An Encounter in Nicaragua

From the moment we got to the Amigos for Christ compound, we were “Juntos”. Together, we dug trenches in Casa Blanca so that the beautiful people in that community can receive running water. Together, we participated in the most touching mass I have ever experienced in Miguel Christiano and we heard the stories of the community-members as they invited us into their homes. Together, we prayed over a friend who is battling cancer and winning her fight with the help of her family and neighbors. Together, we helped a local farmer to make more money in a day than he does in months by prepping and planting hundreds of pineapple crowns, clearing fields and planting tumeric and mango trees. Together, we removed soil and created holes for the foundation of a new school building for hundreds of children who are blessed to be taught at a school where they are given opportunities that they would never have without the Amigos for Christ organization.

All of these experiences have opened my eyes to the blessings that I have in my life. The most life-changing experience for me as a mother, though, was to watch my child and other teens as they became the hands, the feet, and the heart of Jesus. They worked so hard in the heat, played so hard with the kids, and smiled more than I have seen in a long time. When you are a parent and you witness faith growing in your child’s heart, your heart grows as well. Do you know that feeling? That’s exactly what I felt and I will not forget that swell of pride.



Something else that I was so blessed to learn is that we have amazing parishioners here at St. John Vianney. People who work together, pray together,and grow together; people who walk beside others, and those who hold us up when we need support. We are all amigos and I am forever changed and grateful.

“Little children, let us not live in word or in talk but in deed and in truth” 1 John 3:18