One of the most difficult things about going to Nicaragua wasn't actually going to Nicaragua..it was coming home. Coming home and seeing all that I have and all that I take for granted. Let me tell ya, taking away simple pleasures like a toilet changes a person! ;) But seriously, I remember the first time I went into a fast food restaurant back in the states...I broke into tears. Why? Because people in Nica don't have food at all...I can walk in, pick what I want off a menu of 100+ items, and have it within 5 minutes. In Nica, I saw kids digging through the trash for scraps...I saw them eating my leftovers. I was hurting. Walking into my 4-bedroom 2-bath house that me and my mother only live in hurt. It took me so much to be able to be thankful for what I had and not mad. When I came home (July) I had to wear jackets in the house because I wasn't used to air conditioning! Haha. That's another thing...I promised myself I would never say, "I'm hot" again. They don't have air. I do. So, I challenge you this Thanksgiving to go above and beyond. Don't just say "I'm thankful for family". Duh, we all are. But think about the little things that we take for granted. Like air conditioning, a toilet, toilet paper, food, etc. The people of Nica are the most thankful people I've ever met...and they don't have much to be thankful for!
Today, I am thankful for all the beautiful people I met in Nica that forever changed my life. They make me a better person every day. They have shown me my calling. I am especially thankful for Misael. Honestly, I hardly go a day without thinking about him. He's like my own kid...he makes everyday worth living because I know someday (hoping for this summer) we will be reunited again. Every morning when I wake up, his smiling face is the first thing I see. (His pic is my lock screen on my phone) I am so thankful for the things and people God has put in my life. What are you thankful for today?
