An affiliate of
International
Accelerated Missions
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"You are the light of the world..." - Matthew 5:14
As believers, our mission is to bring the light of Jesus
to
the ends of the earth.
Latest Ministry Outreaches
Since 2005, we have felt a
clear direction to focus primarily on bringing the Father's Love to the lost and needy of
Eastern Nicaragua.
Earlier Outreaches
Our Costa Rican ministry in 2004-2005 included outreaches in
Limón, a feeding program, and Renacer.
Preaching and Teaching the Father's Love
Since
we began making short-term missions trips to Costa Rica in 2001, and
continuing, of course, when we moved here as permanent missionaries, we
have been preaching and teaching about our heavenly Father's love.
What's This All About?
Click here to read more about this exciting
ministry!
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Beginnings in Calón and Bluefields
We took our first short-term mission
venture into Nicaragua in March, 2005, along with two other couples from Costa Rica.
First we went to Calón, a small village on the southern border of Lake Nicaragua that has no electricity or running water, and can only be accessed by boat.
Then we visited Bluefields, a town of about 40,000 on the Atlantic coast
of Nicaragua. It is also inaccessible by road—only by boat or
airplane. We stayed in an impoverished neighborhood called Pancasán. Most Latin American towns
and cities name their barrios (neighborhoods).
Bluefields Comes to Us
We held kids' crusades in schools and in churches, and we preached in churches and in a men’s prison.
But it is what happened there during our "free
time" that eventually led to our renting a house and establishing a ministry base in
Pancasán barrio.
It began with kids just coming to our gate and staring at us. We smiled and talked to them, and before we knew it, there were 15 kids hanging out in our yard. So, we put on some kids' worship music and started dancing and singing praises to the Lord with them. They loved it so much that they brought more kids with them the next night...and the next, and the next. By the last day of our visit, we had 70
kids—of all faiths, or no faith at all—singing praises to God in our yard. Since
then, we have rented the house in Pancasán, and return every other
month to carry on ministry.
Photos of Our Early Nicaraguan Venture
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Ruth introducing Luly the Clown at
an outdoor kids' crusade
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Ministering
to a group of children at their school
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A young girl being touched by the
Father's love
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Worship time with the kids in
our yard |
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Pancasán (Bluefields) Ministry Base
After
our initial Calón/Bluefields circuit (see above), we decided to rent a house
in Pancasán barrio (neighborhood), in the town of Bluefields, Nicaragua, where
we return every other month to carry on ministry. The
residents of Pancasán live in extreme poverty. Unemployment is rampant, and the average salary of those who do work is equivalent to
$1 or $2 per day. Alcoholism and abuse are everywhere. Some women and teen girls prostitute themselves for 100
córdobas (about $6) per night, or in exchange for a plate of food.
The typical home is a small, unfurnished wooden shack of one or two small rooms, perhaps with a hammock, and housing 8‑15 people. Few have running water. Electricity is available to power the few light bulbs, but the government turns off power at random quite often. Most families do not
own a refrigerator or stove.
None of the kids in the neighborhood wear glasses. Most do not own a toothbrush or toothpaste, and many have teeth that are rotting out. Others are covered with boils due to bacteria in their well water. A bit of bleach added to the water could protect them, but they cannot even afford that. Little things, such as an
ibuprofen for pain, antibiotic ointment, or a Band‑Aid® are beyond their means.
Pancasán Photos
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A boy helping us haul water
from our well into the house
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A typical family
home in Pancasán neighborhood
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Reaching the Next Generation in Nicaragua:
Tesoros Preciosos
"Let the little children
come to Me..." - Matthew 19:14
Some children in Pancasán cannot afford to go to school. Of those who do attend, many are four, five, or even six
years behind grade level; you often find fifteen‑year‑olds in 3rd grade. Some started school late, or had to quit and
go back after some years. Others have learning problems due to hunger, poor nutrition, illness, or other reasons.
The first ministry program we established in Pancasán was Actividades de Tesoros Preciosos
(Activites for Precious
Treasures). We lead the kids in song and worship, play games, teach them Bible lessons, and do art projects. They
especially appreciate the chance to color, since they do not have paper or crayons at home.
Touching Young Lives
Tesoros Preciosos in Prayer
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These children are learning for the first time that each and every one is a precious treasure in the Father's sight,
and in ours too. They have value—so much value that Jesus gave His life for them. We don’t call this "church." Many
do not attend church because they are embarrassed about not having nice clothes or shoes. On our porch, all are
welcome no matter how they are dressed. See
more photos from Tesoros Preciosos ministry
Reaching the Teens
Shorlene and Luz Study the Bible on Their Own
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Although this ministry's primary focus is on kids, we also do meetings for teens. There is always a group of young
people hanging around our house, so we often have Bible studies with them.
See
more photos from Teen ministry
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Pancasán Feeding Program
Whenever we are in Pancasán, we see hungry and malnourished children. Often we would give them our leftovers, or only
eat half of what was on our plates. We knew that simply praying for them, and saying "may God bless you" fell far
short, without our also taking action to alleviate their hunger and pain.
In December, 2005, the Lord answered our prayers by providing the means for us to start a formal feeding program.
Thanks to God, we are now feeding 100‑140 kids a well balanced meal twice weekly. The mothers do the cooking, and we
have two staff members who supervise the operation when we are not there ourselves.
Feeding the Hungry
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Children line up for a meal
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One hungry boy
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See
more photos from Feeding Program (Pancasán)
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Renacer Outreach
When we moved to Costa Rica permanently in April, 2004, the
first ministry we got involved in was
Renacer, which means “Rebirth” or “Revive”. As a division of
Cristo Para La Ciudad (Christ for the City), Renacer
reaches out to the city's poor in various ways. We worked in two of
their programs: their Bible club for street kids, and their feeding
program. (More on feeding program below.)
The Bible club is a program for poor street kids in Guarari de Heredia.
This is a prevention program, to help kids have positive role models and
a safe place to come and play and learn about Jesus, so that hopefully
they will not turn out like so many others in this
neighborhood, involved in drugs, alcohol, crime and prostitution. We
played games, did arts & crafts and music, and always had a Bible
lesson.
Here are some photos of Brad, Ruth and Kristen with the
kids:
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The kids love Brad's thick hair and
white skin!
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Kristen loving a little girl |
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Ruth teaches them
The Hokey Pokey
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See
more photos from Renacer
Outreach
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Costa Rica Feeding Program
Along with Renacer, we also did a feeding program. We would take a van filled with coolers
packed with food, and drive into poor sections of the city. At each neighborhood, we would set up an assembly line, and people would line up for food. Then we would pack up and go to the next neighborhood.
We have few photos because it was not safe to bring a camera into these
places, but sometimes I would be able to take a photo from the van by
using a zoom setting.
To these people, it made a difference!
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Jeanette was hungry for more than food when she met the people of
Renacer. She had lost one son to a drug overdose, and her other son was in prison. She started hanging around after she was fed and asking questions. Eventually she gave her life to Jesus, and she now helps cook for the feeding program and also helps with the Bible club for kids.
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Kids Eating
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Kristen in the "assembly
line" as we prepare to feed a crowd
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See
more photos from the Costa Rica Feeding Program
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Limón Outreach
Limón is a port city on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. Since many people who live there are of Caribbean descent,
there is a sizeable English‑speaking population.
Poverty and hopelessness are rampant in Limón. We did a three‑day conference on the Father's love at Harvest Tabernacle, an English‑speaking church.
Here are some testimonies from that outreach...
The first day, when we arrived, music
was blaring from the house across the street. It was so loud that we could not hear our own music to worship. Someone went
over to ask that it be turned down, but the man was not home; he had left it on! We prayed, and just before the service started, he returned, turned the music down, and came to the meeting—where
he was dramatically touched by the Father's love!
Another man shared, "I have been a servant of Jesus for a long time. I have worked hard for the kingdom of
God, but now I know that Jesus wants me to know the Father also. I feel like a little boy all over again, sitting on my Daddy's lap! Also, I know there are some things I need to go home and make right with my wife. I need to
better represent the Father's love to her and to my children."
...and, of course, some pictures:
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Pastor Herbert with his wife and
children
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Our daughter Kristen, associate pastor Sally, Ruth, and Sally's husband
Crosby
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Peggy, who came as our intercessor, Crosby
and Sally, with their granddaughter Jimowdy
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