Video: Testimonies and Photos

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More Testimonies

"… one of the Amigos found a butterfly that was likely dying, and was crawling on the ground.  She gave it to the little girl.  The Little girl looked at the butterfly and methodically pulled the legs and wings off the butterfly. That image has stayed with me. A beautiful girl in rags pulling the legs and arms off a butterfly was a heartbreaking image. There is something tragic about that.  It was like she could not stand to see the beautiful colors on the butterfly, as she sat there in the dirt in her rags… As we dug the ditch to bring water to El Chonco, I thought often of that little girl and I hope that the fresh water will make her life better." -Angus Linehan

"I was attempting to read a “Disney Storybook Collection” and although I had completed Spanish 1, I was definitely struggling to comprehend the simple stories of princesses and lions. The little… came up to me and began teaching and quizzing me on the names of all the animals in the story. El elefante (elephant), el Leon (lion), and el mono (monkey) are some of the many animal names I learned that morning. The boy then quizzed on my numbers and I am proud to say that I think I passed! He obviously thought I had the brain of a two year old!" -Amy Linehan

“Though we called it a mission trip and our purpose was to serve the people of Nicaragua, I believe that the physical service was not the point of the trip… these experiences led me to realize that communion with God can be found in a very real way, through true communion with other people. This, I believe, was the point of the trip.” -Andre Metzger

“One of the most memorable things I experienced while in Nicaragua was this; we were digging a water line for a village by the name of El Chunco… While we were digging, one of the workers from the village came up to me. I didn’t know his name and I had never seen him before. He comes up to me, looks me straight in the eyes and said, “I feel an overwhelming surge of love and camaraderie towards [you] for helping with the project.” And this is just one person whose life has been altered because of us. I submit that it was through your support that the Nicaragua Missionaries were able to complete their task in Nicaragua last summer.” -Brian Crocker

“Of the many projects in which we participated, the one that touched me the most was the time we were able to spend with the beautiful children at the handicapped orphanage. A vast majority of the kids were both mentally and physically disabled, some were unresponsive, and most could only communicate through a smile or a laugh. Personally, I felt so humbled when I was there because of the simplicity of life that I encountered in them. Being in the presence of these beautiful children immediately took away my worldly worries and suddenly nothing else mattered. It moved my focus from myself to others—something that I wish I could hold onto forever.” -Chelsea Escalante

“While digging ditches, I was able to converse with two young local men… They are trying to learn english, are studying at the local university, and are important role models for the youth of the village. Historically, fathers and young men have left the area to find employment elsewhere. The intelligence, work ethic, and strong desire to learn, grow and help their own community was heartwarming. My hope is our Holy Spirit group of men were a model for them, and I know they, in turn, modeled respect, hard work, openness and caring for our youth. I am humbled by the spirit of the Nicaraguan people to improve their lives and their appreciation for the blessings of their simple lives.” -Chris Metzger

“The… highlight of this trip was to have my kids with me. I wanted to expose them to the living conditions in Nicaragua so that they could gain more of an appreciation of what they have. Based on our conversations since our return, I think I accomplished this. What I didn’t expect was for both of them to have enjoyed the experience as much as they did. They are now talking about going back next year for an extended stay. It warms my heart to think that they would give up several weeks of their summer vacation to dig trenches in the heat and humidity to benefit people they don’t even know.” -Dan Crocker

“While all of the work was challenging, uplifting and humbling I most enjoyed the day we spent gathering children from the village of El Chonco for a morning of craft projects, story sharing and dancing (the Hokey Pokey).  The trust the families showed in allowing us to minister to their children was remarkable. The children were eager to try anything and at the same time patient with my lack of Spanish. It was gratifying to find that when we were later to returned to El Chonco unannounced, many of the children were wearing the necklaces that we had made earlier in the week.” -Katie Metzger

“ I was lucky enough to meet a sweet eleven year old girl named Sharon.  Immediately after I introduced myself to Sharon, I could tell we would be friends. We talked, laughed, and shared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We found out that we both love pink and both want to be teachers one day. As different as our lives may be, Sharon and I formed a close bond. Though tears filled my eyes as I gave her a final hug goodbye, I left Sharon with a promise that we would meet again next summer.” -Kiersten Sandvick

“One of the most memorable experiences I had was that I got the opportunity to play soccer with the school children during lunch. It didn’t matter that most of our group didn’t speak Spanish or that the kids didn’t speak English. We were able to supersede the language barrier and connect.” -Lisa Ricchio

“… while we were there, we went to a handicapped orphanage… My friend and I spent most of our time with Juan Carlo, a teenager who had Cerebral Palsy, a disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, and motor skills. It can also lead to speaking and learning disabilities. Although Juan Carlo could not speak, he could smile and laugh. We sat with him and patted his head. It was very heartwarming to see all the missionaries and the kids from the orphanage having fun and laughing. The room was filled with love.” -Michelle Crocker

  “One of the other projects many of us were able to experience was delivering livestock to needy families in poor rural villages. These animals were purchased by parishioners at Holy Spirit during the Christmas holidays… Chickens, hogs and cows were loaded into our truck or trailer and transported miles from the Amigos farm in Chinandega to distant areas near the Honduras border. We saw people who struggle every day for the minimal necessities of life. We saw families, women and children, who beamed with delight and gratitude for the ten chickens each family received – the promise of protein for their daily diets.” -Mike Ferrero

“One day a few of us were on our way to a local school to work with the children… We did not know exactly where the school was, so on the way we asked a little girl (let me call her Teresa) standing in front of her house… for directions. Her grandmother came out and… agreed to send Teresa to show us where the school was… We came to a house where a young girl was making fresh tortillas… The tortillas smelled so good and Teresa saw us looking at the tortilla with our mouth watering. So she took out all the money she had in her pocket just enough for one tortilla, broke it into small pieces and started to share with each of us. I was pleasantly shocked to see her great generosity in spending the only money she had for us. (Of course we did not let her pay for it, one of us paid for it). Teresa tore down our hearts, so we can fill it with pure love and a sense of sharing. She reminded us of Christ sharing five loafs of bread for five thousand people!! I am very glad and feel blessed that we met her.” -Moni Mathew

“This was a life–changing experience for me, and I think that most of the other missionaries would agree. It made me realize how much I have, and how blessed I am to be able to have it. After seeing how the Nicaraguans live, I will never see many of the things I have the same way. In the past, I have taken running water for granted, but after digging trenches to provide it for El Chonco, I will always appreciate that water more.” -Nathan Metzger

“I was most touched by the way the missionaries worked, digging trenches without rest, working with kids without knowing their language, and how they do all this with a big smile and lots of love for the poor people of Nicaragua.” -Ramon Vijil

“… the most memorable experience I had was the time I… was part of the health team for the day and we went to the village to give a seminar about the upcoming addition: a health clinic. The village does not have a doctor, so the plans were to help create a small area that the villagers could to go if they start to become ill. My job was to play with the kids while their parents attend the presentation so they are not distracted. A few other missionaries and I took a bag full of toys—containing everything from jump ropes to bouncy balls to bracelets—and played with the kids. By the end of the day the kids were jumping into my arms and crawling all over me in happiness.” -Thomas Mathew

“The best part of the trip is the family that I built with the people from Holy Spirit that went with me. I enjoy seeing the young people become good friends. I enjoy going to church and seeing the friends I made during the trip. Sharing our stories… This makes it all worth it, knowing that together our church is making a difference to people that otherwise would have no chance.” -Veronica Vijil