I (Greg) just returned from a 10-day trip into a jungle region in the north of Nicaragua. The Rio Coco (Coconut River) serves as the border between Nicaragua and Honduras for several hundred miles and empties into the Caribbean Sea. This area is inhabited by the Miskito Indians and other indigenous peoples. The Moon's Guide says it's dangerous - a place infested with crocodiles, malaria, and drug runners - but the most dangerous thing I saw was the grinding poverty. We took a team of 19 people from our church (El Centro de Fe in the town of Masatepe) and I think I can say that it gave my Nicaraguan friends (their first missions trip) a whole new perspective on things like poverty (the poverty in Masatepe doesn't come close to what we saw in Rio Coco), service (they were completely focused on serving and not on their daily lives), and culture (they finally got a chance to experience culture shock & language barriers).

We did a 2-day seminar for pastors and church leaders on the cell model church, ran a 3-day medical clinic, and distributed clothing, food, and other provisions. While the experience was definitely rewarding it was also the toughest missions experience I've had physically. It's taken me four days to recover and, thank God, I don't think I've gotten malaria.

Comments

[Renee Beauregard]

Welcome back, Greg! I'm glad you're feeling better! All of us over here in Massachusetts have been praying for the whole jungle-trekking group. God bless!
~Renee