Nicaragua Day #3 (12/15/11)

"Started off the morning with a simple meal of beans and grated cheese. Pastor Coquito also made us fresh papaya smoothes which was yummy (but no me gusta papayas). After breakfast we geared up in long sleeves and pants to go out to where the young children pick mani, which are like peanuts. The field is full of them! You squat, dig through the dirt and pick out all the mani and put them in bags. They take the bag to the owner of the land and then they get paid.

Our team who voluntary came with us to pick mani and take us around Tipitapa :) (yes, I was a giant in Nicaragua).

Don't they look like peanuts?

We were only in the field for a little bit and started to walk over to Cristobal's house. It's crazy to think that these children are sent out to the field everyday so that they can put food on the table. Something to think about.

The walk to Cristobal's was really beautiful!

Lanes of trees lined up to make an amazing pathway. We saw platanos trees, orange trees, lemon trees, and others. We got to Cristobal's house and met his grandmother, mother, cousins, nephews, and brother. They do lots of farming--squash, oranges, coconuts.

We took the horse cart and motor taxi back home which was really fun! We got to church, helped make tacos for lunch and rested. We went out with the missionary's husband afterwards to Masaya where there is a volcano site. He also took us to a cafe where it overlooked the beautiful lake.

This was a really special time for us because he opened up to us about his move to Nicaragua, his struggles, his first wife we passed away from cancer, and his kids. He also talked us through the idea of "serving others." He told us mission teams comes through and prepare themselves to serve others but often times haven't learned to accept the service of others. It was really applicable to us because we kept feeling bad about the generosity of Coquito and her family and Cristobal. They want to provide us the best with what the have; so all of us are learning to accept and be gratfeul. It was humbling because it's like we have a "savior complex"--we didn't necessarily think we were going to change lives but we definitely thought we were here to serve others. We think that because the people here are poor we are making a difference and it makes us feel good about ourselves. In the end it becomes about ourselves. It was a humbling realization that even in thinking we had good intentions, we are still sinful and selfish people.

I think today's lesson of accepting the service of others is an important one--not to come with a mindset that because the people here are poor we shouldn't accept from them but to be openminded in the ways in which God moves in His people. God uses the poor, the weak, the humble to serve others just as Jesus was sent to the world to save, serve, and love us.

Today I saw fireflies for the first time! Cool!"