We spent this morning at a local shirt making cooperative called Nueva Vida. This project was started by women who knew how to make shirts but didn't want to work in the poor conditions of local sweatshops. They got together, and with the support (loans and customer contacts) of Jubilee House (a ministry based in the US), they opened their own factory. Here, they create high quality products while paying their workers a fair wage. They also maintain good working conditions and require reasonable working hours. It was interesting to learn about how Jubilee House enabled the project without creating dependence by keeping ownership and leadership in the hands of the locals taking initiative. We discussed the high risk of the loan they provided and the clear benefits of this type of loan. This type of international cooperation seems to hold a lot of potential for improving the conditions of poverty here and globally, provided that corporations with money are willing to take the risk to invest in this way.
After lunch, Don Mike gave another lecture on the church in Latin America. He summarized changes throughout church history and the basis of liberation theology. When everyone was thoroughly overwhelmed, he took us to two important churches in Managua (one pre-Vatican II church and a post-Vat. II church). There was a special celebration going on at the post-Vat II church that made our visit a little more chaotic than helpful, but it was interesting to see such a charismatic group in a Catholic church.
The second church we visited had been left to ruins after the Sandinista revolution, and we could only see it from the outside. It was located in a central square in Managua, so we also saw parts of the National Palace and the current government buildings. The center was eerily empty, and some of the few people there were street kids who offered us all gifts made out of psalm leaves. Javier took a group of us to see the National Theater, and one of the students in our group convinced the security guard to let us in to look around. We ended up sitting in on rehearsal for Nicaragua's national competition for their representative in the Miss Universe pageant. It was a private rehearsal, so it was kind of fun to see a little bit of it.
Later, dinner involved some good conversation about missions, and then we were introduced to some of the pastors of the communities we will be moving to tomorrow. I wasn't really looking forward to this home stay, but the orientation made me a little more enthusiastic. While we were all re-packing to fit the laundry detergent, toilet paper, and mosquito nets into our bags, the LASP staff called a meeting for us to say goodbye to Don Mike who is going back to the States tomorrow. He has really challenged us all and I'm really grateful that he has been a part of my experience here.
I was hoping to get by with drinking the local water in my community, but Trevor recommended bringing a gallon of filtered water just in case we need it. I'm really excited about being a part of the group leaving tomorrow at 7:30 instead of 3:00am. Its also exciting that LASP did a great job of mixing us up so that I will get to know some new people who will be staying in the same community as me this week. My time in the campo (Nicaraguan countryside) will also be a fabulous opportunity to get to know more about Nicaragua, the people and culture here, and most importantly, God. I'm looking forward to drawing near Him through this challenge.
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