Community Service Day

  
           The first day was really awkward and new. We were going through a lot of things. We were meeting tons of new people and adapting in to a new country. Everybody was so tired. However, today was a new day filled with new experiences!  Compared to yesterday, people built relationships more easily. God is working through this process. Even though there was a language barrier, we were able to connect.

 

             There were some things that I learned today that others might have learned too. First of all, I learned that we are so blessed. Well, I kind of had a glimpse of it when we had to use “clean water” (which tastes gross) to brush our teeth. I was showing pictures to my Nicaraguan friend of my home. Some were clean washrooms, beautifully wrapped Christmas presents that my homestay gave to me last Christmas, delicious food. My Nicaraguan friend did not say anything but I felt extremely sorry about showing them about my life. I did not think hugely about how wealthy we are. It is so easy to take things for granted unless you really know how people live around the world. Whatever we think is a norm is extremely luxurious to most. At some point a thought that there are poor people around the world became a cliché, which makes it so dull that people don’t really care (like when someone says something over and over again it is not very powerful anymore, I was one of those people). Furthermore, our teammates are growing day by day experiencing the joy and pouring love that Nicaraguans have. It is really cool to experience God’s love in the other part of the world. In our culture we are so caught up with distractions such as objects, video games, families, and conflicts that we often feel alone, neglected and not good enough. Nevertheless that is not true. We are created to have relationship. We are going to continue growing in relationships as the days go by.

~Alice

One of my favourite inevitable results of this trip has been learning about my new friends, especially including the members of our team. Last night, a group of 8 of us play a “game” called the Hot Seat, where there is one person in the hot seat and we all take turns talking about and complimenting that person, then someone else is in the seat and we all compliment them and so on.  The game was both meaningful and hilarious, all of us were sent into hysterics at some point and it was one of the best nights of my life.

Today was also full of incredible opportunities to learn about others. The grade 11 students of Centro De Fe have been amazing in the way they are so willing and eager to make us feel accepted and comfortable. This morning we picked up garbage at a local park and painted some of the benches with the Nicaraguans. Though we were performing a service, it wasn’t entirely about just cleaning, it was about being a team with them and being selfless in God’s name. The day wasn’t all work though, afterwards we ate lunch and the games began. We played volleyball, soccer, basketball, human knots, name games, and even rock, paper scissors. I am  sore, dirty and exhausted and having the best time of my life!

-Casey