NOTE: My e-mail address has changed.  The new address is jenchip@gmail.com.  Please make a note of this change…

 

 

January 27, 2008

 

Dear Friends and Family,

 

Happy New Year to everyone!  I pray that 2008 finds you daily growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I appreciate your partnership with me, your prayers and encouragement as I seek to extend the love and truth of Jesus to those around me here in Nicaragua.

 

I’m grateful to have connected with many of you in December and January during my time in California.  It was a fruitful time of much needed rest, time with family, and opportunities for me to share with friends and church congregations about how God has been at work in my life and in the different ministries that I’ve been a part of in Nicaragua. 

 

Jen enjoying the California coast on a cool December day.

 

Now, I have been back in Nicaragua for just over one week, and I have quickly jumped back into action!  This year 2008 I am entering a new season of ministry: I will be teaching 2^nd grade in YWAM Diriamba’s elementary school, “Mi Pequeña Luz” (“My Little Light” school).  The school formed eight years ago in response to an overwhelming number of children in our local barrio who were not in school at all.  The “escuelita” is an integral part of YWAM’s outreach to our neighbors, and God has used it as an open door to disciple the kids and their families. 

 

When I first came to Nicaragua in 2005, the Lord impressed on me that He was preparing me to live out and reflect His “gospel of peace” (Is. 52:7) as I learn to truly rest in Him.  My prayer has been that God would use my life to encourage the people of Nicaragua, that they might see His truth and beauty and be drawn toward Jesus, to find the restoration that only He can give.  In 2006 I was privileged to help staff a DTS (Discipleship Training School) on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, geared toward the indigenous Miskito people.  This past year (2007) I was a student in the School of the Bible here at YWAM Diriamba; it was the first time that this school was offered in Spanish.  Studying alongside other missionaries (most of them Latin American), I was able to deepen my roots in God’s Word set aside time to think through its implications for my life and ministry. 

 

Teaching at a Bible seminar as part of School of the Bible outreach.

(October 2007; Bluefields, Nicaragua; southern Atlantic coast)

 

 

My desire throughout the School of the Bible was to take what I was learning and put it in practice right here in Nicaragua, investing in the lives of people around me.  As I considered the best way to do that, I was drawn more and more to pray for the elementary school, Mi Pequeña Luz.  I asked the Lord repeatedly to raise up teachers for the school.  Then one day it occurred to me, “Lord, and what if I am to be one of those teachers?”  So I continued to pray, telling the Lord that I was willing.  Slowly, but surely, He confirmed that being a teacher in the elementary school would be a wonderful way for me to apply what I’ve been learning, and that the ministry of the “escuelita” is indeed very dear to His heart and very key to reaching the next generation of Nicaraguans.

 

I’ve been told some of my students (left to right: Edwin, Jonathan, and Moisés) have lots of energy!

 

So here I am, with one week to go before the first day of class.  God is so good, and so personal, and I have been encouraged to know that He goes before me and is here to give me wisdom, grace, and strength to face the little and big decisions that I will encounter this year.  To get ready for the school year, I’ve been visiting each child who will be in my class, taking time to get to know them and pray with them and their families.  Also, this week from Monday Jan. 28^th through Thurs. Feb. 1^st I will be attending a teacher training workshop specifically for 2^nd grade teachers; I am looking forward to meeting Nicaraguan teachers from other local elementary schools and getting better acquainted with the Nicaraguan education system.  And, of course, I still have lots to do to get my classroom ready!  Thankfully, I have some really good materials that friends have donated, and I was also able to purchase special children’s Bibles in Managua for each child in my class.

 

Fun-loving soon-to-be 2^nd graders at Mi Pequeña Luz school.

 

I appreciate your prayers as my fellow teachers and I, the kids, and their families get ready for this new school year.  May we daily stay connected to Jesus and seek to love and obey Him with all of our hearts.  May we be as passionate about reaching each of these children with His truth as He is! 

 

In Christ,

 

Jennifer Chipello

YWAM Diriamba – Nicaragua

 

§         Cell phone – 011-505-636-3879

§         E-mail (NEW) – jenchip@gmail.com

§         Snail mail – JuCUM

                        Apartado 2213

                        Managua 5, Nicaragua

                                     Centroamérica

 

 

P.S.  Some of you have asked about specific opportunities to help support YWAM Nicaragua and the elementary school.  One big monthly expense is making copies (about $120/mo. for the entire school).  Another opportunity to reach out the barrio is to help families construct stronger roofs that will withstand the rainy season (which comes in full force by June)…helping a family with a roof can range from $260 to $360.  Also, we have a benevolence fund that can help out our school’s kids, for example, when they have unexpected medical needs.  Those are just a few examples of giving opportunities.  Let me know if you have questions or want more information.  Thanks so much for your prayers and for being a part of what God is doing here in Nicaragua!

 

P.P.S.  If you would like a copy of my personal financial report from 2007, and my projected personal budget for 2008, please let me know. 

 

To make a tax-deductible contribution toward my support, you can make out your check to YWAM.  Be sure to include a note requesting that a donation be made to “Jennifer Chipello” (don’t write my name on the check).  Please send contributions to:

                                                                        

                                                                                    YWAM Tyler

                                                                                    Accounting Department

                                                                                    PO Box 3000

                                                                                    Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000

     

Note: There is also an option of contributing by automatic withdrawal (AWD) from your bank account.  If you are interested in this option, you can contact the YWAM office in Texas that handles my account, at (903) 882-5591 Ext. 2001, or e-mail patrobinson@ywamtyler.org.