We are pleased to announce that our fundraising event, Night in Nicaragua, was a great success. Held at Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, more than 120 people attended the event to learn more about how God is working through Rayo de Sol to transform lives every day.

A silent auction was held at the event, as well as sales of handmade Nicaraguan crafts, from the businesses that Rayo de Sol has supported over the past several years. Products from the women’s sewing business and also the recently formed bamboo business were available, with sales contributing to helping these businesses grow in the future.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by Christian comedian, Kenn Kington, who had the audience bellowing with laughter. His message, however, was also very poignant. We live in an era of endless choices and the choices we make every day determine how successful we are at following God’s plan for our lives.

Although we did not meet our goal of raising $50,000 for a matching opportunity, the event was highly successful. It was great to see so many friends, who have been loyal supporters for many years, as well as so many new faces. We are so grateful to everyone who participated in making it our best event to date.

If you’d like to participate in our event planning committee in 2018, please contact us.

Click here to see the rest of the photo booth pictures!

This Thanksgiving, we receive and extra serving of blessings. Right before the holiday, we hosted a mission group from Atlanta, made up of three hardworking and compassionate families: the Browns, the Ewings and the Waggoners. We spent several days working at the school in the community of Llano Grande, building playground equipment out of recycled materials and also laying the foundation for a new kitchen.

In addition to the work accomplished at the school, the three families (including their combined total of seven children) also built incredible connections to students and parents in the community. There are universal languages among children: laughter, play and joy. The group and the community shared much laughter, played many games and the whole visit was illuminated with joy. It was incredible to witness the relationships growing and evolving each day.

The playground equipment was completed by the time the group left and the foundation of the kitchen was nearly ready, and the kitchen will be completed by the end of November. We are so grateful to these three families, and their commitment to sharing God’s love and blessings through service. Hopefully, they will be back soon!

If you are interested in planning a mission trip de Nicaragua with your family, school, church or friends, please contact us for more information.

Johanna is a member of a very select group. In just a few short weeks, she and fourteen of her classmates will be graduating from high school. We call them the Fortunate Fifteen because they represent the first group of students that have been in our program for five years and will earn their high school degree this December. We began our high school scholarship program in 2013, and although these students have faced many difficulties, they have persevered.

Johanna is an excellent student and has been a leader among her peers. For the past two years, she has provided tutoring for younger students in the program in math and science. Johanna has also done her community service hours in the health and nutrition program, visiting schools in Matagalpa to deliver nutritious food and also teach some basic public health classes to students and parents.

When Johanna receives her diploma next month, she will become the first person in her family to graduate from high school. Her parents are incredibly proud of her accomplishments. After high school, Johanna hopes to continue her education at the local university. Her dream is to study for a degree in accounting. We will be there to support her with a university scholarship.

If you are interested in providing a scholarship for a high school or university student, please contact us to find out how to get involved.

One of the greatest successes we have witnessed this year has been the development of a bakery in the Nuevo Amanecer neighborhood. Six months ago, we began a training program with a local bakery. They offered to train a group of women in bread making, so that they might develop new skills for generating income. The eight women in the group successfully completed the training program and began to look for ways to create a sustainable business.

We have been accompanying the women in the process and thanks to the generosity of one of our faithful donors, their dream has become a reality. Last week Hilda, María, Francis, Carmen, Digna, Martina, María del Carmen and Marina are now officially in business. With the funding we received, we made a loan to the group to purchase an industrial oven and all of the supplies needed to get their business off the ground.

They are now baking different types of bread every day, and selling it in their neighborhood. Their neighbors are thrilled to have fresh, hot bread available every day. The women know that they will have to work hard, but the success of their business will also depend on their faith and commitment. We look forward to watching this business grow in the coming year. There is no doubt that these eight women will achieve great success.