Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua
November 30 - December 11, 2006
LETTER #1
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
Thursday, November 30, 2006. By God’s wonderful grace, most of our group of 25 “Ambassadors for Christ” (13 men and 12 women) has arrived in Managua, Nicaragua, from various parts of the US, Canada, and Holland. We expect two more to arrive tomorrow.
We plan to proclaim the True Gospel of Christ to the people here during the next ten days by distributing over 350,000 “Does God Love You?” tracts in the Spanish language, over 1,000 Spanish Bibles (a King James equivalent), and many booklets and CDs of Family Radio Bible teaching materials in Spanish that several members of the group brought as checked baggage. The tracts have been printed here and contain the current Family Radio short wave and local AM broadcasting schedules, School of the Bible information (which offers free correspondence courses in English and Spanish), and a reference to the multilingual website.
Nicaragua is located in Central America, and it is bounded by Honduras to the north, Costa Rica to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its capital city is Managua, which is located on the Pacific coast. The population of the country is about 5.7 million, and about 25%, or 1.4 million, live in and around Managua. Economically, it is considered to be the second poorest nation in the Americas after Haiti.
Spanish is the principal language here, and several indigenous dialects are spoken throughout the country. Over 75% of the people identify with the Roman Catholic religion, and the literacy rate is estimated at 68%.
We are grateful for the privilege of serving our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in this country; and we are praying that God will use our service for His glory and honor here. Could it be that God will open the hearts of many of these dear people to the Gospel of grace?
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua
LETTER #2
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (1 Peter 3:18)
Friday, December 1, 2006. After breakfast and a meeting to organize the work, six teams took taxis to various busy areas within the city to distribute tracts, Bibles, and booklets. All of the teams reported excellent acceptance of the tracts with many people showing a lot of interest in the Gospel message.
Our group leader has made several trips to the airport to pick up group members, and each time he has been able to distribute hundreds of tracts to the crowds of people waiting to greet arriving passengers. While waiting to pick up the last two group members who arrived today, a security guard told him that he was not allowed to distribute at the airport; but at that point he only had five tracts left.
Our three first time members were impressed by the cordial and helpful nature of the people and their willingness to take the tracts. It is much different than their past experiences in their home towns.
We often see many people who take a tract, stop whatever they are doing, and immediately start reading it; but if someone seems especially interested in it, we will offer them a booklet to give them more detailed information about the Bible. One of our team leaders shared this experience:
"While handing out tracts at a busy shopping mall, I noticed a young man diligently reading the tract for awhile, and then he asked me for another one for his friend. Later, he and his friend came back and asked how they could get more information about the Gospel, and I gave them two booklets. They sat on some steps near me and read those booklets with apparent deep interest for over an hour. Could it be that God will shine the magnificent light of His salvation plan in the hearts of those young men?"
Saturday, December 1, 2006. We continued to work at a rapid pace in many busy locations within the city, and one team took a 1.5 hour bus ride southeast to the city of Granada. One team was allowed to distribute freely on the University of Central America campus and were even able to go into the classrooms.
In another location, one member went into a barbershop and gave the barber a tract. The barber pointed to a tract he had received earlier that was taped to his large wall mirror, and he asked for a few more to set out for his customers to read. God works in many ways to spread His Word.
Many of our people work the buses that are constantly coming and going at the crowded markets. The drivers allow them to enter and the front and hand out tracks to seated passengers and exit at the rear. That is a rapid method of distribution, and affords an effective way to get the tracts to many places within the city, the suburbs, and outlying villages.
We pray that God will use these tracts to reach His chosen people throughout this city, this country, and this part of the world with the precious Gospel of Christ.
Sunday, December 3, 2006. After breakfast and a short worship service, our teams again went to various markets and to other busy places within the city where many churchgoers willingly received the tracts. We received some opposition from the leaders of some of the congregations, but in general the people were very receptive and interested in the Gospel message.
One team took a one hour bus ride southeast to Masaya, which is famous for its handicraft markets and informal restaurants. All manner of native handicrafts in wood, pottery, leather, ceramics, and stone were on display there and tourists from many other countries took the tracts. They also worked in a city square that was a gathering place for local families and at a crowded market in a poorer area. The reception was excellent in that city as well.
We praise God for His continuing guidance and protection as we seek to minister to these dear people of Nicaragua.
"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:21)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua
LETTER #3
"That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:7)
Monday, December 4, 2006. The work continued at a rapid pace again today. One team took a 3 hour bus ride eastward to the city of Rivas where the markets were packed with people. There was a constant flow of slow moving traffic on the rough dirt streets, and they had good success handing tracts to the numerous horse and bicycle taxis, horse drawn carts, and other vehicles. Some of the bicycle taxis now have Family Radio bumper stickers on them. Two members gave out tracts to everyone in a small hospital, and they were very appreciative of the tracts and materials they received.
Another team went out early to a manufacturing area to catch the workers coming on day shift. Thousands of people poured off hundreds of buses, and the team leader said it was just like situations he had experienced in India. The reception rate was excellent, but it was impossible to get a tract into the hands of everyone rushing to work. We plan to send to teams there much earlier on Wednesday morning.
Another team visited two large hospitals in very poor areas of the city. One was a government hospital, but only one person was allowed inside the main gate to distribute. By God’s mercy, that provided a safe location to hand out Bibles in an orderly manner. The other team members stayed very busy outside the entrance with the people coming and going.
They then went to a children’s hospital. Again, access was limited, but two members were allowed access into the patients’ rooms, the crowded waiting rooms at the clinics, and even a staff dining hall while the other distributed tracts and Bibles near the main entrance. The tracts were well received, and the Bibles were a particularly wonderful blessing for many of the poor families that cannot afford such a “luxury” item. Our members were blessed by the look of joy on the faces of those who received the Bibles, and we thank the Family Radio listeners whose donations have made it possible for these dear people to receive the Words of Life.
Our group leader was given permission to distribute tracts, Bibles, and materials in a large men’s prison today, and he submitted the following report:
"As is customary on these trips, we try to obtain permission from prison authorities to distribute tracts, Bibles, and Family Radio teaching materials inside the local prisons; and today we visited 'La Modela' on the outskirts of Managua, which is a maximum security men’s prison housing about 2,500 of Nicaragua’s most dangerous criminals."
When we arrived “We first explained the purpose of our visit to two armed guards at the main gate and showed them samples of the tracts, Bibles, and teaching materials. They were very friendly and asked if they each could have a Bible and some booklets for their personal use, which we were happy to provide.
"Then they gladly took us to the director in charge who received a Bible looked over the materials and asked when we would like to visit, and we immediately replied, ‘In about two hours.’ That gave us time to go to our hotel and return with about 3,000 tracts, 400 Bibles, and hundreds of booklets, which we promptly distributed to the various cellblocks with a promise from the officials that they would get them into the hands of those who wanted them that day. Everyone was very appreciative of our visit and the materials they received, and we thank God for opening an effectual door for the True Gospel in that spiritually dark institution."
One of our members met a Family Radio listener who was happy to see us in his city. He had received a free copy of the "Time Has an End" book in English. He has been studying it diligently for some time and said he was learning a lot about the timeline of God's salvation program from it. It is always a blessing when God sends a fellow listener to talk to us on these trips to show us that the True Gospel is indeed going into "all the world." In addition, we have had several guests attending our evening Bible studies who have shown a great interest in learning more about the Gospel.
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua
LETTER #4
"That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7))
Tuesday, December 5, 2006. Today we received 100,000 more “Does God Love You?” tracts to complete our order of 350,000 and 400 more Spanish Bibles for a total of 1,400.
Three teams visited several poor residential areas called “barrios” on the outskirts of Managua and distributed tracts, Bibles, and study materials to the very receptive and appreciative people there on the dusty streets and in the small market areas. The barrios typically have unpaved streets, no electricity, no running water, open sewers, and are strewn with all manner of junk. They are considered to be dangerous high crime areas; but, by the grace of God, our people had no problems bringing the True Gospel of Christ to those needy people.
Another team went to a suburb area called “Tipitapa” and had a very successful day of distribution in a busy central market area that was a beehive of vehicle and pedestrian activity.
The regular indoor outdoor markets here are typically a hodge podge of all manner of stalls and booths selling literally everything from “soup to nuts” – including the kitchen sink. There are also many no frills eateries that serve the thousands of poor and middle class people.
Most of the people in this poor country travel economically on the many local and intercity buses. There is usually a bus terminal near the markets, and they are excellent places to distribute tracts. Several of our people board the buses at the front, give a tract to the driver, walk down the aisle handing tracts to the seated passengers, and exit through the back door.
The team that went to the large manufacturing area yesterday morning decided to go back this evening and catch the workers as they left work. There were thousands of people leaving at slower pace than when they arrived, and it was easier to get tracts into the hands of most of the workers.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8 9)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua
LETTER #5
"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." (Ephesians 4:7)
Wednesday, December 6, 2006. Our distribution work progressed at a rapid pace again today with excellent acceptance of the tracts everywhere. Two teams visited the residential areas called “barrios” where the poorest of the poor live. One was next to a large trash dump where men, women, and children scavenge for anything of value. The area was smoky and dirty, but the people were very gracious and appreciative for the tracts, Bibles, and materials given them.
Another barrio was on the side of a mountain. The team went up the mountain by taxi until the road became impassible and then hiked the narrow, dusty trails from door to door down the mountain. Many people keep barking dogs to protect their properties from intruders, but none of our people was harmed or bothered in any way as they delivered the precious Gospel of Christ.
Other teams visited some busy markets, and one team went to the suburb of Tipitapa again today because of the large numbers of people that throng that area. They covered some different areas than the team did yesterday, and the distribution and acceptance rates remained very high.
We have been allowed to enter and give out tracts to lines of people in government offices all over the city with no problems whatsoever. We just give each guard a tract, ask if it OK to distribute inside, and hand tracts to all the people inside. One member of our group was allowed free access into a motor vehicle licensing office that was packed with hundreds of people, and practically everyone took a tract.
We received an order for 200 more Bibles for a total of 1,600 so far. The demand for Bibles is high, and it is disappointing for many people and us as well when we run out.
The weather has been hot and humid, but we have had no rain to disrupt our work since we have been here. We have experienced very little opposition to our work here; and our group members are staying healthy and in good spirits as we go forth with the Sword of Spirit. We are praying that God will reap a great harvest of souls for His kingdom in Nicaragua and this part of the world.
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua
LETTER #6
"The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalms 34:18)
Thursday, December 7, 2006. Today was another good day of distribution work. Two teams rented two taxis for the day and traveled to the city of Leon, which is about 55 miles northwest of Managua. It is located near the ruins of the old city of Leon (“Leon Viejo”) that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and earthquake in the 16th century. The ruins were then covered by ash from later volcanic activity.
The people of Nicaragua are celebrating a Roman Catholic festival called “La Purisma” to honor the Virgin Mary. They build special altars with images of Mary that are decorated with flowers and lights all over the cities outside of the churches and homes, and their worship services celebrated with explosions of large firecrackers during the day and fireworks displays at night. The festival started in Leon today and will continue in Managua tomorrow. Leon was crowded with people attending the ceremonies and conducting other activities, and many thousands of tracts and dozens of Bibles were distributed to the people there.
One team traveled back to the city of Granada that was visited last Saturday. The streets were crowded with shoppers and people involved with activities related to the festival, and the acceptance of the tracts remained high there. Granada is one of the oldest Spanish cities in Central America on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, which is one of the largest fresh water lakes in Central America. The narrow streets are lined with Spanish style houses with interior courtyards, and a favorite mode of transportation is by bicycles and horse drawn buggies.
The other teams worked at several new locations within Managua, and some went back out from the hotel between 4 to 6 pm to areas where the evening festival activities were starting. Apparently the festival can get rowdy and even violent in the later hours of the night, and we heard that some 9,000 police will be on duty tonight and tomorrow night to keep order. Since it starts to get dark here about 5 pm, everyone was requested to return to the hotel by 6 pm in time for dinner and the evening Bible study. The teams reported that over 90% of the people attending the festival took the tracts, and they encountered no opposition whatsoever. Please pray for these dear people who are steeped in religion and have never before been confronted by the True Gospel of salvation.
Our group leader was given permission to distribute tracts, Bibles, and materials in a large men's prison today, and he submitted the following report:
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua
LETTER #7
"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart." (Psalms 36:9-10)
Friday, December 8, 2006. In order to continue to reach people in other parts of this country with the Gospel message, one team went back to the city of Leon by taxi and worked at a bustling bus terminal and market in a different part of the city. People on those buses travel to and from various parts of Central America; and, consequently, it afforded an excellent opportunity to disseminate the "Does God Love You?" tracts to many parts of the region.
Two other teams rented taxis and traveled to two other cities. One went to the city of Matagalpa in the mountainous coffee-producing area north of Managua and several small towns in that area, and the other returned to Masaya to the northeast. Other teams worked in busy market and bus terminal areas in Managua. The acceptance of the tracts continued to be excellent everywhere we worked, and we have experienced very little opposition to our work or the message on the tract itself.
People took advantage of the holiday weekend to pack into various markets in Managua and the other cities we visited – much to our delight from a distribution standpoint. Since the holiday traffic was very light on the normally jammed streets when we left the hotel this morning, we were concerned that the markets would not be busy; but we were all pleasantly surprised by the large crowds that packed the market areas later in the morning and into the afternoon. We could hear firecrackers going off all day long and into the evening again today.
We have dozens of interesting encounters with the Nicaraguan people every day, and one of our group shared this example:
Our team went to Leon where we worked in the markets and plazas near some big cathedrals. I handed a tract to poor old woman in tattered and dirty clothes who probably was a homeless person. While I was working in a different area about an hour later, the same old woman came by me again; and I decided to offer her a Bible. Her reaction was something to behold! She raised the Bible toward Heaven and thanked God. Then she clutched the Bible to her heart and kissed it. She smiled at me, nodded, and walked on. This woman has very little of this world’s good, but now she has God’s Words of eternal life. Could it be that our Lord will have mercy on that old woman and grant her repentance unto salvation?
There were also a number of religious ceremonies being conducted today at the Roman Catholic churches and at various confirmation parties for the young people around the cities visited; and many people at those locations willingly took the tracts and kept them.
This hotel has been a popular place for all sorts of parties and business functions during our stay, and we have been able to give tracts to many of the attendees as they enter and leave the hotel. For example, one team returned to the hotel during one afternoon this week just as a large meeting of a farmer’s association was leaving, and they were able to gives tracts to everyone as they came out. We learned from the hotel staff that about 1,200 people attended that meeting, and those tracts traveled all over this country in the pockets of those hard-working farmers.
We praise God for enabling us to sow His precious Seed throughout Nicaragua in this manner.
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall,
he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." (Psalms 37:23-24)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua
LETTER #8
"Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 1:2)
Saturday, December 9, 2006. We divided up our remaining supply of 26,000 tracts, Bibles and Bible-teaching booklets this morning, and two teams rented taxis for the day and took about half of the materials to two cities further away from Managua. One team went to a city called “Chinandega” (chi-nan-DAY-gah), which is northwest past Leon. It was a scenic 2.5-hour drive on a good highway though lush farming and ranch land with small picturesque villages and a view of a majestic volcanic mountain range to the northeast. They worked in a bustling market, a bus terminal, and a market area in the center of the city. Again the distribution rate was high and many people showed an interest in learning more about the Gospel there. They were able to distribute the 6,000 tracts there in just a few hours before heading back to Managua.
The other team went to the city of Boaco that is about 2.5 hours due west of Managua on the north side of Lake Nicaragua. One of the team members submitted the following report of that trip:
We saw a prison on the way to Boaco and decided to stop there. At the prison we learned that there were about 900 inmates including 30 women. Since we could not get permission to visit with them, we left enough tracts and about 50 Bibles to be distributed there. Our team leader gave a 5-minute talk to several of the religious leaders of the prison, who are themselves inmates, and told them about the end of the church age. He also explained how they could participate in Family Radio’s School of the Bible and get additional free literature to learn more about God and His salvation plan. They were very appreciative of our visit and the materials we provided.
After the prison we stopped at a roadside rodeo where there were lots of people. We spent about 30 minutes distributing tracts; and again, as on other assignments, we met a Family Radio listener and were pleased to know that the signal reaches even these very mountainous areas of Nicaragua.
Our group leader was given permission to distribute tracts, Bibles, and materials in a large men's prison today, and he submitted the following report:
We continued on our journey for another 45 minutes and stopped in Boaco, which is a very nice town with much activity and very receptive people. We distributed the majority of the remaining 3,500 tracts from our original supply of 6,500. Seeing that we had only a few Bibles left, and to prevent a disturbance, we did not distribute them until we were ready to leave the town on our return journey to the hotel.
We handed out the few remaining tracts at various places on the return trip; and we all felt that this was one of the most productive days for our team. We came back to the hotel with joy in our hearts that the Gospel of Grace was made available to so many people in the rural areas of Nicaragua who in all likelihood heard the True Gospel for the first time in their lives. May our Lord do a mighty work of grace in the hearts of many of these dear people that they be included in the great multitude that no man can number who are being saved during the current Great Tribulation period.
Other teams distributed the remaining tracts at various places in Managua, and we had about 20 visitors at our Bible study this evening. We have had guests attending our Bible studies every night this past week, and the people have been very interested in learning more about the True Gospel. One lady told us that she teaches the Bible to a group of about 50 children independently of any church, and she was extremely happy and grateful to get a supply of Family Radio materials to use for her lessons.
Sunday, December 10, 2006. This is our last day in Managua and our last letter for this trip. We had a meeting after breakfast to discuss travel plans for tomorrow and to talk about the next trip to India in February. About 10 people in this group expressed an interest in going on that trip.
We then had a time of Sunday Sabbath praise and worship, and enjoyed an afternoon of rest, relaxation, and personal Bible study prior to our return home tomorrow. We are praying that God will send more people to our last Bible study tonight and that He will open the spiritual eyes and ears of those who come.
By God’s grace, we have placed a total of 350,000 “Does God Love You?” tracts, 1,600 Bibles, and thousands of Family Radio booklets and CDs in the hands of the friendly people of Nicaragua. Please pray that God will grant repentance unto salvation to many in this part of the world and will raise up faithful men and women here to continue the work of the Gospel through the use of the biblical resources that Family Radio freely provides and the programming on AM, FM and short-wave radio.
We thank God for His guidance and protection and give Him all the praise and glory for what He has done with us, for us, and through us on this trip. We also thank the listeners and supporters of Family Radio for their prayers and financial gifts that make these mission trips possible. We consider our being “Ambassadors for Christ” in this manner a great privilege and honor and highly recommend it to others.
May the Lord’s perfect will be done in the hearts of the people of Nicaragua.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2:4-5)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua