God's Faithfulness in Condega

*Collaboration with Christian Reformed World Missions

As a Christian school director, Gioconda’s heart aches when she sees many of the young people in her community struggling with addiction and gang violence. She yearns for positive change for both her students and her broader community of Condega, Nicaragua.

“In my mind and in my heart, I see this city with youth that are productive, professional, and above all else, given to the service of the Kingdom of God.”

Gioconda and other staff at Denis Caceres Olivia School see Christian education as a way to  help young people overcome these struggles.“If we can form a solid Christian perspective in the lives of these youth, there will not be a need for the legal system to intervene,” said Gioconda.

 But they needed some practical assistance in making this positive change.

Gioconda struggled as the school lacked resources. She and other staff members needed help in finding practical ways to make the changes they desired. Teachers went months without receiving any salary. Still, they kept working toward their goal.

“We all said, independent from whether we have money or not, that we have a commitment,” said Arlen Blandon, a teacher at the school,  “a commitment that these kids have a better future.”

Then Giocanda discovered that she was not alone in her struggle.

Through a friend, Giocanda found out about the Nehemiah Center, a transformation center that began with the collaboration of Christian Reformed World Missions, World Renew, and other organizations.

Gioconda worked with the Nehemiah Center to provide practical classes for the school’s teachers, stewardship courses for school officials, and other important resources that enabled them to better fulfill their calling.

“We have seen how God touched the heart of the Nehemiah Center to help us with the tools that we lacked as teachers,” added Arlen. “This came at the precise moment that we most needed it.”



One of the ways that the Nehemiah Center encouraged the school was looking at its acceptance policy. For Gioconda and other school administrators, this meant reflecting God’s grace in the students they accept.

“If other schools don’t accept them, we will,” said Gioconda. “We welcome these kids not just for academic reasons but for other reasons like spiritual formation and counseling.”

This is precisely the goal of the Nehemiah Center’s training, said CRWM missionary Steve Holtrop.

“When it’s done well, the training that the Nehemiah Center offers flips people upside down in their thinking,” said Steve.

Walking hand in hand with the Nehemiah Center has helped Gioconda set goals for the school and make those dreams possible. Your prayers and financial support for CRWM also plays an important role in this community transformation.

Pastor: Care for Your Home

“But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, 

he would not have let his house be broken into.” Luke 12:39.

Hultner Estrada / Bethany Beachum

Luke 12:39 carries a possibly uncomfortable warning: “Care for your home because someone has plans to plunder it.” It is an imperative that puts us on vulnerable terrain and emphasizes our duty to be diligent in guarding and protecting our homes. “This is a sensitive subject,” explains Manuel Largaespada, volunteer facilitator of the Families program, and he confesses it causes him some fear each time he addresses this subject with the pastoral couples in the program.

Fears notwithstanding, however, “Care for Your Home” has been the continuous challenge that they have brought to the pastoral couples of the Northern region of Nicaragua who have participated in the Families program in the last year.  “It is about a call to action that doesn’t exactly sound like the theme of a motivational conference.  It is, however, a warning that we cannot ignore in these times in which The Thief is trying to force the door,” adds Manuel.

“Our proposition was that the pastors know a lot about how to take care of their homes in the spiritual sense, but they needed to grow in the understanding of the importance of other areas such as the emotional and physical health of their homes,” shares Luz Urania Largaespada, coordinator of this program.

The Families program has developed a series of workshops and materials that focus on the necessity of caring for the home and practical ways to do so.  Among other ideas, “Caring for Your Home” consists of:

- Modifying our patterns of living and practicing “good treatment” as a lifestyle.

- Recognizing that God wants us to have good health and wants for us to be attentive to our habits of exercise and eating.

- Making the decision to break some heavy and unnecessary yokes that produce exhaustion in the pastoral family, such as the yoke of concern for self-image, the yoke of legalism, and the yoke of over-commitment.

Pastors Ileana and Miguel Castillo have participated in and replicated the workshops with their congregation and share their experience in these words:

Ileana: “The families we work with are not always well cared for, beginning with their marriage and then with the raising of their children. But we are seeing many changes from negative to positive.  For example, families are learning to express issues in a constructive manner instead of destructive within their family unit.”

Miguel: “We are very busy working in the church and sometimes we fail to take care of our own home. But we have improved in our communication – we haven’t always been good listeners, but we have improved in this within our marriage and with our children. This has helped us to be better listeners to others who are under our care as well.”

Pastors Ileana & Miguel Castillo

God cares for the birds, the flowers, the fields, and our homes.  He desires for us to be sacred guards of the family he has given us.  He wants us to know how to care for our own homes in such a way that The Thief cannot plunder it.  Care for Your Home!

Digital Literacy

Hultner Estrada & Bethany Beachum

The statistics for “digital illiteracy” in Nicaragua still remain very high.  According to the report “Economy of Knowledge in Central America,” our country ranks 131^st out of 148 countries in regards to education and access to Information and Communication Technologies.  Honduras is in the 99^th position on the list and Costa Rica the 58^th.

Experts from the Science Academy of Nicaragua say that this country is a straggler in the competition of a global economy sustained by knowledge because so many people still do not have access to the internet.  Hardly 5% of the schools in the nation own a computer.

The factor of access is key.  A computer in Nicaragua can cost up to 40% more than in the United States or Panama.  Internet service – that is somewhat functional – costs 10% of what it takes for a family to eat for a month.

Despite all of this, many Christian schools are making an extraordinary effort to reduce these statistics of digital illiteracy, helping the next generation to develop the ability to use technological tools.  Even so they have to overcome many difficulties.

“The computer labs in our schools end up becoming “museums,” because we use donated computers that are turning obsolete,” explains Rafael Castro, facilitator of a network of Christian computer teachers that have formed precisely with the purpose of supporting schools in the mission to produce digitally literate youth for the benefit of the country.  This network goes by the name REDPROCOM.

“We are dedicated to providing technical assistance, academic planning, maintenance, and software and hardware repair, but most importantly, we provide training in the use of “Libre” software which is completely free and is very functional for Christian schools,” shares Rafael Castro, a licensed English and computer teacher.

REDPROCOM, a collaboration with ACECEN (Association for Evangelical Christian Educational Centers in Nicaragua), has succeeded in providing this type of key support to more than 30 Christian schools.  “We are a small team – for now – but we are very united,” adds Castro, who sums up the dream of REDPROCOM in the following words:

-“We dream that our computer labs are going to be the best of the future, we are going to work so that our program works and then, when it has been established and is strong, we are going to share it with the government so that teachers at the national level can also benefit from it.”

Learn more about REDPROCOM and ACECEN

The Nehemiah Center in the Informal Sector

Hultner Estrada & Bethany Beachum

According to the most recent poverty survey in Nicaragua*, 70% of employed Nicaraguans work in the informal sector.  This is to say two million people work either for themselves or are sub-employed.

The lack of formal, well-paying Jobs (those which offer a contract, fixed salary, benefits, and social security) has caused the majority of Nicaraguans to create their own businesses or go to the streets to be able to support themselves.

For this reason, the cities of Nicaragua are characterized by an abundance of small businesses, corner convenience stores, food stands, small pharmacies, tortilla stands, bakeries, used clothing stores, not to mention countless vehicles and bicycles that offer transportation services.  On the streets, too, you can buy everything: juices, fruit, hammocks, car parts, exotic dogs, and on special occasions, artificial roses, Christmas decorations, flags, and political symbols.

“The Nicaraguan doesn’t die of hunger,” goes a saying that describes the ingenuity of this people who never cease to generate ideas and create all variety of micro-business that are the motor of our economy.

Even so, although informal employment has been the alternative for surviving day to day, it still doesn’t hold a guarantee for long-term economic improvement.  The informal employee is someone with few possibilities for training to improve their business and pay off credit and loans.

According to the same survey, few self-employed workers have received support in their work.  At the national level, around 6% declare to have participated in some type of training and only 2% report having received technical assistance.

 “That 2% is where we enter, thanks to God!  That is our little grain of sand!” says Freddy Méndez, coordinator of the program “Kingdom Businesses.”  The program focuses on providing technical assistance, accompaniment, and training in Biblical principles to a growing number of Christians who earn their living from running a small business.

One of those Christians is Taylor Chávez, a dedicated pastor and chicken salesman in the city of Chinandega who has been participating in the business network for three years now.  “The workshop titled ‘The Accounting of the Orange Seller’ challenged me greatly,” says Taylor, “That practical and simple study helped to open my accounting mind more for my business.”

The topic of accounting is a difficult one for the majority of self-employed workers.  They are used to doing the numbers for their business “in their head” or in a small, informal notebook.  This is principally because they consider their business to be small and therefore, accounting isn’t necessary.  Or it may just be that they don’t know how or they don’t see the value in it.

But the practical workshops on accounting offered by the “Kingdom Businesses” network are expanding minds and equipping small businesspeople with some tools to grow.  “The next thing I would like to learn,” says Taylor, “Is how to audit my business – even though I’m not an auditor.”

Seeds Projects

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.”

Bethany Beachum

Should we call the workshop Asset Based Community Development or should we call it Desarrollo Basado en Recursos Comunitario?  ABCD or DBRC?  Should it be named in English or Spanish?  

Thus the first half hour of this workshop in Nicaragua, led by Roland Vandenburg of Calgary, was spent discussing the name of the workshop, all before Roland even presented what the workshop was actually about.  By the time the name Desarrollo Basado en Recursos Comunitario (, or DBRC), was adopted,  every person attending felt they had some personal ownership in the workshop.    What a great beginning to a two-day training session designed to change a fundamental mindset.  First, the mindset of the workshop participant needed to be changed, then they would be ready to go out into their communities and work on changing mindsets there!

 In the model of DBRC, or Asset Based Community Development, the community developer goes into a community looking for strengths.  Working with the community members, together they identify the strengths.  Relationships are established as they look closely at the community through the eyes of the people who live within it.  The community developer and the community members all come to recognize the strengths of the individuals in the community and the strengths of the collective community.  And everyone understands that the community members will be intimately involved in whatever  plan of action is developed for the place where they live.

This model is in direct opposition to the traditional model that starts by naming all the problems in a place.  Communities are identified and may even work with the community developer, but the perspective is one of looking for problems that can be addressed.  This can set up a negative mindset which can lead to the community feeling overwhelmed by their problems and unable to see solutions without dependence on outside help.  The Asset Based Community Development model has a different point of view, a different approach, and it produces a very different attitude in all involved.

This workshop, held at the Nehemiah Center in Managua, Nicaragua, was preparing 24 Nicaraguans, all community leaders, to work in their own communities using the techniques presented by Roland.  During the workshop the participants designed a survey to use in discovering the strengths of individuals in the community and of the community as a whole.  In the afternoon session they divided into small working groups to hammer out 8 questions using clear and appropriate language.  The wording had to be understandable and still clearly explain the asset approach.  It was very encouraging that everyone at the workshop also was concerned about preserving the dignity of every survey participant.  No question was to be complicated or demeaning.  Once the survey questions were agreed upon, the group considered the initial request to ask community members to participate in the survey. They agreed a friendly, non-threatening approach was critical.

The following day all was put to the test.  The entire group went to Leon, approximately 90 km away, and visited one of the neighborhood communities where about 60 families live along the main street.  The newly-trained community developers paired up to conduct the surveys.  Approximately 40 homes were contacted and no one turned the surveyors away, indicating a great success for the friendly approach!

At the end of the day the group discussed the results of the surveys.  Many of the people surveyed were initially perplexed by the question, “What do you have of value in your house?”  Many people first replied that they had very little of value.  But when pressed to consider what resources they had--water, furniture, dishes, guard dogs--they realized they had quite a list.  With patience and encouragement they began to change their mindset into one of seeing their assets, and eventually they came up with long lists of resources in both their homes and their communities.  

Many of the people surveyed were grateful for the opportunity to participate.  One woman told the community developer that she now realized she really did have a lot to be grateful for.  What an example of a changed mindset!   At the conclusion of some of the surveys, prayers were shared for the homes, families and the community.

This survey technique of DBRC--Asset Based Community Development--will be duplicated in the local communities of the participants of the workshop.  The community developers will develop relationships with the families in their communities, and together they will work to identify the strengths of individuals and the community as they plan for a better future.  In the words of one of the participants, “We can help our community see that they are important in the eyes of God and they have great resources provided by God.”  

Popular Proverbs & Sayings of Faith

Hultner Estrada & Bethany Beachum.

In Nicaragua, we have a saying for everything.  Some are funny, others are harsh, and still others are a little hard to interpret, such as the one that says, “The lone ox licks itself well.”

The ox is a very common beast of burden in Central America and is also a symbol of hard work, nobility and strength.  But another particularity of this animal is that it waits until it is alone to clean itself.  Only when it is calm and solitary, in the afternoon or evening, does the ox turn to its tongue to knead its skin and lick any wounds it may have suffered while carrying out its work.

That is why the saying, “The lone ox licks itself well” means that it is preferable to be alone and, on one’s own, try to overcome shame or sorrow, to then be able to complete one’s work.

“But these types of proverbs can keep us tethered,” explained Carlos Mejía, during the graduation ceremony of Youth Agents of Transformation that took place on October 5^th.  “I grew up hearing these proverbs and I became accustomed to doing things alone, but also to letting others resolve their problems on their own,” shared Carlos, a construction worker from the city of León and a member of the Filadelfia church. 

Carlos Mejía, along with 20 other teachers and youth leaders in the city of León, participated in the series of workshops entitled “Mission Transformation,” which focuses on equipping the local church to serve youth (and their families) from difficult home situations. “These courses helped the scales to fall from our eyes,” added Carlos, “Because they taught us that we are relational and that we are to practice love and mercy for our neighbor.”

Leader and Bible teacher Abigail Picado shared a new proverb that she has incorporated into her collection of faith proverbs, “I really liked the saying that we learned in Street Psalms course that said: ‘Grace is like water, it flows downhill and pools up in the lowest places.’  Through this saying I have come to understand my community better,” she expressed.  

“I learned that above all, one must have love for others in one’s community.  And that we should relate to them, help them and recognize the value they have with God.”

We extend congratulations to the new generation of Youth Agents of Transformation and their facilitators Trinidad Juárez of the Filadelfia church and Denis Cienfuegos of Belén church.  Both churches have been joining in the dance of the Holy Spirit in their communities and learning how to work hand-in-hand with their neighbors for the good of their own communities.

Impact Clubs in Nicaragua... soon!

Usually we think that in the future, when the young had grown, they will be agents of change. But every day, more and more leaders and pastors are finding that in the present, youth have the ability to run a "redemptive role" in the midst of moral, economic and political crisis in which we live, that we do not need to wait for them to grow to give them confidence, tools and resources so that they, from now, and by themselves, begin to care for their community and ensure the development of their families and their nation.

The previous paragraph summarizes some of the main ideas that were "unpacked" during the Regional Assembly of the Christian Reformed Church held in Valle de Angeles, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

"It was an Assembly that helped us see that it is possible to work with youth to achieve not only the improvement of the young as an individual, but helping the youth to see themselves as agents of change for their community”, summarizes Roberto Armas, coordinator of the Urban Transformation Strategy.

Roberto and a delegation of 5 Nicaraguans who are part of the network of Agents of Transformation, participated in this meeting which had an international exchange format. “The model of youth reaching methodology that was studied at the Assembly was the Impact Clubs strategy.  "The team from Nicaragua was formed by leaders who are doing a very effective work with young people, even so, we learned a lot about Impact Clubs as a strategy to mobilize young people", Roberto states.

In words of Roberto, the Nicaraguan team liked the fact that the Impact Clubs are places where young people of a same community interact, learn skills and reflect about spiritual values ​​with the help of anecdotes and stories that generate teachable moments. “It is something similar to what we're already doing through the youth Christian groups, but in the Impact Clubs they use the dialogue with striking stories for boys to facilitate dialogue, instead of just a short sermon from a biblical text," says Roberto.

The Impact Clubs is a methodology originally developed in Romania, but for a few years has been implemented in several highly violent communities of the Honduran capital, achieving great results. Some of the main objectives pursued by the Impact Clubs are: character development, abilities development and social commitment development of the youth. Through the Impact Clubs, youth have the opportunity to develop small projects in benefit of their neighborhoods.

Besides enjoying the companionship on this trip, the best part was that the Nicaraguan leaders, right there in Honduras, designed an action plan that includes conducting an intensive training on this methodology with other community leaders in order to start with the first five Impact Clubs in Nicaragua before the end of this fiscal year. “The goal with these clubs is that young people become active agents of change for their community”, concluded Roberto Armas.

A Pastor Involved in Politics

For many people, pastoral ministry and political careers are like two substances that shouldn’t be mixed.  After a long history of polarized political parties characterized by personal interest, corruption, and manipulation of the poor, many Nicaraguans consider the political realm to be “a land where God is not.”

Nevertheless, William Estrada, with 22 years in pastoral work, has challenged this premise by accepting a political seat on the Municipal Council of his city.  During a meeting with the Agents of Transformation network in Chinandega, we took the opportunity to interview Pastor William and learn more about this case of a pastor “involved in politics.” Here the interview.

How is it that as a pastor you became involved in a political position?

William: The party that won the elections in my municipality wanted a pastor among their legislators, so then before the elections, they asked the Council of Pastors to elect someone as representative of the evangelical church within the city hall. The council of pastors nominated me, and the community backed it up.

So, the party searched actively for a way to include me in their legislation, without being a politician.  I then understood that the party was interested because I had a lot of contact with the community, the church, and the pastoral network and they wanted to take advantage of that.

Do you like politics?

William Estrada

William: You know, there are people who can sit for hours and hours and talk about politics, but i really don’t care for that.   Politics were meant to be surrendered to the plan of God.

I don’t consider myself a politician.  I have a political position, but my priority is the people.  I didn’t participate in any of the propaganda or campaigns.  I don’t talk like a politician; I talk like a pastor, like a Christian not dressed in political colors.

So then why did you say “yes” to the invitation?

William: I saw that this was an opportunity that came about not because of my capacity but something that came from God.  I said yes because I was seeing much injustice happening in my community.  I said yes because I knew that there were many needs that could be resolved but were just thrown aside and forgotten.  I said yes because Jesus said, “I was naked and you clothed me,” and I feel a passion for serving the community.  I believe that we were created to serve and not to be served.

Another aspect that motivated me to accept the position was the verse in Proverbs 11:11 that says, “When the righteous govern, the city flourishes.”  I believe that those that should be seated there (governing) are the righteous.  The other pastors encouraged me to take on the position because they told me, “With you there, things are going to be more just.”

Many believe that politics is risky ground for a pastor.  They say that it is an arena where Christian values have to be negotiated at times.  What do you think?

William: Oh sure, you see that happen often.  For example, sometimes proposals are formed and in a very diplomatic way, they tell us when to vote by saying, “At such and such time, raise your hand to give your vote.”  But I haven’t remained silent to question and to make others think about the impact of those decisions I believe that  weren’t made appropriately.

It doesn’t scare you that you might be dismissed?

William: I have said to them, “If I were to abstain from voting and because of that was forced to choose between my political position and my work as a pastor, which do you think I will choose?”  They are clear that if the time came to decide, I would choose to remain a pastor although I had lost my position on the council.

My testimony has cost me too much to just toss it away.  I owe everything to the Lord, my church, and the community that has seen my work, and with that in mind, I prefer to renounce my political position before doing anything that isn’t of benefit to the community.

How have the people flourished with your work at the city hall?

William: My work as a Councilman gives the community the peace that someone with an interest for them is there.  They have the peace that someone is there in the political arena, watching that things are done well.

The mayor and vice-mayor tend to say, “The pastor now knows all of the internal workings of the city hall and the economic issues in all areas, so then, we cannot lie to the people.”

The pastors and people of my community also now go to the city hall when they have needs.  They know that, through me, the answer to their request can arrive more quickly.

God put me there to testify for Jesus Christ as well and to tell my political colleagues, “Your political career is important, but it’s not going to carry you all on its own to where God wants you to be.”  Several of them have begun to walk in the Gospel.

Pastor William Estrada, along with his wife Karla Vanessa and their three children, continue to minister to the Mount of Olives Church in the community “Alemania Federal” in the municipality of El Realejo.

We pray for the Lord’s wisdom and grace so that William may continue in his work as an Agent of Transformation in the department of Chinandega, and that his work serves as an inspiration to others.

…which is translated…

Hultner Estrada

The word “incarnation” provoked a restlessness among the participants.  In fact, some even left the workshop because they thought the Nehemiah Center was promoting beliefs in “reincarnation.”

This story happened a few years ago here in Nicaragua.  A course on Street Psalms Series was being shared and the facilitator spoke about the price Jesus paid to get close to humanity and… “now we are called to incarnate Christ in our communities,” repeated the teacher.  But the participants didn’t seem to understand.                                                    

Image:  "In the begining"

Sculptor: Mike Chapman

The truth is, I myself, with more than 10 years of pastoral youth ministry didn’t understand either.  It wasn’t until the facilitator directed us to the passage in John 1:14 that I began to discover the meaning: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” recites the text.  When we talk about the incarnation of the Son of God, we are talking about the mysterious process through which the eternal and infinite Creator of the universe took on a body of flesh.

As the theologian Juan Stam explains, the term “flesh” implies not just our biological nature, but also our vulnerability and even our inclination toward sin.  And that is the human nature that the eternal Word wanted to take on to be born among us.  He was not born with some privileged human nature, immune to the temptation and anxieties of our human lives like some species of “Superman” or a divine angel that only appeared to be human.  He was truly human.

But what does it mean to “incarnate Christ” in our community?  “The Word not only became flesh, but He also lived among us,” explained the facilitator to me.

Jesus didn’t come for a short time or just for an event, but he came to stay among us for more than three decades.  He came to walk in our streets, to put up with the dust, the mosquitos, the scarcity, the heat, the thirst, and the hunger.  He came to live among us, to listen to our conversations, to participate in the synagogues, to visit us in our illness, to get involved in the lives of the people day and night.  “And for that decision to live among us, we were able to discover his glory, his grace, and his truth,” the facilitator told me.

It was on that occasion that I realized that if we want people to see the glory, grace, and truth of God through us, than it is more valuable if we spend time with them, if we walk together, if we share life together, and that we don’t make ourselves superior and distance ourselves from the reality that they are living in.  Essentially, we want to go to the places where they are, just as the Son of God did since the first nativity when he became flesh as Immanuel… “which is translated: God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

A Friendly Church

Hultner Estrada
Bethany Beachum

When Maria Pilar talks about her community, she does it with joy.  Her neighborhood, “David Andino,” is a very typical community in Chinandega, the city of second most economic importance in Nicaragua.

This neighborhood also has many of the symptoms of insecurity, violence, dysfunctional families and community division, but Maria Pilar sees beyond these.  “We have many victories to celebrate”, she expresses joyfully.

For the last two years, Maria Pilar and five of her neighbors, have been involved with the Strategy for Urban Transformation (ETU), a training program that is using the local church to contribute to community transformation by means of a combination of evangelism, discipleship, and development based in the use of local resources and building cooperation among neighbors.

Maria Pilar sums it up this way, “Through ETU, God has taught us how we can help our community, both physically and spiritually.  We have been able to establish friendships with various people in the community that we never knew before.”

“Friendship” is a word that Maria uses often, but it is the term that best describes her work in the neighborhood.  From her home, she has begun teaching handicrafts to young women.  “We have a beautiful group of people who have learned to make handicrafts and sell their own products themselves, generating income for their households,” she shares.

Photo: María del Pilar (center) and her handicrafts class

For Maria and the ETU team, however, the most valuable part has been the camaraderie that has developed among the neighbors as a result of the arts and craft classes.  The community now has a stronger affinity with the church.  “This last semester we have met on several occasions with the leadership of the neighborhood to share the topics of Leadership, Community Service, Domestic Violence, Marriage Problems, and HIV-AIDS.  Also, we are developing roundtable discussions to promote healthy relationship within the family,” adds Maria.

What is happening in the neighborhood of David Andino is a small example of what can happen when the church reaches out to the community, taking small steps to help people flourish.  Beyond just growing new relationships among neighbors, the church allows God to add people that he wants to belong to its reach.  As Maria explains, “We celebrate the fact that two people have accepted our Lord Jesus as Savior and that others are visiting our church and small groups.”

Maria finishes her testimony asking for prayer for the members of the ETU team in the neighborhood of David Andino in Chinandega, “That the Holy Spirit would accompany us, illuminate us, give us patience, give us time, and above all, the disposition to work as a team, that God would touch the hearts and minds of those in our barrio and allow us to advance in the transformation of individuals.”

We must do the same

Hultner Estrada

There are times when we have no strength to pray for ourselves. Perhaps for this reason St. Paul advises christians saying, "Carry each other's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).

Last week we received a team of missionaries coming exclusively to pray for us and for church leaders connected with different programs of the Nehemiah Center.

This team made a pilgrimage to five cities, traveling near 300 miles, visiting twenty churches and ministries in different communities of the pacific and northern area of Nicaragua. Their tour had a significant impact on many hearts. Here we share some testimonies:

"When they said they came to pray, I felt a little strange, this is the first time we got a group coming especially to pray. Their visit has impacted us greatly." (Porfirio Maldonado, Pastor in Chinandega City).

"All the families at El Manantial community have been through times of great concern because this year the rain was not very good and we lost many crops. These brothers came to give us spiritual strength, they prayed for our plots and our children. We are very grateful”. (Gilberto Lopez, community promoter in Carazo City)

 

"The visit of these friends was very comforting for us as a 

pastoral family. Their visit taught us that we must do the same for other families." (Obed Anton, Pastor in Leon City)

"They came just when I most needed because lately I have had to deal with the loss of an aunt and a girl who was like a daughter to me. I testified to my congregation how good it feels others to pray for one and how important it is to visit other families to give an encouraging word”. (Agustina Gutierrez, Pastor in Estelí).

"Several fellow ministers know that I and my family have been struggling with health, but they have not had the time to come to our house to pray for us, but these brothers came from afar to intercede for our family. In addition, they have a model prayer that we liked and we want to implement in our congregation”. (Maria Elena Garmendia, Pastor in Estelí)

Nehemiah Center thanks John Algera, Stafford Miller, Henry Swinkels, Henrietta Swinkels and Alma Hernandez. Their time and willingness to help us bear our burdens is a reminder of those words of Jesus Christ: "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:37)

Meet Emily

Hultner Estrada

Bethany Beachum

All that some young people need to flourish is just a little time dedicated to them from adults.  The story of Emily proves this.

Emily comes from a family of scarce resources and a home broken by the separation of her parents.  As if this weren’t enough, school has not been a satisfactory place for her either.  There she earned the reputation of being a poor student for her below-average grades and her difficulties with learning.

Fortunately, the love of Jesus has reached Emily.  Her youthful smile and hope for a better future have been returning to her since she joined a particular Bible study group.  Beyond just finding spiritual support in the group, she has also found help in facing one of her school nightmares – math class.

“After we talked about the importance of good grades as an expression of our Christian life as it is a means for future prosperity, this girl decided that it was time for a change,” explains Scott McEwan, who, along with his wife Bethany, leads this Bible study group with young girls who come from difficult family situations.  Scott is also a civil engineer and Bethany a teacher by profession.  Both decided to support Emily with her math homework.

“During the week of vacation, Emily arrived to our house each night, walking several kilometers, to study mathematics,” explains Scott, “On one occasion, she even arrived under a downpour,” he adds.

This young girl of 14 years has not only learned to master numbers, but her self-esteem has also improved by realizing that she is capable of solving complex math problems and what’s more, that she likes to do it.  “Emily is now quicker at solving math problems than either I or my wife,” shares Scott.

Recently, Emily fulfilled another of her longings which was to be baptized.  Pictured: Emily after her baptism.  Accompanying her is Pastor Rider Reyes and Scott McEwan

“We pray that the enthusiasm of this girl stays strong and extends itself to her other school subjects as well,” says Scott.  “We also pray that the members of her family wouldn’t discourage her.  This is a cultural problem in Nicarauga.  If someone does something well, it will be praised a little bit.  But if they mess up in something, they are heavily criticized,” he observes.

The Nehemiah Center wants to give thinks to the Lord for the life of Scott and Bethany McEwan and for their passion for serving youth and families that live in difficult contexts.  During the 12 months that they have been serving as volunteer missionaries in our country, they have shared their talents and resources, supporting the work of different programs of the Nehemiah Center and the safe house, Casa Esperanza.

Learn more about the ministry of Scott and Bethany McEwan.  Follow this link: http://mcewanministry.wordpress.com/

Health and Ministry

Hultner Estrada
Bethany McEwan

“As a pastor, it’s not easy to stay in shape,” says Ricardo Herrera. “Many of my fellow pastors suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.”

Ricardo has served as a pastor for more than 30 years, and he knows firsthand the difficulties of trying to balance ministry and a healthy lifestyle. In describing the life of a pastor, he shares, “we have to go to events with lots of food, we often eat at irregular times, we use cars or motorcycles for all our transportation, we never exercise, and we don’t even discuss healthy living among ourselves!”

Ricardo’s lifestyle doesn’t just affect him; it also affects his wife Olga. “I went to a seminar, and I got on the scale. When I saw that I weighed nearly 200 pounds, it really bothered me,” she explains.

But something is changing in the lives of Ricardo and Olga. Between the two of them, they have lost more than 35 pounds in the last four months. “I feel that my health really is changing for the better. I feel happier and healthier,” Olga says joyfully. Her husband shares that now he talks about healthy living with his colleagues and the members of his church. “Before, I felt ashamed to talk about taking care of one’s body because I was overweight, but now, when people notice that I’ve lost more than 20 pounds, I take the opportunity to explain to them what I’m doing.”

In April of this year, Ricardo and his wife attended the workshop “Integral Health and Nutrition.” In this special training session for pastoral couples in Leon, the Nehemiah Center shared the “Seven Pillars of Health” by author Dr. Don Colbert.

Dr. Colbert emphasizes seven basic practices to stay healthy mentally, emotionally, and physically:

1. Drinking enough water
2. Resting and sleeping enough
3. Eating raw foods
4. Exericising
5. Detoxifying the body
6. Paying attention to stress levels
7. Using vitamins and supplements

Learn more about the Seven Pillars of Health. The PDF and PowerPoint are available in spanish here.

“Now in the house we are more careful with what we eat. We have gotten rid of soft drinks, we eat more fruits and vegetables, and we’ve eliminated greasy foods,” says Olga.

“I learned that I am responsible to keep myself healthy, and I like that the pastors learned that our health is as important as our theology. God wants us to be healthy,” Ricardo concludes.

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you

and that you may be in good health,

as it goes well with your soul.

John the Apostle (3 John 2)

Surprising Questions

Hultner Estrada
Bethany McEwan

If you had the opportunity to ask God just one question about something that still doesn’t make sense to you, what would you ask him?

“This is the question that we are going to take to the streets,” said the facilitator. “We are going to leave this church building and everyone is going to find and interview one person in the central park.”

At first the participants of the course The Scandal of God*, seemed nervous and unsure about the idea of going out on the streets to talk to non-Christians, but after the interviews in the park, their attitudes were very different. They came back excited; smiling, and talking about the different questions they had heard:

• How can I get a divorce from my church-sanctioned marriage?
• Why did my mother abandon me, my father mistreat me, and why do my siblings not love me?
• Why would God send me to this world?
• When will I find the light that will guide me to Him?
• Why won’t God let me forget the person that I’m in love with?
• Why has God given so much power to Satan?

The workshop participants were surprised at the questions and the discoveries that they made through them. They realized that society does have an enormous thirst for knowledge about human relations. More importantly, the people outside the church really do want to know God, and they will easily and frankly talk about spiritual subjects if they are asked the right question. 

“Imagine the great door that would open for us if instead of going out to preach, we went out to question,” remarked another facilitator.

This exercise reminded me of the story of the “Road to Emmaus” in Luke 24 that clearly shows the method Jesus used to reach the heart of people. He first asked questions and listened attentively, and only then did he respectfully communicate the truth of the gospel.

Do we follow Jesus’s model when we share our faith, or do we do the exact opposite? What are the questions that those outside the church need us Christians to ask? Are we listening carefully to their doubts and concerns? What would happen in our communities if we went out to question instead of to preach? Who knows what we might discover if we only tried a new strategy.

He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Luke 24:17 and 27 (NIV)

* The Scandal of God is a course in the curriculum series Mission for Transformation that the Nehemiah Center program for youth development teaches. Its goal is to equip the church to serve at-risk youth and their families. 

September 23th

Hultner Estrada

Bethany Beachum

“Young men for rent. Will do dangerous jobs.”  “Women for rent for night activities.”  “Young girls for rent for whatever you choose.”

Does this “menu” surprise you?

Behind these offers operates a well-structured, clandestine network  which abducts human beings and then sells them as premium products, goods, or objects.

The trafficking of persons is one of the worst violations of human rights.  It is referred to as the slavery of our modern era.

But there remains much to be explained: Who is behind this business?  What kind of industry would demand such kind of “goods”?  Why has this form of trade been able to evade border and state controls?  What is the logic or social philosophy that supports this degrading commerce?  And why is Nicaragua considered the top country in Central America to be a “provider of slaves?” 

The 23rd of September is commemorated as the International Day of Human Trafficking precisely to talk about these issues, to inform, and to prevent the population from this threat.  The day was established by the Conference against Human Trafficking in Dhaka, Bangladesh in January of 1999.

This week, 13 participating churches in the project Combating Human Trafficking, promoted by the Nehemiah Center, are holding informative and preventative workshops in schools, parks, churches, and the streets of León and Chinandega.  The idea is to alert and empower the population but also to demonstrate to the Christian community that, as the church, there are many things we can do to offset this crime.

On our part, we want to ask you to join in the prayer chain that these churches are promoting, asking God that justice may shine, that he would train us in his wisdom to fight against this crime effectively, and that, above all, his love would comfort and defend the victims.

A digital version of an informative poster is available here for you to print, hang in your office, and/or share with others (Spanish).

Pictured: The three volunteer promoters that work with the Nehemiah Center in  the project Combating Human trafficking in Nicaragua (Claudia Balmaceda, María Luisa Martínez and Ligia Rivera).