Distance Mission Project - Nicaragua
A group of volunteers from central Alberta Lutheran churches, including two people from Mount Calvary travelled to Nicaragua in January 2017 and helped with a building project as well as some children’s programs at Lutheran Schools in the area. The building project was to construct a wall around the Mission Centre in Chinandega, Nicaragua. When finished, the wall will enclose the Mission Centre property, keeping chickens and pigs out of church workers' garden plots, and will provide safety for people staying overnight at the Mission Centre.
Below you will find blogs from the mission team describing their adventures.
Sunday, January 15
We had a wonderful weekend in Nicaragua. We worked a half day on Saturday and were able to finish some projects that we had been working on this past week. We then visited the Leon Cathedral, central market and had a wonderful supper at the beach.
We attended church this morning at the Luther Chapel at the Mission Centre. It was wonderful to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We could not understand much of what was said, but following the same order of service that we use still made it familiar and worshipful. We had lunch with the 2 pastors that led our service and enjoyed a much needed rest day. During our evening meeting, many team members expressed their desire to get back to work tomorrow morning.
We meet for a quick breakfast at 6:15 a.m. and walk to work (about 5 or 6 blocks from our hotel) and get started around 7:00 a.m. The work day goes until 5:00 p.m, but most days we have needed to 'call it a day' around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Everyone has been working hard and we ask your prayers for our health and safety.
Nicaragua Mission Team
Wednesday, January 18
We just finished a 2 day VBS at the Mission Centre. We had 55 children the first day and 61 today. We did lots of crafts and games with the kids and the pastors (there were 2 here both days) did the registration so they could keep track of the families that were coming to VBS, and they did the lesson. We had the music leader from the Mission Centre come and do some songs with the children. It was a good day.
We also got lots of work done on the fence we are helping to build. The women are almost done with tying the rebar for the cement wall and the footings are almost complete to the back wall. The total length of the wall is about 450 meters and we have about 300 meters of the footings completed.
We went to a local restaurant for supper last night and invited 2 of the office staff along with their families to join us. We are having fun getting to know the work crew we are working with along with the staff from the Mission Centre.
We still ask your prayers for each of us, as the air quality is not good. There is lots of smoke in the air from haresting sugar cane in
the area as well as some smoke from the local volcano. A few of the team are having some trouble with sore throats and coughs.
Nicaragua Mission Team
Saturday, January 21
We are done working with the crew building the fence around the Mission Centre. We feel we have accomplished much this past week. We have built some good relationship with the workers, the Mission Centre staff and gotten some of the wall built as well. Tomorrow we will attend church at the Mission Centre and say good bye to the many friends we have made during our time here. The work will continue after we leave and we will receive pictures when the job is complete.
We had a wonderful VBS on Friday at one of the churches here in Chinandega. There were around 50 children that attended and we had several moms, grandmothers and even a grandfather stay and do some crafts with us. Pastor Louis had a wonderful opening message and had the children very organized the entire morning.
We will be thinking of all our brothers and sisters in Christ worshipping in Canada, as we worship with our Nicaragua brothers and sisters in Christ. It really opens our eyes to the vastness of the Body of Christ.
Paz de Christo
Nicaragua Mission Team
Below you will find blogs from the mission team describing their adventures.
Sunday, January 15
We had a wonderful weekend in Nicaragua. We worked a half day on Saturday and were able to finish some projects that we had been working on this past week. We then visited the Leon Cathedral, central market and had a wonderful supper at the beach.
We attended church this morning at the Luther Chapel at the Mission Centre. It was wonderful to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We could not understand much of what was said, but following the same order of service that we use still made it familiar and worshipful. We had lunch with the 2 pastors that led our service and enjoyed a much needed rest day. During our evening meeting, many team members expressed their desire to get back to work tomorrow morning.
We meet for a quick breakfast at 6:15 a.m. and walk to work (about 5 or 6 blocks from our hotel) and get started around 7:00 a.m. The work day goes until 5:00 p.m, but most days we have needed to 'call it a day' around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Everyone has been working hard and we ask your prayers for our health and safety.
Nicaragua Mission Team
Wednesday, January 18
We just finished a 2 day VBS at the Mission Centre. We had 55 children the first day and 61 today. We did lots of crafts and games with the kids and the pastors (there were 2 here both days) did the registration so they could keep track of the families that were coming to VBS, and they did the lesson. We had the music leader from the Mission Centre come and do some songs with the children. It was a good day.
We also got lots of work done on the fence we are helping to build. The women are almost done with tying the rebar for the cement wall and the footings are almost complete to the back wall. The total length of the wall is about 450 meters and we have about 300 meters of the footings completed.
We went to a local restaurant for supper last night and invited 2 of the office staff along with their families to join us. We are having fun getting to know the work crew we are working with along with the staff from the Mission Centre.
We still ask your prayers for each of us, as the air quality is not good. There is lots of smoke in the air from haresting sugar cane in
the area as well as some smoke from the local volcano. A few of the team are having some trouble with sore throats and coughs.
Nicaragua Mission Team
Saturday, January 21
We are done working with the crew building the fence around the Mission Centre. We feel we have accomplished much this past week. We have built some good relationship with the workers, the Mission Centre staff and gotten some of the wall built as well. Tomorrow we will attend church at the Mission Centre and say good bye to the many friends we have made during our time here. The work will continue after we leave and we will receive pictures when the job is complete.
We had a wonderful VBS on Friday at one of the churches here in Chinandega. There were around 50 children that attended and we had several moms, grandmothers and even a grandfather stay and do some crafts with us. Pastor Louis had a wonderful opening message and had the children very organized the entire morning.
We will be thinking of all our brothers and sisters in Christ worshipping in Canada, as we worship with our Nicaragua brothers and sisters in Christ. It really opens our eyes to the vastness of the Body of Christ.
Paz de Christo
Nicaragua Mission Team
