One of the struggles as a missionary family living in a third world country is seeing such great need everywhere and knowing what is the best way to help. Every time we go out we are approached by cripples, young children, and women with small babies begging. Young boys squirt water on our windshield at stoplights ready to clean our windshield for one Cordoba. Men and women stand in the middle of the road selling little trinkets of little or no value. Letters and email come in each week requesting assistance with a church, school or orphanage. The need is so great, and sometimes overwhelming. Where do you start and how do you really start to make a difference? This is a question that has repeatedly come up in our family. We are here as missionaries to help the people of Nicaragua, but how do we really help them?
Our commitment as representatives of Worldwide Christian Schools is to help with the development and construction of Christian schools. In the Western part of Nicaragua, there are 123 Christian schools of all shapes and sizes. First and foremost we work to assist these Christian schools with their needs. Currently teacher training is taking place in different regions of the country to assist with the development of teachers. Another 43 of these schools have gone through the School Improvement Process (SIP) which helps schools access their needs, determine their vision, and create a plan for improving their school. From these 43 schools we select schools that have shown a commitment to providing Christian education, have strong leaders that are committed to the school, and have made investments themselves in the school. After going through this evaluation process, we are left with a select number of schools. This means saying no to many Christian schools with physical needs. If a school is not ready, contributing to the schools construction needs may do more harm. We know that by following these guidelines, we are helping schools that are ready for help and will benefit from our help.
Our family has learned to say no to the many of the poor we encounter begging on the street corners and outside of stores. When we come across someone in need, more often we give them juice or crackers and if there is someone who is handicap or too old to work we will give them money. However this is not a long term solution to the problems of Nicaragua. The many problems of this country will only be solved when Nicaraguans decide to do what is best for their country. It is not the responsibility of Missionaries to change the country, but to assist and help the people of Nicaragua bring change to their own country.
Our commitment as representatives of Worldwide Christian Schools is to help with the development and construction of Christian schools. In the Western part of Nicaragua, there are 123 Christian schools of all shapes and sizes. First and foremost we work to assist these Christian schools with their needs. Currently teacher training is taking place in different regions of the country to assist with the development of teachers. Another 43 of these schools have gone through the School Improvement Process (SIP) which helps schools access their needs, determine their vision, and create a plan for improving their school. From these 43 schools we select schools that have shown a commitment to providing Christian education, have strong leaders that are committed to the school, and have made investments themselves in the school. After going through this evaluation process, we are left with a select number of schools. This means saying no to many Christian schools with physical needs. If a school is not ready, contributing to the schools construction needs may do more harm. We know that by following these guidelines, we are helping schools that are ready for help and will benefit from our help.
Our family has learned to say no to the many of the poor we encounter begging on the street corners and outside of stores. When we come across someone in need, more often we give them juice or crackers and if there is someone who is handicap or too old to work we will give them money. However this is not a long term solution to the problems of Nicaragua. The many problems of this country will only be solved when Nicaraguans decide to do what is best for their country. It is not the responsibility of Missionaries to change the country, but to assist and help the people of Nicaragua bring change to their own country.
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