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Denny and Will surveying new Bethel Rama church/school site
-- By Denny Jenkins (former Pierre MPT Convener)
Hello out there to my fellow supporters of Vital and Ketly Pierre, our missionaries to the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua! Last week, I had the privilege of being in Bluefields and was able to visit with our friends the Pierre’s. What a thrill it was for me and three other workers from our church to see what God is doing on the coast.
We arrived in Bluefields at 7:00 a.m. on a Monday morning, went directly to the compound, dropped off our large baggage, and headed for the ferry dock. Now let me explain what a Bluefields, Nicaragua ferry dock is. It is not a typical ferry dock such as we have in my hometown of Anacortes, Washington. No, the ferries are 22 ft. open boats called “Pangas” and seat about 20 folks in very close proximity. If you weren’t friends with your neighbor before you started the two-hour trip to Rama, you certainly were by the time you arrived. The trip up river is beautiful, and the breeze created by the 40 mile an hour speed is very refreshing. I recommend that you bring a pad to sit on, I thought I had enough padding back there, not so!
Once we arrived in Rama, we were met by Pastor Alberto and began another adventure. Have you ever seen “Amazing Race” and caught a glimpse of those three-wheel scooter things they inappropriately call “Taxis”? Well, we got to experience several of them, what a thrill! Anyway, we were dropped off at the new (and I mean “New”) team housing facility for the teams coming in to support the building effort in Rama. What a nice facility! Pastor Alberto, his wife Argentina, and Vital have done an outstanding job selecting this home close to the work site.
After dropping off our luggage, we started our trek up the hill to the building site, which is about the equivalent of six city blocks. What a lovely building site! It’s about 2 ½ acres and is tucked away at the end of a road, which terminates into a large pasture with a beautiful view of the rolling hills beyond. (Please see the photos below.) Dale Herrigstad and Jim Pemberton surveyed the land, and provided data for the EMI team that followed this week. Will Aldridge and I skillfully supervised the operation from our prone position at the improvised “Palupa”.
After working all day at the site, Will and I were exhausted. We went back to the team house and had a fabulous meal provided by Pastor Alberto’s wife Argentina and her assistant. Now, we all know that when you go on a mission trip for various reasons you are supposed to loose weight, not in Rama! Wow, the food was great and plentiful! After dinner, we toured the town, bought cold drinks, bought leather belts, and had another thrilling ride in those scooter things back to the team house.
The next morning we headed back to Bluefields in the Panga and met new friends. It only took a few hours to get the circulation back into my “Cowboy Backside”. Once again we experienced the thrill of Pastor Vital driving the streets of Bluefields. One has to experience this adventure in order to effectively describe it. I could hear one of my companions saying something like “Holy Mary something……. something………” in the back seat!
It’s always a blessing to sit down with the Pierre’s and discuss what God is doing there on the coast. The AWANA program has really taken off there at Bluefields. They have well over a hundred kids coming and they love it! Out of AWANA has come a separate Children’s Church that happens on another day. All of the AWANA kids attend this service that is just for kids only. What a way to reach these kids!
It’s also fun to see the folks that have worked there on the compound for years and renew old acquaintances. One of the workers is a man named Victor. Victor is kind of a quiet guy and does several tasks around the facility. When I first met Victor he was recovering from serious brain tumor surgery. That was in the early 2000’s. He has had an amazing recovery, and has done a multitude of tasks for the ministry including caretaker at Kukra Hill during the building process. Now back at Bluefields, he oversees the pool, acts as the lifeguard, is the Sergeant-At-Arms, and collects the few cordoba required to swim. I saw him climb the “Pear” tree next to the pool and distribute fruit to the kids and their parents. Victor’s real ministry is his ability to coach and teach kids the game of soccer. I observed him with about 20 kids one evening around the basketball/soccer court. The kids were in the bleachers and Victor was leading them in a Bible study. This was the norm prior to the game. I was amazed how attentive the kids were, they were absorbing every word! It was very evident that the kids loved and respected Victor. God is using Victor to impact these kids.
It was kind of sad for me departing Bluefields this time. I don’t know if I will be going back there. Father Time is catching up with me, and I don’t move as fast as I used too. As I sat with Vital and Ketly at the airport, we talked about the challenges ahead of them, the building at Rama, the leading of the Lord to expand the work into another community and the need for direction. As friends of this wonderful dedicated couple, I would challenge you to pray daily for them. We all know that when we are doing the Lord’s work and we see changed lives, Satan works overtime to discourage and disrupt our work. We also know that God is in control and He wants to hear from His people. So, please remember them in your prayers.
A not-so-secret admirer of the Pierre’s,
Denny Jenkins
Hello out there to my fellow supporters of Vital and Ketly Pierre, our missionaries to the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua! Last week, I had the privilege of being in Bluefields and was able to visit with our friends the Pierre’s. What a thrill it was for me and three other workers from our church to see what God is doing on the coast.
We arrived in Bluefields at 7:00 a.m. on a Monday morning, went directly to the compound, dropped off our large baggage, and headed for the ferry dock. Now let me explain what a Bluefields, Nicaragua ferry dock is. It is not a typical ferry dock such as we have in my hometown of Anacortes, Washington. No, the ferries are 22 ft. open boats called “Pangas” and seat about 20 folks in very close proximity. If you weren’t friends with your neighbor before you started the two-hour trip to Rama, you certainly were by the time you arrived. The trip up river is beautiful, and the breeze created by the 40 mile an hour speed is very refreshing. I recommend that you bring a pad to sit on, I thought I had enough padding back there, not so!
Once we arrived in Rama, we were met by Pastor Alberto and began another adventure. Have you ever seen “Amazing Race” and caught a glimpse of those three-wheel scooter things they inappropriately call “Taxis”? Well, we got to experience several of them, what a thrill! Anyway, we were dropped off at the new (and I mean “New”) team housing facility for the teams coming in to support the building effort in Rama. What a nice facility! Pastor Alberto, his wife Argentina, and Vital have done an outstanding job selecting this home close to the work site.
After dropping off our luggage, we started our trek up the hill to the building site, which is about the equivalent of six city blocks. What a lovely building site! It’s about 2 ½ acres and is tucked away at the end of a road, which terminates into a large pasture with a beautiful view of the rolling hills beyond. (Please see the photos below.) Dale Herrigstad and Jim Pemberton surveyed the land, and provided data for the EMI team that followed this week. Will Aldridge and I skillfully supervised the operation from our prone position at the improvised “Palupa”.
After working all day at the site, Will and I were exhausted. We went back to the team house and had a fabulous meal provided by Pastor Alberto’s wife Argentina and her assistant. Now, we all know that when you go on a mission trip for various reasons you are supposed to loose weight, not in Rama! Wow, the food was great and plentiful! After dinner, we toured the town, bought cold drinks, bought leather belts, and had another thrilling ride in those scooter things back to the team house.
The next morning we headed back to Bluefields in the Panga and met new friends. It only took a few hours to get the circulation back into my “Cowboy Backside”. Once again we experienced the thrill of Pastor Vital driving the streets of Bluefields. One has to experience this adventure in order to effectively describe it. I could hear one of my companions saying something like “Holy Mary something……. something………” in the back seat!
It’s always a blessing to sit down with the Pierre’s and discuss what God is doing there on the coast. The AWANA program has really taken off there at Bluefields. They have well over a hundred kids coming and they love it! Out of AWANA has come a separate Children’s Church that happens on another day. All of the AWANA kids attend this service that is just for kids only. What a way to reach these kids!
It’s also fun to see the folks that have worked there on the compound for years and renew old acquaintances. One of the workers is a man named Victor. Victor is kind of a quiet guy and does several tasks around the facility. When I first met Victor he was recovering from serious brain tumor surgery. That was in the early 2000’s. He has had an amazing recovery, and has done a multitude of tasks for the ministry including caretaker at Kukra Hill during the building process. Now back at Bluefields, he oversees the pool, acts as the lifeguard, is the Sergeant-At-Arms, and collects the few cordoba required to swim. I saw him climb the “Pear” tree next to the pool and distribute fruit to the kids and their parents. Victor’s real ministry is his ability to coach and teach kids the game of soccer. I observed him with about 20 kids one evening around the basketball/soccer court. The kids were in the bleachers and Victor was leading them in a Bible study. This was the norm prior to the game. I was amazed how attentive the kids were, they were absorbing every word! It was very evident that the kids loved and respected Victor. God is using Victor to impact these kids.
It was kind of sad for me departing Bluefields this time. I don’t know if I will be going back there. Father Time is catching up with me, and I don’t move as fast as I used too. As I sat with Vital and Ketly at the airport, we talked about the challenges ahead of them, the building at Rama, the leading of the Lord to expand the work into another community and the need for direction. As friends of this wonderful dedicated couple, I would challenge you to pray daily for them. We all know that when we are doing the Lord’s work and we see changed lives, Satan works overtime to discourage and disrupt our work. We also know that God is in control and He wants to hear from His people. So, please remember them in your prayers.
A not-so-secret admirer of the Pierre’s,
Denny Jenkins