POST by JOSE: Let's go to the Beach, Beach...

Orlando & Jose of Capital on the Edge

Something important happened in my life about two years ago. We were organising a trip with some friends. We were just about finished packing for our journey when a 57 year old neighbour gave us a pound of rice and vegetables to take with us.

One of my friends made fun of the gift that the lady was offering, laughing at her, but my other friend told him off, and said that he shouldn’t be rude to her, because she is elderly and in any case, we might need the food for our journey.

And so we thanked the old lady for giving us the food, the rice and the vegetables. We then left on our journey. We went to the coast and the people we were staying with didn’t want to give us any food to eat. When we became hungry, we remembered that we had the food from the nice neighbour lady

And so we asked the people that we were staying with if we could using their cooking facilities to prepare our food, as we had no money spare. The only money we had, we needed for our transportation on the bus.

In the following days we were very hungry.  We had nothing to eat. We arose at 5am and went to the beach and gathered crabs and coconuts, and ate them raw.

We went to the beachside restaurants and danced for the foreign tourists. None of them gave us any money. The restaurants didn’t give us food either. However, one of my friend’s aunts kindly gave us food to eat: fish and salad. She also gave us a fizzy drink each. We were so grateful to her, because she gave to us when we were really hungry.

The next day we hitch hiked home. After a few months went by, we found out that the kind lady who had helped us with food in our time of great need, had passed away on account of a heart attack. This lady had been very overweight.

We were very sad, because my friend’s aunt has in Heaven with God. If it were not for her, in our hour of need, who knows what would have happened to us. Thank the Good Lord that he put her in our way at that exact moment. We really appreciated her kindness and we hope that she rests in peace with God.

Obesity is a terrible disease that affects most people and it takes away your life bit by bit. However, trust in God who is the only one who can truly help us. Thanks for reading my story.

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This story was written by a Nicaraguan youth, and was voluntarily given to Capital on the Edge for publishing. The subject choice was his entirely. He has elected to write about his experiences for the glory of God and so that others may learn from his experiences. The translation of this work is performed voluntarily and not professionally, hence there may be some errors. Any decisive deviation from the text is in consultation with the author, and is done so to make clear the life events written about and to provide further information so that the story is more understandable. 

Algo crucial que paso en mi vida hace como dos años atrás. Estábamos armando un viaje con unos amigos, íbamos  de paseó donde un familiar de un amigo, éramos tres por todos nos estábamos preparando y alistando todo cuando una vecina de 57 años de edad nos regaló una libra de arroz y una verduritas para llevar fue algo inesperado uno de mis amigos se burló de lo que nos estaba dando la señora y la bulario diciendo ni que fuéramos pordioseros que nos da eso pero yo y mi otro amigo dijimos mala honda que tal si necesitamos ese arrocito y esas verduritas y se rio nosotros le dimos las gracias si y nos llevamos lo que nos avía dado llegando a nuestro destino que es una costa nos comenzaron a negar la comida no nos querían dar nada de comer y nosotros con hambre pero nos acordamos de las cosas que nos dio la señora y les dijimos que si nos hacían eso y con eso comimos el primer día nosotros solo aviamos ido con el pasaje y no teníamos dinero.

En los días siguientes estábamos con mucha hambre nos levantábamos a las 5:00 am de la madrugada para ir a la costa y recoger cangrejos para comerlos crudos y cocos nos poníamos a girar en los restaurantes para que nos regalaran comida los turistas pero una señora que era tía de uno de mis amigos muy amable la señora que se lo agradecemos de corazón nos dio de comer pescado con ensalada y nos llenamos y nos regaló fresco gracias a ella y su amable gesto mejor dicho sobrevivimos. Al día siguiente  nos venimos pidiendo que nos llevaran en el camino y llegamos a nuestro hogar, al pasar los meses nos dimos cuenta por un amigo que la señora que amablemente nos sirvió, había fallecido le había dado un ataque al corazón porque ella tenía sobre peso nos sentimos muy tristes por ella que dios la tenga en el cielo si no hubiera sido por ella quien sabe que nos hubiera pasado en ese momento dios puso en nuestro camino a esa señora se lo agradecemos mucho que descanse en paz.

El sobre peso es una enfermedad terrible que afecta a la mayoría de las personas y les va quitando la vida poco a poco pero confiemos en dios que es el único que nos puede ayudar. gracias

POST by SHANE: Growing Up Brien (Part One - Visiting the Edge)

The Brien Family in 2006

 He looked strangely out of place as he traipsed past us in a spring jacket and maroon leather pants. It was January and 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside in upstate New York (that’s negative 9 in Celsius for those of you not still hanging on to old habits like we in the U.S.). It was also 9:00 AM on a Sunday morning. Our apartment complex housed many college students and he was obviously one of them.

It did strike me odd, though, and I remember wondering aloud to Jenny (my wife) if he was going to church. About three hours later I felt pretty terrible because not only had he been on the way to church, he had been on the way to OUR church, and we’d let him freeze as we drove past. This was my first experience with a Brien.

The Brien children travelling...

 

Despite the presumed hypothermia and frostbitten fingers that day, we did still somehow become friends shortly thereafter and with many trips around the globe since (mostly by the Briens), we’ve stayed that way.

Briens/Seaburgs at Taughannock Falls, New York

Briens/Seaburgs in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales

In the winter of 2001 Jed and Elizabeth Brien were both 24 years old. Meanwhile, their eldest daughter Francesca had just turned 3, and baby sister, Lorenzy, was only 8 months old. As a friend, it has been a joy to see their children grow, but also to see the entire family answer the call placed on their lives by God.

The Brien children: Rafael, Francesca, Lorenzy-Ella & Sezni

In the 12 years I’ve known the Brien family, I’ve observed with great interest and more than a small measure of curiosity as they’ve spent countless hours of time and energy on friends, acquaintances, and strangers with little thought for their own emotional or physical well-being. 

Lizzie in July Party (because Lizzie's birthday is Christmas Day)

During that period, their living room has been a revolving door to whatever community they’ve made their home. In the earliest days of our friendship, when both families were so poor we qualified for an American government program called WIC (free food for lower class families with young children), they were already donating to missions while we were still struggling to part with the money that went into the church offering basket. 

Project Runway in Mexico - the Brien Family (Trashy)

 When given the opportunity, they’ve continually chosen connections with people over tangible ownership of property. I have watched from near and far as their children have given or sold away the vast majority of their earthly possessions 4 separate times. So, when the day finally came that they announced they would be moving to the mission field full-time, I wasn’t surprised. Their life is the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20) and they’ve been missionaries for as long as I’ve known them.

The Brien Family in Mexico

The Brien Family in Mexico

In Nicaragua, they’ve plopped themselves down into the thick of a poor barrio outside the city of Managua called Cedro Galan. Presently, their ministry there is three-pronged. 

First, they are sharing their home with a group of 8 young men between the ages of 15 and 20 who are being schooled so they can earn the equivalent of a high school diploma and trained to be part of the “Nicavangelist” group that will soon be dancing and tricking through churches across the United States.

Each of them has made a commitment to Christ and is being discipled, but as you can imagine, having 8 young men living in your guesthouse together can present a unique set of challenges.

Capital on the Edge boys: Yordy, Stivey, Beycker, Rene, Jonny, Ericson, Eliazer & Yader

Second, they run what I think most closely resembles a Pre-K school 5 days a week. There, children between the ages of 2 and 6 are taught stories from the Bible, basic reading and writing skills as well as being given an introduction to English.

Capital Edge Community School

Finally, every Wednesday and Friday night they “officially” open up their house to members of the community. There’s a swimming pool, basketball, soccer, a ping-pong table, checkers, and a pool table available to all-comers. On Fridays, worship songs and a short message are added to the games.

Capital Edge Community Center

 It used to be that Jed and Liz’s ministry was a partnership, but these days it’s a more of a family endeavor.

Francesca and Lorenzy both speak Spanish more fluently than their parents, so they are regularly used as translators for the people of the center and around the barrio. Additionally, they are both learning dance and taking part in the “Nicavangelist” training. I’ve witnessed them reach out to others in much the same way their mom and dad do. They are equally comfortable talking to other teenagers as well as adults. It’s an impressive sight as 12 and 15 year old girls handle such big tasks with a maturity beyond their years.

Francesca translating at Church

Meanwhile, no one is more helpful when tackling handy-man projects around the house than 10 year-old Sezni, always smiling and pleased to provide a tool when needed. 8 year-old Raffy is generally quieter than his siblings, but more times than I can count, I caught him whispering a translation while everyone else was still trying to figure out what had been said. I also noticed he is uniquely talented at understanding what Billy says (their 4-year old adopted Nicaraguan son who speaks an elusive combination of Spanglish and Masquite). They all pitch in everyday and it’s kind of beautiful to watch them work together.

Rafael pitching in with Sunday School, in El Salvador

By the way, as always, their living room is still that same revolving door. The bell at the gate begins ringing at 6 o’clock every morning and doesn’t stop until 11 or 12 each night (including weekends). A day doesn’t go by where friends and/or community members aren’t welcomed with open arms no matter the time or reason.

They daily juggle a multitude of issues and responsibilities while maintaining attitudes that are remarkably positive. While they prepare lesson plans, they have morning devotions with the boys. While they do devotions, children arrive for school. While pre-K class is in session, they manage homeschool responsibilities for their own kids. As coursework comes to an end, lunch is being prepared. As noon dishes are being washed, practice begins for the boys and on and on and on, only to be done again tomorrow.

Their work is exhausting physically and taxing mentally, but each day they gather their strength to meet what the Lord has made. I observe them as they die to self, over and over. Even though their energy level burns brighter than ever, the lines on their face remind me I’m not staring at the faces of two wide-eyed twenty-somethings any more. This isn’t a game and it’s not about having fun. More than a decade has passed since that cold January morning and my friends are at once the same as always and yet starkly different.

They’ve grown up.

Some Briens/Seaburgs in Managua, Nicaragua