Today the office is quiet at the mission in Jinotega as the staff is still on vacation. Normally the holidays goes from December 15 through the Monday after the first of January. But this year things were a little different. We had two groups here the week of the 15th of December, the PT School from Harding and a group from Lipscomb University both making their first trip to MPC. With that vacations started on the 20th and goes through the 12th.
 
The first of November Dr. Patterson and two others were here as we continue our working agreements with Texas Tech and continued agreements with UNAN, UCAN, Ministry of Health-Jinotega and the Hospital School in Leon. We have 5 groups scheduled from Tech in 2015 and 3 Fourth-Year students doing a month rotation in February.
Donna and I were with the Burleson congregation in November as we had the blessing of being part of their Thanksgiving contribution. We received a blessing from theirs and also from the Saturn Road and Decatur congregation mission’s contribution this year. Money received from Decatur, working with Dr. Chad Stephens, will go toward new Specialty Medical Clinic that we will start construction in the New Year.

I had the opportunity to attend the OSAC Annual Briefing at the State Department in Washington DC. During that time we had time to visit with Mike and Ann Faris who are making plans to return to work with us in Nicaragua in 2015.


 

David Catalina with two others came to visit with for a week in December. David wanted to show his nephew and one other brother from Amarillo the work of the mission. They visit a number of the different places we work and were able to be able to distribute food and Bibles. They were also able to serve the children at the Feeding Center in Telica. It is great having David working with us now.
 


It was the first Thanksgiving that we were able to spend in Nicaragua in a number of years. The Browns, Counts, Colette, us and Hennigers were able to have great day at the Hennigers. It was great time together, eating, sleeping and watching football.

In December we finalized a new partnership with World Bible School to personalize for Nicaragua their first lesson that is now in Spanish, “El Camino a La Vida.” We have had printed 20,000 lessons that will be ready in January. In January we will also be taking one more step toward establishing with WBS a Google platform for Nicaragua and an internet teaching location. This project is also done in partnership with Rex Morgan, “La Voz Alergre”.
Below is what appears in the front cover of the lesson.
Póngase en contacto con nosotros para lecciones adicionales y estudio personal: Iglesia de Cristo/Misión Para Cristo De la rotunda Petronic 1½ cuadra al Este Jinotega, Nicaragua Teléfono: 27823146 escuelabiblicamundial@misionparacristo.com Traiga esta lección Bíblica a la Iglesia de Cristo en Jinotega y recibe una Biblia gratis.
Oportunidades adicionales para el aprendizaje de la Biblia Para estudiar lecciones de la EBM por Internet, conectarse a: mpc.escuelabiblicamundial.org Para otros recursos en linea de la Biblia, conectarse a: www.lavozalegre.com

The Physical Therapy School at Harding arrive for a two week rotation for their student on the 7th. Their first week they worked in Managua with Jose Garcia at the Rene Palanco congregation, working at their clinic, children house, rehab hospital and burn hospital. Their second week was in Jinotega where they did rotations at the hospital, nursing home, health center, casa materna and did a two day seminar at the mission on Physical Therapy for our Community Health Promoters and physical therapy professional in the community. This was part of a continuing effort with MINSA, Total Con Voz, and their commitment to those that are handicapped. Dr. Doug Steele and Dr Dean Ezell were two of the professors from Harding leading the

group, interesting note they were also part of our first group that was with in January. With Harding’s second week in Jinotega they were joined by a group from Lipscomb University. Their week involved working with Harding to have a Medical Clinic (with a doctor provided by Health Center) with the PT Clinics, a total of nine different communities (12 different locations) were served with them working together.Their group also was part of helping with time at

the Rehab center in La Dalia, a children’s program at the church in La Dalia, pre-natal vitatim distrubion at the Casa Materna in Yali/Pantasma and working with Hope4Life. On Sunday morning the groups went to six different congregations (Yali, La Concordia, Yankea, Matagalpa (2) and Jinotega).
 

In December we mourned the passing of Dr. A.D. Smith. Dr. Smith and his wife Sharon have been a major supporter and encouragement to the mission over the last 13 years. He was always making this question/statement to me: “Do have any needs? If you do and I don’t about it that would be problem.” Dr Smith has traveled around the world in support of the church; his last trip was to Nicaragua in August of this year. Please keep Sharon and the family in your prayers.
 

Two of three Smiles containers have arrived and over half of the 12,000 + (The final count for 2015 is estimated to be 12,895) smiles received and have been distributed. Complete Smiles report in the January Newsletter. Some of the first pictures of Smiles-2014 thanks to your support.
 

THE LIST:
- Working with the Dr. Chad Stephens we are moving forward on the development of a Specialty Medical clinic as part of our medical outreach. Be in touch with us on how you can be part of the development of the expansion of our medical care in Nicaragua.
-  Continue to keep the impact of One Child Matters in Nicaragua as we add additional children and look to the development of the new project in Yali. Contact us today on how your sponsorship of a child can make a difference for lifetime. You can sponsor a child through our website or through this link for Nicaraguan children: http://www.ocmpartners.org/catalog/
- We are regularly given many of opportunities to serve but we are not able to say yes to everything, please keep us in your prayers for wisdom from God for when to say yes and to say no. We pray for it regularity.
-  Please keep in your prayers a developing new outreach with World Bible School with both their first lesson and Connect for Nicaragua.
- Our 2015 Group Calendar is filling up fast, contact us today if you are looking to bring a group in 2015.


On a personal note, on December 21st Donna and I celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary. My blessing, her challenge.

 

Thanks for God’s blessings of your support that allows us to touch, serve, and share Jesus in Nicaragua. None of this would be possible without God’s blessings and your partnership… by you doing something, we doing something and God putting it together we can do something we could have not done apart from each other…
I Cor. 12-13/Philippians 1:3-5


Thanks for all your support and encouragement.
Benny and Donna Baker

The November/December Newsletter is full of pictures and information on all the things going on around the Mission. Please download the PDF version to see more pictures and read about all that is being done.