Well, this is the month of the race I’ve been waiting for. My prayer for the past three months has been for a broken heart. And as it begins to crack, I’m concerned I asked for a burden I can’t carry.
In my first two months on the race, I experienced SO much. I used a machete to chop down a cornfield, grown relationships with people who only speak Spanish, lived with boys who were raised in gangs and addicted to paint-thinner, and on and on. But this third month, I’ve truly experienced heartbreak for the people around me.
For our month in Nicaragua, we are working with a ministry called Vision Nicaragua that supports a community named Patel. In this community, the main source of work is at a sugarcane field nearby which exports large amounts of sugar to other countries, especially America. In order to keep costs low and “protect” the plants, the owner uses a very harmful pesticide. This same pesticide was made illegal in the United States after many Hawaiians developed terminal, chronic kidney disease from being in constant contact. At this time, the pesticide became illegal for use in the states, but it is still manufactured and sold to countries that continue to use the pesticide without regard for the terminal illness it causes the workers.
In the cities surrounding the sugarcane factory, it is estimated that 4-5 men die everyday. These men work in these fields day after day, for long hours knowing that they will eventually die from it because they have no other way to put food on the tables for their families. They are left with two choices: watch their families starve to death or work in the fields until they become ill and THEN watch their families starve. It’s painful to watch, and this month I’ve been in a constant state of frustration and helplessness.
While here, I have been blessed to work with the doctor on staff at Vision Nicaragua and my friend, Bethany, who is a nurse back in the states. We’ve been able to have conversations with people directly affected. We’ve provided care for the widows and their children. And we’ve gone into the cities making house calls to the men who are waiting at home for the inevitable. A few days ago, the doctor took Bethany and me to the house (by house I mean a metal shack with tarps separating rooms) to visit a 23 year-old man who is believed to only have days left.
For a healthy person, creatinine levels are normally between .5 and 1. When the doctor checked this young man’s creatinine levels, they were above 25. It was explained to me that creatinine is naturally produced in our bodies, and it is cleared out by the kidneys. But when the kidneys begin to shut down from pesticide exposure, they can no longer clear out the creatinine and the body is basically poisoning itself.
In the United States this young man would be in the ICU, but instead he lays on this cot and his grandmother fans him with a towel. In the United States, he would have access to dialysis and could possibly extend his life for years! Why was I born in America? Why was I blessed with a family who can afford healthcare and college? Why me?
This is a huge epidemic that isn’t being addressed. And the worst part is that America is manufacturing the poison, selling it to 3rd world nations, and then buying the sugar back. It’s a very selfish cycle, and with a little compassion and MUCH less greed, this problem could be easily solved.
This month, so far, I am learning to have faith that God has a plan!! I believe that He works in very mysterious ways, and His power surpasses ours in every way possible. BUT I am also learning that God calls us to LOVE His people. I am here to “love” by playing, laughing, and hugging these children. But I am also called to do so much more than that! When I think of what love truly means, I think of my parents. My parents would give up ANYTHING for my sisters and me! When we were little and forgot jackets, they would freeze and give theirs to us. When we ordered something at a restaurant and didn’t like it, they would trade plates with us. When we were so frustrated with our homework, they would sit for hours explaining it to us even when they had work to do. These are all silly examples, but my parents have preferred me for my entire life. And we are called to love and prefer God’s people 10,000 times more than this!
When I look at real-life situations like this, everything else begins to blur and their importance seems invalid.
Lord, I pray to be Your hands and feet in a tangible way. I pray for a compassionate heart ALWAYS. I pray that my heart will always break for the things that break Yours. I pray that your comfort will flood the hearts of those who need it, and that I will know how to love and take care of them for You. I pray that my selfish spirit disappears. Thank you for the beauty You have blessed us with in the midst of pain.
Well, I am about halfway through the month in Honduras. It has been a different month so far, but I definitely have some things Id like to share with everyone at home.
First, the ministry we are working with in Honduras is called Zion’s Gate, a property open to the street kids of Honduras. The property is run by a man from the States named Tony and his wife, Nidia. This couple currently has about five children who live with them on the property escaping a life of poverty, drug addictions, homelessness, and other pains. Tony and his wife allow these children to make life changes on their own while offering the resources and encouragement necessary. With their help, these boys are back in school and mere shadows of who they were only months before.
As a squad of 45 people, we have been blessed to live on the property with Tony, Nidia, and the five boys for the month. We have all been tent camping in a run-down restaurant building and sharing two cold-water showers, and three toilets that flush by pouring a pitcher full of water into the bowl. You can imagine it is taking some getting used to. But inconveniences aside, we have truly been privileged to live with these boys and get to know their individual personalities.
Carlos: The very first night we arrived, we were a few hours late, and when the bus pulled up late at night, all the boys were waiting in the street to greet us. The first one to throw his arms around me was 13-year-old Carlos with his BIG personality! He immediately swung my 55lbs pack on his shoulders and took off running towards the restaurant. About five steps in, the full weight of my pack landed on his back, and his legs crumbled beneath him. He fell face-first onto the tile floor and couldn’t get back up, laughing his head off. I had to run over and lift the pack off of him. He stood up, hugged me, and took off running with my pack again. Later in the night, he came to my tent and gave me a necklace with a “C” on it that had been a present to him. Then he said “te quiero mucho” and ran off. This is a boy who months before had been living in the streets, sniffing paint-thinner, and doing whatever he needed to do to survive. The changes I have been allowed to experience in these little lives, blows me away!
Well after that night, I woke up the next morning with my first “World Race” sickness that lasted for a full week. I was confined to my tent with a raging fever, body chills and aches, and headache. I left my tent for food, water, and occasionally for some fresh air. During this time, I slept. A lot. But I also had a lot of time for reflection of my month spent in El Salvador, my purpose on this race, and conversation with God. Although my body was struggling, after this sickness my mind and spirit was rejuvenated.
Since being better, my team has been working with a pastor who coordinates soccer games for youth in poor communities. His ministry is present in the States, Honduras, El Salvador, and a few other countries. He truly is a blessing to the lives of the youth he comes into contact with and has a testimony of service and faith! We have been working in the office sorting thousands of jerseys into sizes and colors for the teams. While working in the office we have heard so many stories from this pastor’s life, specifically one I HAVE to mention.
Because he feels called to work with the youth in these poor communities, he comes into contact with some very desperate youth. Well one day, he found himself out with the children past dark in a bad part of town. He stopped to tell us that this is a very discouraged thing in Honduras due to the gang activity. But he had stayed out for unnamed reason and was walking back to his car at night by himself, when he heard running footsteps of a large group of people just over the hill. He picked up his pace knowing what was about to happen. Well, before he could reach his car, he was confronted with about 30 children with various weapons. They asked him for his watch, he gave it to them. They asked for his wallet, he gave it to them, And then they asked for his shoes, and while he was taking them off, he heard them discussing who was going to take his life. He handed over the shoes, and asked if he could have one final word, and they said make it fast. He looked at the children and said “God loves me, and God loves each of you so much. He even died on the cross for every single sin you’ve committed or will commit.” Then he lowered his head because he didn’t want to see how they were going to kill him. A few minutes went by, and nothing had happened. A while later, he slowly lifted his head, opened his eyes, and saw 30 children crying. One gave him back his wallet, another his watch, and the last gave him his shoes. Then they left. The faith this man had saved his life.
His faith, as well as Tony’s, is encouraging and a challenge to my own faith. I am being so encouraged to strengthen my faith, and I pray that the stories I am able to relay are encouraging to your faith as well.
The next two weeks I have in Honduras will be spent working on a house where one of the street kid’s family lives. We will be putting in new support beams, working on the kitchen, and building an outhouse in the back (They don’t even have a hole in the ground to take care of business). We will also be building a 90ft staircase up a dirt hill to alleviate the dangerous travel that happens everyday in the community, up and down that hill.
Thank you so much for reading and I miss every one sooo much. Please continue praying for me!!
Well, I have officially been in Salvador for 3 weeks! (I applogize that this is my first blog! I have been busy since the moment I landed in El Salvador, but I will do my best to blog more often!) It has been a huge adjustment, especially for someone who has never wandered outside of the US except for a few missions trips in high school about an hour into Mexico! Although I must admit, I’ve adjusted much faster than I thought I would!! God has given me such a peace about my decision to follow Him this next year, and He has taken away all reservations!
Well since arriving in El Salvador, we have truly been spoiled by our wonderful host, Juan Carlos. He is a younger man of God who speaks broken English and has been more than a blessing to our team. He has made El Salvador sooo much fun and provided us with so many ways to serve the community! We constantly joke around and make every situation fun! He has already given me 3 nicknames: China (because I have closed eyes in the morning), Gordita (because my ID picture has fat cheeks!!), and Tweety Bird (I have nooo idea why haha). We are amigos del alma (soul friends haha) And he’s our Juanito Carlito. We are learning so much from his joyful spirit and heart for God.
So far our mission has involved physical labor, testimonies, and a lot of kids!! We are helping the sweetest pastor ever, Pastor Noah, with getting his second church ready for its inauguration. This means we’ve been clearing cornfields with machetes, spreading dirt with wheelbarrows, and moving rocks and leaves! All of this in 100 degree weather, at least! We’ve also gotten to share our testimonies with various churches. I was most worried about this part of the race, especially since my stomach used to turn before speeches in high school about making a PB and J in front of 20 classmates! Well, I’m proud to say that I gave my testimony through a translator to 60+ El Salvadorians at an outdoor church service!! My teammates felt that God wanted me to speak, so I did!! I had about 5 minutes to prepare, and God did the rest. And lastly, the kids. My heart has been stolen over and over again, as expected. These children are the sweetest little things ever! Its going to take everything in me to not sneak one back to the states with me. Ill need prayer in this department!!
I cannot believe how much I have experienced in such a short amount of time! So I figured the best way to communicate all I have seen and done is in a list of I haves…. Here goes!!
I have developed complex relationships with team members and people in the community, expecially my host Juanito Carlito!
I have experienced new “comida” or food prepared by our hosts and small mom and pop stands along the streets, especially Pupusas!! (They are like quesadillas, but the tortillas are thick and filled with cheese, beans, and carne asada, soooo good!)
I have cleared a field of corn and waist-high weeds with a machete and shovel for a church parking lot (In the most hot and humid weather. Ever.).
I went surfing in La Libertad, a famous surf spot in El Salvador, in the most beautiful and warm water.
I have provided a buffet to the millions of mosquitoes that consider gringa a delicacy!!
I have held the cutest little girl who called me “hermana mejor” or big sister like we had known each other our whole lives.
I have ridden in the back of a truck along the dirt, El Salvadorian streets with 7 other people while enjoying the breeze and rocks that fly up as big trucks pass.
I have gone swimming in a resort-like pool over-looking the ocean after a 7-hour workday shoveling dirt.
I have used my broken high school knowledge of Espanol to be the team translator for our host, pastors, and other El Salvadorians (including a nighttime devotion!!).
I have performed a skit for about 25 kids where I acted as the “loco” sheep in a herd where one sheep was lost and the Sheppard had to find it and bring it back to the herd.
I have shared my testimony with over 60 El Salvadorian people.
I have wandered through "the dangerous" neighborhood in El Salvador and prayed over people struggling with miscarriages, cancer, and broken families.
I have contributed to the World Record for the most people you can fit on one bus (It HAD to have been the record!!)
I have seen the beginning stages of a passion that God is brewing in me!! And I am learning what surrender looks like…
There is an overwhelming amount that has taken place this past week, and I am positive that I am forgetting to mention things, but to help communicate El Salvador to you, I put together a video of pictures and videos, because words on a page can only show the tip of the iceberg! Ive been trying to post it for a while now, and the internet always cuts out at 90% so Ill try to get that up ASAP
Well, I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight back to San Diego after a week at training camp. My mind is flooded with new experiences, friends, and cultures to process. I am so overwhelmed. I find myself slipping into panic-mode every once in a while and have to talk myself out of it. I am EXTREMELY excited for this trip, so don’t get me wrong, but the lack of luxury this past week brought the reality of this next year on the World Race to the surface.
I am walking away from SO much! I am leaving behind so many amazing friends and family! I am kissing goodbye the right to a shower every morning. I am sacrificing air conditioning, convenient travel, and McDonalds! For the next year of my life, I won’t just be able to pick up the phone and call my friends or family for a chat. I am not going to be in the hospital to experience the birth of my best friend’s first child or help her through the first six months of being a brand-new mommy. I will not get to see my own mommy for an entire year!!
But as I focus on the sadness of leaving, I try my best to push my mind to the reason I want so badly to go on the World Race and I am reminded of something I heard at camp, “I honor all of you for what you are leaving, and I understand that it is a lot. But I have seen the kids. I have seen the struggling women in prostitution. I have seen the hunger, sadness, and hopelessness. And I see the answer in you guys!” This statement brings so much encouragement! I may be giving up so much, but it is only a year of my life, and the impact could continue for a lifetime! It could even dictate the goals and passions of the rest of my life!
I dream of finding my passion on this trip. I want to see things in person that I have only seen on TV and have it rock my world! A year from now, when I step back on U.S. soil, I want to KNOW that I am not the same person who boarded that plane in January 2012. I pray for a broken heart with so much passion for God’s people that it consumes me.
But above all the good I want to do, I want to experience a relationship with God that I never dreamed possible. I am excited to be in a situation of complete brokenness that forces me to a state of overwhelming dependence on God. I am excited to find my identity in Him and who He calls me to be!
Lord, give me a situation that throws me into a consuming relation with You! Give me struggle, frustration, and strength to overcome all! Bring me to a place where You are number one and my life is centered on You. This is my prayer for the following year. I desire to know and follow You. Amen.
First night at training camp in Georgia.
Overwhelmed.
I left for training camp a day early for a cheaper flight and stayed the night in Georgia at a girl named Kathryn’s house. There ended up being about 10 racers who stayed. It was such a blessing to meet some the people beforehand, but I cannot explain how overwhelming of a day this has been so far.
I find myself just staring off and imagining the AMAZING, crazy changes I will be going through this next year, and it is mind-blowing that the people around me right now are the people who will be by my side as I experience those changes. These strangers will soon be family.
I have always been a slow adjuster. I don’t do well with initial change and find myself to be reserved at first. I am doing my best to branch out and be myself but its difficult when there is SO much on my mind, including: is this what I am supposed to be doing, am I going to regret this, am I as on fire for God as these people are, and the complete feeling of being trapped into this trip because I have already raised so much money!! My mind is so thinly stretched that it’s hard to focus on having fun, meeting people, and letting God take over!!
Lord, give me peace. Allow me to surrender. Reassure me!! I love You!
I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy! I wanted to send a quick letter telling you about an amazing opportunity that God has given me recently!
About two weeks ago, my friend from Vanguard University returned home from a mission’s trip abroad and came straight over to my house to tell me about the trip! She had travelled to 11 countries in 11 months to places like Nicaragua, Honduras, India, Thailand, Rwanda, etc, with the simple goal of serving the least of these and introducing Jesus to His children! Well after three hours of hearing about her involvement in God’s work in places of extreme poverty and corruption, she looked at me and said, “God is calling you on this trip.”
I thought she was crazy! After all, I went to college less than an hour away from home so I could see my parents every weekend, how could I possibly manage to leave EVERYTHING I know for ELEVEN MONTHS!
It is amazing how small our fears and reservations become when God starts opening doors. Immediately after my friend left, I began to pray. I prayed for an easy decision. I cannot tell you how easy this decision has been since then. Every plan that I had made for myself failed and every selfish reason I had to stay, disappeared. He has made it so clear that The World Race is His plan for my life in 2012.
Since deciding that God wanted me to travel the world sharing His love with His children, I began a lengthy application process, and one week ago, I received a call saying THAT I WAS ACCEPTED!! What an affirmation! I am so excited for the many adventures and blessings that I will be a part of this next year!!
So what exactly will I be doing?! It is completely up in the air!! Every month I will be in a new country doing something completely different from the month before. The tentative schedule of countries I will be visiting is: El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Nepal, and India. I will be doing everything ranging from teaching English, aiding in the freedom of children in sex and drug trafficking, building houses and orphanages, planting and harvesting the crops, helping in churches, and LOVING God’s Children!!
In order to cover my living and travel expenses for the next year, I have to raise $15,500. When I first heard this I was completely overwhelmed!! How am I going to come up with that kind of money! Then I read Matthew 6:33-34 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…” Well I am seeking His kingdom, and I know God will provide. He always has and He always will.
For this reason, I am asking you to partner with me on this journey to fulfill God’s plan for my life and those I will meet along the way. I am asking you to help me feed God’s children physically and spiritually. I would like to invite you on this trip of complete surrender to GOD’S PLAN with me.
I will be blogging about my entire trip as often as I can at Ericashappie.theworldrace.org so that you can see how your donation to my life and those around me will be used.
The organization I will be going through is called Adventures With Missions and the more specific group I will be involved with is called the World Race. I would love if you would check out the site and hear about all the amazing things I will be involved with this next year!!!
My donation deadlines are below and any amount is more than appreciated and will be such a blessing to my life, and more importantly, those I will be serving.
$150 Deposit - Due 10/4/2011 (2 weeks after you’re acceptance date.)
$3,500 - Due 10/2/2011 (2 weeks before Training Camp)
$6,500 - Due 12/18/2011 (2 weeks prior to your trip)
$11,000 - Due 4/1/2012 (End of 3 months on the field)
$15,500 - Total Due 7/1/2012 (End of 6 months on the field)
(As you can see I am already getting a very late start to this process, But God provides!! And if it is His will, He will create a way!)
Thank you so much for your time, prayers, love and support!!
Erica Shappie
951) 526-4458 Erica.shappie@live.com
Looking back on training camp in White, Georgia for the World Race.
So far, in only a week, I have:
Taken the Marta in Atlanta, Georgia with a complete stranger, who I now call a close friend, Miss Natasha!
Fully set up a junior boy scout tent from Walmart (I thought all tents were the same quality and size-ish?? Guess not) and spent about four nights sleeping in the fetal position...
Watched as God completely provided over $2,000 for fellow racers in minutes
Met the 45 people who will be family for the next year of my life
Eaten fish head soup
Eaten Bugali (an African "cream of corn" with NO flavor that you eat with your hands)
Simulated crossing the border from an usafe country into a country of complete slavery
Canoed with 45 other people across a lake to camp in freezing weather with no tents
Helped prepare and cook dinner for 45 people over a campfire
Eaten 3 complete meals with only my hands
Watched people praise their Lord in tongues and prophecy (Crazy stuff!!)
Met some AMAZING people of God
Thought I was starving to death
Gone a consecutive 3 days without a shower
Slept in a 25 passenger bus with about 40 others in the middle of a forrest
Spent a 5 hour layover in the Atlanta airport with strangers watching the Chargers LOSE!
Praised God with tears rolling down my face
CHANGED... already.
It was a CRAZY beginning to an even CRAZIER year. I am so excited for the new experiences, incredible changes, overwhelming brokenness, and complete faith in God's plan. All prayer and support is more than welcome!! :)
Thanks for bearing with me through my FIRST blog ever. I promise they will get better from here on, hopefully!! Maybe Ill eventually learn how to post pictures and other fun stuff :)
Love, a very technologically challenged Erica :) Love you all!!
