We had a squash harvest of a local squash called Pipiyan.  On the first load we pulled out twelve dozen squash which made for a great meal at the Club.  The kids had a good helping of “Gizo” which is what everyone in Nicaragua thinks of when they see a good looking Pipiyan!  We hope to plant some corn next.

Our friends from Heritage Baptist Church made a trip down last month and one of the projects they helped us to complete is a Preschool Garden at the Club.  We hope to get things going really well in this little spot so that the children can see the different vegetables grow and then eat them for lunch!  Uncle Chris worked his agricultural magic again and designed and planted the garden.  Last week I took this picture of Winston (caretaker at the Club) and Aura (one of our students).  The cucumbers are starting to climb the trellis, the chiles are sprouting, tomatoes are growing tall, and a few others veggies are thrown in there.  Growing good things at Club Esperanza!

This garden is part of an ongoing Agricultural project from a grant we received through Austin Samaritans in Austin, TX.  It is a sweet addition to the Club.

You may have noticed the new Big Blue fencing in the previous pictures.  We have been spending the last couple of months working on some bigger projects at Club Espernaza thanks to a very generous donation.  This security fence is one of the first projects we tackled.  It allows us to close in three sides of the center so that our children can study and play without the distractions of the surrounding neighborhood.  There are some dangerous aspects of the area and we want to make sure our children and students have as safe an environment as possible.  It has already made a big difference for our teachers, not having random people standing outside the fence looking in and distracting everyone…if you’re a teacher you know the importance of that!

Another area of big project progress is the work on the Dining Hall/Tutoring Center.  You may remember this is the building that was half abandoned on the property when we bought it.  We are right in the middle of installing all of the electrical system.  It is tough work to go back and cut walls that were built without the electrical installed.  But, it is getting done…one cloud of concrete dust at a time!  We really are excited about this and hope to have the building in use come next school year.  Next steps are mudding the walls, putting the roof on, tiling the floor, then doors and windows.  Please keep praying for progress…it is going to be a great building!

We are thankful for your continued prayers and support for Club Cristiana La Esperanza!

If you would like to make a financial contribution please click here.

Have a great week and God Bless!