Today a group of us from the USA attened a special celebration. It was the dedication of the newly finished houses in the community of Valle de San Juan, Nicaragua in the Ciudad Dario network.
I was thrilled to be able to attend the ceremony along with Nelson Palacios, Rainbow Network’s Nicaragua Director, a host of local officials, and even Nicaraguan media outlets. Nelson’s leadership and the staff’s hard work produced a new community in a very remote place. The excitement and hope I saw today will carry me forward for many months.
During the ceremony I read a letter from Rev. Jim Oman, Rainbow Network’s Interim Executive Director, to the people of Valle de San Juan. It was a letter of encouragement and of thanksgiving. Jim gave thanks for the peoples’ courage, for their hard work, for their faith, and for the hope they have created in their community. I join him in that thankfulness.
When I had finished reading the letter and was returning to my seat a woman in the crowd shouted something at me. My Spanish is very weak and I was at first worried to be in front of so many people unaware of what was being said to me. But she repeated herself and even before a staff member translated for me I caught the gist of what she was saying. Thank you.
She was very clear. She shouted her thanks to all of the North Americans who have given their support to her community. To all of you who were present today and those who are back home in the US and in Canada who have given her daughter the chance to move her young family into a new home. Despite the rather formal setting, this woman simply had to be heard and had to share with me, in your stead, her thanks.
I honestly think, as I sit in Nicaragua this afternoon, that if I could visit each one of your homes and offices and shout a message of thanks to you I would. Her words were sincere and meaningful. But, the emotion that was carried over the din of the crowd by her effort to speak was something each person who has given of themselves to make our shared ministry happen should get to hear.
What we are doing, what you are doing in partnership with the people of Nicaragua is changing lives. Today, I see again how very true that statement is. And I offer my thanks to that woman I met today and to her daughter whose courage and hope will take her into a better life. And I shout out to each of you with all of my heart, THANK YOU for sharing the gift of hope.
Posted by Ryan Owen 
Posted by Ryan Owen 
RSS - Posts
