Hello from Managua! I am writing this email in the midst of the very dynamic and tense post-election turmoil here in the capitol. We currently have British volunteers stationed in Bluefields. They are doing a tremendous job serving some very isolated communities on the Atlantic Coast.

Peace and Hope Trust is working diligently to navigate through these difficult financial times and we are so grateful for our faithful volunteers and donors who have remained faithful and continue to give and serve very sacrificially in these trying financial times. I am in the early planning stages for our June and July teams and I am excited to bless the children at the orphanage this December as we are in the process of mobilizing gift baskets for them. Blessings, Peter

Greetings from rainy, but very green, Nicaragua. I have had an exciting two weeks as we have officially moved the children into the new orphanage. The building looks great and the kids are very happy. I am in the process of designing and budgeting for a playground at the orphanage that we hope to build in June, 2009! Just this week we began the production and milling of rice in Haulover and La Barra. The harvest was bountiful and all three mills will be running at full capacity this fall....milling nearly 10,000 pounds of rice every day!

SUMMER 2008 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

MATAGALPA—Between the dates of June 11 and August 20, olunteer teams from across the U.S. and England poured countless hours into building a new orphanage from the foundation up, which will house the children currently residing in Celtina’s Rescue House. Many of these children were saved from a life on the streets by Celtina and now receive wholesome meals, medical care, schooling and a Christian upbringing in a loving home.

LA BARRA—A small team was dispatched by land and then by boat to this small fishing village on the Mosquito Coast where they helped construct a footbridge through the swamp to the communal water well, allowing greater ease of access for village members. In addition, the team built and placed a roof on the community’s newly constructed Anglican church building, which was left devastated by the effects of Hurricane Beta several years ago.

ESPERANZA—A one-day expedition was taken to this isolated jungle village, during which volunteers were able to deliver rice, flour, mosquito nets and school supplies to each of the homes. Nurse Lila from La Barra and Iris Amadon, an American volunteer, treated over 100 patients in the short span of just 8 hours.

BLUEFIELDS—British teams brought great encouragement to the people of Bluefields by delivering tables and chairs to several churches, finishing the roof and floor of one man’s home and setting the foundation for a new bakery that will serve the families living on and near the Municipal Dump.

Blessing the People of Nicaragua

This past July, the short-term mission team of Sarah Amadon, Iris Amadon, Kristina Demetriou, Hannah Cohen, Keith Kemmer and Roger Drost spent several weeks in Nicaragua
serving with Peace and Hope Trust and working alongside another volunteer team from Virginia.

Somehow the cattle knew it was coming and disappeared into the bush in search of higher, more sheltered ground. Most of the villagers, informed by radio of the hurricane’s impending arrival, followed suit and evacuated to the inland village of Karawala. The few who remained behind talk about a waist deep surge of water rushing through their community, razor sharp sheets of zinc being torn from roofs and whipped about and a fearful night huddled in a shaking building while praying they would see another dawn. This is how the villagers of the Mosquito Coast village of La Barra describe their experience with Hurricane Beta several years ago. With the roof and windows blown off the village school, the devastation of the surrounding rainforest and the complete destruction of the small, wooden Anglican church, the scars left by Hurricane Beta have lingered for some time in this small fishing village. However, the community also speaks of God’s grace. How thankful they were that all survived and how grateful they were when a boat full of relief supplies arrived immediately after the disaster. At that critical time, North Shore Community Baptist Church (NSCBC) provided funding for the supplies delivered to La Barra and the disaster relief effort organized and implemented by Peace and Hope Trust, the nonprofit organization under which our church serves in Nicaragua. So this past summer, additional funding from NSCBC for building materials allowed the short-term Nicaragua team to continue to assist in La Barra’s recovery by putting a roof on the community’s newly constructed Anglican church building.

How privileged our team was to share this gift from our church and how blessed we were to see the new Anglican roof materialize before our very eyes! It was late in the morning and the sun was fierce. Soggy with perspiration, our team moved smoothly and efficiently around the grassy courtyard where we were building the last few of the 11 trusses we needed for the roof. Team members carried and laid out the lumber and measured and marked the pieces. Another team member stepped in to nail the pieces together and someone else drilled holes. One nailed plates across the joints while another bolted the frame together. When we finished a truss, six men from the village came to carry it to the church construction site. Although we floundered building the first few trusses, not sure of what to do and how to do it, as we worked together each team member found his role and became more skillful with his task while depending on others to do their jobs or to help out when someone was struggling. It was a marvelous illustration of the nature of the Church of Christ with its members working together with choreographed grace, using their gifts to His glory and in His service. By the time we left La Barra, all 11 trusses stood in a neat row atop the cement block church building.

“Amazing grace” could be our team’s refrain and theme for this year’s outreach to Nicaragua. We were both recipients of His grace and blessing, as He protected us, directed us and provided for us when difficulties arose, as they often seem to in Nicaragua, and channels of His grace and blessing to others, especially to those in great need.

We saw God’s grace in our visit to the poor, isolated jungle community of Esperanza. Reeling from recent floods, this small village, which we visit every year, gratefully accepted and distributed the rice and flour we delivered while Iris Amadon, a nurse and one of our volunteers, teamed up with a village nurse to treat over 100 patients who crowded into the ramshackle community center. Meanwhile, several other team members slapped at insects and slogged through mud to bring mosquito nets and school supplies to homes in the village and to offer God’s blessing.

We saw His grace as a team of volunteers from NSCBC, Virginia and the Nicaraguan community, under the leadership of Kristina Demetriou, came together to organize a VBS for a church in the mountainous region of Matagalpa. Sarah Amadon, Hannah Cohen and Keith Kemmer provided leadership and support as 70 small children crowded into the one-room hillside church one sunny afternoon and listened to a Bible story, sang songs, had their pictures taken, made small purses to put their photos in and finished up with a raucous session of bubble blowing.

As our team built a footbridge across a swamp to the village well in La Barra and volunteers labored in the mud to build an orphanage in Matagalpa, God’s grace strengthened and sheltered us. We shared the wonder of His grace with fellow believers as we sang and spoke words of encouragement and exhortation in the village churches and prayed with Christian leaders in a small hut along the Rio Grande de Matagalpa. His grace abounded as we faced the logistical challenges of getting a dozen volunteers across the country, in and out of various ports and boats and up and down jungle rivers.

Finally, how blessed we are to have a sending church like NSCBC, administering God’s grace through prayer, guidance, and financial support. In fact, NSCBC has stood behind the work in Nicaragua and these Mosquito Coast communities for 11 years, with many individuals giving of their time and resources to further the ministry of short-term teams and Peace and Hope Trust. Hebrews 4:16 summarizes the theme of this year’s trip and encourages us to lean on Jesus and look to his grace: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Continue to pray for the needs of Peace & Hope Trust, and Nicaragua Field Director, Peter Coleman (seen above distributing rain gear to 2008 team members on their arrival to a very rainy Nicaragua). Peter resides in Managua from where he oversees all the needs and activities of P&HT, including managing and providing for teams which come each year. Also remember Paige (Pittman) Crocker who serves as US Field Director.

WINTER 2008 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:
--A strong team of British volunteers completed much work in Nicaragua during the late winter months (Jan-March). Placing the finishing touches on the roof is all that remains for the completion of Sixto’s house. Plans for the establishment of a Bluefield Bakery—to minister to the families living in and around the Municipal Dump—were greatly furthered by a group of committed ladies. And more than 150 children received new school uniforms, shoes and supplies!

--For two weeks during February, Dentist James Smith, aided by several assistants, treated approximately 250 patients! Children and adults arrived by the truckload for much-needed work on their teeth, benefiting from the blessing of these free clinics.



--A small team of volunteers will make their way to Nicaragua later this month to break ground on the new Eco-Lodge, located on the Coffee Farm in Matagalpa. This environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient facility will provide housing for teams, farm workers and visitors, as well as allow for
a more suitable shelter for medical clinics, VBS programs and educational outreaches.