Trip to Tipitapa
11/15/05
Letter to the "Share Holders",
Thank you for your investment, I apologize for not reporting on your "returns" sooner, but my week in Nicaragua was so incredible I am still at a loss to put it into words a week later. We (my sister, Tina and I) arrived in Managua on 11/2 to find that it was nothing like either of us expected, although we believed we were going with no expectations. We worked in villages in an area called Tipitapa, about 12 miles outside Managua, in the mornings and afternoons with a crusade in a local park most evenings. In the villages we would witness to people, share our testimonies, pray with them, invite them to visit the local church in each village that we teamed up with while there and to come to the evening crusades held in the park Friday, Saturday, Monday & Tuesday evenings. The crusade was an outdoor church service with praise music by a local band, Bible readings, and finally a sermon given by Dr. Rod Herrod, founder of R.H.E.M.A., who organized our trip. Many came to us after the service each night to pray for healing for loved ones, financial help, marital help, parenting help or to accept Christ. So familiar were their prayer requests! Two very different worlds, yet with the same needs and desires-common lines were quickly drawn.
The people living in the villages of Tipitapa are very poor. There is more than 50% unemployment rate, an epidemic of children with single parent homes, unsophisticated plumbing, electricity, street addresses & telephone services. Mail is unreliable at best and you cannot find a bank to cash in travelers checks. They cook over open fires in oppressive heat and humidity, their homes are falling down around them, skinny animals walk the street but don't seem to belong to anyone-dogs, chickens, pigs, a goat or two, and average wage ranges from $1.00-4.00 per day, when work can be found at all. Now that's the information that you can find on any website offering local statistics, but I'll tell you what you won't find and what we were humbled by. The hand-me-down clothes worn by the people of Tipitapa were laundered and pressed with care, we never saw running water. People were almost always clean and well groomed even when they had nowhere to go, but especially on Sunday mornings! Although the families have so little and have to work so hard to finish basic tasks around their homes, they were more than willing to stop everything, invite complete strangers into their clean though sparsely furnished homes and speak with us for as long as we wanted. They would stand and offer us a clean plastic lawn chair to sit. The men would sometimes insist upon changing into nicer clothes before they would pray with us out of respect for God. They have so little, but will give it all to you without hesitation if they think you need it. They wasted nothing, took nothing for granted, expected nothing, and sincerely appreciated any slight gesture of kindness or friendship. We were totally and completely in love with the people of Tipitapa about 20 minutes after driving into the first village. The children were some of the most beautiful children we have ever seen. Most have no toys, but they seem to never stop smiling. Not one child talked back to one parent the entire time we were there. They wanted to sit by us and just be hugged or have their hand held. One mother started to hand her newborn baby over to me when I reached to hold her hand to pray, because she misunderstood at first. They brought me to tears again and again with their kindness and sweetness when we were total strangers in every sense of the word. That is what I learned about the hearts of the people of Tipitapa, now about the "work at hand". We went there with the intent of harvesting hearts for Christ and offering the hope of a God that loves them and cares personally about them. What we were surprised to find is that many people we spoke with did not own a Bible, but were very familiar with the basic message. What they didn't know is that God loves them and desires to have a personal relationship with them. Their faces lit up at that news and we witnessed so many make decisions for Christ in their hearts and in their lives, knowing with each one we had a new brother or sister in Christ. We watched faces and lives change in front of our eyes as they heard the message God called us there to share.
We both gave our testimonies at a women's conference of about 70 women on Thursday morning. We visited a children's "church" Sunday morning that consisted of four sticks holding up a piece of tin for shelter from the sun, where I again gave my testimony. The pastor learned local praise songs in English to sing for us and the kids performed a short play for us. At another church Sunday evening, the pastor presented us with Nicaragua key chains. Such a small token, but I couldn't help but wonder how hard they worked to offer us that gift. We were among a small group invited to visit a group called "Los Pipitos"(The Little Seeds), a support group of parents with disabled children, and a Christian school for the deaf. Two girls with Downs Syndrome danced for us, a group of deaf children sang for us, and they treated us to a snack. Our interpreter could barely get through the sermon, because he was overtaken by emotion seeing his daughter in the children's faces. We all did. We learned many of them were disabled with things that could be treated here, but likely would be terminal there due to poor medical care and poverty. We all cried and hugged many children and parents as we shared the message of God's big healing love. I received loving hugs and prayers from everyone when we left each of these events.
I left Managua 11/9 with mixed emotions, excited about returning home to family and friends, but sad to leave a place that was so different than anything I had ever known and in many ways now felt very much like "home". I went there to teach people about God's love for them and give them a hope only He can offer. What I received in return from the people there and my experiences were more valuable than anything I could have imagined. I see things through different eyes, I have drawn closer to God by seeing his love pour out on the lives of others. I have learned that generosity has very little to do with how much a person gives, but more how much of what they have they are willing to give to others even in poverty. I will return to Managua in a heartbeat if God offers the opportunity and means again in the future, as graciously as He did this time. I thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to be a part of this, for changing my heart in so many ways in the process and for the precious friendships I formed there. I want to thank each person who offered financial support and/or prayers for the success and safety of our trip. We witnessed thousands make decisions for Christ this week and we could not have been a part of that without your faith in us and faithfulness to what God laid upon your hearts.
Dios Te Bendiga (God Bless You),
Cyndi Williams
PS If anyone would like to be a part of our continued work there, we are trying to get suitable housing for one of our interpreters and his wife and four children. We are also working on getting Bibles into the hands of the baby Christians there. Please contact either of us if you feel led to help in either of these areas.
Letter to the "Share Holders",
Thank you for your investment, I apologize for not reporting on your "returns" sooner, but my week in Nicaragua was so incredible I am still at a loss to put it into words a week later. We (my sister, Tina and I) arrived in Managua on 11/2 to find that it was nothing like either of us expected, although we believed we were going with no expectations. We worked in villages in an area called Tipitapa, about 12 miles outside Managua, in the mornings and afternoons with a crusade in a local park most evenings. In the villages we would witness to people, share our testimonies, pray with them, invite them to visit the local church in each village that we teamed up with while there and to come to the evening crusades held in the park Friday, Saturday, Monday & Tuesday evenings. The crusade was an outdoor church service with praise music by a local band, Bible readings, and finally a sermon given by Dr. Rod Herrod, founder of R.H.E.M.A., who organized our trip. Many came to us after the service each night to pray for healing for loved ones, financial help, marital help, parenting help or to accept Christ. So familiar were their prayer requests! Two very different worlds, yet with the same needs and desires-common lines were quickly drawn.
The people living in the villages of Tipitapa are very poor. There is more than 50% unemployment rate, an epidemic of children with single parent homes, unsophisticated plumbing, electricity, street addresses & telephone services. Mail is unreliable at best and you cannot find a bank to cash in travelers checks. They cook over open fires in oppressive heat and humidity, their homes are falling down around them, skinny animals walk the street but don't seem to belong to anyone-dogs, chickens, pigs, a goat or two, and average wage ranges from $1.00-4.00 per day, when work can be found at all. Now that's the information that you can find on any website offering local statistics, but I'll tell you what you won't find and what we were humbled by. The hand-me-down clothes worn by the people of Tipitapa were laundered and pressed with care, we never saw running water. People were almost always clean and well groomed even when they had nowhere to go, but especially on Sunday mornings! Although the families have so little and have to work so hard to finish basic tasks around their homes, they were more than willing to stop everything, invite complete strangers into their clean though sparsely furnished homes and speak with us for as long as we wanted. They would stand and offer us a clean plastic lawn chair to sit. The men would sometimes insist upon changing into nicer clothes before they would pray with us out of respect for God. They have so little, but will give it all to you without hesitation if they think you need it. They wasted nothing, took nothing for granted, expected nothing, and sincerely appreciated any slight gesture of kindness or friendship. We were totally and completely in love with the people of Tipitapa about 20 minutes after driving into the first village. The children were some of the most beautiful children we have ever seen. Most have no toys, but they seem to never stop smiling. Not one child talked back to one parent the entire time we were there. They wanted to sit by us and just be hugged or have their hand held. One mother started to hand her newborn baby over to me when I reached to hold her hand to pray, because she misunderstood at first. They brought me to tears again and again with their kindness and sweetness when we were total strangers in every sense of the word. That is what I learned about the hearts of the people of Tipitapa, now about the "work at hand". We went there with the intent of harvesting hearts for Christ and offering the hope of a God that loves them and cares personally about them. What we were surprised to find is that many people we spoke with did not own a Bible, but were very familiar with the basic message. What they didn't know is that God loves them and desires to have a personal relationship with them. Their faces lit up at that news and we witnessed so many make decisions for Christ in their hearts and in their lives, knowing with each one we had a new brother or sister in Christ. We watched faces and lives change in front of our eyes as they heard the message God called us there to share.
We both gave our testimonies at a women's conference of about 70 women on Thursday morning. We visited a children's "church" Sunday morning that consisted of four sticks holding up a piece of tin for shelter from the sun, where I again gave my testimony. The pastor learned local praise songs in English to sing for us and the kids performed a short play for us. At another church Sunday evening, the pastor presented us with Nicaragua key chains. Such a small token, but I couldn't help but wonder how hard they worked to offer us that gift. We were among a small group invited to visit a group called "Los Pipitos"(The Little Seeds), a support group of parents with disabled children, and a Christian school for the deaf. Two girls with Downs Syndrome danced for us, a group of deaf children sang for us, and they treated us to a snack. Our interpreter could barely get through the sermon, because he was overtaken by emotion seeing his daughter in the children's faces. We all did. We learned many of them were disabled with things that could be treated here, but likely would be terminal there due to poor medical care and poverty. We all cried and hugged many children and parents as we shared the message of God's big healing love. I received loving hugs and prayers from everyone when we left each of these events.
I left Managua 11/9 with mixed emotions, excited about returning home to family and friends, but sad to leave a place that was so different than anything I had ever known and in many ways now felt very much like "home". I went there to teach people about God's love for them and give them a hope only He can offer. What I received in return from the people there and my experiences were more valuable than anything I could have imagined. I see things through different eyes, I have drawn closer to God by seeing his love pour out on the lives of others. I have learned that generosity has very little to do with how much a person gives, but more how much of what they have they are willing to give to others even in poverty. I will return to Managua in a heartbeat if God offers the opportunity and means again in the future, as graciously as He did this time. I thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to be a part of this, for changing my heart in so many ways in the process and for the precious friendships I formed there. I want to thank each person who offered financial support and/or prayers for the success and safety of our trip. We witnessed thousands make decisions for Christ this week and we could not have been a part of that without your faith in us and faithfulness to what God laid upon your hearts.
Dios Te Bendiga (God Bless You),
Cyndi Williams
PS If anyone would like to be a part of our continued work there, we are trying to get suitable housing for one of our interpreters and his wife and four children. We are also working on getting Bibles into the hands of the baby Christians there. Please contact either of us if you feel led to help in either of these areas.
posted by Cyndi @ 3:54 PM
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