Top 10: #4

    Everyone has a favorite day of the week- for most it is Saturday. But when I wake up on Sunday morning, I am ready to pursue the day that I get to spend in church. At home, I start my day early and teach the kids class at Grace Community church, then after that go to service at 9:45. After church, I go home and anxiously wait for the clock to change to 6:15 so that I can go spend time with all of my friends at GSM (youth group). No matter where I am, I love Sundays, and the Sunday in Nicaragua was no different.
  Every year, my favorite part of Nicaragua is going to church because of the diversity that we experience. Singing with one voice in three different languages is such an amazing experience- there are honestly no words to describe the feeling. Singing to our God as one is heartwarming beyond words. Every year I am ecstatic to go and experience this.
  When we sit in church every year, it astounds me when it is time to give the offering, it makes me realize how greedy Americans really are. When Pastor Earl asks for the offering, the poverty stricken people of Nicaragua automatically give as much as they possibly can to help their beloved church. This hits me hard every time I see it and leaves me with a feeling of regret because I did not give to them or my own church. This feeling was apparent when I woke up that Sunday morning this year. My mind flashed back to the last two years where I longed to donate. In that moment, I got up and put all of the Nicaragua money I had in my Bible plus $5. I was so excited that I was finally going to give a small donation to the church, but nervous because I did not want any focus on me when I gave money.
   It was finally time to walk to church. When we walked in, we started filing into the rows, all of us Americans together. I saw a young Nicaraguan girl sitting by herself, so I decided to sit by her, and Taylor and Krista sat with us. As we were waiting for church to begin, I was looking around at all of the children, oh how I longed just to play with them. Each one made me smile because of their anxious attitudes to go to church, but at the same time acting the same way kids around the world act that are their age. I soon caught the eye of one young boy who was sitting with his mother- he was maybe four or five years old. I was making faces at him and he was giggling, then his mom gave him a little push on his butt and this little boy came running to me, he got the approval he was looking for. He sat on my lap for the beginning of church, quietly playing with my hands as we listened to all that was going on. It was time to worship, so we stood up and I had my little buddy right in front of me. He clapped to the music using my hands, and it warmed my heart. I loved the happiness this boy expressed being with a complete stranger- but maybe he knew I loved him, even though we just met. Maybe he understood that Jesus provides us with these moments to warm our hearts, maybe he knew that he was making my day. I loved having my little buddy with me throughout the worship portion of church.
  Then, it was time. The offering. My heart was beating so fast and I got more nervous then I can express. I took out my money and at the moment Krista looked over, "Man, I forgot mine. I do this every year!" In my mind this was a good thing, now the attention does not have to be put on me. I handed Krista the Cordoba's and felt better that I was not going up by myself. Then the little boy looked at me, curious as to what I was preparing to do, again I was excited because less attention would be on me. I handed him the five dollars and guided him up to the front to put the money in. He was so excited to put the money in the basket, and I loved living through him. I felt ecstatic because I was able to give to the church, with all the focus on loving others.
  The kids had to go to their class, so this little boy had to leave me. I sat through church, hanging on every word that Ted shared. Towards the end, I was sad because I did not get my picture with my church buddy. So I kept an eye on his mother, and as soon as the kids came back went to take a picture with him. I loved meeting this little boy and fell in love with him. He had such a great personality and I was happy to be able to experience his company on this trip.
  Sundays, my favorite days. The day that I am reminded to give God the glory and further my relationship with Christ. The days that I step out of my introvert circle and love on everyone that I come in contact with. The days I meet new friends and worship my God. Although I love every Sunday, my buddy made this one one of the top Sundays.

Top 10: #5

    It is crazy to think that 3,225 miles away from me there are people I call my best friend. Never before would I have thought that this is possible, but from the look on their faces when I tap their shoulder after a year apart, I know it is true. I have made inseparable bonds with kids just a few years younger than me, but miles and miles away. My Nicaraguan buddies, the kids I long to see every year, are my best friends and let me tell you a little something about my best friends.
   Giggling in Spanish, "Franklin es alli. Es alli." Pointing to the top of the bed. 
   "Where? I don't see him! I think you're lying."
   Hehehe "No, es alli!!" hehehe 
   "Krista, they say that Franklin is up there, I cannot find him! 
   "Where?"
   "Up there, I think they are lying, I don't think there is a Franklin." 
   "Yeah, they are just lying, lets go outside..."
As we laugh over the boys tricking us, we go on with our day and look forward to the next day at the beach.

   "Hola, como estas?"
   "Bien."
    "Como te llamas?"
    "Me llamo Franklin." 
    "KRISTAAA WE FOUND FRANKLIN!!!!!" 
This was my reaction the day at the beach, when this little boy not even up to my shoulders looked at me to be his friend that day on the beach. That day at the beach, Franklin never left my side. Once it started raining at the beach, a normal occurrence in Nicaragua, he came running over to me and I got to hug this boy under the shelter of my towel. Then the entire bus ride home, we sat by each other... then he was gone. Not once more on that trip did I see that smiling face again.
                                    Fast forward two years and we are once again walking around the orphanage and Krista comes up to me and points to this young man standing by us, "Hey, is that Franklin?" As I look into the eyes of this young man, my mouth dropped and I couldn't believe that this young man was once that little boy. I went up to him and said hi and reintroduced myself because I did not believe that this boy would remember me from that one day on the beach and at first, he did not.  Throughout the week, I grew closer and closer to this boy. We played silly games, we talked for what seemed like hours in our mixed languages, he invited me to his band practice and I was longing to go, but we were working, we played endless hours of war, and he even taught me how to use my camera. This young man stole my heart and till this day I cannot explain how much I love this boy. After a weeks adventures, we found this picture above of us on the day at the beach two years ago. I showed this to Franklin, and his smile lit up. He recognized his young self next to me, and maybe memories came back to him. I am still astonished by the young man that Franklin turned into. Now that you have met my first best friend, let me introduce you to another.

"Hola, como te llamas?"
 "Me llamo Lucely."
 "Tu es muy bonita!!"
 "No, me es feo. Muy feo." 

    As I looked into the eyes of this young girl, I knew that she believed what she said. She said she was not beautiful, but very ugly. From that moment I met that girl, I knew that she needed an influence in her life that will tell her she is beautiful and is always there for her. On my second trip to Nicaragua is when I met this little girl, and we had times that are unforgettable. We played at the beach, learned handshakes, and talked. Talked. And talked. Lucely's favorite thing to do was to talk, even though it was the hardest thing for us to do. We talked about everything, and she longed to see pictures of my family. I fell head over heels for this girl, I was heart broken to leave her. The week was coming to an end, and Lucely knew that I would be leaving soon. She came up to me and asked for a letter. And a letter is what I gave her. I wrote her a letter and Pastor Earl translated it into Spanish so that she could understand. When it was our last day, I had to hold back tears to make sure that this little girl did not see me cry. I gave her my letter and we started to hangout until I had to leave, and she handed me one she wrote for me. I have kept this letter in my wallet for two years, and have read it over and over again.
    The one thing that I was looking forward to the most when I went back this year was seeing that beautiful, smiling face again. The first night we went to the orphanage, I was dancing around with all of the little kids and Krista came up to me. She pointed to a group of girls and

said, go over there, you wont believe who you will see. I looked at her, ran, and came face to face with my best friend. I tapped her shoulder, and as she turned around, the look on her face was astonishment. She remembered me, and could not believe that I was back. She gave me a big hug and we both could not find the words to communicate. Although this time around we did not hang out as much, I was happy to see her with her friends all the time and everyday without fail, I always got my hug. We did get to hang out a little bit, and we played uno with her and her friends- the most outrageous and unfair game of uno, but I got to do it with my best friend. As well as uno, she wanted to again talk about my life. She wanted to know who my boyfriend was, how my family was, and endlessly made fun of the Spanish I couldn't understand or speak. To me, it astonished me how much this young eleven or twelve year old girl symbolized the same actions as the girls I babysat back home. I was elated to be reunited with my best friend again.
   It's crazy to think about the friendships I have made across that world, but its heartwarming to know that once I step on the grounds of Verbo, I will have smiling faces greeting me. I miss my two best friends and cannot wait to see them again. The count down is on!

Top 10: #6

    There is no better feeling in life than going up to someone who is all alone and befriending them. My entire life I have loved sitting with that one kid at lunch who was all alone, playing with that one kid who had no one to play with at recess, and just being friends with the "outcast." The first day we got to Nicaragua, we got to play with the kids. Most of the kids dive right into playing with the crazy white Americans, but others are unsure of who we are, especially those who have not been at the orphanage for a while.
   I was sitting on the bench, watching some of the kids and my team play volleyball (because I cannot play volleyball!!), when I noticed a group of boys sitting and watching with me. I tried to talk to them with the best of my ability, but like always it was hard with the language barrier. I tried to convince them to go play, but nothing was really working. So then, I tried to talk to one boy in particular, Rodon, and from there a friendship that will last a lifetime bloomed.
  I saw him looking at the frisbee's that one of the girls brought from home, so I motioned to them and asked if he wanted to play. We started playing and soon the game grew, and we played for what seemed like hours throwing this frisbee around. We always knew how good they were at sports, but it was crazy how amazing he was compared to us. None of us could continually catch the frisbee and every time he or one of his friends went to catch it, they got it with one hand. Their abilities astonish me every time I go there.
   After frisbee died down, I started teaching him a clapping game that we learned on move. He caught on quicker then I thought he would, and it was a lot of fun to play such a universal game. After all of that, we were just messing around and came up with a handshake. I am still unable to understand why, but this handshake made me so happy. I was elated to have this kind of connection, and only on the first day, with a boy I met hours before. Every time we saw each other for the rest of my time in Nicaragua, we did our handshake, and sometimes just walked away. It was a feeling that we acknowledged each other, but we did not need to say a lot.
  When Rodon was playing with the other boys, I got to talking to another American who had been at the orphanage for awhile. He told me that Rodon had not been there for more than a couple months. It was interesting to hear this, because it explained why he had a hard time communicating with us in Spanish. His main language was Miskito, the native language in Nicaragua. He had improved a lot in the months that he had been there.
  From that day on, every time Rodon saw me, he ran up and gave me a hug and then we did our handshake. I loved that I made such a huge impact on this boy within the first months he was in the orphanage. I will never know what his home life was like before the orphanage, but I know that I made an impact in his life because of the smile on his face and the hugs I got. I loved and love this boy with all my heart, and cannot wait to be reunited with him again soon.

Top 10: #7

     Every year on Nicaragua, the team is different in numerous ways. The relationships built are always built in unique ways, some just build relationships within their small groups, and some within the large group. This year, I was ecstatic to go on the trip because of all the people I knew that were going on it. I felt like all of my friends were going on this trip with me, and I was excited to see how our relationships would strengthen. Then, I was put into a group with four girls I had no clue who they were. I was like really, first no Taylor, now people I've never seen before! Awesome. Well, it was awesome... these girls along with the rest of the team were amazing supporters and messengers of Christ in me and throughout the people they touched in Nicaragua.
    Our team was absolutely amazing, and they are my top seven because of it. I loved being able to experience this trip with all of the people that went. I was able to truly experience and talk about what was going on and what needed fixing in Nicaragua. I hugged people who were just strangers days before, I talked about serious things and cried over the heartbreaking experiences that God showed us with people who I never acknowledged in the hallway, it was amazing.
    Our team was truly a family; I know that is a cliche thing to say, but there is no other way to possibly explain us. I loved how encouraging everyone was, it was not an "oh my goodness, she is taking so long. Just let me do it," but a "You've got this, don't give up!" The team itself made the trip 100% better, because of how supportive they were.
   Not only was the team as a whole amazing but my small group. Never before during my experience in Nicaragua did I feel like my group was closer then this year. We all were there for each other, laughed, loved being together, and just simply enjoyed one another's presence. To be with all those girls was so much fun, especially because of our leader.
   And that brings me to the best leader on a mission trip possible. Katie Fields. This woman is phenomenal. Not only was she a great leader to our small group, but a caring and loving mother to all. When anyone was sick, even just slightly, she would comfort them and serve to them until they got better. One night it was rough for all of us because of our experiences, which I will talk about during another blog, Katie asked me how I was doing. I just climbed into bed with my Nicaragua mom and she just held me, just as my mom would have if she was there. It is amazing to know that there are people in the world like Katie, who simply love taking care of others. I cannot express in enough words the gratitude and respect I have for Katie. She selflessly gave up some of her trip to take care of the kids who got sick.
    A trip as great as the one I experienced requires a team as remarkable as mine. The Nicaragua'14 team was encouraging, loving, and supportive of each other from the second we turned out of Granger Community Church until today. I love my team and hope that I can experience Nicaragua'15 with many of them next year.

Top 10: #8

     One of the goals in my life is to influence my friends in their Christian faith as much as possible. I love to see my friends experience what it means to know Jesus, to be saved, and to be loved unconditionally by the God who created us. In fact, that is what I want to do with my life, lead others to God. With that being said, my number eight on my top ten list is seeing my best friend grow in her relationship with Jesus, interact with the team, unconditionally love the children, and completely experience what Nicaragua is.
   A few years ago, after my first trip to Nicaragua, I would always talk to Taylor about how much I loved Nicaragua, the children, and just everything about the mission trip. Round two came for me to participate in this life-changing experience and I wanted my best friend along, but she could not go with the trips she already had planned that year, so she promised she would go the next time. Honestly, I wasn't to confident in this promise. Round three came, and she filled out the application, I was ecstatic! Fast forward through the meetings and the work days, the packing party is finally here. I could not wait to hear our names called in the same group, to confirm that this trip would be experienced with Taylor by my side. We were assigned our groups and I was crushed, we were not in the same small group together, what was going to happen? Why can I not be with my best friend the time I wanted to the most? My mom told me that everything happens for a reason, that it will be okay.
   My mom could not of been more right. To step back and see Taylor experience Nicaragua, I was like a proud parent watching their child play in their first sport. Taylor was incredible with the children, one little girl in particular adored her. When Taylor was sick and in the room, the little girl searched high and low for her American friend, disappointed that she could not seem to find her. Then the look on Diana's face when she did was priceless, she loved Taylor more then words can express. She was not only good with the children, but worked so hard to make Nicaragua a better place for everyone. To see how excited Taylor got when her first Nicaragua nail was finally hammered in, made me more proud then when mine went in. She worked so hard and loved unconditionally, she reflected the light of Jesus to every single person in Nicaragua. I cannot express how proud I am of my best friend during this trip and throughout the months after. She has truly changed because of this trip and I could not be any more proud of her then I am now.
   I love that we get to experience these mission trips with our friends, especially those we experience everyday life with. There is no one better to experience a life-changing event with then your best friend, and I can't thank God enough for allowing Taylor and I to go on this trip together.

Top 10: #9

     I specifically remember this date as July 23, 2014, my birthday. That day was an emotional day all around because it was the last day we would see the kids. What brought me joy on that day, among many things, was who I ate lunch with. It may seem like a simple, childish thing, but that is why it brought me complete joy. Everyday that we work, our translator, Fado, eats with us. On this specific day, the bus driver, Roy, also ate with us.

    The first time Fado ate with us, I remember telling the people I was sitting with that we should invite him to sit with us. Yes, that same elementary school kindness that we learn in kindergarten was being applied in Nicaragua. The funny twist, a bunch of teenagers were inviting a middle-aged man to sit with them, weird right? I was scared that year to ask him, but when we did it made me realize that no matter how old you are, no matter where you are, and no matter what your life is like, a little kindness goes a long way. He did not talk much to us, but he was happy to be sitting with someone and to see how us "silly Americans" acted.

    Fast forward a year, and this same thing happens again, but I did not hesitate as much. Now I know at this point of the blog you are thinking, really? She went 1,900 miles to tell us her favorite memory could of been made in a high school cafeteria? Well just hear me out :)

   Then another day passes and it is my birthday. I am having the time of my life because I am spending the day I was born doing the things that fill my heart. I am sitting with all my friends at lunch time, ready to eat the Americanized lunch that the kind ladies made us (to be honest, I was kind of upset I was not eating the rice and beans, but they tried to accommodate us, and it was sweet). Then I look to my right and once again, I see Fado sitting all by himself. To myself I think, really, doesn't he know by now that we love him and he is welcome to sit by us!? So once again, I motioned over to have him sit with me. To my surprise, he shook his head no. I was astonished! When asking why, he told me that his spot had the perfect breeze. So, after I got my lunch, I sat right down to see how perfect his spot was, right next to my friend. He looked at me, surprised that I moved from the table of American's to sit with a guy that could barely carry out a full conversation with me. Then, Roy came in and sat right next to us. I was scared that I was going to be unable to follow their conversations, but the love they showed to me was the same I reflected on Fado a year earlier when I wanted him to sit with me that first day. We talked about the difference of meal times between Nicaragua and the United States; fun fact, Nicaragua's big meal of the day is lunch, which is when they eat fish, rice, and vegetables. Then their dinner is something small. We talked about how many times I have been to Nicaragua and when I was coming back. I loved talking to these two men, who simply enjoyed the life they were living. What made my smile widen the most, was when I told Fado that their was a possibility that I was coming back in April with my dad. His smiled widened and he told Roy, it made me realize that I not only have made friendships with the kids in Nicaragua, but with everyone.
 
  Fado is our translator loyally every year and I hope he is there when my dad and I go back in April, because I have a dream I hope to fulfill for him. Every day he rode his back to the orphanage, with a pink beaten up book bag on his back. I hope that, if packing permits, I can bring him a stable backpack that he can bring to and from his jobs.

   Always remember, everyone's day is different then yours. You do not know what they are going through, shed kindness on everyone you come in contact with, because they will remember it.

Top 10: #10

     To start off my blog journey, I want to start with telling everyone about my experience in Nicaragua. This will give me the chance to share what I experienced and all of the moments in Nicaragua that were amazing!

10)  My number ten on my top ten list was playing cards with the kids. We played uno and war the most because those were the two games that were most controversial. We mostly played uno with the girls at the orphanage, I played a lot with a girl I met last year, Lucely. When we played uno, they cheated so bad! It was hilarious. While playing, they would have one of their friends at the end of the table not playing uno and would pass cards under the table to her to put back into the deck. In those moments, we laughed that they cheated and I realized how if that were my brother, the kids I babysit, or anyone else I would get mad. But, why did I not get mad at them? There was such a sense of joy and happiness in Nicaragua that it made no sense to get mad at them. This was a key lesson that I learned through Nicaragua. I think we should all realize that the little things do not matter as much as we may think. The little kids cheating in Nicaragua did not bother me because of the sense of joy that reigned through out that country and I hope to find that here.

   Another game we played was war, and I played this with one of the boys I met last year, Franklin. We played for what seemed like endless hours of war. This endless game got boring for us both after awhile but we kept playing because, again, there was a joy there that made us want to spend more time with one another. I loved playing this endless game with him because we would laugh, get mad, and hang out as best friends. I loved being with Franklin because it was like someone pressed pause for two years and hit play again, our relationship just kept growing.

    I loved playing simple games with these kids and miss those things more than I can express. To play these games, to see them laugh, and to watch their faces when they win was priceless. Just remember, find joy through the simple things and never let those little annoyances get in the way. Have a good and blessed day :)

About me!

Well I finally made a blog!
Hi, I'm Brooke and this will be a blog about the thoughts that run through my mind everyday; from serious to fun to religion, it will all be here. Before I start my posts, I thought it would be good if my readers knew some things about me! I am going to be a senior in high school and I want to pursue a career in child psychology, hopefully working in foster care or with kids who come from rough backgrounds. I want to minor in youth ministry and on that note,  I am a strong Christian, so many of my post will be about religion. Even if you aren't Christian, I believe that the things I write about will be worth the minute or two of your time. :) The reason I want to go into child psychology and youth ministry is to change the world. I got this inspiration from the first mission trip I went on to Nicaragua and continued on the two local ones I went on as well as two other trips to Nicaragua, trust me, you'll be hearing a lot about those! Some of my favorite hobbies are dance, reading, and hanging with my family. I have two older siblings, a brother and sister, and two younger step-siblings, also a brother and sister. I have three dogs, one at my dads and two at my moms, they are my best friends! I am excited to see where this blog goes and can't wait to share more of my thoughts with you! Have a good day :)
Brooke