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!