"ONE SATURDAY IN JUNE, Scott and I had planned to take our baseball
team of
16 to 20 year old boys to La Chureca, the community inside Managua's
municipal dump, to help with a baseball clinic for the children there.
We wanted to expose our players to the extreme poverty that existed not far from their own homes and give them a chance to spend their time
helping others. It was a unique opportunity for them and it seemed to
be in line with our recent efforts in Nicaragua to promote service leadership
from locals.
"Unfortunately, I woke up that morning feeling doubtful that
our players would show up for the trip. While we had stated earlier
that the trip was a requirement of all players, I was beginning to question
the amount of clout we held with our team. An embarrassing display the
week before had given us a grim look at how much respect Scott and I
commanded as coaches. After falling behind in a game, members of our
team essentially gave up, behavior took a turn for the worst, and a
disorder ensued which we could not control. And it was not the first
time that we had disciplinary problems on our team. In our first attempt
ever at coaching, Scott and I have enjoyed some great successes on and
off the field but we have also faced some pretty rough challenges, many
coming from within our own ranks.
"After our debacle of a game two weeks ago Scott was making a speech
to the team about what it meant to be committed to a team. It was then
that he first mentioned the service trip to La
Chureca and some of the boys snickered under their breath. Some seemed
to think Scott was joking. Others wore expressions of bewilderment at
the idea. While almost every American who comes to Nicaragua through
Manna Project eventually witnesses the desolate situation in La Chureca,
it is uncommon for most Nicaraguans to ever see Managua's dump firsthand.
Sadly, it is more often the butt of ignorant jokes or an intangible urban legend than a cause to rally around.
"I can't put
into words how excited I was last Saturday when I saw nine of our guys
plus an older brother and an older sister waiting at the bus stop, not
a full turnout but impressive nonetheless. What's more they did not
appear reluctant or bitter to be going but actually looked eager. It
occurred to me that the trip may have been well outside of their comfort
zone but their curiosity and desire to help were stronger than their
fear of the unknown. The thirteen of us departed. After the half-hour
bus ride we regrouped and began walking toward the entrance to the dump.
"The once
rowdy group fell abruptly quiet. The caustic smells coupled with the
post-apocalyptic, smoky landscape attacked their senses immediately.
One guy told me, 'I've heard what it was like but I never imagined
this.' We passed the mountains of garbage where people worked away
separating plastic from other refuse. We crossed through the neighbourhood
of corrugated metal housing until finally we came upon the school building
where a crowd of excited children screamed in front of an exasperated
looking man who stood guard over a couple baseball gloves, helmets,
and bats. The woman who was supposed to run the clinic had not showed
and the man who turned out to be a shorthanded teacher was out of ideas.
"Hurriedly, we
marched the children along with our team to a small, overgrown field
and the leadership of our guys emerged astoundingly quickly. Without
saying a word, Scott and I watched as our players took the charge in
distributing equipment, dividing the unruly kids into groups, and setting
up different stations that focused on fundamentals such as batting,
throwing, and fielding. It was as though they had been running baseball
clinics their entire lives. The very players who were impossible to
discipline were enforcing discipline themselves. The role reversal was
bizarre to watch. Our guys showed remarkable maturity and it was a proud
moment for us as coaches. Our baseball team got to see a different side
of their country and we got to see a different side of our team."
-from Chris
Taylor, 2006-2007 Nica PD and new Domestic Liaison.
Look for more from Chris in the coming weeks!
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