Nicaragua- May '09

I just got back from 2 weeks in Nicaragua (Central America), which as most of you know is like my second home! I had a blast spending time with my best friend, Melissa Buzbee, (who is a missionary down there)!















We crammed a lot into the week and a half that we had together. We spent a weekend at the beach outside Chinandega (which provided numerous beautiful photo opportunities!!)



We went to the dump school to pray with the director and to visit the kids. (Yes, the school is really in the middle of the Managua garbage dump!! People actually live there, and this school is like and oasis for the children who would be spending their days digging through the trash if they weren't in school!!)


















We had a slumber party at Casa Havilah (a rescue home for abused girls from the dump that Melissa funds and administrates). We celebrated Naydelin's birthday, and we painted "picture frames" and flowers on the wall in the main living room so that we could mount the girls pictures on the wall. This was a surprise for the girls, and they LOVED it!!














We also saw "X-Men origins- Wolverine," ate lots of flan, and laughed all night!




A small vision team from my Dad's church in Tallahassee, Florida also came down for a few days, and we got lots of planning done for our 5 year mission vision in Los Cedros and Monte Fresco (little villages about 30 minutes outside of Managua). The pictures here are from a feeding program in Monte Fresco.




This was also a fun trip because it was the first time I've been back since getting my Nikon, so it afforded lots of fun photography opportunities. (More bars in more places... hmmm... does that include Nicaragua?? Sure looks like it!)


Enjoy the photos, and if you're interested in getting involved in the on-going ministries down there, let me know!!