Wig Shopping in Nica

Wig Shopping in Nica

We all like being the smiling volunteer handing the grungy homeless person a sandwich. We can bask in their smile and feel warm and fuzzy as we receive the gracious handshake in return. There is something gratifying about having your fingertips actually touch the person you are helping and see with your own two eyes their smiling face. But the reality is that that exchange would never have been possible without the people who donated the money for the bread, the people who donated their time to go out and buy the bread, the people who donated their time to make the sandwich, the person who drove everyone to the park, the person who spread the word that the food would be there etc.

Frequently, in life we don’t get to see the smiling faces, receive the thankful handshake or hug. We just put our money in the box, buy the TOMS or BOBs shoes and thats it; it doesn’t feel like much has happened.

This past week I was able to be a part of two unexpected “sandwich giving” events. The first “sandwich” was going wig shopping. Something I don’t think I ever thought I would do, let alone while here in Nicaragua. A few years ago a sweet girl that we sometimes do ministry with, Ixcell, acquired a rare incurable parasite in her brain thought to have come from eating improperly cooked pork. At the time her gorgeous, lush hair went down past her waist– and it all of it had to be shaved for her to have a shunt put in her head to relieve the excessive fluid and resulting pressure. It was a scary time and many were unsure if she would make it. Until recently she had thought she was in the clear but a few weeks ago she began experiencing extreme migraines– something was wrong. Her hair had just grown out a bit and now could just touch her shoulders and she had to once say goodbye to it all and go under the knife again for her shunt to be replaced (which had broken or gotten clogged). A silver lining to the story is who she met through all of this health struggle. Through her frequent visits to the hospital she befriended, started dating, and now is engaged to an X-ray technician at the hospital.

On Sunday we were all able to accompany her to buy a wig that had been generously funded by a church in North Carolina so that the beautiful young woman could feel more confident and comfortable while she waits for her hair to grow back. It was a very emotional experience for all of us and we all shed some tears to see her so happy as she tried out different options. To be able to go with her was truly a gift from God. I have donated my hair a few times making this event especially special for me. I always loved the contrast of having really long and then really short hair but I never was able to see the opposite contrast occurring. Someone going from nearly no hair to hair and how that could make a person glow and put an extra spring in her step was really beautiful. Ixell was able to get one long human hair wig that she will be able to style and that she will be able to wear for her wedding in February. She will likely have more problems throughout her life and now she knows she can face the world with confidence in the in between times and that she will be able to walk down the isle beaming.

Another full circle event was two weekends ago in the outskirts of an area called Polsoltega that we frequent. We helped put on Una Fiesta de Amor (a Party of Love) for children in very impoverished situations, many of which lived in the streets, and had Dad’s who struggled with alcohol and/or drugs. We played games with the kids, had a pinata, handed each a sandwich and drink. Additionally, we handed out bags that were organized by age and were full of toys, a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and a pair of shoes. The other half of BOBs shoes to be exact. For those who don’t know what BOBs or TOMS are–they are a comfortable, trendy, often oddly patterned shoe that you an buy online and now in stores. With each purchase of a pair of shoes one pair is donated to children around the world in need. The kids were so excited, no better yet thrilled, and so thankful for their gift bags- each child left beaming with their ripped pockets full of pinata candy, their arms full of their new shoes and toys, and their tummies full of a solid meal. It was a wonderful blessing that I’ll never forget to hand out those shoes thinking of the people on the other end around the world— what they did was making a difference right now, right before my eyes.

These precious events I will carry with me. I am thankful to God for letting me see the other half as a way of encouragement for the many times I didn’t get to see the result. The times I wondered if anything I done had made any impact. I’m sure you’ve felt that way before to. Maybe you have questioned the value of the ways that you help the world when you don’t see any movement from it– any tangible change. But know that sometimes you are just a part of the process and that not seeing a result is no reason to cease striving, and doesn’t mean that change won’t come. Throughout the Bible it talks about there being a time to reap, a time to sow and also that you might not see all of the process. “Thus the saying ‘One sows and the other reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4 37-8). It doesn’t seem fair at times that others will see the results that we don’t. But that can turn the action around on ourselves. That instead of genuinely wanted to help we more want the thank you and the warm and fuzzys from helping. Thus its important to keep it all in perspective. Sometimes we are the ones to plant, sometimes we are the ones to reap what others have planted. But the assuring thing through it all is that God is the one responsible for it all to grow. It says in 1 Corinth. 3: 6-7 “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” God is the one who brought about the change. So don’t lose hope or feel burdened if someone you’re striving to help isn’t changing, or what your working to improve isn’t getting better. Your words and love weren’t wasted, God will make it grow in His time.

Also on a side note– thank you all who supported me to get here. I feel fortunate to see some of the harvest, and to help with some of the planting– but please do know that what you gave was an immeasurably important part of the process.