Managua, Nicaragua 2016

In summer of 2016, I went on a mission trip to Managua Nicaragua. Before I went, I had no idea that this trip would impact and change my life, even to this day. After returning home, I sent out the following thank you letter to the donors of the trip.

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June 26, 2016

Hi all!

“I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for supporting me in my trip to Managua. I got back on June 14th  and I came back with a whole new outlook on life.  I used to roll my eyes at the cliché responses people had to going on a mission’s trip. Everyone says that it changed his or her life and the cliché is true. You don’t fully understand until you go and serve but it truly is an eye-opening, humbling, life-changing experience.

This trip impacted me in ways I didn’t know was possible. I quickly fell in love with Nicaragua. Every day I fell more in love with the people, the kids, my team, the Lord and that place. I became one of the translators for the other students on my team who didn’t speak Spanish. I would be called over so the kids could tell me and then I was able to tell my teammate what they wanted. I love Spanish and I loved being able to connect with the kids on a deeper level because there was no language barrier. I experienced God in a way I didn’t know was possible. His presence was overwhelming in the best way possible. The kids we worked with blessed me with their laughs, bear hugs, relationships they established with us, and their unconditional love of life.

The first three days, we ran a Vacation Bible School at Ruby Ranch (ranch owned by our mission partners) for the kids in the neighboring community. These kids live in terrible conditions but they showed up in their nicest clothes for VBS. I connected with a lot more kids then I expected! One of my favorite parts was when they would say my name: “May gan”. I loved hearing their little voices with their Spanish accents pronouncing my American name. Three short days allowed me to establish a love for the kids I didn’t think was possible.  And saying goodbye was awful. As I hugged and squeezed them one last time, I couldn’t choke back the tears. That was a pain I felt deeply in my chest.

Luckily, even though I leave, God doesn’t. And that brings me great peace.

Those three days, after VBS, we worked on a work project on the Ranch. Half the team worked on planting trees and building a fence around the Sports Court, while the other half went to paint Henry’s house (Henry is the stable hand for the Ranch).  

The fourth day was a day of prayer. We went to a Ruby’s House and spent five hours praying. But, those five hours felt like thirty minutes. It is hard to articulate what happened at Ruby’s House, and I don’t think anyone can explain it well. But, the presence of God was engulfing and lots of tears were shed as God spoke to every person there that day.

We concluded our trip by spending time and connecting with kids in two rescues homes: Casa Hobles and Casa Robles. These kids used to live in the dump and then their parents gave them up to these homes for a better life. The boys on the team went to the boy’s house (Robles) and the girls went to the girl’s house (Hobles). The girls were more hesitant to accept the team because they are used to people coming and then leaving. But the second day with them, I established relationships with those girls too. We went to their house, played “Just Dance”, took them to the beach one day, and finally went to lunch with them and then went to see “Angry Birds” (in Spanish of course). Some of the girls were older so I could talk to them about American songs and movies and make jokes with them about the flirty boy on my team. As soon as the girls opened up to me, I was able to connect with them too.

The last day before traveling home, we had a culture day, which included a hectic trip to the market and swimming in a crater lake.  Leaving the next day was not fun. I didn’t want my phone back and I wasn’t excited about air conditioning. Who would have thought I now miss the heat, being dirty, sweaty hugs and cold showers. Being home brings the challenge of translating what I felt and learned in Nicaragua home. I already knew that I loved to serve, but I want to serve consistently at home. The biggest challenge is staying as strong in my Faith as I was in Nicaragua. I had no distractions down there. Now, I have to integrate that intimacy with God back to my distracted life. But, challenge accepted.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. As I reflect on the trip and the kids and the team, I realize how blessed I am to have gone to Managua. The love I have for the kids, the belly laughs I have with the team, and the presence of God in that place all humble me.

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I look back and miss it. This is my way of reliving summer 2016.

xoxo,

Megan