Nicaragua building project
Dr. Marwel Garcia talks with Luke Society Latin American Regional Coordinator Dr. Jose Luis Guerrero and chief administrative officer Nathan Stob about his building project. Much progress has already been made on the clinic building and now you can help Marwel complete it. (Photo by Dr. Brent Van Andel)
By now you’ve learned that the Luke Society often chooses to partner with people the world describes as “crazy.”
When Dr. Marwel Garcia, a gifted pediatrician from León, Nicaragua, confided in his friends that he had a dream of building a clinic to serve the poor, his friends doubted his sanity. He did it anyway.
It hasn’t been without significant sacrifice. With the help of local church members, he purchased a small property in the medically underserved district of Rubén Darío in 2019. Living a frugal lifestyle enabled him to put every spare cent of his hospital salary into the construction of his single-story clinic, which is fully paid off.
Dr. Marwel doesn’t own a home, or a car. In fact, it wasn’t until a few months before the Luke Society partnered with him in 2021 that he finally purchased a small motorcycle, recognizing that using his bicycle to commute from the hospital to his clinic took too much time. Dr. Marwel humbly shrugs off his sacrificial countercultural lifestyle stating, “I had to decide whether to invest in my dreams or live a comfortable life.”
His ministry and clinic, “Jehová Rafá” is thriving. His warm and engaging personality coupled with his obvious love for each patient has resulted in steady growth. He shares the Gospel with each of his 200-plus patients monthly, and he also has added a pharmacy.
This dynamic ministry is now poised for further growth. Two large objectives can be met with a $30,000 investment: basic lab services would be added and the final construction of the clinic’s second floor would allow for simple hospitalization of some patients and a prayer center and a meeting area for families. Please join us in bringing hope and healing to Nicaragua through this gentle servant of our King.
If you would like to support this relief project in Nicaragua, click here to donate online.
