(Taken from an article by Becky Thomton, Missionary Ventures International)
A snicker went through the crowd as the old man came forward to receive his New Testament.
They knew he couldn't read.
His village in Nicaragua was only accessible by river, which was dirty and barely passable after back-to-back powerful hurricanes last month. The villages were in various states of disarray. Some homes were completely flattened and many water wells had been contaminated. A few people were attempting to rebuild their tin roof homes, others were still in make-do shelters. They were hungry and didn't have much food.
Then a team of pastors and missionaries arrived along the river. They had traveled farther that day than they had been able to make it before, and they brought another 400 food parcels. The parcels of beans, rice, and cooking oil were a welcome blessing, along with mosquito nets and ways to help purify water. In the old man's village of Limbaka, the team was also able to distribute some copies of the New Testament. It was very well received, but the old man drew a bit of laughter as he came forward for his food parcel and New Testament.
"Why do you need a Bible?" one villager asked. "You can't read it."
The man just smiled and accepted the gift.
He then explained, "My granddaughter knows how to read. She can read it to me."
This is how it begins. The faith of one man, despite the challenges in his life, to want to know more about the word of God. The faith of the pastors and missionaries to navigate the river and distribute relief and hope, building relationships for future visits.
Whether hurricanes or viruses, this has been a challenging year. But it's also been a year full of faith. Thanks to you, this old man can fall asleep with food in his stomach as he listens to his granddaughter read him the Bible.
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You can give to the Nicaragua Hurricane Relief through our ministry partner Missionary Ventures International.
FEEDING HUNGRY CHILDREN
4 FEEDING CENTERS ARE NOW FUNCTIONING IN PUERTO CABEZAS AND 4 MORE WILL BE OPENING THIS WEEK.
After a natural disaster, one of the more critical needs is food, water, and shelter. On the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, our churches and partners have been providing these life-saving elements since the twin Hurricanes ETA and IOTA struck Puerto Cabezas and the Mining Region the first two weeks of November. Feeding centers are providing food to hungry children and families with resources provided by Nica Team. Each feeding center is administered by community leaders in conjunction with the church.
