Nicaragua Friends Give Back in Time of Need!

Most of you probably were not aware that Hurricane Otto ripped across parts of Northeastern Nicaragua in late November, 2016.  It passed through Bluefields and up the beautiful Rio San Juan, knocking down trees and wreaking havoc.  I watched some of the destruction on Facebook through the page of the Montecristo Ecolodge, a fishing lodge on the river that I had visited a year ago.  The owner suffered some major damage in the hurricane, with a lot of trees crashing into his cabins and kitchens.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to help someone in need, and help revitalize a business that is a draw for tourists and bring business back to the area.  I called my trusted friend Misael Tinoco and he quickly organized a group of six volunteers who would go to Montecristo and spend 3 days working to repair the roof on the kitchen.  The Foundation paid for the transportation costs, and the guys volunteered their labor and time.  They sent me hourly updates on their adventure and it was indeed an adventure.  Three hours by car, then 2 hours by boat up the river.

They were welcomed by Agustin, the owner of the lodge, and he couldn’t believe that a group of strong men – whom he never knew - would just come help him rebuild his lodge.  He was sending me updates and gratitude’s for the entire duration of their stay.  While they were there, he learned about the Foundation, who these guys were and why they were there volunteering.  They had all received blessings from others, and they were honored to be helping someone else.  He met Arlin - our new Doctor, Misael - our leader and professional beekeeper and Enoch – our youngest volunteer at 13 years old.  He was nearly as impressed as I was – I was extremely proud of these guys.

This is what it’s all about, helping others and teaching them the honorable feeling of helping others when there is a need.  The guys had a fantastic time, felt very proud of themselves, and all want to come back to volunteer again.  A perfect win-win for everyone.

We want to start the year off by saying Thank You for a great 2016 and we look forward to another great year.  School starts again in two weeks, and our staff is busy preparing for the new school year and welcoming the new students who were accepted into the program.  Thank you to many of you who chose to sponsor students for this school year!  We still have a few who are in need of a sponsor, so it’s never too late to invest in our program.


Jake