University Christian Church's Nicaraguan experiences with Just Hope have been challenging, beautiful and transforming according to one traveler. Their former pastor had previously traveled with JustHope while in seminary, and had talked with the congregation about its impact on his life. The congregation had become ripe for a new adventure and hoped getting their hands dirty would be a catalyst. It worked. In December 2017, a group of 10 people went to Chacraseca to build a home and learn about life in Nicaragua. The people they worked with taught them much about patience, gratitude, and the common good. Living and working in pretty rough circumstances could have brought out the worst in the group, but they have grown closer and become more aware of what really matters in food, work, community.
At present, University Christian and Lake City Christian are joining forces to create a new congregation — Journey Christian Church in Seattle. Veteran travelers have talked with some of their new friends about Nicaragua. They hope to soon form a group from the new church to revisit the campo and get their hands dirty again in a spirit of solidarity with Chacraseca.
