A Xiloa Good Time

As part of the MPI Nicaragua Child Sponsorship (CS) team, one of my roles is planning the quarterly field trips for participating children and caretakers in our program. The CS program is unique in that we provide opportunities for the children of La Chureca to leave behind the perennial smoke and trash of their neighborhood for an afternoon of recreation and relaxation with their families in a safe, clean place. Earlier this year in late July, we joined the former PDs in hosting a trip to El Salero, the Community Center land on which we run our programs in Kid’s English, Library, Baseball, and Soccer. The day was an undeniable success, allowing the children plenty of time and space to enjoy the great outdoors. I decided to repeat another popular field trip idea last Friday when we brought our children and their mothers to Laguna Xiloa. Last year’s group did the same with summer volunteers, and in light of the MPI Nicaragua 5-year anniversary celebration in which PDs of ages past reunited this weekend in Managua, I thought they might join us in the fun of hosting a trip to enjoy the waters of Xiloa.

Laguna Xiloa (pronounced "Hee-Low-Wah"), site of our field trip last Friday

We arrived at the side entrance of Chureca to meet the mothers and children at 12:45 on Friday, where we awaited the arrival of a big yellow school bus that would take us all to Xiloa, about a 30 minute drive away. Ian and I road up front, took attendance, and chatted with families on the way. When we got to the laguna, we were delighted to see the beautiful open space with little covered areas for benches and picnic-ing. Some of the children and mothers took to the water fairly quickly, while others preferred the grass and the shade. Some of the children had little bathing suits, others swam in their clothing, others half naked. Whatever their manner of taking to the water, the smiles and laughter were abundant. We waded right in with the kids...from the shallow end with the toddlers looking at the minnows rush by to the deeper areas with the more adventurous kids. Mothers swam and lounged in the cool water, where they stayed talking away the afternoon. We were already in the midst of playing with children and visiting with mothers when the PDs of the past arrived to join our festivities. Some of these PDs were acquainted with certain families from years past, and others were members of the board and staff who were able to visit and see one small aspect of what we do on Child Sponsorship. We were all able to learn from the afternoon at Xiloa, and we all had a grand time! I learned that children play tag in Spanish by saying “la landa” and that sometimes it just takes a handhold to get a timid child to enter the water. I found out that everyone needs time to just be - be with family, be refreshed, be safe and relaxed, be a kid, be a mother. On last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I gave thanks for the ability to join these mothers and children in an afternoon away from La Chureca. Reflecting on the day, I am thankful for the relationships I’ve been able to establish through Child Sponsorship, how I’ve seen these children begin to grow, and how the mothers have entrusted us with their health concerns and needs.

Snapshot of the craziness

To put this day into perspective, these children and their families do not have access to complete immersion in clean water. They bathe with buckets and hoses or in sinks (for the children who are small enough). Moreover, I oftentimes walk around Chureca and find recently washed children already dirty from playing outside without their shoes on or from the dust and smoke that fills the air. And although they live next to a huge lake (Lake Managua/Lake Xolotlán), the runoff from La Chureca has polluted it to the point that swimming and fishing these waters is highly dangerous. Many have fallen sick from mercury laden fish, and the pollution is visible as trash and sewage line the banks. The Laguna Xiloa, on the other hand, is a local getaway where the waters thrill and awe visitors. I say ‘awe’ because my limited experience has taught me that some Nicaraguan people I have met who have never had access to a pool or natural body of water (and thus have never learned how to swim) have a healthy fear of water.

Milton views the laguna

It was that healthy respect for water that helped us have a safe day at the laguna. And with a provided snack of fiber cookies, bananas, and juice, the day ended with many smiles and lots of wet clothing!

Jose Manual enjoys the water and a few extra bananas

From Nicaragua to America, Happy Thanksgiving!

Jan Margaret

The Gift of Nutrition

As you look for that "right thing" to get your loved ones this holiday season, please consider giving...

In front of Casa Base de Salud with three of our sponsored children

The Gift of Nutrition

Give the gift of nutrition this holiday season. Through Manna Project's Child Sponsorship Program, $20/month provides oatmeal, milk, vitamins, and basic medical care to an undernourished child living in Central America's largest populated dump.

Life inside Managua's city dump, known as "La Chureca," reserves a particularly foul brand of injustice for the children who have no choice in what they call "home." Proximity to trash, animals, toxic runoff, and burning chemicals result in high rates of parasite infection, skin and respiratory disease, anemia, and lead poisoning. As if risk of sickness were not enough, many children in La Chureca suffer from chronic undernourishment.

What We Do

MPI's Child Sponsorship Program targets undernourished children in their most critical stages of development. By providing vitamins, milk, and oatmeal for each child, as well as basic medical care, we are able to partly relieve the harsh sentence of their surroundings.

MPI partners with and funds Casa Base de Salud health center in Chureca to provide primary health care free of charge to those living among the trash. Clinic staff host required health talks for the mothers of sponsored children. If you are unable to sponsor a child, financial support of any size will help contribute to the lifeline of Casa Base clinic.

Sponsoring a Child

The unyielding conditions of La Chureca constantly bring new cases of undernourishment to our attention. $20 a month provides nourishment to a child that would otherwise go without it. As our volunteers and Program Directors raise their own funds, every dollar given to Child Sponsorship goes directly to feeding your sponsored child.

To sponsor a child or for more information please email us at childsponsor@mannaproject.org or follow the link below to visit us online. Your gift recipient's name will be added with your sponsored child's picture to Manna Project's website.

Thank you for taking the time to consider sponsoring a child.

Our sincerest regards,

The Child Sponsorship Team

Manna Project International

PO Box 121052

Nashville, TN 37212

615.653.4688

Find our more about Manna Project, La Chureca, Child Sponsorship.

Thank you considering our sponsored families this holiday season.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

I realize this post is dated the day before Thanksgiving; that is completely intentional. The thing is, for the Nicaraguan people, there is no Thanksgiving. As someone obsessed with sweet potato casserole, extended family, and all things fall, this of course saddens me deeply. However, my anticipation of the holiday season (which somehow leads me to dance like crazy to the likes of Mariah Carey, Peanuts, and Nat King Cole all in the same playlist) can no longer be counted as cheating. There’s no standard. No Thanksgiving means Christmas comes early in Managua, Nicaragua.

And, with the 80+ degree weather and constant sunshine, it's not beginning to look a lot like Christmas, at least not by my middle-Tennessean standards. I have a very difficult time remembering that it is, in fact, November. But although it may not fully “look” like my conception of Christmas, as far as Nicaragua is concerned, it IS Christmas. The stores are packed with Christmas toys and decorations, school is winding down, and everyone keeps talking about “La Purísima,” a catholic holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary on December 7th/8th. In fact, Nicaragua is the one place Where Every Day is Christmas. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, and to celebrate, gigantic lighted Christmas tree figures have been posted in the middle of Managua's roundabouts since my arrival in July.

Today my kid’s english class got in the Christmas spirit as we held a our last real class of the year, a one-day lesson on Christmas vocabulary. I labored for hours on which words to choose: Is “manger” too difficult? Is “snowman” culturally relevant? In the end, I decided that you can’t go too wrong with Christmas vocabulary, and so I came to class with a list of words, flash cards, and Bingo Sheets - a whole few weeks worth of material in one afternoon. The children definitely rose to the challenge of learning some new words, and I hope they will continue to practice over the holiday season. And what would a Christmas-themed classroom full of latin chavalos learning English be without the song “Feliz Navidad?” I suppose I’ll never know...

In Child Sponsorship, we are also in the Christmas spirit as we’ve been “bustling” about trying to get everything situated for the coming year. Today was our last Milk Day of 2009 in which we met with mothers and children to take monthly measurements, track growth and health, and give out the next month’s allocation of milk, oatmeal, and vitamins. We also were able to give each family a gallon bag Christmas gift of rice and beans. Next week, a woman is visiting who will be hosting a Christmas luncheon for the mothers (caretakers) and children in our program. They will be receiving a catered meal and small gifts, as well as being able to take advantage of a clothing sale said woman is also to host next Friday. And that’s not all! This Friday, we are inviting all of the kids and mothers to join us in a field trip to a nearby laguna! This will be a chance to take them away from the smoke and the trash into a fresh, clean place where their bodies can experience complete immersion in cool, refreshing water. More updates to come on this soon. Finally, our team is preparing for a pilot program with a Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food product for January. This has been a great undertaking, and still presents much challenge and opportunity in caring out.

Last but not least, I have a confession to make: Although there is not Thanksgiving in Nicaragua, there will be Thanksgiving in our gringolandia. That’s to say, we at the Manna House will most definitely still be celebrating Turkey Day. This year marks the 5 year reunion for MPI Nicaragua, and PDs of old have reunited in our house to help us celebrate all that we are thankful for in style! It is both refreshing and overwhelming to have so many new faces in the past. I have enjoyed learning from their experiences with Manna Project and what they have done in the years since. I have enjoyed having our chef extraordinaire Elena on call each and every day, each and every meal. I have enjoyed how the presence of so many excites me to the point that I don’t know what to do with myself and go into productivity mode, engaging in random activities such constant cookie baking and blog posting in addition to my real tasks within the house. Mostly I have enjoyed the rush that comes with the beginning of the holiday season. Perhaps what I’m trying to say is that, in Nicaragua, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Merrily yours,

Jan Margaret

Life a la 13.5

For four entire days last week I went nowhere without being encompassed by a tangled mass of arms and legs and hugs and kisses and shouts of children ranging from 3 to 14 years old. Welcome to my home-stay at 13.5! The purpose of the Manna Project home-stay is the following:

- To provide a cultural experience for the PDs, increasing their knowledge and understanding of life in the community.

- To further understand the assets and needs of the community in order to better serve them.

- To further connect the community of Cedro Galan and Manna Project, building deeper and more personal relationships.

- To give families in Cedro Galan an opportunity to support Manna Project.

Cedro Galan is the community we serve with our programs in El Farito, the small open air school house. However, for my home-stay, I chose to stay with a family on kilometer 13.5 of carretera vieja a Leon, the area we know as "13.5." This barrio (neighborhood) includes a group of homes which contain various members of a large extended family. Many of the 13.5-ers participate in our various programs. I stayed with Tatiana, Gerald, and Maycol, three precious children from my English class. They play every day with their extended family members in 13.5, so my homestay brought back memories of growing up around my very large and noisy and wonderful extended family. Every morning the children walked to the local Catholic school while I stayed home with their mothers. Mornings could be filled with everything from chores to idling outside to a very exciting trip to the local market for grocery shopping. In the afternoons, madness ensued upon the chavalos return. These children play with an unmatched enthusiasm. From tree-climbing and mandarina-picking to pickup games of baseball and soccer, these kids don't stop. I was especially touched when they wanted to play memory with spanish and english words, something we often do in Kid’s English to practice vocabulary. Tatiana cut out squares of paper and wrote the spanish vocabulary while I wrote the english...pretty soon, all the cousins were learning how to say gecko, shark, dog, and duck (we're studying animals in class). I can't claim that keeping the pace with such a lively bunch of youngsters didn't absolutely wear me out, but I will say that being around so much joy and energy perked up my mood and helped me focus on the good in life. For a week, it was like I could go back to being a kid again, surrounded by family and laughter and silly arguments and lots of gallo pinto, the Nicaraguan staple cuisine. In addition to taking me back, this week was a chance to get an inner look into the daily life of members of the local community. From sunrise to bedtime, I experienced life through the eyes of 13.5, a life which entailed cousins, playtime, clothes washing on the pila, singing our respective national anthems, and very cold bucket showers when the water ran low.

I didn't take my camera on my trip, but I'll add a few pictures here that I have of the kids I stayed with in 13.5:

Meet Marcos and Freddy...on the way to Kid's English, they got a little rambunctious in the Patrol.

"Dos para bingo! Dos para bingo! Venga pa' aca!" This is a common little ditty these kids sing when they get really excited about being close to winning at bingo. This has become a favorite game, allowing the kids to learn while having fun.

Marcos, it seems, is just as big of a Vanderbilt fan as I am. What a coincidence.

On a big outing with our class to celebrate good attendance and practice vocabulary! Pictured left to right are Maycol, Jan Maggi (that's me!), Tatiana, Marcos, Leah, Gerald, and Stefano. I lived with siblings Maycol, Tatiana, and Gerald for the week in 13.5 with their mom and older brother. Note Stefano's glove...I think he thought we were at the movies to see the new Michael Jackson movie, not "Lluvia de hamburguesas" (that's "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" in English), which we viewed instead. Note how "bien vestido" (well dressed) they were for their outing...they were very excited, although that may not show in the photo.

With love,

Jan Maggi

More photos of the perritos...

Since my last update, Sydney is on her way to better health thanks to the love and care of her watchful owners. Shout out to Amelia, Daniel, and Anina, who have born the brunt of mothering our mama-dog.

The following our some photos of our precious perritos. See Sydney below, including her protective cone, her stump tail, and the damage done.

Here, ladies and gentlemen, is a close up of our beautiful yet wounded pooch. Note her cone has been transformed into a depiction of the four seasons. Time brings healing, baby!

Finally, meet Cola-dog (who is really just named Cola, which means "tail" in Spanish) as he sits beside his food bowl. Cola is the culprit of Sydney's injured limb, but really he's just a pup who is either just dumb or doesn't know his own strength. Whichever way, I absolutely adore him even if from time to time my old fears reappear. He's great to take on walks around the neighborhood...I've never felt so safe as when having a giant rottweiler on the leash!

Pobrecita la Sydney

Our dear mistress of the Manna House, the one and only Sydney,* fell ill after a playful-turned-pernicious romp with Cola (her son, see photo below.) The two Rottweilers serve as faithful guards and companions, so the mood around the house has been greatly altered with everyone's favorite girl-dog under such pain. Her first visits to the vet proved futile as he diagnosed the bite as a scorpion's attack and drained the wound. Days later and a visit to a new vet proved that Cola was the true culprit. Unfortunately, this visit also witnessed Sydney's wound become infected to the point that the skin covering her injured limb fell right off! (She has been wrapped in bandages and love every since and is under a 24/7 Dog Watch.) To keep her nose out of her own business, she must wear the traditional cone around her head...but in this house, nothing stays normal for long! I came back one night to find Syndey patrolling around the house (she's since become an "indoor dog") with the four seasons decorating her lovely cone. Now, as I am on my shift of 24/7 Dog Watch, I decided to share her story with the world! An additional props to my fellow PD Amelia, who has slept with Sydney every night post-surgery...lest the bandage slide down her leg. That, folks, is dedication.

Sydney, in her healthier days, guards the house while Cola gazes contently from his lap pool

* I feel the need to note that Sydney and I weren't always bosom buddies...I spent the two months of my existence in Nicaragua deathly afraid of both rottweilers, my fears only increased by the fact that Sydney actually bit me! I thought I'd never get to the point of friendliness, but really, who can resist the charm of such lovable dogs? After all, she was only doing her job...

Coming Home

Last night, I went to America. My first steps onto American soil in Nicaragua brought with them a rush of nostalgia and an eery sense of being in two places at once. I was in America, the American Embassy in fact, located on Carretera Sur just fifteen minutes from “home” in Nicaragua. Who knew America was so close? As I walked through security and left behind my cell phone, I entered an open space of nothing but clean pavement, palm trees, and an American flag. Already I felt miles away from the potholes and trash I drive past every day on Managuan roads. I entered a building covered wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling with Old Glories and every state flag. Listening to our Ambassador’s words amongst the largest gathering of gringos I’ve seen outside of the States, I was filled with good old fashioned American pride. This is not a sentiment I typically carry with me in Nicaragua, a country whose history has been stained with abuses of their powerful neighbor to the North. The Ambassador acknowledged our rather strained diplomatic ties with the country while highlighting Nicaragua’s wonderful natural beauty and the generosity and kindness of the locals. The theme of the night, “crisis preparedness” as he called it, concerned the natural perils (hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes) that we ex-patriots face as well as the underlying (dormant?) threat of political unrest...

I’ve realized that being abroad in no way makes me invulnerable to the desire for home. The ability to return home is one that I will always cherish as long as I have it. In fact, thanks to an early birthday present and frequent flyer miles, I was able to return home last week to visit both family and friends over Vanderbilt’s Homecoming weekend. The weekend was a treasure: a reminder of where I come from, who I am, why I do what I do, and what I hope to accomplish with the rest of my time with Manna Project International. It was a gift to embrace my best friends, drive around town with my sisters, visit my old college haunts, attend church in English, cheer on my Alma Mater...the list goes on and on! I was rejuvenated by unselfish friendships and the confirmation that what I get to do in Nicaragua with MPI is a privilege, a calling, and an unequivocal, unmissable opportunity. My return to Vanderbilt, Nashville, and Murfreesboro only brings to light the fact that I now have two homes: Nashville or Nicaragua, Murfreesboro or Managua...wherever I may be, home is where the heart is, and my heart is with me.

Tonight I sit outside the Manna House. It’s Friday night, America night. A night to laugh with friends and de-stress. A night to be thankful. A night to celebrate. Working for a nonprofit organization in a third world country doesn’t somehow make me immune to my roots. It doesn’t blind me to think that I am so special, so able, or so gifted as to somehow be capable of shaking off where I come from and pretend to have had to deal with the poverty and the injustices that some people I work with here face on a daily basis. There are things I can do, such as return to America, that some people in Nicaragua will never be able to do. That does not lessen my desire to work relentlessly here or to return home when able. If anything, it encourages me to continually give thanks for my blessings and use them to bless others. Home is where the heart is. This weekend, and these past few months, are teaching me how to be a blessing no matter which home I may be in...by keeping a smile on my face, by uplifting those around me, by sharpening my mind, by celebrating the moment. Carpe. Diem.

Nashville, TN

Nicaragua

It's definitely not a Nashville party...

I'd like to share a list of my new favorite jams, my iTunes "Nicañol" playlist. Some songs are absolutely ridiculous, some are great for dancing, and some should be international hits, but may they all bring a smile to your face and moves to your body! Por favor, ¡disfrútate!

Nica-Pop:

- Te amo by Makano

- Te regalo amores by RKM & Ken-Y

- El Amor y Tito El Bambino (You can't listen to this without being unbelievably happy...just makes me want to fall in love!)

- Yo Te Extrañaré by Tercer Cielo (Brings a tear to the eye and reminds me of the 13.5 kids who belt out every single word.)

- Latinoamerica by Tercer Cielo (If only I could describe my affection for this song. Makes me want to change the world. Makes me feel like I did just that solely by listening to this song.)

- No te pido flores by Fanny Lu

- By Flex: Dime si te vas con el & Te amo tanto

Reggaeton

- Virtual Diva by Don Omar (A Patrol Car Favorite)

- Flow Natural by Beenie Man, Ines, & Tito El Bambino (Shoot! If you thought Jai Ho was a hit...well, it was, and this is different, but still good. A cross-cultural experience.)

- Sexy Movimiento by Wisin & Yandel

- Daddy Yankee: Lo Que Paso, Paso; El Impacto; Que Tengo Que Hacer

- Pitbull: Fuego; I Know You Want Me; Krazy; The Anthem; Blanco (absolutely ridiculous)

Old Habits Die Hard:

(These older songs are ones I'm still hanging on to)

- Me Gustas Tu by Manu Chao (May be old, but it's new to me. A french-spanish singer who gives a NICA shout out - nothing better!)

- Perdoname by La Factoria

- Dímelo by Enrique Inglesias (A must. Obviously. Listen to it in English OR Spanish.)

- El Telefono by Hector Bambino (One of the first songs I listened to and then realized, "Hey. I can understand this.")

- Salio el Sol

- Pam Pam (...don't know the real name, just love it)

- Eso Ehh...!!! by Alexis y Fido

- Hace Calor

Bachata:

- By Aventura: Hermanita; Eso No Es Amor (So funny. Listen, and you'll know why.)

- Te comence a querer by Tito El Bambino (Ah! Falling in love with this country one step at a time!)

Folklórico:

- La Pelo de Maiz by Otto de la Rocha (listen here)

- Nicaragua Nicaragüita by Carlos Mejía Godoy

- Son Tus Perjúmenes Mujer by Carlos Mejía Godoy

Wait...I thought I was in Nicaragua:

- Si Yo Fuera Un Chico by Beyonce

- Yo Quiero Make Love by Akon...? (Yes, a fabulous remix of AKON's "I wanna make love" - the Nicas LOVE some Akon!)

- He Querido Quererte by Franco El Gorilla ft. Tico (Chris Brown's "Forever" comes to Nica & this is their love child)

- Watcha Say by Jason DeRulo

- Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus

- Ego by Beyonce

...well, guess I don't just listen to Latin music. I sneak a few American ones in there...

Hope this music brings you a huge sonrisa! Smile!

Jan Maggi (como la sopa, no?)

Rabbit and the Bear

Rabbit and the Bear (Lyrics), a song that has provided me encouragement and motivation, two needed elements in my line of work...

photo of La Chureca; Managua, Nicaragua

And now proceeds my post, which I didn't have a title for other than the above fitting song:

Two days a week, I walk into La Chureca to visit the families involved in Manna’s Child Sponsorship. Two days a week, I trample the trash, hold my breath through the smoke, and sweat under the sun that is endured by Churecans day in and day out. Two days a week, I pass children carrying loads of trash on their backs to be recycled. I greet mothers suffering from ever-present illness. I avoid mangy farm animals who look more like walking nightmares than pets or food. I see people dwelling in a veritable hell on earth.

Seven days a week, I hope for a way out. I coordinate efforts with the Child Sponsorship team to enact new measures to increase the efficiency of our program. I look for new sponsors. I dream for a better life for the children who know of nothing more than life in Chureca.

Every week I visit a family with precious little girls who have captured my heart with their funny haircuts, sweet little pipsqueak voices, and increasing desire to play and be held. They live on the border where the neighborhood merges into the dump, and the view from their front gate is trash, smoke, and the occasional flea-bitten mongrel. But one day, as I held one of the tiny girls in my arms, she looked out over her shoulder, pointed to the trash, and said “¡Hay flores!” There are flowers. Look! Flowers! Do you see them? We’ve got lots of flowers, and animals too! She showed me the beauty she finds in her life, the only life she’s got. Where I saw heaps of trash and green plants growing in puddles of sludge, she saw beautiful flowers. She then ran down to a row of weeds growing along the wall of a nearby home, and pointed out more “flowers.” Her joy was contagious, but as I picked her back up, acknowledging the beauty of the flowers, I fought back quickly forming tears. The injustice of what some children have or do not have is a heartbreaking reality I must face every week.

If she can find beauty in La Chureca, I can too. I find beauty in the people who work to provide for their children and in the mothers who consistently attend health charlas (talks) to learn better health practices. I am encouraged by the mother who makes her child change clothes three times a day to keep clean. I am impressed with mothers I see sweeping the entrance to their homes, cleaning in spite of the fact they live in close proximity to a dump (or perhaps cleaning because of said proximity). Not all are like that here, perhaps not all can be, but the ones who fight for themselves always encourage me.

Walking into La Chureca, I notice every day the bright yellow butterflies which twirl about. They are not ashamed of the smoke, the dirt, the trash. They remain a constant reminder of the life that lives here and of the reason Child Sponsorship is so important. The value and dignity of human life necessitates the meeting of basic needs. For only $20 a month, these children can be provided a means to better health, quality of life, and increased opportunity for a successful way out of the desperate existence which surround them.

To find out more, contact childsponsorship@mannaproject.org.

Yours,

Jan Margaret

Willie Wonka of the Woods

It’s not every day that I’m able to escape the daily grind. When I live, work, socialize, discuss, learn, argue, laugh with the same nine others, day after day, it becomes easy to be focused on the here and now of life. Now granted, when the here and now includes working in Nicaraguan community development, that’s not such a bad thing. However, with the anniversary of both the conquest of William Walker and latin american independence from Spain allowing us a four day vacation weekend, I took the opportunity to escape Managua and Manna for the cool air of the mountains North of Estelí. With four friends, our packs full of extra food, a change of clothes, and our yoga mats, I headed North by bus to Tisey Nature Reserve. Tisey is a land of changing terrain, including rolling tree-covered mountains, fertile valleys, cow pastures, organic farms, and (apparently) the best cheese farm around. Our only self-imposed “rule” for traveling these lands was thus: No talking about Manna.

No talking about Manna?! No discussion of my work, what I’ve lived and breathed for the past two months? My very purpose for being down here? No sharing of stories and frustrations? No lesson planning? No discussion of the house? Nothing?

Yes, nothing. And the decision to take a break from what we have centered our lives around gave me the space to reflect more seriously about the role I’ve played, what I’ve learned, and how I hope to see the community grow. Moreover, the five travelers broke down barriers imposed by the ease with which we center our knowledge of each other on our jobs. We discussed our pasts, the things that make us, us. We laughed, joked, hiked, enjoyed the best gallo pinto I’ve ever tasted, and reveled in once again seeing something new. And we had a fine time doing it! I realized the importance of getting away: to learn about others, to learn about yourself, and to open yourself up to new lessons waiting for you in the chance to travel.

A certain lesson awaited me just down the road from our Eco Posada (Eco Lodge). After a brief hike down the road, through a pasture gate, down the mountainside, past the cows, and over the rocky slope, we were greeted by a man who seemed to have walked right out of the pages of a good novel. Seventy-seven years plus, tall with weathered red skin and a mop of white hair, grizzly stubble, and eyes that seemed they knew the secrets of the world, he welcomed us into his reserve. He was lanky and strong, a man of hard labor, wearing clothes that seemed to be a daily uniform of coffee colored shoes and pants and a loosely buttoned striped shirt. He smelled like a grandfather, the musk of mountainside and tobacco. A sculptor, his name was Alberto, which he proudly showed us chiseled upon rocks along the pathway while explaining that he’d been learning how to read and write. He led us on a personal tour of his art and his land, showing us rocks that had been carved into elephants, camels, self portraits, and guardarbarrancas (the ave nacional of Nicaragua). As we made our way up the hill, he began to pass us fresh mangoes he found along the path. After each of us were happily chomping through our own delicious piece, he continued to discover more of these delicacies which we placed in my companion Daniel’s pack. Next, we saw trees filled with yellow-green grape sized fruits. Adding these to our stomachs and pack, we continued forward, now seeing whole murals etched into the mountainside: an image of September 11, a nativity scene, doves, crosses, sun, moon, and stars. I felt like I was in Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, only instead of chocolate, there were delicious edible fruits to be enjoyed in every direction and wonderful artwork to gaze upon. When we reached the peak, Alberto perched himself on a bench and offered Daniel a smoke. Against the backdrop of the mountains, valley, distant city of Estelí, and his artwork, Alberto shared his story.

During the night of one childhood birthday, he dreamed that he would grow up and share with his people and the world the culture of his country. He dreamed that he would inspire people with art. Over a half-century later, sitting against the mountainside, looking over the beautiful land of lagunas and volcanoes and his handiwork, I can see that Alberto has lived his dream. “Everyone has the five senses that God gives them,” he said, “We just use them in different ways.” Upon descending the mountain, I was challenged to reflect upon the talents and opportunities I’ve been awarded throughout my life and how I’ve used them. I was touched by the tenderness of this man’s care for people for he’d just met, how he’d filled our bags until they were overflowing with fruit, how he’d shared with us his life and dreams, and how he’d inspired me not to doubt my abilities to use each of my five senses to the glory of God and the betterment of my fellow man.

In the same way I was opened to new lessons this weekend, I have been available to learn more in Nicaragua with my focus far from the worries, concerns, and trivialities that plagued me in Nashville. Things I thought were so important, aren’t. Some things I had not valued before, I do. Thank God for my very own Willie Wonka of the woods - a man who, instead of filling me with chocolate and sugar, filled me with the fruits of the fields and the fruits of his labor. A man who taught me never to underestimate the power of dreaming and the ability to do.

Yoga on the mountaintop, in the midst of a cloud

The trail to Alberto's house

Fresh limones

Alberto displays his fruit...

...and his art

"Everyone has the five senses that God gives them. We just use them in different ways."

How am I to use my life?

Afternoon Delight

I recently took over responsibility for the Child Sponsorship blog and the planning of the CS field trips. Every 3 months, we plan a fun outing for the families involved in our nutrition program. In July we hosted an afternoon of recreation and relaxation at the August family’s community center El Salero.

Imagine my delight at seeing a school busload of children and their mothers arriving at the beautiful August property for a Sunday afternoon of grass-frolicking and gallo pinto. Now imagine their delight. These children know the dump as home. The smoke, the trash, the constant illness...this is their reality. But this day was special - even just being in a place that was clean, where you could pick the ripest mangoes straight off the green grass, run shoes off through an open field, play on the jungle gym or in the basketball court - this was worlds apart from these children’s day-to-day reality. Mothers relaxed in the shade of a ranchón as their children played in a safe place. We gave gifts of children’s books as a despedida from the old team. Since then, the new CS team has formed to continue the work towards eradicating childhood malnourishment in La Chureca. I encourage you to read about the new team at http://childsponsorshipprogram.blogspot.com/.

The following are some photos from the El Salero field trip.

These children are in great need of sponsors. For only $24 a month, they receive oatmeal, milk, and vitamins. They were recently tested for both anemia and parasites so that appropriate medicines can be given to counter these ailments. They receive weekly visits from the CS team (that’s me!!), and the guardian participates in a weekly health talk at our partnering clinic Casa Base de Salud. If you are interested in learning how to sponsor a child, please email childsponsorship@mannaproject.org.

In love with the children of Chureca,

Jan Margaret