We were very proud of Kendra for this trip. She chose to go to Nicaragua with a group from The Rainbow Network for her senior trip upon graduating from high school. She was so excited for this trip, getting her passport and studying about the people and their culture.
She took a suitcase full of pencils, hard candy and dreams of helping people and talking about God. They took lots and lots of shoes that area churches had collected. They helped build some houses and the term house was not a house here. They were built out of cardboard and pieces of tin and wood, any scraps available. She told us a story of a woman welcoming them into her 'home" which consisted of a dirt floor, a hammock and one white plastic chair which she proudly offered them for a place to sit.
She loved the kids and she said they came begging every day for some candy. She had some magazines that they were totally fascinated with. They even asked her if she knew Britney Spears! Lol. She even adopted a little girl from there and sent her money for the next several years. She came home literally with just the clothes on her back and shoes on her feet. She gave everything away, every single thing she took with her.
She came home with a new appreciation for America, for her family and friends and her home. She told us we took way too much for granted. Food in the refrigerator, clothes in our closet with the tags still on, TVs in every room and money in the bank. But she did say that no matter how poor those people were and had nothing, they were happy. It does make you stop and think, it seems like most of us are never happy with what we have, always striving for more.
She always wanted to return and even talked of this in her rehab journals. My prayer is this, that God used her when she was clean and he brought her through her addiction and I pray that he continues to use her through us telling her story. I know it's healing for us to continue doing things in her name, fulfilling her bucket list and spreading God's word. She will never make it back to Nicaragua or do any other mission trips, but if Kendras story touches one person then she's still doing her mission work, she's still here. I think this is what God expects of all of us. My heart is aching today for my sweet girl with a heart of gold.
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