Nicaragua Mission Team Testimonies - Grace at Fort Clarke Church of Gainesville Fl

This years mission trip to Nicaragua was my very first mission experience. I went with the purpose of using my skills as a pharmacist to do Gods will and serve the people of Nicaragua. I had no idea what to expect going in, but I came away with so much more than I could have ever imagined (including a new appreciation for everyday luxuries like toilets and air conditioning!).

Each day I was amazed by how eager the people were to hear Gods word. I enjoyed passing out bibles to those who could read after counseling them on their new medications. I could see in their face how touched they were just to have someone that would listen to their concerns and treat them as Gods children. My relationship with God was strengthened not only by working with the people of Nicaragua, but by working with the members of our own Grace team. I feel truly blessed to have had the experience.

Holding VBS in a primitive classroom in Nicaragua this summer was a humbling experience. The teachers and children cleared and swept for us, chasing the chickens out, and dragging the donated bags of maiz to a corner to make room for us. Two little girls rushed to dust off the chair as I sat. I explained to the children that we had come because we love the lord Jesus and he had told us to come and tell them about his love for them. Describing where we live, a two hour drive north from Disney World, I faced blank faces. "Where Mickey Mouse lives," said Jennifer. Their lack of response reminded me how great was the disparity in our lifestyles.

That evening, as we shared, John said he wished he could capture in a bottle or envelope, the dose of humility we had received that day from the love shown to us by the people we had come to minister to, so that he could open it every time he felt pride. Paul wrote in Romans 12:3 "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you". I thank God for the opportunity he placed in my path, to share his love with others and to see him in the faces of the children of Nicaragua.

Nicaragua is a country of extremes. It has some of the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. It is a beautiful land.

During the rainy season the lush, colorful countryside forms a backdrop for shacks made of bamboo or mud and brick with tin siding for roofs. The clean air fills with smoke when there is food to be cooked. Chickens, pigs and bony dogs roam freely among shoeless children at play in the yard while those who are able and can afford it go to school. Many of the mountain people live their whole lives on the mountain. To these people the arrival of a mission team is a most special event. To the people in town we may be just another tourist group shopping for souvenirs while dodging the glue sniffers in the park and an old man shouting “Nicaragua is for the Nicaraguans”.

We had daily reminders of God’s presence. On Monday I was prompted to read Philippians during the quiet of the morning. As the week progressed Jen read from Philippians, Bob read from a devotional, Caitlyn offered a song by Jars of Clay and Richard showed us the movie “Faith Like Potatoes”. There was a common theme. We must have faith and not let doubt cloud our vision.

This year while in Nicaragua I found joy. And, I learned a lesson. On Wednesday I said “I don’t think I can do that” when I was encouraged to work as a dental assistant. On Friday one of the regular assistants was very ill, so I said, without a thought, “I’m ready. I’ll do it.” Not a minute later I was given a different job ... the job I had hoped to have, writing medical intake forms alongside an interepreter. It wasn’t that I needed to be a dental assistant, but that I needed to be open to whatever job God planned for me and the others. God just wanted me to say “whatever You will have me do”.

I have one other “God” moment to share. On Wednesday and Thursday I carried my comfortable sandals with me as an extra pair of shoes planning to change into them at the end of the work day. This was not my habit. On Wednesday I wore the sandals at the end of the work day. Thursday, something very special happened. A young man came in to see the dentist, wearing a pair of old leather shoes that were literally falling apart. I knew immediately the real reason that I had packed the extra shoes. Without a thought I said “what’s his size”. The answer came “37", my size. He was a very quiet young man who smiled at the gift of a pair of worn Nike’s. The following day a man who looked at least 60 but claimed to be 50, walked rocky roads to the clinic with no shoes at all. He now has shoes as well. As we packed to leave, several more pairs of shoes were left behind.

It is not easy to reflect on my time in Nicaragua without tears. There are so many who need help in so many ways.

There was a nineteen-month old boy who was no strong enough to walk. when I held his hand his grip was weaker than that of a newborn. He was anemic and malnourished. His prognosis is good only if his parents soon agree to receive help.

Our traveling clinic is often set up in school rooms that have been closed for the day. Within feet of each other might be the dental “suite”, including the tech’s corner, a station for receiving footwashing and polished nails as the Bible verse is read in Spanish, a station for distributing personal items, the doctor/nurse “office”, blood pressure station and “pharmacy”. There is little privacy.

The Nicaraguan people often walk miles to get services we take for granted. It may be their only chance to be seen by a compassionate team. They line up to receive foul-tasting parasite medicine. They line up to have a tooth pulled after deciding which of their decayed teeth causes the most discomfort. They line up with big smiles to be spoken to softly as their feet are washed and their nails are painted. They line up with children in tow hoping that “the doctor can see only one family member today” does not apply to them. They utter gracias over and over as they receive small gifts of a bag with flip-flops, soaps and wash cloths used to wipe a sweaty brow. The abuellas (grandmothers ... older women) hug each of us as they leave.

The list, like the lines of people needing our help, or just a kind heart to listen, could go on and on.

At the end of the week we are exhausted. Images fill our heads. We must leave with faith and hope that the seeds planted will take root and grow. And, some day, we will no longer be needed.