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To: Potential 2007 Mission Team
Leaders and Members
(click
here for a printable PDF version)
We are excited
about your interest in partnering with El Ayudante as we serve
alongside the people of Nicaragua to bring change to a nation.
Short-term mission teams are vital to our mission of
transformation!
In obedience to
God, we have worked diligently over the last five years to
establish a solid foundation from which to build an effective
ministry. This foundation includes safe and comfortable housing
for mission teams, a dynamic staff in Nicaragua, and status with
local and national government. A ministry strategy has been
developed and is being implemented which is giving hope to and
changing the lives of tens of thousands in Leon, Matagalpa, and
northwest Nicaragua!
Mission Team Housing/Staff
Leon:
Mission team
housing, located on 31 beautiful acres near Leon, consists of
four dormitories. Each dormitory has its own bathroom with
individual showers and is supported by a central kitchen, dining
area, veranda, laundry room, and offices. A staff of over 25 is
specifically devoted to caring for the teams, upkeep of team
housing and grounds, and assisting in the planning and
implementation of the many ministries of mission teams. Omar
Alvarado, Executive Director of El Ayudante in Nicaragua,
oversees this and additional staff which includes an architect,
accountant, lawyer, translators, drivers, cooks, guards,
builders, and gardeners.
Matagalpa:
While mission
team housing is being constructed on a beautiful coffee
plantation high in the mountains near Matagalpa, we are
facilitating teams through an excellent hotel which overlooks
the city of 140,000. Omar Alvarado, directs a staff of 10 in
Matagalpa supported in the planning/design phases of ministry by
professionals on staff in Leon. Matagalpa is a frontier for
ministry where poverty rates are nearly twice the national
average.
Status with National and Local
Government
El Ayudante,
Inc., a 501(c)3, non-profit, tax-exempt US corporation, has
obtained tax-exempt, NGO status in Nicaragua. Special working
relationships have been developed with Nicaragua’s Ministry of
the Family and Ministry of Health. Most importantly, El
Ayudante has developed a strong partnership with the Office of
Mayor, Leon. Former Leon Mayor, Denis Perez, spoke at
groundbreaking ceremonies for El Ayudante’s facility in 2001 and
Leon’s city council has passed numerous resolutions in support
of El Ayudante’s ministry to the people. In June of 2005, Leon’s
mayor-elect, Transito Genaro Tellez, praised the work of mission
teams and initiated an “Agreement of Cooperation” between the
City of Leon and El Ayudante. This agreement formalizes our
partnership with this and future administrations and allows
mission teams unprecedented cooperation from local government! A
relationship with the Office of Mayor, Matagalpa has also been
established. As we develop ministry to Matagalpa, we will work
closely with the administration of Matagalpa Mayor, Dr. Nelson
Artola.
Ministry Strategy
We are convinced
that when the Gospel is presented in its entirety—in both deed
and word—it will transform lives and the tenor of communities.
Mission teams are serving as agents of transformation through
their participation in ministry that addresses humanitarian,
educational, and spiritual needs. Short-term missionaries
minister alongside their Nicaraguan counterparts under the
authority God has ordained in the communities and cities where
they serve.
Before departure
to Nicaragua, mission team leaders work with El Ayudante
volunteers in Tennessee to develop an itinerary for ministry.
Key factors in developing the itinerary include the gifts of
team members and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Ministry is
strategic, based on collaboration with local leaders and
building upon the ministry of previous teams. The groundwork for
a team’s ministry is completed weeks before the team arrives in
Nicaragua.
Please contact
Bill Cox at
billcox@nicamissions.com; 731-660-4985 (home); or
731-697-8377 (cell) to discuss scheduling a team.
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