Granada

Granada was an amazingly beautiful city in Nicaragua. With the old buildings, quiet-yet- city atmosphere, and Spanish Colonial arquitecture, it was like stepping into a piece of history. I could have stayed in Granada for a very long time. We toured the houses on the islands formed by the volcanos....there are 365 of them, but we only saw a few. There was an island inhabited by monkeys as well.
After touring the islands, we ate at a VERY nice restaurant and enjoyed some authentic Nicaraguan cuisine. Jeff and I have a tradition where we try to eat at one nice place while we are on vacation, and although this was not a vacation, this particular day fit that bill. It was a relaxing Sunday in only the way that Sundays can be.....summery warm weather and just the right amount of people to be around with some great food thrown in the mix....ahhhhh! perfect!

We walked off our food around Granada and toured some old cathedrals. It was quaint to see the jardines (outdoor courtyards or gardens) of the residents as we looked down from the steeple onto the streets below.

We stopped to see Mombacho where the lake is inside a volcano. There are shops lining one side of the street, and we bought an authentic Nicaraguan dress for Abbey. After site seeing, we picked up some fruit, cheese and crackers and headed to Carmen's house where we had team devotions and testimony time. Great ending to an already great day. Refreshed and ready to minister tomorrow!

Nicaragua Trip...JUNE 18-24th

This year, the Lord allowed us the priveledge of planning a missions trip to Nicaragua. We took 6 from our group down to Managua where Carmen, our missionary contact, met us. We met Herman, our chouffer and bodyguard for the week as we loaded our luggage in the van.
Surprisingly, it was not difficult at all to go through customs and head out of the airport and onto our way to Centro ABEM (the ABWE Ministry Center outside of Managua.) After we arrived at Centro ABEM, we unloaded our luggage and ate in the dining hall. Oscar was the main cook for the week, and he did a great job. Fatima cleaned our rooms every day. The girls shared one small cabin, and the guys another. The cabins were divided in half and had 6 beds and one bathroom to each half. The guys had one half while Jeff and I shared the second half of the guy's cabin. Here is the view at the camp....some of the 160 acres that we were allowed access to. You can see that the rainy season is in full swing. A view of Mombacho Volcano was right outide our door along with horses grazing. Some of the local farmers are allowed to bring their livestock onto the camp property to graze. Who needs to see the wild mustangs in the Outer Banks when you can go to Nicaragua and see horses grazing in front of a volcano? Right after lunch, we did a quick tour of the camp ground before heading into the only airconditioned room on campus for orientation. At orientation, Carmen explained to us the different ministries we would be doing and what to expect during our stay. We used the rest of our time to unpack and settle in to our warm and very humid quarters. After dinner at the Center, we decided to go hear some authentic music since one of Carmen's friends was singing in a Christian praise band that night. It was good music, but I just wanted to fall asleep. I had only 3 hours of sleep the night before and was not yet accustomed to the 2 hour difference! What was 10 in Managua was midnight in the States! Long day, but very glad to be in Nicaragua and excited to see what God has in store!

Creative

Here is the result of Nathan's awesome imagination at work. I laughed when I found it and had to take a picture!