Nicaragua

I told myself in May, when I first applied for this trip, I’d blog about it if I were accepted. When I was accepted in August, I told myself I wouldn’t mention anything until I got the time off work. When I got the time off work, I said I’d write about it once the tickets were booked; I doubted it would really happen. Once the tickets were booked in early December, I really just never got around to writing about it. Most of you know, but in case you hadn’t, didn’t want to leave the country without mentioning anything.

In a little under 7 hours, I leave to to Nicaragua with a group from my church to take part in their annual volunteer work week at the orphanage of Casa Asis, part of a larger network of orphanages called Nuestro Pequenos Hermanos (NPH). NPH is an international organization that strives to fully educate and nourish these kids in their local communities in an effort to help break the cycle of poverty in these areas. My travels may also lead me to the coffee bean plantations there, for more educational purposes, but how and what I’ll exactly be doing is yet to be revealed.

Why am I going? I wanna say it’s all just that “adventurer”, “young and in my 20’s”, “traveler of foreign places”-desire in me (which in part, it is). But honestly, the truth is that I have felt just so incredibly blessed this past year and have a huge heart to go and serve somewhere. The second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere sounded like an interesting place to start.

Anyhoo, it’s a short trip, but your prayers for our safety would be much appreciated. That, and my mad Spanish skillz could use a prayer; there’s going to be some college-style cramming from Austin to Managua. In any case, here’s to New Year’s in Nicaragua. We’ll see what’s in store.

<3z