John Meneghini

Buenas noches

Cal, John, Robert, John, Joe, Julio

This morning I got up at 5:00am to go to a bible study with 4 other men from the church we are staying at.  We went to Robert's house, in a nearby neighborhood, where we read a few chapters of the old testament, and talked and prayed together. We had a great time, and told Robert we'd like to come again.





Robert is an American who met, and eventually married, a Nicaraguan woman named Marisol while he was on a short term missionary trip to Calvary Chapel Managua in 2000. After living in the USA for a number of years Robert and Marisol moved to Mexico and eventually came to Nicaragua where they were closer to Marisol's family.  Robert and Marisol currently have a house church meeting in their home.  "This isn't something we planned", say Robert, "it started as a small bible study in our home, and just grew".

Robert and Marisol's home in Las Brisas, Managua

Later in the day we returned to Robert and Marisol's home with the rest of the team to visit the church.  We met some of the members, saw a slide show with pictures of different church activities, sang some songs, and prayed together.

Los Martines

While there we walked through the neighborhood and went to visit one of the members home.  This home is in one of the poorest neighborhoods, in the barrio of of Los Matines, Managua - which is only two blocks away from Robert and Marisol's home.

Living Room

While visiting their home, they graciously invited the whole team to come in and spend some time in their back yard.  They were very proud of their little three room home, and they wanted everyone to come in and see the new addition they just added at the back of the house (a kitchen).  They also shared their plans for wanting to use the property as a site for a new building for their growing house church.

Back yard

After spending some time passing out literature and talking with many of the people in the neighborhood, we walked back to Robert and Marisol's house and said our good byes.






I am very grateful for the hospitality we've experienced today.  Every time I come to Nicaragua I am impressed by the very unassuming and gracious nature of the Christians in this country.  Despite any material lack or want, they don't think of themselves as being poor.  Instead, possessed by a humble dignity, they willingly open their lives and their homes and share what they have in a spirit of generosity and love. This is both refreshing and challenging. I seldom see these qualities in my own life, or in the lives of the Christians in my own country - where there is very little material lack or want.

 

Robert and Marisol with their two daughters

Thanks for reading,

John Meneghini