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Newsletters
Jun 2010 |
Newsletters - August 2009Alongside Ministries en Nicaragua Dear Friends, As we experience a little break between teams it is a good time to gather our thoughts and share a bit of what’s been going on with you all back home. We’ve had several teams since we last wrote and we’ve been keeping busy and, as always, growing and improving. June was a busy month starting with a high school team from
The middle of June brought a first-time group our way from the Dallas area of Texas. A young adult team from Woodcreek Christian church worked and played with us for a week and we had a wonderful time getting to know them. Basketball was the game of the week and they hosted a small tournament and gave new basketballs to the winning team. It wasn’t just a week of playing games, though. This team contributed their efforts to “the hole” as well as to other work projects around the sports center. By the end of the week, though they were dirty, sweaty and tired, the hole still wasn’t deep enough. The end of June and first week of July brought a youth team from First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, Washington (Halle’s home church while growing up). Another great team We started off August with the arrival of a small team from Maple Valley, Washington. They arrived here after a full week of work here in the country with a couple other mission organizations. The very day of their arrival was filled with activity as we brought in about 30 young adults from a Nicaraguan church here in Managua who hosted a fun day for the children and youth of our neighborhood. They put on a fun afternoon of games for young kids, mixing in some Bible stories, puppet drama and testimonies. Then in the evening we had a youth night for the older crowd. The inner-city church group had a well planned program for our neighborhood youth with wild games, skits, some more personal testimonies and a nice message on grace. The evening culminated with hotdogs, watermelon and juice for everybody. We cooked up 200 dogs with only about 25 left over. A great night! Sometimes in the midst of “the fight” we can’t see the forest for the trees. We become discouraged, complacent, frustrated, or even just plain disgruntled on how things seem to be moving or not moving along. Whether it be with our family, our jobs, our friends, neighbors, or whatever situation God has us in. That’s the way it is with us broken down, needy people, we constantly need encouragement. We need to see some success in our actions, breakthroughs in our lives. We cry out to God…. Hey God! What’s going on here, am I doing the right thing, are you still in this? Come on, at least throw me a bone!... something, anything, to show me this is all good! Well, we got our “bone” a few weeks ago. We were told by a neighboring Nica young man, that our sports center had really changed things in this part of the world. That before God brought us here, there were two groups of youth that were beginning to form gangs and gang territory. People were afraid to walk around the area in the evening. This neighborhood already had a bad reputation and it was getting worse. Kids were not going to school and parents were afraid for their young children’s safety and future. Apparently now, that has changed. We don’t know what it was like in the past but we know what it is like now. There are no gangs. Those that were a part of the “gang” crowd, now play in different sports together. The kids are going to school, thanks to scholarships for uniforms, backpacks and tuition from many of you. People are walking and riding their bikes in the evening. Kids and youth come to the sports center not with their parents but with their parents blessing, knowing that they will be protected and will have a safe place to play. Kids and adults are coming to the library to get help with their homework, to practice reading or to actually check out a book to take home. Folks are coming to use the computer room, to take computer classes, work on research for home work or to understand the wonders of email. Young and old are coming for English classes. Youth who would never or rarely darken the door of a church, are coming for Youth night where they hear the message of hope possible in Jesus Christ. Yes, God threw us a bone, a meaty bone, for us to be encouraged with and to sustain us through the challenges of what we do here. We are grateful for the unsolicited comments from this young man regarding our work here and his words were a long, cool, drink to our sometimes seemingly parched throats. It reminds us of the power of words, in particular, encouraging words and how we can all be instruments of God’s grace and love through the words we speak. You could be the answer to some ones prayer of desperation, frustration or discouragement. So, be a bone, or better yet, a good ol’ meaty bone! We also would like to extend our whole hearted thanks for those of you, both churches and individuals, that have continued to support us, steadfastly, through these trying economic times. We are aware that some of you have continued to support us even though you have had to cut back in other areas of your life and that in some cases, the situation has become so difficult, that you have had to make some drastic changes in your own budgets. We understand and empathize with all that you must be going through. It’s your prayers, the sweat equity that you have put in here, your financial support, your letters and emails of pats on the back and slaps on the behind that keep this all moving forward, changing the face of Chiquilistagua, to more glorify Him in His little oasis here in Nicaragua. Thank you. Your support is another one of those meaty bones that keeps us encouraged and moving forward. Serving Together, Thank you for supporting our ministry in Nicaragua. Eastside Development |
