A Letter from Jhan Dotel and Ian Vellenga, mission co-workers serving in Nicaragua
Fall 2024
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Dear friends,
Very often when working with our partners in various parts of the world, we can be faced with different challenges. Sometimes those challenges can be cultural, social or even political. As foreigners, we as everyone else, need to follow the rules and guidelines of the country in which we live and serve, even when we do not completely agree with some of those decisions.

Manos
In our case, today we write to you about one of those challenges that greatly affects our partners, the work they have been doing for more than 50 years, and many of the people and institutions in Nicaragua that provide assistance to the people.
On Monday, August 19, the government of Nicaragua published the cancellations of the legal status of 1,500 Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) governed by the Ministry of the Interior (MINT) by the Powers of the State and its Autonomous Entities in “La Gazeta” (the official newspaper of the Government of the Republic of Nicaragua that publishes the laws, decrees, agreements, resolutions, and other actions of general interest). CEPAD was on the list. The alleged justification was that all organizations on the list had failed to submit financial reports. Since 2019, an exhaustive review process has been carried out on all organizations in Nicaragua with the result that the legal status of 5,100 NPOs has been canceled.

Pastor’s hands
The cancellation of the legal personality of CEPAD has been confirmed, which means that it no longer exists as an institution. Radio CEPAD has gone off the air, the national bank accounts have been cancelled and blocked and all CEPAD’s assets now belong to the State. Our partners are proceeding with the necessary process to finalize and comply with all legal commitments in the midst of this difficult environment. In the formal letter sent to many of CEPAD’s partners in the U.S. and England, the director of CEPAD, Emily Reyes wrote, “We remember the biblical passage: ‘Do not worry about anything; instead, pray for everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all that He has done” Philippians 4:6. We always see a light in the midst of this situation and hope, in some way, to continue our community work that we have done for 52 years.”

Redondito Blanco Lineado
We continue supporting our partners in whatever ways we can through this very wearying and difficult time as they determine the steps forward. We ask for your continued prayers and support as we navigate in this process. We also ask for your solidarity and assistance in continuing to support CEPAD’s projects, the programs that support the most vulnerable, the other 1,499 institutions that had also lost their legal status, their employees and the communities and individuals they served.
The future is uncertain right now. The details of exactly how, when, or even if CEPAD will continue to serve the people in rural communities is unknown. We hope to share more information with you in the coming months about the status of CEPAD and any possible legal change with regard to the organization.
Once again, we are grateful for every single one of you. For the support you have provided during all these years to the people of Nicaragua and to us as we accompany them.
Thank you!
Jhan and Ian
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