Shaylin Schundler

A letter from Shaylin Schundler - One of our volunteers last summer:

When I signed up to spend the summer volunteering at Campo Alegria I was very excited, but I also had my worries. I didn't take Spanish so my knowledge of the language was considerably limited, and I had also never been on a mission trip before. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Even when I had arrived in Nicaragua and had been preparing for the camp for a few days I was still anxious about how I was going to be able to interact with the kids when I didn't speak their language and they spoke even less of mine.

However, when the kids finally arrived at the camp that friday I discovered that words weren't necessary to form a bond with them. Although they would try to talk to me sometimes, when they realized how much I didn't understand, they turned out to be perfectly content with just jumping over the waves of Lake Nicaragua and holding my hand. I didn't need to speak fluent Spanish to be a friend and to show Jesus to these kids; all I needed was a willing heart and a smiling face and with only that I was able to reach and be reached by these children.

Often times at home I get lost in the world of words. With Facebook, email, texting and phone calls, a relationship often boils down to the number of words two people exchange. Here in Nicaragua, working with children that don't have as many conveniences, I got back some of the personal connection that I forgot about back in the States. I learned the value of holding a little girl's hand, working with someone to build a sand kingdom, and just smiling widely when making eye contact with a child. With only these little acts I was able to make connections with people and I was really opened up to the ways that God can work through the littlest acts to bring about something wonderful.