'Your outboard, your outboard - give it to us now!'
Facing a ring of AK-47s pointed at his head, Alberto Gonzalez hesitated only briefly. With a heavy heart, he led the soldiers to a dark corner of the room. Resignedly, he lifted the pile of fish net, under which he had hidden his hard-earned outboard.
Watching them go, Alberto prayed. He did not complain. He trusted his heavenly Father. He was relieved to be alive, and thankful that his wife and daughter had been spared. A week earlier his uncle had been gunned down in front of his family. Then Alberto's brother had fled into the forest, but soldiers had found and killed him. The soldiers had been merciless and no families had escaped unscathed. Menfolk, particularly, had been led away and few returned. Other outboards, boats and even livestock had been seized. Alberto was thankful he still had his cow, but the community as a whole faced a bleak and uncertain future.
Drawn together in their sorrow, many of the villagers met often to pray. In 1990 an uneasy peace came to Nicaragua, and in 1995, God answered those prayers with what must have seemed to them to be a miracle. Squadron-leader Mike Cole and his son, Nick, arrived with a hovercraft.
They were reconnoitring this isolated area of the Nicaraguan Caribbean coast as an off-shoot of an expedition to establish a hovercraft link between the capital, Managua, and Greytown, via the San Juan river. However, our story here is about the seeds of hope, love and friendship that blossomed from that first brief visit to the little fishing village of La Barra, at the mouth of the Rio Grande de Matagalpa.
Hurricane Mitch
In October 1998 further disaster struck Nicaragua in the form of Hurricane Mitch, which destroyed the upstream villages on the Rio Grande, clogged the river with mud and trees, and flooded La Barra. Many fishing boats were wrecked, people and animals washed away and Alberto's cow was drowned.
International aid poured into the more accessible areas within reach of Managua, but the East Coast had little help until Mike Cole's team raced to their rescue. Within three days of the hurricane, he had a team there, bringing supplies and aiding in reconstruction. At La Barra this effort culminated in a major visit this Spring 2000 by a team of mostly mature Christians - the majority were Baptists from old and New England. The work included building the 'Boston Bridge' across the swamp to the clinic.
I will not shrink from saying it was fairly tough. La Barra will never be a tourist resort! Conditions are primitive. We lived in tents and sweated through long nights of itching from countless mosquito and sandfly bites, and sometimes churning tummies, too. But enough of the hardships - the warm fellowship we enjoyed with each other and the villagers, was reward enough. And it was a truly faith-building experience to see God bring the project to completion at the eleventh hour, despite numerous unpredictable setbacks.
Bluefields harbour is a culture shock of rust and squalor in which it seems surprising to see huge 175 hp Yamaha outboards on the 'pangas' or water-taxis of the area. Mike Cole's panga is called Ester and is about 20 feet long with a 75 hp motor which gives 20-30 mph with light loads. Unfortunately, our advance party was so heavily-loaded that 10 -12 mph was the best we could do. Thus we were condemned to plough into the wind and waves for six and a half hours instead of the usual four. We were continually drenched with spray. Believe me, it takes a good sense of humour to wring out one's sleeping bag, and even one's Bible, when you eventually clamber out onto the sand at La Barra and pitch your tent!
Help them help themselves
My happiest memories were definitely of the cheerful teamwork, particularly with villagers like Joseph, Kendry, Pearl and Alberto, who worked with us day after day. Pearl regularly supplemented our rations with delicious shrimps, fish and even lobster.
It is always Mike's aim to help people to help people to help themselves and we hope Alberto will earn some money from cutting timber in the forest. We left a selection of tools in his care. We also had a whip-round for him, and hope it will prove more than enough to repair an old outboard he's acquired. Then he should be able to take up his fishing again.
Miraculously, everything necessary was somehow requisitioned and put together, paint and ribbons were applied and all was ready an hour or two before the VIPs who came to inspect the work, arrived.
His Excellency Roy Osborne, HM Ambassador to Nicaragua, accompanied by Her Excellency Nora Campos de Lankes, the Nicaraguan Ambassador to Great Britain, braved the difficult journey to La Barra and the rigours of an overnight camp there, in order to grace this occasion, and the villagers responded with tremendous enthusiasm. They built a special kitchen in which to cook a cow and several turtles, and they made floral arches across the pathway to the clinic and the churches.
There were several hours of very cordial prayer and praise, and speeches in which 'appreciation' and 'new hope' featured strongly. And truly, new hope is very much what these projects are all about. Even in the short time we were there, news of our visit spread 80 miles or more up river, and prompted at least one desperate widow to make a six-day round trip by canoe to get help and clothing, which we were so glad to give.
The need is enormous and the key to viable trade and independence undoubtedly lies in transport which the planned hovercraft operations uniquely can provide. I feel enriched and privileged by my experiences there, and humbled by the faith and sheer goodness of dear friends like Alberto.
Further information from The Peace and Hope Trust, High Rising, Linton, Ross-on-Wye HR9 7RS.
