Team Member - Rick Jahnke

Rick Jahnke, fifty-seven years of age, is a member of Wesley United Methodist Church.

A resident of Bloomington, he and his wife Jeannie, are the parents of two children.  He works at Country Financial in Bloomington, where he is a project manager.

Rick has been on six previous mission trips, with this being his first mission trip to Nicaragua.

While here Rick has worked as a pipe cutter, pipe welder, dug holes, pipe grinder, helped to erect the fence, and set sections of the fence.

He had heard about this mission trip from different people, particularly on a prior mission trip to Alaska. He almost came last year, but decided to wait until this year's trip. So he saved for it, made plans, and committed to come. He is very glad that he did.

What has stood out in Rick's mind is how little the people of Nicaragua have. Yet, despite not having much Rick feels that "they seem to be happy people, Christian people, and they get by with so little, bare necessities".  He says that he was struck by a prayer of thanks on the menu in the restaurant we ate at on this past Sunday.

Rick "loved the energetic music during the worship this past Sunday, and everyone being invovled. The music was uplifting, with all singing and all involved ... much more so than in churches in the states. They were enthused about their worship and their religion".

The Nicaraguan people seem to be "very friendly" Rick responded. He said that "some of the boys seemed to be shy at first, but as they worked at us I got to know them more.  I hope the teen boys see some of the mission team members as role models in a way.  Hopefully the future groups that come through will continue to impact these boys".

"The service we had tonight for communion, under the Nicaraguan stars was terrific, it was extremely moving. And having communion with the teen boys and their house mother Jackie was special to me" Rick shared. "The children and the teen, as orphans, they seem so happy, and they reach out to us and so many others. They reach across the fence to us and are so outgoing".

"I wish more people would take the opportunity to go on a mission trip, because I think they would get so much out of it. There is so much interaction with the people we have been serving. Step out in faith, you won't be sorry you did. You'll be very happy you did a trip like this. I'm glad I came and I'm already thinking about returning next year" Rick concluded.