Monday, January 27, 2014
On January 18-25, 2014 a team of Christ UMC educators joined a team
from Ringgold UMC to participate in a mission trip to Leon, Nicaragua. Our
education team united with a medical team and construction team for a total of
32 from 9 different United Methodist churches throughout Georgia and Tennessee.
We arrived Saturday afternoon at our home base, El Ayudante,
a Christian humanitarian organization based in León, Nicaragua. This center is
dedicated to partnering with the Nicaraguan people to transform the nation—one
child, one family, and one community at a time. El Ayudante means “the helper”
and the organization works with 25 to 35 short-term missions teams each year
from the states to work with local community leaders to help bring tangible
change to people’s lives in the areas of education, medicine, construction, and
training. Teams are provided with an itinerary, meals, translators, and
transportation.
Our “home away from home” was a beautiful, tranquil setting
where we could sleep, eat, refresh, and re-energize each day before we set out
to minister to the Nicaraguan people.
On our first full day we boarded our “Rambo” trucks and
headed out to the country through pot-holed dirt roads.
On our bumpy dusty
drive we encountered people on all sorts of transportation: people on
horseback, entire families on mopeds, a few trucks, lots of bicycles, and many
people walking. The distance from the highway to the churches - as the crow
flies – was only about 15 miles, yet it took us nearly two hours to wind down
the dusty path to arrive at our first destination: Salinas Grande Church.
This congregation met next to the pastor’s house, a
primitive structure with dirt floors, a few tables and chairs and no running
water or electricity. The “church” was a small homemade tent with folding
chairs. 
What these folks lacked in material things, they made up for
in spirit. They sang their Nica praise songs with all their heart, soul, and
mind. When word spread in the community that children were playing with a huge
colorful parachute, children came from everywhere eager to play and sing and
hear about Jesus. We received word later in the week that they have great hopes
for ministering to the families of the children who came to VBS that day. Their
need is for a US church to become a sister church and help them in their
efforts. Two of our team members plan to present that possibility to their
churches.
Our next stop was at Las Percelas, a sister church to
Ringgold UMC. Our drive took much longer than expected but this sweet
congregation waited patiently for us to arrive. Once again we shared the Gospel
and had a VBS for their children. It was wonderful to see the growth of the
church since the early days of the partnership with RUMC and gave hope for what
could come to the little church at Salinas Grande with a sister church coming
alongside them.
For the rest of the week our team divided into our specialty
teams: education, medical, and construction. Our medical team held workshops
and clinics, our construction team worked on a women’s prison, and our
education team held staff development for teachers and a conference for
students. Our CUMC team, Dr. Kim Nichols, Janet Phillips, and I, focused on
education.
What a privilege to be able to speak of the Gospel, give
Bibles, and reference God in all of our presentations. Each of us was partnered
with a translator who was as eager and excited as we were about our work. The
Nicaraguan teachers were most gracious and appreciative of all of our help.
They are eager to learn ways to manage their classrooms and strategies to
engage their students. Forty percent of all Nicaraguan teachers do not have a
college degree. Many of them have 50 – 70 students in their room. Most of them
have no books or supplies. Yes, they are eager to learn effective ways to
teach! When I asked each group if they love teaching, they all responded with
an enthusiastic, “Si!” Even under
deplorable conditions, they love what they do! We saw the classrooms firsthand
and marveled how these teachers could accomplish much, yet they wanted to learn
as much as possible and eagerly embraced our suggestions.
Our week culminated in the 6th annual teachers’ conference
with 500 teachers in attendance. They came from all over the area and travelled
great distances for many hours to be a part of a unique opportunity. Our team
of 8 educators was joined by our medical team and Nicaraguan educators for a
total of 19 leaders – “profesores” - who
conducted 7 sessions over a two day period. The rest of our team worked as
support staff on registration, food, and a host of administrative areas. Church
donations allowed us to feed each teacher, give them classroom supplies, door
prizes, a Bible, and Gospel track. We were so fortunate that the Curriculum
Director for the Ministry of Education in Nicaragua attended our conference and
has asked us to offer this conference in additional locations in the country.
We are in prayer that God will guide us and make provisions if this is an
avenue where we can have an impact.
Our mission team theme for the week was Jeremiah 29:11:
For
I know the plans
I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
God has the same plan for all of us where we live in wealthy
country like the USA or a third world poverty-ridden country like Nicaragua. He
wants to give us a hope and a future. I believe part of the plan he has for
those of us who have much is to share with those who have little. As we read in
John 15 Jesus commanded us to love each other.
“12 My
command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater
love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You
are my friends if you do what I command.
16 You
did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you
so that you might go and bear fruit
—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father
will give you. 17 This is my command: Love
each other.”
I look forward to “bearing more fruit” next
year in Nicaragua!
