Oct. 2009 Report & 3rd Project

I feel like it was just last week that I wrote my 2nd report & project fund raising letter. I think the past 4 months went by faster than the 4 between February and June. I cannot believe it is already October 2009! What an interesting year it has been here in northwest Nicaragua serving God with New Song Mission Nicaragua. I cannot tell you how many friendships God has opened me up to this year. I have had a great time helping and being helped by Nicaraguans and more so with young adults here from the states. I want to thank every one of you who has partnered with us this year here in the country and others from the states. This work could not exist without your prayers, contributions, donations, and visits. Thank you for being a blessing to the mission, the projects, and to me personally thus far in 2009.

As most of you know, when I started my second year, I planned to help fund-raise for 3 projects a year. In February, the Adopt-a-Family and 22Fifty Project was a huge success as we sent over 250 children to school with uniforms, shoes, and school supplies. I want you all to know that last week we gave notebooks and pencils out to those children in Sunday school, as they have 6 weeks of school left this year, and a lot of work and testing to complete. Thank you to each of you that gave as little as $5.00 towards this project, and a bigger thank you to those of you giving every month helping your adopted family’s school needs. In May, God helped provide us enough support to host over 50 people (in-and-out) living on the property to date. The youth house is also being used to do youth discipleship, Sunday school teacher training, and many hours of fellowship. Thank you to each gift given towards putting the roof, doors, beds, and flush toilets into the house for the summer teams that visited. I also want to thank the ones of you who gave to my personal bedroom, bathroom, and closet in the house.

We have completed 2/3 of our mission year, and our first two projects have been a great success. Thanks again for each of you who has made them possible. The summer teams have gone back to the states, and we have finished paying off the beds, doors, and septic system. Many groups and individuals stayed on the property in the past 4 months, and the youth house served its purpose, but our mission is about to really change. We have young adults that were so touched in their short-term trips here, that they are coming back to serve full-time. Four people already have their plane tickets to be with us in late December and early January, with plans of serving for 4-months, 8-months, and 12-months. We have a couple, and another individual highly considering coming in January or February for 6-12 months. With this being said, I present my 3rd project, The New Song Mission House!

The dormitory style housing worked for the summer, with people here between 7 days and 11 weeks. But God is sending young adults here to serve for a longer term, and we need to finish this house to fit their needs. We want to completely finish the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms in this house by the end of 2009. Of course, we will finish it into 2010 if needed, but right now the rooms are open for construction and we can welcome our long term missionaries into a much more comfortable living space. As I said, everything we have to this point is paid off, and we are ready to start work again because the rooms are empty. Please help us take advantage of the time we have right now with the house unoccupied to get funds here and finish construction.

As money is made available, we will tile floors and put ceilings throughout the house. We want to screen all windows and add air conditioning units to the bedrooms. Once these are finished, we will be putting organizational shelves or furniture into rooms to store clothes and personal belongings. We have one piece of furniture in the living room, but for the most part it is open space. The open space is good during our youth and children discipleship; we separate the children here during the evening services for hearing bible stories and watching animated DVDs. We want moveable chairs and tables in this room for children and youth to come and do their homework and hangout with our long term missionaries. The kitchen is functional, but also needs funding for building counters and tables and buying appliances and utensils.

We are asking that you prayerfully consider helping complete our mission house for the missionaries who will start serving with us here in December and January. The house will have some people staying in it short term in November and December as well, and we would like to have most construction done before they arrive to not disrupt them during their stay. We will be able to do work in open rooms throughout November and December with them here, but the biggest help would be having the funds to start as soon as possible while we are empty. We know the economy is a disaster right now, but as little as $20.00 from each of you can get the work started and keep work going throughout this year so that this project can be just as successful as the first two.

Once again, thank you so much to all of you who support New Song Mission Nicaragua, Make ‘em Smile, and me personally. Nothing here is possible without the support given by each of you. We are overjoyed at the new people God is putting into His plans here. In the future, we want to have a two story dormitory for the short term teams that come, but we cannot start that dream until we see this mission house completed. I hope to hear from you soon and pray that all is well with you and your families.

Donate online at: https://www.newsongmissionnicaragua.com/mynewsong/ and choose Construction from the drop down menuSend donations by mail: make checks out to New Song Mission Nicaragua and tag/memo to Construction or Mission HouseMail to: New Song Mission Nicaragua, c/o Atlanta City Church, 3355 Old Jonesboro Road, Fairburn GA, 30213

I will be in Boone, North Carolina from January 8-11, before making a 2-week mission trip to Kenya, Africa with my dad and others from First Baptist Church Boone, NC. I plan to be back in Nicaragua by the end of January, so those four days will be my only ones in the Boone area. I would love to see all of you then to fellowship and share with you personally how great God has been to this ministry and me for two years. I love and miss you all, and cannot wait to see you then, or before for those headed this way.

Many Blessings in Christ,
Jim Bob “Diego” Norman
New Song Mission Nicaragua
Make ‘em Smile
John 15:13