Satisfied Wages for Nicaragua

This is our first Christmas outside of the U.S.A since we can remember. While we miss our family and some of our traditions back home it has been exciting to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ abroad. Instead of snow we have rain, instead of presents there are firecrackers! Familiar Christmas carols in Spanish and Villacion Navidenos we never heard before. Let all the world rejoice! A savior is born, and His name is Jesus! Here our some of our photos of December in Nicaragua. These displays were downtown Managua, a sight to see! A short video is included! Murals and Altars for Dec.8  EL Nacimiento The Nativity Arbol and the Cathedral  Merry Christmas!

Jesse and I have been adjusting well to our new home in Nicaragua. This past month we've been getting familiar with our surroundings and learning how transportation and the phone systems work here. We have been blessed with an apartment just walking distance to groceries stores, pharmacies, and banks. Our family members in Nicaragua have been a tremendous help as well as those at the Nehemiah Center during our transition here. My first few weeks I've been orienting and meeting the staff at AMOS Hope and Health and Clinica El Samaritano in Nejapa. The clinic serves communities in The Clinic the Nejapa area (a semi-rural community) just outside of Managua (the capital) and those who come from other locations. Services offered include medical consultations, laboratory exams, diagnostic ultrasounds and a pharmacy. The clinic operates Mondays through Fridays, with two medical doctors on staff, one licensed nurse, an office manager, and a receptionist who also dispens

I have started to participate in our mentoring program for the business owners of the Asociacion de Emprasarios Cristianos de Nicaragua (AECNIC). There are 24 members of the association and we have chosen to start with the associations 7 board members. Each business has already received six months worth mentoring earlier this year, so my work will build on this and God willing, bring a new perspective to the participants. If any of you are familiar with my previous work, I was on a Business Affiliate team for SpringGR in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a few years. This team consisted of Christian business men and women who volunteered their time and wisdom to help mentor SpringGR alumni. Here is a link to learn more >  SpringGR  It's a great program, and get involve if you are in the Grand Rapids, MI area! I hope to put my previous experience to work for AECNIC. Of course, there will be plenty to learn from AECNIC as well. I can't wait to see how these entrepreneurs respo

Jari and I have finally settled into our apartment. We have been blessed with a home close to where we will be volunteering. The Nehemiah center is only 3.5 kilometers from where we stay, a short 10 minute bus ride. Amos Health and Hope is only 200 meters away from the Nehemiah Center for Jari. Being close allows us to take a bus, bus to caponera, or even walk if needed. After orientation and my first week of Spanish lessons I was able to take a trip and meet the Junta (board) for the Associacion Empresarios Cristianos Nicaragua (AECNIC). This is a group of 24 Christian business men and women who have completed business as mission training done in collaboration with the Nehemiah Center and Partners World Wide. The meeting started at 9 a.m. in a city to the north called Chinandega! Quick Shot inside This was our first time being all day on a bus to another city. Most of the buses in Nicaragua are old school buses. We stopped the bus from our taxi, and boarded the bus. It was

I bought myself a Buck knife in the last year and inside the package, on the Famous Forever Warranty was this message from the Buck Family. Please take some time to read it! "From the beginning, we determined to make God the Senior Partner." I smiled when I read this. I knew I was dealing with a good company, a company that cares about its products, but more importantly its customers! They have chosen not only to live out their Christian faith in life but in their business. They have given ownership of the company to God by making Him, Senior Partner.  Senior Partner - Partner  whose level of involvement (and the associated authority, responsibility, risks, and rewards) is greater than that of the junior  partners , and at par with other  senior partners . - Business Dictionary Giving all the authority, responsibility, risks and rewards of the business to God has allowed this company to be some of the best knife makers in the USA since 1902 . This is a