we headed for the register. He wanted to pay for the candy, but I just couldn’t let him. I could tell Denis wasn’t in bad shape financially, but I was suddenly aware of how much abundance I had. We bonded on that market trip and got to build on that bond the rest of the week. By Friday he was calling me “canción” (song in Spanish) and going through all the BICA guys he could set me up with. He told me I could have my pick of the lot. I know Denis gave up a lot of his time to help us the entire week. Every day he was there driving us around and spending time away from his family and work just to help us in any way he could.

The director of the orphanage and BICA, Erick Garcia, is a true man of God. He gives every minute of every day to God. He cares for every single child. He knows all of their stories, all of their needs and he fights for those needs. He was a father to 40 children. They even called him father. Isaiah 1:17 is a verse that came up on the first night in our room during a study. The verse says to “seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” All week I saw Erick live that verse out. He always stands up for justice. He’s there every day encouraging the oppressed by playing with the kids and listening to them about their past. He defends their cause. He started defending it by opening the orphanage, and I know he’s going to continue fighting for their cause by keeping in touch with the kids and continuing to meet their needs as much as he can until he can get them back. Because he lives this out so well, Satan attacks him daily. He attacks his body, his mind, and he uses the government to shut down the good work he’s doing. Erick keeps fighting though. He doesn’t give up. He’s even willing to go to jail for these kids. Erick knows that God is going to take care of him and his family even if he is in jail. His faith is inspiring. It made me stop and think if I was willing to go to jail for something I believe in, if I was willing to fight so hard for something that it made me diabetic, or if I had become so cynical in my life that I just liked to talk about causes and not actually do anything.

When I first arrived in Nicaragua I was very naïve about the situation there. I knew the country was poor, but I didn’t know how poor. Dirt floors, one bed and barely any food at their own homes outside of the orphanage. Yet these kids are astonishing. These kids either have no parents or have parents who don’t do their job of protecting their child and their innocence. These kids have to grow up so much faster than they should, but yet they still have these sweet spirits. They’re not bitter. They trust God, and they love him. These children know that they are Los Ninos del Rey, children of the king. They have a heavenly father that is looking out for them and protecting them with his hand.