Saludos de Nicaragua! Each day I awake, enjoying the energy that God gives us to serve Him in practical ways in the rural province of Carazo. La Semilla Ministries is focused on development work, which is often taxing on our energy reserves. The people here are quite accustomed to NGO’s working in communities in various ways to relieve the effects of poverty. Because of this frequent interaction, there is a strong «entitlement» mentality that as development workers we need to overcome. Our stated goal as a mission is to see rural families develop economically stable and sustainable households. So many of the families we know are in survival mode, and that’s a tough position for a family to operate from. So we’re here for the long road, committed to working step by difficult step to help bring stability to these rural families. There are lots of challenges in that statement. Please pray for us as we seek to bring about lasting change.
First and foremost on the list of stability is recognizing and sharing where our hope comes from. Simple 🙂 «But in your hearts, revere Chris as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.» 1 Peter 3:15
Thanks for your prayers for the growing season here. Thank God that the harvest looks decent and that harvest has now begun. It’s been a few seasons since a harvest that we can celebrate. As this harvest comes off, fields are quickly prepared for the second growing season that follows immediately.
Every grain counts!
Enjoying a day out with Fernando at the national Ag show – EXPICA
Our thanks to the many who have helped with this tractor purchase. Demonstrating technologies and mechanization that is available is one of the ways that we hope to achieve stable and sustainable rural incomes. It’s not the answer for everyone since many fields don’t have decent road access or are too steep to be able to mechanize. But it helps to demonstrate and encourage what the future may hold. We’ve been busy teaching Magdiel how to operate and troubleshoot the machinery – also a challenge when people haven’t been exposed to this sort of equipment.
Oh the places that Marcelo the agronomist goes!
Meet Maxwell Cruz. Mazwell is an agronomist that started work with us a few weeks ago specifically in the area of sorghum production. He’s preparing a germination test here on some sorghum seed that will go out to farmers in a new program we call «IMPULSOR». Beans are the king crop in Carazo, but sorghum for grain holds promise for good yields and economic return. In cooperation with another organization – Technoserve – and marketing giant Cargill, we’re beginning a technical program that will help improve growers abilities to manage this crop, and also connect them with end market of chicken feed through Cargill.
La Semilla Ministries doesn’t do the development work it does without incurring considerable cost. WE NEED HELP! Want to make an investment in the rural economy of Nicaragua? Send me a note. Next time I’m back in Canada, I’d love to sit down and share more.
As always, we covet your prayers:
Lord give us patience as we commit to the long road of development in Carazo.
Thankful for the bean harvest that is being realized right now.
For God’s perspective as we see the ravages of poverty around us. Lord teach us to serve!
Strength and health to serve God at our best each day!
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