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webpage last updated by James Keith Montz on 13-Nov-2009

Nicaragua Mission Trip
March 2004
Derek, Johnna and Keith

 

For one week in March of 2004, our church sent down 20 members down to the capital city Managua of Nicaragua.  The purpose of our trip was to help evangelize for a local church that we support and also to help with the sick in the area.  One of our members is a Doctor who brought down several suit cases of medical supplies.  On the plane trip down, there were two other church groups going down also on medical missions.

Managua i s a city diverse in economic prosperity with many American businesses.   The roads were like any road here in the United States while other places, they were merely dirt roads.  An American could live down in Nicaragua and not want for any normal "creature comforts."  At night we noticed that every business had armed security guard(s) who would stay outside through out the night.   All homes were built with an outer perimeter wall of some sort and all homes had someone present at all times to stop thievery. 

We stayed at an Assembly Of God Compound that caters to foreign missionaries.  The rooms were like college dormitories with each floor having a community bathroom for both women and men.  The rooms all had vented windows with a fan for cooling.  During the day the temperature was between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit and at night the temperature dropped to the mid 70s.

In the mornings and afternoons we went into the neighborhoods, "barrios", around the church we were supporting.   We went door to door to witness to the inhabitants and invite them to come to "Oasis Of Love" church at night and also to visit our Doctor at the church.  We split up into around 4 teams, which had two or more translators and also members of the local church.

Our breakfast and lunch were prepared at the Assembly Of God compound and our dinner was a prepared dinner held around 9pm at the church after the evening service. 

We took off on Wednesday to take in touristy sites in Nicaragua , which consisted of seeing a live volcano, going to a market and eating out at a very nice restaurant.

We went down thinking we would be a blessing to the church we supported from Houston , but all of us came back realizing we were blessed more by the Nicaraguans.  Here in the USA , we do not know poverty and for the most part can live without a perceived presence of God, where the Nicaraguans belief and trust in God was a necessity to provide their daily food.

On the last night's Church Service, the Oasis Of Love's Pastor Eddy called our evangelism team up to the front of the Church.  We had no idea what was about to happen.  He told the members of the church that we had came down to Managua at great expense and asked the church to bless us back.   A great number of the local members then came up and gave us money and personal items.  I know that they had no understanding that what they were giving to us in their local currency was pennies in our US currency; but when all of us saw what they were giving us, we saw that it what many of them earned for many days wages.  We were all deeply touched by their act of faithfulness to God.

Assembly Of God Compound - Place for foreign missionaries to use
1  Angle view of 3 story building.  Each room had a fan and vented widows In front is one of the two mini vans we used to go to the mission church area
2 A view outside of our 3rd floor room to the center courtyard where two cockatoos woke us up with chatter in the morning
3 Derek and Johnna sitting in the courtyard in front of the two cockatoos
4 Johnna outside of the compound where there was another two cockatoos who was very entertaining.  One could say "Hannah" and loved playing with a stick
5 The above mention cockatoo playing with his stick
6 The gated entrance to the compound.  A family lived in the building to the left of the doors.  At night a man would guard the compound with a gun.
7 A view of a new homes being constructed next to our compound
8 Our group about to leave in the morning
9 Our group having lunch
At the Curch, "Oasis of Love"
1 Derek standing in the Church which was built with Eucalyptuses wood and weaved palm leaves for a roof.
2 Another view of the top of the constructed Church.
3 Pastor Jimmy and Evangelist James relaxing at the Church during the day.
4 Local Pastor Eddy Cantu with his wife, Pastor Vivian Cantu during an alter call at one of the evening services.
5 Pastor Jimmy during one of the evening services.  (Pastor Eddy translated.)
6 Husband and wife who lead music every night.
In the Barrios
1 At an assembly point before dispersing into groups to go house to house.
2 Outside a house about to be invited in
3 In the backyard of the house.  Keith, two family members and Israel (far right).  The older lady is is mother of the other.   She was cured of stomach and brain cancer at a church many years ago.
4 Johnna and Israel looking down a street a huge pig running loose with a rope tethered around his neck.
5 A view of one of the barrio streets.  Notice the walls around each home.
6 A view of another street with a carriage pulled by two cows
7 There are 3 school shifts running daily: 8-12, 1-5 and 6-10.  This is a picture of the 8am shift of kids walking home for the day.
8 Two gang members we witnessed to after this picture.  They accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and started going to the Oasis Of Love 
9 All of us getting refreshments at a house who sells refreshments and cigarettes
Wednesday's Tourist Day
1 Entrance to Volcano Masaya
2 Neat shot of a Hummer 1 which came down from Florida filming the volcano
3 Shot of outside of volcano.  Cockatoos live in the sides of the volcano for protection from predators
4 Another shot of volcano mouth
5 Derek outside of mouth of volcano
6 Keith and Johnna outside of mouth of volcano
7 All three of us.  The cross was put there many centuries ago where a Spaniard missionary described the volcano as the mouth of hell
8 Picture of dead volcano which is higher up from the mouth of the live volcano
9 Johnna outside the mouth of the dead volcano with the live volcano in the distance
10 Getting ready to have lunch at Pollo Marcy's - a chicken restaurant
11 Having lunch at Pollo Marcy's
12 Derek in the play ground area of Pollo Marcy's
13 Johnna and Derek resting at the market
14 Eating dinner at "The Ranch Steak House"