O' Poverty....source of riches

O’ Poverty – source of riches
Jesus son of God – born in Bethlehem……Taize chant


I have had this Taize chant stuck in my head since I have returned from Nicaragua. It is a haunting chant that the monks of Taize France sing. O’ Poverty! Source of riches…..

Those words hold a truth to me about Nicaragua in ways that I think I am just beginning to grasp – and will continue to evolve the longer I work with and learn more about these beautiful people. When I attempt to tell my friends about my trip – words and pictures fail to convey the power of it. Out of my mouth come stories of what we did and what we hope to accomplish in the future……which is usually followed by the some type of accolade from the listener for what ”I am doing for Nicarguans.” I try to tell them it is I who gets far more from the experience than I will ever give. But it falls on deaf ears…..they don’t understand. They think I am just being humble.

The best way I can explain the work we do in Chinandega is that is a partnership. Each group – the International Rotarians (this is my group), the Chinandega Rotarians, and the local Chinandega community – come together with their unique talents and needs. The spirit of God blesses our union and a miracle happens – our talents and our needs blend into this beautiful symmetry and together we are able to make a change in this world and in each other. Not just the United States group infusing a change into the Nicaraguan community with our money and our sweat. Oh no! It is far greater thing than that! The Nicaraguan community infuses a change into the United States group as well. The determination and the sense of community that the Nicaraguan people have is infectious. They have a spiritual richness about them that only abject poverty can create. They are forced to trust in God to meet their physical needs on a daily basis. Words fail to convey the powerful presence of the Spirit of God in this place. I almost feel like I am cheating – getting to be amongst them – sharing in the power of the Spirit of God. It is their daily physical suffering that infuses the power of the Holy Spirit in this place – I am just a visitor with the faith of a mustard seed trying to get a piece of the action.

The United States team needs what God has blessed the Nicarguans with - spiritual richness and they need what God has blessed us with – physical richness. It's certainly not as simple as this - but it's the only way I can adequately put it into words. Working together and sharing freely with each other – what we each have been blessed with - changes all of our hearts. I like to think of it as the birth of hope. We are suddenly empowered with the belief that together we are making a difference in a seemingly hopeless situation. Lots more thoughts about this in the days to come.....