The Life Changing Trip

I was excited about going on the Youth Mission Trip to Nicaragua from the first moment Sam mentioned it to some years ago. Mission work has been a passion of mine for years and I’ve helped with our local missions plus our trips to Wheeling, W. Va. in the past. I knew Nicaragua was a place I wanted to go to help. The week before I left, I was at my dad’s shop telling the guys who work for him where I was going. Carlos, who is originally from Mexico, said it was such a good idea because Nicaragua was so poor that people from his hometown in Mexico go to Nicaragua to help the people there!
We had some wonderful meetings together as a team before leaving and Mr. & Mrs. Grimes, along with Kim Young, helped us prepare for what we would be doing. The support we received from everyone back home at our church was great. It was like everyone coming along with us in our hearts.
I know Sam wrote about each of our day’s activities and I’ve seen the postings on the church’s website. What you can’t grasp from just reading the articles about what we did is what the impact of being there with the people does to you. After spending the day sweating profusely and getting covered in grime, you’d think you would be tired of it all. But your mind is so full from the contrasts you see, it’s unimaginable. The country is so poverty stricken but the people are so full of joy. It’s such a lesson in recognizing the blessings God gives. Blessings don’t have to be wrapped up in comfortable surroundings. We experienced so many blessings from the outpouring of love and acceptance we received from the people who lived there.
Each day when I saw Jessica and Mercedes, 2 sisters who were 8 & 6 years old living at Casa de Esperanza (House of Hope), I was greeted with smiles, hugs and laughter. There was such an out pouring of love from the people that any weariness or exhaustion melted away as soon as they greeted you. When I arrived to help at VBS one day after a particularly grueling day of pushng rebar, I thought I was going to pass out from the strain. As soon as I saw the children and they ran to me to play, my cares all vanished. It was like being renewed. I know what I received from the people in Nicaragua was so much more than I could possibly have given to them.
I will always be so grateful to my church family for making it possible for me to experience this mission trip. It was truly a life changing event.