Hultner Estrada & Bethany Beachum
“There are so many things we
would like to do, but we lack the resources.” This quote sums up the lament of many
Christian leaders in the face of a number of issues that go unresolved in their
communities. Despite these challenges,
several churches have been experimenting with a simple methodology that is
helping to meet small – but significant – needs in their barrios and
neighborhoods. They are called “Seed
Projects.”
The Seed Projects are carried
out by the local church and are acts that demonstrate the love of God to their
neighbors. These projects are set apart
because of their short-term nature – they are completed in a few hours and they
use local resources from the same community.
Recently, a group of pastors and
youth leaders that participated in the program “Misión Transformadora” (or,
Transformational Mission), organized a Seed Project to restore a recreational
space known as “the park of the dropouts” in a community with named “El
Proyecto,” located in the department of Estelí.
Everyone helped out in some way,
whether it was cleaning up the park, pruning shrubs, painting benches and the
basketball court, or contributing brooms, shovels, machetes, paint, brushes,
and other materials.
It didn’t take long to have the
community involved in the project. The
first to arrive that day were youth from the community, who already had the
habit of gathering there in the mornings.
Although they were shy at first and maintained their distance, soon,
they too offered to lend a hand in helping and contributing materials.
“Why are they doing that,” asked some
onlookers, “It’s a miracle that someone came to clean this,” others expressed.
“This park had become a meeting place for
youth with a history of drug addiction and violence. It had been abandoned to the point that the
authorities didn’t even pay attention to it anymore,” explained Gioconda Ordoñez,
director of “The Renewal” Educational Center.
“But by coming here, I think we are reaching out to the youth, and maybe
that will help them want to improve their lives.”
Many neighbors observed the
activity in the “park of the dropouts” from their homes, and it even generated
interest from the local television channel.
“We are here as leaders of different churches
to put into practice what we have learned about service to our community,”
expressed Esperanza Castillo, leader of the church La Hermosa, who was
interviewed by a journalist. “This place
was chosen because this park has been abandoned, and children and adults alike
are scared to come here. We also chose
it because it is an opportunity to demonstrate the love of God to the youth here
and the people who live in this area.”
“These youth remind me of my own past,” shared
Pastor Álvaro Garcia, of the church Josué 1:9, “And just look at how they get
involved when someone pays attention and cares about them.”
At the end of the day, Roberto Aldana, young painter and
member of the church Tabernáculo de Adoración, asked the youth, “We want to
paint a quote on the basketball court, what would you like it to say?” After a small discussion among them, the
youth of the barrio decided to paint, “God with the Project.”
