Its hard to believe that my time here in Nicaragua is coming to a close soon. 4 weeks from tomorrow I will be flying back to Houston for debrief time, then coming home to Ohio on May 15!

 

 So much has happened in the past 5 months I have been here- I wouldnt know where to start explaining everything. One thing I do want to say - even though I love the people of Nicaragua, and the people I am working with, it will be nice to come home. I am so tired after every week, and it seems like theres always a new person to love, someone different who needs help, someone else lost to a life of drugs/alcohol. Dont get me wrong, there have been some great times here in Nicaragua, but it would be so hard not to become cynical or bitter living here as a Gringo for a long time. Every Gringo is looked at as a walking wallet, or someone to just give away things to people. We offer love, and get taken advantage of. I am learning so much spanish here and how to talk to people, but its also hard to relate to someone who will do ANYTHING they can to get money, when i dont know what its like to go a week without food or shelter. But theres so much hope in alot of the Nicas eyes as well. Even though we get discouraged, (and this past week was sooo stressful) I cling to the great times we have had here. Each weekend we do get times to relax, and we are so blessed with everything we have gotten here. The freinds I have made will be friends for life.

 

And I have also learned how to live in community with other people. I have now lived with the 6 other Novas people that are in my team for the past 7 months. We have learned how to love each other, confront each other, spur each other onto greatness. I highly highly encourage anyone who is thinking of doing a missions trip, school abroad, or a year in a different country. Get out of the box that America puts us in and see life through the eyes of someone else. I was scared to death to do something like this, but now that I have, it has changed my life for the better, and I know I will never forget Nicaragua.