Our Ministry
I always assumed being faithful to God meant going all over the place, like chasing after an unattainable goal. Some well traveled people have very little fruit to show for all their faithful globe trotting. Although that is not always the case, we need to be sure we are being true to our spiritual callings and not our whims. We must always recheck ourselves about where our allegiances lie.
I grew up in a small country village in north east Ohio. I spent an inordinate amount of time working on small dirt farms. When I read a different version of the Bible, and saw -Dwell in the land to cultivate faithfulness- that really jumped out at me. I always described our ministry as I would a dirt farm, cultivating young lives out of the dust of the slums here in Managua. What we are really trying to do is to cultivate faithfulness to the Lord. That is the only way we well BREAK THE CYCLE of poverty and misery.
As we dwell in the land of Nicaragua, we are cultivating faithfulness in our own lives as well as the lives the people we serve on a daily basis. Like dirt farming, it is rugged, hard, demoralizing work. Hoeing, raking, digging, sweating, watering… dusty, grimy, dirty thankless work. AND LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I AM SHOWING OFF FOR GOD, NOT FOR MAN.
Right now, with a few hundred dollars a week in support, and my contract work we are serving 2000 meals a month, touching the lives of 500 people, and schooling around 20 children in our preschool.
People want to know how we do it. Between huge family medical needs, random emergency medical needs of the children we are serving, we very rarely have more than one or two hundred dollars to our name at any given time. However, as we exercise faithfulness to others, by being there consistently, by not turning them away when they are having problems, God continually steps in to provide for us. (Always at the last second, but ALWAYS)
Sadly,conventional religion teaches and emphasizes fair weather friendships. God is faithful. But very rarely are religious organizations. The new guy at church gets all the attention. He says THE prayer and gets a warm and fuzzy, and he is hero for a day. A few months later, just another number. The pastor throws him a book to read, instead of talking to him, and directs him to an assistant pastor and someones home study and case closed.
God is faithful. Man and his institutions is not.
We are trying to figure it out. We are on our third generation here in la chueca. Not a lot has changed. With the Lord’s help we want to Break the Cycle by dwelling in the land, to cultivate faithfulness in ourselves, in the people we minister to, towards God, and to one another.
Break the Cycle, both in the slums and garbage dumps in impoverished third world countries but also in the body of believers world wide.
—
Dean Peters
USA NUMBER 1-240-345-9268
local cell in Nicaragua 55010927
Deanpeters123 skype
BLOG
www.whatistheloveofgod.com