Pastor's Mission Trip

#1 Now in NICARAGUA!

Hello folks,

Sorry for the delay in sending this message. We have been doing a LOT of traveling by plane, foot, and bus!

Saturday we got on a plane in Buffalo around 8am, then had to circle the BUF airport for nearly an hour while trying to burn off fuel. Why? The wing flaps were stuck in the down - or take-off position - and we had to return to BUF and land (with fingers crossed and prayers being made). With emergency vehicles lining the runway we made a near perfect landing - just a bit harder touching down than usual - Thanks Be To God!

There were no other possibilities for getting 20 people on any other flights out of BUF until Tuesday, so we began checking bus rentals to take us to Cleveland or Chicago to catch flights. However there was a SLIGHT chance, they told us, that they could b our original plane back in service so we waited and waited..

Then around noon they let us get back on the same plane and we made it to Chicago. Of course we missed all connections to get us to Nicaragua as planned, so we spent the night in a hotel and got on a shuttle to the airport at 2:45 AM Sunday, then all 20 of us took a 5 AM flight to Miami. From Miami we connected on a direct flight to Managua, Nicaragua. I must say, we found it miraculous to be able to find  empty seats on the latter 2 flights since it was a VERY busy weekend due to President's Day and many schools on week long break!  We got to Nica aroundnoon Sunday and were picked up by a converted school bus and taken to our hotel (which is nicer than the ones encountered in Uganda except there is NO hot water for showers, etc.)

We were taken on a very bumpy ride to a church worship service at 5pm and while we did not understand most of it, we did recognize the tune of some of the many songs were singing such as "Lord, We Have Come to the Lakeshore". During the service all of our group went up front and sang 2 hymns for the congregation including my favorite, "Here I , Lord". 

Today we go to the school at Project Chacocente about 45 mins. from our hotel to do various tasks including using pick axes and shovels to remove and old wall foundation and mic and pour concrete footers for a new wall.

Gotta go now as breakfast here at the hotel (which is El Raizon Hotel in Masaya, Ncaragua). If you want to check out more re: Project Chacocente, you may go to their website:  http://www.outofthedump.org/ or visit the Friends of Project Chacocente page on Facebook.

You may email us here, but I will not be e to respond until tonight or tomorrow morning.

Shalom,

Ray and Donna

#2   More from Project Chacocente!

Hi Y'all,

In response to some questions from folks "in the States"...

The school is not in a city, per se. It is in a rural area well on the outskirts of Masaya. It is a compound of 60 acres which houses several classrooms, including a computer lab (which really needs newer laptops and pc's)

Each of the families has a plot of land equaling 2.6 acres w/i the compound, which they have helped build their own houses and some have given part of their land to their older offspring who have built small, modest houses on it.

The children all wear school uniforms - which is required by law for all schools public and private. The children, from pre-school 1/2 day students, thru grade 11 (equivalent to our 12th) wear a variety of shoes from sandals to regular shoes, to sneakers - though none I saw were beautiful, colorful, Nike's like all the ones we are giving them.

More later from HOT Nica (should be about 100 today)

 Ray