Richard Rohr has a great small chapter in one of his books titled “Shoulder to Shoulder” where he describes how men best relate to one another in the trenches rather than face to face.
“Men However will stick together in the trenches, on their teams and with their tasks feeling a kind of union, loyalty and caring , a very real bonding with their fellow men in doing rather than talking.” On the Threshold, Day 73, by Richard Rohr
This past January i had the great privilege of leading a group of 11 men (nine, uh old guys and two young bucks) to Granada Nicaragua, where we teamed up with Scott Esposito and his team at REAP Granada for a week of slinging concrete, tying rebar, digging trenches and working beside a great group of Nicaraguans. It was a week of laughter, sweat and sore muscles. We witnessed life in the barrio of Pantanel and worked beside men, young and old (the youngest nicaraguans helping us were 10 years old).
As we assisted the locals in building the foundation for a local community center, we built relationships with one another and crossed cultural barriers to develop friendships with men of a different culture but with the same desire to live life to the fullest. It was a week of learning, growing and getting a vision for life in the second act. When men get together, and have a vision and mission, it is amazing what is accomplished.
It was a fun week of seeing men of differing cultures reaching over the language barrier and interacting as they worked shoulder to shoulder building a dream and a vision for the people of Granada Nicaragua.
If this type of trip intrigues you, let me know. We have two Trips planned for next january to Granada. I’d love to have you come along and help us get the community center completed.
