Managua, Nicaragua

Hayde Espinoza has found her niche in life: serving children. She comes from the small, rural community of La Conquista, Nicaragua, home to 38 families. To get to work she must cross eleven streams to get to this community, where the roads are in terrible condition and there are no schools or churches.

Hayde is a mother of six girls and a boy, giving her a great disposition to work with children and teenagers. After hearing the Luke Society wanted to do something for the children of the area, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to do it. "After the training I received from the Luke Society, I decided to work with kids because I felt so much love towards them, and I could see their need for support," Hayde says.

Every Saturday, 48 kids meet in her yard, which they affectionately call "Home of Instruction." Using the trees as a roof and stones as stools, they pray, read the Bible, study historical events, sing, paint and play.

The children are learning some important lessons as well. They have cleaned up their community to instill a sense of pride in where they live. Nineteen girls have learned how to knit, seven boys learned how to knit ornaments and three boys are also presenting puppet shows to give advice on health care. The children have also made their own vegetable garden on land Hayde's husband donated. Twenty-six children, along with their parents, are working in the small garden.

Hayde never imagined herself in the middle of so many kids, loving them, playing with them and stimulating them towards good ways. "Giving is how we receive," she says. The children are just as responsive to her. Some even consider her part of their family. "They call me 'aunt' and 'nice old lady'," Hayde says.

Six months after having started this job, in spite of the short period, the fruits of her efforts are already visible. Most of the parents of the children are starting to support the ministry. Even the parents of other religions have learned to trust that their children are making good use of their time by studying the Bible, playing healthy games and learning manual crafts. Besides the improvement she sees in the children, Hayde sees improvement in her family as well. Her relationship with her husband wasn't good. "Even though we knew God's word, we treated each other badly and lived like enemies," Hayde says, "Now we have mutual respect, we study the Bible together and love each other. He even helps me with the group of kids." Praise God!