Early yesterday (Wednesday) morning piled into our van and headed to the northwestern part of the country near the Pacific Coast. We went to visit various poor farming communities to learn about their lives, struggles and faith. All of these areas were struck by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the same year as Minnesota´s terrible tornado. There had never been a hurricane at that latitude on the Pacific Coast before. It was a completely new occurrance. People are still trying to rebuild today. They are still facing unpredictable weather patterns. We talked to many old farmers and they all said that things have changed for them so drastically that it is impossible to adjust. Over the last 20 years, the dry seasons and rainy seasons do not come at the same times anymore. They used to have two planting seasons, one in May and one in August, but now that has been all thrown off. And when they don´t produce anything for a season, they don´t get any help from the government. Many of the men are forced to migrate to El Salvador or Costa Rica to find work when their crops fail. The communities we visited were full of mothers and children, but few young men. It was really heart wrenching. At the same time, we saw some glimmers of hope. There are Lutheran World Federation projects in each of these villages. The projects include basic irrigation systems, wells, schools, and new churches. All of these projects have been funded through the benevolences that we give to the synod through our offerings. I also got draw water from a well today by cranking a wheel to draw the water up. It took about 4 minutes of constant pumping to fill a 5 gallon bucket. It was hard work and the women of the village do it everyday multiple times and carry the buckets on their heads. Amazing. The Lutheran Church in Nicaragua has doubled its membership in the last 10 years. We found out the reason for this. One community member said, ¨When our lives were devastated by the hurricane, no one came to help us except the Lutherans.¨ That was amazing to hear.

Another thing that I am so struck by is the interconnectedness of so many issues. Poverty and hunger are tied to climate changes, economic policies from the US and Nicaragua, education policies, health care, and immigration to other countries and the US. As we learn more about all these things, it is overwhelming. But I know that God is here and that there is hope. Tomorrow morning at 4:30am, we fly to the East Coast to visit areas devastated by Hurricane Felix in 2007. I will write again on Sunday.