One of the most amazing things I have ever done is mission work in the country of Nicaragua. I didn’t do this once, but twice through the church I attended at the time. And the things that I did and saw changed my life and really opened my eyes to a world that is hard to understand if you haven’t experienced it first-hand.

Entirely too much happened while I was in Nicaragua for me to retell everything that happened in a paper such as this, but it was an experience that was so good that I can’t simply be quiet about it either. In the summer of 2011, and 2012 I spent more than two weeks in the country of Nicaragua

Nicaragua is located right in the middle of Central America. On its borders are Honduras and Costa Rica. When I went it was the first time I had ever left the country for any reason. And the culture shock of it was unlike anything I could have prepared myself for.

I have grown up and lived in the quiet countryside of Western Kentucky my entire life. And I had been to large cities before, and more urban cities, but stepping off the airplane and feeling the heat beating against me, and smelling the smells of Managua set me back. I was not prepared for what this country had in store for me.

While there the team and I were working on a school that the church had been working with for years. We did little tasks and larger ones, like repainting the walls, to helping install an entire wall around the perimeter of the school. Or something minor like some electric work to make the lights better, and installing a brand new well with drinking water for the entire school.

The landscape of the country was breathtaking. Mountains, trees, colorful birds and wildlife. The cows would graze in the small grassy areas between the lanes of traffic. Sitting from the building we were staying at we could see wild iguanas running around on the property next to ours. And flocks of beautiful birds unlike anything in the states would flock to the trees around us.

The one thing that I never could have prepared myself for was the people I met while in the country. Almost every single person I encountered greeted me with a smile and was happy and energetic. And to see these people who had so much less than I, smiling and simply happy to be alive was life-changing. To play with children on the playground and see their faces light up was enough to make anyone smile.

The first year I went on the trip I had broken my collarbone just a month before, could not do any heavy lifting and focused mainly on small chores to help around the school. But one thing I was able to do was play with one of the yo-yos that I'd brought with me on the trip. At that point in my life I had been yo-yo-ing for almost two years and knew more than a few tricks with it. The kids and adults loved it.

And, to my surprise, when I walked onto the compound of the school the year after children came running up to me saying “yo-yo” and moving their arms like I had done before. Something so simple and silly to me made such an impact on these kids that upon seeing me again they asked if I could give them another show as I had the previous year.

Among all the people i met, and faces I saw there, there are some that I will never forget, and for good reason. During one of the days in the first you that I went, a young man walked up to me and handed me a small black bracelet, it had some paint stains on it and was made out of a plastic material. Upon handing it to me he looked me in the eyes and said in English “memory.”

I no longer wear it out of fear of losing it or breaking it, but I did exactly as he had asked, and remembered him, that day and that moment. And more than just that, but the people and places I saw have been engrained on my person since then. The friends I made while there, and hope to see again someday if I return to the country. The beautiful sights I wish to take in again. And the culture as a whole that I truly fell in love with.

If you haven’t gone on a trip for the purpose of helping others, I recommend that you do. It does not have to be one that takes you to a different country, or even a different state. But the magic of putting your time and effort into making something that will better the lives of another person is time that you will not regret.