Mission of Peace: ; Students Nicaraguan Trip an Eye-Opening Experience

Summary

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From Dec. 27, 2006, to Jan. 13, 2007, FlipSider Emily Barksdale, along with 19 other teens and five adults from the northeastern United States, traveled to Nicaragua with Mission of Peace, sponsored by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Council on Youth Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Each year, a teen MOP team travels to a different country to promote peace, tear down walls and stereotypes and build better relationships with that country. This year, the team went to Nicaragua, visiting the U.S. Embassy, two volcanoes, various towns and cultural landmarks and a beach. Though the MOPers was based in Managua, they spent plenty of time elsewhere, staying a few nights in a church they painted and with families theyd just met. Among other activities, the group sang for various churches and at a womens prison. After visiting the Managua city dump La Chureca and seeing the poverty of the people who live there, the team also spent a good deal of time working and playing with residents of Project Chacocente (www.outofthedump.com).

The thing that impacted me the most about my mission trip to Nicaragua in January was not the cliched realizations of how much we take for granted and how wasteful we are. It wasn't even the close, lasting bonds that were formed between Nicaraguans and our Mission of Peace group as well as amongst ourselves. No, I've come to realize that the thing that never ceases to amaze me is the attitudes of the Nicaraguans.

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Mission of Peace: ; Students Nicaraguan Trip an Eye-Opening Experience

They have so much less than we do, yet they (at least the ones with whom I came in contact) are more than willing to give. T...

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