Commonway in Nicaragua

Day 5

Community Leaders

When we talk about Caulatú at church, it probably seems like we’re only involved in one community. Really, it’s three. Caulatú is the largest and serves, somewhat, of a hub for the surrounding area. Yesterday we were in Manchones Abajo. Today we visited Manchones Arriba.

Of the activities this morning, one experience stands out. When Food for the Hungry (FH) begins working in a community, their aim is to quickly identify leaders to partner with. Usually, these folks don’t have official roles but are the individuals who are already active in showing concern for their neighbors. In Manchones Arriba, we sat down with that group. Here, it happens to be eight women. Through our conversation, it was clear that they are deeply committed to seeing God bring transformation and vitality. They love this place, but they are all too aware of the challenges they face. Some of their chief concerns are access to clean water and medical care. Also, it’s common for families to be separated. Often, the mom and/or the dad leave the area or even the country to find work. There are many homes led by single moms or grandmas.

As much as we have confidence that God is at work here, we are also extremely grateful for the work FH is doing.  Their primary focus is spiritual discipleship of both adults and children. They also work to help the community meet their own physical needs. For example, today FH showed us the work that has begun to build a reservoir and aqueduct that will bring clean water to 34 families. When it’s finished, FH will assist the community in establishing a committee to oversee its use. In circumstances similar to this, we see positive changes each time we visit. Oh, and by the way, this is a project that is being partially funded by Commonway.