From the Field Friday: NI-207

Let's travel to a new county today: Nicaragua! We visit the project that my girl Ayling attends.

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Dear Kayla,

My name is Santiago Medrano. I am the pastor of the Peniel Church and I also oversee the "Hogar Ismaelito" Child Development Center where we minister to over 350 children, including Ayling. 

I am very grateful for the support you provide to Ayling. 

Let me tell you that the neighborhood where we are working is economically disadvantaged. The community faces a high rate of unemployment, there is much violence and delinquency and the children suffer from lack of guidance and opportunity. The challenge we have is to transform to this new generation with the message of Jesus Christ and sow values in them. 

The vision that I have as a pastor is to have a mature and trained church and performing the evangelistic ministry throughout our community and to be a model center where children and young people give their lives to Christ and to be economically self-sustaining. The impact we have made in the lives of children who are served is significant because the context of our community is that children at an early age are involved in gangs, alcohol, and drugs. Now, our children have become aware and many of them have decided to give their lives to Jesus and make appropriate use of their bodies and minds. 

In our center, we have many children who come from dysfunctional families and needs lots of support. We serve them in the areas of spiritual, cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical growth. This gives them a holistic and well-balanced development, in accordance with the Compassion International curriculum. 

For our children, the communication with their sponsors has a very large value. Through the letters the children feel encouraged and loved. They feel special knowing that someone far away cares for them and loves them. They are excited and happy to receive the letters and just the same in writing the sponsors back. The children that do not receive letters feel very sad and discouraged. Thus, we thank you and ask that you write to Ayling and keep a very good communication. 

I ask your prayers for God to help us and we can reach our goal. We trust in God that with His help and with the sponsorship program, soon we will be serving more children and more people of the community. 

Thank you for loving Ayling and our ministry. 

Best Regards,

Pastor Santiago Medrano Carballo 

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