Did you miss the Nicaragua Team Report?
The Nicaragua Team returned to Winnipeg this past week and took some time this past Sunday to share stories and photos. Safe to say, the time in Nicaragua was a time of blessing, of learning, of hard work and of being challenged by God in our view of the Kingdom. Thank you for the prayers and support.
If you missed this past Sunday, you might be wondering what it is the Nicaragua team did during their time in Nicaragua. Below we have attached an FAQ section. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask any of the team members, and if you are interested in going, keep your ears perked for details on next year's trip! But first some other news.
Membership Meeting
You may have forgotten about our Membership Meeting last week, and that is alright. During that meeting, we held a confidence vote for Pastor Rafael Duerksen, whose term was extended for another 3 years. Also and crucially important, Council gave an update on our budget income to the end of September. If you missed the meeting, please don't hesitate to talk to any Council members or Pastors to get an update on the discussions we had.
Pastor Jose Luis’ Ordination Service
Lastly, and most importantly, we are excited about this coming Sunday because we have the chance to celebrate and important milestone for one of our Pastors. Pastor Jose Luis will celebrate his ordination this Sunday, and we are excited to have Rick Neufeld join us from Mennonite Church Manitoba. The Licensing and Ordination process for Jose Luis was initiated by our congregation two years ago, and we are excited to finally celebrate this critical step in the life of our church family. Everyone is heartily invited to a Combined Service this Sunday at 10:45 a.m., followed by communion.
God has blessed our congregation richly, and we are excited about what Jesus has in store for us next. Please continue to pray for God to lead the way for our congregation and our community. Below some more information about the Nicaragua trip.
Nicaragua Service and Learning Trips
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the teams do when they are in Nicaragua?
This year marks the third trip we have taken to Nicaragua. Over that time, we have helped the Bethel Church and School in San Benito, Nicaragua with the construction of several buildings. We participated in the building a high fence to protect to the schoolyard, a washroom building for the students, a water tower to guarantee water pressure, as well as the foundations and walls for additional classrooms.
I don’t understand why we need to send work teams. Could we not just send the money and
employ local workers?
This question raises a valid concern, and as a matter of fact, local workers are employed to work alongside our teams. And we agree, we don't want to take work away from our Nicaraguan friends. But while we do work hard, we hope that working together with our friends can be a vehicle for us to learn and be encouraged. At the same time, we hope to promote and to build mutual awareness that we are connected through our faith and our common calling to serve our communities. As part of our agreement, the Bethel Church has to find the same number of local volunteers as we are bringing from Canada and they have had great success at finding volunteers to join which has helped the projects progress very quickly. As an example, without our presence this project would have only had 5 workers, but during our week there we had a total of 30 to 40 people each day.
Where does the money go that we donated at the fundraisers?
The $20,0000 we fundraised in 2019 go directly towards the construction project in Nicaragua. We donated these funds to Nicaragua through Generation Rising, which works together with the Bethel Church and School in San Benito. The money you gave in 2019 went directly towards the start of the construction of new classrooms for the school which are crucial as more grade offerings are added. We did not complete the construction of the classes, and we will need to raise more money in 2020 to build a roof over the classrooms and finish the interior.
I am confused. We call the Bethel Church our sister church, but do we actually help the church or the School?
The short answer is yes. We call the Bethel Church our sister church because this is our connection. The School is one of the ministries of Bethel congregation and our partnership is focused on that ministry. In essence, we are helping and supporting the community outreach program of the Bethel Church. But our connection to the school is the relationship as two congregations.
I heard that the church pays for team members to go to Nicaragua and that the trips are free. Is that true?
NO, THIS INFORMATION IS FALSE. Everyone that joins the Nicaragua trips has to fund their trips. For example, the 2019 Trip cost $2100, and attendees paid from their own money or found someone to help them out with the funds. The church does pay for a leader to attend these trips. The leader is there to ensure the successful execution of the trip, to make sure the team is safe and to translate and facilitate the building of friendships and relationships.
How do you choose who gets to go to Nicaragua?
You do not have to have any special qualifications to go to Nicaragua. We love the variety of people who go, and you do not need to have any experience in construction to join in. We bring people on a first-come-first-serve basis, and we are always looking for new people to come and experience the beauty of the country and the people in Nicaragua. Are you interested? Start planning now to attend the 2020 trip. You are invited!
October 1, 2023
Missions Thanksgiving Lunch Fundraiser
We had a fundraiser for the San Benito School in Nicaragua. Thank you for your generous donation.