DH and I got back yesterday afternoon, but we had been traveling for about 12 hours. We started our trek toward the airport in Managua at 4:00 am, so we were pretty pooped by the time we got home! We went and picked up our boys today. It was soooo good to see them. Both boys got really sick while we were gone. Noah was with my sister and Adam was with my mom and dad. The reason they were split up was because my mom was going to bring Adam back to Baton Rouge last Sunday so he could leave for camp on Monday. My mom lives 4 hours closer to BR than my sister does. However, he got sick and the doctor said he couldn't go. They both had ear infections. Adam ran a fever of around 100 for 5 days and cried a lot, slept a lot, ate very little. He was the sickest of the two. We are so glad that the families had copies of insurance cards, spending money, and medical histories on both kids! We were able to email everyday and call each of them once.

Other than that crisis, our trip was great. I didn't get sick this time (last time I did ) and I tolerated the food much better. However, I was dying for a green salad upon setting foot back in the US. We took a total group of 17 youth and adults. We did a lot of different things while there such as prayer walking, feeding children who live/work (looking for things to recycle for $$) at the city dump, had a nightly youth retreat for teens in Diriamba, Nicaragua, spending time building relationships with some of the teenaged school kids, and hanging out and loving on the street kids---many of whom we already have relationships with since we've been going to Nicaragua for 3 years now. On our off day we went zip-lining down the side of a volcano (13 separate stations from zip line to zip line about 60-80 feet in the air---scary but lots of fun!) and then went to a professional soccer game. We had 2 birthday parties, a double baby shower, and another celebration while there as well. One birthday party and the baby showers were for the family who takes care of us and interprets for us. They have become like dear, dear family to us.

All in all, another great trip that has left us with lots to ponder and figure out about how to fight injustice, help those in poverty, and love the unlovable. However, this time we have some ideas and came back with hope and excitement for some tangible ways to make some changes that could have some significant long-term impact.

There's more info on my pics, but WARNING---there are 95 of them!

By Mrsheidi on Friday, August 5, 2005 - 10:28 pm:

You GO girl!!! Sorry your boys got sick! No fun! But, it sounds like you got a great trip and they were blessed for having you guys there.
What were your ideas for change? I love hearing those types of things.

And, BTW, on a side note...Connor's hearing turned out to be perfect! I posted it on the parent board this past week. Thanks for all your help. You are the best!!

By Jann on Saturday, August 6, 2005 - 09:10 am:

What an incredible trip!!

By Kate on Saturday, August 6, 2005 - 09:20 am:

The post and the pics are wonderful! Thanks for making a difference!

By Kim on Saturday, August 6, 2005 - 10:09 am:

That sounds like a very fulfilling and awesome trip Pam! I am going to check out your pics now. Hope your kids are feeling all better now.

By Karen~moderator on Saturday, August 6, 2005 - 10:20 am:

Pam, those are incredible pics! Looks like a wonderful experience!

By Karen~moderator on Saturday, August 6, 2005 - 10:20 am:

BTW, how are the boys feeling now????

By Feona on Sunday, August 7, 2005 - 08:22 am:

Enjoyed the pictures. What an memory filled experience!

By Kernkate on Monday, August 8, 2005 - 07:59 am:

What great pics. You are so very blessed to be able to be of help to these people and children.

By Imamommyx4 on Monday, August 8, 2005 - 06:04 pm:

I have been on mission trips to Honduras twice and poverty stricken West Virginia mountains once. and although the trips were rewarding and a blessing to me, I have each time felt like I wanted to do so much more. There is so much to do and, as a Christian, you can't turn your back on it. But after my last trip when I was stressing over what I wanted to do, God gave me the verse about 'there will always be the poor'. It's in the story about how the woman poured valuable oil on Jesus' feet and they fuss at her for wasting it and Jesus says to let her alone, I am only here for a short time longer and there will always be the poor. It kind of took away my burden. Yes, I still want to go back to those places and do what I can even it is just to love and be loved. But I don't let myself stress over as bad as I used to. The first trip I went on was when dd was 15 months old and I was so homesick for her I could hardly stand myself. i would see babies and cry over them and tell their mothers about my baby at home and how much I missed her. These ladies and grandmothers would come back with their babies just to let me hold their babies and the mothers would love on me. They were so wonderful.

By Pamt on Monday, August 8, 2005 - 11:50 pm:

Heidi, in response to your question, my DH is looking into starting a "cottage industry" of sorts by teaching the people at the dump how to make huarache sandals out of old tires and leather. Most of the kids walking around the dump had on no shoes (and there is even medical waste and needles there), so first and foremost they would have shoes, but also be able to sell them. Tony Compolo, a sociologist and noted evangelical speaker from Eastern University in Philly has started just such a program in Haiti which has been very successful in meeting needs of the people and stimulating the economy a bit. DH has written Compolo for info and found websites explaining how to make the shoes. I want to find a way to start a school at the dump so the kids and adults can at least be basically literate. We've knocked around the idea of "you can work and we'll teach you and get you started in business once you achieve X level of literacy and/or attend school for X amt of time." It's very important though that we work within the framework of Nicaraguan culture and not try to impose American ideals upon them. We'd also like for every child to have a bowl since many kids were turned away from food because they had nothing to put it in and it was too hot to hold in their hands. I also saw only 1 child with a spoon---the others ate with their hands. One of our group suggested taking frisbees, since that could serve a dual purpose as a toy and a plate. And finally, from demographics I've read 1/3 of all children and 1/4 of adults in Baton Rouge live in poverty. I just don't see it because I live on the other side of town. I can't feel good about going to help people in another country if I don't do something here. I'm researching out which public schools are the poorest with the highest drop-out rates and will try to start something there. I quilt, so I'm thinking of a quilting club for inner city kids---stir creativity, work together for a common goal, plus it's really easy to open up and talk when you have busy hands. Really kind of a mentorship-there-are-adults-in-your-life-who-believe-in-you kind of thing.

Also, my DH is the regional coordinator for ONE which I would encourage EVERYONE to get involved in. It is not a religious organization. It is the group that sponsored Live 8 and Brad Pitt, Bono, etc. are spokespeople for it. It's a worldwide campaign to end poverty just by lending your name and voice to sign petitions and contact govt officials to get the govt of the "Big 8" powers in the world to contrubute money to stop poverty. We're also active with Sojourners which is a Christian organization committed to blending faith with politics, justice, poverty relief, etc. If you sign up they send you email updates of ways to get involved in writing senators and representatives and other events. And, we're making small steps like carefully reading labels and trying to buy from countries that don't use child labor or unfair labor practices, buying free trade coffee, etc.

And Debbie, I felt pretty much like you at first, but I think that loving on people IS the most important thing. When a person lives in a trash dump I think having another person touch them, talk to them, and take their picture is a huge thing. It reminds them that they are special and worthy of love. Money isn't the answer to extreme poverty---it's so much more than that. I think we can't let it totally depress us because then we are incapacitated. I think we get motivated to do the little bit we can, share our stories, and get others motivated to do the same.

Anyway, thanks for letting me blather on. And Karen...the boys are just fine now. Thanks for asking!

P.S., My DH is the real photographer of the two of us and he has some beautiful pictures if you want to take a look. He's adding a few a day so it may be another week or so before they are all up.

By Pamt on Monday, August 8, 2005 - 11:58 pm:

And Kathy...you're right. I was way more blessed by the opportunity to be with these lovely people than they were blessed by us being there. They have nothing, but still were buying us drinks and giving us fruit that they had to sell. That are such a generous and hospitable group of people.