Nicaragua

Decades of military dictatorship, revolution, and “coalition” governments have left Nicaragua with the highest international debt per capita in the world, and the highest poverty indexes of the region. After suffering the effects of Hurricane Mitch, this country was declared one of the most highly indebted countries in the world. The Christian Mission of Nicaragua, a grass roots national Pentecostal church, is committed to assisting the poor, not only with their spiritual needs, but also with development projects and leadership training. Jorge Bardeguez coordinates its theological education program designed for the specific needs of the church. He is also professor at the Ecumenical Evangelical Theological Faculty (FEET). Pray for: The three-year plan of the Christian Mission of Nicaragua which includes programs and projects that will enable the church to grow and respond to the critical economic situation of the country. The ministry of the Moravian church among the Afro-Caribbean and indigenous population on the country’s eastern coast. Mission Personnel Jorge Bardeguez: Program for Theological Education at FEET Partners Centro Ecumenico Antonio Valdivieso Iglesia Morava Seminario Teologico Bautista de Nicaragua Convencion Bautista de Nicaragua Convencion de Iglesias Mision Cristiana de Nicaragua Consejo de Iglesias Evangelicas Pro Alianza Denominacional (CEPAD) Centro Inter-Eclesial de Estudios Teologicos y Sociales Acci├│n M├⌐dica Cristiana Nicaraguan Protestant University (Universidad Evangelica Nicaraguense Martin Luther King, (UENIC-MLK)

Nicaragua is located in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras.               

Over the past several decades Nicaragua has suffered through military dictatorships, devastating earthquakes and hurricanes, revolution and counter-revolution, and widespread poverty.  Today Nicaragua remains the second poorest nation in the western hemisphere, although today there is a real sense of rebuilding about the country, of putting the past behind and moving toward the future.

The Christian Mission Church of Nicaragua (La Misión Cristiana) is a home-grown pentecostal denomination situated both in the barrios of Managua and in the rural areas outside the capital.  The church has as its mission the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God, proclaimed by Jesus and the first Christians in the power of the Holy Spirit.  This preaching is done in words and deeds, so that the gospel may be seen and heard through the testimony of the church, and its commitments to the values of the Kingdom of God: justice, solidarity, equality and respect for diversity.  Their vision is to encourage and support social transformation, incarnating the gospel as good news for the most vulnerable sectors of society: the poor, the sick, women, children, and people excluded from our socio-economic systems.

Pray for:

– The three-year plan of the Christian Mission of Nicaragua which includes programs and projects that will enable the church to grow and respond to the critical economic situation of the country.

– The ministry of the Moravian church among the Afro-Caribbean and indigenous population on the country’s eastern coast.
 

Population (2014 est) – 5,848,641

Area – 81,030mi

Capital – Managua

Ethnic Background

     Mestizo (Amerindian and White)- 69%

     White 17%

     Black 9%

     Amerindian 5%

Exports – coffee, beef, gold, sugar, peanuts, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, cigars, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles, apparel, cotton

Imports – consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products

Life Expectancy (2014 est) – M 71 years    F 75 years

Infant Mortality (2014 est) – 20.36 deaths/1,000 live births

Adult Illiteracy Rate – 22%