Salvador Potoy Potoy, pastor at Iglesia de Dios en La Flor on Ometepe Island in Rivas, Nicaragua, thanks you for your generous contribution that will allow his church to build the Nuevas Isaiah 61:1 child development center to serve the 163 children registered in Compassion’s program there. The Congregation Church of God on Ometepe Island is assisting in this project.
Progress to Date
Construction will soon begin on a new child development center that will have four classrooms, restrooms, an industrial kitchen, water tank, freezer and containers to keep food dry. The building will have a complete plumbing system as well as health and laboratory equipment to conduct medical checkups on the children.
Plans are also in place to purchase the following items to equip the center:
- 120 school chairs
- Eight office chairs
- Five work tables
- Teaching materials
- Office equipment
“As a church, it is the first time that we have a very specialized and integral program development for children,” says Pastor Potoy. “As a church, we plan to continue growing in number of members and infrastructure and continue registering more children because the community needs lots of support.”
About the Community
In La Flor, families survive on low-income jobs such as fishing and cultivating beans, rice, corn, banana, wheat and sesame. Most residents have only small plots of land and subsist on what they grow. Because well-paying jobs are scarce, many families migrate to neighboring Costa Rica.
Testimony
Meet Fidel Isait Irigoyen González. He is 9 years old and in the third grade. He lives 2½ blocks from the Congregation Church of God center with his mom María Fidelina González Castillo, his dad José Daniel Irigoyen Salvatierra, and his 16-year-old brother Bryan. Fidel wants to be a business administrator when he grows up.
“I love to come to the center because I like to talk about God’s Word,” says Fidel. “I love birthday celebrations and the food.” He also enjoys learning about “many Bible stories like Samson, Elija, Noemi and David. I also learned that I have rights as a child.”
Word of Thanks
“We want to make a greater impact in the community where there is much poverty, and we believe that over time, we can reach and help many,” says Pastor Potoy. “We pray that God blesses you greatly for all your help, that your work can succeed, and that your family will be blessed always.”
Photos of Progress