As turmoil grips a country, a new generation is rising up to lead.

The news is peppered with articles about government attacks on protestors and church leaders in Nicaragua. Reading all this, many might feel overwhelmed by the forces of evil, unrest and poverty in this small Central American country.

Fortunately, God is moving his people to reach those who are lost and hurting.  

One of World Challenge’s goals in missions has been to find local leaders whom God has called and empower them to carry out the mission God has given them. We also want to build long-term solutions to the issue of spiritual brokenness and physical poverty.

The success of this strategy is becoming evident in Nicaragua.   

Who falls through the cracks most? Would you believe it is widows? World Challenge finds that widows around the globe are incredibly vulnerable—and heartbreakingly neglected. But not by us. And not by your caring gifts of support.

Picture cold rain pouring down like ice needles and fog, masking the view of the mountains, as a woman, her daughter, and her grandson sit in their one-room cardboard shack. The little structure is riddled with gaps. Through them, the rain is turning this woman’s dirt floor into sticky mud. The small fire inside barely warms them even as it spews black smoke, adding to the quarter-inch-thick soot stains on the ceilings and walls.

The recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has taken over 60 lives. One of those lives was a congregant of our local church partner. We plan to aid in stopping this crisis by extending much-needed training and preventative measures to 60 local churches at the epicenter of the crisis. Part of those preventative measures is handwashing stations that will be placed outside the churches for attendees and community members to use freely. This will help stem the tide as the disease spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of infected persons.