In 1998, a small group of
people from North Carolina began making mission trips to
an area of Nicaragua that was hit hard by Hurricane "Mitch".
These rugged "Nicas" are people who, in their words, "know
how to suffer." They have lived through hurricanes,
earthquakes, landslides, droughts, floods, volcanic eruptions,
bloody dictatorships, and the Sandinista war. We found families
living under trees, with sheets of plastic for protection
from the rain. These refugees had fled to higher ground,
and sat on top of a mountain in the rain for 6 days, watching
helplessly as their homes, cattle, crops, and even loved
ones and neighbors were swept out to sea or buried by a nearby
collapsed volcano. We met strong people; strong in body and
strong in faith. But we were not prepared for what we found
after the first year of working with them side by side to
build houses, plant crops, etc.
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The primary opportunity for work in this area of Western Nicaragua is agricultural labor in the sugar cane fields where men spend their lives laboring long hours for meager pay. However, it is a job for which they are thankful. They must have a job in order for their families to eat. But there is a problem. A significant number of the workmen find that they are slowly dying of kidney failure. When they eventually get too sick to work, they are returned home where many die soon or a few short years later. These sick men range in age from the mid 20s to the 50s. Over 3,000 men in the region have been sent home where they die an ugly and painful death as their kidneys shut down. But the men must have a job to feed their families, and many choose this work, as it is a source of income.
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God has called us to help the small community of Bethel. Those families of the sick men (about 50) are sponsored by friends like you in the U.S. with a small food and medicine allowance, and help the many widows in the same manner. The way we are helping the future of the community of Bethel is helping them find or create alternative sources of income so that they do not have to work in the cane fields.
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I thank you, Lord...
... For my perfect arms,
when so many have been mutilated.
...for my good eyes,
when so many walk without light.
...for my voice that sings,
when so many are mute.
...for my hands that work, when so many must beg.
Oh wonderful Lord...
...to have a house; to return to a home,
when there are so many brothers who have nowhere to go.
...to smile, to dream, to love,
when so many cry; so many hate.
Above all,
to have so little for which to ask you, and so much for which
to thank you!
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written by
Jairo Antonio Hernandez
Bethel, Nicaragua
Dedicated to the brothers and sisters of Vision Nicaragua.
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To all
who have contributed to the marvelous ministry of clothing
the naked and feeding the starving; May God bless you!!!
May God's angel give you many more years and protect your
families.
I am eternally grateful to God for each person
who has the sound of Bethel in his ears, because this has
opened a floodgate of blessing for us. Since you set foot
on this land you are never forgotten, and each time you visit
we rejoice in your presence —and the new faces—that
don't come looking for a vacation, but to offer their hands
to
help.
You give value to our qualities and talents so that they
can be used to meet our needs, and to show that we can be
useful. When you come you have our needs in mind. My family
has been blessed more than we could ever have imagined.
I decided to write this down because when something is on
my mind, I have to say it! These are words of gratitude from
my heart; inspired by God. He has filled me with love for
you all.
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written by
Ana Tercero
(20 yrs old)
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