Shawtys fiah is burnin’ in Nicaragua by Jon, Nick & Thelma

  Monkeys!!!!!!!!!!! So the CDCA has this fantastic monkey that has been around for a while that I got to play with today. Sadly she is tied up to a few trees outside of where we are staying, and we were asked not to interact with her more than feeding her. Things like that never quite stop me though So I went over and let her climb on me, and we took pictures and had a fairly novel time. Shhh don’t tell anyone. It was an interesting break from reality to be able to just play around with the monkey. Kind of a live in the moment type of thing. We have seen a lot over the past week, and not all of it has been particularly pretty. Managua is a huge city with people just packed in, and the poverty is very visible on almost every block. It is a very humbling experience when you think about it. Let’s not even get started on the history lessons we have had along the way. The perspectives offered by several of our speakers have been quite colorful to say the least, but they certainly have reason to be. So with all the seriousness we come back to the monkey, and perhaps how it is important to enjoy the simple things along the way. All the other blogs I am sure have expressed in more detail our crazy experiences over the past few days, and so I am just tossing that thought out there as a way of summing up a fun yet sobering trip. Never forget to stop and play with the monkey along the way It has been a fantastic trip, and now I’ll turn it over to my cowriters. That way they can stop giggling over my shoulder at all the innuendos they think they are reading on the page above. Off to the disco!      -Jon

Teeeeetthhhhh!!!!! So Rock Hill has this fantastic dentist that theyve been dragging along for a while. His name is Dirk Anderson and I’ve had the unique privledge of assisting him with dental procedures for most of the week! The clinic has an interesting process of giving out what they call “bonos” (short for probono) to people who either have a turn or do communit service for the clinic. A bono is basically a pass for one free visit to the dentist or whatever service the person needs at the clinic. So while Dr. Dirk is in town, aout 10-11 people a day are given one of these passes. We’ve don work including pulling teeth, adjusting bites, and filling cavities. I got to setup for each patient and got to find tools as well as getting to help with some more up close work like using mirrors to hold mouths open and and suctioning (Narcie would be cringing by now). I think one of the best parts of the whole experience was having to learn enough spanish to communicate effectively with patients. We’re running out of time to write so I’ll pass the writing over to Thelma!  -Nick

Concretttttttttttttttte!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So the battery on this laptop is about to die, so I sadly do not have much time (Jon and Nick took too long).  So I will talk briefly about my experience here.  So I have never done any construction work from scratch.  Here in Nicaragua, everything, and I mean everything is made from scratch.  This week, part of our role here was to help with the JHC center, and to help around their property.  Specifically, they had us make path stones for the entrance and help repair a sidewalk at the Health Clinic.  Let me tell y’all, I have a full appreciation for the work ethic these people have down here.  They work so hard and the processes they have to go through to achieve a result (in this specific case a smooth driveway and sidewalk).  And the crazy thing is they still have a smile on their face while they undergo the hard labor.  I have to tell you, managing a smile on your face while you are working in heat is not an easy task.  It has truly been an inspiration for me.  I have such an apprecaiton for the things I have back home.  I think if I saw the labor that went into every road I drive on, and every sidewalk I step foot on, I would appreciate things back home alot more.  I hope to take this reflective thought with me when I return home, and I hope to think about these people and their hard labor the next time I complain about something.  I adore everyone in the group, and I look forward to coming home and telling everyone at home the things I have learned about Nicaragua and also myself.  LET’S DANCE!   -Thelma

Nicaragua from Erica Oliveira

Last semester, I was invited to participate in a protest against Coker International.  I had never been to Nica, however, I’ve had many friends that had gone before me and helped to build walls and floors at the Gensis Co-op (a spinning co-op that has given Coker 150,000 for equipment that they’ve never received, to be to the point), so though I’d never met anyone in the project or seen it up close, I decided that participating was  the only right thing to do.  A great injustice had occurred and participating in the protests, I thought, was a good way to show support and turn up the heat.  While we’ve been in Nica, we’ve had the opportunity to meet these amazing men and women.  They come everyday to work and don’t receive pay.  They still do not have the proper machines to do the work that they want to be doing.  Just in case you didn’t catch it the first time, they work and don’t get paid.  Not a cent.  We had a session with them and though they were angry at Coker and tired of waiting, the feeling you got most from the co-op members was hope, love, faith, and gratefulness.  One by one they continued to thank us for being apart of the protest and supporting them.  They told us about the support, or lack there of, from their families as they work without pay everyday.  And still, throughout the whole conversation, they weren’t cursing Americans, or gringos.  They weren’t saying woe is me.  They did tell us of their troubles, but the followed it up with telling us that they are still hopeful for the future of the co-op, as they follow other leads to machines.  These women have touched my heart deeply.  I think that besides the dump, I have been most effected by these people and their great hearts.  I was so fortunate today to be able to work beside one of the women, Maria, as we leveled a walkway to prepare it for a sidewalk.  I speak very little spanish.  My conjugations are awful, however, Maria and I were able to communicate all day.  I have told many of the other students that I was at the best site today.  She had music playing on her phone and we danced and talked and worked.  She has two sons and one wants to be a doctor.  I admire these women greatly, and I have been blessed in getting to know and meet them all.

If you would like to know more about the Gensis Co-Op and what’s happening now, please visit the CDCA website http://www.jhc-cdca.org/  We will also be posting videos and other materials from our talk with Genesis and how you can help.

Nicaragua by Mary

I don’t think I’ve ever been changed so much by a trip.  How to explain it?  It was fun, life-changing, eye-opening, heart-breaking, sweaty, exhausting, and I think we all got on everyone’s nerves at least a little.  Even though I came here and the first thought was, “When are we going home?”  Now that there’s less than one day left I can’t help but think, “Are we coming back next year?”  My entire life view has been profoundly changed by this whole experience; I mean I just spent a  whole week sleeping on the thinnest mattress I’ve ever seen, in a building with no air conditioning, after working in the heat and dust (needless to say, my clothes are going through a hard cleaning as soon as I get home).  Maybe next time I won’t complain about the air-conditioning not working in my car and I’ll stop to think about people who never really get a respite from the heat and they don’t complain about it.

I’ve also been struck by how happy people are here.  We visited the city dump of Managua and worked with children there coloring and playing in the water.  Even though they’re living in a dump in the second poorest country in the hemisphere, they are still as happy as anyone I’ve met in America, if not more.  Particularly the children, oh don’t get me started on the children.  It’s impossible not to fall in love with them.  I wanted to take them all home with me after playing with them; just the way their faces light up when you play with them, and the way they smile at you, it’s heart-wrenching in a very good way.

So, in retrospect, I had the best time I’ve had in years here.  I can’t wait to come back again.

Nicaragua by Jordan

Hello lovely followers,

Our trip has been a very life changing opportunity for most of us. Today we continued to make wonderful cement blocks for the soon to be pathway to the Jubilee House. I think many of us have a new respect for construction workers; I know I do. I have found myself many times pondering the conversations and observations of these wonderful Nicaraguans only to come to a conclusion that many of their points of view, I agree in. The second part of our day was filled with more cement making (luckily not blocks) for a sidewalk. It was very encouraging to make this sidewalk because it was the entrance to Nueva Vida’s clinic. I think most of the Wesley group has learned that cement making is not easy!!!!!!!!!!!! As we worked we also experienced the poverty around us including children with no clothing, no toys, and no food. It hits your heart when you know you eat three meals a day while an average child in Nicaragua may only have one meal. I have had a wonderful week and I think that most of the group has reached outside of their comfort zone. One main point I want to take from this trip is this; though these people have nothing and some of them literatally have houses built of trash, they take care of each other. Many Nicaraguans have mentioned that it surprises them that the richest country in the world could let so many people be homeless. Though it saddens the heart to see the conditions that these people live in, most of them are happy! Nicaragua has truly reached in my heart and made me realize that no materialistic lifestyle HAS to be the pathway to happiness. I have seen everything from kids filling dirty water into a hole at the dump and swimming in it, to naked children running around and playing. But every child enjoys waving and smiling and it brings a new sense of joy and respect in my heart. I hope that everyone who reads this can take a step back and think about this blog.  I don’t think complaining about air conditioning in my car not working will cross my mind after I have been on a hot bus all week for transportation. I won’t complain about washing clothes in a washing machine because here, they scrub them on a washboard and hang them to dry. With all the worries in the world, mine are little to the ones that these people face everyday. Keep us in your prayers as we head back to the States tomorrow.

Love and peace to you all -

Jordan

Nicaragua Days 6 and 7 by Angel and Leslie

This trip has been amazing so far! Over the past 2 days, we have been working on the front entrance at JHC. Before we started, the entrance was very bumpy and had many holes. All of the work trucks that come in and out of here had a difficult time driving through the entrance because the bottom of the trucks would hit the ground. After much tedious labor, the entrance is pretty smooth (like butter!) – let me tell you, we are SUPER proud of that entrance! There is still plenty of work to be done, though! We are now in the process of making the bricks that will be used for the entrance. This process is pretty stressful, but we get it done because we’re all about some teamwork! Plus we have Jordan, who just happens to be a BEAST at brickmaking!!

Yesterday, we have had the opportunity to talk with members of the co-op here. They told us their stories and about the situation with Coker. (For those of you don’t know, 2 years ago, the co-op took out a loan to get machinery from Coker. Coker received the money, so they sent the co-op a bunch of pieces of machinery. The co-op members were very excited because they thought they would FINALLY get to begin the work they set out to do. However, the machinery was not the same equipment that Coker agreed to send them. The women from the co-op told us that all of the pieces put together would not even make one machine. The pieces were broken and rusted, and the people here were very disappointed. They are now in the process of trying to get all of their money back or to get the right machinery from Coker.) Anyways, we got to hear about how they got involved here, their families, what they do, etc. One thing that stood out to our group was their faith. After everything they have been through, they still have hope and faith that God will get them through this trial. It was such a blessing to all of us.

Yesterday we also visited the local dump, where over 100 families live. It was heartbreaking to see so many people living in such poverty, having to eat whatever they can find (which often is literally trash). We got to play with some of the kids from Los Quinchos (a children’s center in the dump). Some people from our group colored with the kids and played different games. And some of us played in a small pool with about 2 inches of water, in which they wanted us to slide them across the floor to the other side. They absolutely loved it, and we all had a lot of fun! Andrew brought a rubber chicken to the center (don’t ask why, the only answer is that…it’s Andrew and he’s crazy!) and the kids thought it was hilarious! They actually fought over the chicken; I think it was their favorite part of our visit. They used it as a sort of water gun against us in the pool…it was awesome! It was kind of sad to see that these kids got so excited over that rubber chicken when most kids in the United States sit inside all day playing video games and get mad if they can’t do that. The people here are definitely thankful for what they have and I think we need to stop taking things for granted…like clean water and paved roads.

Today, we continued making bricks and doing other yard work- we got a lot done today! Also, some of our group went to a local orphanage and handed out dresses and dolls that were provided by churches. We also heard from the people that are apart of the CDCA and how it all got started.  It has definitely been a great day! Thank you to everyone who has supported us, and to all who are praying for us!!

God Bless!   Angel and Leslie

ANGEL: I want to say Happy Birthday to my mom! Sorry I am missing it, but I love you!!

Leslie- This trip has been very eye-opening and heartbreaking. The first day we arrived, it took a lot for me to not cry when I saw the families and children that lived in Nueva Vida. We hear about people like this and see them on tv, but it’s SO much different having to actually experience it. These people have close to nothing, but they are probably the happiest people I have ever met. This trip has made me look at my life and made me want to change, big time. I get 3 meals a day, I have internet, heat & a/c, a roof over my head, and so much more. A lot of people here don’t have any of that, yet they always have a smile on their faces and they have so much faith in God. They inspire me so much and have made me realize that anything really is possible with God, we just have to have faith. And quite honestly, I don’t think I’ve had a lot of that this past year. I’m so glad that I decided to come on this trip and I will never forget the people here and what I have learned here. I’m going to leave you with 2 quotes that I found on the bus that we ride everyday (all the groups that come here sign their names on the inside of the bus.)  “I hope that God breaks my heart so completely that the whole world falls in.” -Mother Teresa and “A smile is understood in every language. One smile can change the world!”.  So remember to ALWAYS have a smile on your face because that quote is so true   Thanks to everyone that’s supporting and praying for us!

Nicaragua Days 3 – 5 by Andrew and Adrienne

We haven’t had great internet access the past couple days so we’re just now catching up on writing.  Everyone is fine.  Prayers for Nick who is sick but feeling a bit better.  Andrew hurt his leg playing soccer with Jon, Jordan and some kids but he’ll deal with it – you know Andrew.   Prayers for tomorrow as we hear more about Nica and visit the city dump.  And more prayers for rain, cooler weather, and no sunburns!  Now here’s Andrew and Adrienne…. 

=0), Narcie

Adrienne Chlumsky from Burtonsville, Maryland:

As one of the only collegiates that has actually been to Nica before, this trip has definitely been different. Last year, only 3 people from Wesley and our token dentist, Dirk, went. This year our group is much larger and louder. So I love it! Yesterday we took our long 4 hour journey (each way) to El Porvenir. My trip was very different this year. I was asked to assist our dentist and was able to help set up equipment and assist in cleaning teeth of people who are up in the village there. For anyone that knows me, I hate the dentist and I HATE having teeth pulled so watching that was not very fun and very gag-worthy. Anyway, this community is  at the top of the mountain and the view is beautiful, including a view of Honduras on one side and Costa Rica on the other. So, unlike most dentist’s offices in the US this one had an unbelieveable view. And to top  it all off we actually made it home safely and in less than 8 hours and no rain storms that flooded the riverbed we were driving in… let’s just say last year’s trip was… interesting. Being here a second time has really helped me enjoy the trip a lot more, I feel like I have more of a feel for what I am doing and understand more of the country and it’s circumstances (unlike last year when I was a lost soul and Narcie wasn’t here to explain anything to me about what was going on). We have a great team this year and everyone is working together so well! Today we started to fix the entry gate road to the community where we are staying, which had a large ditch in it (probably almost a foot deep). It is very exhausting, but in the end, I know that it will be extremely rewarding to see the difference it will make. I am so glad for the opportuninty to be here again. So, Mom and Dad, if you are reading this– I am safe and totally loving the experience (as Thelma and I would say I “totes loves the experience- lol” ) a lot more than last year. Thanks to everyone who is keeping us all in your prayers!

Andrew Wilson from Greenwood, SC:

Earlier this summer I listened to a message and a phrase really stuck out to me. That phrase was, “There is beauty all around us and I believe that in beauty there is God.”  Nicaragua has been no exception to this idea. As someone who travels as often as possible there is always a search for the thing that no one else has seen before. The search for the most authentic experience. We’ll call this the authentic effect. Well this trip has been the authentic effect to the maximum. I have done things that few others have done. For example,  I rode in a cart up a steep mountain to a mountainside coffee plantation and looked out over almost all of Nicaragua. From that spot, I saw Lake Nicaragua, two of the largest volcanos in Nicaragua, and a Nicaraguan landscape that would make anyone sit in wonder. So, if it is true that God exists in beauty than I have never seen a greater example of God than here. Not only have I seen beauty in nature, but I have seen it in the people. In the way they trust, in the way they dream, and most importantly in the way they show love. They have shown this gringo a lot of love. They have also shared their amazing stories with me, which has given me a perspective that I wouldn’t be able to get in the United States. All in all, it has been an amazing trip so far and I want to sum up my experience with this final idea… Learn to appreciate beauty in all forms, because God doesn’t always show up in a beautiful mountainside or in a elderly Nicaraguan women with three teeth, but he is always around us all we have to do is look.

Day 2 in Nica by Narcie

I didn’t post last night because we were having “Reflection” and then played a rousing game of Taboo.  Let’s just say that at the end of a long day and when you’re very tired, Taboo is that much more hilarious.

Yesterday we visited a volcano, Pedro the potter, a laguna in an extinct volcano crater where we also ate lunch, the Masaya Market, and we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant while watching  a beautiful sunset on the patio.  It was a great day.  When everyone went around and said their “highs” of the day, everybody had things to share.  Our challenges yesterday was the lovely humdity which we in South Carolina know all too well and a sometimes slow bus ride, but it is what it is down here and we all have to deal.

For many the volcano was the highlight because many had not seen a volcano before.  The students were fascinated/surprised that we had to park the bus facing out so that if the volcano erupted, we could drive quickly away.  Don’t worry – if there’s ever any seismic activity or high sulfur admissions, they don’t even let you near the thing.  On the way home last night, Sarah told some of us about our spiritual experience with the volcano.  She says that she looks at the deep, deep crater and how far down it goes and then at all the rocks around that the volcano has spit out or how far the lava comes all the way miles down the mountain and she begins to see the sheer force and power of the volcano.  She says that when she sees that, she is reminded of how she’s not in charge.  There’s someone far bigger than she that’s in charge and she’s thankful for that.  She says that on good days, she is comforted that someone else is in charge but on the bad days, it’s frustrating, because she likes to be in charge.

When you see that volcano and how big it is and all that it is capable of you are definitely reminded in some ways that yes, we are mere mortals.  We’re just plain old humans with all of our frailties and fears.  But you’re also reminded at how amazing it is that our big God, the God of the whole universe, came here for us – these sometimes silly humans – and seeks to be in relationship with us.  That’s pretty powerful stuff.  As students begin to gear up for another school year, it’s a great reminder to realize that you’re not in charge.  We do the best we can with what we’re given and then we trust and leave it up to God.

There’s a lot of information being thrown the students way and there’s so much to absorb that it’s hard to keep up, but they’re all doing well.  No one is sick.  Everyone is eating well.  And everyone is happy and getting along.  What more can you ask for?  Since it’s still the weekend and not a work day, today we’re touring around Managua, the country’s capitol and then going to Batahola church.  Looking forward to another day in this beautiful country!

=0), Narcie

PS – We were all glad that Andrew arrived safely and met us at the market with Sarah.  Everyone is doing well and sleeping well.  I’ve invited them to post on here as well so hopefully I can coax them to actually do it.  Right now we’re getting ready and waiting on breakfast.  We eat Nicaraguan food for breakfast and lunch and then a member of the Jubilee House Community cooks a sort of American meal for dinner.  It really is a community here with everyone helping to load and unload the bus, everyone taking turns carrying the food and cleaning up.  It’s beautiful to see the students working together like this.

Day 1 in Nicaragua at CDCA on Mission Trip

It’s hot, hot, hot in Nicaragua.  Somehow I think that I trick myself when I’m not here and pretend that it’s really not that hot, but with the humidity wowzers – it is pretty steamy.

The group has survived the day.  Besides a little bit of delay in Atlanta, we’ve had a smooth start to the trip.  We left at 3:30 this morning and some didn’t sleep last night so needless to say people are tired.  It’s only 8:30 pm here and people are showering and getting into bed.  This is not one of those trips where you’re eased into some of the stark contrasts of life back home and life in Nicaragua.  When you walk out of the airport it’s immediately a different ballgame.  The students handled all of it with eyes wide open.  Yes, some tiredness, but I trust that they’ll sleep tonight and wake up refreshed and ready to rock and roll in the morning.

My mom and Mike’s mom are watching are two children, Enoch and Evy while we’re on this trip and as my mom was trying to explain to them where we were this morning she told them that we were in Nicaragua going on a long trip.  She told them we were coming to help people, to bring medicine and clothes and money, and to work and learn.  Enoch said something that I think speaks to how some of us think about this stuff sometimes.  He said, “But it’s our money.”  It is our money.  And it is our time.  And it is our energy and sleeplessness right about now, but I’m glad that these students are willing to give it.  I look forward to teaching Enoch and Evy about the world community that we live in and how blessed each of us is.  I look forward to teaching him that sharing our resources and giving what we have is not just the right thing to do, but it’s essential.  It’s Christ-like.  It’s what it means to be Church with all of our brothers and sisters around the world.

We haven’t done a lot of processing at this point and I don’t think any of us were in the state of mind to do a reflection tonight, but I do know that you can’t come to this country and see these people and feel their spirit and go away unchanged.   If you actually intentionally seek to learn and engage and open yourselves up – not only will God show up and walk with you every step of the way, you will discover things about your self and the people around you that you will cherish.

I’ve seen God in the group helping each other in the midst of chaos collecting bags in customs, loading bags onto the bus, and creating an assembly line getting the bags inside.  I’ve seen God in the times of fellowship and gathering with old friends and new.  I’ve seen God in the faces of our group members and those that we’ve met so far.  This is going to be a great trip and hopefully something transformative for each of us.

Thanks for your prayers and support!  It’s not just “our” money or “our” prayers but all of ours together that can change the world!

=0), Narcie

To find out more about the CDCA - www.jhc-cdca.org/  Love these folks who put not just their money but their lives where there mouths are all the time!!