Daniel Ortega's Sandinista government is at it again. This time, the Nicaraguan president should replace the welcome sign at Managua Airport with one that reads, "Missionaries Keep Out!"
Ortega's government has imposed new restrictions on foreign missionaries entering the country to serve the people. They must submit in detail the purpose of entry before the government will decide if the missionary should be allowed in.
Two days before citizens of the United States go to the polls to elect a new president, Nicaraguans will choose their next president. Daniel Ortega, the aging communist who aggressively opposed Ronald Reagan's Central America policy and the Contras during the 1980s, wants to gain a third successive term as president.
The last time Ortega lost a presidential election was in 2001. He doesn't want his re-election effort to even be close this time, so he's trying to regulate and pre-empt any outside meddling or influence. He thinks the best way to do that is to restrict all foreign missionary activity.
Watch my interview with CBN News Latin America Producer Javier Bolanos to learn how Nicaraguan Christians are responding to the new requirements.