San Juan Del Sur - Part 2

We awoke this morning to a power cut, was a good two hour power cut at that. We surfaced at about 6.30am, yet again we are falling into the natural pace of rising and setting sun. The town was only just starting to wake from its slumber, so we had a saunter and returned to our room to start our day with prayer. What a great way to start the day. Off we went with all the vigour in the world and ran a couple of Km along the beach. Would be so lovely to start each morning in this way.

The beach is set back into a cove. Crescent in shape and gorgeous soft sands. Many boats are anchored just off the shore which adds to the feel of a nice bustling little town. The sun here, as on Ometepe does not really raise its head until it has burnt away the cloud cover which usually happens at about 10/11am each day which is great as it gives an opportunity to sit and relax on the veranda of a restaurant whilst we slowly warm up. Rice and peas, scrambled eggs and coffee ensued which again, is such a great way to start the day.

I was somewhat annoyed last night though, I guess I am not the big tourist sort of guy and as I said before prefer to the back lanes of Urbite and Las Pilas. Was stood in a shop here waiting to buy some water, I was pretty thirsty, only to have to wait 10 minutes for an America couple discuss the various merits of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. The woman behind the counter seemed as exasperated as I was. I was starting to get a little frustrated. I think also the American contingent who have without doubt the best apartments scattered along the hills of this town have also stolen most of the electricity. I may be a little disingenuous here, but I can’t help thinking it. Mind you please don’t think this is a personal rant at the Yanks, well it is a little, but one of my closest friends whom I was best man to this September is an American. I don’t know maybe I just struggle a little a little with the culture.

Nevertheless, we stay here for another day, my feet up on a chair a glass of water beside me and Fion Regan on my ears. Sun bursting through the thin layer of cloud to provide shadows along sand of children running and dancing. The pacific rolling over little feet carefully hopping to avoid stones and pebbles.

Time for another coffee. Which is better than the group on the table next to me who have cracked a bottle of Flor de Cana (Nicaraguan rum) at 10am on a Sunday.

San Juan Del mer

Tropical beeches, palm trees, terrace bars and all that Jazz.

Got here today at 11am and have been propped on the beech ever since. Not to mention a great lunch. Has been a wonderful day and yet this place is a million miles away from the back lanes were we live in in Urbite, Ometepe. Very different place. This is where the Americans come for the hoiliday so there are a lot of white bodies knocking around. Think actually I like the back lanes of Urbite more, simply becuase everyone is so friendly. Here, there is a definate tourist feel to it and that does not sit as well as the lanes of Urbite.

Nevertheless, that does not mean that Andy and I did not have a swim in the Pacific this afternoon. Sea was gorgous and since we are in a cove it is also very calm and just right for a good swim. Its a very nice place.

As we mentioned before we are seeing Steve on the 30th so prayers for that would be wonderful I spoke to him today on the phone and he told me that the prison does not provide any food. They have to buy it themselves or rely on people to bring food to them. Andy and I will be taking him plenty to stock up so he has food. It must be said that he is a very slim lad. A few bags of rice would not go astray so we are going to sort that on Tueaday.

So then, Christmas was great, we are away now from Urbite for at least 2 days and up to Managua for the prison vist. And we are climbing the active Volcano on Ometepe, that is Conception on the 3rd Jan. We met a guy who is the manger of a hotel in Altagracia and he is going to be our guide, but it is by no means an easy climb, we will certainly be up against it. We think 4 / 5 hours up to the crater. Prayers would be nice that the old knees hold out. Safety is always a small isue when doing any sort of climbing and we see no problem as our guide has done it a fair few times, so we are both looking forward to it. its going to be a 4am start though on the 3rd, thats about 10.00am UK time. We are 6 hours behind.

Just watched the sunset at San Juan De Mer, mmmmmmmmmmm, how a sunset just never gets tiring. So wonderful.

No pictures here yet, i just stopped in on the way back to our room, which incidently is in someones back garden, just a couple of beds and thats your lot. Cheap as chips at 3.50 a night, and believe me its only worth 3.50 a night, but it all adds to the experience. As I say, maybe a couple of nights here, we are not sure yet, its kind of well lets see how we feel in the moring, so good not to have to plan anything.

Ears are a little burnt at the moment, so its a ton of Nivea on them tonight, but all in all the tan is coming on nicely.

Right then I think thats about all I got to say, we are on our hols for the next couple of days so we shall say hello to the sun for you all, pretty sure the sun has not shown too much of his face in the UK, so we shall give it a little speaking too and see if we can persuade him to get his coat off.

Take care Bx

Day of Prayer

Andy and I have spent a great deal of time musing over our friend in Prison. We feel that we are being led to move further on with this and by the grace of God we wish to know his will and not our own. With this in mind we have felt a great need for us to offer ourselves in prayer and fasting to God. After much discussion tonight (Christmas eve) we feel it right and necessary for us to set aside a day of prayer for Steven. We will be visiting Steven in prison on Tuesday 30th December and have decided through prayer that this is the day we would like to set aside as intercession for Steven.

The reason we are both putting this on our blogs is that we would be so very grateful if any of you feel called, that you would join us in prayer for this day. We are also so very conscious that we want to follow Gods will, and are seeking out how God wants to use us, if at all. We cannot presume that the thoughts we have are the desires of our God and we want to be sure that God is guiding us in whatever way he chooses and not the way we choose or desire.

So, if you feel it is right for you we would love if on the 30th December we could set this day aside for prayer for Steven and that Andy and I are humble enough to place ourselves in the hands of God and have him do what he wishes.

Your support in this is so very much appreciated and we thank you for all the kind words we have received from you all and the ongoing encouragement. We also thank you for the financial support we have received for the work here.

God bless you all at this wonderful time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

We also want to say thank you for those who have pledged money for us to help others whilst we are out here. God Bless you all. it is wonderful to see our family at home supporting is and the people here in Nicaragua. We assure you all money pleadged will be given directly to people who need it, or used to purchase items needed. THANK YOU!

For those interested, I have a concurrent blog which is going on about the spiritual side of things and a book I am reading at the moment and life here. Its at www.brendantquinn1.blogspot.com, or go to the my profile thing on the right and you get to it there. Its only ramblings but If it is at all helpful to anyone else then great, if not, no worries, its how I get things into my head. just thought I would sling it up in case anyone does get something from it.

Christmas Day

The boys in front of their Christmas tree & pressies

I have an hour before I meet Andy for lunch so blogging I go!

What a day. We had loads of prsents from home and built ourselves a little christmas tree type thing. You should have seen us, we were like two 10 year old little boys as we realised that Jude had sent us a table tennis net , bat and balls. There could not have been a more ideal pressie. Off we went and constructed our makeshift table tennis table. It was wonderful. Mind you Andy may not say that same thing!!!!! And Chocolate, we have not had any since being here, and such good chocolate at that. MMMMMM so wonderful.
It was a great day, we went for a stroll to the beach, but not even half way there we found a church in Las Pilas (our little village) and had a little pray, but then, we got involved in bulding the crib for the day and ended up playing baseball with a load of kids. It was wonderful and so nice to see the children smiling and happy and having loads of fun. Was a privalage to be apart of that.

Again table tennis ensured, but with the excitement of the dayI was in bed by 9. Its great to be so in step with the natural world. We rise at 5/6 when the sun rises (or when Guyo gets his lungs up to full strength) and go to bed not long after the sun has gone down. Its great and for a tree hugger like me its just right. I love it.

So our day yesterday was great and thank you to Jude and Andys parents for our gifts, so very welcome and made our day. Christmas pud todayI think. Yum Yum.´

There are a few photos here of our day and the last few days. Also I am going to try and upload some video but no idea if it will work. The kids are those that we helped build the crib for that night, but the geezer lying down by the side of the crib obvuiously had a bit too much to drink. There were a few blokes like this that day, which is a great shame and not the best example for the kids.

Still we had a great day and the kids loved. We were invited into a families home to look at their crib and it was so humbling, one bed for 6 of them and a mud floor. But yet such happiness. It was humbling but also nice. we are getting to knowe so many people, and just this morning a little girl who we were playing with yesterday got of the bus with her mom and started running towards me laughing and skipping. her mom had no idea so in my broken spanish I had told her how I knew her daughter. So nice though.

We bought a little prsent for our host, Elizabeth and Anaglasia. A little picture handpainted of the volcano. as really good to be able to offer something to her for all the hard work she is doing, and beleive me, we are eating very very well, so well that we are having to do some exercise to be sure we dont turn into the tellytubbies.

Christmas

I am leaving Managua today and joining Andy back on the island. So internet is going to be non existent especially over the christmas period. So, if I do not speak to you before hand, Mom, Fran and Jaqueline, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and please do give Shyla huge hug and kiss from me.

Hope to hear from you all soon, but if not then please, all of you who are reading this, have a great Chrismas and God Bless you all.

Prison

Ok I am typing this at high speed, so please do forgive the typos, the power has gone down and I only have an hours worth of battery, which in computer terms could mean anything between 5 minutes to 30 minutes. So I am going to plough through this without proof reading.

Libby picked me up at 11.30 and we headed out to the prison which is in a town called tipatito (i think) which is actually a good drive out of Mangua. We got to the prison and I had my photo taken in a tin hut outside so I could claim my ID. 40 Cordabas, best part of £1.25.

In we went to the security centre. The main hall for being cleared to enter the prison is nothing more than a cattle shed, if they call it any different then they are certainly lying, that is unless they call it a pig shed which being a little worse, could well be closer to the truth. There were so many people there, women dressed up to the nines, not sure of their motivation, either they wanted to impress their boyfirend / husband or they are going to cause themselves no end of problems. Children running around and the odd scuffle. People here have no idea of order. It's just a stampede, one woman went flying on the floor when they opened the gates for a body search, she was crying her eyes out and people just walked over her. I don't get this. Even when we were queing to be seen, people are right on top of you, there is no such thing as personal space in this country, I guess its drummed into them through the experience of using public transport.

Libby flew through but i had problems. It took 1 hour and 20 minutes, 9 different people to handle my files and identification, then a gorup of 5 sitting around a table discussing my documents before I was even considered for entry to the prison. It was shocing as in reality, one person could have quite easilly dealt with me and processed the information. There is such beurocracy here, but not organised, its completely inept. Seriously, no one talks to one another so 8 people do the same job over and over again, and if you get someone who has a different opinion to the person prior, then you have to go back to the begining to start the whole thing again whilst they discuss and evaluate. Its shocking, how anything acutally gets done here i have no idea. really it is totally a mess. And yet they think this is ok, wait till they get Brendan Quinn the Project Manager on their case!!!!

Anyway, 1 hour and 20 minutes later I was let in. After such a thorough examination and deliberation of my documentation one would think I was on for a full strip search and even the unmentionable. But no, one guard decided he would check my right ankle. that was it!! What the blazes was going on, could have smuggled anything into that prison. Anyways, I was in.

I met Steven. He has given me permission to tell his story, which I sall do. He is 35, and his name is Steven Evitt. He lived on Barnwood Road, just off Welsh House Farm Road for a good few years, possibly between 1987 and 2003. He lived with his girlfriend, who, one she had given birth to their son, decided it was time to leave, So she did and left Steve with three kids to raise. He did so for a good few years, but had had enough of being treated like a doormat. So, some individual offered him £10,000 if he would do a drugs run. He jumped at it, good money and life in Quinton was crap. He flew to Nicaragua to meet the contact out here to smuggle through into the UK a quantity of Cocaine.

However, at the airport he was stopped by police (he was set up) and was arrested. The contact out here was arrested too and is serving his term alongside Steve. It seems organisers of this type of thing have two or three on a flight and so sacrifice one of them to distract officials from the other two.

He tells the story from the point of view that he was at his wits end and something big came his way. He did not think about it, or the consequences, he just wanted to get away from the life he had found himself in. In court he was given 25 years which is the maximum for drug smuggling. They threw the book at him. As I said recently, his sentence was reduced to 23 years, of which he has served 5. However, as he has worked throughout this term, the sentence can be considered as 10 years at the moment. He is a good man, unassuming but with the classic council estate gait. That is not to take anything away from him, because he greeted me with open arms and spent 40 minutes talking to me about what he had done and experienced. He is a good man. He made a mistake and now he is paying so very dearly for that. No one can excuse what he has done, no one, but in the end, it is likley that he will be 50 before he knows what liberty feels like. It is so very sad.

We talked about life in prison which is defnately hard. 6 of them to a cell that is 5m x 5m. They wash, urinate, defecate and clean dishes all in the same hole in the floor. Healthcare is non existent and the prison is run by gangs. Guards turn a blind eye as they are paid peanuts for what they do and so dont want to get involved in a fight between rival gangs. Steve mentioned that he finds himself in a full on fight once a week, which, from my initial feelings, is probably not too far from the truth. 'They love their knives in here' he said. It seems that knife attacks in the cells is very common, and Steve had a scar on his right hand where he had been stabbed 2 months ago. Luckily, it had been stictched properly.

The prison itself is very dirty, there is nothing what i would call hygeine. There is no Gym, no Facilities and no work. It seems there is not enough work to go around all the inmates so you grab what you can to keep going. Steve has had his down moments, and if I am honest I think he is doing exceptionally well considering. but, He has been ripped off by three lawyers so far and my discussions with Libby lead me to feel that he is being ripped off yet agian by the third. Which is a total shame, especially when Steve thinks he may have his sentence wiped out next year. Libby feels as though he may be being a little too optomistic considering everything can be bought here, including police, lawyers and judges. Nothing is safe from corruption. But I hope in my heart his lawyer is sincere and is working for Steves best interests.

She feels as though he may be getting his hopes up for a big fall. I avoided the subject, suffuce to say that i did ask him, if it did all fall through next year and his sentence is not cleared, would he be willing to serve his sentence in the UK. He said he would. One can only see what the new year brings.

Is it by chance i travel half way round the world to find a man in prison who lives four roads up from me? Not at all. The cynic may say I am reading too much into this, and Whilst I must remain seperate and try and set aside my emotional self, it is without doubt that part of this trip was to meet this man.

If I can ask for one thing it would be, if you beleive in the power of prayer, please, pray for this man. Prison in Nicaragua is not good and I can't even begin to tell you the feelings I had sitting in a hall full of prisoners and watching them be affectionate with their loved ones. Nobody can condone the crime. The prison is for rapists, murderers, drug traffickers and robbers, it is not a good environment, but steve is not of this group. he made a stupid mistake.

I have been in touch with him everyday by text and he is an appreciative guy. I continue to be in touch with him. I brought food to him today and topped up his mobile for him (it is a prohibited item in prison but the guards do turn blind eye). Please pray for his safety and for his sentence to be drastically reduced. He is a good guy keeping his head down as best he can, he told me he cant stand the violence.

I shall leave it there for now as the battery is due to collapse. I have his brothers address in Birmingham and will be going to see him when I return to the UK.

In the meantime, God bless you all, and thank you again for all your support.

Ometepe Life

What an Island! It is such a wonderful place to be, people are so friendly and will go out of their way to help you and even just have a chat with you. A guy walked us back from the beach yesterday just so he could chat to us and get a bit of English, he must have gone 2 Km out of his way to walk us to our compound.

Christianity (catholosism) is alive and well here. Everywhere you go there are crosses, and becuse it is now Christmas, there are cribs being set up all over the back lanes where lights are flashing, music playing and people dancing preparing themselves to celebrate the birth of Christ. I can't tell you how amazing it is, a few small children grabbed my hand the other night wanting to dance with me outside a crib. Our faith is everywhere, you cannot escape it, and whilst like any society there are some bad things here in terms of corruption and alcoholism etc etc, the forthcoming celebration of the birth of Chirst is in full swing.

I woke this morning at 4.00am to get the first bus over to Moyogalpa, the port where the ferry leaves for Rivas. Sitting at the bus stop on the main road, I was joined by a few people off to work. A pick-up drove up and 6 men got out all weilding tubas, trumpets a base drum and other paraphanalia. Without any introduction they launched into a full on Brass tune belting out across the town (Obiytie) at 4.30am in the morning. Off went the fireworks (launced only from a hand) and all of a sundden the whole street was engulfed by the towns people. 5.00am mass - the town was alive and kicking at 5.00am and in full swing for celebration. Out blasted a few good old hymns I recognised but sung in Spanish from the Catholic church opposite me. It was wonderful, what a start to a day!!

Off I went on my merry way on the bus to Moyogalpa and then onto the ferry to cross to the mainland which I nearly missed and required a hop skip and a bloomin great jump to get onto the back of the thing as the ramp was being hoisted into the air. It was a close call. But it was a nice crossing and wonderfull to see the two volcanoes of the island during sunrise.

I got to Rivas and straight onto a bus to Managua (the capital) where I am due to meet libby to go and see this guy from Welsh House Farm in Prison. This bus ride was typical of most public transport in Nicaragua. I got on to find no seats and the thing rammed to the hilt, faces squashd against windows. The conductor type person was insistent I sat down, however, the only seat available (they are three to one seat) was a seat with two rather large ladies, who due to their size had taken the entire seat. I had the best part of 10cm to place my buttocks on which was a cause of great ammusemt to pretty much everyone on the bus, after I had gesticulated that it was a near on impossible task to get my backside on that seat. Man it was a serious session of Bum terrotory wars I can tell you and for the next two hours i think I have given every muscle in my lower body a great work out just to keep on the seat. However, after a couple of minutes I realised it was probably time to relinquish my bag and sling it on the luggage rack overhead. I did so with a keen amout of gusto which resulted in a 5 litre container half full of water launcing itself off the rack, into mid air in that slow motion type thign where you know whats coming but cant do a thing about it. Thump it went onto the head of a poor unsuspecting woman. You should have heard the roar of laughter, the gringo gets it wrong again. Still all was well and everyone took my clumsiness in good spirits. So it was back to Bum wars!

So I am now in Mangua and meeting with libby in an hour. We are hoping to get into the prison today but i have a vital peice of documentation missing at the moment which may make it a little more difficult. We are going to give it a good go as the officials here are well, I shall not repeat what Libby called them, suffice to say they wont be making it easy for us to see this guy. I am going to ask him if it is ok to mention who he is on this blog as he does have a brother still living in Quinton. So I need to be sure first before I tell you who he is, however, please do pray for this man. he is 35 and recently had an appeal to his sentence where they reduced it by 2 years. His full sentence is 23 years now. Again, I have purposely not mentioned why he is in prision as I see this as information i need his approval to mention.

Anyway, there are a number of photos dotted around this so you can see a little of what we have seen. Andy started work today in Alta Gracia which he is nervous and excited about. I am half a days travel away from him at the moment, so prayers for us both would also be welcome concerning our safety. And we both want to say a huge thank you for praying for us in Church (St. Boniface) yesterday morning. Jude sent us a text via skype to let us know. It is so very heartwarming and encouraging to know that our family back home are supporting us through prayer, for there is nothing else more powerful. Our sincere thanks to you all.

We will try and update these as best we can but as I said the internet it a little illusive on the island, but we shall see what we can do.

Thank you all, and if we are not able to get on the internet before hand, a BIG happy Christmas to you all!

God bless.

They call him Guyo!

I have a love hate relationship with Guyo. I love the fact he is providing us with fresh eggs each day, or at least he is part of the process of supplying eggs to us each day, however, I hate the fact he is insistent on waking me at 4am each morning. The boy is relentless from 3.30am till 9,00am every day. He is a cockerel with attitude. I have intimated to Elizabeth, the CVC manger that Guyo may well go missing one day! Also that necesito comer Guyo. It brings a laugh but deep within me I have a fantasy of chasing him around the compound with a machete and putting an end to his excessively vocal introduction to each day. Guyo – watch it buster!!!

A ramble through thoughts and sights

I sit at the CVC (Christian Vocational Centre) on Ometepe, in Las Pilas, the island in Lake Nicaragua. It’s Saturday 20th and I have three weeks left before I return to the UK. So this is my fourth full day in Nicaragua and it seems as though I have been here for more like four months. Things change so rapidly, there is so much happening and going on, even through times of relaxation there seems to be a constant movement of thoughts, experiences and challenges. Yes the obvious is true, abject poverty juxtaposed with wealth, affluence sat alongside the corrugated steel huts with roofs covered in coconut leaves (or something like that). That I guess is to be expected when one visits a developing country, and, Nicaragua being the poorest country in Central America it is inevitable there will be such juxtapositions. This in itself is nothing shocking nor is it something I feel I am challenged about for through such poverty I see people with great families, wonderful smiles and indeed, settled and relaxed lifestyles. Lifestyles that are envious for a western man who lives in a society that runs faster at times than it is possible for us to keep up with. There is a pace here that is good, slower and peaceable. Yes there is corruption and yes there is terrible living conditions with very little healthcare, but it is good. Nicaragua joins half of Africa with only having 2.5 health care workers per 1000 people, the worst ratio for health care workers in the world along with parts of Africa. Education again is something only available to the fortunate. Again though, through all of this there is still that life that is good and acceptable to me. As I have been saying throughout my time here so far, es muy aceptable para me! Seems this is a great source of amusement to our friend Alexander who is a nurse here for the SIFT project who has been our guide yesterday since we got off the ferry from Rivas. His English is non existent and that is good as it is forcing myself and Andy to delve into the depths of our limited Spanish and try through many a gesture to communicate. It is indeed wonderful and Alexander is a very welcome friend, who just like the Elliott and the Quinn likes a Tona (pronounced Tonya) at the end of a hot sticky day (Tona is the local beer which is cool and crisp, ideal for such locations, especially with a good squeeze of lemon (Limón) and with a litre costing just over £1 what is one supposed to do?

So then, our journey to Ometepe from Mangua. We were up early, Andy to my great surprise had found his way from his scratcher before I had and was indeed looking pretty spritely for the day ahead. Frantic packing ensued which resulted in the two of us walking down the dirt track from our compound to the bus at the end of the road with a ruck sack each bags around our necks (unfortunately Andy had been somewhat over confident about the load bearing capacity of his laptop bag which decided its handle was not at all happy about it) and a gait that confirmed we were a little over laden. The bus ride down here was interesting. Bags, chickens and food all freely available at anytime through the trip, however, my personal favourite was our preacher. On he got bible in hand, stood in the isle of the couch and belted out the Good News. Finger wagging, all the passion of a evangelist preaching to a captive audience, was fantastic. Then he launched into giving away pens, key rings little cards, toothbrushes etc whilst having conversations with our fellow passengers. It was the most interesting bus ride I have ever had, and one which I thoroughly enjoyed.

An old guy sat down on the back seat wth us and opened a little bag just wide enough to let his chicken breath. Out popped the chickens head gasping for breath. It almost seemed as though this guy had an affectionate relationship with his chicken, probably a pet or something, but when I passed him in the Street later that day in Rivas – no chicken!! Yeah, flogged it no doubt on the table by evening.

So the ride was great, interesting and thought provoking. Not sure I am planning on getting on the 103 bus in Quinton ready to launch into a passage from the Gospel just yet.

In Rivas we got on a bicycle type taxi thing to take us to an ATM so I could get some cash. Now we tend to get a little frustrated when we have to wait more than a few minutes when getting cash out of an ATM in the UK, yet my time was the best part of 45 minutes. The queue was up the street. And yet, it was fine, no problem it´s ok. Then off in our bicycle type thing back to the bus station to get a cab to take us to the port San Jorge (pronounced San horhay).

Rivas is a bustling town, full of markets and people generally getting involved, in what they are getting involved in I am not too sure, but it is busy with the hussle bussle of people going about thier day. Music blaring out of various shops which is some kind of cheap Latin American influenced pop stuff, and yet, there is some really good music out here that I am simply going to have to acquire and take back. It’s heavily influenced by what we would call a Mexican feel and it is very good. I quite like Rivas with its street´s overflowing with people, cattle, horses and carts, motobikes etc. Had a nice feel to it.

The ferry to Ometepe was our first real encounter with the sun. We have been pretty good up to now keeping outselves in the shade, but on the top deck of the ferry we cooked ourselves rather well I think. At least gas mark 3! Both of us have pink skin, but we were lucky that it was no more than an hour so I think actually we have done ourselves no harm at all. On the lake it was almost like sailing in the Hebrides, Andy commented that it almost felt like we were sailing past the Isle of Skye, and he was right, except it is 30 degrees hotter than it has ever probably been in the Hebredes and we were on a ferry lurching its way towards two volcanoes.

Alexander met us at the ferry port in Moyogalpa and we had lunch then went down to the CVC.

Its wonderful here, I am typing this on my laptop as I watch children and adults being taught. This center is used for education to help these people get better jobs and build better lifestyles for themselves. It’s a great place, everyone is so happy, so beautiful and pleasant. Its great to see and even be a part of. Alexander is here also doing his bit of learning as he is a Nurse in one of the SIFT clinics.

Blue sky, bright deep pink flowers waving from trees, lemons growing on the tree opposite and granaria fruit on the tree off to my left. It’s a place of delights, surrounded by wonderful people. You cant help but feel your soul rise in these surroundings.

We visited the hospital where Andy will be working from monday. it´s basic, it really is. Although as we walked around being shown all the rooms by the head nurse and the facilities they have, it felt right from my perspective that Andy should be here. I think he is going to be a great blessing to these people. Of course there is apprehension, but that is good, the language barrier being the main one, but I can tell you Andys language recently has gone in leaps and bounds and i personally think he is going to be great. But the hospital is basic and I think there are great challenges there in terms of getting to grips with some very basic equipment and facilities.

Anyways, I got to go, too much sun to be enjoyed so I must love and leave you all. I will try and get on here at some point over the next couple of days but who knows when that will be, the busses are not exactly regular and its all a case of well, we shall see. I love it!

Internet

Internet access is now very limited since we are on Ometepe, its just a little cafe here in Alta Gracia) closet town, but to be ´honest I could probably run these messages faster to the UK. hehehe well probably not........... so with the mobile I have not accepting or sending texts internationally, it would seem I am off the radar. I will however try and get on when I am in mangua for the prison visit. My mobile will accept calls internationally just not texts.

Twist

Now, there is the old Cliche, God works in mysterious ways. And, as with all cliches there is always an element of truth, they would not be cliches if it was not the case.

I have had one of the most amazingly bonkers evening for a long time, and as my firends will know thats got to be quite bonkers. Met up with a girl called Libby who works out here with kids but who also gets invovled in a lot of peoples lives and does a few prison visits. She has visited a guy out here in prison who is from Quinton. Lived on the Welsh House Farm Estate. It just so happens that he is here for a 25 year stretch and is about 5 years into it. Have been texting him tonight and will be visiting him in prision on Monday.

How amazing is it that i can fly pretty much around half of the world and find myself visiting a guy in prison who is from Quinton, but not only Quinton, he is from the same estate that I live on. Coincidence has no place here, this I beleive is something that has a plan written all over it.

So, I shall be on Ometepe tommorow and stay there till monday when I will get my motorcylce in full swing and ride up to Managua and visit this guy. If I can ask for anything it would be that you keep this visit in your prayers and that through it, Gods will is paramount.

Off to bed now with dogs barking, crickets cricketing and all manner of other noises that I cant even begin to explain, simply becuase I aint got a clue what animal or insect is creating them

Zzzzzzz.....

Mobile

It appears that the mobile I have over here will not allow us to send and receive texts - we can only receive international calls. So if you have text and we have not replied then please do forgive us.

Our mobiles do however receive texts sent via Skype, and indeed both Andy and I are on skype so please do add us if you have a skype account. My skype address is brendan.quinn6

Brrrrrrraaaapppppp

Andy's blog address is http://www.andreselliott.blogspot.com/

Home

Home at the moment is the Peace and Hope Trust building located in a compound (condominio Cedro Real) on the main Managua / Granada road. We are in a compound for security reasons. Whilst sitting on the veranda and eating tea you can be completely foolled into a false sense of security and that we could quite simply be at home (with palm trees and sunshine though) but the truth is that this is a very poor country, the poorest of all of the central American Countries.

So we live in a compound that is secured with fencing and 24 hours armed guards. Its amazing how you just accept the fact that the security guard is walking around with a rifle on his shoulder.

My first full day here has been nothing short of full! Got up yesterday at 6.00am and went for a run and had a quiet time with God, was wonderful just to sit in such a lush and peaceful place with the sun shining down and be in Gods presence. Mmmmm.

So this is pretty much what I got up to yesterday.

Up at 6.00am and went for a run

Time with God

Breakfast

Organised a flight to bluefields

Picked up by Tony Langmead (SIFT Project Manager) and went out to a volcano with a lagoon in the crater - called Lagoon de Apoya

Christmas party at Hilton hotel in Managua with British / Nicaraguan society (slap up meal in other words)


Bluefields Trip
The Peace and Hope Trust where we are staying undertake a great numbe rof projects serving those who are isolated and have nothing. Bluefields is part of the old Mosquito coast on the Carabean side of the country. When I say it is isolated, I mean you cant get there unless you fly there. There are no roads going to the town. You can drive to the river in El Rama and then take a boat down the Escondido river. thats the only way to get there. There is a doctor out there runnign a project to help feed the street children and people of the village. We will be going out there to help feed the children and see what they get up to. Going to be a very interesting trip since the town is so isolated. Thik we are going out there on the 2nd January for a couple of days.


Lagoon de Apoya
This is a lake in the crater of an inactive volcano. Its on the way out to Granada. It is immense, you can see a Quinn and an Elliott swimming in the crater if you click the photo it will come up a little bigger. Tony Langmead the project Manager for SIFT took us out there where we had lunch and lounged around in hammocks all afternoon. Was wonderful, not to mention tht the water is heated from the volcanic activity below so the water was lovely. Mist came in over the crater edge and it even started raining whilst we were out there swimming. Was such a gerat afternoon relaxing and taking it easy and getting to know a little more of what goes on out here. Mind you the locals where giving us a fwe strange looks as we entered the lagoon, i think it may have been a bit chilly for them, but at 27 degrees yesterday there was no way in this world I was not going to get my bones in the water. British hey, all we need is an excuse for a bit of sun and we think we are in a tropical paradise.

Some photos taken yesterday:

Oxen having a stroll



Andy and Tony at Lagoon de Apoya





How to take your girl out for the evening, these people manage to get up to 4 people on one bike - this is the most popular way to take your girl out.


Volcano getting a bit steamy

As a side from this there is a verse in Isaiah that has really rung out for both Andy and I - Isiaiah 61 (taken from the Amplified Bible)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, becuase the Lord has annointed and qualified me to preach the gospel of Good tidings to the meek, the poor and afflicted: He has sent me to bind up ad heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the physical and spiritual captives and the opening of the prison and of eyes to those who are bound.

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of his favour and the day of vengenceof our God , to comfort all who mourn.

To grant onsolation and joy to those who mourn in Zion - to give them an ornament a garland or diadem of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a heavy, burdened and failing spirit - that they may be called oaks of rightousness, lofty, strong and magnificent, distinguished for uprightousness and right standing with God, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified........

Blue sky and Lizards

There is so much to say and tell but I am going to keep it all brief as this could turn into war and peace.

Went for a power nap on Monday evening at about 11.30pm and woke up at 3.30am. Now that in itself aint no great shakes, but when i was supposed to have been on a National Express coach to Heathrow at 3.00am, a fog of panick set in for all of about 10 seconds. How do I get to Heathrow without a car - the answer I don't. The coach was on its way and I had to get to Heathrow - No trains running until 5.30am which would have got me to Heathrow at 8.20am - my flight leaves at 8.40am. So that was a no go!


Two calls later to a very tired mom and sister and I had the Quinn clan swing into full support mode at 4.00am - picked up mother and brought her to my sisters and then picked up a sister and brought her to Heathrow. She then drove the car back. What a great morning, much better idea than sitting on a National Express. So glad I thought of it!!

Mom and Fran, I am so grateful to you both for helping me out, I simply would not have made my flight without you pair. So thank you so much.

Right then, Flights and all quite non exciting, although the view over Greenland was something amazing, got to be a mountain worth climbing in Greenland. Ads and Beth, you up for it????

Me up with Andy at Managua airport and jumped into the back of a huge pick-up and spent the 13 Km sitting on a plank of wood staring out the back to the capital city and various sights, all of which I could not see as it was 10pm. Sunset here is between 5.30pm and 6pm. Was a great introduction to a very warm evening, 27 degrees when I landed, and not really that much cooler through the night, although I slept like a little baby. (little babies don't sleep right through the night do they! Not sure what that is supposed to mean!).

Few things scuttling around the room last night, pretty unidentifiable, but it's nice to know that i am not alone. Woke to find a lizard of some description sharing the sunrise with me in my room. Nice boy, but not very forthcoming with conversation.

I am at the moment staying at The Peace and Hope trust 13Km out of Managua on the main Granada / Managua Road. Bloomin nice digs as well. Will be here for a couple of days before going down to the Island (Ometepe) on Friday. Little picture of my digs is in this post somewhere. Hoping to get a good plan of things today and a slap up meal tonight with the Local Expats - could be interesting. Andy has already met a few good people working out here and I can't wait to get to know these people and see if my time here can be of help to any of the good charitable work that is going on. Our plan will be formulated today.

So then, suffice to say it is warm. 6.30am and I have my shorts, t shirt and flippers on. Fantastic, 32 degrees here today is forecast which is a whole 30 degrees more than it was when I left Birmingham.

Just want to also say a great thanks to all of you who are praying for both myself and Andy. We realise how important prayer is, it's the most powerful thing we have as Christians, and so, wanted to say a great thanks to those who are interceding on our behalf. We have a few things we want to do which will see us in some of the less desireable places in the country, but we don't want to shy away from these things when there is such a gerat benefit that can be gained and given. So once again, our deepest gratitude.

I shall bang up a few more pics and stuff and let you all know how we are getting on. Jude - you are a star, there is no doubt, you have been a great support to me and your text this morning was great! Thank you for packing my stuff too. Andy was like a little boy last night when I handed him his presents. We are both looking forward to opening them on Christmas day, wherever we may be then!

God bless you all

Managua

Just a little update - I have arrived, its 1.30 in the morning at the moment so thought I would let you all know that I have hooked up with Andy and got to our digs for the next day or two before we go out to Ometepe.

Will write more tommorow about the interesting start I had this morning which should have resulted in a coach trip to Heathrow - but did not!

More to come in the morning........

Mom and Fran - thank you so much!!

ZZZZZZzzzzzz..........

Sleep deprivation - why does the clock always go at the same speed? I really do think clocks should have two speeds, one for daytime and one for night time when it should slow down so that nights are much longer. I guess the 1 hour I had of sleep last night was not sufficient for my day today.

However, I am packed. And it is only by the miracle worker that is the Jude Sloan that I am packed in an efficient and timely manner. Thanks Jude, your organising was very welcome - not to mention the pepper beef and egg fried rice. Yum Yum.

So i have four bags. Thats 1 suitcase, a ruck sack, flight bag and laptop bag. I have never in all my days travelled with so much luggage. How does one human carry this stuff - I have seen people carrying this sort of stuff for two weeks in Magaluf - why? Its beyond me.

If i could sleep I would but the lack of sleep last night is having about as much effect on my ability to sleep tonight as Red Bull six-pack. Have a feeling the Quinn may be getting a little excited. Still - under the Duvet I go until 1.30am ZZZZZzzzzzz.........

An Elliott in Nicaragua

Andy has arrived!

Andy called last night to say he has arrived safe and sound and is out there ready and waiting to get stuck in. It appears it's a bit quiet over there at the moment due to the country being a large Catholic country and it being Christmas. However, he has said it looks as though he is going to be working quite hard as the team out there has plenty for him to do. Although, probably not until I get over the gargantuan amount of medicine Andy has kindly left for me to take. If I have the smaller amount then I would hate to see what Andy took out.

I am usualy happy enough to do my travels with one ruck sack with a couple changes of clothes and wash them as I go. However, this trip is goung to be somewhat different since my ruck sack is full to bursting with only half of the medicine that is left to take. So, there is another suitacase coming with me, and that weighs close to a metric tonne! Could be interesting when I get to customs at the other end!

Right, back to the packing. Yawn Yawn

The web site for the charity we are working with is http://www.seed-trust.com/

Where am I Going?

Where am I Going? That is not a question that requires the usual answers I would normally get from Boots or Moo, simply it is Where I am travelling. I shall be going to the Nicraguan Island of Ometepe which incidently is the largest volcanic island in the world, formed by two volcanoes, one of which is still active, the other is dormant and has a crater full of immense wildlife and vegetation. The lake, Lake Nicaragua is also home to the worlds only fresh water sharks.

Above you can see the island which is actually a lot larger than it appears on the map. I fly into Managua which is the capital and spend a night there and then get an hour long ferry to the island where I will be staying for most of the time. However, I will be visiting other projects especially the building project that is going on in Granada.

Over the last couple of years the indiginous people of Nicaragua have lived on land that has no real claim, except that it has been home to the people of Nicaragua for hundreds of years. This land is now being bought up by wealthy individuals who are building holiday homes and the like. This is causing the displacement of the indiginous people which the charity I am working with are seeking to assist. The charity, SIFT, an English based organisation has also bought some of this land so it can re-house those who have been displaced. I will be assisting this project in one form or another to help with re-housing these people.



There are other projects being undertaken on the island such as a school for local children, a medical centre and an orphanage, all of which I will be working with at some point.

But then, lets not forget the travel also. Nicaragua is not really a huge country and with the use of a 4x4 over weekends myself and Andy will be doing a fair bit of getting about, but also lounging around on the tropical beeches on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and not forgetting a possible climb of one of the volcanoes. Mom, don't get worried, I am a big boy now!


Needless to say I am hoping to update this for the month that I am away - however, internet access is not guranteed so it may be hit and miss, but at least you can see how I am getting on and you can post your comments too, so long as they are clean!!


Take care guys and girls or as they say in Nicaragua - errrrrrrrrrr......... What do they say in Nicaragua??!?

I will post some pictures of the island that I found on the net below, but hopefully will be able to post up some of the pictures I take as I go.

http://www.seed-trust.com/

Pictures from the Internet

http://www.seed-trust.com/