Lampstand giving: setting examples of generosity

“No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:15- 16) One of the most helpful things you can do for a ministry that you give to is to tell other people …

Dara Blandon

Testimony: from a cold God to an affectionate one

Dara Blandon, age 20: You would think that being an only child and having everything I wanted would make life easy, but it didn’t. It was empty and lonely. I didn’t have a lot of friends, and my parents worked all the time. They were also very religious, but I didn’t like the God that I saw in them. I truly had a life without purpose, and I felt very alone. One day I went …

Ánimo 2020

Are you grieving or feeling drained? I know I am. This year has wrecked health and hopes, and world events have dismayed and divided us. Rarely have so many of us felt such need for ánimo. Ánimo is a Spanish word rich in meaning: it’s hope, it’s strength of will, it’s bright eyes, it’s courage, it’s life. ¡Ánimo! is a command to “take heart!” or to “be of good courage,” but importantly, it’s also something …

Reopened, but different

We resumed in-person ministry again in September, and we’re really excited about it! To protect our kids and staff, we’ve made some significant changes. We’ve shortened how long kids are in the building, we’ve eliminated the times of indoor free-play, and we’re requiring masks, handwashing, and social distancing. In our main, multi-purpose room, we’ve chalked dots on the floor to help kids know how far to stand from each other, and they’ve been impressively good …

Covid-19 and sponsorship

One by One suspended all in-person activities several weeks ago due to the threat of Covid-19.  We are daily in prayer for the kids and youth, and we keep up with them through various forms of electronic communication (hear more about that in a 2-minute video here). Until we have a better idea of the risk to our kids and staff of meeting together, the majority of our ministry will be online (and our staff is getting …

Boy sweeping at home

Covid-19 update

Starting mid-March, we suspended all in-person ministry activities as a precaution against the pandemic. At the time, the reported covid-19 numbers in Nicaragua were low, but many of our kids live with elderly family members and our ministry activities have involved large numbers of kids playing, singing, and learning in close contact. We did not want to become an infection hotspot with the inevitable arrival of the coronavirus. Since that time, our staff has kept …

Naomi’s Legacy

One by One staff member Naomi Evers, aged 38, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Thursday January 30 as she arrived at work. Naomi had been the Teams & Interns Director since she joined One by One in 2016. More than that, she was a person genuinely concerned with the well-being of those around her and who spent her time encouraging and serving in many ways. Here staff member Julie Russell reflects on her loss: …

Celebrations

 Office hours are now back to normal and all programs begin officially in February, but boy did we have fun in December celebrating Christmas and milestones in the lives of our young-ones.  The above picture was taken during worship time at the Niños de Vida Christmas party. The youth also had a fantastic Christmas bash. We are so proud of our youth who completed their training and will now be supportive leaders in activities with …