Matagalpa, Nicaragua, January 5, 2026
Photo: eadiocese.org
A Russian Orthodox mission in Matagalpa, Nicaragua held a charitable outreach event on December 27 in the Lomas community, providing food and gifts to local families during the Nativity Fast.
The Mission of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, led by Fr. Daniel Valle, is under the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
The event began with a pilgrimage followed by a moleben to Christ. The mission then organized children’s activities and distributed aid to the community.
Photo: eadiocese.org
While organizers originally planned to provide gifts for 100 children, the distribution expanded to serve 170 children with gift packages and sweets, along with food and basic staples for 300 people total.
Mission organizers described the work as an expression of Orthodox faith in action, quoting Hieromartyr Daniel Sysoev: “The Christian is God’s ambassador on earth. Our task is not simply to improve people’s lives, but to reveal the Living God to them through our own love and sacrifice.”
The mission acknowledged benefactors whose contributions made the distribution possible, noting that “for the collaborators of this work, who have worked from Christian love, and the committed faithful, success is not measured in numbers, but in the ‘Christian vitality’ that is felt when faith produces works.”
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