Nicaragua
They accepted Christ as their Savior at Good News Club. But what happens as they get older and leave?
Yorlene, “Maia,” and “Luisa” are three examples where it did.
Yorlene was ten when she received Christ at a Good News Club. As she entered her teen years, the majority of young people in her neighborhood became lost in drugs. Temptation and peer pressure assaulted Yorlene at every turn, but her commitment to Christ helped her to resist. Now married and a mother, Yorlene attends church with her family, where she’s actively involved in a family group. She credits her involvement with Good News Club and her relationship with Christ from saving her from a life of drugs.
Maia and Luisa came to know Jesus at a Good News Club when they were four and six. Their family life was rough—each of their mothers was involved with prostitution and their fathers were drug dealers. But attending Good News Club gave them a sense of family and stability. Even after they grew up and moved away, they remembered what Peter had taught them at club. Now, Maia and Luisa are college graduates and attend church on a regular basis. Their mothers have even become Christians and are part of a rehabilitation program for prostitutes.
Their mothers have even become Christians and are part of a rehabilitation program for prostitutes.
About half of children in Nicaragua live in poverty. School is free and compulsory for children ages 7–12, but only 70 percent of primary age students actually go to class. Fifteen percent of children are forced to work to help alleviate the financial difficulties of their families. For some, the work consists of agricultural tasks, domestic duties, or fishing. But many young girls are victims of child-trafficking and sexual exploitation. Also, more than 40 percent of young girls are married while they are still minors.
CEF’s ministry in Nicaragua consists of six full-time workers, two part-time workers, and several volunteers. In 2017 this small team was able to reach almost 42,000 children through Good News Club and public school ministries.
Right now, the ministry in Nicaragua is facing financial challenges. Because of a government-mandated increase in minimum wage and a 22 percent increase in Social Security payments, CEF needs to look for ways to raise more funds in order to pay their full-time workers. In addition, the socialist government of Nicaragua is making it difficult to minister in public schools. Plus there has been much unrest in the country due to a reduction in retirement benefits for workers.
Our team is praying that the Lord will provide wisdom and resources to overcome these challenges so that CEF can continue to reach children like Yorlene, Maia, and Luisa with the Gospel . . . and give them hope for their lives right now and in the future.
Prayer Request
- We would like to ask you to pray for two of our coworkers and their baby who was recently born
- Pray for national leader Yesenia Tigchelaar
Nicaragua
| Country Population: | 6,025,951 |
| Christian Population: | 5,668,228 |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), Miskito, Mestizo of the Caribbean coast |
| Life expectancy: | 73.5 years |
| Literacy: | 82.8% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 51.6% Protestant 33.9% Other 14.5% |
Sources: Central Intelligence Agency: The World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/); Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org/)
2017 Outreach