Nicaragua!!

This last week I arrived home from my very first of many missions trips. 10/10 I would recommend. Short term missions trips give you tons of perspective on your life, where you live, and what problems you think you have. Some people view short term missions trips as pointless but without them many people would not be inspired to do full time mission work. I went to Managua, Nicaragua with my church for a week long mission trip. It changed my life. I will never be able to put into words the impact this trip has had on me and if I tried it would take days to write. I decided to share with you some of my favorite photos, a video I created, and some highlights and things the Lord taught me.

First a little background. The team stayed at Villa Esperanza, a home for girls who need one due to, abuse, extreme poverty and sometimes to get out of prostitution. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Because of this, families are living in the dump sifting through garbage to make a living. The fathers leave their woman who are stuck with many children at a young age for various reasons. These single moms can't afford to provide for their children thus they sometimes resort to giving their girls, as young as 11, to older men as wives in the hopes that they will take care of them. Thus, the vicious cycle continues of abuse and abandonment. The girls at the Villa are taken from this, put back in school and given the opportunity of a lifetime learning about the Lord. Teams are sent to the Villa to stay and are sent out to help at local schools.
Check out Forward Edge Villa Esperanza here.

Highlights:
1.THE MANGOS!!!! Wow these mangos were amazing! The best things I have ever tasted. Straight out of heaven. Sarah and I, a girl on the trip, went on daily mango hunts around the Villa where we were staying at.

2. A Volcano With "Hot Magma". We got to visit an active volcano and we could actually see the lava bubbling down below. It was so crazy to actually see it. It sounded just like the ocean and was super mesmerizing.

3.The people. We were working at a public elementary school painting and cleaning to help out. This was a school in a very remote area that had no running water or electricity. These kids had nothing and were the most joyful children I have ever met. I met a girl named Maykeling I will never forget. She helped me paint for three days straight always by my side. I also met a boy named Carols, though the language barrier was hard we made it through the day with one more friend.

4.The stories. Everyday on our 45 minute bus ride to the school I decided to sit next to someone new and ask them to share their story. If you ask, people will tell. I was so inspired by the people I had sat a pew away from in church and had never began to imagine what they had been through. The people of Nicaragua were also very willing to share their stories of despair yet hope in the Lord, in times of trial.

The Lessons I learned:
1.Everyone has a story and we can learn so much from each other and how the Lord is working. Sometimes the Lord chooses to speak to you through others and what they've been through. Stop going through life in a bubble all about yourself and hear what people have to say. Life is short and the more we open up and listen, the more we will learn and get out of life.

2.There is a point of heat and sweat where it's actually cooler to be incredible sweaty.

3.Nicaraguans get annoyed (and rightfully so) when people from the Sates say that they are "Americans" because South and Central Americans are still Americans, the United States are North Americans.

4.You can be happy with little. And little kids are cute... well I already knew that

5.Journaling is a really good idea on missions trips and in life. Even now there are things I read in my journal I had forgotten and it's been less than a week. Write down little things you don't want to forget because you will forget. Memories are a gift so cherish them.

6.I learned my life and my problems are so small compared to the world. It's hard to not get zoomed into your life and only focus on yourself. But, there are so many people in this world hurting and if we were all a little more others focused we could really help.