After 6.5 years working at Amigos, my wife Nelly and I made the decision to begin the next chapter of our lives in the United States. As I reflect on my time at Amigos for Christ, I am filled with a whirlwind of emotions. To be honest, as a college student, I never even imagined that I would leave the country, let alone live in a foreign country for so many years.
Sometimes in life, the smallest of invitations can lead to the greatest of opportunities. During my sophomore year of college at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, my best friend signed up for a trip with Amigos. After returning home, he raved about the experience, urging me to give it a chance the following year. At first, I put it on the back burner, and didn’t think about it for several months. However, as time went on, I decided to attend a meeting about the trip that would take place the following year.
I ended up signing for the trip and came to Nicaragua over Christmas break of my junior year in January 2016. We spent the week digging trenches for the water system in the community of La Coyotera. I had an amazing experience and decided to come back that following summer as a short-term intern.
Throughout the fall semester of my senior year of college, I began thinking about my future and what I would do after graduation. Working at Amigos was always at the back of my mind, but I wanted to explore other options.
During my process of discernment, I participated in a men’s Christian book club. I can’t recall the book we were reading at the time, but in one of the last chapters, a quote appeared. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
During my process of discernment, I participated in a men’s Christian book club. I can’t recall the book we were reading at the time, but in one of the last chapters, a quote appeared. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
That quote was the same one that is on the back of the Amigos shirt I wore on my first trip to Nicaragua. In that moment, I knew that God was telling me to come to Nicaragua.
That simple invitation from my friend to step outside my comfort zone and make the trip to Nicaragua led to the most amazing of experiences. In my time here at Amigos, over a dozen communities gained access to running water and modern bathrooms for the first time, hundreds of families received low-interest loans for their small businesses, and countless kids received scholarships to go to college.
However, the human transformation is even more powerful. There are so many families that are in a better place spiritually and emotionally after working alongside Amigos for Christ. People with low self-esteem became confident leaders in their communities. Parents now have hope for the future of their children, a future full of health, education, and economic opportunity. I will never forget the relationships I built with Nicaraguan families and American group members. I am forever grateful for all the supporters that made my work at Amigos possible and help fund all our transformative projects.
I certainly will miss the work that Amigos does and all the incredible people that form part of the Amigos family. My wife and I look forward to staying involved in the Amigos mission in the coming years. To anyone considering making their first mission trip, I encourage you to take that leap of faith, trusting God that it will all be worth it. Sometimes a simple invitation can lead to a life-changing experience.
