My Daily Bread
Mar 29th, 2007 by Jon Posted in Bluefields 2007 | No Comments
Each day when we were in Bluefields we spent it doing construction, administering the locals, or doing an eye glasses clinic. While the work was draining in the warm and humid weather, the daily reminders of the needs in this little city erodes the soul. Poverty, joblessness, addiction, teenage pregnancy, domestic abuse…
In face of such large problems, I would feel helpless and disheartened. How can a single man, or even a single team of 16 Canadians make a difference here? 1 week and a few hundred dollars wasn’t going to make a dent. To them, we’re just a drop in the bucket. So why are we even trying? How can we keep going in face of such odds?
At the end of each day I was reminded why we are here and why we must keep going…
These are the children from the neighbourhood we stayed at in Bluefields. Each evening they would wait on the curb for our trucks to roll down the hill so that they can play with us. Each night we’d play soccer, baseball, braid hair, take photos, and skip rope. Each day these little children would remind me why I was in Bluefields.
They are the future and hope of Nicaragua.
Even in a broken world, these children smile and scream for joy. They defy their problems and are free to be children. All the work we do, no matter seemingly insignificant they appear against the larger problems, is for them and every little thing matters.
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