floydius it's almost like you've got nothing better to do

day 1

When I woke up this morning, it occurred to me that my packing remained unfinished, and that I had only about five hours before my plane was supposed to depart.

Fast forward three hours, and I've left my disastrously unclean apartment behind. Ranessa Perry (one of our elder's wives at church) gave me a ride to the airport and was kind enough to let me leave my car at her place.

Fast forward another five hours, and I've landed in Houston. I've also made good progress into Twilight, which I borrowed from a friend. I'm beginning to understand what all the hype is about.

Shortly after I arrived at the international terminal in Houston, it was time for my flight to board. The plane was packed... and warm. To my right sat Graham, a Canadian teaching English in Nicaragua. To my left sat Maura, a Nicaraguan woman in her sixties or so. She actually lives in Jinotega where I'll be working, and has invited me to come visit her house when I arrive.

The flight landed around 8:30, and I was surprised to see all of the airport workers wearing dust masks, ostensibly to avoid contracting swine flu. We had to pass by a thermal image scanner to make sure none of us had a fever. As much as I have chided our government for over-hyping this thing, I will admit that the whole environment created at the airport was intimidating.

I'm staying at a Best Western hotel across from the airport called Las Mercedes. It looks more like a resort than a normal hotel, and I'm thankful to have a bed. Yay for ubiquitous internet access and photo booth:

Safe and Sound in Managua

Thanks for all your prayers, and stay tuned!

packing my bags

For those that are curious, here's what I'm packing for 6 weeks in Nicaragua:

Of course, this is all general outdoors or survival gear. I'll also be taking my bible, a journal, a good spanish dictionary, my camera and laptop, a good pair of tennis shoes, and clothing. Did I miss anything? Am I going overboard? Let me know!

to infinity… and beyond.

As many of you know, God has blessed me with the opportunity to visit Nicaragua for six weeks this summer.

My flight is scheduled to leave Thursday, and if the Lord wills, I'll return July 30th. I'm going to be assisting my on-again-off-again roommate this year, Phil, with some documentary/P.R. work he's doing for the Misión para Cristo in Jinotega. In addition, we're scheduled to spend some time in the jungle (via Río Coco) helping to scout out a location for a new christian school. From what I can tell, this is going to be a real adventure, and I'm ready to carpe the diem.

I'd like to share some of my personal goals for this trip: