Today we get a glimpse of how the Physical Therapy site in Nicaragua has been growing thanks to the work of the people it serves. Paul Beeghly shares from his experience:

Serving with SI Nicaragua over the past three years, I have been impacted by how service-oriented and creative our staff can be. I have been reflecting on how the PT site can best serve the community in Nindirí, Nicaragua. Another way that God has shown me to help our area is to invest in community members. I want to introduce three people to you.

This is Jazmin. She is a member of the social workgroup and is attending beauty school to provide for herself and her son (her husband passed away a few years ago). She has also been working cleaning houses and selling juice to make ends meet. A few months ago, she was injured getting off a bus, limiting her capability to work. One of our social work leaders referred her to me, and we successfully eliminated her lower back pain.

I noticed her integrity and hard work when we shared, so we offered her a part-time job cleaning the clinic one day per week to help her finish her studies in beauty school.

This is Aaron (far left). He is a high school student who is about to finish a certificate program in physical therapy. He is an energetic, motivated, and kind young man who is struggling due to the death of his brother last year. He does not have the faith foundation to give him stability in his grief. His mom is a patient of mine, and we agreed that he would come and volunteer a few afternoons a week if I mentored him in physical therapy.

We have had the opportunity to have many essential conversations ranging from faith, family, business, and personal growth. Would you please pray that Aaron will open his heart to God’s call on his life?

Lastly, this is Hazel. She is a young woman from Nindirí who has been very active in her church and other mission opportunities in Nicaragua. She is also a translator. I met her a few years ago as an American graduate school hired her to translate for them as they provided services in Nindirí. I have been praying for someone to work alongside me as a PT aide.  She has been on our microfinance site trying to grow a t-shirt business.

Between our staff, interns, and community members, there was a consensus that she would be an excellent addition to the PT site team. So we were able to offer her a position as a PT aide. She has already helped tremendously in the clinic’s management, but most encouraging is that she desires to serve the community and let God guide and shape her life.

God has brought them into my life to benefit from our site and be a resource for me to understand better the communities in which we are. They have become bridges to strengthening relationships with community and church leaders and a foot in the door to building connections within the PT departments of Nicaraguan universities.