Family Created by Love

A Letter from Jhan Dotel-Vellenga and Ian Vellenga, serving in Nicaragua

Winter 2023

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Dear friends,

It rains a lot this time of the year here in Nicaragua, marking the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the dry one. For us at the Council of Protestant Churches in Nicaragua (CEPAD), the end-of-the-year race has begun. The office feels a little hectic as almost everyone is working on final reports and new plans for 2024. In our department, we are also working on the calendar for next year, scheduling delegations, waiting for last-minute confirmation dates, and budgeting groups. These tasks may be time-consuming, but they are necessary.

Besides running around trying to complete last-minute assignments, we are also feeling the holiday spirit, talking about the coming celebrations with family and friends, food, parades and even parties. We are counting the days and cannot wait to enjoy some much-needed vacation time. Some of our co-workers’ vacations will not be as long as ours since there is a small delegation visiting us at the end of December, which is unusual. Nonetheless, they are still happy to host and accompany that delegation, even though that means they would be sacrificing some of the time they were planning to spend with their families during the holidays.

Nicaraguan social life is centered on family and close friendships, which lends itself to the creation of a strong kinship. According to some anthropologists, kinship can be considered as the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all people at all levels of society. In many cultures, the kinds of social ties and relationships formerly treated under the category of “kinship” are very often not necessarily predicated on blood or marriage ties, and are instead based on shared places of dwellings, emotional ties, nurturing relationships, or familiarity via other forms of interactions and socialization.

In the Bible, we can find the word kinship more than 2,500 times in the Old and New Testaments. In most cases, it is used to describe the family relationship between individuals who are closely related like fathers, mothers, children, and other relatives. The term is also used to describe the relationship between God and humanity. As children of God, we are all part of one family, but as Christians and individuals we also take part in “voluntary kinship” as an expression of divine connection and to share the love of God.

At the core of CEPAD’s work and code of values is an understanding of kinship. A kinship that is created by the connections and bonds forged not only in terms of necessities and scarcity but is created by sharing basic resources, nurturing interactions and accompaniment. Building this relationship through the act of service, assistance, and empathy.

One of the beautiful things about these types of relationships is that they visibly reflect the spiritual kinship of all Christians. The bond that believers share is their faithfulness to each other and to God and their desire to aid and support others. We are spiritual kin thanks to the one who binds us together as a community of believers. The Church of Christ is the family of God, and our earthly relationships should reflect this spiritual truth. God designed this community, this family, by love.

We want to thank you for being part of our extended God-given family, and for your accompaniment, thoughts and prayers during the year.

Wishing you and your family peace, health, happiness and prosperity in the coming year. Merry Christmas.

Jhan and Ian