"No problem. It's my job."

I had the great honor of escorting two Nicaraguan friends/co-workers around the past few days. They were here for our fall board meeting and Gracias Luncheon. Nelson, our Nicaraguan National Director,  has been to the US five times before, but Yader, one of our supervisors, has never been to the States. It was so fun taking them around to different church visits/presentations, restaurants, and tourist sites. Yader was especially fun because he was so overwhelmingly excited by the North American culture that he giggled like a little school girl. :) Keep in mind- this is a grown man with grandchildren laughing hysterically at the excitement of things that I take for granted every single day.

Each of my trips to Nicaragua, Nelson and Yader have treated me like royalty and it was only fair for them to be treated the same during their stay here. I even reluctantly followed their wishes of feeding them McDonald's on two different occasions. "Something fast that serves chicken" is what Nelson always said. After several options, McDonald's it was.

The best part of my time with them was a meeting I had with Yader regarding our student sponsorship program. In the past, there has not been enough man-power to put much time into this program and many sponsors have been expressing their complaints about lack of information about their student and lack of communication between the office and the donors. It is a top priority of mine to fix this, so I was discussing the concerns with Yader. He presented several different ideas of ways he could send more information about each student and create a stronger connection between the students and their sponsor. Each suggestion seemed like a lot of work to me and I expressed my concern of taking more of his time as he is already overwhelmed. His response- "No problem. It's my job."

His response made me speechless. How many times have I complained about having to do overtime or follow requests to add more to my workload? It was a humbling answer to receive from someone so thankful to simply have a job. The amazing thing is that I have received the same answer from multiple Nicaraguan co-workers. They work overwhelming hours in some of the roughest terrain in the world and yet they do everything they are asked (plus some!) because it is their job.

Days like today when I am completely exhausted from the last few day's non-stop chaos, I am reminded of Yader's words. When I want to slack off and rest or even consider taking some time off, I'm reminded that my friends and co-workers are sucking it up to continue our mission. I am so thankful for my Nicaraguan counterparts that push me each and every day to stretch farther than I could ever imagine in my commitment to help the poorest people in Nicaragua.

Ok With Daunting

It dawned on me today that the entire purpose of me starting this blog was to tell about all the amazing things that have taken place. Fail!

I have put an unbelievable amount of miles on my car these last couple weeks, great things have happened, and I have shared none of it.

I have been apart of a presentation put on by a group that traveled to Nicaragua this summer which was great. I have been apart of church visits that could develop into great church partners with Rainbow Network. I have toured the Personal Energy Transportation warehouse and eaten dinner with Mel and Barbara West, the founders of PET and many other missions organizations, which is always a delight.

All of these were great, but there were two recent things that really stick out to me.

First, I helped man the Rainbow Network booth at the Festival of Sharing. FOS was started by Mel and Barbara (of course!) decades ago. Missions groups from all over Missouri come together at the MO State Fairgrounds with two main purposes- to raise awareness and to better equip the organizations to serve. It has been turned into a youth weekend and at any given point throughout the day you will see several youth groups packaging up tons (literally tons) of rice and beans to send to food pantries through the state. There are livestock outside and quilts inside that are auctioned off to support the missions organizations financially. Several other states have mimicked this event in their own state. The amazing thing about this weekend is that while it is administered by the United Methodist Church, it welcomes all denominations. Over 30 different denominations came together with one purpose- to fight hunger. The small details of each denominations' beliefs do not matter when you are dealing with hungry stomachs. I once heard that hungry stomachs have no ears and I could not agree more.

The second big event was having the honor to speak at my home church for Laity Sunday. While I have done over 30 presentations for Rainbow Network, I have never done anything quite like this. Speaking about an organization- especially one you are passionate about- is easy. Talking about yourself- especially for me- not so much. I was asked to speak about what makes me so passionate about missions. While I made a few different points, the one that means the most is that this is what I have been called to. There is nothing more satisfying than serving the Lord through the poor. Knowing that my life is dedicated to a purpose and not a paycheck is extremely fulfilling. Each decision that I make at work and each conversation that I have with anyone no matter where I am could potentially lead to another mouth being fed, another sturdy home being built, another diploma being earned, another illness being treated, another job being developed. The list goes on and on. The more I think about it, the more daunting it seems. I could not ask for anything better.

Praying for Miracles

I recently read an article where the writer stressed the idea of praying for miracles. He brought up the point that if we truly believe God can perform miracles, then why aren't we praying for miracles? "What you believe shapes how you pray. And what you pray shapes you."

This same writer challenged his own thoughts and changed his frustration from a nearby screaming baby to a half-hearted, selfish prayer for the baby to stop crying so that he no longer had to listen to it. The crying continued. He then got serious and said a sincere prayer for God to provide comfort for the baby. He even went as far as praying that the baby would smile. Low and behold, the baby stopped crying and after a couple seconds even started laughing.

This got me thinking. How many times do I mumble half-hearted prayers to God for immediate relief to a small problem? God, please make my head stop hurting. God, please give me the strength to get through this hard time. God, please help me find sponsors for some of the unsponsored students. If I take the writer's stance about praying what we believe, then I have very little faith in what God can do.

If I pray what I claim to believe, my prayers should be more like God, help me find sponsors for the remaining 103 unsponsored students. Not only them, but let me have people on the waiting list for next year's new students. God, please use this hard time to teach me what's needed to do something really great.

The information in the article presented a challenge not only to the writer, but to me as well. Consider this my vow to narrow my focus and be more specific in my prayers, each asking for miracles. If I don't, how can I say I believe in an Almighty God that can do incomprehensible things?

All Packed for Nicaragua

Over the past year or so I have made an effort to collect gently used clothing, sports equipment, small toys, plastic kitchenware, shoes, school supplies, and many other random things. While I get funny looks when I ask people for their dirty sneakers and worn clothes, I assure you it is for a great cause. 

A few places- primarily Columbia, Joplin, and Springfield- collect these items for what is called The Container Project. These items are collected and then shipped to Nicaragua where they are dispersed throughout Rainbow Network communities. I've heard the saying that someone else's junk is another's treasure. That saying fits this project perfectly. When someone has no shoes or only one set of clothes, they do not mind if the shirt they are being given is last year's style or if their shoes are slightly discolored. All they see is their new best shirt and the lack of parasites they will be getting from no longer walking barefoot. 

This past June I was in Nicaragua when a few families were given clothes. The families that received these clothes were the neediest in the community. The joy and gratitude on their faces resembled how I felt on my favorite Christmas day. This is all from our used giveaways! 

This week I had the big task of helping to pack items into a 40' container that is currently on its way to Nicaragua. It is quite a feat to fit each box in just right so as not to waste any space. This container was even more special as it has well over 35,000 children's books- one for each of the 12,000 children in a Rainbow Network community for Christmas and many more to help fill the empty shelves in the rural schools. 

As we were packing, I got to climb up the pallets and stuff bags of clothes, walkers, crutches, etc. on the top. I have to admit there were many threats of just packing me in and shipping me down. While that sounds all fine and dandy, I would rather not arrive as jerky!

Operation Help Save My Paycheck

Part of my new job with Rainbow Network is to work to find sponsors for high school and technical school students. I have been working on each of their profiles, preparing them for a sponsorship card. It did not take me long to figure out that I am in a world of trouble. The more profiles I write up, the more students I want to sponsor.

I recently met the one student I am sponsoring now, Christian Massiel. Not only did I get to meet her, but I got to meet her adorable younger siblings and spend time in her home. By home, I mean a simple dirt-floor, wood paneled building that you could see right through. Not only that but it had smoke billowing through it from the indoor, open-flame stove that is bound to cause respiratory problems. In the midst of what we would call a shack, that Christian and her family were living in, there were the most beautiful red flowers lining the outside of the house. It struck me that amidst all this poverty, there is still simple beauty.

Oddly enough, when we were visiting with Christian, there was another scholarship student that I have met a few times before working across the road on a coffee farm. His name is Celso and he is an inspiration to anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting him. He excelled in primary school but, due to his family's income, was never able to go to high school. Seven years after finishing primary school, Rainbow Network expanded into his community, La Grecia, and offered him a scholarship to go to high school. Once again he excelled and is now earning a college degree. On top of working and going to school, he takes care of his elderly grandmother and is the youngest community leader in all of the areas Rainbow Network serves.

As I was typing up over 200 student profiles this week, I could not help but wonder what miracles these students will endure. The average monthly income of the students's families was around $50 and without their scholarship there is no way they would be able to attend school. Previous scholarship students have gone on to be lawyers, medical workers, as well as other respectable jobs and I cannot help but think these that I am working with now are going to do the same. While I have to remind myself that I cannot spend all of my paycheck on sponsoring students, it does fuel me to work harder to make more dreams come true.

1st World Problems

I have finally moved into my new apartment. Oddly enough, the thing I was looking forward to the most was having my bed back. I moved it, along with the rest of my furniture, a week ago, so I camped out on the floor and couch all last week at my old duplex. I cannot remember a time that I was this tired. It is so bad that I have dark circles and bags under my eyes. Each night- floor or couch did not matter- I would wake up every 20-30 minutes to rotate and relieve my body’s pressure points.  Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.

As I thought about how pathetic I was for complaining of not having my cozy bed, I thought of a conversation I heard on the radio a couple of weeks ago. The talk show hosts were talking about this new “idea” if you will about first world problems. It’s basically things that we, in first world countries, complain about that are so insignificant to world standards that it is almost humorous.  For instance, someone talking about their iPhone not loading Facebook fast enough would be a first world problem. Can this even be considered a problem? People in third and sometimes second world countries have no clue what an iPhone or Facebook is and quite frankly they do not care. They have more significant problems like making sure they get enough food and that they will be safe while sleeping.

This was quite the reality check for me. How many times do I complain about traffic being busy or a red light being too long only to be sitting in my reliable car with air conditioning? Or how often do I complain of having nothing to eat when I have a full pantry and money to go out to eat? How did I get so lucky to be capable of even having first world problems? It is amazing, and sad, to realize how many of these “first world problems” I have on a daily basis and thankfully they are becoming more evident to me.

End to a Beginning

Today was my last day working for State Farm. I quit my job of almost 3 years - the job with security, good benefits, and bountiful opportunities to advance - to work for an NGO with no promises of any of those things. Never in my life have I ever taken such a big leap of faith.

The dream of this started seven years ago on my first mission trip. I worked side-by-side with rural Nicaraguans, building a community center that is now being used for a school, health clinic, feeding center, and other community events. Each of the people I worked with would soon be moving into their newly built 20'x20' cinder block homes that would be a safe haven. No longer would these families be worrying about whether their house would blow over with the next gust of wind, melt away with the next drop of rain, or allow varmints to enter as they please to eat what little the family had saved up for meals. There was no sense of competition among the workers- only a camaraderie to help each other overcome their impoverished conditions. As I worked along side Erving, Jose, Ricardo, and Daniel that week, I wondered where each of them found it in themselves to work as a team to help each other when they had a starving family depending on them. I had never seen such selfless acts.

The selflessness continued throughout my week and has continued over these past seven years. Whether it be the dedicated staff, countless volunteers, or hard-working community members, there is always a team attitude and it is making a positive difference in rural Nicaragua.

I finally get to fulfill my dream and partner with these blessed people full-time. I will be working as a Development Director for Rainbow Network (www.rainbownetwork.org), sharing the miracles first-hand with groups traveling to Nicaragua. With this I will be granting people the chance to partner with high school students and special medical needs patients to make their dreams of earning an education or overcoming an illness a reality.

Many people have questioned my decision to leave my life pursuing the "American dream" to a life of faith. To them I ask why not? How can I meet and build relationships with people that are stuck in the vicious cycle of poverty and not be willing to dedicate my life to helping them? Where's the joy in making a lot of money, having a stable roof over my head, and never going hungry if it's all for myself?

There are many stories I have had and soon forgotten and many more I remember and want to share. I started this blog to share those that I remember and the many more that are soon to come. There is not a step in this life-change that I want to forget.