Jewel of Central America

Based on images and photos, Nicaragua appears to be a jewel displayed in a crook of land just south of several small countries in Central America. The clear blue Caribbean Sea waters the eastern coastline while the Pacific Ocean laps the beaches on the western side. The web and Google images provide a nice display of images with watery lakes, fire-like volcanoes, mountains and villages. The colors are breath-taking.

Although many of the indigenous people living in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and other Central American countries flee and migrate to the United States,  Nicaraguans are less likely to emigrate from their country. Crime  is lower as well as lower rates of corruption and violence when compared to her neighbors. Unfortuneately, poverty is still an ongoing problem. As the second poorest county in the Central America, many people live in deprived situations.

About 30% of children living in Nicaragua are considered food deprived. Hunger is a basic human need, but so is education and opportunity to live, grow, and fulfill goals for one's life. Many children are unable to attend school or complete their education. Save the Children is a nonprofit reporting "One-third of all Nicaraguan children never enroll in elementary school, fail to attend, or drop out before reaching the sixth grade." The Pearl Foundation contributes time and resources in Nicaragua. One of their videos shows children singing in one of the local schools. As you watch the Pearl Foundation video, you will see the first pearl discovered in my journey. The children are full of anticipation as they wait for the next group of Americans to arrive. We come with gifts, toys, and games. We also come with our story and who we represent. Simple Bible stories translated to Spanish is our first and most important gift. We hope they realize that only the gospel story is truly free. All other god-stories require the recipient pay a price through sacrifice, personal deprivation, or shame. All other gifts usually come with a cost to someone. We don't mind paying the price, but the God-story in the Bible is entirely free.