Open Hearts Nicaragua - Farrington Family

Hello friends we bless you all this Christmas season! There is so much to celebrate in life and this is such a wonderful time of year. We have a big ask for you this week…can you help us buy Christmas presents for our kiddos at Club Esperanza? We have over three hundred kids in our programs this year and we want to bless their Christmas by having a present for each one!

Donate $10 to buy a Christmas Present

We are thankful for the hope we have in Jesus and as we celebrate His birth at Christmas we ask the Lord to bless us all this time of year with JOY and HOPE and LOVE…it is the most wonderful time of year!

You may not be able to tell, but this photograph is not in Nicaragua! LOL! Early this fall, actually, more like the end of the summer we made a visit home to the United States and were blessed to be able to explore some of the most beautiful and historical parts of the country. When Krista and I finished seminary over twenty years ago and drove across the country from San Francisco to Miami, Krista was seven months pregnant with Aliyah. What were we thinking…who takes a road trip that late in pregnancy?!?! We were young and did crazy things! We have so many awesome memories driving our old mini van full of stuff, but one of the best memories was deciding to stop by Mt. Rushmore. It was just so cool to see, I know it seems simple and goofy…but it was incredible to see mountains with giant details sculptured into them! We were so excited to take our kids to see Mt. Rushmore trip….Aliyah for the second time!

We have sad news to share from Nicaragua, this past Saturday our beloved Gigi went to be with the Lord. Earlier this year we celebrated her 94th birthday and only a couple weeks ago she was celebrating Aliyah’s 19th birthday with family and friends. Though her death was sudden and caught us a little by surprise we are so very thankful she did not have a long suffering bout with illness. God’s grace is so beautiful and her life was a constant testament of what God is doing. She loved Jesus and being a part of God’s Kingdom work here on Earth, now she is with her beloved Jesus. We are surely going to miss her.

Gigi moved to Nicaragua over fifteen years ago, she built her little house here at Quinta Havilah which many of you have visited over the years I am sure. She loved to talk to anyone who visited and share stories, which were grand! She would also love to ask about our lives and what God was doing all around the world. She was been a constant presence in our children’s lives, celebrating every birthday with laughter and a special birthday card with some money in it. She never missed a party if there was one going on, and she always looked beautiful. The kids would have ice cream on her porch and help her make one of her special cakes. When the cousins were in town just recently she gathered some of them near her and told them “when Gigi dies you all don’t need to be sad, I am going to be with Jesus and I will get to see my mom and dad again.” She was just so sweet to know how when this day came, they would all be wondering and be sad thinking about their great grandmother.

Many of you will recognize Fredder who grew up in Casa Robles. We have shared stories on numerous occasions about the awesome things Jesus is doing in his life. Fredder is still doing amazing. You may recall how he had left Robles and ended up back in La Chureca for a time before God moved in his life and brought him to the Northern Mountains of Nicaragua to work with his Uncle in a carpentry shop. He left the darkness behind him and took the Lords hand, getting his high school diploma via exams, taking leadership in his local church, entering into University to pursue a degree in English Education as well as a second degree in Theology at Universidad Martin Lutero. All the while keeping the first things first in his life and making Jesus his number one priority.

Hello from dry, sunny, hot and sweaty Nicaragua! We are in the peak of the dry season and it is brutal, but we are praying for the rains to come soon, will you join us in praying for that? Amen Amen Amen!!! We hope this update finds you well wherever you are and that you had a wonderful Easter celebration. We took this picture as we gathered together with friends on Easter Sunday. It was a wonderful time together to celebrate the most important weekend of our Christian faith. Jesus is alive!

Before we share some stories of the past months we want to ask for your support. We are so blessed to have spent that last 18 years serving the Lord here in Nicaragua. We could not do it without your prayers and generosity towards our mission and our family.

Would you consider becoming a monthly giver? Each of the donation buttons below have the option to make your gift a recurring donation. It would help to sustain our family on mission if you were to support us in that way.

Thank you and we pray the Lord would bless your generosity…now on to some fun Spring Happenings!