Satisfied Wages for Nicaragua

Creating Relationships It has been a little over a year since Finanzas para el Reino began at the Nehemiah Center. God has blessed us with twenty-eight graduates since the program started. We have witnessed the transformation of the lives of these participants and the renewing of their minds with the Word of God. They now understand God’s plan for their lives and finances. Program participant Pastor Juan shares the impact these teachings had on his life, “As church leaders we did not have this knowledge about finances, these teachings are a treasure! Topics such as Christ’s return is frequently interpreted that we go on consuming and become more indebted! However, the solution to our finances, getting out of debt, and staying out of debt is found in the Bible.” The Good Sense course has helped his family start an emergency savings, budget, prioritize, and to get out of debt. They have stopped taking out more loans. He shares his testimony with his congregation. He encourages them ...

"Thankswhat?" On my way to Matagalpa, Thanksgiving Day of 2016, I saw a few Turkeys hanging out in front of houses along dirt roads. These turkeys were strutting and gobbling in front of everyone without a care in the world. It's good to be a turkey in Nicaragua. Here they don't need to run from the ax, at least not on the third Thursday of November! Thanksgiving Day is not celebrated in Nicaragua. So on my first Thanksgiving here I was left with a lot of baked turkey dreams. All those turkeys looked so delicious! At the end of our trip, we settled for fried chicken, on Thanksgiving day?! In April the whole country of Nicaragua changed. Protests against social security reforms have turn into a political crisis. Hundreds of people have lost their lives, thousand have been injured or disappeared. Thousands have lost their jobs too. All of our past posts this summer have had something to do with the situation of the country. It has been a life changing event for ...

Pastor Edgar walking to greet more people coming into church Pastor Edgar is married and lives with five of his children and a grandson. He is fifty-nine years old and takes advantage of every opportunity to learn more about his Christian faith, to bless his congregation with new wisdom. He pastors a small church in northern Managua, Nicaragua. This fifty-three member church is located in a neighborhood close to Lake Managua. For years welding was a side job where he earned around $250 a week. He has taken a break from his welding job and is focusing more on pastoring his congregation. For a year he has been solely dependent on God’s provision. During this time he has witnessed God’s blessings through donations to his church from individuals in Mexico, Panama, Canada, and the U.S.A. through faithful Christians God has touch their hearts to give to his church. Worship Time! Kid on the drums can bang out beats! He has been preaching for thirty-two years and has rejected...

There is always something to read in the news about the political situation in Nicaragua. Protests and counter protests. Kidnapping by police and disappearances. Another National Stike takes place to put a stop to all commercial activity,  in standing for the release of political prisoners. For all of the bad news there is very little good and uplifting news. Well its time to read some good news! On September 5th we celebrated the graduation of 12 dedicated individuals from the Finanzas para el Reino program at the Nehemiah Center! Over the past year we have had a few classes. Of course the political situation did lower our attendance but there were still individuals eager to learn what God has to say about money! Two pastors have completed our course in March and have begun to implement financial stewardship into their churches and preaching! We will be visiting these pastors in their churches very soon, and sharing more about their churches! 12 New Grads with support fr...

There has been a lot of tension in Nicaragua. The air is filled with fear and anxiety. The month of July was packed with this anxiety to a point of stress in the lives of everyone living in the country. Many people were killed and disappeared in June. As July started the uncertainty of violence made life as tense as the weeks before. There were political celebrations for the government, which meant more violence, more injuries and deaths. There was another national strike . All the businesses in the country were closed once again. Through all this tension in the country Jari and I celebrated our wedding anniversary and birthdays! July was always a celebration month for us, and with the Nehemiah Center starting vacations we decided to find refuge outside of the capital city. We heard the roads were free from problems and roadblocks in certain areas going to the Pacific Ocean and we decided to take a trip. Some friends joined us and we had a great time relaxing and resting. Enjoying ...

It has been a long time since Jari and I have had a chance to meet up with some of the entrepreneurs in Chinandega. I have tried to call a few of them but phone connections and times were not very good. Since the start of this political crisis in Nicaragua it is very dangerous to go on long trips away from home. The trip to Chinandega can take up to 2 hours. You also have to pass through the city of Leon on your way there. Leon has been a hot spot of violence, roadblocks and protests. So when a fellow missionary said she was going to go to Chinandega to meet with some of the pastors she works with I decided we should all go together. We decided, "Vamos a Chinandega, con cuidado." Let's go to Chinandega, but carefully. Like any trip in Nicaragua it is an adventure. You don't know what you'll encounter on the way there. However, in these days it can be more dangerous. Our trip was going well, we arrived safely to Leon, but this highway bypass showed the scars of p...

Shut down Oriental Market Thirty-seven days have passed since we arrived in a completely changed Nicaragua. A national economic strike is going on today, on day fifty-eight of the Nicaraguan political conflict.This has been the quietest morning I have ever awoken to while living here. We live a few blocks from a main highway and you can always hear cars, buses and trucks blowing horns and engine braking in the morning rush hour. Today is peaceful, with only the songs of birds. This national economic strike was called for by the major labor, business boards and associations of Nicaragua in response to stalled national dialog with the president and government. Another reason for the strike is the demand for an end to the violent oppression of protesters. To date an estimated 150 people have died, many missing and thousands injured. To put the number of dead into population perspective, it would be 6,900 deaths in the United States. Mercado Israel Lewites - close to our home ...

We had a good visit back to Michigan. We were able to visit family and friends and of course share our message of the Christian's role in business and financial stewardship. While fundraising is a difficult task and a necessary one for our ministry, it is a good thing. We are able to share the good work God is doing in Nicaragua and boast in our Lord Jesus and His faithfulness to our work. During an evening time of prayer Jari and I were encouraged by a great Bible passage to inspire us during our time in Michigan and Illinois. 1 Corinthian 3: 5-9. What I love most about this passage is verse 9, we are God's fellow workers, God's field, God's building! God works with us and so Jari and I spent time sharing and promoting what God is doing in Nicaragua. We were doing our part, doing our job in His kingdom. Jesse's on the mic! We spent a Saturday in Chicagoland with our friends at Good Sense. They were having their Vision Night, Jari and I shared with over...

Cada moneda se acumula! In many nations across the world saving money is a problem. The United States is included in this inability to save. Millions of people do not have enough money to get them through even a months worth of expenses should they be without income or in a family emergency. During the 'Great Recession' of 2008 and the following years I coached over 1,400 individuals and families in the United States. I recall about 25 people or less, had enough savings to avoid losing their house to foreclosure during family emergencies. Nicaragua is no different than the United States in this aspect, not enough savings to cover a family emergency. However, the similarities stops there in regards to saving. Many people in the United States recognize the need to save and would like to, some have set goals to save. But for various reasons they are not able to. A saving culture doesn't exist here in Nicaragua. The majority of individuals I have worked with saving money ...

During our catch up class  in February the Nehemiah Center was blessed by a few generous individuals and churches! The Nehemiah Center director Luz let Freddy and I know there were sufficient funds donated in the beginning of this year to be able to hold another Finanzas para el Reino class! Freddy's back in action! I asked Freddy if he was up to the task of leading another course. He has been participating in some pastoral care for his depression and it has helped him very much. He also bought some reading glasses. These glasses helped him get back into reading his Bible and feeding his soul! As always Freddy was ready for another round of facilitating the Good Sense course! He says it keeps him busy and blesses him with some income now that he no longer works for the Nehemiah Center. He is on a contract bases until his health is back to normal, and funding permits. Please continue to keep Freddy in your prayers, they are working! Jari's going to share the visio...

After arriving back to Nicaragua in December of 2017, I remembered the remnants of the class in September. There were three individuals who turned in all their prerequisites for the course and paid their deposits, but could not finish. We kept saying we needed to bring them in and finish the Good Sense course with them; but the Nehemiah Center is not in a good financial position to hold another class. Added to this problem of financial resources we were missing our friend and facilitator Freddy Mendez. Since November of last year, Freddy fell into depression, but was slowly starting to heal from this illness and feeling better. In late January of 2018 we received an e-mail from Franklin G. and Robert O. from La Semilla. Franklin was in our first cohort of Good Sense back in September of 2017. He wanted to know when we were going to have another class because he was referring his coworker, Ariel, to take the course. Now any good business knows referrals are your best compliment, and...

There has been great progress in the Finanzas para el Reino (Finances for the Kingdom) program at the Nehemiah Center. As like any new product launch in business, we are facing a demand, but limited capital to meet our needs, however we remain faithful in our work. Despite limited funding for the program, God is sending people to us who desire to be a part of Finazas para el Reino! There is a demand here in Managua, and first cohort from September 2017 are referring their friends to the Nehemiah Center! In September of 2017 we launched our first class of Finanzas para el Reino. Our Vision Conference was a great success and we had enough interest to begin with our first group of 25 participants. Our class consisted of what was exactly target in our Survey Results from earlier in the year, young professional adults under the age of 33 years old. A few were single but many of them married for less than three years and beginning to start families. Included in this group were two pastor...

It is tourist season in Nicaragua. Many good people from North America come to enjoy the sun, others come to see different ministries and lend a helping hand. I often hear the same questions mixed in with a commentary about Nicaragua, "Why don't they just.... (fill in the blank)?" It is easy to think you have solutions during a two week visit. I am guilty of the same mentality, born and raised in the United States, I can share the same 'Why don't they just...?" attitude. However, I knew my stay in Nicaragua would be much longer than two weeks and so it was time to not ask questions, but listen. When I was in my early twenties an old Tool & Die journeyman, Mr. Terpstra, once asked me in the same commentary styled question, "Jesse, you can't listen with your mouth open can you?" I never asked many questions of Mr. Terpstra again, I just listened, watched and learned! AECNIC's Business Mind! I was recently able to facilitate a bus...