Open Hearts Nicaragua - Farrington Family

We have had a rough beginning to the year down here with our family. Battling Covid and the lingering affects have messed up our routine a good bit. There was nothing life threatening as so many of our friends and family have had to deal with, but it kept us from starting our year in February as we normally would. But praise Jesus, we have been getting back in to the groove of serving this week….so I wanted to share this awesome photograph!

I was at Club Esperanza this week as lunch was being prepared and noticed the wind blew the cover off the food. Wow! What may look like just a bucket of food to you is a HUGE feast! Tuesday was soup day….¡Sopa! We see with our eyes everyday the harsh affect of poverty, hungry children on every corner. So, when I saw the sopa come out it impacted me…there are over 300 kids today who will eat well…a big piece of meat, a chunk of yuka, a piece of corn, a chunk of butternut squash…it is amazing! I love that God has made this possible. At Club Esperanza we have made great efforts with our partners to make sure that the children and families we serve don’t receive scarcely at our feeding program. They are provided for and given the opportunity to grow and learn with a full stomach….amen amen amen!

Thank you for partnering with us! Thank you for donating! Thank you for praying!!!

God is soooo good and we hope this random picture of a big pot of ¡sopa! encourages you today!

When Jesus had finished a day of ministering to thousands of people, over five thousand people as told in the Gospel of Mark (Ch. 6) his disciples were in a real bind. It was evening and there were thousands of hungry people who didn’t have anything to eat…

…By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and but themselves something to eat.”

But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat”

Friends together we are seeing Jesus provide abundantly for hundreds of children every day. I know it is not feeding five thousand, but you can be so encouraged that this isn’t a one day thing…this is every day of every week of the year! Together, we are giving them something to eat….amen, so awesome!!!

We love doing this together with you….if you want to see the beautiful faces of all the children we serve click here to check out our Club Esperanza Facebook page…the sopa is a great picture, but the kids are way cuter! And get in contact with us via losfarringtons@gmail.com if you want to come down and serve in person…we are looking forward to seeing friends down here again!

Love, Chris & Krista Farrington

Denis is a HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE!!! Denis has been a part of our family at Casa Robles for most of his life. He has accomplished something so amazing in graduating from high school. He is breaking generational chains, he is doing something no one in his family has done, he is doing something none of our boys at Casa Robles has ever done…Denis we are so so proud of you!!!

He graduated from Colegio Bautista de Managua. This is a prestigious school that has been operating in Nicaragua for over 100 years. As you can see in his pictures, his promotion ceremony was held in the Ruben Dario National Performing Arts Center…it was beautiful, and none of us complained that it was air conditioned. It was an invite only event and the graduates were all very excited…watching them throw their caps was soooooo awesome! (But I forgot to take a picture…dang!)

Mama Angelica and Papa Yuri escorted Denis across the stage, and honestly it was pretty emotional for us as they walked together. There was the beautiful moment where Mama Angelica followed the tradition of putting Denis’ graduation ring on his finger. It was beautiful to watch Papa Yuri standing there proudly looking at his son in his cap a gown as a graduate. And of course we brought some levity to the event but jumping up and down and shouting Denis’ name! We are just so very proud of Denis. Jesus has been so amazing in rescuing him and changing his life, and in these last two years Denis has made decisions in his own life to draw closer to God and really embrace the future he has walking with the Lord.

Some great adventures await. Denis is actually just now turning 17 years old. This coming year he will enroll at the Nicaraguan Technical University and pursue a degree in Engineering…following in his Papa Yuri’s footsteps. The University is located in Managua so he will keep living with our Casa Robles family and learning that new life rhythm of being a university student. Please pray for Denis as these vacations days come to an end and he starts this next adventure in his life. Papa Yuri and Mama Angelica will be there with him every step of the way…and we will too!

THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING DENIS WITH US!!!

WE ARE SO SO SO VERY PROUD OF HIM…PRAISE JESUS FOR THESE GREAT MOMENTS IN LIFE!

If you would like to read more about Casa Robles you can click here, or use the search feature of our blog to find stories about “Casa Robles”…you can find the oldest posts and see pictures of Denis as a weeeee little guy…I found one below! So fun! If you would like to financially support Casa Robles you can do so with the buttons above or click the Donate tab for information on donating via check. We will need all the help we can get heading into 2022…we have a kid in College, LOL! Praise the Lord for that!

We have had a wonderful time closing out this year with all of the year end activities and family coming in to town to visit. Krista and I want to take a moment today to wish you a very Happy New Year! Even though this year has been very difficult and we have experience some heart breaking loss, our hearts still bless the name of the Lord!

Our perspectives on life have changed and at the same time our resolve to live a life that has eternal impact has been strengthened. We take time to count every blessing and know that we have been blessed beyond all measure! We hope and pray that as you ring in the New Year, that God will give you great hope for tomorrow and visions of great things for year to come. God’s promises are beautiful throughout all of scripture, but Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John have become some of my favorite verses of Scripture….

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) I love these words because it encourages my heart about eternity and the glorious future we have with Jesus. He is victorious, and we are His!

If you need encouragement as we start this new year, grab a Bible and read the Gospel of John. So much good and so much encouragement can be found there. We love you and are blessed greatly to have you in our lives! Feliz Año Nuevo! (P.S. Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister Kim Rahal…love you Tia!)

All of our ministry in Nicaragua and support for our family comes through donations. So, if you are looking for an opportunity for year end giving, we would be blessed by that! You can click here or click a button below….God Bless you and again HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Chris & Krista, Aliyah, Mason, Isabella & Juliette

We want to send you and your family the blessings of a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! Being with family and friends over the holidays is so special and we know that this year hasn’t been the easiest for getting together, but we hope you found encouragement in the moments you did find together with people you love. Christmas is such a beautiful time of happiness, hope, joy and love…it really is such a special time of year. All the things that Jesus brings into our lives when we have that personal relationship with God are celebrated…I love that! In the hardest times like the ones we are living in, we can be encouraged that God is with us! How amazing is that?!? Merry Christmas friends!!!

We had a great time together with our extended families at Casa Havilah and Casa Robles earlier this month. (click the house name for more info on the homes) We had so many wonderful things happened throughout the year. Alejandra graduated into High School and Denis graduated from High School. All of the kiddos are doing well, and Maryel is still the funniest little kid you will ever meet! Also two new little faces arrived at Havilah this year…Abu and Diego, two sweet little dogs that are a great comfort for the girls. Our girls are having the best time baby sitting them while everyone is visiting family for the Holidays! Merry Christmas from our bigger family! Also, thank you for all of the financial support and prayers throughout the year!!!

This past week we got to participate in one of the best Christmas gift givings you could ever dream of. We made the trip back over to Port to visit fifteen homes that were being completed this week in Wawa Bar and in Hallover. Hurricanes Eta and Iota completely destroyed these two communities last year. Helping to rebuild has been one of the ways we have joined with Verbo Church and Pastor Earl in Hurricane relief. So, it was such a huge blessing to be able to be there when each of these homes were dedicated! What an amazing amazing Christmas gift…getting to move in to a new home this December!

In every house we visited with the team from Verbo Church we got to join in celebrating with each of the families. We spent time with three sisters who grew up as orphans and had lost everything. We spent time with Jackson who was filled with so much joy in receiving this new home. His joy made each and every one of us on the trip lift up our heads and PRAISE THE LORD! There was a young widow with her four children, a home with four generations moving in as the grandmother was taking care of her ailing mother, a family of five moving from a temporary shelter of plastic and drift wood, and many others.

We know Thanksgiving just ended and it may be a little early for Christmas…but maybe you can use Cyber Monday to make it special for one of our kiddos down here!

Every year we want to make it possible for every child at Club Esperanza to get a present for Christmas! Last year we couldn’t do a big party because of COVID. But the alternative was so fun! We rolled out a red carpet and as the kids came to the club in small groups throughout the day…each one got to walk the red carpet on their way to a special Christmas present just for them!

We have over 300 children at the Club and are trying to raise money to buy a $12 gift for EVERYONE! Maybe you can donate for a couple? Maybe you would like to bless ten kiddos? Or more? Maybe the Lord has blessed you and you just want to buy all of them…amen!

Anything will be a huge help, you can donate here.

We hope that we are the first to wish you A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! It is indeed the most wonderful time of year. We celebrate that Jesús, our savior was born! Amen.

We just want to tell all of you how much we love and appreciate your prayers and support for our family. The past few months have actually been very hard. We have lost very close friends and co-workers to Covid. We have never experienced so much loss of life in such a short period of time. Adding to that is the unstable situation in country here, being sick ourselves and just so many uncertainties. But God has been with us and comforted us through it all…and really we only mention those things to say thank you. We thank God for blessing us with all of you who have reached out, offered your prayers and supported us so well in this time! We feel God with us and are so thankful for that!

We wanted to take a little blog space to share pictures and updates on our little familia…to let you everyone know we are doing ok. Praise the Lord!

In September Mason turned 14 years old! We had a really fun birthday…Bacon for breakfast then a fireworks war after dinner and cake! What more could a boy ask for LOL! Mason is such a great guy and is becoming such a wonderful young man. He loves playing soccer with his club team Chiquilistagua FC, he gets his school work done on time, hunts down pests around our the Quinta with his pellet gun and is always willing to help whenever anything is needed. Anytime he sees his momma doing dishes he walks up to her and offers to take over….what a guy!!! A great example for his dad :-). We are very thankful for him and are blessed by his life!

Aliyah and Mason both have been wonderful teenagers! Krista and I know it is always possible for that to all go sideways one day, but we hope and pray it never does….amen! They have lots of fun together as the older two siblings, watching too many movies, playing too many video games hahahaha, but also getting outside and kicking the ball around. Aliyah is working into those upper levels of high school and is merging into taking online courses combined with her bookwork here at home. She joined the varsity girls soccer team at NCA, which is a high school down the street. They have been winning some and losing some, but it has been an all around excellent experience!

At Club Esperanza we have a fully functioning Primary Education center called Illeana’s School in partnership with our friends at Love, Light and Melody. The story of Illeana’s life, her beautiful smile and the hardships she endured leave a big impact on your heart. Our goal is not just to educate with Ileana’s School at Club Esperanza…it is bigger than that. We are a refuge of God’s love and protection for the most vulnerable. Below is a testimony about one of our students this school year…

Aracelly is 13 years old, she did not know how to read or write when she started this year in the First Grade at the Ileana school. She lives in the Villa Guadalupe neighborhood that was constructed as a refuge for families living in the dump seven years ago. She has five other siblings, her mother cares for them while her stepfather works at the recycling center that is at the entrance to the trash dump.

When she was young she missed classes very often and didn’t even attend school on some days. As a result, she did not manage to learn to read and write at the usual age. Because of this difficulty with school and the hardships of daily living she was at risk of her life becoming one of the many kids who leave school and spend their days on the streets. There are too many horrors to share about that sort of life, but Aracelly’s life did not take that turn. Praise Jesus!

She is now at Ileana’s School from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm all day. The Nicaraguan school day is only a half day but because Club Esperanza is more than just a school we are able to keep the doors open for Aracely and other’s like her for the entire day. She has teachers who love her and are taking care of her. Because of this she is already having more success with her schooling. At the beginning she came to class disheveled and she was aggressive with her classmates…adjusting to a safe school environment took a little while for her.

But, her behavior at school has improved dramatically and now she gets along and socializes well with her classmates. She is a very responsible student with her homework, she likes to attend class daily, and she even helps her younger classmates. At other schools in Nicaragua she would not be accepted into lower grades because of her age, but at Ileana’s School we are able to make exceptions to help individual students advance. Our teachers and staff are working individually with her to support her in her learning. Today Aracelly is progressing in reading and writing and she feels motivated to continue advancing, which is awesome! Her physical appearance and nutrition have improved as well….at Club Esperanza every students has a meal twice a day. The significance of that cannot be overstated. All the families we serve live paycheck to paycheck and some of them don’t even have that. God is so good to provide for his children in this awesome way!

We appreciate your help to continue supporting Aracelly to have a better future, to dream big dreams and achieve her goals. Aracelly is just one of hundreds of children coming in and out of that little white gate in front of school everyday. God is doing special things…we love to be doing it together with you all!

Thank you for your prayers! Thank you for your financial support!

Our hearts are broken to pass on this news. Santos who has been part of our lives here for over two decades died last week from Covid. We are really devastated and honestly still trying to grasp the reality of what happened so suddenly and so shockingly. Please pray for his family. This is a very very hard time, it is unimaginable. We want to take some time to memorialize Santos…

If you ever came to work with Open Hearts Ministries, you definitely saw Santos around. He was Mr. Buzbee’s main guy and oversaw pretty much everything. If you had the chance to meet Santos, you almost 100% walked away laughing whether you spoke Spanish or not. He was just that kind of character. He would stick a nick-name on you, tap you on the shoulder and walk away, toss a lime at you from across the way and blame it on a 6 year old standing next to him. Ah man, I remember in the early days here at Quinta Havilah, we used to have wars with all the fruit. Santos was left handed and could hit a guy running full speed at thirty yards with a line drive to the side of the head. I can still see the fruit exploding now. We had so much fun together back then. Santos watched all of Krista’s younger siblings grow up their entire lives and was like the always present Tio for them. He was here for the birth of all of our children.

I was in a great conversation yesterday with one of our long time teachers about where the Lord has taken us at Club Esperanza and how much history we have together all the way back to the days inside the dump. It was so encouraging reflecting on all the good things the Lord has done, but then I asked how the new neighborhood where all the families from La Chureca were moved to was doing. She does some tutoring at one of the homes about ten blocks away. Wow, there is still so much darkness. We are on the main road, we operate during the day and Club Esperanza is a place where the light of Christ shines and darkness is getting pushed further and further away, so we don’t always see the visual evidence of the darkness.

She continued to tell me how only last month a few full blocks were incredibly intense because there was a dispute among some young men that led to one being killed. There was accusations of drugs and a turf war type of thing. Apparently the wrong person was killed by whichever evil person was resorting to deadly violence. That led to family of that person seeking revenge, which led to a week of violence and gunfire and another death. Incredibly scary stuff and real darkness.

I don’t know if any of you have ever seen the movie “Lean on Me” in the late 80s. Morgan Freeman’s character Crazy Joe takes over a High School that was overrun with drugs and violence and cleans it up. That movie impacted me and little scenes from it always come to my mind…sometimes I even sing the “Fair East side” tune which was the school alma mater (watch the clip here it is awesome). I loved how the movie portrayed the darkness of drugs and violence and laziness and settling for the same old cycle of poverty and crime was being defeated by adults who cared enough about the kids to make a difference in their lives.

So, as I left Club Esperanza reflecting in prayer on the difficulties and hardship that surrounds us, the Lord gave me this picture of two of our students waiting outside for afternoon classes to start….

Right out in front of our school, on a street that has plenty of darkness…two of our elementary school students were playing chess. I watched them for a minute thinking to myself they can’t possibly know the rules. But they did and it was fun to watch her take his knight with her pawn. I asked them how they knew the game of chess and they told me Teacher Eber taught them how to play after school. How awesome is that? It is something simple, but it brings tears to my eyes because something so simple as a game of chess can certainly have the power to change entire generations.

Jesus has not just planted Club Esperanza in this neighborhood to keep children safe, to keep them healthy with a meal every day, not just to give them a good education. Jesus is growing up a generation of children who hunger for knowledge and new things that will challenge their minds, change their view of the world, and deliver them from dark places. Our third graders play chess in the streets….and I love that!

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.“ -The Gospel of John 1:4-5

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Club Cristiana La Esperanza,

Chris Farrington