Access English Classes Begin

At the Biblioteca William Minor (William Minor Library), we are blessed to collaborate with the US Embassys remote English Program entitled Access English. This program runs for two years and is one of the best English programs in the country of Nicaragua. These 26 students all come from families with limited resources from all around the department of Carazo, Nicaragua. Great to see this batch of kids setting goals and working towards a brighter future.

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Alma Bonilla

Alma is another one of our Nursing students. She was able to get into the local nursing school as a technician and is in her first year of school, with two more to go. Her long term plans are to become a licensed Nurse which is a 5 year course of study.  Alma is 18 years old and is from a rural community about 4 hours away by bus in the State of Leon.

She is a very happy young lady who loves her career and shows appreciation constantly. Her classes are all day long and when school is on break, she volunteers at the local health clinic or hospital a the direction of her school.

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Our Temporary Replacements are Here!

Mark and Tianna Owens from the Boise Vineyard arrived a week ago to help Julie and I out as we head back to Vancouver, Washington to welcome a new grand child into the world. The Owens are from Boise, Idaho and are part of the Boise Vineyard church. We came to know them through Boise Vineyards I-61 program which has a missions center in Managua, Nicaragua. Nica Impact is a partner NGO with I-61 as we are one of their training stops for the teams that come for training. (See I-61.org for more information on that ministry)

Mark and Tianna were looking for a short term mission opportunity that was a stretch for them yet didnt require that they sell all their worldly possessions to go serve in a foreign country for eternity. We are glad to have them as their presence will help provide some stability to Nica Impact while we are away. Their main responsibility is to manage the money flow and to help us set up a weekly Skype conference call with our Nica staff. Once that is done each week, they will have to implement beach ministry protocol at our Tupilapa beach house. This is an important component of a newcomers training, to enjoy time watching the ocean, reading books, and spending time in prayer and meditation while enjoying Gods creation. A daily walk on the beach completes the therapy.

Please pray for the Owens time in Nicaragua and for Julie and I as we travel back to our hometown.

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Student Training

As North Americans, Julie and I (Doug) are careful with the time we spend with our students. Our intent is to have a predominantly indigenous ministry where our Nicaraguan staff are the principle guides for our students. Having said that, we look for opportunities were we can speak into their lives to implant life skills and values.

The video shows one such opportunity where we took small groups of students (5 at a time) out to a suspended bridge site, hiked up river, and built our own rope bridge. Then we trained them on how to make a Swiss seat and secure themselves to cross the river. The goal was to all cross the river while working as a team. At the same time, we were able to talk about career goals, Hopes and dreams, next steps in life, etc. It was a fantastic time.

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