The August 2010 newsletter is chocked full of pictures of all of the things going around in Nicragua this time of year, please download the PDF version so you can see what is being done!

AUGUST 2010

Before we talk about August, I must say thank you again to the 14 groups that joined our nine interns this summer in making it one of the best summers of service in Nicaragua, ever... Some people are being critical of what is called “Short-Term Missions” but we don’t feel that our groups are short-term but connectors to an on-going effort to share Jesus and serve people in Nicaragua. Bottom line, we would not be able to accomplish what we do in Nicaragua if it were not for those that come each year to share their lives with Nicaragua. I encourage you to go to our website and click on galleries and find the pictures of the 2010 groups and the service they did while they were in Nicaragua. However it is not all about what they did while they were here but how Nicaragua continues to be blessed because they were here. We are now scheduling our groups for 2011, please plan to come and be part of this Mission for Christ.

Each month’s newsletter usually has the information of that which was different in Nicaragua for that month. Because of that we sometimes forget to remind you of the exciting things that God continues to bless on a monthly bases: the work of 16 evangelist in 25 congregations, Teethsavers working with oral health of children, the feeding program for over 50 children in Telica, the continuing effort to touch the men and women in the prison (our work there has been limited but Luis continues to be able to go twice a week working with the church, the Bible Institute, and the alcohol rehab program), Alberto and Edwin working with our 24 schools with over 1,100 students, Dra Pena and the medical clinic in Jinotega that see around 65 patients a day, the work with the Casa Materna and more. God is blessing us to do exceedingly more than we could have ever asked or imagined.

We started August with the arrival of the first of two containers to come this month. The first container contained supplies to help with the “Toda Con Vos” project with MINSA that so many of you helped with. The majority of the container had wheelchairs, crutches, walkers and other supplies to serve the handicap. It also had two pallets of Bible material from Spanish Literature. It was great to have with us David Catalina of Global Samaritan who helped gather and who shipped both containers. Thank you David and Global Samaritan for all that you have done for Nicaragua. Also a special thank you for the encouragement and support the mission has received from Dr. Ed Enzor. He is the founding director of Global Samaritan and will be retiring in October. The second container arrived with more handicap supplies and supplies to help another group open a new clinic in the south part of the Jinotega region.
On the container were some bicycles. They were given to some of our preachers to make easier for them to get around to their congregation and communities. We could use more.

We spent most of the month of August traveling in the states visiting with congregations and individual who partner with us in Nicaragua. One very special place we visited was the church at Fort Jackson, SC. I would like to give a special thanks to the “civilians” who go each week for worship and spend time to serve these young men and women in training. If you know anyone in the military service make sure they are in contact with the AMEN ministry www.wfrchurch.org/amen/.

This month we also had the blessing of being with the church in Summerville, SC. They have agreed to be the sponsor of the Hennigers and Counts efforts to work in Nicaragua. Go to their website, www.1hope4life.com, and see this exciting new opportunity to help us share Jesus and serve people in Nicaragua. We look forward to having them part of our team in Nicaragua.

For your prayers and consideration:
1. A very special prayer of thanks for Donna as she continues her recovery from her knee surgeries. She feels she is on target to climb to the cross on December 29th.
2. Please continue to pray as we respond to the needs caused by this year’s rains in Nicaragua. Please pray that September and October are drier months than normal. (IT IS RAINING AS I WRITE THIS NEWSLETTER) Thanks for those who have responded to the immediate need here. We still could use your help.
- Shipping and distribution food --- $ 8,000
- 5 Mobile Clinics --- 5,000
- Community Help Promoters supplies 6,000
- Black Plastic --- 2,000
- Food Purchase --- 5,000
- A majority of people in Northern Nicaragua live on dirt floors, we are working to help some to have a floor in their homes…a
6X6m floor cost $300.
3. Prayers for our developing plans for 2011 and how you can be a partner with us.
4. We are already scheduling our groups for next year; our first group will be in Nicaragua January 1, 2011. Please contact us on scheduling or being part of a group coming to Nicaragua next year.
5. We continue to work on housing needs. Mike says that we needing $6,500 to finish the current housing request under consideration. We could use a group to come to Nicaragua to help us construction.
6. “Smiles” it is not too late to help us reach the 10,000 goal in 2010. We have some people coming the first of December to be part of the distribution of the “Smiles”, maybe you can join us.

Thanks for your continued support. As we say every month, “We could not do what we do without the blessings of God and the support of people like you.” May God continue to bless our partnership together.

Because of Him:

Benny and Donna Baker