Ennio Emmanuel went to Nicaragua in April, 2012 on a humanitarian mission trip.

On any journey in life you have times of challenges and you have times of ease and for my trip to Nicaragua I found a little bit of both. When we first arrived to Nicaragua we were greeted with a new form of government that we had not seen in the previous years of being in the country. Recently we visited Honduras, Haiti, Ecuador and other countries but it had been seven years since we had made a trip to Nicaragua. The people that we were working with in Nicaragua asked us to come and bring medical help to Nicaragua because it was desperately needed. As some of you may not know, Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in central America and continues to struggle with issues of poverty and government control, therefore I think it was a great opportunity to bring hope to the people. The team consisted of one doctor, one nurse, two general volunteers, one coordinator and myself as a trip coordinator and child activities coordinator. We also traveled with approximately eight locals who helped us on the trip with man power and medical assistance.

Reaching the airport in Nicaragua we had already gotten some bags of medication and supplies through customs but in the process two bags full of medicine were held back and we had to fight to get them to be released. We showed identification of the doctors that were with us, we explained our cause and yes, we even offered money to try to bribe the personnel but at the end, they did not let us keep the bags. With money that had been donated and personal funds we went to a local pharmacy and bought antibiotics, pain medication and vitamins for children and adults, among other things. We were able to get these simple medicines to help replace the medications we did not have due to our other bags being held back.

We went to four cities in 5 days and saw just under 1000 patients and a couple of hundred kids. For the children, we brought clothing, toys, school supplies and most of all, love!.

At the end of the trip, we went to get the bags back from the airport customs office. and found that the bags would not be relinquished so easily. The customs office did not want to give them to us and we had to have faith that we would be able to get the bags back because we needed them for future trips. So with faith and endurance we went on another journey to retrieve our medications!

We had to go into a crazy run around where every person would tell you to go to another office to get another document that had to get approved to get our bags back. In reality, it was a very disorganized process and after seeing nine people we finally got our bags back. The bags were sitting in a warehouse doing nothing. This is okay though because I am going to Honduras with a group of 22 people to bring medicine, clothing, food and more to poverty stricken people in that country and these bags will be used for the people we will tend to in Honduras

In Honduras, we will be traveling to mountainous areas that will take us two hours to reach by walking and mules! Even though it is a lot of work, the memories and the value of our trip is worth it all. I am super excited about this trip and I know that it is going to be a success.

I've enclosed some pictures for you to see some of the work I was doing while I was in Nicaragua. I think doing these trips really help give me a new perspective on life. I gain a new attitude and a new understanding of my purpose on every trip I take. We have to realize that we live in a world full of people in need and in this world there are people who would rather be greedy and watch others die while they enjoy their luxury living. I think it's great that we have success in the world, but just remember that there are people who are in desperate need of help. You only live once and if you can impact people's lives in even a small way, then we should do it! I believe I was made for more than just to be selfish and I feel a need to keep spreading the word of love and hope to whomever I can. Sometimes, I may feel tired and I may want to give up on trying to help so many people but when you hear the stories of those who are touched, I gain the strength to push on.

This is certainly one of my passions. I've been blessed to have the opportunity to help people in poverty stricken hispanic cultures like that of areas in Nicaragua. A country so rich in exports such as coffee should be thriving and yet the common man, woman and child lack basic needs. I think now is the time for me to continue to pursue this passion of helping those in need because with the economic climate being so tough in some areas there is going to be a heavy request for assistance. You can be rest assured that you prayers and support for me as an artist also goes into supporting the health, happiness and dreams of hundreds of people in third world countries.

I thank you for reading this excerpt about my work and I only hope that you keep me in your prayers for my future trips. Remember I start my next tour in 2012 called the Nada Es Imposible Tour this Fall where I will be singing songs from my soon to be released album, Ojalá. If you have not signed up for a concert make sure you do so by emailing concerts@justolamasgroup.com

As always
con carino,
Bendiciones y amor,
Ennio Emmanuel