The first time Senior Jack Reineke stepped foot in Nicaragua to do service work, De Smet Alum Charlie Erker could tell that he was at peace and instantly fulfilled in the work that he was doing.
“There was a shift in attitude from him throughout the week. I think he really settled in and bought into the experience,” Erker said. “I was able to see the first time he was exposed to it and seeing the difference in how he acted before and after that was even drastic.”
Jack Reineke is visiting Nicaragua both this summer and the next to do service work, after having previously visited twice before.
The primary service that is done in Nicaragua involves digging pipelines for fresh water in the village, in which Reineke and his church build 3 deep, one-foot-wide trenches for them to lay pipe in eventually.
“On the first trip,when I first got off the plane, I thought I was way over myself. God was calling me to do something, and I didn’t really feel like I could do it,” Reineke said. “However, After taking a five hour bus ride, when I first stepped off the bus, all of my anxieties and fears about the trip went away, and I felt this overwhelming presence of God.”
Reineke previously visited the villages of San Benito and Los Palace. He has also participated in service in Nicaragua that involves helping the local farmers plant dragon fruit and ginger, playing sports with the local children, and visiting their school.
“There’s something about me giving what I can for others that just makes me feel like I am doing what I am called to do,” Reineke said. “The people in Nicaragua have nothing, and yet they’re the happiest people that you’ll ever meet.”
His favorite memory from his trips involves his second trip, in which he reunited with two seven-year-old children who he had previously spent a lot of time with, Dylan and Anderson.
“When Dillon first saw me, he ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug ever. We ran back inside the village, and all of the memories of the year before came flooding back,” Reineke said. “Then we ran and found Anderson, and we just hung out for the whole day. It was so much fun.”
Reineke plans to visit Nicaragua for one week this summer. If possible, he hopes to visit for the whole summer in 2026.
“I was able to see a lot of passion and kind of want for more even after that first trip” Charlie Erker said. “Most of all, I could see the love he had for the people around him, and the people that he was serving.”
