Are we the only people on earth that ask the question from time to time "are we making a difference"? Since becoming missionaries 5 years ago, we have asked ourselves this question occasionally, especially in the year 2012. We minister to a culture different from the one we have known all of our lives. We are still trying to learn the Spanish language and we think that we experience a great deal of misunderstanding when we try to communicate with the boys in our care.
Everyone who has ever raised teenagers knows that there is a lot of repetition in regards to instruction and correction. You tell a teen the meaning of a rule, procedure or responsibility and it seems that within 1 hour you are having to repeat yourself because of their lack to carry out the verbal instruction. Did they misunderstand you; or are they being teenagers and turning a deaf ear; or are they being teenagers by pushing the limits to see how much they can get away with? At any given time we are probably dealing with at least one of the these scenarios. We scratch our heads continually, telling ourselves "they don't get it, they don't understand what we are trying to do here".
This week has been especially difficult, one of the hardest we have endured in our almost 3 years living in Nicaragua. We have lived over a week with little to no water. That's another story for another time. Anyway, we have had to repeat instruction to the boys in how to live during this period of no water. Repeat, repeat, REPEAT and still no change in behavior. So, Thursday afternoon we had a very short meeting with the boys, told them what we expected of them and they had until Friday morning to make some decisions.
On Friday morning, we had another very short meeting talking to the group as a whole and then had each boy come into our office for a private meeting. Each boy shared his thoughts and asked questions about anything they wanted to talk about. We are on different levels of being able to communicate with each one because of the knowledge of English in each boy and our knowledge of Spanish. With our language skills and the use of Google translation and a Spanish dictionary, we were able to talk without using an el traductor (translator).
It was 3 hours of intense communication and a freedom to share from their hearts. Every other time, we have always had group meetings and there was never much input from the boys. Having one on one private time seemed to really work, or it was finally time to open up. The other factor that may be responsible for the boys to open up, is the vulnerability from us. We share with them our struggles, past, way past and present. And we tell them, when we mess up, that we are sorry and we were wrong.
Each boy shared what this program means to them and what they wanted to accomplish from it. One boy shared his disappointments and another shared the deep desire for his life. Two boys shared their gratitude for the opportunity that we are giving them. One boy shared he'd be dead on the streets if he was not here with us. One boy said "where I lived before, I worked hard ALL the time and they gave me nothing. Here I work very little and you give me everything. "
That statement blew us away. EVERYTHING! What a word. Everything, that can mean a lot of things: food, clothes, warm bed, hair cuts, medical, instruction, correction, discipline, fun and love. It felt good to hear that word - everything.
Partners and prayer warriors be informed, the boys appreciate what you do for them. They know where the money comes from, You! They know where the prayers come from. We tell them that we can do nothing without people covering us in prayer. Together we are making a difference. As teenagers they may not express it often or in ways that show, but the gratitude is in their thoughts and hearts. They have told us so!!
Thank you all for what you do. And, would you consider telling your friends? We need more people to join with us. The material and physical needs are many in our Nica family and we are underfunded for what has to be done. Every dollar, and I mean "a dollar" has great power down here in Nicaragua. https://www.egivingsystems.org/37718
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