Dear Friends,

There is a call and response prayer that opens, "Let not the needy, Oh Lord, be forgotten." The answer follows, "Nor the hope of the poor be taken away." Observing this country and coming to know its people consistently lends weight to the place of prayers such as this. Hope is the very thing that poverty seems to take from those it touches. We see this often as we ask our students what they will want to do when they finish their time at ESVO. Usually they are quiet; sometimes they say they don't know. It seems the only time they have an answer is when we supply the words, following our question with more questions about possibly teaching, starting a business, building a house, to which they then sometimes agree that yes, that is their hope. But only after our words have supplied the possibilities.

God has seemed to press these observations and prayers on our hearts this past month in Nicaragua. As the year comes to a close and more students are asking to enroll in ESVO, we have spent much time in prayer and conversation about what vocational education can mean for these young men and their relationship with God and how we, as stewards of the school, can better serve God's will here. The concrete steps are still forming, but we are beginning to see three main areas that vocational education impacts. First, it teaches a practical skill, in which students can excel and have both pride and purpose. It creates a setting for teaching and encouraging spiritual growth, as it functions within community and demands a willingness to see one's self. Finally, it gives way to concrete hopes for the future, offering better employability and hopefully, initiative to create one's own employment. In Ephesians 1:18, Paul prays that the hearts of Ephesians may be enlightened so that they "may know the hope to which God has called" them. It is our prayer for these students as well.

In terms of the tangible ways God is growing these three aspects of the school, we are in the process of certifying the school with the Nicaraguan institution for vocational schools. This will offer students better employability at the end of the program, as they will obtain a government-sponsored certificate that all employers will recognize. Additionally, we are hoping to get a few interested students enrolled in a course in business training, with the hopes that they may be encouraged to start their own businesses in ironwork and woodworking. Finally, we are meeting with the students individually once a week to discuss their growth, both spiritually and educationally.

While we spent much of this month in prayer and thought about the school’s growth, in the shop we spent this month reviewing geometry, making a full line of Christmas decorations, and creating a large table base with around 130 hand-forged leaves (pictured above). Lauren started her jewelry class with a group of Nicaraguan women and is encouraged by how much they have learned, despite their insistence on designs using only primary colors (pictured to the right is Kenya, a young Nicaraguan woman, studying new color combinations). In the upcoming months, the students at ESVO have a lot of work to finish for Christmas orders, along with a large gate and an archway.

We have many prayer requests as we continue to work here. We hope that you will pray with us about having more consistent monthly financial support. Most especially, we ask that you pray with us about the school’s growth in hope: that certification will go smoothly, that some students’ hearts will be moved by the possibility of a future in business, and that all the students will more fully find their hope in Christ.

May the Lord bless you,

In Christ,

Lauren and Mike

If you are interested in supporting us financially, we are greatly blessed and grateful:
1. For online donations with a credit card, click here. In the section for "Missionary Support" write Mike and Lauren Deibert. There are options for one-time, monthly, quarterly, and annual donations.
2. Or you may send a check (with a note saying that it is for Mike and Lauren Deibert) to the following address:

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