Happy March! We have been very busy this winter! Teams have built a bakery in Bluefields and done outstanding work with some of the poorest communities on the Atlantic Coast. We have continued with our improvement and expansion of the orphanage in Matagalpa and we are now in the planning phase for our teams to build the foundation of the new building and the playground this upcoming June and July…come join us!

We are very excited to announce that Pastor Mark Coleman (Chairman, Peace and Hope Trust) will be riding his motorcycle across the country as a fundraiser for Peace and Hope Trust as he celebrates retirement from his 40 + years of pastoral ministry. More information will follow in the upcoming weeks.

Signing off (on back-up electricity and with no water!),

Peter Coleman

Greetings from Managua. I am writing this update from my desk in Managua as I look out on the green grass and watch the palm, mango and avocado trees sway in the fresh Caribbean breeze….ahhhh. That being said, I am sure you are all finding your winter to me nothing less than refreshing! So, the most logical question is: When are you coming to Nicaragua for a VACATION WITH A PURPOSE?

We have openings in June and July 2009 and it would be a pleasure to have you join us on a project. January and February will prove to be exciting months as we will host numerous teams from the UK. They will be working on cement water tanks and the Anglican church in La Barra while others are building a bakery in Bluefields. In fact, the big industrial bread oven is being delivered while I write this….gotta go!

Warmest regards,

Peter Coleman

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

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.

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!