Nicaragua becomes a family affair!

In just a few days, my oldest daughter Megan will journey with me to the southern part of Nicaragua as part of a large medical team. Megan is a sophomore at Xavier and will serve as a translator; two years ago she lived in Spain where she had a tremendous cross cultural experience and learned Spanish while living with a loving family.Megan with her 'Spanish sister', Sylvia

As for me, I'm not quite sure what to expect. This trip, organized through Global Health Outreach (part of the Christian Medical and Dental Association) will have 15 MD's, 5 dentists, a bunch of nurses and support personel and many students. A total of 68 people will arrive on Saturday in Managua to form the team that will venture south to near the Costa Rican border.  This is not a surgical trip, so I'll mostlly be using my medical side. I'm taking a small surgical set with me, just to be prepared! Hopefully, I'll get a chance to share some of that experience. 

Allegra in Chinandega, NicaraguaMy second daughter, Allegra, is spending the spring semester in the northern part of Nicaragua.She keeps a blog at the Adventures in Missions site.  She turned 19 yesterday and reflected on her 18th year of life. I am amazed at the work that God has done in her life. Much like last fall, I will likely find myself in the same foreign country as her, but unable to connect. Seems to bother dear old Dad more than daughter!

 So, please pray for our family and the work God has planned for us in Nicaragua. So many times, I set out on an adventure such as this hoping to bring a positive change, only to discover that the real change occurs in me. I pray that Megan will have that transformational experience through our encounters with the people of Nicaragua. I humbly ask for your prayers for our team and Allegra's team that our talents and efforts can bring the love of Christ to people in need. Please pray for the many medical and dental students that will be part of our team; pray that their lives will be molded by this encounter into lives of service and thankfulness.