Maryuri.

She's 8 years old and lives with her parents and cousins in a one room shack in Nueva Vida just outside of Nicaragua's capital of Managua. The image of her in a satiny lilac dress is forever ingrained in my mind; she changed my mind and I'll never ever be able to forget he sweet smile and kind love for the strange white girl that came to church last summer. 

I've gone on a mission trip to Nicaragua the past two summers, and the first time I went was great, but I didn't come back with any special memories that I would remember for the rest of my life. So when the opportunity arose to return the next summer, although I really wanted to go back, I was a tad hesitant to whether I should or not.  The trip sounded rather appealing: an entire week at the same church with the same kids, so I went for it. Man! Am I glad that I did!

I met Maryuri at the feeding center on our very first day there, she came in with her two cousins and insisted on being carried all around the church on my back as soon as she was done eating. The fact that she and I spoke totally different languages was no bother to her and we became fast friends, she even held my hand as our team walked to a different church to eat our lunch and then waited patiently outside the gate as we ate. Every day was like that. We would scan the masses of people each morning as kids were let into the feeding center for each other and not leave each others side for the rest of the day unless forced too. 

I got to stand up at the front of the church one morning with Maryuri and her cousin when they decided to give their lives to Christ one morning after hearing a message from our resident Nicaraguan, Roger. Its safe to say that standing up there with Maryuri and thirty other young kids who made that decision was one of the most powerful moments of my life.

Leaving Nicaragua this time around broke my heart. I knew that I was going back to a world of comfort filled with unnecessary pleasures while I left my new friend in a world of hurt, poverty, and brokenness. As hard as leaving was for me I knew two things that made it easier: 1. She now knew the Lord and He was with her. 2. I could still help her even from thousands of miles away. 

A couple of months after returning from Nica a few of my peers started an initiative called "One Meal Sunday" where they only ate one meal on Sunday's to raise money an awareness for the situation of the kids who attended the feeding centers we served in Nicaragua. I never really jumped on the bandwagon, until today. They just finished a major fundraising campaign where they made enough money to feed over 45 kids for over a year. Wow. That is amazing don't you think?! Forty-five deserving kids will now have a guaranteed, nutritious meal for an entire year. Knowing that Maryuri is a kid who directly benefits from the feeding centers and the support that we send down there I decided I wanted in on this cause. Jesus broke my heart for this little girl last summer and revealed a way for me to continue impacting her life from a far.

The last day I spent with Maryuri we made friendship bracelets. I tied mine around her little wrist and she tied a blue one around mine. That bracelet remained tied around my wrist today, remembering Maryuri has helped me overcome so many obstacles this year and keep me humble in my life of plenty. Knowing I may never be able to see her again breaks my heart every single time I come to that realization, but the impact she made on my life will last longer than a life time.

xoxo,

Abby the Gator

P.S. If you feel so led to help support the One Meal Sunday initiative, here's how! Through Orphan Network you can feed a child for just $15 dollars a month, the difference your gift could make in a child's life is indescribable.