When we got back to Jinotega, everyone kept asking me how the river was. And my answer once again had to be that I had learned a lot. The surprising part is that what I learn is never what I set out to find.
I learned from Carl.
Carl is 84 years old--and he doesn't just smile for the camera. I was honored to work with Carl in the vision clinic all week, and never saw that smile fade for a second. One of the most remarkable things about him is that everyone wants to talk to him. People waited in line to talk through 2 translators, just to be heard by him. Because when Carl is listening to you--you feel listened to. Carl slept on the same thin pallets we did, ate the same beans and rice each day, walked through the same stinky mud pits--and never stopped smiling. Was my tail sore from the bumpy ride? sure. Was the cabin floor hard and ant infested? yep. Was the wash barrel cold and vaguely smelly? yeah. But if Carl isn't complaining--none of us better complain!
Carl taught me something beautiful about Phillipians 2:14 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky Now, I certainly thought I knew this verse, as it was quoted in my general direction most of my middle-school years. But I had always focused on the "without grumbling" part. And Carl was certainly a stellar example of that. (get it? stellar..."shining among them like stars...") But the part that Carl taught me most was the "Do everything.." part of this verse. Sometimes I get so focused on not whining, that I forget to get up and do something. Not Carl. He's a mission-tripping machine! He's been to Nicaragua twice in 3 months, and plenty of other spots as well. When his group was voting whether to go zip-lining or straight to the hotel, Carl not only was first to vote for adventure, he asked for a chance to convince anyone who was on the fence about going. I want to be that kind of person--who not only avoids complaining, but the person who is ready to "do everything". Carl is. I learned that I want to be like that.
I learned from these kids.
Can you see the raw joy in these photos? These kids were having such a great time. I learned that if you want to have fun, that's all you need. No plan, no toys, no rules--just start laughing and others will join in. I learned that some stranger drawing goofy faces on hands, or some guy who makes silly voices can be just as exciting as a carnival. I learned that these kids know something about friendship that I can only guess at.
I learned from this town.
There was something in the air in San Andres that I just can't articulate. The closest thing I can relate it to is that particular feel of a park at dusk, the quad of a college campus, the meeting hall at a summer camp. It's that feeling that is associated with shared space. With knowing everyone and knowing your spot. There is a camaraderie among the neighbors at San Andres--an intimacy--a sense of real community that I just can't quite put into words. Are there differences? Problems? Fights? Of course! But there is a depth of knowing each other that I don't believe can be found in a street full of houses with doors that shut and windows that close.
I heard over and over while on this trip, "I guess they don't miss what they've never known." Most of the speakers were talking about the level of poverty we were seeing. And I in no way mean to minimize or romanticise the difficulty and suffering of deep poverty. This life is hard. Hard. But I also think "we" (rich North Americans) don't have any idea what we're missing.
I hear so many people talk about how they believe nothing is more important than time with family, how they just want their kids to be happy, to know who they are and where they belong. But what if you lived in a house with all of your family? What if your kids really spent their time following you learning how you live? What if everybody wasn't in their own room looking at their own screen? What if kids were excited to get to go to school--regardless of how uncomfortable or difficult it was? What if when the sun began to go down the whole neighborhood stood around talking while the kids ran and giggled together.
I'm sure it is true--people don't miss what they've never known. And there is much I have that I am more grateful for than ever. But I also think I have more to learn from places like San Andres than just "how good we've got it."
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