Home Building Continues!

The Water Tower is Raised!

Good News Online

Our Online Newsletter made its debut in December, 2005. We aim to send you monthly news and let you know just how much your support means.

Clink here to read the latest issue !

To join our mailing list, contact us at: newsletter@amigosforchrist.org

You can follow our progress in a photo gallery designed especially for Amigos for Christ. See photos of our 2005 mission trips, 2005 Outback Fiesta,
2005 Pedal for the Poor, and much more!!

News from Nica

Villa Catalina is a Wonderful Work in Progress

The vision of Villa Catalina became a reality when 120 families were moved there from the Chinadega city dump in May, 2004. Our 2004 mission trips accomplished wonderful acts of service at the new community. The first mission groups erected champas, or temporary shelters for the people of the village and dug a trench around the village to run off some of the heavy summer rain. The next group moved the families from the city dump. The succeeding groups started building the community feeding center, finished the latrines, planted corn, beets, squash and banana trees, and installed a community water well. All the work was carried out side by side with the Nicaragua families.

The community finished the permanent school in time for the first term, which began on January 31, 2005.

Our 2005 mission trip groups began building the first permanent homes and work has continued through the year. There are now 80 homes completed. Our 2006 summer mission groups will help finish the houses and shower/latrines.

A group of our supporters from Duluth, Georgia, raised over $30,000. to erect a water system at Villa Catalina, that will store 10,000 gallons of clean water and distribute it to all parts of the 52.5 acre site and the agricultural area. Construction of the water tower began in February of 2005. It was proudly erected on December 10, 2005. We hope to have the system installed in 2006.

We are establishing organic farming and animal husbandry projects at Villa Catalina. Members of the community are trained to collect organic waste, produce compost and market the fertilizer to area farmers. 20 acres of land are being cultivated for corn, rice and organic vegetables. Other members are learning to breed chickens and pigs. Eventually 2000 laying hens will produce eggs that will help balance out the community's limited diet. We expect that crop production will produce $5,656. profit this planting cycle. The eggs should produce $3,181. per cycle. We hope that the organic fertilizer will produce $675. profit the first year and accomodate the next organic vegetable harvest. The pig pen now has 14 pigs that will reproduce more offspring to be sold at market. We want these projects to be self-sustaining. Seed money is needed to get them underway. Can you help us? For more information about the Villa Catalina project, see the Urgent Need section of this website.

Nueva Salvacion is in Need

Nueva Salvacion is a poor community just outside Santa Matilde. Its inhabitants are Hurricane Mitch survivors. Nueva Salvacion is filled with crude, makeshift dwellings situated perilously on the edge of a deep ravine. The torrential rains of 2004 caused parts of the village to collapse, destroying homes. Our spring and summer missionaries became aware of the urgent need for food, clean water and medical care at Nueva Salvacion. Amigos for Christ is committed to helping the people there. We have just completed the school/feeding center in time for the beginning of classes on January 31 and will fund its operation. We want to provide Nueva Salvacion with a water system and vegetable cooperative and hold regular health clinics there. Can you help us? We have not budgeted these projects and are seeking donors to assist us. Please keep these new amigos in your prayers.

San Francisco de Asis Chicken Project is Underway

San Francisco de Asis, is a remote settlement located in Somotillo, Nicaragua, near the Honduran border. The sixty families who live there are also Hurricane Mitch survivors. San Francisco has had little support from other relief organizations. Due to your generosity, we have constructed a community chicken coop, installed electricity and purchased a cooler and 600 baby chickens. Community members have learned to raise the chickens, producing over 2,400 pounds of meat. Each family received 11 pounds of meat. The group sold the remainder, earning $1,160. from the first cycle, which they reinvested. The business is slowly becoming self-sustaining. We want to triple the output of the chicken project, by building another chicken house, and adding 1200 chickens, feed, vaccines and 5 more coolers. This investment will cost $5,000. Can you help these families?

Casa Jacinta y Francisco, Leon, Home to At-risk Children

Casa Jacinta y Francisco in Leon, Nicaragua, is home to 60 orphaned or abused boys. Its school educates an additional 120 at-risk children through the sixth grade. The orphanage requires extensive food and resources to sustain its programs. We want to utilize 17 acres of farmland nearby and train its young people to produce food for themselves and to make a living once they grow older. Water wells have already been installed there. Next comes planting 12 acres of soybean and organic vegetables, building a pig house, two chicken coops, an organic fertilizer production facility and a warehouse. The long term plan includes building a vocational school and hiring a technician to oversee the project. Can you help us make this project a reality?

2006 Surgical Mission Trips

Please support our medical efforts financially, by donating supplies, or by volunteering your professional services on a trip. See the Projects section of this website. Our mission trip calendar gives the scheduled medical trip dates for 2006.

New Drilling Rig Ready for Service

A DR 100 commercial drilling rig was donated to Amigos for Christ.

Manufactured by Deep Rock of Opelika, Alabama, the rig consists of a 10 foot drill stem and an 18 horsepower gasoline engine-powered centrifugal mud pump. It is the longest drill pipe that can be handled manually without a crank. This rig will speed up the drilling process and is safe to handle. Several Agua for Christ water team members traveled to Alabama to learn to operate the rig. The rig was shipped to Nicaragua and used to easily drill a 340 foot well at Villa Catalina, yielding an abundance of water! For some time now, we have sought an air compressor to use with the new rig. Pense Bros.Drilling Company, Inc. of Fredericktown, MO. has donated a rebuilt 200 PSI/450 CFM machine. The compressor ensures that our rig will easily drill into any type of rock. Another friend has donated a used trailer and refitted it for the drilling equipment.In order to move the heavy rig and compressor to and from drilling sites, we needed a sturdy 4 x 4 truck. One of our long-time supporters donated the money to buy a vehicle!

Our Agua for Christ team is already using the drilling equipment to bring fresh, clean water to remote villages previously inaccessible to us.

Thank you for your generosity!