This week I am in Nicaragua with a team of about 22 from BC, Alberta, Ontario, Alaska, and Ohio. It is a wonderful week of ministry to some of the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere.
Our first day in Managua began very early, leaving our hotel at 5:00am in order to board a flight for Bluefields at 6:30am. Once we arrived in Bluefields we proceeded to the dock where we boarded a panga boat (a motorized row boat….hard to explain unless you’ve been on one but there’s a picture below) for a one hour ride to the village of Santa Rita. This is a very rural village without electricity or roads, and no shops. As we walked up to the church building we could hear the congregation singing and the acapella sound was beautiful!! The group gave testimonies, performed an interpretive dance number and then Pastor Sally Smith ministered the Word through an interpreter. After the service we were blessed to give out over 30 family food paks to those present – these paks contained rice, sugar, corn flour, beans, oil, and nutritional rice meals – enough to feed a family for approximately 10 days. Before boarding the panga for the ride back to Bluefields, the team members had fun making balloon animals and giving out candy to the children. I hope it was as much of a treat for them as it was for us J
When we returned to Bluefields we got ready for the evening service at New Jerusalem Church. NJC and Pastor Angel Gahonna is the partner ministry of Feed the Hungry in Bluefields. The church has over 1000 members, about 100 cell groups , a bible training school, television program, and Christian radio station. They are very involved in ministering to the needs of the people in Bluefields and living their faith through the love of Jesus Christ. A truly inspiring church and I love being there! I had the privilege of preaching in the service and we all prayed for the sick and ministered to new believers. What an awesome day!!
