Because We Care Ministries

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23 May 2012

Nica News 5/23
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A few months ago a DEAR friend of the ministry did this painting and gave to us. I don't think I have ever seen a picture that tells the "Nicaragua Story" better than this painting. Over the past several months we have been ask many times, "can we get one"? Today we are making available an 11 X 14 print for a donation of at least $20.00. Please message us or go to our web site (BWCM.ORG) and e-mail me and we will get the print to you. You may also go to the web site and donate then message us. I'm returning to Nicaragua on June 2 and would like to have this completed....Be Blessed and Thank You

Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG
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10 May 2012

Nica News 5/10
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Yesterday we got wet, but today we learned what that word really means. We all got WET! However, as with all stories, it is best to start at the beginning, so here goes.
Our morning started much like all the others, but today we had a mountain hike ahead of us. A mountain so intimidating to the locals, that they named it Cacau, which roughly translates to “Have mercy”, because it is what most people say on their way up. However, the Aletheian Nicaragua Squad not only made it to the top, but made it in record time. What takes most 3 hours or more, we owned in an hour and 20 minutes. We reached the top, and were ready for a break, only to be comforted by a church building hotter than the 100 plus weather we had been hiking in. After the service, we were all ready to get back down the mountain and enjoy a nice, refreshing ride back to Casa de Shelly.
Later we got that refreshment in an unexpected way. God opened up the heavens, and hit us with the heaviest, most violent storm that we’ve ever experienced. Teamwork was all that saved us as we all held up the tarp that kept us from getting completely drenched…we say completely, because we did in fact still get very wet. Nevertheless this journey showed us what the pastor and the members of that church have to go through on a regular basis and was extremely encouraging.
A few members of our team stayed behind to accomplish the Lord’s work in the village of Mata de Caña. We traveled via the autobahn thanks to Pastor Chris and his assertive driving. We experienced firsthand the grace of the Lord by surviving that ride. Dr. Anderson came with us and was able to treat many of the children in the village as well as pass out parasite medication. We were able to provide food for the women to cook for their families. Even though it began to rain, the church was nearby and provided a dry shelter for us to interact with the people by way of painting nails, playing games, giving stickers, and most importantly, sharing the gospel. There were several groups who learned more about Christ and God’s creation through our evangelism bracelets. We also got an opportunity to share the gospel and several of the children raised their hand and said the prayer to accept Christ. We ended the trip on the way back to Casa de Shelly back on the autobahn with the added blessing of rain, but fortunately we were equipped with one poncho that served as shelter and a fellowship for the five of us in the bed of the truck. HALLELUJAH!
Another GREAT day of Kingdom Building...Praise ye the LORD...

Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG
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10 May 2012

Nica News 5/9
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There is only one word to describe the day we had today….wet. Whether
it was rain from the sky, or sweat from the heat, we were constantly
drenched…most likely by sweat. However, we are still as excited about
the work being accomplished in Nicaragua this week as we were at the
beginning.
This morning, local pastors and their wives traveled to Casa de Shelly
for pastoral training led by Rob Stephens and Chris Dowd. It was
extremely humbling to learn that many of the pastors and their wives
had traveled over 2 hours on foot to make it here. In America, we tend
to complain about long drives with tons of traffic, but we get to make
those journeys sitting down in an air conditioned environment, while
enjoying our favorite tunes and a nice beverage. These pastors were
asking deep questions about the text and how God’s plan can be
accomplished here on earth; while we in America so commonly only care
about questions that relate to our individual lives. We take a lot for
granted and should realize how truly blessed we are. For as Don
reminded us so clearly on our first night here, the only difference
between us and the people we are now serving is where we were born.
Another accomplishment of the day was the successful surgery on a local
little girl named Maria. She had a tumor growing out of her right ear,
and the doctor with Because We Care Ministries removed it for free.
Our team was able to help keep little Maria calm, and help her as best
we could during the surgery. As Maria and her family were leaving, one
of the greatest moments of the day for us was to see the gratitude in
the parent’s eyes.
The second part of the day yielded another successful village visit and
a night admiring the majesty of God in a large thunderstorm that rocked
Casa de Shelly. We ask, as always, for everyone back home to keep us in
your

Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG
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8 May 2012

Nica News 5/8
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The Journidad #2
It is now the third day we have been on mission in Nicaragua, and one
of our missionaries, CJ, is still at the top of Don’s list. For all
past missionaries, you know this is not a good thing. Regardless, being
on mission in this beautiful country is still as convicting as it was
on the first day. The villages we have visited in the past few days
have shown so much gratitude for the simple meal of arroz y pollo
(chicken and rice), and a few pieces of caramelo (candy), that most of
us in the United States do not appreciate at all.
The first part of our morning consisted of devotion, a delicious
breakfast and lending a hand to the workers of Casa de Shelly in the
training facility. This included weed whacking, hay bailing, picking up
trash in nearby villages and cultivating plots of land. After a few
hours, the heat had definitely taken its toll on most of us, but we
kept working hard and when lunchtime arrived, we felt it was well
deserved.
Due to the heat, sickness has claimed two of the members of our team,
but with the help of a doctor they seem to be on the mend…and much more
calm. This is showing us God’s provision for our own team, and has also
taught us that hydration is key to our well-being. The first day, we
struggled with supply management and felt the heartbreak of seeing kids
miss out on the much needed shoes and clothing we were passing out.
Today, we applied that lesson by making sure that each kid received at
least one and fewer kids were receiving nothing.
We are now getting closer to the fourth day, but the memories we have
made feel like they will last a lifetime. Please keep us in your
prayers! Don brought up a great point during our evening fellowship,
and that is that all of you, whether we have your prayers or your
donations, are part of this team. You do not have to be sweating or
passing out candy to make a difference, you just have to give your
heart to this mission and for that, we thank you. As they say in
Nicaragua, Dios te bendiga (God bless you), and as Jesus says in the
Sermon on the mount, stay salty.
-
Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG
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7 May 2012

Nica News 5/7
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Six months ago we were presented the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua as missionaries. Many of us were immediately excited about the possibility but then we heard about the amount of funds we would be required to raise. The opportunity that once seemed so exciting was beginning to seem like a far off dream; so we prayed. After a lot of time spent in prayer about the trip to Nicaragua and some encouragement from our trip coordinator, Rob Stephens, we remembered that if God desired that we go on the trip, the funds would not be a concern.

                  Today, we now write to you from Nicaragua; God made a way! After hours of travel, we spent our first night in the city of Managua and were amazed at the beauty of our surroundings. The small things, such as the palm and coconut trees brought pleasure to our eyes. We had finally made it!

                  The next day, we went in to the city of Somotillo. The drive was long but interesting. We were amazed at the bipolar aspects of culture; one moment we were in a bustling city and the next in a small village. We still no idea what to expect but, with the help of Don, we learned very quickly. Within hours of arriving at Casa de Shelly, we hit the ground running and hopped in the back of a truck. Our first visit led us to Villa Esperanza, which literally translates to Village of Hope; a seemingly fitting title for what we want to bring to these people. Before we even reached the village, Children were swarming our truck for candy and clothing. They were more appreciative of what we know to be basic, than we are of many of the expensive luxuries we enjoy in America on a regular basis. This was an immediately humbling experience.

                  From the first piece of candy that hit the ground, to the last bowl of chicken and rice soup that was dished out, we were learning more and more about what it meant to share the Gospel. The joy in the eyes of not just the children, but the adults as well was extremely convicting. This helped us to appreciate the service at Prince of Peace “Baptist” Church that we attended that night. One of the most beautiful aspects of this service, was singing the same songs to the same God, in different languages of the mouth, but speaking the same truth of the heart.

This journidad is just starting, but we already feel the God at work, stirring our spirits as we serve the least of these. We ask for prayers of boldness and encouragement, so please, come alongside us as we attend to the needs of the community of Somotillo.

Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG

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5 May 2012

Nica News 5/5
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Isa 54:2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy ^astakes;

When Pam and I along with our team prayed this prayer and drove stakes in the ground in the 4 corners around the property of Casa De Shelly we had NO idea what GOD had on HIS mind as he led us to pray this prayer. It has been an amazing yet very taxing 4 months as GOD directs us on this journey of missions, training, evangelism, and KINGDOM BUILDING. We have had the honor and privilege of hosting 8 teams already this year and several for the first time. When we ask GOD to stretch forth our tent we were asking him to bring new teams along side BWCM to partner with us and support HIS work in this part of the world. We have several more "first time" teams coming this summer and several pastor's that are coming to do a "look-see" and seek GOD's guidance.

Our Pastor/Leadership training has exceeded our greatest expectations. As of today we have 55 Pastor's and leaders meeting in Honduras and Nicaragua seeking to grow both in GRACE and KNOWLEDGE. I have shared with you over the months about the difficulties these men suffer to just be in the class room. Please allow me this time to thank and ask you to pray for Chris Dowd, Bill Ashford, Jonge Tate, Jeremy Minor, Rob Stephens, Mike Morris, all whom have stood beside us and poured their hearts into making our Pastor's better equipped to do the work of the LORD.
Our farm training "Life Sustaining" program has continued to grow and be an instrument in GOD's hand. Today we have the chicken program at about 75% where we need to be and continue to grow. The milk goat and sheep program are now off the ground and doing very well. It's our plan to have milk and cheese production underway by the end of the summer. Anyone that would like to purchase a sheep or goat to help us grow our flocks just let me know.

Over the past couple of months we have seen the local body of believers step out of their buildings and serve their communities. We face the same difficulties here in Nicaragua that most Pastor's face back in the States and that is to get their folks involved in the Kingdom Work. I'm pretty well convinced that most of the people we are in contact with here daily have heard the GOSPEL but very few have seem it demonstrated. We will continue to lead them to SERVE and BE JESUS.

Two weeks ago we started construction on house number 22 in Pascuala. As I'm writing this letter we need at least 7 more houses or as many as GOD instructs us to build. In the past, several groups partnered with us in building these houses, today I'm asking you to get the word out and help us to get these houses completed. Next week when I meet with the Nica Pastor's I'm going to challenge them to build one house.

Please pray for us as we seek to be faithful and obedient, Donald and Pammie

Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG

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23 Apr 2012

Nica News 4/123
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Today we went back to Pascuala to continue working on the house we dug the footers for yesterday. We got to work alongside the nationals as we cut steel rebar, carried concrete bags, hauled buckets of water, and shoveled sand into the concrete mixer. Then we began to pour the footer for the new house. Some of the team taught the children in the village new songs, painted their fingernails, and shared the gospel. While we were there, we found a woman who had only had one leg and in a makeshift wheelchair. She had a fever and the doctor discovered that she had sores that had turned into deep open wounds that were severely infected. A few members of the team loaded her into the back of the truck and drove her to a private clinic for treatment.
In the afternoon, we went to La Caretta to provide a medical clinic, distribute clothing, and serve hot soup. Some of the team also taught the children various colors in English, colored with them, and taught them to sing Jesus Loves Me. At this village, two 16 year old boys accepted Christ. Hallelujah!
Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG
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22 Apr 2012

Nica News 4/22
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April 22, 2012

Today was a very full and blessed day. Everyone was up before 6am due to going to bed between 8:30-9pm Saturday night. We were all pretty tired from our plane and car ride. After breakfast we visited a village (Pascuala)where we dug footers for a new house, played soccer, painted nails and passed out clothing, toys, and food. In the afternoon we traveled further off the main road to a village (Los Mesas)where we stayed for a few hours. We played soccer, basketball, Frisbee, and Duck, Duck, Goose. All the girls got their nails painted and everyone was given medicine. We made a huge pot of food and distributed clothing and toys. We shared the gospel a few times trusting that God’s word will NOT return void as He has promised.

Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG

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12 Apr 2012

Nica News 4/12
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Today we ended a great week of kingdom building in Somotillo. We began with a devotion by Zach on being workers for Christ. Sheryl, Jason, Nidia, and Dr. Anderson shared their testimonies on the radio followed by a brief prayer by Donald.

            This morning most of the team traveled to Pascuala—the village where previous teams had built 21 houses.

Donald preached to them briefly to remind them that blessings follow obedience. Through God’s grace, several families offered to help build more houses, making the list for new houses more than six long. Dr. Anderson handed out medicine to the villagers with severe medical issues, and we also distributed bags of rice to the mothers to feed their families. It was a spiritually challenging but very successful morning in Pascuala.

            Afterwards, the team headed to the baseball stadium in Somotillo where we met up with our baseball crew who had been doing final practices and games with the local Little League team. While most of the team was in Pascuala, they organized and led a Little League home run derby and awarded trophies to the winners. They also handed out bats, gloves, and catcher’s equipment to the members of the team.

            After lunch, the baseball guys headed back to the baseball stadium while the rest of the team traveled to Los Limones. Dr. Anderson administered medicine, and Lee Anne prepared stew for the villagers. Everyone played games with the children, and we shared the gospel with them. Meanwhile at the stadium, the baseball crew ran a Little League All-Star game and shared the gospel with the players.

            It was a very busy and successful week in the mission field. Dr. Anderson administered medicine to hundreds of people, and the team fed even more. The baseball crew made tremendous progress in teaching the children and coaches about baseball techniques. Most importantly, many people accepted Christ into their hearts and seeds for the gospel were planted.

Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG

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11 Apr 2012

Nica News 4/11
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Sarah and Lee Anne started off the day with a devotion reminding us that blessings follow obedience. Then we went to the radio, where Mike, Dave, Greg, and Katie shared their testimonies. The radio was followed by another morning at the city stadium finishing the painting, building relationships, and sharing God’s love with kids through baseball.
In the afternoon, we went to Cayanlipe, where the mission team spent time feeding, playing basketball, jumping rope, and building more relationships. After playing, the students shared the gospel with the people. The men also helped a father and son to bag their corn, which had been drying on the basketball court. Dr. Anderson saw 95 patients, most of whom were babies. Zach assisted Dr. Anderson by passing out medication. Sheryl distributed baby blankets to each of the mothers, and we were blessed to have the exact number of blankets as there were babies in this village. This village appeared to be in more desperate need than were the previous villages that we have visited this week. As usual, on the way to and from the village, we gave out clothing and candy to the people we passed on the road.
Before Mama Maria’s wonderful dinner, the mission team held an impromptu baseball game against a group of children at the stadium. It was a tie, and the game was a great time of fellowship with the locals. Praise the Lord for another great day of kingdom building in Somotillo!

Dr and Mrs. Donald M Gillette
Because We Care Ministries, Inc.
P.O. Box 21806
Roanoke, VA. 24018
WWW.BWCM.ORG
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