JOURNEY TO NICARAGUA:
The Lives Touched Are Sometimes Our Own

By Shanna Rosen, contributor

So many of us want to do good and make a difference... but how often do we get the chance to witness change in progress? 

Operation USA’s extraordinary Nicaragua village and development tour this May allowed a small group of volunteers to touch lives and truly absorb the impact of our efforts.  As we toured Roberto Calderone General Hospital in Managua, considered one of the foremost hospitals in the country, we met earnest, caring doctors and nurses who remain dedicated to their patients, despite overwhelming obstacles caused by inadequate equipment and insufficient medical supplies. The obvious commitment of the medical staff deepened our commitment to helping them.

From the hospital corridors, we trekked to Ocotal, near the border of Honduras, and into Santa Rosa where villagers greeted us warmly and invited us into their homes.  Delighted children swarmed around us, eager to play and laugh, excited about the books and toys that gave us such pleasure to distribute.  The unassuming dignity and simple joy of the Santa Rosa villagers made an unforgettable impression.

It was a journey to remember.  A fond place in my heart will always be reserved for the sweet, lovely children I befriended.  Meeting the people whom Operation USA has been helping for years makes me all the more grateful for the staff’s passion and determination, a critical touchstone of comfort, aid, and peace.

05/2007