The Potter's Hand

Watch how Evert, the resident potter at Finca Belen, makes a lump of clay into a work of art.

The New Year 2013

The year of 2013 is off  and to a great start.

I am due to leave for Nicaragua on February 22.

My friend Mari and I will be working on getting

the garden up and running.  

Mangos

Mike and I are getting our first team ready for the 

March Missions trip to Nicaragua this year.

Mill Creek Baptist Church in Kentucky.  

The team is due to leave on March 11.

Thank You Lord For Willing Hearts.

Some new buildings going up this year
that our Missionary has planned for us to work on.
The carpentary shop will be begin this month
with a team from New York with
Main Street Baptist Church.
Then in March we have a church coming from
Washington, First Baptist Church.

Isaiah 58:10
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your
light will rise in the darkness, and your night will
become like the noonday.

The Welding Shop

The Welding Shop has been under construction 

probably since back when the Jackson Baptist was

in Nicaragua, which was in March of 2012.
  There have been many teams from the US that
came to help with the construction process.

                                                  

Hope Welding Shop to be opened November 7.

The Hope Welding shop will be able to house
boys that have no homes.  We want to show them
the love of Jesus and teach them a trade.

The building will give them shelter, a place to sleep a
place to learn.

October 2012

In June I returned to Nicaragua in hopes to plant tomatoes.
I spent a few days at Rigo's house while we waited for Mark Jones
to join us.

We arrived at the farm with a very warm welcome from our friends.

Rigo knew of a successfull tomato farmer that he would introduce
me to. Later on in the week Tio  and I went down to his farm and
got 700 tomato plants.  Over the next few days 3 women came
to help me transplant the tomatoes.


I returned in early June to continue the training of the tomato plants.

Pottery made and painted by hand.

The days work never begins without Bible Study.

 

Ice Cream for everyone at the farm.
Its great on hot summers day.

It was time to do a little grocery shopping,
Nicaraguan style.

We are beginning to transplant tomato plants.
































The finished project, over 500 plants.

The day is over it is time to rest.

September 2012 update

I wanted to give an update of what has been going on since my last 

posting which was in July.

Finca Belen Cafe

Paul Hutton

In late April I returned to the farm and did some agricultural training on tomato planting . Then I met with Paul Hutton the Senior Advocate and George Loring Vice President of  Partner Relathionships with Missions Door, Dick Williams with Jackson Baptist

George Loring

Church, plus Ron Galpin and  Mark Jones also with Missions Door. It was a great time for sharing the farm and them seeing lives being changed here in Nicaragua.
We were able to visit with the farmers which Rigo has been training agriculture corn practices to.  They shared with us how thier lives have been impacted through the farm.  They went from a time of eating once a day to having corn to eat.

Dick Williams

Mark Jones

Ron Galpin

We were able to worship with them which was a joy.

Rigo putting the water pump to the test.
We have water.

I managed to bring a water pump thanks to sponsors in the US.

We all had a great day.

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.