The Beautiful Hues of Relationship
PC(USA) Mission Co-Worker, Justin Sundberg, serving with CEPAD, reflects on the word that he feels best summarizes the work of the organization and asks you to reflect as well.
by Justin Sundberg
In Jinotepe, to the south of Managua, CEPAD has worked for 8 months in the community of, “Los Encuentros” (the Meeting Crossroads). When I visited there last month, I left nearly ecstatic considering its future after meetings its CEPAD-trained leaders.
During my encounter in Los Encuentros, leaders described what they had been learning. One woman, Glorieta, rushed in late to our meeting. She had not personally been to any of our trainings, but a friend of Glorieta, trained by CEPAD, had trained her. Glorieta was beaming as she pulled necklaces, bracelets and earrings from her pockets. In Spanish, she burst, “He ideado unos!” In English, her statement could be rendered, “I’ve created some of my own unique designs,” shared modestly, but proudly.
What a truly amazing organization CEPAD is. I share about it often. But what if I had to describe it in a single word, which would I choose? What word would you choose?
CEPAD heavily invests in a small number of community leaders in each of the 42 communities in which it works. Then we ask these leaders to train or disciple others. They are encouraged to find their sweet spot of entrepreneurship, to experiment and to create an income stream. Glorieta is one such disciple and bourgeons with jewelry making ideas.
So what single word, then, sums up CEPAD? Perhaps ‘’enthusiasm,’’ or “hope.”
Some could say, ‘relationship,’ in all its beautiful hues, best describes CEPAD:
The friendship that you, our North American partners, have with Nicaraguans
Rural farmers and their families working as a team, straining to create new horizons
CEPAD technical staff and villagers, locked hand in hand, as they commit to a 5-year schedule of trainings, experimentation, and countless new achievements and gains for the community
People like Glorieta, and her friend who passed on the blessing of her own training so that Glorieta could secure income-generating skills
In relationship we recognize more clearly what it is to be created in God’s image. CEPAD weaves together its commitment to Christ, to people and to development in webs of relationships that create hope and possibility. . . . and concrete outcomes that benefit families!
Thank you for helping so many Nicaraguans benefit from relationships with CEPAD. Join us in giving God thanks for the ways that relationships infuse the work of CEPAD. And stay tuned, in future newsletters, for stories about how your commitment and relationship with CEPAD is changing lives of ordinary Nicaraguans.
