Sold As Ever

After 13 years of serving with Students International, we are still sold on their holistic cross-cultural ministry strategy. Perhaps I could explain this strategy best by introducing you to Petrona.

Petrona and her husband live in a rural agricultural community along with their children and grandchildren.  Petrona’s husband works in the fields, while she faithfully takes care of the house and cooks for her family.   Petrona can’t afford a propane stove, so she cooks her rice and beans using a crude stove fueled by firewood as did her mother and grandmother. Each week, she buys bundles of firewood delivered to her door by a vendor.  Her food tastes amazing, but the wood smoke she inhales while cooking is equal to smoking six packs of cigarettes per day. 

Last year, Students International Nicaragua started a new arm of their appropriate technology ministry adding the installation of healthy, fuel efficient wood burning cook stoves to their existing water filter project.  Students International staff held a community meeting and visited individual homes to raise awareness of the health risks of daily cooking over an open fire and to present a stove that also uses firewood but has a chimney and uses 70% less firewood.

Petrona heard about the new stoves and decided she wanted one.  For three weeks, she and her daughter worked hard selling fruit in the market to earn the forty dollars needed to buy her stove.  Students International sponsors contributed the other one hundred and twenty dollars.

Petrona was excited the day her stove was installed.  At the time of the installation she was also taught how to use and maintain it.  The relationship that Students International staff, Lastman and Bart, developed in this process opened the door for them to minister to Petrona’s spiritual needs.  They visit her family regularly, share God’s truth, give encouragement, and pray with them.

Students International’s holistic strategy, impacts people in the community on multiple levels. In Petrona’s case, she was ministered to physically - she now cooks with a greatly reduced health risk.  She was ministered to economically – she spends 70% less on fire wood each month.  She continues to be ministered to spiritually.

Thank you for your partnership of prayer, encouragement, and financial support which empowers us to continue to serve with Students International.
 

Petrona, Lastman, and Bart. The old stove on the right and her new healthy, fuel efficient stove on the left.