Late yesterday we were going over the list of items that were to be accomplished this week...and realized that we should probably get started soon. So we broke into teams and hit the ground running this morning.

...I realized I left out a pic of the front of the new offices. While the front is small, the building is fairly large inside and takes up most of the lot.

Over breakfast Fabricio walked us through a few of the points from his sermon the night before. His topic was faith and one of his illustrations was the example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel.

...then it was time to get started. Nate and Don jumped on building walls early. By lunch they had most of the framing done...

...and by the end of the day doors were hung and the first coat of mud was drying.

Meanwhile Mike, Bob, and I started on one of the bathrooms.

First was tearing out a wall, ceiling, light fixture, and prepping the new wall. Most of this was fairly routine...other than figuring out the electrical system. There were wires running in several directions and breakers controlled odd combinations of lights & outlets. We finally figured out that we needed to take some time and try to map the system.

Then came the real fun. We needed to tie into the exiting drain to the septic tank and had a feeling it was somewhere under the tile floor where we were going to put the bathroom. So we started and exploratory hole. By the end of the day we had a small canyon...complete with holes in one water line and two drain pipes. We successfully capped the water line and are going to be able to use it for the bathroom. Tomorrow we tackle the drains!!!

On a different note, the living conditions are not bad at all. The beds are comfortable, the food is quite good thanks to Joelydia's cooking. Last time I was in Nica, I gained 5 lbs...it may happen this time as well.

The electricity has been pretty reliable but the water really has not. It is supposed to come on around 8 pm and run until 6 am. This means showers usually involve dousing yourself from a bucket and refilling the barrels when the water is on. Last night it came on at 3 am and was gone again by 5 am. However it came on early tonight and we were all able to get a shower under running water! Ahhh the simple pleasures!

Well, it is about that time...we will get an early start again tomorrow. Goodnight all!

We made it! After a short overnight at Nate's house in Atlanta (where we saw some very incriminating photos from his earlier years...when he had hair) we caught the 7:45 to Miami then on to Managua. Even though it has been 3 years, it feels like much less.

The temperature when we landed was 90 degrees. After a week of cold and snow, the variety was kinda nice. We had a late lunch at a chicken restaurant named Tip Top, made a brief stop at the office to unload luggage, and then it was off to see a few of the sights.

The Cathedral in the middle of town...

View of Lake Managua from the top of the volcano in the center of town...

The crew...let's just say there is no shortage of testosterone. If you take a minute to picture what you think an all male construction trip would be like...the jokes, dinner conversation, etc...you would probably hit the nail on the head. So far, we are excited to be here and are having a good time. The team left to right...Me, Don (the Enforcer), Mike, Nate (who is living up to his reputation), Bob (the expertise), Fabricio (the director in Managua), Joe (who is taking the picture and is not shown), and Osvaldo (Joe's father-in-law and resident expert on Central American construction techniques).

The building has a segmented layout so it is hard to get a good picture. Behind the table you can see the guys bunk room. The large opening to the left of that will be the other bunk room. The white wall on the right edge is one office and there is a mirror office out of the frame on the left side.

At the end of the room are two doors. The door on the right is an existing bathroom. The door on the left is empty but will become a second bathroom with 2 showers in it.

This is the 2nd bunk room. In the back left corner you see where 2 walls were added. Behind those is an existing bathroom. We are moving the wall with the door out and adding an additional shower, sink, etc.

This is inside that room...

After a brief history of CFCI and vision for the future, I was ready to get a little demolition started.

So I started removing one of the doors from its frame...

...and drew 1st blood of the trip. Yes that is my leg. A little Neosporin and it was back to work.

Well, we are an hour behind (9:40 here) but we are supposed to get going at 5:30 in the morning so I am going to call it a night.

Nica Pre-Trip

I am really looking forward to the Nicaragua trip this Saturday! It is hard to believe it has been almost three years since I have been down there. Last time Steph was 8 months pregnant with Zac believe it or not. Grace Church has a very good relationship with Christ for the City International (see links), which is a ministry that equips local pastors with training and resources to better serve their communities. Grace puts together six or seven trips to Nica every year. Teams usually stay in homes or rent bunk rooms outside of the city.

What is the purpose of this trip? CFCI leases office space in Managua and few months ago the building changed hands and they were told they would have to find new offices. After a significant search, they found a bank that was vacant and was a great fit. In fact, there was even a couple of large rooms that are suitable for housing teams. So five of us are heading down to build walls, move plumbing, and run wire. The goal is to have it "team ready" when we leave the following Sunday. We are also taking two evenings to hold a seminar on Spiritual Leadership for local pastors in Jinotepe.

I do not have any pictures of the new offices but hope to be able to update the blog while I am down there. We could use prayer for:

- team wellness (Nica has a few bugs we do not have here in the US)

- smooth logistics (there are lots of tools and supplies that will need to work out for us to get the job done in time)

- an effective seminar (our prep, their understanding, etc)

- my packing (seems like I always forget something)

Here are a few pics from the March 08 trip...

The 2008 Team - Jimmy and Tom were the other teachers. Mike was the QB and logistics guru while Joey was along to see where Tom would like to build a house one day.

Downtown (museum on left, Nica Flag in plaza, cathedral on right)

This type of house is pretty common in Nica. What is interesting is that you would never know it walking down the street. Nicaraguans take pride in their appearance and will almost always be very clean and nicely dressed.

A little girl we passed on a tour of a neighborhood...

Martin Luther Seminary is where we were teaching. It is laid out in a big square with a courtyard in the middle. This pavilion is in the middle of the courtyard. It is where we gathered before class, during lunch, and at the end of the day.

One of my classes...I was teaching Bible Study Methods. It was a HUGE stretch for me. I had never taught the material, never been to Nica, was teaching 8 hours per day for 4 days, and was scared out of my mind. This was compounded when I was out of material at the end of the 1st day. I definitely learned more than the students.

I am really looking forward to teaching this time...much more comfortable with the material, and only one hour at a time...WHEW!

Graduation for all 3 classes...everyone received a certificate and two reference books in Spanish. It is really amazing how few basic resources are available in Spanish. Books and resources we take for granted every day just are not available down there because they have not been translated.

This is Robert. He was everyone's favorite student. He is a Nicaraguan who served in the US military. He was a great encouragement to us all.

A student hung around during a break to ask a few questions...BTW, note the louvered windows. It was 95+ degrees everyday, no AC, and very little breeze. I am a little concerned about Saturday because when we leave from Atl there will probably still be snow on the ground and when we land a few hours later in Managua it will be near 90.

We were able to get in a little sightseeing...this is Mike on the zipline in Managua. It is actually 3 ziplines...this 1st leg is over 500 meters long.

I hope we get to do it again this time!

Granada is a really old, historic town. There is a nice square in the middle with street vendors and some really unique churches, hotels, and restaurants.

One of our last mornings, Alcides (the director for CFCI in Nica at the time) invited us to breakfast at his house. He cut a fresh papaya from his own backyard for the occasion.

Looking forward to what is in store this time!

Taking the Plunge!

Welcome to our world!

About nine years ago I proposed to my wife. Shortly after that I day, I told her I could not guarantee much but life with me would not be boring. So far, after eight years of marriage, that has held true.

...so welcome to our Adventure!