Happy ending

My adventure was pretty crazy, but it was a good learning experience, as well as an awesome time with great guys who really love the Lord. Esmir told me that the trip would be easy--just take a bus to Rivas, then a taxi to San Juan del Sur, then another taxi to Popoyo and find my friends. Easier said than done. I got to San Juan easy enough, but when I said I needed to go to Popoyo, the taxi driver looked at me and said it would be very expensive, because in the rainy season the road is long and in really bad condition. He was right. The first price he quoted was 700 cordobas, which is about 40 dollars, but I talked him down to 550. The ride that I thought would take an hour took 3 and we had still not gotten to where I needed to be. The taxi driver explained to me that the ride had been much harder and longer than he anticipated, and that the trip would cost 1500 cords, much more than I had on me. I gave him all I had, which was 800 cords short, and he said it just wouldn´t work out. It was dark outside now, and I had no idea where to go. He said I had to go back with him to Rivas, and go to an ATM, as there were none in Popoyo, then pay him extra to take me back in the morning. I hesitated, and asked if he would just go down this one road that a man had told us went to the beach. He said we could try it, and on the road there was a guy who, thank the Lord, knew everyone of the names I mentioned. He got in the cab and took us right to the place they were staying at. Jesse, one of the surfers, who I had talked to the most in the airport, paid the cab driver half of what he was asking, but it was enough. I got a hot meal, and got to use the internet to call my parents. We had a night of fellowship and worship, and woke up early to surf. I watched of course, but it was a great time. They gave me a ride to the bus stop to go back to Managua, and some money to help me in my stay here in Nicaragua. It was a great trip.

That was a couple days ago, and since then I have gone to church, as well as spoken to an english teacher at the school by the orphanage about working there helping teach english. I got to help with her first grade class today, and I will continue to do more work in that school. I am also excited about some connections i´ve made with La Chureca, the city dump. It´s dangerous for me to just go there by myself, because the people there can jump on you and rob you or different things, so I am cautiously figuring out a way to get involved there with some of the organizations. I have connections with two organizations there, as well as the directors of the school there where there are over 200 kids. Hopefully everything goes well!

Until my next post,

brad

Finally at home

Last night was my first night in my house in Nicaragua. I have my own room, next to Esmir, as well as my own bathroom. There are three girls renting another room, and Alfonzo is the man who owns the house. Last night the girls cooked us dinner, and saturday and sunday we will cook for them. My days up until now were awesome, because my friend Graham and his dad Bob flew in the same day as me. Bob is fairly well off and does a lot of fun stuff with some of his favorite orphans. He let me tag along, and we went to restaurants as well as a resort with some of the kids from the orphanage and the neighboring town. Today I´m going to Poppoyo to try to meet up with the surfers I met on my flight. Esmir is busy, so I´m going on my own... my first real adventure. I´ll take a bus three hours to a town called Rivas and from there I´ll take a taxi to San Juan del Sur, then another taxi to Poppoyo. I´m a little nervous, but Esmir say´s I´ll be fine. I´ll stay there the night for five bucks and then come back tomorrow to work with Casa Bernabe, the main orphanage. It should be an exciting couple days. Right now I´m at Esmir´s school, which is just a five minute walk from the house. I was going to go to school with Abdhie, but i think it might be better to go to this school, as it is bigger, cheaper, and much closer. We´ll see what happens. Until next time, Brad

here at last!

well, i made it in safely to Nicaragua at last. My friends Abdhie and Keren picked me up and we´re on our way to their house. The flight was actually fairly eventful. I ran into a group of guys who have a surfing ministry and go all over the globe surfing and doing missions work. i was given a dvd video of them last time i was in Nicaragua, because the singer who did the concert at the dump with us also did some music for their ministry dvd. i talked with the surfurs before boarding and they were really nice guys. they gave me some websites to keep in touch, and told me to check out their surf camp in Nicaragua. hopefully i will. other than that, all is good, and everything is still sinking in that i´m down here and will be for a good while. talk to you soon!

Trip Postponed

Well, I've been sick for 10 days, and my last doctor thinks I have Mono. I might be here another few weeks.