Satisfied Wages for Nicaragua

Rumbo a El Salvador!  We finally made it to El Salvador! After over a year of postponement, we visited our neighbor two borders to the north of Nicaragua. Traveling by bus was complicated this time. I had to journey back to the capital of Managua to take a COVID test. One specific clinic in Nicaragua is approved to give the test in the whole country, and it costs $150, (yes, dollars)! I made several copies of several types of documents in order to leave Nicaragua and enter and leave Honduras. This was something new since the last time I journeyed to El Salvador.   Gerardo, Freddy and myself We were invited by Gerardo, Executive Director of Seeds of a New Creation , located in San Salvador, El Salvador. This organization is a 'sister' organization of the Nehemiah Center in Managua, Nicaragua. They share many common themes and methods of outreach to strengthen the local church. Gerardo was hearing from pastors of the challenges they were having brought on by the COVID pande...

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...

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...

The Holy Spirit is working in amazing ways in Nicaragua and through our ministry! What a blessing it is to be a part of God’s Kingdom work! Since the first Finance's for the Kingdom stewardship class in 2017 we’ve had 173 people impacted with God’s Word in regards to money. This month we celebrated 15 new facilitators of the Good Sense Financial course ! Those who had gone through our stewardship class and received mentoring, whose lives have been impacted by these teachings, were invited to the facilitator's training. Participants learned how to teach the Good Sense material to become facilitators themselves! We asked those interested to write a short paragraph of the significant changes they’ve experienced since being part of this program. And I want to share with you a few of their responses. New Facilitators 2019, restoring hope for God's people! Doctor Karla is a pediatrician who works with people of all ages, specifically with special needs children in Managua a...

In 2014 I incorporated Satisfied Wages and formally started a financial coaching business using Biblical principles to help people get out of debt and in control of their finances. Our company was to offer businesses a service of training and professional development for their employees in the areas of personal finance. Helping anyone in their finances is going to increase employee moral and attendance! However God had other plans and sent us to Nicaragua. I almost closed Satisfied Wages when a friend told me "Jesse, you don't need to close your company, your just going international!" His comment really change my perspective on our goals in Nicaragua and helped me settle in to our work quickly. Thanks Paul P.! In July we worked with the Nicaraguan Christian Academy International (NCAI) to provide personal finance training to their employees! We teamed up with the Nehemiah Center and Freddy to bring this training there. A hour and half each day for a week we spent giv...

We need your prayers! A few pastors in the city of Leon asked the Nehemiah Center to bring the Finances for the Kingdom program to their city. They ended up recruiting 10 pastoral couples in total, over 22 people were recruited. Not all of them finished. Freddy and I knew this would be a tough group to facilitate the course to. Leon has a history of struggles, wars and hurricanes, and the new political unrest of 2018. Last year, Leon was locked in a violent struggle for 2 months straight that blocked them off from the rest of the country! The political crisis of Nicaragua has hit the tourism sector very hard, Leon's major industry is tourism. The pastors have expressed a drop in church attendance and offerings. These pastors also recognize the need within their congregations to address financial struggles. Freddy's sharing the Word! We started our first class in June. Right away we felt the presence of a poverty mindset and the doubts it brings in. This group of past...

We spent a Sunday afternoon in the HOTTEST place I have ever been in my life! Over a 100F degrees, sharing God's message about money at a church in Acuhualinca! This church had a metal roof, and no insulation so this building was an oven! During the message I was stumbling words and presentation equipment almost burnt out! I had never experienced this kind of heat before, but God is good and He gave me enough water and Spirit to share a message with this group, eager to hear! The sun even comes in through the door! Back in early May a coworker at the Nehemiah Center, Adrianna asked about hosting financial workshop for the churches she works with. She said since the social political crisis of last year many of the churches in her program are experience tough times earning income, and their congregations are struggling financially. A group of these churches is located in a section of Managua called Acuhualinca. This barrio is located on the northwest side of the capital city...

There have been a few struggles recruiting for the Kingdom Finance Program on site at the Nehemiah Center. So we decided to take the training on the road and partnered with a local ministry called Villa Esperanza. The director Wilbur's sister Shirley is one of our stand out graduates and he has saw the change in her lifestyle as a testimony to the the programs impact within his own family. When we met with Wilbur to pitch the program to him, I started telling him about Shirley, but I didn't know she was his sister! "Jesse, I believe you what you say about Shirley." He said with a big smile on his face, "did you know she was my sister and lives right next to me?" My eyes got wide, "No, I had no idea!" "I saw the beginning of changes in her lifestyle and I hear the way her and her husband Rodney speak about their finances now. I would like our pastors to take this course and I will take it with them!" "Ok, Wilbur let's get it on ...

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...

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...