Sinai Dream Becomes a Reality T - projectnica.comprojectnica.com/SEPT 2011 NEWSLETTER.pdf · es of laminate and board from Riverfront ... construction manager and Mauricio Ferrey,

Vol. 5, No. 3 September 2011

• Your comments and suggestions welcomed. Send to Nicaragua Mission Project, 10100 Transit Road, East Amherst, NY 14051. • For information about the project, go online at www.projectnica.com or E-mail [email protected] or call 716-874-4074. • If you know someone who would like to learn more about the Nicaragua Mission Project, E-mail [email protected] and we’d be happy to send mail or e-mail a copy of “LA VIA.”

Dewey Bush was so conscious of our needs that he not only donated the goods, but loaded the boat containers that were sent directly to the UB campus.

More than 10 full pallets of cast off piec-es of laminate and board from Riverfront Custom Design, a business of Paul Tucker, were graciously given to the project.

Our craftsmen in Nicaragua were thrilled to receive them and have made tall storage cabinets for each foyer of the four dormitories as well as writing and picnic tables

Mary Haas informed us about the major renovations at the Heathwood Home.

Your E-mail Address Will Cut Costs, Add to Project FundsEvery newsletter sent by e-mail saves more

than a dollar in printing and mailing costs, par-ticularly valuable when it comes to “La Via.”

We thank the many readers who answered our invitation to send us their e-mail addresses.

We invite you to join them in doing so.E-mail addresses are kept confidential for

the exclusive use for the newsletter.Please help by sending your e-mail ad-

dress to [email protected]

In the subject line, mention “Nicaragua e-mail.”

The savings translate into more funds for the poor in Nicaragua and an opportunity for you, as Friends of Nicaragua, to forward the newsletter to others.

It is often said: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. For years we have been receiving used items from clothes to dishes, from tables to stuffed animals, from crayons to desks .... everything gratefully received and used.

The items sent for SINAI alone have saved thousands because they do not have to be purchased. There were enough bath-room sinks sent that not even one had to be bought; the same is true of single bed mat-tresses, bed frames and desks. There are more than enough round tables and chairs to outfit the auditorium/dining area.

The furniture came through the remodel-ing work at the University of Buffalo.

The dream of Father Leonel and Fa-ther Alfonso of seeing SINAI is now

a reality.Although Father Leonel died four years

ago, his dedication to the project and to the people of Nicaragua will be recalled as SI-NAI is dedicated on his birthday, Oct. 23.

Bishop Jorge Solorzano, priests from the Rivas area and their parishioners will take part, along with other invited guests.

The ceremony will be the culmination of years of planning, saving, working, and trusting in God’s care to find an appropriate location for SINAI.

Construction began in December of 2010 under the supervision of Dudley Guerrero, construction manager and Mauricio Ferrey, architect, Martin Bolano, site foreman, and Father Alfonso, overseer and consultant.

With hired workers and a multitude of volunteers from the 13 parishes of the sec-tor of Rivas, the auditorium-dining room and kitchen, four dormitories for 120 per-sons, a chapel with rooms for visiting cler-gy, a windmill, four water tower tanks and landscaping are completed.

Left to be finished are furnishing the dormi-tory rooms and preparing the chapel for use.

It has been a long road, beginning almost 15 years ago with an idea, a hope, a dream and with the encouragement and generosity of so many people.

The Center for the Diocese of Granada will be a place for spiritual, medical and educational growth for years to come.

Sinai Dream Becomes a Reality

Thousands of Dollars Saved

Dollars - Continued on Page 2

* * * * 2 September 2011

A limited number of authentic, handmade hammocks, direct from the markets of Ma-saya, are available.

Handwoven, hand-dyed, double weave, and double sized — great way to relax!

Unavailable anywhere else in the USA.All donations will benefit the Nicaragua

Mission Project directed by Ann Marie Zon.

Donation Details:All white .... $60 donationTwo Colors ... $75 donation (blue/white, green/white, blue/brown)

Multi Color ... $90 donation

Without fringe ... $10 less (limited quantities)

Make checks out to Nicaragua Mission Project.

Hammocks available for pickup at:Nicaragua Misson Project

10100 Transit Road, Swormville.For more information or to arrange for

pick up, call Peggy at 634-6591

Nicaraguan Comfort in Your Backyard

Ministry of the Capuchin FranciscansThe Capuchin Franciscans from their central province in

Wisconsin have been serving as missionaries in Nicaragua since 1939 with houses in Managua, Esteli, and Bluefields.

The priests serving the country have worked in the most difficult situations, reaching out to those living in remote areas as well as in small towns and larger cities.

The Managua house serves as the main office. The three priests do more of the “business end” of their operation there, while devoting time to workshops for religious education and sacred scripture, conferences for native leadership and writing books to supplement the sessions.

The Esteli friary tends to direct its work for the poor and youth, striving to improve the human conditions and the rights of the poor.

In Bluefields, Rev. Paul Schmitz has been Bishop since 1994. He has gone through many difficulties: buried beneath rubble in the 1972 earthquake in Managua, and having a bullet shatter his arm during the civil unrest of the 80s.

When Hurricane Joan and later Hurricane Mitch destroyed a

good part of Bluefields, Bishop Schmitz was untiring in rebuilding his city.

In 2002 Rev. David Zywiec was named auxiliary bishop and serves the Miskito people whose language he speaks.

Three other Capuchins serve the jungles, forests and towns along the rivers and streams.

For 40 years, Rev. Theodore Niehause, known as the “river priest,” has used boat and mule to find his way to those needing his care.

Radio programs have been set up to keep contact with the people, teaching, leading in prayer, advising and reminding them they are not forgotten.

The country is blessed to have the service of the Capu-chin Franciscans.

At right, Father Theo-dore Niehaus and Bish-op Paul of Bluefields at the parish church in La Cruz de Rio Grande.

Two for the Price of OneNicaragua has a

huge, wide sprawling tree called the Mara-non. Its fruit, which is yellow/orange to red, has a thin, almost frag-ile skin which makes it impossible for trans-port or export.

Opening the fruit releases a very distinct scent. The inside is

white, with an almost cottony, wet texture. Its taste reflects the un-usual scent.

The surprise of the Maranon is the pod, at-tached to its underside, which contains the ca-shew nut.

Botanists have de-termined that the nut is

like the core of an apple or seeds on a straw-berry.

When the cashew and fruit are harvested, they are roasted, making them more edible.

Because there is only one cashew per pod, and only one harvest month each year, cashew nuts become an expensive item.

In some parts of the world, what Nicara-gua calls the Maranon tree is known as the Cashew Tree.

Peggy Lockwood and her “crew” trans-ferred everything from the night stands to the mirrors, from chairs to the shower curtains to our trucks and then on to the container.

Peggy also sorted and packed more than 70 boxes with the sheets, pillows, towels, silverware, mugs, and tablecloths for SINAI.

These goods had been brought by people either to the Transit Road site or to the trucks at different parishes.

Everything is used and appreciated.

Thank you for reaching out to the mission peoples as well as saving thousands of dol-lars by offering items needed to equip and furnish SINAI.

Dollars Saved - From Page 1

Traveling a “highway,”

September 2011 * * * * 3

Journey of Hope Foundation is a not-for-profit foun-dation enacted under the Section 402 of the not-for-

profit corporation law. Its mission is to solicit and procure funding through donations, loans and grants for the promotion and sup-port of indigent people, especially in Central America. The Foundation at this time is looking toward helping the needy of Nicaragua through the completion of the buildings at the Sinai Center which will be used for teaching, a medical station and retreats. The more people learn of the hopes for the future of Nicaraguan poor, the more that future can be made brighter. If you would like to help support the Foundation and its mission, go online to www.journeyofhopefoundation.org or send your dona-tion with the form to the right, to: Journey of Hope Foundation, 200 River Road, North Tonawanda, NY 14120 or call 716-874-4074.

Name

Address

City, State, Zip

Phone ( )

E-mail

Amount enclosed

YES! I want to do my part to continue the building project and the newsletter. Enclosed is my tax-de-ductible gift.

Bluefields: Isolated City on the Atlantic Coast

It wasn’t so very long ago that we were in-tently watching our TVs on a cloudy, cool Sunday afternoon seeing the havoc that Hur-ricane Irene was bringing to cities and states not that very far away from us.

It seems that there aren’t many weather ex-tremes that we haven’t seen in the summer of 2011: hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, drought, forest fires, dust storms and extreme heat waves — all within a few weeks.

It makes us grateful that we live where we are and have not been hit with anything but minor repercussions from any of them.

It also calls for gratitude that we live here in the USA where help can be readily available in the case of just about any disaster.

When we hear of such disasters occurring in countries like Nicaragua, there isn’t much there because of the poverty or lack of caring by weak or corrupt governing powers. The aftermath of these tragedies is always more poverty, more sickness, more lack of food, etc.

We can sit back and wait for the delivery trucks to come to the local market. The poor in these countries usually have to fend for themselves and depend on the kindness of neighbors and people like you and me who

The Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua is a very large expanse of land, divided into the North and South.

A conglomerate of ethnic groups in-cluding the Miskito, the Mestizo, the Rama, the Sumi, and the Creole live there, each with their own culture, tra-ditions, language, and religion reaching back hundreds of years.

Dutch and English pirates as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries found the mouth of the Escondido River not only a place to hide, but also a place to rest, find provisions and repair damaged vessels.

Abraham Blauveldt, a soldier of fortune, set his operation base in that area, hence the name Bluefields.

The English came to the area in 1633 fol-lowed by black Africans in 1641, slaves from a wrecked Portuguese ship.

In fact, until the 19th century, slaves from Jamaica found freedom on that coast of Nica-ragua. By 1730 Bluefields depended on the

give what we can.So often our disposables are treasure to

these people. Our “trivia” become their “treasures.”We all know that we have our own pov-

erty right here in the USA but can’t forget that poverty needs to be overcome no mat-ter where it exists. Your help in giving your goods, which otherwise might be discarded, and your generous financial help reach out to our brothers and sisters of Nicaragua and let them know that they are not alone and are not forgotten. May you be blessed for caring!

Msgr. Richard L. Wetter

Gratitude Begets Giving and Sharing

English government from Jamaica. Until re-cently, when Spanish took its place, English had been the official language of the Coast.

Economic growth in colonial days also set the social tone of the area: the white popula-tion held the business interests and the upper class; the mulatos became the artisans, while the blacks did the physical labor, leaving the natives as servants.

U.S. Marines controlled the area from

1912 to 1915 and then again from 1926 to 1933 and during the civil unrest in the country in the 80s, the U.S. mined the harbor.

Since the area is so cut off from the rest of the Nicaragua by the Escondido River, there is no land access to Blue-fields. Access is gained by taking a Panga boat down river from the city of El Rama, which sometimes takes days.

In the last 10 years, a small plane has been available to take visitors from Managua to the Atlantic Coast.

The chief exports of the area are shrimp, lobster, and other seafood, as well as hardwood. Bluefields is not the most prosperous area of Nicaragua but its wealth lies in the distinction of its “founding,” its peoples, character, urban areas and in its remoteness.

It is an adventure to visit there, getting another aspect of the vast differences of Nicaragua.

September 2011 * * * * 4Journey of Hope Foundation200 River RoadNorth Tonawanda NY 14120

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There is nothing more ex-citing, more colorful, more Nicaraguan than the various folkloric dances that reflect the festive spirit of the country.

The costumes of the girls are varied, bright, and usu-ally have long skirts with yards and yards of material trimmed with any and every color of ribbon, or it may be a more sarong-type outfit with a peacock feathered hat, de-pending on the dances to be interpreted.

The boys usually wear a white or bright orange, yellow or green outfit with colored scarves,

sometimes a cape, and the typical straw hat rimmed with colored rib-bons.

Most of the time, the dances are done barefooted with musical ac-companiment by marimbas, guitars, trumpets, accordions, harmoni-cas or drums. Props include baskets, flowers or fans.

There are several professional dance groups throughout the country as well as dancr schools that invite young people to learn the steps, rhythms, and choreography of the century-old dances.

A very comical side in some of the dances adds a lighthearted mood. The “La Gigatona” (a giant lady figure), “Los Diablos” (the devils), “Los Enanos Cabazones” (big headed dwarfs), and of course, the “Bruja” (witch) add fun and laughs to any performance.

The dances are presented in theaters but it is more common to see some of them performed on the streets during fiestas or celebrations of patron saints. They reflect a cultural aspect that entertains and depicts happiness in a people who often have a most difficult life: A timeless expression of what makes the festive side of Nicaragua so real.

Dance Reflects the Joy and Culture of Nicaragua

At right, a team of volunteers helps landscape the grounds at SINAI and above, a landscape in progress.