Sports drawing in the youth

One of the afternoon programs we are doing here in Puerto Cabezas are some sports clinics. We are doing volleyball for the girls, and soccer(futbol) for the boys.. Yesterday was the second day, and more kids keep showing up. We have about 12 girls for volleyball. For soccer, we had planned on 50 boys, but first day we had 60+, and yesterday about 80! It was something! The local pastor, Earl, had asked us to do sports camps as a form of outreach, and it's definitely drawing the neighborhood kids in.

Last night, 45 minutes into practice a tropical storm hit and flooded the soccer fields. Once the rain stopped, we just let the kids play. And they were not afraid of getting dirty. Slide tackles that would last 3-5 seconds across the field were common. At the end, we talked to the kids about the importance of doing things with excellence and respect, with Jesus being the ultimate example of those character traits, and how that applies in life, and in sports. At the end, we passed out cups of Koolaid, and some fruit snacks. It was quite interesting to see how some kids did not even know how to open the packet, and some, when they opened it, weren't sure they should eat it, since they had never seen such thing before.

Today we have our last day of clinics, then tomorrow, if all goes as planned, we are organizing a tournament with medals for first and second place.

God is already at work here in Nicaragua, we are joyful and humbled we can join in with what's already being done through pastor Earl and his ministry.

-Bruno

Jesus and the kids

Day 4 in Nicaragua! I'm completely floored at how God is working in this community, and it's such a privilege to be invited to be a part of it!! My favorite part of these trips is the time spent with the kids, I love seeing the smiles on their little faces. And knowing that for a moment I've helped put a smile on a face, or bring out a giggle, then I know I've done what God has called me to do here.  So in a life of poverty and sadness I've added a moment of joy and hope. Today we went to the feeding center run by Verbo Ministries, where up to 400 kids come daily for a meal. For most of them it's their only meal. Until the food was ready to be served we kept the kids busy by playing and coloring and taking pictures. They are a blast to play with, so much energy and they soak up every amount of attention you can give out. All you have to do is smile and before you know it there 3 kids with their arms wrapped around you, one on your hip and another climbing up your back! I can imagine that's what the kids were doing to Jesus when he walked the earth. It's a great feeling!

~Rachele Whitlow

Who's truly poor?

A few weeks ago my wife and I traveled to LaGrange County to visit a friend and explore the non-profit organization she co-founded. After visiting her, we sat down with the organizations co-founder to learn more about her and her heart for those in the LaGrange community. During that conversation, the basic idea behind the organization was summed up with the thought, "People who are hurting aren't going to go to church so we need to go to them." My wife and I were impressed by these two young women who decided to roll up their sleeves, go out into their community, and be the church. While we finished our coffee, I jotted that thought down not knowing that in a few short weeks my wife and I, along with our mission team, would be called upon to be the church for a hurting people in Central America.  

Our trial by fire came today, June 18th, 2013, when our team boarded a rickety old bus and traveled out to the El Caminante neighborhood in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. The El Caminante neighborhood has a level of poverty not seen within the Michiana area. In El Caminante, the streets are a red dirt and in such bad shape that if you closed your eyes you would surely think you were driving across the surface of the moon. Unemployment is the flavor of the day, feral dogs run amuck, and children--sometimes naked--roam freely about the dirt trails without supervision. 

There are no city services to remove the trash, the sewage, or the seemingly endless standing water that procures during the country's rainy season. Yes, it sounds like a frightful place, especially for a family mission experience. However, in the reality of their plight, the people of El Caminante have a level of faith and hospitality which, like their poverty, is unmatched within the United States.

Today, I was prepared to meet a foreign people, provide them with a sack of food goods, and say a short prayer over their household. Game, set, match. Right? Well, life never goes so simply. The reality of my situation was that I wasn't prepared for the people of El Caminante to ask us inside their home, repeatedly, in order to pray over their sick and dying relatives. I wasn't prepared to meet a people with a faith so rich that I thought I might have to file for spiritual bankruptcy. I wasn't prepared for a blind, elderly gentleman to bless our team then sing us a song while he played an accordion before he would allow us to pray for him let alone provide him with the sack of food goods. Each family we engaged with today treated us like a member of their family. The people of El Caminante didn't just open their home to us. They entrusted us with their heart and bared the longings of their soul. 

In closing, I want to say that the people of Puerto Cabezas know how to do community and they do it well. They do not have much in the way of physical things but what they do have, a infinite amount of faith in our Risen Lord, is worth more than its weightin gold. And so it is, we are all children of the same God. Brothers and sisters in Christ; each of us being created in His image. As a people, we may be separated by a landmass or an ocean; however, none of us are ever separated from the love of Christ.

- Chris and Sarah Slager

A day at the Hospital

My name is Jeffrey Eck, MD. I am a family practice Doctor in Elkhart and my family has the privilege of joining Bruno and Lisa DeJesus on mission this week in the city of Puerto Cabeza, Nicaragua . Today I spent 5 hours working in the local hospital's emergency room treating walk in patients. This is a local teaching hospital staffed with physicians, nurses, interns and students. They treat the population and surrounding area where patients sometimes have to travel by canoe or walking for several days to reach the doctor. I felt the staff was proud of what they have and do for the population and rightly so. They showed genuine compassion and professionalism.  I cannot however write here all that I have seen today without being disrespectful.  But to say I am grateful and proud of the medicine I am able to render back in Elkhart is an understatement. I saw the same type of patient's problems that we have at home but was handicapped in ordering what i would consider standard treatment, tests and medications. This week mine and my families eyes are being opened in what we are seeing in the orphanage, the population and the hospital. We are blessed in many ways and this trip is one of them. 

- Jeff Eck

Never Give UP, Never Surrender