Mission Message
Reverend Jim and Bonnie Gordon - Nicaragua
February 2004
February 2004
Hi! I want to thank you for putting Bonnie's words into the newsletter...the piece stirred response in many people.... not a surprise when considering the type of persons in the Memorial Messenger readership. I always found that the congregation needed to know about a need and the need immediately began to be addressed and met.
When I was in seminary I studied under an amazing bishop who was a missionary in Tanzania for 34 years. I know I feel his influence. He could summarize much wisdom in few words. One of his sayings was “god's work done god's way will not lack God's means'. I have seen this come true in life many times. and it comes true in Saxonburg as so many support us here in Nicaragua. In November we hit the four year mark in our time here... not bad for a one year experiment.
We are presently building house number 128. but that is only part of what is happening. a large part...but there is more.
We just spent ten days with a group of college age kids. they represent schools like Cornell, Dartmouth, Colby in Maine, Columbia, and Georgetown. It was labeled a college leadership trip. We built two houses and spent much time discussing our world and what god would have us do. We also interacted with college students here in Nicaragua. We are continually learning that the best tool to hand someone in the poorest nation in the western hemisphere is an education. A little assistance goes a long way.
A young woman came by today and we used donated funding to send her to English and computer school at a fee of $14/month. We also got backing for a young man studying accounting. A well known accountant from Saxonburg will back him and his tuition 100%. Omar came by today and Bonnie gave him the news. He left us some oranges. and left here a very happy young man.
We are looking for backing for a law student. His tuition is $40 a month. We have sent young people to beauty school and other trade schools. We also deal with health needs. and sometimes legal issues. When the Voigts came to see us and treat us to some Saxonburg friendship they brought a tithe on the money raised at the fall festival. We used some of that funding to treat Luisa who is diabetic.
Diabetes treatment here is about 20 years behind where it is in the states. This is true in about all areas of health. With the rest of the money we paid our lawyer to sort out some land ownership for a woman who lived in a stick house with her husband and four kids. She had lived on a piece of land for 20 years but never owned it. It was essentially hers but we had to secure ownership before building. The lawyer took care of it with the funding from Saxonburg. She now lives in a new home. As soon as the roof was put on they moved in, and when it rained they marveled that no one got wet.
We are also working on a church building. We get many requests and usually have one in the works. This one is a Baptist congregation.
Antonio is one of the members and he stopped by today to talk about the roof that will go on this week which will happen with funding that we found while back in December.
Anotonio rides a motorcycle and had some repairs done recently. We were able to help but the parts were bad and needed replacing already. I was able to hand him $50 that a couple from Saxonburg gave me while I was back in October. A little goes a long way. I'd like to thank Rev. Brewer for sending down some cutting discs for our angle grinder that we use to cut floor brick. and the Voigts for coming and bringing bags full of tools and games and clothes. as they say in Nicaragua...'la luch sigue' ......'the struggle continues’. but along the way we find so many triumphs.
Thanks to all of you for joining us in the struggle. We invite you to write us at jgordon@ibw.com.ni or jbmasaya@yahoo.com
We always write back we also have a website, thanks to a friend in Boston...... http://www.friendsofmasaya.org
Love,
Jim and Bonnie
