Dear Missions Partner,         

We have been blessed to have so many of you here in Nicaragua ministering to our people over the years. It has been our great pleasure to host each and every one of you and to see the passion you all share in spreading the Gospel.

Colonial Heights Baptist Church

Colonial Heights, VA

Colonial Heights Baptist Church from Colonial Heights, VA had a team in the field May 4th to 11th.  The team of 28 rose to 30 for the middle of the week when we were joined by our Sr. Pastor and our Missions Pastor. 

As usual we had a fantastic week serving the Lord in Nicaragua.  Our week was filled with VBS, construction, door-to-door evangelism, feeding, medical clinics and even small business development classes.  A large part of our focus for the week was on sustainability.  The Survival Kits that we placed with families in barrios came with a short class on business principles found in the Bible.  Survival kits are designed to help them be viewed as the first step toward growing a small business through teamwork and peer support.  We even left a few kits behind for the next team or two. 

The construction team did some real Extreme Home Makeovers - Nicaragua Edition- on two homes and built a large chicken coop in The Parcels that will provide a continuing source of food and income for a very happy family. 

Our doctors saw patients in 3 different barrios and treated all that came and the VBS sessions were huge hits as always.  We love those smiling happy little faces and can't wait to get back in November.

Michael Angelilli

Team Leader

Impact Sports Ministry

Spartanburg, SC

Our second trip to Nicaragua partnering with Chosen Children Ministries was more amazing than the first.  We're in a unique situation when compared to the normal group that travels down to work with CCM.  We are a sports ministry that uses sports to create opportunities worldwide to share the Gospel.  We offer "services" through clinics, exhibition, and "friendly" matches.  That's not the norm for Chosen Children Ministries.  Because of the novelty of our basketball team turned, baseball team, turned softball team, turned soccer team, we were able to share the Gospel in small groups and large to over 550 Nicaraguans!  The significant part of that number was that a majority of our audience were men.  I had the chance to preach the first day at the church in Paradise, and there was only one older man in the congregation, the rest were women and children.  Sports is a universal language that we used to speak to the men who would not be found in a church.  By week's end, many of those men had come to know Jesus as their personal Savior!  Chosen Children Ministries now has the privilege to follow up and disciple these men, and get them plugged into a local church...most of them in churches that many of you helped build!

I want to be careful not to give the wrong impression. The week was not all glamour and big crowds.  We originally went down to play basketball, but ended up playing baseball, softball, and soccer as mentioned before.  Three of our guys didn't even own a glove, and I retired from soccer in 5th grade!  We learned to laugh at ourselves and keep the main thing the main thing.  Nowhere was this more obvious than when we had the chance during a free morning to build a pig pen at that same church in Paradise...a definite first for me!   God doesn't want our skills, expertise, or ability.  He simply wants our availability.  If we're available for Him to use however He sees fit, then those gifts and abilities that He has blessed us with can truly be used for His glory.  Thank you Wallace, Guillermo, Jorge, Abner, Roger, Bill and the rest for your willingness to follow God's call and the work you do in Nicaragua.

Scott Duke

Director of Impact Sports Ministry-Team Leader

Central Baptist Church

Gaffney, SC   

We had a wonderful trip to Nicaragua and watched God show out as we showed up. We were a small group of 10 that joined up with 2 others from Columbia for a grand total of 12. Jesus changed the world with 12 disciples and this week allowed these willing people to make a difference in Nicaragua.

 
We worshiped with the people in "Paradise" on Sunday morning after traveling most of the night. Being a part of their worship service was much more valuable than the sleep we lost. It was amazing worshiping with the people there and knowing that it is the same God no matter where we are in the world.

For most of the week we were able to work in the Flags barrio, painting the school, doing VBS, and some door to door evangelism. Every day we pulled in and saw the children running behind the bus, it was a humbling experience. Every afternoon we watched the attendance at VBS increase as well as the children's enthusiasm for the Word of God.

We were able to purchase a water purifier, and an economic stove type fire pit, and the cups, bowls, and silverware for the feeding station at the church! With this we were able to feed everyone on our last day there and supply beans, rice, salt, and sugar that should last about three months.

Going door to door allowed us to see the desperate need for the gospel.  While some of their needs are very different than ours, this one is the same. It was incredible though to see the willingness of these people to listen and their receptiveness of the Word.

For our last day of work we were blessed to be one of the first teams to go into a new barrio and talk to the people there.  One of the first families we talked to was a Christian home who greatly desired and had been trying to get a church in their community. They were so joyful when we told them of the possibility of CCM helping to build a church there.

As always our team felt that we were blessed more than the people we came in contact with. No matter how tired or sore we were, Christ gave us the strength to continue on working and loving the people there. Thank you CCM for this opportunity and hard work you did to make this possible, and to the translators for speaking when we could not.
Holland Hammett
Team Member

Cumberland Baptist Association

Clarksville, TN

 Explore Mission Opportunities with  Chosen Children  ministries ...that was the purpose and that was what we did!
Just a few weeks ago a group of us from Cumberland Baptist  Association in Clarksville Tennessee were able to spend a few days in Nicaragua.  We were welcomed with open arms and great smiles by the staff as we arrived from an easy flight from the States. All of us were surprised by the quick trip and the ease of getting into country.