Thursday, February 12, 2009

Great is Thy Faithfulness!
Again the group gathered for breakfast on our second full day in Nicaragua. God had blessed us with a clear warm morning.

At 9 AM we left for a visit to the First Baptist Church of Managua. We were met by the president of their women’s ministries group, Isabelle Gallegos. Isabelle is active in the Central Region and at the national level of the Nicaragua Baptist Convention. She led us on a walking tour of the church buildings. Our first stop was the church kitchen where we met several of the Baptist women who were busy cooking lunch for seniors now living in the Baptist nursing home. We were greeted warmly by all the women. We watched the ladies cook and it was really interesting since many of the ingredients that they used for chicken soup were a reflection of the culture and climate. One of those ingredients was yucca root which is a bit similar in texture and taste to boiled potatoes.

Our next stop in the church was the beautiful sanctuary with huge stained glass windows and an interesting architectural ceiling design in the shape of a cross. The history of this church dates back to 1917. Their original building was lost in an earthquake.

We then sat down with Isabelle and David Parajon in an outdoor space used for fellowship and sports events, where she spoke to us about the various ministries of the church’s women’s group. One of six of their mission ministries is cooking a meal once a month for the Hogar Senil Baptist Nursing Home. We went with the ladies to deliver the food.

Upon arriving we were warmly greeted by the nursing home’s administrator, Marguerite. There are thirteen residents and eight staff members at the facility. We enjoyed a lunch together, and the soup was absolutely delicious. After lunch the residents sang for us and then we sang for them. It was a very moving experience. One gentleman even sang a solo. Music most certainly can create a universal bond.
Other areas of ministry that the women’s group is involved in includes: work at the women’s jail, fund-raising, Bible study, and leading a ministry for the young. They hold three retreats a year. We shared with them about our AB G.I.R.L.S. resource material, and they are very interested in receiving copies.
We sang all the way back to AMOS and finished the work we started yesterday on the school kits. We then packed medicine boxes that will be taken to San Jose de la Remates tomorrow.

Dr. David Parajon and Chris presenting desperately needed medical supplies to the Hogar Senil Baptist Nursing Home, provided with White Cross Funds.

We ended the day with a delicious dinner at AMOS, returned to the hotel to watch a film about Central American immigrants crossing the border into the US and had our daily devotion and prayer.

— Marilyn Gustafson and Peggy Burke