Bienvenido a Managua

Today was especially special for me: it is my birthday! My wonderful team members sang Happy Birthday to me in the morning, and then surprised me with a beautiful cake after dinner! The cake was lovely, look to your left to see! :) What a great way to spend my birthday -- with an amazing bunch of people from around the country starting a magnificent journey. It was a special, beautiful moment. And there is video of it as well... Muchas Gracias!

I touched down in Managua yesterday, then had a chaotic fun drive to the mission office in the sweltering mid-day heat. The city was busy with trucks and cars, and people darted into oncoming traffic, rushing to get to the other side. It was hot. The streets were busy. It is a beautiful country; the people are wonderful, gracious and welcoming. The team arrived at various times, until late in the night. We all made the long journey safely. I probably will not get a chance to write any more entries until later in the week, as we will be doing a homestay in the countryside for the two days with members of the coffee cooperative and then off to the town of Esteli. I am quite excited about meeting the families, seeing how fair trade benefited them and their community. I am most excited about the one-on-one meetings and seeing how life is in the village of El Bejuco and the towns of Boaco and Esteli.

The team traveled from around the country: California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. They bring an amazing multitude of interests, world experiences and expertise.

We toured Managua today. Many funny tales to tell about that, but I think the image of these two little unaccompanied children will stay with me for a long time. They tagged along with our group, and the itty bitty boy, maybe 2 or 3, in underwear, sandals and a little shirt was walking right along with the adults. He found an adult or two in our group to play with, and for a brief moment was a little boy at play. My heart strings were tugged and tugged and tugged at. It was heartbreaking.

I am blessed and so happy to be here and be a part of such a wonderful team in such a beautiful country, and to bring back what I learn and experience to my own community.

Thank you team for making my birthday so special!