Contact: Dr. David Schuringa, President and CEO, Crossroad Bible Institute, 800-668-2450, lael@crossroadbible.org
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- Offering free Bible studies for incarcerated people the world over, non-profit prison ministry Crossroad Bible Institute is experiencing tremendous growth. With established Distribution Centers in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Colombia, Crossroad Bible Institute has recently opened a new DC in Nicaragua, the first in Central America.
Nicaragua is geographically the largest nation in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. During the 80's and into the 90's Marxist Sandinistas held power in Nicaragua. Though it is a democracy today, and though tourism thrives as the country's second largest industry, Nicaragua is still a developing country recovering from many years of war, poverty and economic devastation.
Ordained minister Rev. Eric Pennings, with his extensive travel throughout Latin America, was instrumental in the opening of this new Nicaraguan DC. Because he knew that this country's prison system desperately needed God’s truth and God’s love, he contacted CBI for help.
As in other developing nations, Nicaraguan prison conditions are harsh. There are over 5,600 people in its 8 prisons, most of which are overcrowded, dirty and depressing. Rev. Pennings has witnessed these conditions first-hand, "I was shown where the prisoners are kept. They are 'housed' like animals in there! Unbelievable...some must sleep on the floor because they don't have enough bunks or cots."
Last year, while visiting Nicaragua Rev. Pennings came into contact with an American missionary named Emerson Wilson. Wilson and his wife had been visiting Nicaraguan prisons, and they welcomed CBI's program, handing out CBI enrollment forms and training three others to become CBI Instructors. Because of the third-world conditions, CBI lessons must be hand-delivered. Commenting on the success of this new DC, CBI president, Dr. David Schuringa remarks, "It is encouraging to see how despite cultural, language and economic differences, the Bible has a message that reaches hearts and changes lives. Through CBI's discipleship program, prisoners in Nicaragua are set free on the inside and prepared for successful reentry into society."
