Introduction to Nicaragua

I have had the good fortune to have visited Nicaragua 7 times now. And I learn something every time. I am sorry I have not been keeping this page up to date. I have added some things from the Feb. 2010 delegation, and I will work on the others that I have missed.

Our Parish, Guardian Angels in Oakdale, MN, has had a long standing relationship with the parish community of St. Rita's, in Teustepe. This is a journal of my personal trips there.

August 2004 - First Delegation

This was my first trip to Nicaragua, with my wife. As they say every time, it was a life changing experience. It has taken me some years of reflection to actually work out what that all entails, but it certainly moved the Sister Parish Community to the top of my list of volunteer activities.

Why Nicaragua?

People ask me all the time, WHY do you go to Nicaragua? We have lots of poor here. We have lots of problems here. Why Nicaragua? Is this a “mission” trip? Is it a “project”? What are you building? What are you bringing for people? I always say, “No, it’s different”. I never could grasp what a “mission” trip to a Latin American country is all about. They are more Catholic than we are, by far. They are more religious, more committed – more everything in the realm of religion. If there is a mission, it is what they do to our understanding of our religion while we are there. And, no, this is not a “project”. A “project” is where we come in from the North and build something, or install something, or give them something. We don’t do that. Many of the things imposed by the North are useless, or are seen as demeaning gifts. We don’t do that – at least not yet!

So, why do we go there?

1. A new view on the world.
   After a week in Nicaragua, our eyes are focused a bit differently. We now have on new “glasses”, new “lenses”. I have been there 7 times now, and have also traveled to several other foreign lands – every visit gives me a new perspective. And this lens, this perspective changes my view of the rest of the planet. There are billions of people who are living at or about this economic level, with a similar history, similar problems, hopes and aspirations. If I never see them, never hear them, then, I really cannot understand them, or love them. These few people, this small group, give me a window on the others that I cannot get without actually going there and living with them. It changes US, and hopefully that will help in the long run.


2. We Bless Them.
   We bless them, simply by coming and naming them. They have our respect, and eventually, our love. We build them up, we support them, and we bless them and call them by name. We come as equals; we accept their gifts, their hospitality, their food, their hopes and dreams. We affirm them. We help them process their ideas, to focus their energies, to be real people in this world where they are barely a blip on the world scene! And they richly deserve our blessing. Their faith, their hope, their efforts in the face of their problems, are simply incredible.


3. We Help Them.
   I am not clear exactly how this works, but I am convinced that we do help. We do not bring large sums of cash, we do not put up walls, we do not teach, but we do help. We fund a continuing education and facilitation program conducted locally by AKF. This helps them to function as a group, and gives them access to other local resources. And some of the help happens back home, as we confront our own problems, with theirs in mind. Some of it affects our government, our foreign policy, all the things done in our name. Some of it comes from the changes that happen in them, their ability to organize, to invoke change where they are. We can help, and we do, in many ways. New opportunities appear on each visit.

Nicaraguan Güegüense - a possible insight

I love the people of Nicaragua. They are so polite, gracious, friendly. They are amazingly resourceful. They are coping with problems that I can barely imagine - and they are modestly happy and hopeful in the midst of that. But, PERO, sometimes they drive me to utter craziness. They do things that my normal, North American culturally based self would say are "childish". What's with that? I've given this some thought, and I've talked with a few people with a lot more experience than I have - and I have a theory about this cultural divide - which is what I will call it for now. If this is something that is also bugging you - perhaps from another culture - look at this attempt, and let me know what you think. Thanks. NicaGueguense.htm.

February 2007 - International Encounter

This was an opportunity for all of the Northern Churches to visit with all of the Southern Communities that belong to the umbrella of the Kairos Organization - AKF.

The keynote speaker for this conference was the Editor of the Envio Magazine, Maria Lopez Vigil. She is an extraordinary woman, with significant insight into the Nicaraguan people and culture. I have compiled a combined set of notes of her talk, from 3 of those in attendance. Note carefully that is not a verbatim text, and that she can rightly disclaim authorship for any and all of these words. The notes are a PDF file, which is here:
Notes from Talk by Maria Lopez Vigil.

August, 2007 - Nicaraguan Solidarity Conference

August, 2007 Proposed To-Do List

July 2007 Pictures

I also put almost all of the pictures from that trip here:
Photo Albums

Created on ... October 19, 2004

Revised on ... March 3, 2010