AACS Nicaragua Trip 2017

As the trip comes to a close, I am thinking through all we have done and all we have accomplished in this short period of time. I am so incredibly proud of each member of this team.  We have accomplished things that I believed would be impossible and we have overcome things that may have seemed intensely daunting only a week ago. I have seen and experienced so much growth during our time here whether it was from the construction work, the cultural differences, or embracing the elements as it may have seemed. Personally, my heart has been encouraged by the love and passion of the people that work in this ministry. Sitting at home in Maryland I am continually overwhelmed by the feeling of helplessness as I see all the hurt and need in the world, but this time here in Nicaragua has reminded me that it is not the Lord’s will for us to change the world but rather to work to make a difference exactly where we are. I am returning from this trip with a renewed joy and a renewed hope in my...

This trip has been absolutely amazing! This was my first missions trip and I am so glad that I made the decision to come. This week flew by so fast. I spent most of the trip in construction building a house for one of the workers of Piñas de Paz named Carlos. The construction was so fun and by the end of the week when we left almost the entire frame was up. I met and worked with multiple people; namely Carlos, Melvin, Luis, Belen and Mika, and each of them are so amazing. I personally felt a connection with the people here and that is something I am so thankful for the experience to have met them. Looking back on the people I met in both house visits and the hospital visit, they have left a great impact on my life. I will miss this ministry and the people here dearly and I can’t wait to go on another missions trip. This trip has made a huge impact on my life and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have gone on this trip.

Today we started off the day by finishing up our construction projects in the morning and then in the afternoon we visited a public hospital to provide encouragement and prayer for the people there as well as giving donations to provide for their physical needs.  Here are thoughts from the day from several different students: Jeremy Solsman - Today I felt kind of awkward when we first entered our room in the hospital.  When we entered, there were 5 people laving on beds in the room, surrounded by family members.  When we went up to the first person to talk to him, my nervousness melted away and I could feel his joy and the presence of God in the room.  Afterwards, when we went to talk to the other 4 people in the room, I could also fell the presence of God and their joy at our prayers.  This was very encouraging to me to experience God working in these peoples' lives. Rachel Solsman - When we went to the hospital, at first I felt awkward because I didn't rea...

Yesterday, after 3 days of digging 1.5 ft and 3 ft trenches, carrying 40 wheelbarrows of rock and sand, mixing almost 9 bags of concrete, laying 30 support block (150 lbs each), refilling the trenches, leveling the dirt and laying the concrete  Kaitie, Cal, Mr. Cole, Angel, Wilmer and I finally finished our one construction project. We paved a new walk way to what will soon become a shed for fertilizer. It was really hard work that has now taken its tole on all our backs but it was so worth it. The workers here work so hard and I personally wanted to finish this project for them, so it was one less thing they had to worry about. It was great to get to know the workers we worked with, Angel and Wilmer, who are so funny and kind. Today since we were done, we helped other groups with their projects and I got to speak a little to Joel, another worker. The people who work here and even just the people here in general have so little, yet they are so happy and kind and loving and generou...

Thursday-Kaitie and I had a fun time pouring and mixing concrete while talking to 2 of the plantation workers.  We talked the whole time with the workers while doing construction.  We taught them Spanish and they taught me English, while Kaitie helped translate.  We laughed at each other and joked around a lot with the workers.  The two workers then talked to us about the Tower of Babel, and related to how we had a bit of a language barrier as we were doing construction.  It was really cool to see them talking about Bible stories to us, and them asking us how much we read the Bible. There was something really cool about talking to Christians who are so far away from where I live and who speak a different language.  It made me laugh but also kind of sad when one of the workers said to me, "I will tell the government of Nicaragua not to let you out of the country until you have taught me English, and I have taught you Spanish." Cal Anderson

Tomorrow we will have the opportunity to visit a hospital where many patients are seriously, if not terminally, ill. Please pray that God would use us to shine his light and bring hope to often humanly hopeless situations. Ask God to give us opportunities to share the gospel and that peoples' hearts will be responsive. Also, please pray that we would have controlled emotions as we encounter difficult situations. Love to you all - thank you for lifting us up in prayer! The Lord is answering!

I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday! These past couple of days have gone by so quickly, between traveling and house visits and touring the farm and construction, all of the days seem to have melted into one. I have loved being able to form relationships with the workers and translators here at Piñas de Paz, and I have been blessed with the opportunity for me to become better friends with my classmates who are here on the trip with me. My construction task is building a house for Carlos, who is one of the workers here. It has been a labor-intensive yet very fruitful experience. Today, my fellow construction workers - Jeremy, Mark, and Zach - and I carried lumber up the hill to Carlos’s house and helped to nail 2x4’s into the rest of the wooden frame that we had shaped throughout the past couple of days. After returning to the farm for lunch, our team prepared for a Vacation Bible School for the children who live in the Ticuantepe area near Managua. I was part of the Music group with...

Today we continued many of the construction projects around the plantation and in the town that we started yesterday. My group has been doing a lot of heavy lifting while putting in a sidewalk to access a new tool shed that is being built. It was been incredibly difficult work digging trenches, moving dirt, mixing concrete, replacing pipes, cutting out tree roots, hauling wheelbarrows and doing anything else that needs to be done to finish this project. While the work has been difficult, it has been a joy to work with a couple other members of our team along with Angel and Carlos who are on staff here at the plantation. Even though we do not speak the same language and have only known each other for a couple days, we have already been joking around with each other and having a great time like we're old friends. My favorite moment was when it started raining so hard that the trenches we were digging started filling up with water and we had to stop working and seek shelter. Although ...

Exploring God's beautifully amazing creation on our Jungle Walk (aka Walk through the farm). Monday, June 19, 2017

Today we completed lots of manual labor around the farm and within the community. There were two groups who went to English class with Bethany, who is a missionary here. In reflecting on the class, Christiana mentioned that it was the first time she was able to really connect with someone here. She feels like that's why she came - to enjoy being with the Nicaraguan people! We ended the day by celebrating Grace's quinceañera (15th birthday) and Melissa's 16th birthday. We ate yummy cake and broke piñatas that looked like the girls. God is answering prayer... we were able to bless those around us and He's keeping us safe! Thanks for continuing to lift us up in prayer.

Today I made many friends. I woke up fairly grumpy because I hadn’t slept too well and my lotion had exploded and my suitcase was wet and the bathrooms weren’t quite what I wanted. But then the pastor who spoke to us this morning reminded me why I love this so much. Later in the day we went and did home visits which was quite the experience considering the vehicle and the roads and the soccer goals hanging off the back of the tiny pickup. But we reached our first destination and left the goals in the church and in there we met with the first family and immediately I began translating despite the fact that we had a translator standing a few feet away from me. From that point on I was translating for the rest of the day, not by necessity but because of the pure joy that it brought me and it made me feel at home. The father from the first house and one of the 9 year old girls walked us to the second house. On the walk down we talked to these two becoming friends and when we arrived at th...

Today’s experiences were incredible (to say the least). One thing that stood out during our home visits was how hopeful and thankful these families were. Both families I met with were persistent that our Lord has a plan for their life and that they relied fully on Him. One lady in particular was single with 6 children; she was out of work and she poured out the joy of Christ in her words. It was inspiring to see how much she loved the Lord. These ladies were strong women of the Lord and it was inspiring. 

The first full day of camp is officially done, and I could not be more proud and full of joy. Today I met a sweet old women who we believe is over 97 years old. We are not sure of her exact age because she does not know how to read or write. Even with her age, her mind was sharp. She was able to recite Psalm 91 to us by memory because someone had cared enough in the past to help her memorize it. Every time she said a word, she would look at all of us. She looked us straight in the eye. In her eyes I saw more joy then I could imagine. Though she was an old frail woman, she was full of joy and compassion that I had never seen before. God was truly able to bless me and show me how He can work in so many ways in so many different situations. 

On Saturday, June 17th, the team will board a plane for Nicaragua!  We have been preparing in morning meetings for the past several months and doing lots of last minute planning over the past few days to be ready for the trip and we are very excited to see what God has in store as we finally head out.

- Safety for the team as we travel - Health for those who are sick and as we are in Nicaragua - Maintaining a positive attitude in all situations - Willingness to step out of our comfort zone - Being able to celebrate the uniqueness of each team member and that each of us can use our unique, God-given gifts - Flexibility as schedules change - That the missionaries that are leading our team there would have strength throughout the trip and that we would be a blessing to them - Peace for each member of our team - That this would be an opportunity for each of us to grow in our walk with Christ - Desire to continue serving after we get back from the trip - Boldness in sharing the gospel - Love for the people we are serving - Hearts that are prepared to be open to whatever God will teach us - That the parents of our team members would be at peace