Nicaragua: finding riches in poverty

I didn't know if I was going to be able to go to Nicaragua. At the last minute I found out that there was a problem with my passport which caused me to be left behind in Costa Rica while my whole group travelled off to a new adventure. I didn't understand why this would have happened, wouldn't God want me to see this country, especially a developing country where my eyes would be opened to difficult realities? And there was an answer to that: yes, He did want me to see it, He was just going to take me there in a different way than the rest. To make a long story short, He worked a miracle and allowed me to cross the border into Nicaragua, without friends, but safely and with Him close by. In retrospect, I think I was able to appreciate the country more because it was difficult for me to get in; I encountered a test of faith during this time and this test left me with eyes that wanted to see God in this place they call Nicaragua.

There were colors in this place, colors of all kinds. Red, yellow, green, blue, purple, orange, pink, black, brown, and every color in between. There was life in the streets: cars filling the roads, pedestrians on the side, dogs roaming, people selling things of all kinds to cars, and even horse-drawn carts carrying just about anything you could imagine. I could see the culture in the streets. I could see the country's past in the graffiti and in the signs which all called to mind the revolution of years gone by. Perhaps you have heard that Nicaragua is a poor country, and it is; only Honduras and Haiti are poorer in the Western hemisphere. I also had heard this, but I had not expected that this developing country would have a culture so rich and people so kind. And yes, I did see the poverty and the huge gap between the rich and the poor but it wasn't the only thing that I saw. I discovered that although I was rich materially in comparison to many of the people there, I felt spiritually poor in comparison to them. They had little and did much with what they had. I have much and have done little with what I have. There is a richness that is found in this poor country, a richness that is unseen by those from the outside. The colors across the country represented were not merely a part of the culture but also represented a spirit of life, strength and perseverance amidst a difficult reality.

I think that what I have seen in Nicaragua will continue to teach me for the rest of my life, especially now that I know a different reality than before. With the knowledge that I have, I do not know what will be required of me, for now that I know, I must do something. However I do know that I can share a bit of this reality with you through my words and pictures. One thing that is for sure, I cannot forget what I have seen; it must be remembered.

 (Return from Nicaragua: sunset in Guanacaste, Costa Rica)