We have arrived!

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A Day of Travel:

The team has officially arrived in Nicaragua! Yesterday turned out to be all about travel and slowing down to prepare our hearts and minds for the week. Everyone arrived on time to Miami and boarded our last flight to reach Managua. There ended up being quite the line up events that resulted in a 4-hour delay. It can be so easy to become frustrated in these moments, but God's timing is always perfect. Katelyn ended up sitting next to a man named Rod, who lived in Nicaragua. He shared with her all kinds of amazing information about the country. The team landed safely in Nicaragua where we were picked up by Carlos, a driver organized by our host Matt who drove us almost 4 hours to the house we are staying at. After months of zoom meetings and texting it was wonderful to be able to finally meet Matt and Meg in person! We enjoyed dinner while the two of them shared more about their personal stories and how they like to spread the gospel in the local villages and communities. It was such a blessing to spend this time with them. The team then headed off to bed, ready for a good night's sleep to prepare for the day ahead.

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Day One:

The day started with a spectacular breakfast of eggs, ratatouille, red beans and rice, and fresh cheese. The team along with Matt, Meg, and Angel (our translator for the week) enjoyed a time of devotions before heading out into the local communities. The first stop was a place called La Champa. Ginger, Katelyn, and Bri were able to help some dogs and most importantly start handing out bibles and praying with people. Angel has been a huge blessing as he is fluent in both English and Spanish and spent the day translating everything from medical information to prayers. The people were so welcoming, it was a perfect way to start off the day. The next community was one where we didn't do much animal work, but it was evident God had sent us there to pray with a specific family. We are so grateful to both Meg and Matt, it is obvious that they are both well respected and known by so many people. Having such well incorporated friends who are also passionate about us sharing the gospel is nothing short of God's amazing planning. After a delicious lunch, the team headed back out to find some large animals. The team was able to help vaccinate and do some wound care on a couple of horses and then spend time admiring some very lovely cows. To round out the day we were able to see Amigos Animal Rescue, which has been a passion project of Matt's for years. We were able to make a plan for the day tomorrow to prepare for surgeries. It has been amazing to see how God is working and already using the team, and importantly, Matt, Meg, and Angel.

Angel was spending time with the last family, and we were with talking about how we are here on two missions, to help animals, and to share the love of Jesus. We pray that God continues to use him long after we leave to continue being a blessing and support to the families in the area.

We can't wait to see how God is going to keep using us and what He has in store for the days ahead!