Helping Others, Or Getting Helped?

Dancing with children on the dirty streets with the rain pouring over our heads, playing soccer on the dusty roads, and eating the most delicious food. This doesn’t exactly describe the stereotypical, grueling, hard work-no-fun volunteer mission’s trip. While yes, many mission’s trips are hard work, they are also so fun, and so rewarding.

QUARTER-FINALIST 2015 FTF TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP

As we traveled down the dusty, pot-holed filled roads of Managua, Nicaragua, we went into the country with the expectation of transforming the impoverished country into a better place. What we did not expect was the people of the impoverished country to transform our hearts. The love the people had, even though they lived in terrible conditions, was astounding. We saw many selfless acts where people put the needs of their neighbors before the needs of their own.

Though we did many services, the men and women of Nicaragua were willing to help us with serving their country, and their people. We planned a Vacation Bible School at a school outside of Managua; there were these women who were so selfless, and spent hours in the kitchen cooking homemade, authentic meals. As the women got ready to feed the children, they had so much joy in their hearts because they knew they were able to provide the necessary tools for the children to advance their learning. Though the children were not able to use iPads, expensive books, or even computers, they were excited to go to school and learn new things!

So while we did make a difference in the different services we did throughout Nicaragua, we all left with our hearts full of gratitude; gratitude that we lived in a country of freedom; gratitude that we lived in a first world country; and gratitude that we lived a lifestyle that allowed us to have almost anything we wanted. We left with the understanding that even though we had the capabilities to have almost anything, we didn’t have to have it to be happy.