Christ Community Church Daytona Beach Florida

Below is one of the teams most "memorable moments". Robie Robinson works at Bert Fish as Director of the Cardiopulmonary Department and this is what she had to say:

My first day at the mission I was a member of a small group that held a clinic at a remote school on top of a mountain. Once we finished treating the patients, Nelson Amador told me he wanted to take me and some others to a "house" nearby to take pictures. He said he wanted us to take pictures and tell others at home in the U.S what we were about to see.

We followed him on a dirt path which eventually led to the "house". There were 4 children there, the oldest around 8 and the youngest around 3. Mom wasn't home, presumably out trying to earn food or money for her family. Dad had left long ago so the family was fending for themselves. The structure of the house was made with mud, scraps of tin, and whatever else one could find to make a barrier from the elements. It certainly wouldn't prevent rain from hitting the children. I walked around the structure. Coffee beans were drying in the sun, some tattered clothes were drying on a line, a straw broom leaned against the structure intended to sweep debris from the living area which had a dirt floor. One of the doctors had given the children a small toy and one of them remarked in Spanish that it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. I went into the living area and saw 2 rooms. One side of the structure was used for cooking. A pot sat on top of an area intended to burn wood. On the other side was a grinder that Nelson said was used to grind corn. There was no running water so nothing could be washed easily. He said a little lime juice would be added to the corn to kill any germs. The sleeping area contained one frayed, dirty mattress. There was no furniture, no pillows, no blankets. I'm guessing they used each other for pillows. There were not any items in that home that could be deemed for convenience. Everything in that house could be listed in one short sentence. The entire structure was probably no bigger than 20 x 6. There was obviously no electricity; this family rose when the sun came up and retired when the sun went down.

I walked around front to where the children were standing. Nelson was talking to one of them in Spanish. The smallest was crying and pulling her older sister close to her. She may have been scared of us. The two oldest boys stood there looking at us. There was desperation and helplessness in their eyes. I had nothing I could give them. I had only brought my camera and I felt utterly useless to help them. I thought of all of the things I had at home that I could give them - food, linen, clothing. All of my excesses. Yet there I stood with nothing in hand... so I prayed. I prayed for them all the way down that mountain. And I continue to pray for them today.

I also pray for me - I pray that I will never forget those children and their living condition. I pray that God brings them to my mind when I'm grumbling about something inconsequential. I pray that I'll see that corn grinder when I go shopping at the grocery store. I pray that I will think twice before spending money on something I don't need. I pray that I will realize my full potential to give where there is a need. I pray that I will be able to return to Nicaragua to that mountaintop with something more than a smile and my camera.

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