We’ve had a busy summer here at CICRIN, and we have been blessed by many visiting teams. In July, a team from Ripon, Wisconsin came in and constructed gabions to form a series of retaining walls leading to the lake. As the summer rains have been steady, we have already seen a difference in the flow of the water to the lake. We no longer worry about losing parts of our buildings to erosion.
They also built the entrance (sidewalk) to the house of girls.
Also in July, we hosted Ted Sandquist and his team and they helped us by adding hydropony cultivation to our garden. Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in sand and gravel instead of soil. By using this process, we will be able to increase the amount of food we can grow ourselves without taking all the natural nutrients from our soil. Our eventual goal is to grow enough produce to be self-sufficient and be able to sell the surplus. We also had Pastor Angel from Costa Rica join us here to teach us how best to manage our growing gardens.
In August, a team from Hope Chapel in Long Beach, California joined us for the fifth year in a row. This year they continued work on the school. They finished the third classroom and added a storage area for us. In addition to that, they also brought more solar panels.
We give thanks to the Lord for many things this summer, including providing the funding for us to send five of our teen leaders to Costa Rica for a Transworld Missions Conference. They learned so much there, and are continuing to learn how best to serve the Lord.
This month we celebrated two our of our incredible young ladies’ fifteenth birthday with a wonderful Quinceñeara. Heissel and Isamar are both beautiful and wonderful blessings at CICRIN, and we are so proud of them. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to grow and serve the Lord and become more involved in our local church community.
Also in August, our friends on the Vanguardia team from Costa Rica joined us for a few days, doing children’s programs at our local church, and making a wonderful donation of 22 pairs of rollerblades. The children here are loving skating at both the park in town and here on our basketball court.
We need continued prayer for our current situation with the Nicaraguan government. Please pray that the government will do the best thing for the children here, and that the Lord will continue to open doors for us.
Finally, we ask for prayers for the children here. Please pray on their behalf to protect them and defend them against the enemy. Pray for their continued spiritual growth. Pray for provision and protection for them. And pray for their studies so they can grow into professional men and women who love the Lord.
Thank you to all who help and support the Lord’s mission here in Nicaragua!

Hellen Vindas

Ralph