A Huge Change in La Chureca

Sometimes on the mission field with short term mission trips alone you very rarely get to see huge changes like the one I was able to see today. My first year I visited Nicaragua I was here for one week not realizing I would plan to spend all of the following summers here. The first time I visited what here is called La Chureca it was a scary, dangerous place. As you turned the corner and began to drive down this road in the bus the kids weren't playing or smiling, rather digging through trash and giving the cars and visitors the middle finger with smug faces.

This place was hopeless and one could easily think that once you have arrived here there's no way out and no way to change your situation.

But any answered prayer came via Spain and over the last few years they had been working on and funding a project in La Chureca to change the image of this place and make it a terrible situation something good. I was able to see the final project of this today. After some back and forth begging between Miriam, I, and the security guard we were granted access into the now recycling factory that is La Chureca. It's incredible! Check out these photos of before:

And now the finished project and new look of La Chureca: (note these two photos are the same exact locations.)

Just know that prayer and perseverance can change something or someone without hope and turn it into an opportunity for growth, progress, and something beautiful!