Nicaragua here we come!

After a couple of years of saving money, and months of praying & investigating options we are excited to be leaving for Managua, Nicaragua in less than two weeks (we leave June 15 and return July 29). We have volunteer possibilities and we'll finalize them upon our arrival.

Why Nicaragua?
For those that know us well you know that we've had many experiences in Mexico (over 15!). Except for the corrupción and the tamales we love almost everything about the country. We consider it our second home and have many dear friends there.

Last summer, though, we started thinking about trying something different...why not Central America for our next family service-learning adventure? We networked and e-mailed folks in Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua and waited to see what doors the Lord opened. We followed up on some leads in each country but nothing materialized.

In October, I overheard another teacher at HC say her son lives in Managua. My ears perked up, and I told her we would like to go to Central America this summer as a family. She said, "I'm sure Joel would love to help you guys figure something out". That conversation began months of praying, waiting, e-mailing, reading Nicaraguan travel books, researching volunteer opportunities and watching the Lord pull it all together.

God at work
It's one thing to get an idea stuck in your head, it's another to try to actually pull it off - especially financially. As we prayed about our dreams & desires for the summer, we celebrated when God began to piece together the major expenses for such a trip: travel & lodging.

• We were told to expect flights out of GR to be around $800...pricey when multiplied times five. I was ecstatic when George emailed me one day in January saying he found flights out of Chicago for less than HALF that at very reasonable hours. He booked them and our excitement continued to build

One of the first volunteer options we were told about in Managua provided lodging and access to a vehicle but at a price tag of nearly $4,000 for our family for the six weeks. We love volunteering but we couldn't afford that. We waited to see what else developed.

• Within two weeks of booking our flights, we got an email from Joel in Managua saying there's a couple (Lora is actually an HC grad) who needs to be in West Michigan the same time we'll be in Managua and they're interested in house-swapping. We can stay in their house for FREE!!! And they have a vehicle we can use!!! They'll be staying in our house so ours will not be empty. Praise the Lord for His provisions!

Our Nica home includes 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and mango trees in the yard!