“This ministry has answered my prayers. I now know the love of God and can feel it working because people like you have compassion on us and love us and our families enough to fulfill our greatest needs. For that I thank you and ask God's greatest blessing on you and your family.”
– Mayra Gomez, 2014
Citalapa, Nicaragua
In 2014 follow-up conversations, none of the 2013 winners had skipped a single meal since receiving their new bikes! Nor had their kids missed a day of school because they lacked transportation!
In our visits with families, it became immediately apparent that the gift of the Bible and bicycle had the power to set in motion the life transformations anticipated.
In Citalapa, over half of the bike recipients had never owned a Bible. All of them showed interest in learning from it, and they were receptive to the gospel message we shared. In the Boaco region (Las Quebradas and surrounding communities), less than 15% of recipient families had owned a readable Bible, and again, members of every family demonstrated a desire for spiritual growth and understanding of the Christian faith.
Prevalence of Bibles in rural Nicaragua
Primary uses of bikes in rural Nicaragua
Allows for more stable income opportunities
Bread Making and Delivering
Like several other families, the Gaitán family uses a large wood-fire oven to make bread to sell in the streets. Because Citalapa is so isolated, without a bike, the family can only travel a limited distance to sell the bread. With a bike, they can travel to the nearest city, selling much more and for a higher price.
Herding Cattle
Rural villagers often work in the "campos," or fields. One of the tasks for a field worker is herding cattle. Not having a bike would disqualify a villager from this particular job opportunity.
Carpentry
As exemplified by the Cruz and the Méndez families, many rural Nicaraguans use bikes for hauling wood for carpentry tasks. Men rely on transportation to a nearby area where they can cut and collect wood to use for making items such as chairs, bed posts, tables and decorations. Bicycles allow them to make more frequent and efficient trips to these areas as they will be able to ride instead of walk and transport the wood in a basket instead of by hand. The bikes also help them take their finished products to nearby towns and cities where they can sell more and for higher prices.
Daniel and Nestor both work as parking lot security guards in Managua. In a normal month, Daniel and Nestor will catch a bus into the city where they will work long hours for fifteen days straight until they receive their paycheck. During this time, they find shelter somewhere on the streets or with a friend or acquaintence. On payday though, the men have earned enough money to return home to their families for one day before they catch a bus out the next morning.
Having a bike will allow Daniel and Nestor to travel to work each day on their own without worrying about bus fares. They will be able to spend more time with their young children and wives.
Gives opportunities for education
Many families dedicate their new bikes to education opportunities for their children. Schooling in rural areas only goes through sixth grade. Once children become teenagers, if they do not have a bike, they lose access to continued education. This means they also lose hope of finding better jobs and ensuring a higher quality of life.
"I am going to start high school!"
Sheyni, a young mother, wife, sister, aunt and daughter exclaimed, "With my new bike, I am going to start high school!"
Sheyni explained that not only she would benefit from it but her entire family would. Her sister could ride with her and go to school as well; her husband could use it for transportation to work as a gardener. Her husband will miss fewer days due to lack of transportation, therefore he will earn a more stable income and the family can count on eating each meal.
Provides access to health care
Most rural families live very far from central health clinics (Citalapa is over 8 km and Las Quebradas is over 16 km). No transportation to a central clinic means no medical treatment when people have illnesses, food poisoning, infections, wounds, broken bones, or are giving birth. This also helps mothers with young children giving them access to shots and baby medications.
Spreads God's Word
Community Pastor
The bikes also help share God’s message of hope. Luis Bojange, the local pastor, received a bike that allows him to attend and preach every Sunday at the church about 30 km from his house. The bike will also allows him to minister to people in another community about 20 km. in the opposite direction from his house.
Community Residents
Many rural Nicaraguans have never owned or read their own Bible. Set in Motion Bibles and bicycles have opened the door for sharing. This has had a profound effect on mending generational feuds between families and neighbors.
Reunites Families
2013
A grandmother in her late 60s, Auraelina runs a household of 8, taking care of her 7 grandchildren. The two pictures above show Aurelina in front of her home with some of her grandchildren and her Bible and bicycle donated by the Set in Motion ministry. The one on the left was taken in June 2013 when she first received the Bible + bike package, and the one on the right was taken in January 2014, six months later. Before Set in Motion was introduced in Citalapa, no one in the family had owned either a bike or a readable Bible.
Financial hardship has forced Aurelina’s son and daughter to leave the home. Auraelina’s daughter, the primary provider for the family, now lives in Managua where she works at a restaurant and earns just enough to support her family with for about twenty days per month. Unfortunately, this leaves Auraelina and her grandchildren starving and scrounging for food the remaining ten days.
Auraelina’s son, age 16, had previously been living with the family – sporadically attending a middle/high school while also attempting to find work locally. But without means of transportation he could do neither on a regular basis. Auraelina had to ask him to leave the home and fend for himself on the streets of Managua as she simply could not afford to feed him on the money his sister contributed.
Upon receiving the new bicycle and Bible from Set in Motion, Auraelina tearfully expressed her thankfulness and excitement. She could not wait to surprise her son with the bike and welcome him back home to live! Auraelina’s son will use the household bike as transportation to a local worksite where he will be able to earn money to supplement his sister’s income and enhance his family’s quality of life.
2014
Six months later, Auraelina’s son has returned home and uses the bicycle every day to go to work at a sweatshop in Managua. He is now the primary provider for the family. No one in the large family has skipped a single meal. Further, Auraelina’s son has been able to take some of the older grandchildren to school every morning and none of them have missed a day of school yet because of transportation-related issues.
Since receiving the new Bible, her grandchildren have been able to read Bible stories for themselves and out loud to her on a regular basis. This Bible has spurred much conversation within the family and has also brought a new sense of love and joy to the home.
Finally, in the words of Aurealina, “I see the love of Jesus reflected in this act [delivering Bibles and bicycles], and I truly feel God’s love shared from people around the world. It is a blessing. Please keep sending!”