2013 Trip--Day One

After being grounded on the tarmac in Atlanta during a torrential downpour and the lightning that came with it, our group arrived in Managua shortly after midnight local time.  We settled in to Casa San Juan, which will be our home away from home for the next serveral days during our stay in Managua.  A later than expected arrival meant only a short wait through customs, and it meant very quiet streets for our bus driver, Roberto.
We were welcomed upon arrival with gracious hospitality and a light meal of gallo pinto with homemade torillas, fresh pineapple and papaya, and jugo de tamarinda. 

Today has been a whirlwind for our entire group, acclimating ourselves to heat and humidity that has even the locals proclaiming, "¡Hace mucho calor!"  We began our day with a warm and official welcome from the staff of the Cultural Center of Batahola Norte.  We were each given a small wooden cross, made by a local artisan, as CCBN Executive Director Jenifer Marshall stated, "These are a gift from us as a sign of the one faith that binds us together as one people and as one Church."