Open Hearts Nicaragua - Farrington Family

As Hurricane season is just around the corner I know many of our friends and family back home in Florida will be getting ready as we do every year. You may remember that last Hurricane season Nicaragua was struck by two Category Four Hurricanes back to back in the same community of Puerto Cabezas.

We mobilized with a group of other missionaries and friends here in Managua and went to work. We wrote about some of our efforts in immediate relief and in the recovery here on our blog. There was so much severe devastation and the scenes were tragic, but the Lord is good and the people were not left to suffer on their own. Thank you for your generous help in that! We have made a huge impact together. Today we want to share about some of the continued work that is going on….it was such a massive destructive event and even 10 months later there is still much to be done.

We want to send a special thank you to our home church, Christ Journey Church in Miami. They have been a great support in this relief effort. When the word went out that we would start building homes in Wawa Bar and Hallover, our church immediately stepped up. These two communities on the coast of Puerto Cabezas were nearly entirely destroyed. Hundreds of houses gone in one night. Little by little we are part of a large effort to bebuild. Early in the summer, we had a team in Wawa Bar building two new homes.

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After those two homes were built we joined in helping Verbo Church with the efforts to build six more homes. The houses were funded but there was an unanticipated need to transport materials. There are many many complicating factors in getting this work done, but God is with us! It is a several hour long boat ride to each community, so that makes transporting materials costly and laborious. If you forget a tool, you are in trouble and you just have to make do. There is no safe drinking water yet in the communities and there is no electricity, so all of those things need to be brought in. With all of that said, it is happening….people are receiving new homes! Just last week we bagan construction on three more homes…Praise the Lord!!!

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Isandra is a part of our “Juntos Para Una Inclusion” program at Club Esperanza. She is from a wonderful family that lives in a neighborhood surrounding the Managua Municipal Dump (formerly La Chureca). Her parents Daniel and Mercedes have actually been the family responsible for keeping Miss Ruby’s home and the Prayer Upper Room in good order for the last three years. Isandra is one of their five daughters.

We got a pretty scary call from Daniel telling us that Isandra was severely ill with abdominal pain and a fever. On their first visit to the clinic they were told she would be fine. But, as her parents, Daniel and Mercedes knew something was wrong. They went to the hospital and Isandra was taken in for emergency surgery for a ruptured Appendix! Appendicitis can be life threatening in cases where it ruptures. Daniel asked us to prayer and we passed on word to all of you through social media. Wow their family was so deeply touched by all of your prayers!

Daniel even reflected with me when I visited him while Isandra was in recovery. He said over the last few years his wife and one of his other daughters had been hospitalized and they just sort of felt like they were in a desert by themselves. But with Isandra just by happenstance of seeing us recently and reaching out for prayer there was such a movement of people who hit their knees…and he said he could feel it! They didn’t feel alone. He went on to say with tears in his eyes how he thinks Isandra is special, how the grace of God seems to settle on some in powerful ways. As he was crying Daniel said Isandra has a special anointing of God’s grace on her life.

We say amen to that! Here is a special video from Daniel and Isandra….

Isandra’s Story is Amazing! Praise the Lord! Daniel told me as they left the hospital after only five days, there were two others in the Intensive Care that had been there for a long time after surgery for ruptured appendices…one for over 20 days and another for over a month. Wow! So encouraging how the Lord brought Isandra back to health so quickly! And also an encouragement for all of us to pray for those other two people as well….amen amen amen!

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Hello Hello Hello to all of our family and friends! We have been moving and shaking and living life down here in Nicaragua over the last few months….but I have been a poor updater and newsletter writer. But alas today I thought I would do a fun long blog of pictures and happenings with our family and ministry. We are so very thankful that you cover us in your prayers, it has been a difficult last few years in Nicaragua. And we really appreciate your financial support to all God is doing here!

We appreciate you!….Chris, Krista, Aliyah, Mason, Isabella & Juliette

We recently received a large shipment of Bibles donated by our friend Pastor Mike Booth at Calvary Chapel Managua. Among the Nicaraguan population in general there is a real desire for God’s Word, and almost as often as we are asked for help with a monetary need, we are also asked if we happen to have a Bible. Praise God for that, and praise God for this donation of over 1,000 Bibles. Daniel (pictured) has become the caretaker for Ruby’s Prayer House and is an awesome man of God. He spends his days when he isn’t able to find work sharing the Gospel on street corners and markets in Managua. He went through an entire box of Bibles the first few days. We are asking the Lord to bless these Bibles and use them to bring people into a place of having a personal relationship with Jesus!

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UPDATE: We wanted to make sure and share an update on Connie and her new wheelchair! When I saw her mom Teresa she was overwhelmed and said thank you a million times…I told her how we decided to put the word out and what a great response we had! I told her any other need she had you all have got it covered. (Which you do because you all are awesome…thank you!). We will use any extra funds to help any other needs that come up for the “Juntos Para Una Inclusion” program…Teresa was also excited to know that!

The chair was completely custom made so it took a couple weeks but just yesterday Teresa sent some photos of Connie in her new chair…..PRAISE THE LORD! Thank ya’ll!!!

One of our alumni of our preschool and a very sweet little girl has a need that we want to make happen for her. Connie’s mom who lives in the neighborhood and actually started working with us at Club Esperanza left a card for Chachi today asking for a loan. Connie has some special needs that make life challenging for her. Her mom is asking for a loan to get her a new specialized wheelchair that will better suit her specific needs. She asked for a loan for $600 to be able to buy the chair. Instead of a loan, we are going to buy the chair for Connie and bless their family! If you would like to help that would be awesome! Praise God for Connie’s life and praise God for her mother that loves her and does all she can for her. Amen….

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” -Matthew 19:14

We had the best bus for so many years of serving the Lord here in Nicaragua and today she went on to a new home. There are many many many memories of serving the Lord in this old Alachua County School District School Bus! Many friends commemorated their trips to Nicaragua by signing the roof…so there is huge sentimental value to us all!

But God is so good and during a time that we have not been using the bus very much at all, Mr. Buzbee started to feel led by the Lord to give the bus away. Around the same time our long time friends Edgard and Judith had found themselves in need of a way to transport people with their new church and ministry that has been growing over the past few years. They are an awesome couple and family and are doing great Jesus things here in Nicaragua. So our Ol’ Glorious bus has found a new home…Praise The Lord!

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We have built the first of what we hope to be dozens of homes working towards rebuilding the Miskito Indigenous communities devastated by Hurricanes ETA and IOTA last year. It was an amazing trip and so beautiful to be a part of God’s people coming to the aid of those in need. “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” ~ Romans 12:13

Out of the ashes hope will rise! This was the scene as we approached the construction site. It was quite the contradiction to see something new and beautiful rising from so much destruction. It was a huge blessing to give Alberto’s family a new home! More on this story below…but first, would you consider donating to build another home? Little by little we can make a huge difference in rebuilding these communities!

The cost to build a home is $8000

You can donate by clicking here or using a button below….

The picture above is of Alberto, his wife Fatima and part of their family after we dedicated their new home to them with a time of prayer and blessing. On our first trip to Wawa Bar after Hurricane ETA and as Hurricane IOTA was arriving our friend Todd Ohran found Alberto sitting on the front porch of what was left of his home. He was crying. We spent the rest of our time with Alberto gathered around him and listening to the story of the beautiful house he had, the little store they had built on the front of the house, how this store was what allowed him to provide for his family which included his children and grandchildren. They all lived together there. The entire front of his house where the store was had been torn off. Alberto was sitting on the slumped over remains of the back portion of his house. It was sooooo hard to see. I remember having Mason with us that trip, that was the only time I saw tears come into his eyes. We had seen lots of destruction. But, to sit with a grown man who couldn’t hold back the emotions was a hard moment. We prayed together as we left and I remember Todd telling Alberto that we won’t forget about him. As we left, the evacuations were starting because Hurricane Iota was approaching. This was the hardest part about remembering that day. Hurricane Iota took what was left of Alberto’s house…it was devastating!

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This week we are preparing for the 2021 school year which starts NEXT WEEK! We serve over 300 families every day at Club Esperanza with our feeding program, Ileana’s School, early childhood education, Lacrosse The Nations, High School Scholarship Program, Juntos Para Inclusión (Special Needs Program) and our newly formed Emmanuel College Scholarship Fund…..sooooo we need your prayers!!

We hope to get some posts up next week as things kick off but just wanted to put up a quick blog as we are preparing!

If you would like to DONATE to support Club Esperanza click here.

We are decorating walls, distributing school supplies, installing dry erase boards, painting walls, and we already opened the feeding program…amen amen amen…thank you for your prayers and support as we prep for next week!!!

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With all of the COVID issues, the two Hurricanes hitting Nicaragua, and our travel home being cancelled…TWICE! We didn’t get ourselves together this year for a year end Newsletter or Christmas card….but Aliyah is savvy on the iPad and got a little video together really quickly…

…MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!!!

We do hope and pray that the peaceful presence of God blesses you this Christmas season! It has been such a difficult year, and knowing everyone is probably not as close to loved ones as they may like to be is really sad. But Praise God….He knows how we feel and feels what we feel. Because on Christmas, God came down to earth. Jesus’ birth is amazing and we celebrate it!

We are blessed to live in a time in history that God is not distant, not far off, but wants to be in a relationship with us. Jesus promised before his resurrection that His Holy Presence would be with us until the end of the ages. God is with us. So, our prayer and our hope is that in this difficult year God would meet with you, that you would feel His presense in mighty ways, and that he would bless you as a friend would bless their friends, a parent would bless their children, as a spouse would bless their love….that this Christmas season you would personally feel God with you…and that that would make all the difference!

We love and miss you! Merry Christmas!!!

Chris & Krista Farrington

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Thank you all for your generous support of Nicaragua during this difficult time. Within a two week period, Puerto Cabezas on the Northern Carribean side of Nicaragua was hit by two massive storms, Hurricane Eta (Cat 4) and then Hurricane Iota (Cat 5). In the weeks since we have mobilized to support our local church Verbo in Puerto Cabezas and the churches along the Rio Coco. We put out a call for support and your alls response has been amazing!

Below we share some stories…but there is still so much to do!

Can you keep helping? Our goal is to raise another $10,000

HERE IS WHAT WE HAVE DONE TOGETHER SO FAR! We’ve sent over 100,000 pounds of food for immediate food relief in the areas directly hit by the Hurricanes. There are tens of thousands of people affected by these storms. We have delivered food packs to families in shelters and to their homes as they are returning to their devastated villages.

We purchased eight chainsaws and delivered them to Puerto Cabezas to begin the massive clean up effort. The team worked for the week in Port as well as in two Miskito villages. Since that first trip, members of Verbo church have been going to each remote Miskito village, staying for several days working with the local community to clean up their properties of fallen trees and destroyed homes.

We purchased a boat motor to make it possible for Verbo Church to deliver food packs and relief to the most remote Miskito Villages along the coast that took a direct hit from the Hurricanes. Hallover is a village of 105 homes on the coast. This village was the landing point for BOTH storms and it was split in two by the storms. All of the homes were destroyed except for one, and now the Carribean connects to the Bay right through Hallover. It was very very sad to witness such massive destruction.

We have also purchased 1,100 pieces of roofing tin to help people rebuild their homes as they return to their villages from the shelters in Puerto Cabezas. On our trip last week to deliver food to the villages of Layasiksa and KukaLaya we were given some advice by the village elders on how to help rebuild there. The people said they need tin for roofs, but if we get them gas and chainsaws they will go out into their land and work for a week to get the wood they need to be able to rebuild their own homes. We will get to work on that immediately but also know in other villages people will need help to build homes from scratch.

On our trip last week we also had friends from Hydrologica, a well digging company based here in Nicaragua. Brandon and Dave have knowledge from years of experience working with wells and came to assess the water situation as people return to their villages. We tested wells for salt content to make judgements on immediate fresh water relief. Of equal importance, Brandon is going to put together a report on long term water solutions, including installation of sustainable wells in these remote villages.

Along with all of this material support we know more than anything that the people need our love and care in this difficult time. We prayed for many many people and asked the Lord to heal them and help them during our trips. We also just sat and listened to their stories. Amazingly and as an answer to many prayers, there were no deaths in any of these villages! I sat with Doña Rosa in Layasiksa and listened to stories of men using rope to tie themselves together to wade through flood waters to get to safety in the middle of the storm. Stories of the elderly being rescued by being carried in sheets just above the storm surge as the flooding started. It was harrowing to hear…but absolutely incredible to NOT hear of many many deaths!

This morning at church Pastor Earl (who is coordinating Verbo’s relief work in Puerto Cabezas) shared about his first trip back to Hallover after the second Hurricane. He gave a woman from the shelter a ride on their boat to return home. As they got closer to land, tears started streaming down her face and she was weeping. Her family was large and had thirty homes between all of their relatives. Every home was gone and she wept. The devastation is real and it is overwhelming. But, we are able to help. We can do a lot together, and honor the Lord as we do it!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Krista will be in Puerto Cabeza’s this week with her brother Brinson and a group of four others. This will be our fourth relief trip. They will be visiting the shelters, spending time with people and praying for them. They will also deliver 500 more food packs to remote Miskito villages. These packs will be provide food for 3-4 weeks for a family of 5-7 people. We also know they will be getting a vision for the long term work of helping people rebuild their homes. Please keep them in your prayers for safe travel and much success in helping people.

God bless you all…and again thank you for supporting this relief work in such a hard time for Nicaragua!

We hope all of our friends and family back home are having a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! It has indeed been quite the year, with what would seem much more tragedy than good. But we LOVE this Holiday because even when times are tough, it is so important to be Thankful for all the blessings we have in our life. We hope you are enjoying those blessings this weekend too!!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2020! Love, The Farringtons

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We were pretty sad that our flights home for Thanksgiving were cancelled because of Covid by American Airlines. It is our first time missing Thanksgiving at Mema’s Cabin since Aliyah was just a baby. Our internet was out all day yesterday too and we didn’t even get to do our zoom call with family! But we do trust the Lord in this time and realize there are reasons to still be here in Nicaragua serving in this difficult time of Hurricanes hitting. So we are trusting God and being thankful and ready to serve!

Krista finished up school with the kids in anticipation of traveling home. So another “silver lining” is that they are able to head down to Club Esperanza and serve more and just visit with everyone. In the middle of this pandemic we opened our feeding program up to people who are showing up hungry at the school gates. It has grown and we still have had to keep Covid protocols but are feeding almost a 100 additional people a day, mostly the elderly and children. Praise God for that! Our kiddos were down there this week helping their Aunt Hazel serve lunch. We are very thankful that our children see with their own eyes how much we all have to be thankful for…and at the same time they are able to help serve others. We praise God for that too!

We enjoyed our time together with family and friends yesterday here in Nicaragua. We had a great Thanksgiving meal together at the Buzbees. It was so nice with lots of food and drinks and little kids running everywhere…full of life and love! Then, today we took a hike with some great friends up a dormant volcano and hiked around the crater in the rain forest. Nicaragua has so many beautiful places to visit and we hope we can have friends visiting and serving with us again soon! Amen.

Prayer Request: Chris will be heading out on Monday for another trip to Puerto Cabezas to provide Hurricane Relief. He will be traveling with three others and will deliver 18,000 pounds of food, 400 sheets of roofing tin, and donations collected at Club Esperanza and elsewhere here in Managua. They will also be doing research and assessment on the water situation with our friends at Hydrologica, a well drilling company here in Managua which has also been our staging area for collecting and shipping food. As people return to their devastated communities clean water is going to be of great importance!

Among all the things we will be “doing” to bring relief, we also know that there is deep loss and devastation in this time. So, we will be ministering to people as we go, praying for them and sharing the eternal hope we all have in Jesus Christ. We want to glorify God in all that we do! Thank you for your continued prayers for these Hurricane Relief Efforts!