January 2017

        

The Child Sponsorship program is to help keep children in school to change the next generation. At the Bethlehem Farm, we want to make an impact on the people of this region.

According to the pastors we work with, the children in this region typically either never go to the school or drop out to go to work.
When parents have no food, everyone has to help, and that means a 7-year-old might work. I know this to be true as my daughter and I (in the early years) rode the buses from Chinandega to the farm. This opened our eyes of child labour issues in Nicaragua.

For us, going to Nicaragua to be with the sponsored children is always a highlight of the winter months.

 When it is winter in Kentucky, it is our summer in Nicaragua. We arrive in Chinandega, where we typically stay in the city at a hotel.

 Chinandega has public transportation and we can buy our food from a local market. The city gives a feeling of a small town where people are very friendly. As we

walk along the streets, everyone is out in their rocking chairs, talking and socializing.

 The Bethlehem Farm is located 45 minutes outside of Chinandega where people live in very rural areas.

It is truly amazing how the Lord fills our hearts with the love of children. Especially when we get there and a child we may not have seen in

many months comes to give us a hug. Now, that's a good day!

Each January, the Nicaraguan Ministry has a Christmas celebration for the children that live close to the farm, as our goal is to have an impact on this region. This year we were able to invite 250 children from the area and each child received a gift: a doll for the girls, a truck

for the boys, and building blocks!

 

This was definitely an exciting time for everyone.

We also presented a video to the children for the first time, and we chose the story of Goliath.

 

My hope is that this story will stick in their minds so when they feel there is a giant in front of them they will not be afraid.

You could be a part of this amazing change that is taking place. Come to Nicaragua and help change lives!

 https://www.missionsdoor.org/project/nicaragua-child-sponsorship-program/