Pastor Liz & A Group Of Teens Go To Nicaragua

The following story was written by Janet Bonneau, St. Albans Messenger Correspondent, for the St. Albans Messenger. Many thanks to Janet for sharing this with us, for those that happened to miss the story in the paper when it was published, here it is.

Pastor Elizabeth Griffin, of Fairfax United Methodist Church, and a group of teens were in Nicaragua from August 11th through 21st to work for a project called Women in Action, which is sponsored by Compas de Nicaragua. They are pictured here on an overlook on Mombacho Volcano.

(Left to right) Marie Aja, Jen Chamberlin (students at BFA Fairfax) Rev. Elizabeth Griffin, Maddie Boushie (Mount Mansfield High School), Talia Mindich (S. Burlington High School). Missing from picture is Alex Paoeme (MMU), who also went on the trip. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Griffin)

‘Compas de Nicaragua’ (Friends of Nicaragua)
Fairfax pastor finds blessing and joy in yearly service trip

The lush, fertile countryside of Nicaragua belies the misery. In La Primavera, a poor urban neighborhood in Managua, Nicaragua, women's lives are spent looking for food. They live on rice and beans – the occasional pieces of chicken are a luxury. With an unemployment rate of nearly 40%, many of the men do not work or they find odd jobs. At the Managua city dump, families live in a wasteland of tin shacks, breathing toxic smoke from smoldering garbage. Children pick through broken glass and metal as they scavenge for food. Some are run over by the garbage trucks passing through. It is estimated that one-third of the children have lead in their blood, according to Project Chacocente, a non-profit organization whose goal is to move families from the city dump and back into society through education and life skills training. According to the Chacocente website:

"The Managua dump is home to about 175 families. Another 1,000-2,000 people arrive daily to look for food to eat and recyclable materials they can sell…Six months a year, the narrow roads are filled with mud as thick as quicksand and a gag-producing stench. During the dry season, the powder-like dust settles on everything and everyone. Year-round, the sun beats mercilessly on the backs of those who scavenge.” (www.OutoftheDump.org)

Against this backdrop of poverty and suffering, can one small group of people make a difference in one small corner of the world?

Reverend Elizabeth Griffin, of the Fairfax United Methodist Church, says yes – that every small gesture adds hope to the larger picture.

"There are millions of small not-for-profits around the world who are doing things, making small places of hope and peace, and that's what needs to be done. The little pieces someday will come together, and if it wasn't for these not-for-profits, doing this all over the world, the world would be a lot sadder place,” said Griffin.

For the past six years, she has traveled to Nicaragua on a mission; not in her role as pastor, but humanitarian and friend to those she serves.

She saw the Managua dump one year when she worked for Project Chacocente.

See what your pastor has seen,” she wrote in a newsletter to her congregation. “This is real, it will break your heart, make you cry.”

Each year she brings a small, but dedicated group of people with her. Some are members of her congregation, others from outside the Fairfax community. It is open to anyone. All pay their own way through fundraising or donations.

This year's service trip included several area high school students: Marie Aja and Jen Chamberlin (BFA Fairfax); Maddy Boushie, Alex Paoeme (Mt. Mansfield Union); and Talia Mindich (South Burlington).

“One of the reasons I like to take people on this trip is because they get to see what reality is for two-thirds of the world. We need to understand how all of these pieces fit together, and what our role is in the world. As Christians, we need to ask ourselves the question: ‘how do I live a Christian life knowing that people, who I see as children of God, are starving? What is my responsibility as a Christian to humanity?’ “ said Griffin.

In August Griffin and her group traveled to La Primavera to work with “Women in Action” (WIA), the project focus of “Compas de Nicaragua.” Formed in the early 1990’s, Compas is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “promote cultural exchange and improve lives through service trips and sustainable community development work.” (www.compas1.org)

“The important piece is you work with the people of the project. And while you’re working with them, you’re also learning what it’s like to be in their lives. It’s a very critical component. The emphasis is on being with the people. You’re easing the burden of their work a little bit. By your very presence you’re giving them a sense of solidarity and belonging with other people,” explained Griffin.

She has seen the WIA project grow over the past six years. Women, who were once afraid to stand up and speak in a group, are now running the WIA center, home to a community store, computer lab, schoolroom, library, and community space.

“Every single child who is sponsored through Women in Action is going to school,” said Griffin.

“These are tangible benefits. The intangible benefit is these women are coming together and doing something for each other. Nothing to me is more fun than to go down there and play some silly game, and to see these women laughing, because you know how hard their lives are. To see them get together and be foolish and laugh, and be silly, is a delight, is a blessing for me.”

Griffin sits at her computer and narrates a slide show from the August trip.

“That’s Ruth Esther, my little girl I sponsor – we were doing an arts and crafts project.”

“This woman is a good friend of mine. I see her every year. Every year she has a new baby, even though the doctor told her she would die. She’s a hard working woman, she’s always exhausted. I love her to pieces.”

“That’s Marta, I sponsor her son, Antonio. He cried when I left. I’m making a book for him.”

Griffin is there, too, in some of the photos – cuddling a child, teaching a skill, playing a game – finding joy in her connection to the people of Managua. They welcome and embrace her. The blessings in this life are mutual.

“We’re all involved in humankind. Many of the astronauts who looked at the earth from the moon had their whole understanding of things changed. There are no lines from the moon; there are no political boundaries. I understand there is much horror, much violence, much antipathy in the world, but all of us are obliged to do our small good things to make the world a better place for ourselves, for our children, and all of God’s children. We’re all on this planet together.”