Big Juan and my heart have been aching for Nicaragua our homeland. The government has been shamelessly killing its citizens … The thing that pulls at our heart is that Juan’s mom and siblings and cousins and basically all of his family still live in Nicaragua, they are the ones that have heard the gun shots, the ones that have had to walk from one town to another because of the road blocks, they are the ones that are struggling to buy the essentials, they are the ones worried daily about their child’s wellbeing at school.

International Ministries has received an emergency relief grant of $8,500 from One Great Hour of Sharing to respond to the critical needs in Latin America following the deadly volcanic eruption in Guatemala and the violence in Nicaragua.

The Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer, general secretary of the American Baptist Churches USA, in consultation with leaders and global servants from International Ministries, wrote a letter to the Consulate General of Nicaragua in Washington DC to express American Baptist concern over recent events in Nicaragua.

IM Area Director Adalia Gutiérrez-Lee received the following update on the unrest in Nicaragua from Tomás Téllez R., vice rector general and Dr. Lydia R. Zamora, rector of IM’s partner university, Politechnic University of Nicaragua (UPOLI), on April 29. Spanish translation follows English.

Drs David and Laura Parajon work to make sure preventive and curative health services get to remote and vulnerable communities through the training and support of health promoters who serve where there is no doctor.

Many of you have asked about the safety of our missionaries and partners in Nicaragua. We are happy to report that they all are safe and being instruments of God’s peace in the midst of violence. The following is news that Area Director Adalia Gutiérrez-Lee received from our partners and missionaries this week.