Satisfied Wages for Nicaragua

Below is a fresh e-mail from the Nehemiah Center. We are blessed to have been a part of this organization for four years! Here is the actual email URL:  kingdom-finance-responds-to-covid-19-challenges   In   Nicaragua a large number of people, including pastors and leaders, do not know how to manage their resources. Instead, they spend more than they have and even resort to loans which generate debt. When the Nehemiah Center saw the great need to learn how to manage finances, they began a program called Kingdom Finance. The Kingdom Finance program uses curriculum from the Good Sense Movement that promotes financial freedom based on  biblical principles. In this issue of the Nehemiah Center newsletter, we look at the impact the Kingdom Finance program is having on pastors and local church leaders. We also want to give thanks for the work of Jesse Rodriguez, who has shown love and passion for the Lord's work through teaching others financial principles of God's kingdom...

The Nehemiah Center communications team has released a video of the work we have all been a part of during the corona virus pandemic. We are still in the last two weeks of online sessions. Online discipleship is valuable and effective!  Y para las personas que hablan español: 

Enjoy these awesome testimonies from our participants of the Finances for the Kingdom. We followed up with three of them a year later. They are encouraging to us and we hope they will encourage you as well! Pastors Roberto and Ligia Hernández from Mateare, Managua  are in their late 60s and currently pastoring a church called Iglesia Siloe. They have been i n  ministry for many year s, a nd are retired business owners of a printing company in Managua.  They both parti cipated in the Good Sens e Budget Course in April 2019.   At the start of the course pastor Roberto was not in agreement with the teachings. However, during the mentoring sessions this was his response about the course, "God is changing my life and the way I think, the course not only changes finances but also lives.” Here is their testimony:      The Good Sense budget course has helped my wife and I, and has opened our minds and transformed our finances. It has helped us be more disci...

We have been planning a new virtual workshop with the Nehemiah Center since June. These virtual workshops are part of the Nehemiah Center's larger online plan called Church and the Coronavirus. Rather than let the Nicaraguan churches stay closed, or open without anyone giving some kind of counsel, we decided to offer a virtual training. It was a challenge for the Nehemiah Center staff because training online was completely new and unfamiliar. There was confusion and resistance, but group prayer helped us to unite in spirit and get the planning done. The project is online now! The work is virtual but it is not lightweight at all! We have 24 churches to train for this project by October! Freddy and I are teaching 6 sessions a week to two different churches, weekly, until October. Each virtual session is 45 minutes long, but sometimes we go over if the conversation is good. Freddy and I are facilitating the subject of overcoming scarcity. We use some concepts from the Good Sense cours...

The coronavirus is peaking in Nicaragua and spreading rapidly across the communities. Many of our friends and co-workers at the Nehemiah center have been affected by the virus. Program participants have become ill while some are currently caring for family members who are battling this virus. Unfortunately, there has been lack of response from the government. No official reliable data of confirmed cases, deaths, and recoveries is available.  A recent press release was made by more than 30 medical associations urging the country, the public and private sector to auto quarantine to begin a shut down of non-essential businesses as other countries have done. This may help minimize the spread of the virus and keep the hospitals and the health care system from collapsing. Businesses are taking their own measures to help with containment of the virus, some have closed their facilities and have gone online to continue their operations. Others have decreased their hours and restaurants ...

This is a story from our ministry partners and friends at La Semilla. You may recall that Franklin & Ariel, work there. Theses two have been participating, sharing and teaching Biblical stewardship since 2017! These two young men are leaders in their communities. (In the picture below they are in the second row to the left.) So I am passing along this good news, we are inspired by God's hand and faithfulness in all He does! This is what we love to see happening. Biblical stewardship, Business for the kingdom of God and the blessing it brings for entire communities! Juan! - photo credit, La Semilla Ministries Juan graduates from the financial training class. Juan has taken advantage of financial training offered at La Semilla too, and has a better understanding of managing his finances. As a result, he understands the value of investments, particularly as they relate to his farm.  Since he understands investments ... Read the full story here:  http://lasemilla...

This picture probably looks familiar to many of you by now. A screen shot of a teleconference call. 2nd Conference call with pastors and business owners All over the world corona virus has had an impact and Nicaragua is no different. The Nehemiah Center has limited office hours and so we have to work from home now just like many all over the world. This month the infections appear to be rising. Here the internet is not as fast and reliable. I do miss my old 100mps Comcast connection back in Michigan! Many people have a limited access to the internet and don't have a computer. However, a lot of people have a smartphone. Using their phones to connect on the call pictured above comes with a cost in buying extra mobile data. Buying extra data to join a video call shows commitment. All of these individuals were pleased to see each other. Our facilitators continue to show their dedication to financial stewardship for their communities. If you have enough mobile data the internet ...

Road Entrance After completing the Finances for the Kingdom program in 2017, Pediatrician Karla was ready to apply newly learned stewardship principals to her personal finances. To free herself from the financial stress and the accumulated debt she had acquired, she began looking for other opportunities to earn extra income and pay back this debt.  She opened up her home to her community of Nejapa, a semi rural area on the outskirts of the capital city of Managua. She began offering medical consultations right on her front porch from 5:00-9:00 PM. During the first few months of opening her home for medical consultations, neighboring parents brought their children to see her. A few adults came seeking medical attention as well.  Porch Consultation Room No after hours medical clinics are open in this semi-rural community. Within the two clinics located in Nejapa a pediatrician is available once a week. God began to fill Dr. Karla's heart with the desire to start ...

Flor de Avispa in the Nehemiah Center We've been back in Managua, Nicaragua for a month now and it feels great! Our fourth year here and things look very promising for Satisfied Wages! Work always starts off slow for the new year here at the Nehemiah Center but we're excited for some plans coming in the next few months. We'll share more details about them as they develop. There were some changes here during the months we were back in Michigan. ESVO Closed 😞 The Escuela Vocational- ESVO (vocational School) closed at the end of December. After 12 yrs of good ministry it appears this season is over. The apprentices have left to look for work. I was told various reasons as to why the school closed, but overall it can be said the closing was a result of increased pressure from the government on different schools and NGOs as a result of the current political situation in Nicaragua. Perhaps ESVO could open again in a different location, but those are plans for the lead...

On January 17 we said good bye to Michigan after four months of 'home' visit. We rented a car and headed off to Chicago to stay at a Best Western hotel until 3 a.m. to check in at the Chicago O'hare airport. It started snowing heavily and our road trip took an extra two hours to reach out hotel because of traffic and weather conditions. We finally reached the hotel and then I returned our rental car and walked back to the hotel in the snow. I didn't have a coat to keep me dry and just wore an old hooded sweatshirt, scarf, headband and a good pair of waterproof boots! I walked back the half mile to the hotel and finally settled into our room for the night. Blizzard Selfies in Chicago O'hare Airport "Finally, Jari, rest and we're going back home!" I said to my wife. About an hour later I received a terrible email notice from our airline, then soon the app sent a notice too, both read, "WE ARE CURRENTLY ATTEMPTING TO REBOOK YOU." When I op...