Moderator

We were picked up at the hotel shortly after breakfast for a short drive to the INPHRU Centre. INPHRU is a short form for “The Institute for Human Promotion,” a long time mission partner of PWS&D. The vision for INPHRU, which its name connotes, is to work with vulnerable children and young people to help them to determine their own future according to their own hopes and needs. The institute began in August 1966 and was the first NGO ever created in Nicaragua. When we arrived at the centre’s gate (there is a locked gate at the entry to most homes and businesses), the driver honked a couple of times and a man suddenly appeared to open the gate for us. Inside we found an excellent facility, immaculately maintained. We gathered in a boardroom for an orientation session from the staff, who used a PowerPoint presentation to orient us on how INPHRU is organized and the various programs supported by INPHRU. One of the programs is the Casa de las Ninas or “Home for Girls.” It provides counseling, training, and legal advocacy for girls who have been sexually and/or physically abused. When it is necessary for a girl’s safety, Casa de las Ninas also provides safe shelter. The time when the girls actually live at the shelter is usually short (about six to eight weeks), after which the girls return home or are placed in a foster home. Each girl who enters the program must sign a covenant saying that she understands the process she will be going through and freely accepts the terms. Read the rest of this entry →

After an excellent breakfast buffet at the hotel that included my first taste of pitaya fruit (a bright red fruit with black seeds), Jose arrived at 8:50 in a CEPAD truck to take the four of us to the CEPAD training centre in Managua. The Director of CEPAD, Damaris Albuquerque, and the rest of CEPAD’s staff and board members were all waiting for us in one of the staff rooms for our orientation to their work and a quick overview of Nicaraguan history and culture. Read the rest of this entry →

Shirley and I arrived in the Atlanta airport, and after checking the flight information on the large screen learned that the flight to Managua was flying out of Gate T08 (at the opposite end of the Atlanta airport). After twenty minutes, which included a few missed turns, a trip on three escalators, two conveyor belts, a train and one elevator, we found our way to the departure gate. Standing in line at the healthy choice food line opposite our departure gate was Barb Summers picking out some salad and vegetables. After sitting down together, we immediately heard a partially audible announcement with the words “Managua, Nicaragua” in it. Barb went up the desk at the departure gate to learn that our flight had been changed to Gate E15 (at the opposite end of the airport, of course). Barb stuffed her salad and vegetables in her brief case (fortunately they were in Styrofoam containers), and off we went for another twenty minute trek on three escalators, two conveyor belts and a train (no elevator this time). Ah! Don’t you just love air travel! When we arrived at the E section of the airport, there was another food court (this one with its very own piano player!). Shirley and I grabbed something to eat while Barb pulled out her salad and vegetables. After gulping down a few quick bites, we headed to our gate. Fortunately, this time there was no change in the departure gate. Read the rest of this entry →

In my last blog post, I introduced you to Peter McLean and “Peter’s Great Canadian Cycling Adventure. “ Well, now my wife Shirley and I are embarking on our own adventure – not to Canada but to Nicaragua and Guatemala. Each moderator makes o international trip during his/her moderatorial year to visit our church’s mission partners and to return to Canada with stories to tell and a broader understanding of the international mission work of the church. Read the rest of this entry →