BONETE 7
Forgotten. Dropped in the middle of nowhere with nothing. Lost loved ones to war and the reward is a small plot of land that floods every year. A community of 60 Nicaraguan families were dropped about 10 miles from the Honduran border on bare land. There was no infrastructure, no lights, no roads, no clean water, no supplies to build houses except the trees in the forest around them. The people were given nothing. Their government forgot them.
Over the years Pastors had ventured to this place, promised to return, but never did. The church forgot them. Then one day God led Pastor Salamanca to this community. He was not looking for Bonete 7, he was looking for a friend in another community but Pastor Salamanca took a “wrong” turn and ended up at Bonete 7. He was eagerly greeted by the community and they showed him their property. It was not a long walk. As Pastor Salamanca left, they asked him not to forget them. They had been forgotten before, and they wanted to be remembered.
They were eager to pray and hear the Word of God. They did not like the way they were living, but they had no resources to get them out of this situation. Pastor Salamanca returned with food, and then he returned with his boss, then he returned with groups of people from the U.S. God saw this small community in the middle of nowhere, He saw people that were forgotten by man and He made them visible.
At Church on the Hill, we are taking on part of the responsibility to remember Bonete 7. This Christmas season we raised over $12,000 to help this community procure their land and build a deep well. I am proud of what we have accomplished so far, but we have so much more to accomplish at Bonete 7.
I received an e-mail from Pastor Rigo, the National Director of the Nicaraguan Baptist Convention, and he was excited to hear what we have accomplished so far, and encouraged us to come visit. Things are beginning to happen, and I am excited to see where God will lead us. In a recent e-mail, I asked what could Church on the Hill do in Bonete 7. They need agriculture training, and medical training two things which we do not excel in. If you want a database built, or a house remodeled, or a project planned we have those people. So with a shrug, I asked what we could do. He said that we could come and do construction, and VBS, but he said the most important thing for us is to just be there. The Bonete 7 community feels forgotten, and for us to come and be with them for a week would make a difference in their life.
We serve the God who is present. He is present with us, He is present with the hurting, He is present with the forgotten. Church on the Hill will be God’s present hand to the Bonete 7 community. We will use whatever resources and abilities God has given us to remember Bonete 7.
