Charity Ford — Missionary to Nicaragua

It saddens me to say, as most of you are already aware, my father went to be with the Lord on the evening of September 2nd. If you are just now receiving this news, I’m sorry for the delay. We sent out an e-mail shortly after his death to everyone on our e-mail list, but we are just now getting something out by mail. These last two months have been very difficult for us as a family. I was in Nicaragua at the time of his death. Traveling back and forth to Nicaragua
has been difficult lately, but thankfully I was able to travel by land the following day to Costa Rica and fly out of there to be in Texas with my family and help make arrangements for the funeral. I want to thank all of you who have reached out to us and have been praying for us. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.
My father served the Lord in full-time ministry for 52 years. What a legacy he has left behind! Although those of us who knew him are saddened by the loss, we know that he is finally in the presence of the Savior he loved and served. Even though he has left this world, my prayer is that his legacy will live on through the ministries he founded. One of those being New Hope Children’s Foundation, which he founded in 2000 and I have been directing for the last several years. Even though my father traveled around the world in ministry, Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan people always held a special place in his heart and he loved going there. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. That we may be found faithful in everything the Lord has called us to do. Also I would like to thank every single one of you who have faithfully
stood with us over the years. Each one of you are so important to us and we do not take
any of you for granted. Thank you for partnering with us to reach Nicaragua for Christ!

National day of the bible

On September 25th, we celebrated Bible Day in Nicaragua! This day was recognized and enacted by the
government on October 15th, 2002 and it was established that it would always be on the last Sunday of
each September. This year our students got together with their Bible teachers, one being myself, and we
began to make plans to celebrate this special day.
Our objective as their Bible teachers, was that our students would understand on an even greater level how
the Word of God is vital to their lives in order for them to have a correct walk with the Lord. We also taught them about the importance of reading the Word of God, practicing it and putting it into action and how it brings many benefits
to them. Our goal is that they learn to love the Word of God and the One who inspired the Word.
The word we imparted to them was to know that God teaches us that the Word must be the Light that overcomes darkness and illuminates our day to day walk. In the same manner, the Word is food that strengthens our
Spirit just as our body needs food to function and sustain life. The Word is the best gift we have in order
to be edified and transformed as we put it into action. Our generation must learn to thirst and hunger
for the Word of God. We taught them that they must smell of holiness and purity to be a pleasing
fragrance before God. They must remember every day that without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Our goal is that they learn to love the Word of God and the One who inspired the Word.
This day was a beautiful time with our student body. Nicaragua is blessed to have the opportunity
to celebrate this great day when in many other countries it is prohibited. As children of God
we should celebrate the Bible every day by reading the Word, which leads us into having communication
and intimate fellowship with our Father.

INDIGENOUS DAY

On Friday, October 21st, MTC celebrated Indigenous People Day; a day where the indigenous people of Nicaragua are
celebrated and the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas is remembered. We begun early in the morning with a fair where students dressed in various typical indigenous clothes. It was an event not only of fellowship but a means to raise funds to support the school. The students brought various typical foods to sell with the goal of donating the profit to New Hope. The idea was presented and coordinated by the administration of MTC so our students and their families could realize the need of New Hope in Nicaragua and could participate in sowing back into the ministry. Students participated from preschool to eleventh grade. This fair was held to have a time of unity and fellowship, but at the same time it was a blessing to see reflected in our students the values that our teachers have instilled in them on a daily basis.

hurricane Julia

Hurricane Julia has left many in Nicaragua devastated in a matter of 2 weeks. On the morning of October 9th, Julia with wind speeds of 85 mph made landfall on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, in Laguna de Perlas, where it decimated into a tropical storm. On one hand it was good that it downgraded from a Hurricane to a Tropical Storm, but on the other hand, as a result of this it moved a lot slower across Nicaragua which brought extreme amounts of rain, causing numerous floods and mudslides to occur; forcing many people to evacuate their homes. As a result of this latest hurricane many people had their homes damaged and others sadly lost their very lives. It has been reported a total of 28 people dead, numerous hospitalized and hundreds, possibly thousands homeless as Julia left destruction in her wake.
At New Hope in El Crucero, Nicaragua, we were not an exception for the calamity of Julia. We know that amidst this chaos God was in control. Even though we did not come out of it unscathed, we believe that the mighty hand of God was over us and protected us. Our students, teachers and staff members were all unharmed. Nevertheless, we were greatly affected by the passing of Julia and the many damages it caused. We have damage to different roofs and gutters that were torn off and other damages that need to be repaired. At this time we don’t have the finances to make these repairs
and we are not sure exactly how much it will cost. The list is extensive on the repairs that need to be done on the various ministry facilities of New Hope, but little by little we will repair them as God provides. Please agree with us in prayer for the finances needed to make these necessary repairs and also so that we can help others as well who were affected as a
result of the hurricane. Your prayers and financial support are greatly appreciated.

Finances needed for the month of November

Please agree with us in prayer for the finances we need to operate during the month
of November. Our current monthly budget is $9,772. This amount covers just our bare
minimum operating expenses. We praise the Lord for those of you who are faithfully supporting
New Hope each month. Your faithful giving means so much to us! We cannot say
thank you enough.
Please agree with us in prayer for the additional $4,249 needed for this month, that in the
natural we are not projected to receive, but by faith we believe the Lord will provide!
Please also agree with us for the finances needed for maintenance and repairs to the
building structures at New Hope. This is something that is not included in our basic
monthly operating expenses and especially after hurricane Julia there is much that needs
to be done.

Gym Remodel
Please continue to agree with us in prayer for the remaining $32,000 needed to finish remodeling the
gym. The majority of these funds are to purchase the wood for the supports for the roof that goes around
the classrooms. We are believing that we will soon be able to purchase this in Jesus’ Name!