Recon Group: Genesis
On January 22nd, 2010, two adults (including myself) and five teens departed Miami International Airport bound for a small airport in Managua, Nicaragua on a reconnaissance mission to locate a mission field to hopefully bring back hundreds of Catholic teen missionaries in the years that would follow. Although our intent was to observe and learn, we had brought with us over 700 pounds of donated supplies from our surrounding community in South Florida. Food, lodging, spiritual direction, and a guide were gracefully provided to us by the Nicaraguan Campus of Ave Maria University which is located in San Marcos. Our primary destination was an all girls orphanage called “La Yohoska”, that was about 10 minutes away from the University. The days that would follow would be full of hard labor, a lot of loving on some really sweet girls, and a verbal contract of returning with more hope.
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| From Catholic Youth Advocates, Inc. | Summer Mission Trip 2010 | Los Quinchos – San Marcos, Nicaragua |
La Yohoska currently houses, feeds, and sends to school 22 girls from age 5 to 15 years old. A small building of about 1200 square feet serves as their primary sleeping quarters with a few even smaller buildings provided for the older girls. Another mission team had recently visited the orphanage and had provided a well, water tank, and piping. They had also done a great deal of painting both interior and exterior walls. Many of the walls had murals of cartoons and beautiful landscapes. After evaluation of needs, our primary concern was to spend most of our time playing with/loving the girls. Secondary, was to install several tree swings, repair a play set, and provide a gas stove inside the kitchen to eliminate a massive smoke issue caused by a wood burning stove. We also would distribute much of our supplies to the girls throughout the week which included medical supplies, clothes, and stuffed animals.
Bringing the love of God to this orphanage was difficult due to the fact that it was already there when we arrived. We were greeted with the warmest of hugs from the cutest little girls you could possibly imagine. Throughout the week, we played a great deal with them. We created a spa, where our female teen missionaries gave them clothes, did their hair, and painted their nails. After everyone had visited the spa the La Yohoska girls were provided a runway to strut their stuff. It was followed by a talk by one of our missionaries about inner beauty and the love of God. There were many hours of singing, dancing, and coloring throughout the week.
We also visited La Finca, the boys orphanage where we dropped off a bunch of clothes and several soccer balls. We also spent most of that day playing with the boys as well. It might seem odd to travel so many miles just to play with children but the orphanages are under staffed and as much as the volunteers have good intentions, the greatest need these kids had were to be loved. We loved them with everything we could muster up from within and they loved us back as well.
One would quickly become overwhelmed in taking stock of how much is needed in this poverty stricken country. Honestly, what we were able to do, is not even a drop in the bucket of what is really required. However, what I do think we were able to accomplish is to restore hope in a very hopeless situation. Upon our departure, we promised the children that more hope is coming and not to give up. I could see doubt in their eyes as if many people in their life had made that same promise to them before. However, because of their hospitality the children smiled through their doubt.
It has been almost a week now since we have returned home to South Florida. The girls and boys of Los Quinchos visit me in my mind and in my heart often everyday. It is more than just a memory, it is almost as if their daily prayers resonate within my soul. I can hear their desperate cries. This is not the end. We are not done, we have just begun.