I was studying at a table in Barnes in Noble last March when I saw one of the leaders of Sheil’s annual Nicaragua service trip from across the store. He came over and sat down and we began reminiscing about our recent trip to Nicaragua and how we still thought about it regularly, even 4 months later. We talked a lot about the impact the trip had had on us, and the unexpected ways in which we had changed because of it. I told him about how I had added a Global Health minor upon returning to campus in January and how my career goals had shifted since the trip. As I got up to leave, he invited me to be his co-leader for the pilgrimage to San Jose de Cusmapa in December 2011.
My name is Anna Bisaro and I am a junior majoring in Journalism with a double minor in Anthropology and Global Health. After working through a full class load, orchestra rehearsals, and training for a triathlon, my favorite part of the week is sitting down with student co-leader, Tim Earles, and campus minister, Beth Knobbe, to dream about our upcoming adventures in Nicaragua this year. As we sifted through 18 applications from freshmen all the way up to graduate students last week, we could not be more excited about the incredible interest shown by the Sheil community this year. With that said, the increased number of students going this year, requires us to raise a much greater amount to fund our service projects. All of the money raised on this site will go towards those projects.
Service work requires one to give a great deal, but on my first trip down to Nicaragua last year, I never expected to also receive so much in return. Through hard work, fun and reflection I developed great friendships with the people around me, but an even closer one with God. I will never forget how much I learned about love, faith and humanity in just one week. All I had to do was look into the sick eyes of a young girl in Cusmapa who did not want to ever let go of my hand and spend hours digging in the ground to build a well at her schoolyard.
Having never done a service trip before last year, I also think I now have a much greater understanding of what it means to really do service and work with people. To be honest, before heading down I had this awful notion that we would be going down there, sweeping in, finishing a work project and changing the lives of the people in San Jose de Cusmapa in just one week. You can be sure that I will not be nearly as naïve this year. The well we began to build did not get finished in our three days of digging and it would never have even gotten started if a local man had not shown us how to effectively use the pick axes and shovels. The best work mornings, in my opinion, were actually spent digging alongside men from the village, learning what I could despite the language barrier. Less than two days into the trip, I started to finally understand what we were really doing there. Yes, we were down there to do a work project, but not as their knights in shining armor. I began to realize that the only differences between them and me were the places we grew up and the opportunities we had as a result. I hope to bring a greater perspective down to Nicaragua this year and arrive, not as a superhero, but as a friend willing to lend a helping hand.
I am very honored to have been chosen as one of this year’s leaders for the trip and know that this upcoming trip will pose new challenges and newfound joys. There is so much to learn, share, experience, give and receive.