Article by Phoenix writer James Coats ’23:
When I first was asked to help with a boys soccer camp in Nicaragua, my mind was flooded with doubts. Could I afford the trip? How would I make up a week’s worth of school work? Would I be safe? Would the Nicaraguan boys like me? However, reflecting back on my trip, all of these questions were answered in the best way possible.
My team and I stayed and held the camp at the Villa Esperanza, a safe haven that was established as an urgent response to the situation that many girls face living in an area named “the dump.”
Often dealing with malnutrition, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and drug abuse, these girls are given the opportunity to live in a safe and supportive environment, where they can learn life skills and pursue an education. While taking the girls out of their neighborhood may have helped individual lives, very little cultural impact was made. The only way to enact that change was to work with the boys, the origin of the majority of issues plaguing the area.
The first group of boys that we worked with were the juniors, ages eight to twelve. They arrived at the Villa early in the morning. Following breakfast, worship songs and a teaching from Pastor Paul, the boys started to get a little antsy, so we brought them out to the fields for a soccer tournament.
They were split into four teams, the aguilas (eagles), halcones (falcons), tigres (tigers), and leones (lions). The teams would play each other, and gain points for wins, sportsmanship, and good behavior throughout the camp. At one point, the teams were doing a penalty shootout, and the aguilas chose me to take their penalty shot! After beautiful kick into the top left corner of the goal, I was immediately swarmed by the entire team. From that point on, the boys treated me as one of their own.
The day ended with a bonfire, where after another talk from the leaders, many of the boys dedicated their lives to Christ. The next day was our last with the boys, and we treated them to a day at the movies, which was the first time going to the theater for many of them. After the movies, we took the bus to drop off the kids at their homes. It was heartbreaking to see the conditions in which they lived.
For the next four days, we had the older group of boys with us at the Villa, ages thirteen to seventeen. I immediately made a connection with them, and truly made some good friends. The first three days with the older group were similar to the first day with the younger boys with a lot of teachings, worship songs, and soccer. My highlight of the first three days was the mudpit, an army training camp style obstacle the boys had to crawl through. It was amazing to see their perseverance and the fun they had crawling through the dirt. The last day was the best of the entire trip, taking the whole group to the islands of Granada. We got ice cream, saw wild monkeys, and ate a delicious lunch at an island restaurant. There were a lot of tearful goodbyes when we dropped them off at their homes.
Overall, it was amazing to see the dedication to beating the circumstances that life has thrown at both the younger and older boys and the change in their lives because of the love they receive at the Villa. It was truly a special and humbling experience and I cannot wait to go back to continue the incredible work that God is doing in Nicaragua.