We thank God for those who persevered in the face of danger. "As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience (perseverance). Luke 8.15
And they devoted themselves (persevered) to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2.42
Christ taught that the evidence of authentic spiritual life is perseverance. In Acts, we are immediately confronted with the lack of personal safety and the reality of great material loss. Fear, intimidation, confiscations, persecutions, incarcerations, and the death of loved ones were all the traumas the early believers experienced, yet they persevered.
Labouring together in the gospel,
fellow workers from Honduras in Northern Nicaragua.
We learn as we watch people like Peter and James the Apostles, or Barnabas the son of encouragement, or Stephen, the able orator chosen to serve tables, or Philip the evangelist or the persecuted believers arriving in Antioch that their message was spiritual, not political. They feared and obeyed God rather than man. They lived contagious, authentic lives of faith - they demonstrated perseverance or spiritual grit in the face of tremendous obstacles even to the point of death. We have a fresh sense of appreciation for these ordinary men and women who lived counter-cultural and demonstrated extraordinary faith in the Sovereign Lord.
Brenda Bachert and family
The Local Churches continued as they were able to meet together. Several Assemblies altered their schedules of meetings to attend late afternoon. Others suspended the evening meetings for the safety of the believers. In Managua, there was only a week or two when the believers were not able to meet to break bread.
Hundreds of makeshift barricades were erected all over bringing the country to a near standstill. This public pressure brought the government to participate in a national dialogue. The situation also gave rise to looting, anarchy, violence and the presence of paramilitary groups. During the first part of July, the government worked to eliminate the barricades and restore full movement in the country. To accomplish this, lethal force was applied.
The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights has documented hundreds of deaths, hundreds of people unaccounted for and hundreds incarcerated. Today there is a sense of tense calm as the government well controls the country. We believe the situation to be quite volatile. Hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans have lost their jobs. Over twenty thousand Nicaraguans have sought refuge in Costa Rica. Thousands with US connections have also relocated their families to the US. The effects of all this are being felt in the economy and will have long-term repercussions.
The socio-political unrest in Nicaragua was for the most part unexpected. Over the past several years, Commander Ortega's government of reconciliation and peace has worked closely with the private business sector creating a sense of stability that fostered a healthy sense of both foreign and national investment.
Jalapa, Nicaragua Gospel effort
It seems that there was a strong response by loyal government supporters to squash the protest in April over Social Security reforms pushed through Congress. This attempt to intimidate backfired, causing major University Student Bodies in the country to rise in support of the Seniors against the reforms. The government response was strong, and the first few fatalities were reported.
Raw footage of gruesome violence and lethal force against the student protestors was shared thousands of times on social media. This escalation and bloodshed resulted in that hundreds of thousands marched together on the 23rd of April in the major cities of the country calling for the immediate resignation of the president.
After serving here for the last fifteen years, enjoying peace, stability, and witnessing the Lord prosper His work, it seems like we now are in a new chapter of service. We are asking the Lord for wisdom that we might navigate this situation with spiritual discernment, and courage. We solicit the earnest prayers of the Lord's people to sustain the believers. We also trust that your effectual prayers will accompany the preaching of the gospel through many means in this land.
Summer 2018 Written by Mark and Brenda Bachert - Nicaragua markbrenda@hotmail.com