In2theRiver

Good morning from Westminster, MD!

Every six months, I get the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua to spend time with friends and get up to date on all that is happening there. I recently returned from one of these trips, I am excited to share a few quick updates with you.

Each time I travel to Nicaragua, I feel like God teaches me something new about myself and the world around me. This trip was no exception. Interestingly, the word that comes to mind is the same word God put on my heart coming into 2026: trust. It is remarkable to see what God does through our willingness to trust him. My friends in Nicaragua are a beautiful picture of this.

You may remember the story of the carpentry shop and vocational training center from previous updates. The shop was originally located in the small, impoverished community of El Canon. A few years ago, it became clear that this season was ending. At the same time, one our ministry partners, Ruby Ranch, became interested in building a carpentry shop on their property. The only issue was they didn’t have the proper equipment and have many other priorities to address. This all changed, when a conversation started between Brinson and Josh about working together to bring the El Canon carpentry shop to Ruby Ranch.

Over the next year, the Ruby Ranch team designed and constructed a beautiful carpentry shop, which I am excited to say is finished and operating. While in Nicaragua, I had the chance to visit Ruby Ranch to see the completed carpentry shop. Not only is the equipment installed and functioning, but it is also being used to plane and prepare locally sourced wood for a new cabin on the property. This cabin will allow Ruby Ranch to host more kids for their fantastic camps. The new cabin is beautiful and the impact it will have on many lives will be even more beautiful. In time, the carpentry shop will also begin providing training for people in the local community, which will create more opportunity and hope for people affected by the challenges of poverty and hopelessness. Neither Josh nor Brinson knew the story of the carpentry shop would lead to this point, but they trusted God and something incredible came out of it.

In my last update about the NicaBike Shop and Ciclo Sport, the sister preowned bike shops in Managua and Bluefields respectively, there was a lot of excitement and unknowns about the future. Over the months that followed, the NicaBike Shop took significant steps forward. By solidifying their plan and working together, the NicaBike Shop team has put together one of the best six-month stretches in its history. In the midst of uncertainty in the economy this is very impressive. In July of 2025, it wasn’t clear what the future held, but Josh, Flavia, and Jonathan believed God’s desire was for them to continue to press forward. They decided to trust and lean into the plan they had developed. Now in January of 2026, they are preparing for additional exciting steps forward that will increase the NicaBike Shops presence in Managua. This will create more opportunity for jobs as well as to continue to show people they are created on purpose and for a purpose by a God who loves them.

Similarly, Ciclo Sport had many questions going into the second half of 2025. Andrew, Karen, and their team put together a plan to continue growing the Bluefields shop. Their commitment to moving forward did have an impact, but late in 2025 it became clear that God was putting something different on their hearts. In a big step of trust, they proposed closing Ciclo Sport so that they could focus on pointing the youth of Bluefields to the hope found in Jesus. This was a big change, but we were excited to support them in this new season of following God’s call on their lives. There is still a lot to figure out, but we believe God will use Andrew and Karen to make a big difference on the next generation in Bluefields.

July of 2025 was a moment that required a lot of trust for the Frutivera team as well. Frutivera, the sweet corn project on the outskirts of Managua was faced with a failing well pump and significant setbacks to the electrical infrastructure on the farm. This was disheartening as the Frutivera team had worked hard to get to that point. With the pump not working the access to electricity limited, the farm went from moving toward full production to having to put new germination and planting of sweet corn on hold.

The next few months would require a lot of trust in God and plan he had put on their hearts. It took time, but with a new and upgraded well pump as well as a repaired electrical infrastructure, the Frutivera team was able to begin planting again. Their trust would be rewarded when they were able to begin harvesting again in November of 2025. Now in early 2026, they have expanded their production, harvesting and selling more sweet corn per week than they were prior to the setbacks.

As I wrote in following my July trip to Nicaragua, it is not really about the sweet corn. Instead, it is lives being impacted and the hope being generated that really matters. By paying higher than normal wages and taking steps to truly care for their team members and their families, the Frutivera team is creating real opportunities and reframing identities. The journey forward still requires a lot of trust but, it is clear that Frutivera is a beacon of all-in hope.

Reflecting on my trip, I am encouraged to trust God even more as I walk through my life. I am not in control and that is right where I should be. God does some of His best work when we are in a position to trust Him our future. My friends in Nicaragua have demonstrated this over the last six months. I am excited to see what God continues to do with the willingness to lean into trust, and to learn to do the same myself.

James Belt