Adios! Off to Nicaragua

 "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, 
a beautiful thing." ---Mother Teresa

This Saturday I will be receiving one of the greatest gifts. An opportunity to serve in Nicaragua. I am  leaving for a week long service-immersion trip through Rockhurst University to Chinandega, Nicaragua. Fifteen RU undergraduate students (selected from over 200 applicants), Ken Mellard,and I will be together on this adventure. I'm fortunate to work and serve at Rockhurst University, where there are several opportunities for service-immersion trips in domestic and international places. This is a trip I have been striving to be a part of for several years. I kept telling myself the time wasn't right, but now it has all come together. I can't stop smiling.

These week-long experiences, which include manual labor, cultural immersion activities, relationship-building, and daily prayer and reflection, move students and faculty to a deeper understanding of the Gospel’s call to solidarity and justice. Extensive trip preparation and follow-up lead students and faculty toward the life-long path of becoming women and men for and with others. 

We will be working with the organization, Amigos for Christ. Amigos for Christ is a nonprofit organization which has been serving the people of Nicaragua for 15 years. This charity hosts over 50 mission trips a year. They continue to hold a four star rating through Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator has been in existence for over 10 years and they evaluate charity organization on two broad areas: Financial Health and their Accountability and Transparency. Amigos for Christ support four different projects:  Water and Sanitation, Health Care, Education and Nutrition, and Economic Development.

A few startling facts related to these projects:

• One half of Nicaraguan population survives on less than $2 a day.
• 67% of children in Nicaragua will not finish 6th grade.
• Skin disease, parasites and diarrhea are the leading causes of death in Nicaragua.

I'll be honest, I have a little bit of anxiety about the language barrier. Even though I took three years of Spanish in High School (thank you Senora Wempe!) and two years in college, I am not fluent, to say the least. But, one of my students who has gone on this mission trip prior said she felt the same way. She explained she just went for it and that made all the difference. Meaning, she just approached everyone she met with a smile and did the best she could to interact and communicate with them through playing and working. Once she started modeling actions speak louder than words, her week long journey in service was a very positive one. She said she felt alive with everyone she met. This reminded me of a quote I read on the Amigos for Christ website: 

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive".  --Howard Thurman

I'm excited for the week ahead! I feel incredibly honored to be working alongside our RU students, the volunteers at Amigos for Christ, and most importantly, the Nicaraguan people. Please keep us in your prayers. I can't wait to share my experience with you when I return. 

True to the picture of those precious little girls from Nicaragua above, I hope to see, feel, share, and receive many smiles!

Here is a short video of some Nicaraguan children:

To learn more about Amigos for Christ and those they serve you can: 

• Visit http://amigosforchrist.org/
• "Like" them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amigosforchrist

Take That! Are You a Cheerful Giver?

This giver of God is always smiling. He makes others smile, too.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.  

2 Corinthians 9:7 (KJV)

Give, give, give. Seems like there are always opportunities to give. Sometimes it can be overwhelming and exhausting. Who should I give to? How much can I give? Why am I even giving at all?  In today's techy world, there are posts, tweets, emails and articles daily about how much more we need to give and why; to our communities, families, friends, and others we may not even know.

 Think about it, do you give because you feel like you have to or because you want to? How can we be cheerful about giving?   Let me introduce you to someone who inspires this exact charge.

It's always intriguing and refreshing to me when you meet a genuinely cheerful person.It reminds me of the quote from Amigos for Christ, "....what the world needs is people who come alive." When you first meet Danny, you think, "Wow, this young man has it right!" He's the kind of guy you want to be your brother, friend, role model and mentor for kids of all ages.  If it weren't for Danny I would not have had the opportunity to serve in Nicaragua with Amigos for Christ (read my post about the experience), this past January. I would love to share his story with you. 

During Danny’s first trip to Nicaragua, in July 2010, he came to understand a new way of life, a life based in bold and raw love. He describes this raw love as a simple love where people value not the worth of the clothes on his back, the language he spoke or the material things he has, rather they value the worth of him: his soul, his personality, his joy, and all that comes with life in general. 

He describes his experience as one that left him zealous for a change in his life in mind, soul and body. This change also influenced Danny to start running and eating healthier to be more readily available to help in any capacity causing him to lose almost 100 pounds. This new zeal for life is what brought about his return to contribute to the progression of life in Nicaragua with Amigos for Christ.

Danny during his transformation: physically and spiritually.

Danny didn't let his passion for Nicaragua diminish: rather he sought out the opportunity to share the story of Amigos for Christ and his experience in Nicaragua with faculty at Rockhurst University once he became a student, which influenced the University to begin taking a trip to Chinandega, Nicaragua alongside of Amigos for Christ. Because of his passion, several groups of us have had the amazing opportunity to give in Nicaragua.

Danny’s journey has continued over the past 4 years as he spent 3 weeks in the summer of 2011 and 2 full summers in 2012 & 2013 serving as an intern with Amigos. Reflecting on his time working in Nicaragua and looking ahead to the future Danny says,

What has captivated my heart is just what is written in 1 John 4:19 [We though are going to love- love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love]. I have experienced a crazy amount of love from the people of Nicaragua and I now see that I can put that love back into action through my work with the students in the Scholarship Program.

Be a cheerful giver. I AM!

Danny’s position on staff with Amigos for Christ will primarily work alongside the students receiving scholarship who are each sponsored by a donor here in the States. He is going to facilitate relationships between students and sponsors through Skype meetings, letters and other updates throughout the year. He is also going to support the students socially and academically by overseeing their requirements for maintaining scholarship, organizing retreats and serving as a mentor for these Nicaragua teenagers. With his support as a mentor he hopes to offer each student the opportunity to discover and seek after his or her dreams.

Let me end by giving you this: you don't have to go to Nicaragua to serve or give, you can serve and give to others in your own home! But, our world needs brothers and sisters in Christ to go out there and be cheerful givers in remote places. Danny, is one of these people. Even though you cannot go with him, you can be there for him and those he will serve; by educating yourself, passing this message on and/or donating to this cause. 

Sometimes we need a little help from our friends...our amigos.

Click here:Learn more and/or donate now



Sing it Joe!

Nicaragua: Digging Deeper

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart..." Colossians 3:23.

I have a new talent. I learned how to dig deep in Nicaragua. Our group was given the task of digging ditches to lay pipe for moving clean water into the homes of El Moto families. It's harder and more rewarding than you would think. We learned about the process of digging, which tools are helpful when you dig, and what to do when you think you are finished digging. I had the pleasure of digging both physically and spiritually for seven days. Here few things I learned about digging.

• You are going to get very dirty. I'm not one that enjoys getting dirty, especially when I am sweating. Hand sanitizer and wipes are my best friends. Wouldn't you know one of the first activities we experienced when we arrived was climbing the Cerro Negro Volcano? Sunday morning after mass we all gathered together to learn what we were going to do that day. They explained it was our 'play' day and casually mentioned we were climbing a volcano. Now, when I think of playing, a vision of Mt. Everest doesn't come to mind.  However, when we pulled up to the volcano,  I thought,  this is totally doable. It didn't look that big. We were given choice of two different paths to take. The paths were described as the "hard" path and the "harder" path.  Of course I chose the harder path. Straight.up.the.vol.can.o.  It kicked my butt.  I should have a T-shirt that reads, "I climbed a Nicaraguan volcano and I'm alive!" Literally I would take one step and slide back two or three steps.  We had to dig our feet and hands into tiny hot black pebbles in the blistering sun. At first I could only take about five steps. Slowly, I worked my way up, but the breaks got longer. To add to the craziness, the volcano ash was everywhere, all over me. Every time I took a break, I realized just how much I was out of my comfort zone. I really didn't think I would ever get on the top. It was encouraging that we all were feeling the same way. I ended up joining Lauren, Alex, Eric, and Annie and we just kept cheering each other on, laughing and dying at the same time. When we finally made it, the top was most beautiful scene- you had a 360 degree view of the breathtaking Nicaraguan land. Green and thriving, what appeared to be untouched beauty. We were covered in black ash and it took quite a bit of scrubbing to get it all off. As we reflected about the day, I couldn't help but think about how symbolic that whole experience was as it took almost three hours of exhausting effort to get to the top. There were times I didn't think I would make it, completely out of breath, so incredibly filthy and frustrated at how hard it was overall. But, when we all got to the final destination, it was the best feeling.We all shared the excitement of making it...together. Sometimes you have to get dirty to get to the top.

Taking a break, about half way up.

Marc and Kayla jumping for joy at the top!

We each had our own tools to dig deep with daily.

• You need the right people and tools: Who knew actually digging ditches for a week would bring meaning to my life? This was actually one of my favorite activities and the hardest. I know how to use a shovel, but swinging a pickaxe into a huge pile of rocks was much different than I expected. You have to have the right rhythm in your swing and know which end to use. It's hard, especially when each inch you dig deeper just produces more rocks. But when you are down in a ditch so each family can have a 100 gallons of clean water, something about inhaling dust and acquiring blisters quickly becomes no problem. The families in El Moto have never had a bathroom, a kitchen, a sink, a shower, let alone fresh water. I learned fast how easy it is to make friends with someone when you are both sweating and working as hard as you can together. We worked WITH the Nicaraguan people, young and old ---who are just like us. We talked about our families, danced while digging, ate lunch together, played games on our breaks, and laughed, ALOT. The tools you use may vary along with the people you dig with, so it's not about the digging, but the purpose of why you are digging that matters.

Digging trenches and laying pipe to bring clean water for modern bathrooms to the village of El Moto.

I was blessed to dig with Jenny (go Ole Miss!) and Nicholas one fine day.

Alex, Eric and Whitney ready to take on the rocks.

• You need to reflect about your digging:  Living on Purpose was the theme for the week. The time we all spent reflecting each day at devo (devotional time), was inspirational. I loved hearing what others took away from the day and how differently the activities impacted each person. To say that I was proud, impressed, and moved by our own RU students, doesn't even give justice to what they all did and how well they did it. They shared their own thoughts with such honesty and spirituality. They thanked each other, expressed through words and silence how much they meant to each other. We all tried our best to work with all of our heart and I think at the end of each day, we knew there was always more to give. But it's important to be happy with what you did. Whether we were digging in a ditch, hugging a special child at an orphanage, doing our daily chores, or any other activity we were experiencing, we were digging deeper in our hearts to think about the meaning behind it all.  We felt guilty for what we have after seeing the circumstances and lack of resources there. But, as we discussed over and over: we all can LIVE ON PURPOSE anywhere, day in and out.That's the wonderful thing about service. It's different for everyone,  where God has placed you,  how you service Him and those around you. Many times it doesn't matter if you speak the language or not,  because love speaks one language.

My man Maldorf (from the handicapped orphanage) who reminded me how much a hug and even holding hands can mean to both people. I didn't want to let him go.

My contribution to the Amigos for Christ graffiti wall of reflection.

Our RU group started the day here as the sun would rise and end our day here as we reflected about our experiences

• You need to take breaks with those you are digging with- The volunteers, Nicaraguan people and Amigos for Christ staff all dug together daily. Breaks were of the essence. Some took more breaks than others, but we all looked forward to them. What I looked forward to most, was the little ones. I don't know how to even begin explaining the genuine love I felt with the kids.They reminded me of my own children in so many ways. Appreciating a high five, looking for a warm smile, asking to play Temple Run on my phone, sitting in my lap to play UNO, taking a selfie with my camera, wanting to be chased, kicking the soccer ball back and forth and just holding my hand while we walked to or from the site. They opened my heart to feeling and remembering how a very small, simple gesture can bring such complete happiness. They energized my mind, body and spirit to continue on through each day. Watching the whole group engage with the children was fun as the kids loved to play jokes on us and everyone laughed together.  

Juan mastering his "selfie" with my phone. I have about 100 of these on my camera roll. Practice make perfect!

Alex and her boys, loving every minute together during the school fiesta.

I had the opportunity to spend precious time with our students (like Carolina), the staff, the Nicaraguan people and children.

• You need to understand that digging is never done. When you dig you realize there's always a need to dig more. There might be another place that needs digging, or perhaps you need to dig deeper where you are located. Whether you choose to go somewhere else or dig where you are, it's important to do it with purpose. Just like digging, service can be hard, overwhelming, dirty, and frustrating. However, in the end, each person feels special in different ways through reflection and getting to know those they serve. Getting to know others and serving with them is key, because you both are touched in ways you don't even realize sometimes, until the time has passed. I loved serving with the RU students, the people we met through Amigos for Christ and the Nicaraguan people. Each had their own story and shared a piece of their journey with me. I hope to carry on my love for digging in KC. Everyone can benefit from digging a little deeper!

I cannot wait to return to this beautiful place.

RU students laughing about their digging.

Our work is never done, which is why we must play together!

Through it all I've had the feeling as though I've been the one being served and impacted the most. We all laughed, worked hard, danced and sometimes we cried. Service brings out a deep piece of you to share with others, which... brings love.

 Whoever you serve; 

 do it with purpose, show love, share talents, and dig deep.

SPECIAL THANKS: 

Ken, my companion through it all. Thank you for your wisdom and "Kenisms". You are an inspiration to each one of us. 

The RU students/ my new friends: Marc, Carolina, Annie, Lindsey, Libby, Alex, Lauren, Ryan, Annie, Alex S., Kayla, Allie, Chanelle, Sam, and Whitney, I got to know each of you in such a special way. Thanks for all the laughs and sharing yourself with me.

The Ole Miss KD girls (you know who you are)--you all are gamechangers! Thanks for letting me join in on your fun. 

The Purdue AIM group: you all were hard working and reflective. I'm glad we were able to spend the week together.

Amigos for Christ staff:  especially; Will, Herald, Walter,  Paige, Jenna, Joey, John, Elizabeth, Jeff, Kristen, Josh, and the others we had the pleasure of meeting : The encouragement and journey you supported us through will never be forgotten. Everyone who crosses paths with each of you are extremely blessed.