What do Jonah and the Whale, Nicaraguan folk dancing and the message of Jesus have in common? Meet the Capital on the Edge Nicavangelists, who visited Manning this past week, teaching not only the message of Jesus but also awakening minds to a different culture than is normally found in South Carolina.
The team arrived on February 14 and performed at Manning High School on February 15 and Grace Christian Church in Manning on February 17. Between those dates, they spent time out in the community, performing impromptu dances and witnessing to everyone along the way.
The group of young men, ranging in ages from nine to 23, performed several differing styles of dance, including traditional Nicaraguan folk dances. Through their dance performance, they shared the story of Jonah and the Whale, substituting Nicaragua for Nineveh.
In order to abide by school rules, the team still used the story when they visited Manning High but substituted a teacher in the place of God, and they kept the overarching story theme of listening to our teachers and standing up to do the right thing.
The young men in the group came from a varied background of street gangs, violence and bad behavior, and were brought into the organization in Nicaragua through a shared message about Jesus. In 2012, several of them were given the opportunity to travel through the U.S. and Europe as Nicaraguan missionaries, sharing God’s love and the message of Jesus while also sharing their beautiful culture. The group hopes to raise awareness about the socio-political crisis facing Nicaragua since April 2018, harming their beautiful and beloved country.
“We are advocating for the people of Nicaragua,” said Jed Brien, director of Capital on the Edge and coordinator for the Nicavangelists. “No matter what you think of President Trump, his administration has done all the right things for Nicaragua, in our opinion. We just want to get our message out to the American people, because the Nicaraguan government is very anti-American. The people of Nicaragua are very grateful to America, though.”
Each of the young men have learned Nicaraguan folk dancing styles, along with a gymnastic dance style they call “tricking” and b-boy style dancing, also called breakdancing. Their energetic moves and enthusiasm captivate wherever they perform.
Many of Clarendon County’s residents have never traveled outside the state, much less outside the country. The opportunity to see the cultural dance styles and hear about such a vastly different culture than what can be found in South Carolina is not only educational but is a treat.
“We share Nicaraguan youth issues, and we incorporate cultural dancing into this,” said Brien.
Joshua is 10 years old and has been dancing with the group for two years. He hasn’t been back to Nicaragua for a little over a year. He joined the group, because the group’s leader is his uncle. He loves sharing his culture and dance with children in the US and hopes to continue.
Eliezer is 23 years old and grew up as a street kid. From divorced parents to a school system which could not control him, Eliezer edged closer and closer to gang life.
“Jed is a missionary. He made a youth group, and I got involved and met The Lord there,” said Eliezer. “We decided to go to the nations and preach the gospel. We’ve been in Central America, Europe and here sharing our culture and traditional dance and sharing what’s happening in Nicaragua now.”
Eliezer says his family in Nicaragua keeps him informed of how things are in their country. Neither he nor the other boys remember the Nicaraguan crisis from the 1980s, but they are grieving over the current crisis.
“We just want to show how things are going there through our story about Jonah,” said Eliezer. “How even if people make bad choices, it can be made right. We can move forward. We love our culture and our country.”
Eliezer states they learned dances from college instructors who came to their school in Nicaragua, finding a passion for expressing faith and love and teaching moral lessons through their unique cultural dances.
Fred is 17 years old and has been with the group for a year and a half. His father is Brien’s best friend. Fred had been getting into more and more trouble at home and in school, until he heard the message of Jesus. His parents almost divorced over his rebellion.
“Jesus helped me. I was in depression, but God helped me. So now I am focusing on doing God’s things, because I want to do things so God will be proud of me, too,” said Fred. “They said we were going to America to share Jesus, and I said, ‘That’s cool.’ Now I’m here sharing our dances and the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The boys left Manning Monday evening to head to Myrtle Beach to continue sharing their culture and their message. However, if you missed their performance, you may get another opportunity, as they hope to return to perform again next year. To learn more about Capital on the Edge and the Nicavangelists, visit www.nicavangelists.com.
