Grace and Peace to you all! "For God so loved the whole world..."

The missions trip to Managua has been a very interesting experience for all of us. Traveling from Chelmsford at 2:30 AM (!) through Logan Airport through Miami to Mangua was a very smooth trip with no notable customs or immigration problems. Flying into Managua, you could see from above the rich green landscape of the countryside and the brown polluted Lake Nicaragua. From the air, you could see the sprawling city of Managua and the many tin roofs of the local homes and businesses. There was also a large baseball stadium but only a few buildings over 3 stories high due to earthquakes in the area. The airport was clean and modern and we were warmly greeted by the staff at Calvary Chapel Managua. The drive from the airport was full of billboards with pictures of Daniel Ortega and other signs of the socialist government. Managua is a big city with many diesel cars and noisy motorcycles driving busily about. It's exciting to be in another place and to see a different way of life!

We got a warm welcome from the church staff including Pastor Cal and his wife Jessica. The church building is a very open structure so that city noise passes freely into the sanctuary. Because there are open grates instead of solid walls, when we sing and pray, city people can clearly see and hear the life of the church as they walk by. During the prayer service on Tuesday night, there were local residents who would walk to the church. Communicating in Spanish is a challenge to all of us, but it is a good opportunity to reach out and try to meet people despite the challenge of learning a new language. Two girls sang acapella songs with melodies that we have heard before like This is The Air We Breathe. There will be opportunities for the team musicians to practice later in the week. The church has keyboards, congas, electronic drums and an overhead projector. We broke up into small groups to pray and it was a blessing to hear people pray in Spanish and know that our prayers are being heard by our Father in heaven who knows every language! He is the great communicator after all!

Today we have been doing a variety of work projects around the church, the school and at la comida where we have meals together. We are planning on a Vacation Bible School event on Friday afternoon that will be a lot of fun for everyone. We've also been cleaning fans and fixing school chairs that needed repair. We are going to rehearse some music together to give God the glory and hopefully be a blessing to the people listening. We played frisbee in the Peace Park with many little kids. Not sure who had more fun, us or them!!! :-)

Thanks for your prayers and know that we are safe and in His good care here in Managua. Blessings to you all in the USA!

Alex Knight

2010 Managua Mission Team

Lunch at the Comodor

Alex, Ben, and Chris (at work)

Emily and Doug at work (kind of)