The second week

 As our time went on working at the farm we 

got to stop to enjoy Vacation Bible School

or VBS.  The two churches brought gifts for

the needy children.  In thier gift bags we gave

them toys and dental hygiene items.

 Mike and I had fun being part of some games we played with the kids or ninos.

 Some of these children had never played with a ball.

Al Brenner

Shelly Lewis talking to the kids.

During our resting time I made coffee for
for everyone, Nicaraguan style.
The nationals and Rigoberto's family make
us dinner after a hard day of working.

Ed Christensen, Allan Abell, and Valerie Wapelhorst

Rigo, Patti, Rachel, Tio, Juan Carlos, Jacob Meece

Terry Hoyt, Barbara Pecht, Shelly Lewis and Jean Yeager

Bill Wapelhorst, Ed Christensen, Allan Abell

Jacob giving first aid to our kitchen help.

The men taking a break

The floor completed

The team arrives

The team arrives.

Rigo, Rachel and I picked up the team from the airport.
What an exciting time to see our friends from two different
churches, Kentucky and New Jersey.
We then took a bus to a hotel about 15 minutes past the
farm.  This takes about 2 1/2 hours in traveling time.
We like to stop at this little place and let people taste
some Nicaraguan food.
We then continue on our journey to the Puma hotel where
  we would be staying for our time in Nicaragua.

Work began the following day. 

Rachel and Valerie

Mke shoveling sand.

Barbara welding

This was the teams first work day. 

Rigo supervising.

Lunch being prepared.

 

Our trip to Nicaragua February 2012

The time has come for Rachel  and I  to experience a different cultural.
Follow us as we share with you our journey over the next month.

Our trip to Nicaragua started off a with teaching agriculture classes at the farm.

Spending time with the farmers in small groups was a blessing.

I showed them how to collect seeds for the next year.

Showing the farmers how to make soil blocks was the next step.
Everyone got to try their hand at the process.

The people are eager to learn new ways to farm to help improve their families diets.




Later in the week we visited a peanut farm.

Peanut farm operation

Rigo, Pastor Martine, and Patti

peanuts before roasting

The team for Missions Trip February 2012

We have our team ready for Nicaragua.

The trip will be from February 28 thru March 9 2012.

The team consists of eleven people from two 

churches.

 

Jackson Baptist Church,  Jackson, NJ

Mill Creek Baptist Church, Bardstown, KY

On this trip we will be working on a building project under

the supervision of our Missionary Rigoberto Reyes.

 

The Bethlehem Farm project is moving forward.

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for our

trip.

 

Day 10-Nicaragua

Day 10 was our final day in Nicaragua. 

We would leave early in the morning as we

were traveling back to Managua.

I can not hide what God has shown me.
If you know about the needs of someone
how can you turn your head.
James 2:14-16

. What good is it,
my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith
but has no deeds?  Can such faith save them?
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and
daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace;
keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about
their physical needs, what good is it?

Ken Kirby with the Bunk family in Managua, Nicaragua

 The last part of our trip we were blessed to briefly meet
with Ken Kirby.  Ken Kirby is a church planter from NJ.
He has come to Nicaragua to assist the pastors in church
planting.  He shared with us some of the cultural shocks he
had experienced in Central America.

Georgina and little Rigo.

Let me introduce you to Georgina.
She was a great hostess to us while
we stayed in Chinandega.  This is
Rigo and Claudia's youngest daughter.

We will say goodbye to Nicaragua
for now.

Day 9-Nicaragua

Day 9 would be our final day at the farm.

We were to travel around to different farms with our

friend Martine. He is the pastor of this community.

Martine holding a soil block maker.

We started our excursion at about 830 am.

First, we visited one of the lady farmers who 

came to the soap making class.

We got to see where her family lives and
try to understand how they survive. We got to see her
corn grinder and how she makes flour for food.
.

Cutting corn off the cob, Nicaraguan style.

The death of a child.

corn grinder to make flour

Kitchen

The storage of corn, the main food supply.

Rachel got to ride a horse and then we looked at the field of corn that was a success.

A family we visited in the Mtns.

We then drove up the rugged mtns to a small village.
We were able to visit a family who raised pigs.

Housing for a family.

Rigo and I discussing where what will be the next step.

We  had a good day of touring different homes in the area.
The day had come to an end, and we went back to Chinadega
as our host family had dinner waiting for us.  It was a relaxing
evening as tomorrow we would move on to our next destination.

Day 8-Nicaragua

Day 8 was Sunday and it would be a full day of new adventures.

This was the day we have been waiting for, everything we had 

prepared back in the US for.

Canning supplies sent from the US.

The group discussing what the next step will be.

The first project we showed the farmers was making glycerin soap.

As this can be done with a stove of any kind.

First we cut the glycerin and then melt it.  We then

mix it with tea which we made with herbs. Finally, we

pour it into molds.

Patti pouring soap into molds.

Stove fired by wood.

Rigo looking at the finished soap.

Corn cut by hand

The stove fired by wood.

The finished preserved corn.

Mike removing the canned corn..

The steps to canning corn was first take the corn off the cob.  Then cook in boiling water and get it into jars.  Then put it into a pressure canner for steam processing.

Remove from canner and you got preserved corn.

Rachel and Martine sitting with the churro-pig.

The last part of our day was sitting watching the sun set.