Fellowship Bible Church, Jackson, Tennessee
Fellowship Student Ministries (FSM)
Nicaragua Mission Trip, June 12-19
A team of 45 youth and adults landed in Managua on June 12 and traveled to Leon to El
Ayudante’s mission team house prepared to build bridges of hope and influence into North
Nicaragua through works of service. A planning team assessed needs in three communities on a
prior trip.
Pablo Morales School, Leon
Monday morning the team traveled 30 minutes down narrow, dirt roads to Pablo Moralas School
(grades 1-6, enrollment 100) which serves a community of over 800. The three classroom school
was in great disrepair. The team’s ministry included:
• the painting of interior and exterior walls.
• provision to replace the school’s very “leaky” roof and installation of new windows
• the presentation of much needed school supplies which included notebooks, pencils,
crayons, paper, etc.
• fun and games with over 120 children. Treat bags were given to each child at the end of
the day.
Monday evening, the team walked to the orphanage for games with the children. Most
importantly, they poured their love into these children by holding and hugging them!
Before and after pictures of Pablo Morales School
Ruben Dario School, Leon
Tuesday and Wednesday mornings the team stepped from El Ayudante’s facility next door into
Reparto Ruben Dario, a community of 7,000 primarily composed of families displaced by
Hurricane Mitch in 1998. According to the Office of Mayor, Leon, Reparto Ruben Dario has one
of the greatest needs within the municipality of Leon. The FSM Team’s ministry was focused
towards Ruben Dario School which serves the reparto. There are 1774 students, grades K-12,
enrolled in this school located on a 1.5 acre site. Two shifts and student to teacher ratios
exceeding 50:1 are required to accommodate the enrollment and still 133 children were turned
away in 2005 because there was no room. The team’s ministry included:
• the mixing by hand and pouring of 15+ yards of concrete in the school’s courtyard which
was previously “six inches of dust during the dry season and six inches of mud during the
rainy season.” The finishing of the concrete included application of a sand coating.
• the painting of the principal’s office and classrooms.
• the donation of books to the newly constructed library which was built by various
mission teams including Fellowship Bible Church’s 2004 team. The library was
dedicated Tuesday morning with the Office of Mayor, Nicaragua Ministry of Education,
and Reparto Ruben Dario community leaders represented.
• classroom instruction to various classes on aviation utilizing an aviation map. The
response from teachers and students was incredible! The aviation map of Nicaragua
(which was the best map of Nicaragua I have ever seen) was donated to the school.
Concrete poured and finished in the courtyard of Ruben Dario School
Tuesday evening the team rode 30 minutes to the Pacific Ocean for a swim, a seaside dinner
which included shrimp, red snapper, charrasco, and a fireworks display over the ocean.
Wednesday morning, team member and Rotarian James Dusenberry met with Leon Rotary
International officers. Also, Wednesday morning, El Ayudante, Inc. officials formalized their
partnership with the Office of Mayor, Leon with the signing of an “Agreement of Cooperation”.
Leon’s newly elected Sandinista mayor, Transito Genaro Tellez, praised the work of mission
teams in Leon and asked for continual prayer as he leads. Leon is the second largest city in
Nicaragua with a population exceeding 200,000.
Oasis of Hope, Matagalpa
Wednesday afternoon the team headed northeast to the city of Matagalpa, population 140,000.
Considering ministry, this city is relatively undiscovered. The team lodged at Selva Negra, a
coffee plantation high in the mountains. Thursday morning the bus brought the 45 to Reparto
Maria Romero in Matagalpa to a church/school called “Oasis of Hope.” This one room “oasis”
serves a community of over 2,000 that is without electricity or water. There are over 1,000
children under 14 years of age in the area. The average wage per household is approximately
$1.25 per day and 80% of households are without husband/father. The “Oasis of Hope” provides
for grades K-3. The director of the school, after receiving Christ as his Lord and Savior,
dedicated his service to this community. The team’s ministry included the:
• feeding of 120 children. There was a Thursday morning “Learning Center” where the
children heard a special presentation of the Gospel.
• painting of the interior and exterior walls of the building.
• delivery of school supplies.
• provision for furnishing the classrooms.
The FSM Mission Team were pioneers into this reparto, paving the way for future ministry and
teams. I have traveled many places in Nicaragua and seen great poverty, but in this reparto you
could feel the hopelessness and despair in your spirit. You could see it in the faces of the
children. It was hot and humid, our team had to walk a half mile to reach the site carrying our
supplies because of road conditions, the work was physically challenging, and there were
emotional challenges of seeing children in such great poverty. It is a testament to the team’s
spirit that no one complained or was disheartened. They poured out their lives into the lives of
the children! They more than met the challenge! A picture that I will carry in my mind forever is
a cameo of that day—a team member who was a young lady, covered in paint and perspiration,
holding a beautiful, dirty little girl, both were crying, because we were leaving. The little girl
wiped away the tears of our team member as we left in song, praising God for the day!
Fun and games at the Oasis of Hope in Matagalpa. It is even more fun to be under the parachute!
Regional Hospital, Matagalpa
The regional hospital in Matagalpa serves over 250,000 in north central Nicaragua. It is poorly
equipped and in great disrepair. Patients and their families travel for up to 2 days to reach the
hospital. Once they reach the hospital, both patient and their families are responsible for their
meals and other basic necessities. Team members prepared and delivered over 100 care packages
to patients and their families. Stuffed animals were given to every child they met during their
visit. Provision was also made for mattresses and linens for the children’s ward.
First Baptist Church of Matagalpa
First Baptist Church of Matagalpa and Fellowship Bible Church are kindred spirits! We are both
outwardly focused and our worship styles are very similar! Pastor Javier has been praying for us
(or someone like us) for six years to encourage and partner with First Baptist in serving
Matagalpa. First Baptist Church’s youth served alongside FSM’s team as interpreters during the
week. Encouraging and partnering with First Baptist of Matagalpa included:
• stations of fun and games for 75 children in the church’s courtyard and classrooms.
• Johnathan North, Youth Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church, leading a youth Bible Study
followed by a pizza party and the showing of “The Passion.”
• a Friday night service where testimonies were shared and Johnathan challenged the
congregation to “seize the moment and be people of influence!”
Managua
The team spent its last day in Managua shopping at the market and zip-lining across the lagoon
of an old volcano. The team enjoyed their last night relaxing and sharing testimonies at Hotel
Camino Real.