Nicaragua December 2011 trip.

On December 10^th we leave on yet another trip to Nicaragua.  Please keep us in your Prayers.  I want to thank God, and all my Family and Friends, which have made all of our past trips very successful.  This will be my 14^th trip, and going at Christmas is always a wonderful time to be there.  Over the past 8 years, through our Mission work at Fifth Avenue Baptist Church and your help, we have put a roof on and a floor in the New Jerusalem Church, which didn’t have either when we first got there.  We have drastically increased the health and education of all of the children that have lived in the Remar orphanage.  With the help of friends and several members of the Barboursville Rotary Club, we sponsor over 13 children in the community of Veracruz, with school fees, books and school cloths so they may have a better education.  And since I helped a wonderful family 7 years ago to rebuild their falling down house, we have built a total of 26 homes.  Again, I want to thank you for all of your help and prayers!!!!

     All of the kids are doing well in school.  Dennis last week finished his third year of Medical College and is doing very well.  He is going to be a Doctor and in Nicaragua you start out as a “Medical Student”.  It is five years of studying and then two years of internship.  He speaks perfect English and after his Father became a Pastor at a Korean Presbyterian Church, he also speaks Korean.  It is great to get emails from him and talk to him on the phone and know what is going on down there.  He is just like our kids…..he is on Face book, but he post in three different languages.  Daniel, a boy (young man), that I previously sponsored at Remar Orphanage is doing well.  He graduated from High School in November a year ago and came to visit us for Christmas last year.  He went to Rotary with me all five weeks he was here and many of you met him.  He went back to Nicaragua and started college but his Father became ill so he went home to help on the farm.  He now has a couple acres of his own and is growing beans and coffee.  We paid for bean and coffee plants….so I guess we are now in the farming business.  Other Non-profits sell coffee in Nicaragua, so maybe we can do the same in the future.  Since Daniel finished level 14 in English, he is being considered to teach English part time at the High School in his little mountain community.  As you can tell….I am very proud of Daniel and Dennis.  The other 11 children we sponsor are in various grades and are doing well. 

     We have a small group going this trip, only 9 or 10 people.  In the last year or two we have started working with an American family, the Buzbees’, that run a school in the Managua city dump.  Yes…many people and children live inside the city dump of the capital of Nicaragua.  Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  The Buzbees’ have also been building a “refuge house” for abused girls from the dump.  We are going to work on the kitchen of this home and also have a Christmas party for the kids at the school.  We will also take the children from Remar Orphanage Christmas shopping and school clothes and supply shopping.  As always we will have a Christmas party at the Orphanage for the kids.   I will be checking on the 13 community children we sponsor in school and have the annual Christmas party for close to 100 kids at the New Jerusalem Church.  This will be the 7^th year for the Christmas party.  We usually buy the children some article of clothing, and for some of them it will be the only Christmas present they receive.  We are also hoping to build our 27^th home in the community.  The houses we build are 18 x 18 foot cinder block with a tin roof.  I know it is not much, but better than they have now.  The New Jerusalem Church recommends a family from their Church that has small children.  With paying for some local labor, a house cost up about $3,500 to build. 

     The past few years have been very successful and growing for our work in Nicaragua.  Because of all of the different things we are now doing, we moved some of the projects out of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church and two years ago started a new Non-profit Organization.  We have started a 501(c)3 organization called “Nicaragua Education, Shelter and Health Fund, Inc.”  “NESH” for short.  We did this to help with fundraising and because of all the people outside of our Church helping with our work. 

     Now comes the part where I ask for YOUR help.  God says you won’t receive if you don’t ask…..so I am asking!!  We haven’t raised all of the money yet to build a house and pay for the upcoming year in school.  Their school runs February through November.  Many of you have helped with our Nicaragua work in the past…..and I could never tell you how much I, the people in the 26 houses, the kids in school and especially Dennis appreciate it.  I already call him Dr. Dennis and every time I talk to him…..I can’t count how many times he says to me “God Bless You Jack and All Your Friends”.  I know he is going to make a very good doctor.  You are all invited and I wish you could all go with me sometime and see and experience how grateful these people are.  It really makes you realize just how Blessed we are to have been born in the United States. 

    I know the economy has been bad and everyone’s budget is tight.  But if you could find it in your hearts of help me and all the people I just talked about, I, and they, would be truly grateful.  You can make a Tax Deductable check to “NESH”; you will get a letter showing your deduction, and send to NESH, P.O. Box 731, Barboursville, WV  25504. 

      Again, I want to thank everyone for their past and present support and ask everyone to please Pray for our safety and our work.  I want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and to remember what Christmas is all about.  In Nicaragua Christmas is quite different…..they Celebrate our Lord…..but there are not many presents.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL