Meal-A-Day Nicaragua Project

Giving from the heart—as Jesus knew—is about restoring people’s dignity. Their hope. Their ability to turn around and then help others in a beautiful, never-ending cycle. 

Jesus commands us to give many times, give in abundance, give without public fanfare, give to strangers and enemies alike, and give with the mentality that even a little can go a very long way (Matthew 5:42; 25:40; Luke 3:11; Luke 6:38). 

Those words have never resonated and inspired me more to action than they did this past summer when I found myself in rural Nicaragua without a single pair of socks or spare underpants to my name. I volunteered for this trip through the Christadelphian Meal-A-Day of the Americas (CMAD) organization.

I had worked with them on projects in previous years, so I was familiar with their mission to serve as a practical witness to our faith by touching the lives of our neighbors in need. In following Jesus’ relentless example throughout his life, we love our neighbors and, in doing so, shine as a light alongside them and illuminate the path so that together, we can both walk towards a beautiful future Kingdom.

One of the principal tenets of CMAD, which I admire most, is empowering those they support to stand on their own two feet and allow their voices to be loud in the room when deciding what is most needed. This principle lifts up their communities both physically and spiritually. Because of this mindset, I found myself compelled to board an airplane in San Diego in late July 2024 on my way to Bluefields, Nicaragua, to learn about the hard work one of CMAD’s many partners, a local nonprofit called BlueEnergy, is doing.

BlueEnergy runs many different projects in this small coastal Caribbean region to sustain and engage the local community. They have an overall focus on sustainable agricultural practices to alleviate hunger and poverty. Through constant communication with our CMAD trustees and trip coordinators, they pre-arranged a rather impressive line-up of tasks to fit into our 1-week visit, including seed germination, composting, community outreach education, clean water sanitation, and a solid two days exhaustively transforming the landscaping and infrastructure at a local primary school. 

I was ready for all of it. I was eager and willing to work hard—to go with open ears for listening and an open mind prepared to be taught. But it ended up being my heart that God knew needed to be moved the most. International travel logistics always involve a bit of hope and a prayer, and long story short, I arrived in Nicaragua a day late with no suitcase in sight!

From that very first step outside the comfort of my home, I was transformed from someone who was there to help into a neighbor who needed help. In these newly humbled circumstances, I apprehensively rolled up to the colorful cobblestone entrance of the BlueEnergy headquarters, only to receive my first lesson in the true meaning of generosity of spirit. The staff poured from the building into the entry courtyard with warm smiles, enthusiastic greetings, and exuberant hugs, which needed no language translation. 

Upon realizing that there was no language barrier for me, one of the ladies quietly drew me to a side room to let me know that she had heard about my plight and had made a second trip to her house and back while I was still in transit. She had pulled together several pairs of her own shirts and pants, which she hoped might fit me and that I was welcome to borrow for the duration of my stay. To be clear, all the staff are locals in the community, and these clothes were not frivolous castoffs that were easily spared. In that minute, I was reminded of the widow Jesus saw giving two mites—all that she had.

My lesson continued when another staff member offered me the raincoat literally off her back when she saw me struggling with the incessantly rainy weather so alien to a San Diegan. Yet another of the staff hailed us a taxi and took me to the bustling town center so that I could have the decidedly unique experience of shopping for socks, undergarments, and basic hygiene supplies in a foreign country in my second language. 

My CMAD teammates (who were American, German, and Australian) loaned me some basic necessities, even though we had met just hours prior. And in being on the receiving end of so much sincere love and light myself—before my supposed work here had even begun—I was able to appreciate for the first time the weight of the impact that this mission could bring. 

Giving from the heart—as Jesus knew—isn’t just about putting new and improved possessions into our neighbors’ hands. It’s about restoring people’s dignity. Their hope. Their ability to turn around and then help others in a beautiful, never-ending cycle. 

Throughout the rest of the week, I witnessed so many wonderful examples of this spirit. I met a single mother who applied for a grant through a BlueEnergy workshop, transformed her tiny backyard into a sustainable edible garden to support herself and her son with disabilities, and now holds classes for other women in her neighborhood to learn what she now knows.

I had a lengthy conversation with a woman whose two young nieces would directly reap the benefits as we worked side-by-side for hours planting fruit trees at the school so that the children would have food and the hillside protected from erosion. BlueEnergy itself employs some of Nicaragua’s brightest young minds and passionate advocates who truly know how to lift up their community. 

Like the Apostle Paul, time would fail me to tell you all the good works being done there, so I encourage you to investigate further through the CMAD website. Giving is never one-directional in this increasingly interconnected world, and above all, I am incredibly thankful to have been so personally immersed in the process through my experiences. In a final reminder of God’s goodness, a staff member arranged for a contact to secure and deliver my wayward suitcase when it finally reappeared on the last day of my trip. Thus, I was able to journey home with a full heart, a restored faith, a heap of new, lifelong friends, and a lesson learned in why one of the greatest commandments of all is to love your neighbor as yourself.

Hannah Tunnell,
San Diego Ecclesia, CA