Nicaragua Update #10
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Saturdays begin with the Men of Prayer meeting, so Dave was up at 4am. Saul, the Director of Community Bible Study (CBS) in Central America, who came from Ocotal, Nicaragua to present at the event, went with Dave to the meeting this morning. They picked up Regan and were the first to arrive at the park, a little before the sun began coming up. Dave said they had a good group with only two regulars missing, who were both sick. They caught the attention of several people who were out walking at 6am. Those two stopped to inquire what was going on and joined the group for coffee and conversation after the time of prayer. Arturo brought delicious pastries from his bakery to share with everyone in attendance. He had Dave's favorite type, and said his wife, Arecely, told him to be sure Dave got one of those. While they were gathered, they noticed a homeless man who was sleeping in the park near the group. He woke up to the activity and one of the men invited him over and gave him a pastry. The man hung out with the group for a while, then picked up his large tree branch, put it over his shoulder, and started down the street for the day. Dave said he was told the man also has some mental health problems. No one knew why he had been carrying the large branch with him recently. It was clearly heavy and cumbersome, but he was diligent to carry it. They all watched him, curiously speculating about its purpose. Dave said the way the branch appeared and the way the man carried it made them all think of the same picture in their minds: the picture of Jesus carrying His cross. And then thinking about how we too, must take up our crosses and follow Him every day. Saul was encouraged by the gathering and shared some words to that effect with the men. Afterwards he thanked Dave for inviting him.
The guys left to pick up nacatamales (a traditional Nicaraguan weekend breakfast) for Regan’s family and delivered them to his house, then took Saul back to Dave's house for him to gather up his CBS troops and get ready for the day's training. Regan and Dave then went to Verbo Church, the host site for the training, where they were greeted by 20 to 25 people who were there early. Breakfast was to be served at 8am with the training to begin at 9am. Participants began arriving before 7:30am and Verbo security was keeping them at the gate until someone from the church arrived.They all went in together and the guys got the coffee started.
Regan served as emcee for the training. Participants from New Jerusalem Church arrived at 8am and served breakfast. Dave said they barely had enough food. We were expecting 80 attendees based on the advance numbers given by the 12 participating churches, but we had 97 in attendance! This was a tremendous praise! At the last similar training about one year ago, we had a little over 50 participants. For some of the 97, this training was a review, but for many others it was brand new. We have increased our partnering churches from nine to 15 now, while having one church fall away. Iglesia Hermanos en Cristo is having some internal conflict. The details seem puzzling. Please keep them in your prayers that they will be able to work through the difficulties and stay together as a united church body. They are electing a pastor soon, and our friend and current pastor may be replaced. With everything happening, they have stopped their small CBS groups, and Lord willing, they will pick them up again on the other side of these difficulties.
Prince of Peace Church served a beautiful typical Nicaraguan lunch, but were 6 plates short. They made a run to a local street vendor and bought 6 plates. Regan, Blanca and Dave didn’t eat. The final six without food were grateful, but it was clear they were disappointed because the food was not near as good as what the church members had prepared. About half an hour into the training, the participants split into two groups; one for leaders working with adults and one for leaders working with youth. It was about a 60/40 split. The training went until after 4pm. At the end, everyone visited for a short time and then began loading buses, vans, and walking on their way. As they were leaving, many spoke to Regan and Dave, thanking them for the opportunity and blessing. It felt very well received. Please be in prayer for all 15 of our partner churches as they organize themselves and begin their individual and group study times with the Lord and His Word.
Afterward, Regan and Blanca, along with the trainers and Dave went to a local coffee shop to debrief a bit and discuss future plans. Every time they come to Veracruz, Dave gets a sense that the Nicaraguan CBS trainers and leadership are more and more encouraged that their efforts/energy/personal resources/hearts are seeing fruit. They have conducted six trainings and one weekend Youth Conference, over a period of seven years for us. In that time, CBS has grown from zero churches in the area to where we are now with 15 churches who are making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ through caring, in-depth Bible study, enduring through the civil unrest in the country and two years of COVID. One By One, Inc. was able to share our commitment of a $5,000 gift to the national CBS ministry and worship team, which is all volunteer and funded by their own resources. We gave them $2,500 now and committed to $2,500 more by the end of the year. We were also able to give them smaller gifts for their personal use, to express appreciation for their time away from home and work, and for their hearts for everyone all over the world being transformed by the study of God's Word. Then the trainers headed out on their, at least, six hour trip back to Ocotal, in northern Nicaragua. They had planned to stay in Veracruz for two nights, but there were two small children with them, and one of them was beginning to get sick. They are special people and we are grateful to know them and for all they do to advance God's Kingdom there in Nicaragua.
Regan, Blanca, and Dave returned to Verbo church to help clean up outside. Dogs had gotten into the outside trash cans and spread trash all over the yard. There were youth from Verbo Church cleaning also, to get ready for their church service in the morning. Afterwards, they went to dinner at La Chante restaurant in Managua where they further debriefed the day. The Downs had eaten breakfast this morning because there was plenty of tortillas, beans, and cheese, but they skipped lunch since there wasn't enough food for everyone and Dave hadn’t eaten all day so they were definitely hungry. It sounded like it was a delicious dinner. Regan and Blanca were dropped home by 10:30pm and Dave was back home before 11pm.