Day 1 - Travel to Matagalpa

Today we began our travels to Matagalpa.  It began with an early start by checking in for our flights to Miami at 3:45 am, but everyone was smiling and ready to get on with the trip.

Some of the team were able to get some rest on the flights, while others were just too excited.

After two 3 hour flights we safely arrived in Managua, Nicaragua.  Thank God for his safety as there were some turbulence along the way.  After passing through customs we were greeted with hugs by Wayne and Megan Tingle.  They took us to a fantastic chicken restaurant called Tip Top and we enjoyed a nice lunch.

Wayne and Megan then drove us to the city of Matagalpa.  The scenery was beautiful and we even drove through a rain storm.  We arrived at the hotel around 4pm and had a short rest before our team meeting and dinner.  We learned a lot about Enrich Missions and the great work they are doing for the community.  Thanks for the prayers - stay turned for more tomorrow.  Drop a comment if you like.  Buena Noches.

The Team Has Safely Arrived In Nicaragua

I just received word that our group has safely arrived in Nicaragua. God be Praised!!

Vicar Jessy

Getting ready for “bed”

Buenas Noches,

We left church around 8pm and made it to NYC Lagaurdia airport safely.  Thanks to Brad Hillman and Amy’s parents Dave and Cindy for driving us and our truckload of luggage.

Our flight doesn’t leave until 6:30 am so we are “sleeping” in the airport.

We found a nice place to group together for the night and get some rest.

Hasta Mañana (see you tomorrow)

Final Preparations

Hola,

The mission team gathered tonight to make final preparations for the trip.  We were very pleased to see how many donations have been given by you to take to the people of Matagalpa.  The donations included items such as scissors, crayons, markers, shoes, and safety gloves & glasses.  Another important item packed was vitamins which can be hard to get in Nicaragua.  The remaining space in the suitcases was filled with many supplies to complete some art projects with the community.  A lot of pre-work went into the art projects so stay tuned to hear more about this.

The group had to carefully pack the suitcases, take an inventory of each one, and make sure each bag was under 50 lb.  Everyone chipped in to make it a successful night.  When all was done, there was enough to fill 9 large suitcases and some in our carryon bags. That’s almost 500 lb of donations, gifts, and supplies which we know will go to good use.  Thank you again for the support, donations, and help to make this trip happen.

There was a feeling of excitement about the trip in the air and lots of talk about the days ahead.  We reflected on our past 9 months of preparation and bonding over some pizza and wings.

We hope you follow along on this blog as we start our journey less than 24 hours.  Drop a comment if you can on the blog to encourage us.  Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Mission Team Building - Project Work Part Two

The team got back together on Sept 10^th to continue building a walk path for the preschoolers.  With Mike directing the shots, we all chipped in to dig the foundation, lay the stones, and add the final touches.  Everyone worked hard and broke a sweat as we completed the project just before sun down.  It was good working together and also sharing some stories about previous mission trips.  Thanks to Todd, Amy, and SallyJo for feeding us too, we needed the energy to pull this off.  We hope the preschoolers like the new walk path.  Once again, thanks for everyone’s support and encouragement.  Check out the pictures below:

Mission Team Building - Project Work Part One

The mission team gathered together on August 6th to start our team project.  The project is to build a stone walk path from the side walk to the playground area.  This will make a nice addition for the kids to walk to playground and back.  As you can see in the photos below we worked hard, but had some fun too.  Mike came up with the design and put us to work.  Part of the team dug the pathway, while others moved the stones and put them in place.  It was nice to get some help from Pastor Mueller too.  The team worked well together and is getting to know each other better which will be important while we are in Nicaragua. We will be back on September 9th to continue the work.  More to come on the project soon.  Thanks for all your support and prayers!