January Newsletter: ETU

The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. ~1 Thess. 5:24

Sometimes the most difficult part of new beginnings is knowing where to start. Such is the case with a newsletter, and such is the case with me in Nicaragua. When I arrived at the Nehemiah Center on January 6 for my first day of work, my supervisor, Steve Holtrop, explained the overall idea of the Cohort program and what is expected of me. The details will be worked out over time, he said. For the first time in my life, I am in charge of my activities! However, I am not alone. In this Cohort of Missioners endeavor, I walk alongside a team of people. Mark from Michigan has been in Nicaragua since June. Guissel (GEE-cell) came from Costa Rica in August. Gordon and Peggy, a retiree couple who act as our supervisors and mentors, have been in Nicaragua for over a year. I am not alone in a nebulous cloud of responsibilities; rather, I am joining a group of people who have been in discussion for months about what God wants for this program in Nicaragua. Mostly, we are seeking to live in community with the people around us. Right now, this means I am living with a Nicaraguan host family, working with programs established through the Nehemiah Center, and visiting various churches. The Nehemiah Center programs in which I work focus on community development and partnerships between North American and Nicaraguan churches. Step by step, I am learning how to walk alongside churches and communities in their journey of transformation. Nicaraguans and North Americans walk alongside each other as we follow Christ.

Please and Thank You --Thank the Lord for a safe trip to Nicaragua, and a wonderfully comfortable home with a good family! --Thanks for work that I enjoy in church and community development --Thanks that I have not gotten ill from the food or water --Thanks that Mark, Guissel, and I (the members of the Cohort) are getting along very well --Ask God to help our Cohort to bond well as friends and a team --Ask for patience and humility as I continue to adjust to Nicaraguan culture and climate --Ask Jesus to fill me with his love and courage as I interact with those around me --Ask God to give us wisdom as we try to plan for future participants in the program, including budget considerations and living situations My first few days in Nicaragua were spent with my uncle and aunt on a ministry farm south of Managua. We put my carpentry skills to use making a bean dryer that uses solar energy to dry beans after they have been harvested. The Nehemiah Center has no office in León, where I live and work. However, Gordon and Peggy have opened their home to us for meetings and fun activities whenever we need. Sitting at a table, two of my guides in Nicaragua, Roberto (left) and Mark (right), plan upcoming visits to local communities where we are helping with development work. The Strategy for Urban Transformation (ETU for its acronym in Spanish) seeks to empower people living in poor neighborhoods to consider their strengths and assets and decide what they want to change without depending on outsiders, aka Asset-Based Community Development. A committee from local churches decides which neighborhood to approach, and a team of local leaders from that barrio works with the church committee to plan activities to improve the area. There are three barrios in León and two in Chinandega (the department to the north) where my fellow Cohorts and our boss from the Nehemiah Center, Roberto, have been working. In this coming year, we hope to work with churches to begin two more projects in León. I will spend the majority of my time in these seven communities, visiting them and helping where I can. As the ETU branch of the Nehemiah Center, we walk alongside the teams in the barrios, giving encouragement, suggestions, and providing opportunities for further training so that pastors and leaders can implement change in themselves, their families, churches, and communities.

To partner with me: Go to www.crwm.org/donate OR make out a  check to Christian Reformed World Missions, put WMLA 803904 in the memo line, and mail it to  CRWM USA 1700 28th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508 unsubscribe from this list   update subscription preferences To contact me: Adrianna Oudman c/o Nehemiah Center Apartado Postal 1076 Managua, Nicaragua Email: adrianna.oudman@gmail.com Blog: adriannaoudman@blogspot.com