Today’s blog is an update from Patrick brown, who runs samaritans international of nicaragua, where we ship much of our food

Living in Nicaragua has always been challenging for many reasons. During these last few months, as the world has been dealing with the Covid issue, the Nicaraguan government has not enforced any type of standards for protection. We have lost pastors who run feeding centers, as well as people from our local Pochocuape community. Here at our free Christian school, we put together a distance learning program, which may sound easy, but is not! Due to the lack of internet, computers, and smart phones (which our student families cannot afford), we have to make copies of study guides, worksheets, tests and all the other materials needed for education. The students come to our gate on different days to pick up the latest guide and turn in completed work. The teachers are still working from home, so we take all the work to each teacher’s home weekly.

Unemployment was higher than ever after all the political issues in April 2018. Our blessings have continued, however. We have some meat chickens for our family as well as home-grown vegetables from our garden. Our animals have been blessing us with new babies as well as fresh milk. This coming week we will bless many people with two containers of meals from Servants With A Heart, which we will deliver to some of the most rural communities in Managua. 

Thank you to all the Servants With A Heart volunteers—you are truly saving the lives of starving children and families in Nicaragua. Our prayers are with all of you during this hard time. Thank you for your support and prayers!

Love, The Brown Family in Nicaragua

The experience of one of our SWH Leadership team members, Cynthia hair, and her family as they pack food during this unusual time

My family and I have been joining Servants With a Heart packing food while following social distancing protocols. We have loved making an impact during this pandemic by being able to pack food for distribution to people in our area in need. The first event we participated in was just with the leadership team and their families to see how we could pack and maintain social distance from those who were not in our family group. Jeff and Suzanne Yoh, the founders of Servants With a Heart, were packing with their children, too—but keeping a watchful eye on how to improve the process while following Covid19 guidelines. There were some minor changes after the first event, but all in all our leadership team felt like this was something that could be done with success.

Here is how we do it: Families or groups that have been isolating together sign up together. The exact number of people attending is crucial.  Each part of the process has a certain number of people needed to do the job. The first section of the packing process is called the food group, scooping the 4 ingredients into the bag. This can be done with 4 to 6 people; my family got to do this and we had a pretty good flow going even while we danced in our spots to the upbeat music played during the event! The second section is the weighing and sealing process. This can take 2 to 3 people. The third section is counting and boxing, which is usually for single individuals. There is a 6 foot separation between each section, and all participants sanitize hands and wear gloves and masks.

Since the first event, my family and I have been in different sections, depending on how many of us sign up and attend. I am planning to bring my 3 year old granddaughter to the one coming up—she can help me with weighing the bags by scooping a spoonful of rice into a bag or taking a spoonful out of a bag, depending on if the weight needs to increase or decrease after all the ingredients have been added at the food group section.

I am very thankful that there is a safe place to serve together with my family during this crazy time as we all navigate what our new normal will be.

Cynthia Hair

servants with a heart has been distributing many meals in the local Charlotte area during this difficult time of COVID-19 — Below is some information about one location that has been especially impacted

Refugee Support Services is a 501(c)3 nonprofit post-resettlement organization that helps newly-arrived refugees — and those who have been here for years and may even have become U.S. citizens — make Charlotte their new home. The mission of Refugee Support Services of the Carolinas, Inc. is to facilitate programs and intercultural relationships that promote refugee self-sufficiency and enrich our community. We aim to connect refugees to the greater Charlotte community by facilitating reciprocal relationships between refugees and Americans through the Fruitful Friendships Program, teach self-sufficiency skills to refugees, empower them to thrive in American society through our various programs, including Refugee Help Center sessions, educational programs, and occasional special events.

Currently, Charlotte is home to over 17,000 refugees and former refugees from all around the world.  Charlotte has been receiving refugees from such countries as the Central Highlands of Vietnam; Nepal (folks of Bhutanese-Nepali heritage); Burma (currently called Myanmar); African nations: Eritrea, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda; Iraq, Afghanistan, and most recently, Syria.

With our weekly Wednesday food distribution program, we collaborate with a national food rescue organization, Society of St. Andrew, to provide fresh and nutritious produce to refugee families.  On occasion, we get donations from other area organizations, church garden ministries, and individuals.  As part of the distribution program, we work hard to educate refugee friends in language skills and other important information.  In normal times, we serve 30-60 refugees each Wednesday; during this pandemic, during which many families have lost one or both incomes through unemployment, we are serving 110 refugee families each Wednesday.  We are so appreciative of the meals that servants with a heart has been able to provide us during these challenging times!

Marci Mroz, General Program Coordinator, Refugee Support Services

In the hustle of our every day, it’s easy to push aside thoughts of tomorrow and thoughts of others, especially those less fortunate. While the intention is not to disregard, we simply live in a world that doesn’t allow us to slow down long enough to look around and take in the needs of our surroundings. However, that is just an excuse, the reasoning we make in our heads to appease the guilt. The truth is that the choices we make are all intentional: where we go, who we see, what we eat, what activities we participate in. I made excuses for myself for years. I didn’t have the time, the money, or the skills. However, I have found these are all lies. There are constant opportunities to serve others every day; I simply need to intentionally choose to do so. It’s difficult, and I am certainly in no way perfect at it, but in recent years God has laid it on my heart to do more. 

One way I have truly loved to serve has been through the food packing event Servants With a Heart and Jenkins Restorations hold each December. Not only is this a fun way to join in fellowship with co-workers and others in my community, the food we pack for the families in Nicaragua makes a real difference. After several years of participating in this food packing event, I was ecstatic to get the opportunity to fly to Nicaragua and experience the other side of the event, distributing the food we packed to those in need. At first, the decision was difficult to make, with personal challenges causing me to question whether I should make the trip. In the end, I knew I was being called to go.

I set out with no expectations. Servants With a Heart had a plan in place and our group met several times to familiarize ourselves with each other and learn what we needed to know about Nicaragua. I felt anxious and excited as I boarded the plane, even more so when we landed. After a smooth exit through customs, we were there. I was there.

Our first stop was to a community dump, where families worked every day, including their small children, collecting items that could be recycled for money. That was how those families survived. It wasn’t lucrative work – it was dirty and dangerous, but to those families it was normal and how they earned a living.

When we arrived, there was already a group leading the people in songs of worship. We got off our bus and were instructed to disperse throughout the group. In those first moments, all I could do was look around and take it all in. Some were singing; some raising their hands in praise. Many were watching us as we moved throughout their group. It was surreal, but there was no time to hesitate – everyone just had to jump right in. 

We joined the group in singing and when it was finished, the local pastor called on anyone who wanted prayer to come forward. People came forward and requested prayer for everything from blessings to relief from medical pain. We then put our hands on the people and prayed over them. Once the prayers were finished, we distributed the food and toys.

As the families gathered their food and toys and headed back to their homes, I began to take a closer look around. Everywhere I turned there were mounds of trash. It was all over the ground, everywhere you stepped. Families were gathered on some of the mounds, surrounded by bags of plastic. Some had animals, all as undernourished as their owners, their skin dry and tight around their rib cages.

As I processed everything my eyes were taking in, I wondered what my purpose would be on the trip. What could I possibly have to offer? I was far removed from my comfort zone, but as I looked around, my heart softened. I watched the children, the joy they exuded, and knew I would do whatever was needed of me. I resolved to allow myself to be guided by Christ and not be afraid to do things I had never done before.

There were countless opportunities to act on my resolve. Whether it was praying over people I just met, singing songs in an unfamiliar language, or leading our team’s devotion, I intended to live out every calling God laid on me. I walked away from the experience in awe of God’s grace and wonder, how He could use me in ways I never imagined by just letting him take the lead. By being intentional in letting go and serving in any opportunity that arose, I was able to see Him work not only in the lives around me but my life as well. I learned so much from the people I met in Nicaragua. It was an experience I will never forget.

rebekah Zahory, Jenkins restorations

I am Arturo Soriano III, son of Jenkins Restorations employee Arturo Soriano. I am a 10th grader at Gonzaga College High School, an all boys Catholic school in DC that encourages service. We have opportunities to go on service trips and have a homeless shelter and food pantry on our campus called the Father McKenna Center. In December, I packed food for Servants with a Heart with my dad and other Jenkins employees, and this food typically goes both to Nicaragua and the Carolinas; however, my parents and I thought that we should bring some back and give it to the McKenna Center the next time our family served at its hypothermia program. On Thursday February 13th, we worked at the Center and donated the food for the food pantry. The Center’s pantry is open to all homeless people around the area and Gonzaga students help with the pantry during lunch periods. The hypothermia program is more limited as it involves housing people for the nights in winter. As a result, the Center’s hypothermia program is limited to only men and they must actively want to get out of homelessness. The McKenna Center funds therapy for those suffering from addiction in the program; however, if the men continue to abuse substances and themselves, then the shelter cannot house them. The center is strict and disciplined as we want to help those who want to be helped. If there are men who continue bad habits, then someone who follows good habits would not have this opportunity. The pantry is open to all men and women, regardless of whether they were turned down for the hypothermia program. We were able to share food with those in and out of the program and it was a great experience!

another field report from our partners in nicaragua, Samaritans international…

She is Mayra and she is 28 years old.

Mayra is from a community in Managua called Las Hamacas and she has 5 children. She was 15 when she had her first child, and her kids are now 1, 4, 7, 9, and 12 years old.

She is a single mother and loves to take care of her children. The day we made the delivery to this community, she was waiting anxiously for us to give her a box of Servants With a Heart food. Mayra shared with us that receiving this box of rice is a great help for her and her children. It is difficult for her to go out to work because she does not have the support of someone to take care of her children while she works, and in the community where she lives the distances between places are long and difficult.

So this blessing represents one of the main sources of food for her and her children, and she is very grateful because there is no other help for her community. She wants God to bless all the people that make it possible for this food to get here!

Here’s another update story from our partner, Samaritans international of Nicaragua

Several months ago, we had the opportunity to make a donation to the volunteer fire department of Managua. Through Samaritans International and Servants With a Heart, the Lord provided 600 boxes of food and the fire department received nearly 130,000 meals. 

The eight fire department locations around Nicaragua form the volunteer fire department federation serving these communities:  Chinandega, Leon, Carazo, Masaya, Rivas, Boaco, Estelí, and Matagalpa. The food was distributed according to need.

David Castillo, a volunteer firefighter, shared with us that on distribution day, there was a cooking demonstration to teach how to cook the food correctly. They prepared two different meals: Chinese Rice and soy meatballs. Neighbors and the volunteers from the fire department attended the demonstration and learned how to use ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, celery, and soy sauce. Once the training finished, they ate the prepared food and everything was delicious...it was a successful moment!

“I love to cook this food by myself...I prepared it with onions and tomatoes...I buy some tortillas and then it’s enough for dinner...very nutritious!” (testimony of Yodelvi Tercero about his experience with the food that has been a blessing for the fire department)

The fire department in Managua was founded on September 15th, 1936 and it is a volunteer organization. It aims to prevent fires and reduce fire risk; to save lives and property of people who are affected by different natural, accidental or intentional events; and to protect the environment. 

Its job is done without discrimination, ensuring an effective, efficient and high-quality human service based on technical and scientific knowledge. It acts with a dignified, courteous attitude and adheres to the constitution and laws of the Republic of Nicaragua.

The firefighters thank Servants With a Heart and its volunteers for their help, and hopes that god blesses them all!

Another update from our friends at Samaritans international of Nicaragua…

She is Flora Guadalupe López. She is 8 years old and lives in Catarina, city of Masaya. 

Before being blessed with Servants With a Heart (SWH) food she could not support the weight of her body and was without strength—she could not even hold her arms up. Last February, she started eating a diet based on SWH food, and by June—just 5 months—her advances were significant. Jesus performed a miracle in her life! She can support her body and take steps with her walker. Flora can sit in a chair and turn her head and she also smiles now. Her parents and little sister are very grateful to God.

We can say with confidence that the vitamin rice that God has brought to this family from SWH has been a great help with her nutrition, growth, and physical development.

In Flora we see a cheerful girl, full of light, and this is a great blessing for her family. They are very grateful first to God and then to Servants with a Heart for the food aid that has been provided and hope to continue receiving meals!

As we prepare to head to our annual Jenkins Restorations packing event and Christmas party next month, we thought it appropriate to share a post written by a Jenkins employee who traveled to Nicaragua this fall. Lyndee also writes that she has been inspired to work on learning Spanish now and has downloaded DuoLingo. She is so excited about understanding Spanish better, ”which will be fun when I go to Nicaragua again… I will be able to speak more with the people!”

I had the incredible privilege to travel to Nicaragua for a long weekend with several people from my company, Jenkins Restorations. We pack food every year in December with Servants With a Heart. This year, we got to actually see the very boxes we packed being given out to the people of Nicaragua and how this physical gift opens the door to their hearts and provides an opportunity for us to pray with them and for lives to be changed for eternity.

Back at home, I received an email from my work about an opportunity to go to Nicaragua. I very casually responded to the second email sent out thinking I might be interested. I didn't hear the voice of God saying I shouldn't go. So, hey, what the heck, let's fly to a third world country. My movement to sign up for this trip could not have felt more casual and less exciting. Instead of knowing God's voice and recognize this calling in my life, it felt like a whim that I may or may not follow through with.

Now, I contrast this casual decision to fly to Nicaragua with every decision that was made while I was in Nicaragua. When the plane touched down, it was “go time.” Suddenly, all the distractions in my life were gone. I didn't have email to check, shopping to do, cleaning, playing with my new Fitbit, going to the gym—everything from my normal life was removed. Now, the only thing on my agenda was to listen to God and do what he says. A casual whim turned into clear direction from God and his voice became distinct. When I am not distracted by the things of the world, the spiritual battle takes a front row and I remember that I am a warrior.

The first thing we did (after eating food—because that is what Americans do), was go to a dump. When we arrived, there was already a man there from our partner ministry, Samaritans International, singing worship songs with the people who lived in the dump. I could not sing along, since I don't know Spanish, but I could feel the Holy Spirit moving as I listened to the song. I was drawn to this one particular girl. She looked to be 12 or 13. She was raising her hands as she sang and I knew that she trusted in God. This girl lived her life digging through trash looking for things to sell. From a worldly view, she had nothing, but the truth is, she had the only thing that really matters. She had hope in God. My heart was filled with joy as I watched these people who had no earthly treasures raise their hands and worship God. They didn't have the distractions that I have at home. They knew that God was their only hope. They chose to rest in Him because they didn’t have anything else to rest in.

We went to several churches, a school, and into communities. We delivered a lot of food. Wherever we delivered food, we prayed for the people. We asked for specific prayer requests. We unashamedly went before the throne of God and asked Him to save their souls, heal their sicknesses, provide jobs, and bring joy. The spiritual warfare was so evident. At one church, our preacher's translator, Jackie, was physically attacked by a demon. She was pushed back and she almost tripped. It was telling her she was unworthy and that she should not be translating. The master of lies was attacking her. However, God is stronger than any devil. Jackie knew that these were lies and she kept on translating. She spoke God's truth to the people. At that very same church, as we prayed, God healed a woman's kidney pain and took it away. In Nicaragua, I remembered that we have access to the amazing power of God and when we pray in faith, we will see God do amazing things.

Now that I am back home, I am once again surrounded by many distractions. Many of these things are necessary—doing chores, checking email, going to work. These are things I am thankful I have, but I pray I will not allow them to distract me from the voice of God. I pray I will not forget the spiritual battle that is going on daily. I still have access to God's amazing power and all I need to do is pray in faith and God will do amazing things.

We have access to God's power, so let's unleash it.

Lyndee Fritzemeier, Jenkins Restorations

Mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given. Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. The people who haven’t earned it, who haven’t even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion. Bryan Stevenson

I was fortunate to meet William at Mateares dump on a trip to Nicaragua in June. William is 4 years old, has never spoken and looks as one would expect a 4 year old would look who spends his days at the dump sorting through garbage to find what he and his family can eat, use or sell. His little face and eyes, and pants that were too big, tied with a plastic cord, made an unforgettable impression on my heart. William has been going to the dump every day since he was born. He communicates with hand gestures, but he has never been to a class to learn any type of sign language.  

Servants with a Heart hosted several packing events during Love Week at Elevation Church in July. I was leading the event at the River Walk campus in Rock Hill, SC. During the service time before the packing began, I went around to all the classrooms of kids from age 3 to 5th grade. I told them about the food and how the packing they were going to be doing would make a difference for children’s lives in Nicaragua. I showed them a picture of William and told them about his life. Specifically, I shared that when he gets the food, our hope is that his mom will allow him to go to school and not have to look through trash at the dump to find food or things to sell to make money to buy food. I told them I was sure William’s mom does not want him to have to eat trash and she does want him to be able to go to school. The food packing they were about to do was going to help William have a better life.  

Annabelle (age 4) and James (age 3)  were at River Walk that morning and were moved by the story of William. They asked their mom that afternoon if William got his food yet, and they continued to ask her every day, not comprehending the distance and logistics involved to get the food to William in Nicaragua. In the meantime, Ashley, their mom, talked more to Annabelle and James about what William’s life was like. Annabelle and James decided they wanted to send William a blanket. Servants with a Heart found out more information about William, including that he has an 8 year old brother and a 10 year old sister. Ashley took Annabelle and James to pick out and buy some blankets for William and his siblings.

In September, Jeff and Suzanne Yoh, the founders of Servants with a Heart, took another group to Nicaragua. They carried the blankets to William and his siblings and were able to take some photos for Annabelle and James Needless to say, William was thrilled to have a Spiderman blanket all his own that was picked out just for him.

The pictures of William and his mom receiving the blankets showed a happy, shy little boy and a proud and appreciative mother. What I noticed is William’s face was clean the day he got to cuddle his new blanket. His mother knew there was a gift coming for her son, and I believe that someone valuing and caring about the comfort and future of her child gave her renewed hope for her little boy.  

Cynthia Hair, SWH Leadership Team