2015 Nicaragua: Days of Grace and Progress

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day; this is the day that the 

Lord has made.

Daryl Fitzgibbons writes:

Every day and moment of our time in Nicaragua is a blessing. We are truly thankful to be in this place of beauty, surrounded by friendly, caring and loving people. We also appreciate your support and prayers - you keep us strong.

We started this day with the "usual" fantastic breakfast: scrambled eggs, pancakes, rice and beans, fresh fruit, toast, jam, guacamole, plantains. We actually had a discussion about plantains. A plantain is related to a banana, but is larger and seldom eaten raw. Commonly, they are baked or fried. We have had opportunities to enjoy them both ways!

After breakfast, we headed for a full day at AMC. We were invited to join the staff for their weekly Devotional, coordinated and led by Dr. Francisco Gutierrez, Director of Organizational Development and the Pastoral Leader. We each joined one of three groups for study and discussion of material, presented along a timeline from the beginning of creation. My group focused on the time of Moses, his life, and his being chosen to lead the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. Why was he chosen? Why was he not allowed to reach the Holy Land? Some observations from members of the group: "Our minds cannot understand the greatness of God;" "God never tires of taking care of us. Good things do happen;" "Why do we do bad things when God blesses us?" and "The Promise continues for everyone."

The discussion in the other two groups differed because they were at different points along the timeline.

The Devotional ended with some updates for staff and prayer. Please pray for Tasha Pri (which means "free land ") AMC site and its coordinator, Edith. The site's water supply is being threatened by a mining project for gold and some unrest has occurred. Pray also for the churches which have burned in the U.S., their members, and the families of those killed at the Emmanuel AME church in Charleston.

We spent the rest of the day working at the future training center and meeting room. Wood was cut for framing windows, mortar was spread on walls, inside and out, and we began to paint the primer on walls that were ready. Carlos, the contractor, was his usual, patient self. When I painted a section that I shouldn't have, he laughed and said it can be fixed! It seems that even with mistakes, we are accomplishing much more than they could do on their own! We had more laughs when the rain began. We were not only very dirty, but now soaked! We had to admit, it felt good.

We enjoy our time with our translator, Freddie. He likes to tell jokes and today on the drive back to our hotel, he sang "My Way" for us.

Tomorrow we will participate in a national disaster evacuation drill. More on that to follow!

Grace and peace,

Daryl Fitzgibbons