Second Distribution in Sor Maria and Matagalpa

Today was a busy but blessed day. We started off with a bumpy ride to Sor Maria, which is in between the sewage treatment plant and the dump. This is one of the poorest areas in Matagalpa. We drove as far into the area as we could and then walked the rest of the way on a muddy path....and I mean muddy! We worshipped with the children and their families, heard stories of HOPE from the pastors and Missions Leaders and then handed out the school paks. There were at least 125 people in a church, (but what we would describe as a hot box). Before they received their paks Pastor Jerson said a prayer with them to have Jesus in their hearts and the majority of kids and parents in the church accepted Christ. It was an amazing thing to witness because their expression of hope on their faces was priceless. Once the paks were handed out we followed one of the families to their "plastic home". It was quite the hike up a slippery slope of rocks, mud and water, but it was worth it all. While on our journey up the hill we spoke with two different families and both of their daughters had received paks the previous year. Fortunately they were not there because they were in school....YAY! The parents emphasized that the supplies from last year were still being used and they felt blessed.

Due to Mira Ministries and FVC's participation last year with the school paks, Pastor Victor was able to start a local mission project in this area. There are already 10 families involved in this group. This news could not have been more exciting to us....Pastor Victor said FVC was indirectly responsible for a "church plant" in this area.....how cool is that? The leader for this mission project is a strong female power who has the love of Jesus in her heart!

After lunch and a change of our muddy clothes we went back to the school in Matagalpa that we painted last year. It was so great to see some of the same faces. Greg and Courtney saw their buddy Juan Carlos, who was equally as excited to see them. We are lucky this year to have an actual worship team, which has really made our distributions special. The team consists of Karla Walters, Bill Pope and Mike & Hannah Ramirez. The kids really seem to enjoy hearing the songs, some of which are in Spanish and English.

This distribution we handed out 100 paks. The members of the team that were here last year all felt the same way, that it was great to build on our relationship and continue our growing friendship. This was a large distribution but even during the chaos of it all, several team members were able to spot their paks and meet the child who received them. It never gets old to see the look on their faces as they open their boxes and see their treasures. 

Tomorrow will be an eventful day full of excitement. We will be returning to this school in the morning to celebrate with the 100 kids who accomplished their first year of school. We will be honoring them by having a small party and giving them a backpack. We hope by doing this it will encourage them to continue on this path and inspire those kids who receive a pak this year to keep at it! 

Hope you all are enjoying our stories and pictures. Keep the prayers coming our way as we continue on our journey!

Love to all,

Greg, Karla, Courtney and the rest of the gang! xo