Our travels to Nicaragua

Going up the mountain from Managua to San Marcos

Going up the mountain from Managua to San Marcos

Most of you know we left Kansas City for our new mission with A Simple House on Wednesday, October 19th.  We arrived in Costa Rica and spent 3 days  with the Bailey Family. We really enjoyed being with them and seeing a little bit of their mission, including going to a couple of chapels with one of their priests and participating in 2 masses and a prayer service.

  

Leaving from there, we traveled on the TicaBus for 9 hours to Managua, Nicaragua, arriving in our mission territory on World Mission Sunday.  Our trip takes us through Costa Rica because it saves us about $2600 in travel costs as opposed to flying directly into Nicaragua. Our first item on the agenda in Managua was getting settled into our Home Stays and language school.  They didn't have a host family big enough to fit all eight of our kids and us so the oldest four stayed down the street from Lora, the littles and I.  It was a great two week experience with the Managua Nicaragua Language school. Our time in Managua included a pre-election march/rally going past our house and special times with our host families.

Isaac studying with our host.

  At the end of our time in Managua, we arranged for a private Microbus to take us to Guadalupe Gardens where Paul and Bing Rush have their mission. Paul Rush, founder of Guadalupe Garden, decided to welcome our family into his mission (which is located about 2km away from San Marcos, Nicaragua on a rough dirt or mud road) while we investigate and enculturate and try to figure out the business(es) we will try to start here.  Guadalupe Gardens is dedicated to the New Evangelization and supporting other missionaries in their call, so it has been a wonderful place for us to land. The 3 acres includes many old building that were the heart of a coffee plantation before the Revolution. It includes 2 cisterns that used to hold water for the dry season and a well that is about 1000 feet deep but needs to be repaired. Paul and Bing also serve the community around them in various ways. There have been many struggles, difficulties and setbacks in the last few years, but Bing and their first baby on the way, are a couple of really bright spots. We feel our coming to the mission at this time to be very providential for us and Rush’s.