Mission Trip Summary: Nicaragua 2013

For those of you that did not get a chance to read my summary letter to those who supported my trip, this is a very large excerpt from that, explaining all that my team and I really experienced while serving in Nicaragua.

This summer, I was able to be part of and help my team run a summer camp for underprivileged children in Managua, Nicaragua; as well as build relationships with many kids in the poorest parts of Rivas, Nicaragua. Through this trip, we built some amazing relationships, grew spiritually, and got to experience the culture of Nicaragua in a very humble manor. This trip was special in so many ways, but the three significant factors that made this trip so memorable were the running of the camp in the beginning of the trip, the ministry in the town near the camp, and then living at Campo Alegría.

The camp in the beginning of the trip was the primary reason for the trip in the first place, that was what most of our preparations were for, and that was what we were most excited about. Not only were we right to have such high hopes for the camp, but I believe that I speak for my whole team when I say that it totally exceeded our expectations. When we first got to Campo Alegría, it was a Thursday and the kids were arriving on Friday, so we didn’t even have a full twenty-four hours until the kids would be showing up, so we waited with eager expectation. When the kids arrived in time for lunch on Friday, we were all just so excited to see them pile out of the vans. After lunch we kicked off the camp. I was on the arts and crafts team, so that was what I did for the most part of the camp during activity time. But when we weren’t doing activities, we were playing with the kids, doing team activities (we had divided the kids into three teams, I was on the red team), eating with them, helping them brush their teeth, talking to them, and just getting to know them. We also did a great deal of swimming. Most of the kids had never left Managua, so they had never seen a body of water the size of the lake that the camp was on, so we swam a great deal of the time! We had a perimeter of lifeguards surrounding the kids because safety always comes first, but if we weren’t on lifeguard duty, we were playing and swimming with the kids. We also had chapel times, which included singing (in Spanish), skits, testimonies or faith stories, and then lessons. The kids really seemed to enjoy every part of the chapels, but especially the singing because all the songs we sang had fun motions to go along with them. It was fun watching the kids jump around the room when they would get into the dance moves. On Saturday, we had a movie night and we watched the third ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ movie (in Spanish) which the kids loved. Being on the crafts team was really awesome because we were able to make fun crafts with the kids but also make crafts that incorporated the Gospel in it, like a craft that had the ‘Footprints In the Sand’ poem on it that they decorated and we translated into Spanish. We also had them make information cards that they could decorate, that had Scripture on it about being special in the eyes of God, and that they were made in the Image of God. The hardest part was when we had to say goodbye to them after lunch on sunday, it was a sad moment, but also very sweet because that was when we saw just how attached we had become to the kids and how much they loved us and were quick to call us their brothers and sisters. Essentially, the camp was a huge success and such a wonderful opportunity for everyone that participated. 

Working with Geo (one of the missionaries that was part of Campo Alegría) in the nearby town of Rivas was amazing because we were with a group of kids that he had already been working with in areas like teaching them English, teaching them Bible Stories, and just getting to known them. When we were with them, we played baseball. In fact, we donated a large amount of baseball equipment for the kids to keep, which they were so incredibly thankful for. Many of us expected them to be decent at baseball because of the sport’s popularity in the country, but these kids were amazing at baseball! They had only been practicing with sticks and stones but when we gave them real balls, bats, and gloves, their true abilities showed, and they were good! It was so much fun building relationships with these kids, getting to know them more, and just showing God’s real, tangible love to them by playing baseball. We all enjoyed it.

Living at Campo Alegría was an amazing experience but sometimes a nasty one. SInce we were on the water, we almost always had a nice breeze coming in and keeping us cool. It was quite comfortable, until the breeze stopped. Once the breeze stopped, the bugs came out and it became unbearably hot. If we even opened our mouths, we would have a full course meal of bugs. But as long as that breeze was around, it was pretty nice. Also, the food at the camp was delicious! Until a few of us got sick, and even though we eventually recovered, I don’t think we ever regained our appetite to what it was before... at least I didn’t. We also got to know the people that lived at and worked for Campo Alegría, which included some really amazing people. The Willards were our hosts at the camp, and they were great! Mr. and Mrs. WIllard were so nice, and we got to know their kids really well as well, which was sweet because they were both pretty cool people. We also got to know Geo, one of our leaders there, who had established the relationships with the kids we played baseball with. He was a really cool guy who just a big heart for God and ministry. The other people we met were the Saenz family, which included Oscar, who was one of the staff guys there, his wife who was a cook, and their son Jasser, who was one of our translators, and he became part of our group in no time. He was pretty funny and just a cool dude, so we all got along with him. I don’t think I could end this without mentioning the fact that we all milked cows. There was no real purpose in doing so, the camp just wanted us all to for the experience. It was honestly one of the more disgusting things I’ve done in my life, but it wasn’t as hard as I had expected. I got it on my first try, which was more than some people can say. All in all, living on Campo Alegría was quite an amazing experience we enjoyed getting to know everyone living there or working there as well.

Therefore, although this trip was special in many ways, the three significant factors that made this trip so memorable were the running of the camp in the beginning of the trip, the ministry in the town near the camp, and then living at Campo Alegría.