DOWN TO THE RIVER—So many people were baptized in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, recently that they were immersed by threes to save time.

Orphanages Serve 150  Kids

These churches are now organizing their own social works and  outreaches to the surrounding communities.

Orphanages now care for children in two locations—85 of them in Puerto Cabezas on the Caribbean coast and 65 in Vera Cruz near the capital. In Vera Cruz there are separate homes for teenage girls, boys, and younger children.

In Puerto Cabezas, Earl Bowie, the director of Verbo’s work on the north Caribbean coast and along the Honduran border, just opened a “transition house” for teenaged boys from the orphanage or from very poor circumstances in the countryside who have graduated from high school and who are ready for college or the work world.

Halfway House Opens Soon

A similar house is about to start inside the church complex in Managua. Bob Trolese noted that young men leaving the orphanage without the benefit of family support had a very difficult time adapting to the work-a-day world. The “transition houses” will help them get established in a safe, supportive environment. Similar projects eventually will take care of young women’s needs.

  Indians Get Spiritual Care

A HOME ON STILTS—A Verbo building project provided new homes for Miskito Indians after a recent hurricane wiped out their village.

On the south Caribbean coast Ed and Ligia Jaentschke provide spiritual covering for their home church in Bluefield's, several more congregations, some several hours away and only reachable by boat, and a school of almost 500 students.

Churches Are Far-flung

MAIN MAN—Earl Bowie, accompanied by his wife, Damaris, is leader of the Verbo Puerto Cabezas church and apostolic overseer of all Verbo works in Nicaragua’s north Caribbean region.

“However, we make the effort to be together because fellowship leads to friendship, the building block for the Kingdom.”

One of the major factors that has helped spiritually equip the growing corps of ministers is the Verbo Bible Institute, which operates out of the main church in Managua. Dr. Artie Hall, a theologian with ample seminary and university teaching experience, heads the institute.

“Hunger to delve deeper into the Lord’s heart is—almost supernaturally—seeding into the Verbo churches. The Bible Institute plays a role in this. The ancient Hebrew combination of faith and works, is our hope, that all might see and hear the Gospel.

Agricultural Projects Help the Country’s Youth

FOUNDERS—Bob and Myra Trolese participated in the founding of Verbo Guatemala in the ‘70’s before taking a team to Nicaragua in 1980. Their initial work has blossomed into a 1,500-member mother church with diverse social services in the capital city and a network of congregations, orphanages, schools and social services throughout the nation.

“We’re working on agricultural projects, both as a discipleship tool and as a response to economic downturns,” Bob explained. “Training young people to grow profitable 'nitch' exportable crops seems to be an answer to that unemployed aimless state that opens up so many youths to sinful conduct that ruins their future.”

Finally, within a few months Bob and other established church leaders  will ordain a new group of elders and fivefold ministers, a certain sign that Verbo Nicaragua will continue to grow strongly.