In July, I had the chance to visit Nicaragua and spend time with our teams from Frutivera, NicaBike Shop, Ciclo Sport as well as our many of our partners. The reality is these are the people who are living out the the concepts I talk about in Hope Realized on a daily basis. Each time I am with them, I am more hope-filled and even more convinced that there is real power in real, all-in hope.

Frutivera, the sweet corn project, is a compelling picture of this. In May of 2023, Frutivera lost access to the property they were using to grow and harvest sweet corn at no fault of their own. Obviously, this was a significant challenge to an operation built on producing and selling sweet corn. After regrouping from the initial shock of the situation, the Frutivera team thought they would be able to restart the operation on another property and be harvesting again in around six months. It would be difficult and require creativity, but there seemed to be a path forward. Well, sometimes paths are longer than you expect.

As the six months mark approached, there was still uncertainty about the future home of Frutivera and, of course, no corn in the ground. It is in moments like those that you have to ask yourself if you should keep going.

Sometimes, when talking about the power of hope to create change, there is an assumption that having hope will solve all of the problems and lead to immediate results. This is far from the truth. The truth is we live in the midst of brokenness fueled by the lie of hopelessness. There is not a quick fix to this problem. However, there is a resiliency created by the powerful combination of spiritual and practical hope that empowers people to not give up. This is what I have experienced in Nicaragua.

With the exact path forward still unclear, the Frutivera team pushed ahead, leaning into hope built on a foundation that allowed them to see beyond their present circumstances. Their resiliency paid off, as an opportunity to lease the perfect property opened up as well as funding to reestablish the operation. If this was a fairy tale, the next line would be,” and they planted sweet corn, and all lived happily ever after.” This was not the case for the Frutivera team. The journey ahead would still take time, but they persisted.

In July, over a year after the original operation was closed, Frutivera officially has their operation reestablished and sweet corn in the ground. In fact, they are expecting their first harvest in September of 2024. While in Nicaragua, I visited the new farm a couple of times and spent time with our team. At first glance, it looks like they just planted a bunch of corn. It isn’t until you start to look at the field through the lens of hope that you can see what they really planted. In germinating and transplanting those little sweet cornstalks, they are creating the opportunity for people to experience practical and spiritual hope. As the operation grows, it will not just be a field full of corn. It will be a field full of stories rewritten through the power of real hope.

This has been the story at the NicaBike Shop and Ciclo Sport. In June of 2024, the NicaBike Shop passed its 10-year anniversary. There have been many opportunities to give up, but the hope that continues to flow from the NicaBike Shop is evident. Josh, Flavia, and the NicaBike Shop team are excited to continue to grow the shop and the people connected to it. More than just a business, the NicaBike Shop is committed to being a force for hope in their community. I was reminded of this as I interacted with the team over a stuffed-crust Little Caesar’s pizza lunch. I have no doubt that the next 10 years will be filled with more stories of changed lives and hope realized.

Now, with a little over a year and a half in operation, the Ciclo Sport team of Andrew, Karen, and Kingslee have the same perspective. Andrew, a partner in the NicaBike Shop, brought this vision with him when he opened the shop in Bluefields on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. A sister shop of the Managua-based NicaBike Shop, Ciclo Sport is more than just a bike shop. It is a place where people can experience real hope. They have come a long way over the past year, and they are just getting started!

When my wife and I moved back to the United States from Nicaragua in 2015, I had the sense that the “seeds” we had planted would only grow. Now in 2024, this is definitely the case. It has been a winding journey down a path that has had its detours, but the power of hope remains the same. People are being pointed toward a reframed identity found in a God who loves them and created them on purpose and for a purpose. Real opportunities for people to exercise their God-given potential and write new stories for their families are being created. The team is bringing more hope to Nicaragua, and I, and many others, are more hope-filled because of it.

In reflecting on my time, I am again encouraged that we all have the opportunity to bring hope to others. I hope these stories from Nicaragua do the same for you. Remember: Change is possible. Hope wins the day!

James Belt

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