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 Managua, Nicaragua Mission - 2008

In the wee hours of the morning of July 11, 2008, a small but mighty contingent of the Knox-Elora Care Team (KnECT) met a Knox church to begin our journey to Managua.  Of course, the preparations for the trip had started much earlier.  Local ministries, fundraising, team building and much planning had begun a few years prior.

Our travelling team consisted of 12 members. They ranged from teens to retirees.  Our support team was much larger, consisting of many members of our congregation in Elora, as well as family and friends.  Without these people supporting us, the trip would not have been possible.  Some of the team members had been to Nicaragua on one or more trips, but for half of our team, it was their first time.  Read more .......

Nicaragua Mission - 2006

A team of 15 went to Managua, Nicaragua to build walls for an existing church.  The first day of the build, the footings were put in and the team was just beginning to move the blocks into position.  The days passed with lots of hard work and when the team left for home, only the church roof was needed.  It will be completed in two weeks by people the team hired to do the work.  The Nicaraguan people from the church and community were thrilled to receive all the clothing donations the team had brought with them.  Before the team left for home, they held their first church service within the newly built walls.  There were many tears of love and happiness shared by all who attended. See photos.

Read Kees Vandermey's account of this mission trip to Nicaragua as told to Rob Gilbert and posted on the "Presbyterian's Aiding Nicaraguans" website.

Our God is an awesome God and his light shines through P.A.N. and all those who follow His word through missions.

Nicaragua - 2004
"Open Wide"

In the spring of 2004, an excited group of four met with Annette Vickers of P.A.N. for their first meeting that would lead them on a journey to Nicaragua.  The focus of this group was "dental care".  For eight months this team fundraised money and supplies from generous people and dental supply houses.  Putting together eight to ten hockey bags was not a hard task.  These bags were filled with supplies for a 10 day dental mission in Managua.  The anticipation was to see 80 - 100 per day.

The team left on October 29, 2004.  They visited six churches and worked full days from approximately 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.  (Out of the ten days stay, six were work days, two were travel days, one was Sunday - no work and one was a play day).

The work days were filled with children and adults, some with acute dental needs, but yet others were cavity free.  The only dental procedures that they were able to provide, because of lack of equipment, was extractions and some light scaling/cleaning.  The Nicaragua people were very appreciative and the days flew by.  The patients brought gifts of thanks, ie: food and crafts.

The mission trip was entitled "Open Wide".  It was to be taken literally for patients to open wide, but it also meant for the dental caregivers to open their hearts, minds and eyes to the needs around them.  God was with their every step.

P.A.N. is a well organized and competent group - all the way from the purchase of tickets. to the drivers, the interpreters and the head organizers.  If you feel a desire to do mission work, this is a great place to start.  God Bless!

Submitted by Cindy Kobylnik-Smith

Mission - Nicaragua 2003
"Open the Eyes of My Heart"

Early in the morning of July 26, 2003, a bleary-eyed group of sixteen, from teen to retiree, and thirty-two hockey bags full of supplies and clothing, boarded a bus bound for Toronto Airport.  The team flew from Toronto to Houston, had a few hours wait and then continued to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.

The main project was building a 20 ft. x 30 ft. cement block addition onto an existing church.  It involved many hard hours of: mixing cement by hand, cutting forms with hand saws, digging a level floor, bending rebar and pouring cement using a bucket brigade.

Other activities included:  Bible clubs, visiting orphanages and hospitals, helping people with medical problems, distributing donated clothes and supplies, taking part in church services and a bit of sight seeing.  We stayed in somewhat comfortable accommodations and ate very well.  On the August 5th, we said our tearful goodbyes and boarded our flight back to Houston and Toronto.

Overall, it was an amazing and humbling experience for all.  Many would like to return.

Our theme for the trip was "Open the Eyes of My Heart".  We definitely had the eyes of our hearts opened by our Awesome God!