Emocionante!

We are excited! :) We just got our camera back (it has been in the camera hospital for the last 4 months). So now, in addition to the photos we are stealing from the internet and from other people, we can share with you our very own.

We are also happy about our growing MCC team. It is fun to get to know the new people. We just finished our first team meeting together, and tomorrow we are heading to some hot springs for a "fun day." In the front are Steve and Colleen Forry, along with their son Zachariah (sitting with Lydell). Not pictured is their almost-one-year-old Nathaniel (it is a change having little ones on the team!). In the back are the 4 SALTers, us, and Angela. From left, the SALTers are: Paul Manickam, Emma Richer, Rebecca Janzen, and Kayon Watson.

Cool Weather!!!

We've been having lots of rain the last few days, and with the rain has come surprisingly cool air. Last night was probably in the low 70s(!), a rarity for Managua. October is the last month of the rainy season, so this amazing weather probably won't last much longer. But we'll take coolness any time we can get it!

My walk to work

Most days I (Alan) go to the Baptist Theological Seminary here in Managua. From our house I walk 2 blocks to catch a bus, then a 15 minute bus ride, and then a 6-block walk to the Seminary. Here are a few things I typically see on my way to work:
- several women selling fruit salads and fruit drinks
- a teenager who, it seems, sniffs glue
- an abandoned lot with graffitti along the walls
- houses that were severely damaged in an earthquake 35 years ago but which some families still call 'home'
- a Baptist primary/secondary school with a well-kept soccer field
- a woman selling bananas & other fruit (I can buy 12 bananas for about $0.50)
- a public park where the weeds typically cover the bottoms of the playground equipment
I then pass through the green gates of the Seminary, and I'm at work.

The photo above shows the governmental heart of Managua - the tall white building is the National Assembly headquarters. The seminary, while not visible, is about 4 blocks east (to the right, just beyond the scope of the photo). Lake Managua can be seen in the background.