Dear Friends,
Happy Mother’s Day! A day when we honor something illogical – unconditional love.
Millions of mothers agree that having the opportunity to love a child unconditionally is the highest, most rewarding experience of their lives. (Loving a child who feels safe enough to take you for granted is rewarding?)
Recently, a donor whom I thanked for his very generous donation replied, “Oh, I’m doing this for me.” (Giving away your money to people you don’t even know is something that’s for YOU?)
Our director, Maycól, told me on Friday that he came home from work a little early because he hadn’t slept for two nights. One of our youths-at-risk is in jail, and Maycol is worried to distraction. But before the call was over, he said that there’s nothing else he’d rather be doing. (You’d rather be totally exhausted with worry than comfortably content and worry-free?)
I recently came across a quote that said that read “To give and to receive are one in truth” (from “A Course in Miracles”).
But loving mothers already know this truth; generous people know it; those with hearts that worry about, minister to, and pray for the forgotten know it.
Truth is often illogical.
So to the many illogical mothers – here and beyond – whose lives have taught or continue to teach this truth…thank you for all you are and for all you do!
Now being served at our Comedor Sandeep Panwalker Dining Room
– Food for the Mind, Body and Spirit
Neighbors to Nicaragua is excited and honored to be teaming up with “PUEDO LEER” (translated “I Can Read”) in our new facility! We will now be home to one of Puedo Leer’s three lending libraries (a rarity in Nicaragua) with over 6,000 titles from children’s books to books for adults, and the facility will be open to our entire community. Additionally, the library will be staffed by one of Puedo Leer’s wonderful librarians who will offer incentives for reading, materials for our classrooms and for classrooms of surrounding schools, along with book clubs, reading contests, reading-aloud events, and arts & crafts.
Our thanks to our wonderful youths who did the heavy lifting for the move, to Puedo Leer’s director, Annaelizabeth Blando, and the organization’s board.
This is a wonderful gift for our community. The grand opening is just around the corner, and our students are anxious to get their very first library card and begin exploring!
Sometimes, when it rains in Nicaragua, it doesn’t stay outside.
The rainy season in Nicaragua begins this month. It came a few days early, and it was the first test for our new buildings.
Unfortunately, they showed a few failings. We were flooded, and we lost some food stored in our pantry. Our young students who worked so hard in the construction process jumped into action. Now we wait for the next hard rain to see the outcome of their efforts.
Better drainage was installed near the building’s foundation.
When our students arrived the next day…they went into the barrio, shoveled sand into bags and came back to the school to fortify the building and re-grade the land around it. They cleaned up…and helped resolve the problem.
Our dining area suffered only unwanted water.
Our students are always ready to help.
We lost several bags of stored rice and beans.