The Rest of the Trip

Vineyard Managua

Well this will officially be the last blog post during the trip. Again, sorry for not updating more regularly but I can’t get to the internet very often. Things got pretty hectic the past few days so I wasn’t able to go to the internet café at all. Sunday we went to the Vineyard Community Church in Managua to hear Sven give his first sermon in Spanish. He did very well despite being extremely nervous, so we are thanking God for giving him strength and courage for that. We also decided we need to smuggle the Managua Vineyard worship leader because that guy could really sing. Nothing against our worship bands in Fort Collins, but this man was really just out of this world with his voice and his energy. The trip to Managua took up most of the day, but we all had a lot of time to actually have conversations with the older kids and really get to know them on a personal level. A lot of our time has been spent playing games with everyone, but it takes a lot more to go that extra step and share life stories. It turned out to be a very relaxed day in comparison to the rest of the week, which was something the whole team needed. Ah! I almost forgot about David Brookes talking to some street youth in Managua. His talk went well and there was also an opportunity to hang out with some of the kids who spend their days begging. Juan (a 20 year old college student from Arms of Love) was able to engage a few kids, which turned into a whole group. That experience was extremely powerful for Sven and David, but I think it would be best to ask them about it when we get back to Colorado!

Trip to Mombacho

Monday was basically a team day as we traveled to Granada, Nicaragua. We took a bus to Mombacho Volcano and hiked around the crater. Unfortunately, since it is rainy season, there was a ton of fog and we couldn’t see any of the views. It was still really cool taking the hike through the rain forest since we don’t have a lot of those in Colorado. After that we went into Granada and wandered around their central park. We checked out some shops and toured their new cathedral. Granada is a tourist spot, so it had a different feel that Managua and Jinotepe. We left Granada after an hour or so and drove to another little town called Catarina. There was an awesome view of a crater lake, as well as Mombacho and Granada. We bought some gifts then headed back to Jinotepe.

Last Day at Arms of Love

Tuesday was our last day with the Arms of Love house in Jinotepe. While the kids were at school during the morning, some of us built an Eskimo hockey box (see pictures) while the rest went into Jinotepe for one last time. When the kids got back, we just started playing like it was the first day all over again. We skateboarded, unicylced, and played basketball, soccer, and anything else the kids wanted to do. It was an incredible afternoon that was nothing but fun. After dinner, we all gathered and individually said our thanks and goodbyes to the whole group. It was a lot of fun, but also very emotional. After we talked, all of the kids said goodbye to us the same way, which was actually very funny and entertaining. They are very to the point and just describe things we did (you came, we went to the beach, we had pizza) and most of them finished by saying amen. When that was done, the little kids went to bed and the rest of us divided up into males and females. Hannah Bunker and Chris Harris shared their testimonies with each group so the kids could understand that we also have junk from our past and we don’t live perfect lives in the United States. It was an opportunity for the teenagers to see how God has came into individuals lives and completely changed them. Both testimonies were of struggle and hope, something these kids can really relate with. Although Tuesday was super tiring physically and emotionally, we had to get ourselves prepared for Wednesday because it held a whole new set of challenges.

The Barrio

On Wednesday, we packed and drove to the Arms of Love house in Managua. We then drove to one of the roughest barrios (neighborhood) in Managua where Julie’s fiancée lives. Upon arrival, we split in two groups and walked in different directions through the barrio. Both groups ran into small groups of teenagers hanging out on the street. Sven’s group had the unicycles, so they asked the kids where the circus was so they could join up. David’s group walked up to the kids and just sprayed them with silly string. It took a little time, but with some persistence the kids got involved in the activities in both situations. Sven’s group played some basketball, and eventually got involved in a game of street soccer (all of the kids were really good). David’s group got involved in a street baseball game. In Nicaragua, street baseball is played with three bases on the street. The rules are similar to normal baseball, but two foul balls and you are out, if you hit the ball on a roof on the either side of the street you’re out, and there are only two innings. David’s group invited the kids to join in some activities in the afternoon, but they couldn’t go to the side of the neighborhood we were planning to engage. It turns out each group had ran into rival gangs. These two gangs fight constantly so it would have been a horrible idea to set that meeting up. Nothing happened to anyone, and we thank God for that. After lunch we went to the neighborhood school and did a mini-Go Bus (basically a party with various activities). We went out and exerted a lot of energy for about six hours and had a lot of fun with a bunch of random kids and gang members. It was probably the most interesting day any of us have ever had, but it was an experience we will never forget. It amazing what can happen when you are truly doing God’s work and just trying to bring joy where there isn’t much to be found. He has really blessed our group and allowed us to do so much more than we thought we could with almost no preparation. Everything has just fallen into place and it has just been such a blessing to be here serving the people of Nicaragua.

The Dump

I said that Wednesday was probably the most interesting day for our group, but Thursday was by far the hardest. I will attempt to explain what happened as clearly as possible because it is a situation that people should know about. This is by far the most difficult thing I have ever had to write about. Through some connections, we hooked up with a guy who is involved in ministry at the Managua Dump. In Nicaragua, there isn’t a waste disposal system like we have in the states. Most people just burn their trash in the streets and the rest goes do the dump to be burned in a giant pile. It causes a lot of pollution and Nicaragua is actually being fined yearly because they are causing so much pollution. That alone is pretty terrible, but it isn’t even close to being the worst part. The dump has a community with about 1200 residents. These people live amongst the trash and spend their days collecting anything that might be valuable. Most never leave the dump because they are considered inferior to everyone else in Nicaragua. Their houses and fences are made out of scraps found within the dump. Children are forced to work from a very young age, and a lot of them are abused physically and sexually. Upon our arrival, we were told that the gates leading into the dump were called “The Gates to Hell” by the locals. We drove into the village where there was a school. We had made a few hundred care creatures which were stuffed animals with candy in them to give out to children we saw. Upon entering the school, we were mobbed by a lot of the kids who seemed to just be crying out for attention. There were also a good portion who ignored us and showed no emotion. It wasn’t hard to tell which kids were being abused. We didn’t stay long because they had to get back to class, so we walked deeper into the village. Our guide took us to a hill where you could see the entire dump. I think this was the point that had the most profound impact on all of our hearts. Normally when you walk to a high point, you look out over the landscape and see beauty, but all to be seen was mountains of trash and clouds of smoke. It looked like a war zone in a post apocalyptic world. I can’t even accurately describe my own feelings in this moment, let alone the whole teams, but I am confident that the sadness we felt was unlike anything we have ever felt before. Despite the apparent hopelessness of this situation, there are rays of light shining in this dump. There are multiple ministries working in the community to save the children and help the adults get jobs. Our guide told us that when they first arrived, they found about forty children out in the trash fields wandering aimlessly, most of them naked. These kids now have schools to go to where they are fed and given clothes. After leaving the dump, we went to a children’s home called Villa Esparanza which is funded by the organization, Forward Edge. It was the nicest place we visited in Nicaragua. They have gone out and rescued 16 girls from the dump and provided them with everything. Most of these girls have been sexually abused in their past, so their contact with men is very limited. Men only talk to the children when they are with their wives so the girls don’t feel threatened and can see how good men treat women. The girls actually go to school in the dump so they are still connected to their families. The difference between the dump and Villa Esparanza is like night and day, and it was a shock for us. I can’t even imagine what that must be like for the girls who grew up in the dump. Two houses will be added soon so the number of girls will double. Upon reflection, all of us seemed to be pretty overwhelmed in a lot of different ways and we all had a hard time sharing with each other what was happening in our hearts while we were at the dump. None of us took pictures at the dump, but I am sure you could find some online. It was a hard way to wrap up our trip, but God has done amazing things with all of us these last two weeks and we are so thankful for that. I want to thank everyone who donated so the trip could happen, and I want to thank everyone for their prayers. Again, I apologize for not updating regularly. This blog is really just a snapshot of events, and I would urge you all to ask those of us you know to share our experiences with you to really understand what God is doing in Nicaragua. I am posting a few more pictures, but there are sure to be thousands on facebook. Thanks for reading and God Bless!