The Beautiful Hues of Relationship, Untangling Poverty

A thank you.

“Queridos!”  Perhaps you know just how frequently a communication in Spanish begins with the word, queridos, meaning “loved ones.”  Renee and I can think of no better way to share an update with you, our beloved friends, family and church partners of CEPAD (Council of Protestant Denominations Committed to Development), no better way to share our depth of gratitude, than to simply begin by saying, “Beloved!”  We love you.  Thank you for praying for us, for giving in so many ways . . . freely giving your hearts, your time, your advocacy, your financial resources, sending emails and letters and even packages of stickers and cards and art supplies, often interminably held up in customs!

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We are now a little jump into our second year of service in Nicaragua.  But because of our initial work in the U.S., we are nearly finishing our second year with Presbyterian World Mission.  So for those of you who made a financial gift to us in 2014 but not yet this year, we would urge you to make a similar gift now for 2015.   And since we are still short of our goal, we welcome new or increased gifts, too.  You can do so here by clicking on the “Make a donation” link on this webpage:  http://www.presbyterianmission.org/donate/E200391/  Gracias, queridos!

An update

We have trod a long journey this past year, through innumerable medical appointments, lab tests and treatments.  Renee has conquered various infections.  She is managing the symptoms of fibromyalgia with some modest success.  However, hot flashes in 95–100degree heat, are just no fun at all!  But she is moving ahead with her Spanish and finding some relational encouragement in that and is being asked by many to lead, preach, teach, facilitate Bible studies, etc.  She would like to find a way to carve out some space for her growing talent of oil painting.  She is a great mom and partner to me and a good friend to an increasing number of people here.  She motivates everyone in our family to keep growing and changing and trusting in the steadiness and winsomeness of Jesus.

I am now feeling that much of Nicaragua and its history and culture is familiar.  Much of the past and current state of Nicaragua is sobering.  I increasingly believe that the greatest gift we can give CEPAD team participants is hearts, minds and sensibilities infused with God’s grace and a growing sense of our mutual dependency.  In this relationship across miles, cultures and economic divides Jesus meets us and changes us and our situations, whatever our life situation is, however seemingly significant or insignificant we believe we are.

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I am hitting my stride in my ministry with CEPAD, facilitating visits and short-term mission trips and helping to deepen partnerships between U.S. churches and rural Nicaraguan communities.  I have been asked to serve on the resource development committee of CEPAD, which is a great passion for me, and will soon announce exciting new opportunities to share in CEPAD’s ministry.  The logistical work of short-term mission teams and other similar visits is a joy for me and I am so grateful to hear the stories of those of you who travel here on short-term mission trips.  God is becoming real to me in new ways.   I am especially grateful for the opportunity I have to continue with counseling, personal reading, and exercise, which I have just begun this past month.  It is hard to do all of this and spend time with family and share in domestic work life and yet still get good sleep, but I am having some luck in this low season of teams.

Finally, I am fortunate to be able to report that my MS remains mostly off the radar in Nicaragua, though we are taking a preventative measure and getting an air conditioner in the event that symptoms become worse.

Our kids?  Well, they are simply awesome.  They allow us to make mistakes.  They let us know of their needs.  They are helping out at home (sometimes with many reminders).  They are investing in friendships.  They are working at their school commitments, mostly quite happily.

A story

In Jinotepe, to the south of Managua, CEPAD has worked for eight months training leaders in the community of Los Encuentros (“The Meeting Crossroads”).  During our family’s recent visit to Los Encuentros, leaders described what they had been learning.  One woman, Glorieta, rushed in late to our meeting. She had not personally been to any of our trainings, but a friend, trained by CEPAD, had trained her.  Glorieta was beaming as she pulled necklaces, bracelets and earrings from her pockets. In Spanish, she burst out, “He ideado unos!”  In English, her statement could be rendered, “I've created some of my own unique designs”—shared modestly, but proudly.

What a truly amazing organization CEPAD is.  I share about it often.  But what if I had to describe it in a single word, which would I choose?  What word would you choose?

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CEPAD heavily invests in a small number of community leaders in each of the 42 communities in which it works.  Then we ask these leaders to train or disciple others.  They are encouraged to find their sweet spot of entrepreneurship, to experiment, and to create an income stream.  Glorieta is one such disciple and bourgeons with jewelry-making ideas.

So what single word, then, sums up CEPAD?  Perhaps enthusiasm, or hope.

Some could say relationship, in all its beautiful hues, best describes CEPAD:

• the friendship that you, our North American partners, have with Nicaraguans
• rural farmers and their families working as a team, straining to create new horizons
• CEPAD technical staff and villagers, locked hand in hand, as they commit to a five-year schedule of trainings, experimentation, and countless new achievements and gains for the community
• and people like Glorieta, and her friend who passed on the blessing of her own training so that Glorieta could secure income-generating skills

In relationship we recognize more clearly what it is to be created in God's image.  CEPAD weaves together its commitment to Christ, to people, and to development in webs of relationships that create hope and possibility. . . . and concrete outcomes that benefit families!

Thank you for helping so many Nicaraguans benefit from relationships with CEPAD.  Join us in giving God thanks for the ways that relationships infuse the work of CEPAD.  And stay tuned for stories in future newsletters about how your commitment and relationship with CEPAD is changing lives of ordinary Nicaraguans.

Justin

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 65

Read more about Justin and "Renee Sundberg's ministry