The Improbable Mission Team
or should that be, The Miracle Mission Team
As so often happens at PAN, it all began with Annette. Returning to Jardin Shalom in November, 2022 – the first time since Covid 19 struck – she was concerned about the complex’s physical state. “We need a Mr. Fix-It team” she declared and, after receiving a 11 point costed list of items from Adminstrator Ernan, pledged $1,500 towards the required funds. John, who had led a small build team from Glenbrook Presbyterian, Mississauga two months earlier and had been equally dismayed by the conditions, immediately matched it.
“I’m not sure why I felt I had to,” he said ”and, not being a skilled handyman, why I also felt compelled to join the team that was scheduled to leave in February.” Indeed (as he was constantly reminded by the folks both at Glenbrook and Jardin Shalom!) he had made it clear in September that at age 80 he did not expect to ever return…
Planning a mission team usually begins a year ahead. Therefore, getting a team together in a matter of little more than two months presented an extraordinary challenge – especially given its nature. Ernan’s list included major repairs such as extensive roof leaks that required changing the gutter between the kitchen and dining area and repairing extensive water damage to the front of the chapel.

As Dawn, the only other person to initially volunteer her services, said: “I had promised my husband I wouldn’t be climbing any ladders to get on the roofs…”. But then, just as he didn’t know what prompted him to become involved, John was minded to write to two farmers who had been with him on a PAN church build in 2018. And, Glory be, one of them was available. Not only that, Steven was delighted at the opportunity and asked if he could bring along his daughter Morgan. If anyone had any doubts about her abilities, they were quickly dispelled on our arrival at Managua airport. It was she who nimbly shot up the ladder at the back of the PAN van and promptly began stacking our heavy bags.
Our small team was also fortunate to secure the local services of Samuel Reyes, not only over the years a popular translator with team builds, but a skilled and hard worker. As a result, in the space of only five working days we carried out major repairs and identified ongoing issues; for example, the dangerous electrical wiring powering the extension to the adjoining Pan de Vida complex. (A professional electrician was promptly hired to address this concern and was to begin work the day we left).
In addition to the replacement of the gutter above the kitchen with a wider, deeper one (thereby hopefully preventing future overflow/roof leaks), we repaired the soffits and fascia on the dormitory building; installed new laundry lines (which included concreting the bases; and repaired the concertina kitchen screen (taking it apart, grinding it down for repainting and the installation of new mesh).

But clearly the biggest transformation was the chapel, one side of which had suffered severe water damage. This we determined was the result of a design flaw, the header above the front entrance causing water to accumulate and pour down unrestrictedly. The header was torn off, new soffits and fascia installed and the building given a paint face-lift (a markedly different colour to the rest of the complex!). Now all remains is for a wooden cross to be affixed at the front.

Our “Mr Fix-It” list also included the need for plumbing repairs – and here again there was Divine Intervention. It turned out that one of the baseball instructors, Kat, is a third-year apprentice plumber and she volunteered to repair several leaking taps and install new fittings. Bruce, who was heading up the baseball program, also lent a hand grinding and Sharon, PAN’s ever cheerful Ambassador, was instrumental together with Morgan in repainting the dormitory wing.
Thus, what had seemed like “Mission Impossible” turned out to be yet another very successful team experience. Perhaps Bruce, a former PAN director, said it best:
“What a blessing it was to serve with all of you in various ways on this, what started out as an (sic) very unlikely mission. But God’s grace and planning brought us together in a perfect way. Thank you all for your gifts. I pray that God will bring us together again to serve his people in Nicaragua. For He knows the plans He has for us.”
Amen.