Blogpost 2 – Nicaragua Trip

El Porvenir


Today, wednesday, was one day away from our work at the medical clinic. We were up early, though, as our agenda today involved some significant travel. Today we journeyed up to the far northwest of the country, passing the city of Leon and near the small town of Posoltega. After journeying for some time on the highway, we turned off onto a dirt road and continued for some time until we got to the bottom of a mountain. There we gathered the supplies we had brought and walked uphill for about 10 minutes until we got the the tractor and trailer awaiting us. As an aside, this tractor and trailer was not a big-rig, rather it was a farming tractor with a small trailer about 15 feet by 8 feet. We got onto the trailer for a 45-minute, very bumpy ride up the mountain until we finally arrived at the top, the community of El Porvenir.


This community is one of my favorite places in Nicaragua and have used their story in a number of sermons and stories I have told throughout my ministry. Finally having the opportunity to share an experience like this with people who share in my ministry was an amazing experience. El Porvenir is a coffee cooperative. They specialize in what, for coffee afficionados, is called Rustic Shade-Grown Organic Coffee. Rather than clear cut and plant coffee, the coffee plants are planted in land that has taller, native trees. The coffee then grows under the shade of the other trees and is considered higher quality, in addition to the fact that it is certified organic for export to the United States and elsewhere.


What makes this community so interesting is how it began. In the 1980's during the revolution, the land that is now the community was owned by one individual. He decided to leave the country and he gave the plantation to the workers who worked for him. The story doesn't end there, though. The workers were from three different groups in Nicaraguan society. There were ex-Sandinista soldiers, those who fought for the Sandista government prior to and during the revolutionary period. Others were memebers of the Contras, short for Counter-revolutionaries. These were soldiers who opposed the Sandinista government and were supported, sometimes legally but mostly illegally by the Reagan Administration. They were based out of Honduras and would raid villages in the northern part of the country. Finally others were former members of the National Guard under the Somoza Dictatorship, which amounted to the personal police force of the Dictator and in many instances, his Death Squads. In other words the community was made up of people that a few years earlier would have killed each other on sight.


Yet they formed this community together and have been very successful in their business. In both good times and bad, the community has rallied and have overseen many obstacles. It is a great example of what can happen when people realize that what is good for your neighbor is also good for you. We are, despite many thoughts and political rants to the contrary, our brother's keeper. We had a wonderful meal of rice and beans waiting for us when we got there, along with coffee, corn tortillas, melon juice and as a special treat avocados. Every bit of the food was grown, harvested and made right there in the community. After lunch we were given a tour of the plantation and were able to see the beginning part of the coffee process. We also saw Cacao, which is used to make chocolate and the avocado trees. We were shown the warehouses and were taught about how the coffee gets from the plant to the table.


One member of our group had the wonderful idea of bringing along a gift for the kids, bracelets made from rubber bands. The bracelets were distributed to kids thoughout the community and as we got ready to leave a few of our younger members had a great time playing with the kids in the center of town. It was amazing to hear the screams and laughter as they chased each other. Kids, it appears, are the same around the world, whether they have expensive toys or roam around dirt roads with no shoes. Laughter is the same in every language. We would do well as a species to remember that simple truth. God has been present with us throughout this trip, but we could really feel God's presence in the laughter of the kids.


We then journeyed forty five minutes in the tractor and trailer down the mountainside and back to the van which brought us back to Managua. Arriving home at almost 8pm we were greeted with a wonderful dinner of taco soup which tasted amazing.

We gathered for some Scripture and reflection and talked about what lessons our churches and congregations could learn from this community. Sometimes we take what we think as what Jesus wants, when what we are really supposed to do is endeavor to know what Jesus wants and do that. And more importantly, sometimes what Jesus wants may not be whether or not we should have Ham Salad or Chicken Salad, whether or not we should sing traditional hymns or modern praise songs, whether or not we should have communion once a month or every week, whether or not we should welcome those who are different or not. Sometimes what Jesus may want is that we realize those decisions are not about morality, but about what we misunderstand about the message. It is a way to concentrate on ourselves rather than what is best for our neighbor. Sometimes, we think, Jesus wants us to stop the arguing over whose plan to follow and just start working, trusting that we will be shown the way in our trust. Our churches would do well to learn what, in essence, is such a simple but profound message.


Tomorrow morning we head back to the clinic to continue our construction work there.

One last note, the name of the community we visited is El Porvenir. For those who don't speak Spanish, the name is important here. El Porvenir literally means “that which is to come.” In referring to a place it can mean, loosely, “The World to Come.” Lesson: The world to come is dependent not only on our faith but just as important, it is dependent on our ability to trust in its existence and work day and night to make it a reality, despite whatever human complication may arise.